Tag: encouragement

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Joy Comes in the Morning

How did you sleep last night?

Were you blessed with restful, peaceful sleep? Be thankful, so many weren’t. There are those who were up standing watch over their cities; firefighters, police, EMT’s, hospital staff. Then others were assigned to their posts of protecting our Nation; Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, Coast Guard and Border Patrol. They all have a daunting task to perform in keeping us safe and they do it willingly.

Others I know were up half the night grieving over the recent loss of a loved one. The sadness, the loneliness covers them like a roaring wave, crashing on the shore. Last night, for many, was filled with travel; a flight taking them home to family and loved ones or taking them too some exciting destination. Then there were those who sat beside a dear precious soul getting ready to leave this earth for their heavenly home.

“The night may be filled with tears, but in the morning we can sing for joy!” Psalm 30:5b ERV

Over twenty years ago, I began each morning by reading Psalm 143 and Psalm 145. No matter what had happened the night before, I greeted each day focusing on God’s love and provision. I felt compelled to share this with you today. I have no idea what your night was like but God does. His purpose is to bring you joy this morning, lasting joy.

“Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, For I trust in You. Teach me the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. 9  Rescue me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I take refuge in You. 10  Teach me to do Your will [so that I may please You], For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground. 11  Save my life, O Lord, for Your name’s sake; In Your righteousness bring my life out of trouble. 12  In your lovingkindness, silence and destroy my enemies And destroy all those who afflict my life, For I am Your servant.” Psalm 143:8-12 AMP

“The Lord lifts up people who have fallen. He helps those who are in trouble. 15 All living things look to you for their food and you give them their food at the right time. 16 You open your hands and give every living thing all that it needs. 17 Everything the Lord does is good. Everything he does shows how loyal he is. 18 The Lord is near to everyone who sincerely calls to him for help.” Psalm 145:14-18 ERV

I hope your day is joy-filled. The Father is reminding you of His lovingkindness.

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It’s Important to Cuddle

We knew our kids would be heading home right after lunch yesterday. We visited and played for most of the morning and then it was time to gather things up and start moving them out to the car.

I was putting out lunch in the kitchen, the little ones were playing, Kaci was packing and Stephen was loading out. Kristine was doing fine until her Daddy carried out her shoes. She followed him to the door but she had to stay inside. Her Daddy was gone and so were her shoes.

Kaci picked her up and put her in the high chair so she could eat before they left. Brother Sam was already eating. She wanted nothing to do with that, she just kept looking at the door and then the tears started to fall. It’s hard to imagine what might have been going through her little mind – I’m tired and I just want a nap; are they going to leave me; why can’t I go outside too.

I lifted her out of her high chair and began to rub her back. She started to calm down and cuddle in. I held her as her Momma and Daddy sat down to eat their lunch with brother. She snuggled in more as I sat down and then she fell fast asleep.

This scene replayed in my head this morning. And then I read this verse as part of my morning reading.

“You know that we treated each one of you the way a father treats his own children. 12 We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we told you to live good lives for God. He calls you to be part of his glorious kingdom.” I Thessalonians 2:11-12 ERV

We could almost replace that word “comforted” with the word cuddled. Paul had learned from the Lord the importance of comforting and encouraging. That’s what the Father does for us – He doesn’t abandon or desert us. When we feel vulnerable He is there to lift us up and give us peace.

“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

Maybe you need a good cuddle today, come boldly to God’s throne. He’ll pick you up and provide peace. Or maybe there is someone you’ll encounter today who is having a rough go of it; God might use you to act in a “fatherly” way to bring them comfort and encouragement.

Just remember, sometimes we could all use a good cuddle!

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A Love Letter for All Time

I quite often refer to God’s Word as His love letter to us. A love letter for all time!

I have saved a box of love letters from Dave. When we were dating he lived in California and I was here in Arizona. Every few years I take them out and read them. They remind me of how this wonderful life begin.

This morning I was reading back through some devotional thoughts I shared on Facebook about 5 years ago. We were back in Iowa and little did I know that the day after writing this I would be in the hospital fighting my most painful battle. It was important for me to read this and see where my heart was that day.

and so it goes…

Each day I am thankful that God has allowed me to share His word with you. I don’t know where I would be without the Father’s love or His wonderful love letter, His Word! In fact, I don’t even want to think about what my life would be without Him.

God’s Word has brought  forgiveness of sins, health to my body, peace to my soul, healing for my children, enrichment to my marriage, wisdom when my human intellect was lacking, protection in physical and emotional storms and safety in the face of danger. God’s promises have let me know that He would always supply and He always has. But I do have to tell you, it hasn’t always been this way. I lived a defeated life for a long time until I saw in God’s word that He had made provision for more than eternal life and that He wanted me to live victoriously while I was here on earth.

All of God’s promises are the same. His Word is for everyone but we don’t all see the same results. Why? We must appropriate what God has given us; simply put we must believe it regardless of how we feel or what circumstances tell us we should believe.

There have been days that I wake up and don’t feel very saved; my salvation isn’t founded on my feelings, it’s based on God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice. There are days that I wake up and may not feel healed but I am because it’s based on God’s promise and Jesus’ sacrifice.

The circumstances told Jesus and his disciples there wasn’t enough lunch to feed 5000 men with five loaves and two fish but the blessing of God flowed and there was more than enough.

The circumstances said to the apostles all hope was gone and they should hide after the crucifixion but the power of God was released through His Word and resurrection came! The medical world said nothing could be done for the woman with the issue of blood but just one touch brought healing to her body. Yes, the word of God changes our circumstances when we believe; it’s called faith! Not faith in ourselves, but faith in God’s unchanging, unfailing love.

Let the words of David’s Psalm be real in your life today.

“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. 5 You will have nothing to fear at night and no need to be afraid of enemy arrows during the day. 6 You will have no fear of diseases that come in the dark or terrible suffering that comes at noon.
7 A thousand people may fall dead at your side or ten thousand right beside you, but nothing bad will happen to you! 8 All you will have to do is watch, and you will see that the wicked are punished. 9 You trust in the LORD for protection. You have made God Most High your place of safety. 10 So nothing bad will happen to you. No diseases will come near your home.
11 He will command his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 Their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock. 13 You will have power to trample on lions and poisonous snakes. 14 The Lord says, “If someone trusts me, I will save them. I will protect my followers who call to me for help.
15 When my followers call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them when they are in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. 16 I will give my followers a long life and show them my power to save.” Psalm 91 ERV

These are the words that I had going through my heart laying in the back of the ambulance. These are the words I focused on in the emergency room and these are the words that gave me strength and brought me home safely.

These words were my love letter from the Father and I placed my confidence in Him.

What are circumstances telling you? Are they demanding you give up and quit? Do they say you’ll never recover?

Read your circumstances the words of love that you have on your end table or in your computer. Read them God’s promises – they never fail.

The Bible truly is a love letter for all time!

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A Glorious Change

This weekend marks the 4th anniversary of being in our Arizona home!

Didn’t look like much did it? But we had a vision of what we wanted it to become.

Last night Dave and I sat out on the patio and talked about the first days we were here. The sweat, the paint, the cleaning, the patience, the money – all that went in to making it the house, no, the home it has become.

Such a transformation! An amazing change!

So this morning I took inventory, personal inventory. How have I changed in the last four years? This assessment has nothing to do with my external appearance; not weight or hair color. I looked at my life to see what changes are there and how I’ve grown in my walk with the Lord.

“…That is why we never give up. Our physical body is becoming older and weaker, but our spirit inside us is made new every day. 17 We have small troubles for a while now, but these troubles are helping us gain an eternal glory. That eternal glory is much greater than our troubles.” II Corinthians 4:16-17 CEV

There have certainly been challenges in the last four years but there has also been a greater dependence upon the Lord and a calm assurance in trusting Him in every situation.  It’s good to evaluate where I’ve been and where I’m heading. I don’t want to become a stagnant Christian. I want to continue to grow in my relationship with the Lord.

“You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. 7 You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.” Colossians 2:6-7 ERV

When I look around our home I see so many changes and evidence of life. We have plants everywhere when once there were only a few cacti and a couple of mesquite trees. Things thrive here.

So have we!

“We praise you, Lord God! You treat us with kindness day after day,
  and you rescue us. 20 You always protect us and save us from death.” Psalm 68:19-20 

I go in to each day looking for God’s hand of love and protection. I am not disappointed. It’s amazing what you see when you are looking for it.  Oral Roberts used to say “Something good is going to happen to you this day.”  He was criticized for that because people thought he was just teaching a “feel good” gospel. I truly believe that God has something wonderful planned for each day of my life but I have to be willing to let Him take control and lead me to the place that He has designed.

I started to say, I’m not special or unique to the Lord, but I am. Each one of us are! God has a specific plan of good for each of us. He doesn’t place favorites and He certainly isn’t prejudice. He loves each and everyone of us the same.

That’s why I share this blog each morning. I want to remind everyone who reads it that God is our loving, compassion, kind, wise, giving heavenly Father. I want people everywhere to KNOW, not just think or guess, that maybe, possibly, perhaps God loves them. No, I want all to have the calm assurance that God does love me, no matter what!

“So, brothers and sisters, be careful that none of you has the evil thoughts that cause so much doubt that you stop following the living God. 13 But encourage each other every day, while you still have something called “today.” Help each other so that none of you will be fooled by sin and become too hard to change. 14 We have the honor of sharing in all that Christ has if we continue until the end to have the sure faith we had in the beginning. ” Hebrews 3:12-13 ERV

Take inventory today. See what God has done in the past and don’t become discouraged in the day to day transformation. Encourage others around you.

God is making a Glorious Change in each one of us!

 

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The Victory

Some people have the misconception that if we love God and are serving Him then we won’t have any problems. That is so far from the truth. What we do have though is God’s promise to bring us through those problems with victory. This morning I want to put two different Scriptures side by side and let you see how God answered David’s prayer from verses 121-128.

“121 I have done what is right and good. Don’t let me fall into the hands of those who want to hurt me. 122 Promise to be good to me, your servant. Don’t let those proud people do harm to me. 123 I have worn out my eyes looking for your help, waiting for you to save me, as you promised. 124 Show your faithful love to me, your servant. Teach me your laws. 125 I am your servant. Give me wisdom to understand your rules. 126 Lord, it is time for you to do something. The people do what is against your teachings. 127 I love your commands more than gold, more than the purest gold. 128 I carefully obey all your commands. So I hate anything that leads people the wrong way.” Psalm 119: 121-128

David was accustomed to battle but he was also accustom to winning. Before he became king he was pursued by Saul for approximately 13 years, I think I have that right. Then after he became king he had the enemy nations to defeat and even had to fight his own son, Absalom. But most of the time, he was encouraged and confident in battle. David knew the Lord had promised the Israelites this land and had told them to go in and confidently take the land and that they would be victorious.

However, David had to encourage himself with God’s promises when his wife, children and the wives and children of the entire town were captured while he and his men were away at battle. That’s where we are going to read this morning. (This takes place before David became king.)

“David was desperate. His soldiers were so upset over what had happened to their sons and daughters that they were thinking about stoning David to death. But he felt the Lord God giving him strength, 7 and he said to the priest, “Abiathar, let’s ask God what to do.”

Abiathar brought everything he needed to get answers from God, and he went over to David. 8 Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after the people who raided our town? Can I catch up with them?” “Go after them,” the Lord answered. “You will catch up with them, and you will rescue your families.”

9-10 David led his six hundred men to Besor Gorge, but two hundred of them were too tired to go across. So they stayed behind, while David and the other four hundred men crossed the gorge. 11 Some of David’s men found an Egyptian out in a field and took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some bread, and he ate it. Then they gave him a drink of water, 12 some dried figs, and two handfuls of raisins. This was the first time in three days he had tasted food or water. Now he felt much better.

13 “Who is your master?” David asked. “And where do you come from?”

“I’m from Egypt,” the young man answered. “I’m the servant of an Amalekite, but he left me here three days ago because I was sick. 14 We had attacked some towns in the desert where the Cherethites live, in the area that belongs to Judah, and in the desert where the Caleb clan lives. And we burned down Ziklag.”

15 “Will you take me to those Amalekites?” David asked.

“Yes, I will, if you promise with God as a witness that you won’t kill me or hand me over to my master.”

16 He led David to the Amalekites. They were eating and drinking everywhere, celebrating because of what they had taken from Philistia and Judah. 17 David attacked just before sunrise the next day and fought until sunset. Four hundred Amalekites rode away on camels, but they were the only ones who escaped.

18 David rescued his two wives and everyone else the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. 19 No one was missing—young or old, sons or daughters. David brought back everything that had been stolen, 20 including their livestock.” I Samuel 30: 6-20

You can hear David’s discouragement in Psalm 119 and then you can see the result of the discouragement in I Samuel 30. David says in Psalms “Lord it’s time for you to do something.” And in I Samuel, he seeks God to see what it is that God is going to do. The Lord tells him to go out and recover ALL.

Are you facing a situation that you are saying “Lord, you have to do something”? Then seek Him…spend time asking God what you should do and then get into His Word and find your answer.

“31 What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? 32 God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? 33 If God says his chosen ones are acceptable to him, can anyone bring charges against them? 34 Or can anyone condemn them? No indeed! Christ died and was raised to life, and now he is at God’s right side, speaking to him for us. 35 Can anything separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble, suffering, and hard times, or hunger and nakedness, or danger and death? 36 It is exactly as the Scriptures say,

“For you we face death all day long. We are like sheep on their way to be butchered.”

37 In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. 38 I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, 39 and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” Romans 8:21-39

God loves you – He’s on your side – Now go out and take the victory!

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True Strength

Dave and I had the wonderful opportunity to be up in Chandler this last week with Kaci, Stephen, Sam and Kristine. We headed up early Sunday morning – Kristine was born before we got there but we saw her when she was less than 7 hours old.

After we left the hospital, we took Sam home and became his playmate for the next few days while Momma & Dadda stayed with baby sisser at the hospital. He’s not quite two and full of energy. (There is a reason the Lord gives you children while you are young.) We older folks just don’t have the stamina we had in our 30’s. Sam is a sweet boy and we had tons of fun!

Then the rest of the family joined us and we were there another couple days before heading home. So sweet to see this family melt together – San’s excitement seeing his Momma and Daddy after being separated for 3 days, accepting his new baby and Kaci and Stephen making sure Sam knew he was special and loved. It was great!

But then came time to come home! Home and rest. Spent most of our day yesterday doing that very thing…resting. Sometimes the things that drain us are joyful and exciting, at other times it can be situations that are difficult and emotionally and physically taxing.

True strength comes from one place. When we wait on the Lord we are renewed in strength and this strength is a fruit of taking joy in the Lord. (Nehemiah 8:10) That joy comes when we focus on Him; His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His provision.

The people in Nehemiah’s day were rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and during the reconstruction they came across the scrolls containing God’s word. As the priest read, the people were saddened and became repentant because they had fallen away from following God’s word.

“The people started crying when God’s Law was read to them. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher, and the Levites who had been teaching the people all said, “This is a special day for the LORD your God. So don’t be sad and don’t cry!”
10 Nehemiah told the people, “Enjoy your good food and wine and share some with those who didn’t have anything to bring. Don’t be sad! This is a special day for the LORD, and he will make you happy and strong.”
11 The Levites encouraged the people by saying, “This is a sacred day, so don’t worry or mourn!” Nehemiah 8:9-11 CEV

Finding God’s word first convicted them and then it encouraged them. It brought them reason to celebrate, reason for hope, it brought them strength!

Do you need strength today? Physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, financial – then look to God’s word – it will bring you joy and in joy is your strength.

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