I have a simple goal today…to praise the Lord. I really want to give him thanks publicly by writing a testimony of his loving care for me. Last night my heart was troubled and as I tossed and turned trying to control my thoughts and let go of my worries it finally occurred to me that possibly the daily scripture on my phone app could speak to me…I know, why did it take so long?…
Psalm 121 was the scripture and it was if the Lord spoke directly to my heart; it gave me peace and I went right to sleep. I want to simply share it with you today.
Psalm 121
I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip, he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep.
The Lord watches over you, the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm, he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
What a perfect word in due season, I praise him!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
God, save us!!
Today, I have been in thought about God’s grace (his unmerited favor) towards us. I was amazed to find God’s response to his child in trouble when the child cried out to him in Psalms 18:1-19. God uses all his power to move heaven and earth to respond to our cries…I am overwhelmed by his love for us.
We have been trying to find our place in a body of believers here and I would be lying if I said it has been easy. Every Sunday morning is a chore to hear from the Lord where we should go or what we should do. Yesterday morning was no different and I cried out to the Lord for help. I looked over at my bible laying open to Psalm 18 next to my chair and in my desperation began to read. I saw that if I would cry out to the Lord he would answer and protect us from the enemy and his plans.
On our way to a particular gathering of the saints, we experienced great opposition from the enemy of our souls. I’m sure that many of you have experienced this on the way to church. It was so obviously the enemy that we decided that instead of turning back and going home we should persevere to see what the Lord wanted to do that the enemy did not want to happen. I want to encourage you to do the same when things seem so out of the ordinary…press in and persevere the end result will be worth it.
Long story short the Lord did a wonderful work in our hearts and brought much confirmation to the situation.
I want to encourage you today that if you are in trouble of any kind be it big or small in your eyes, cry out to the Lord and he will deliver you from the enemy. He will be true to his word in Psalm 18 but we must humble ourselves to cry for his help. He longs to save us…he sent his only son to die isn’t that proof enough?
We have been trying to find our place in a body of believers here and I would be lying if I said it has been easy. Every Sunday morning is a chore to hear from the Lord where we should go or what we should do. Yesterday morning was no different and I cried out to the Lord for help. I looked over at my bible laying open to Psalm 18 next to my chair and in my desperation began to read. I saw that if I would cry out to the Lord he would answer and protect us from the enemy and his plans.
On our way to a particular gathering of the saints, we experienced great opposition from the enemy of our souls. I’m sure that many of you have experienced this on the way to church. It was so obviously the enemy that we decided that instead of turning back and going home we should persevere to see what the Lord wanted to do that the enemy did not want to happen. I want to encourage you to do the same when things seem so out of the ordinary…press in and persevere the end result will be worth it.
Long story short the Lord did a wonderful work in our hearts and brought much confirmation to the situation.
I want to encourage you today that if you are in trouble of any kind be it big or small in your eyes, cry out to the Lord and he will deliver you from the enemy. He will be true to his word in Psalm 18 but we must humble ourselves to cry for his help. He longs to save us…he sent his only son to die isn’t that proof enough?
Monday, September 19, 2011
Temptation
This morning I was reading from Oswald Chambers, “My Upmost for His Highest,” and he challenged me. Will I go on with Jesus through his temptation? I liked what he said, “They are his temptations, not temptations to us, but temptations to the life of the Son of God in us.” This fits perfectly with Galatians 2:20 which says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The live I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Recently, Matty and I went to dinner with an old friend and he spoke of Galatians 2:20 in this way, “ It’s all God’s problem now.” It’s our job to cast off the cares of this world so that they don’t weigh us down. We have to stay in a position to hear from the Father to know which direction to take in our journey to follow him.
The text with Oswald’s message was Luke 22 so I turned to it and read of how Jesus was betrayed and I was struck by the way Jesus rebuked his disciples because they were sleeping instead of praying that they not fall into temptation. (Luke22: 39-46) Instantly my thoughts turned to the Lord’s Prayer and how Jesus taught us to pray, “…lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…” and I thought, why are we “lead” into temptation and by who are we led?
Again my thoughts went to scripture, James 1:13-14 says, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” So according to this scripture it is our own evil desire that “drags” us away. EW…not a pretty picture!
What if I prayed and asked the Lord to lead me not into temptation and deliver me from evil every day? Man, would I have victory or what. Then I thought, why does James say, “for God cannot be tempted,” could it be that he is agreeing and confirming what Galatians 2:20 is saying? I think so. Christ is in us and cannot be tempted but salvation is a process of elimination. We die and Christ lives filling us with his holiness and cleansing away the old making it new; renewing us day by day…washing us with his word.
This is a word for you and me today to be ready for the test to come. If you are reading this it is to prepare you. Don’t fear…you’ve read this so you will pass the test and bring glory to God while increasing his presence within you! Have a blessed day!
Recently, Matty and I went to dinner with an old friend and he spoke of Galatians 2:20 in this way, “ It’s all God’s problem now.” It’s our job to cast off the cares of this world so that they don’t weigh us down. We have to stay in a position to hear from the Father to know which direction to take in our journey to follow him.
The text with Oswald’s message was Luke 22 so I turned to it and read of how Jesus was betrayed and I was struck by the way Jesus rebuked his disciples because they were sleeping instead of praying that they not fall into temptation. (Luke22: 39-46) Instantly my thoughts turned to the Lord’s Prayer and how Jesus taught us to pray, “…lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil…” and I thought, why are we “lead” into temptation and by who are we led?
Again my thoughts went to scripture, James 1:13-14 says, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.” So according to this scripture it is our own evil desire that “drags” us away. EW…not a pretty picture!
What if I prayed and asked the Lord to lead me not into temptation and deliver me from evil every day? Man, would I have victory or what. Then I thought, why does James say, “for God cannot be tempted,” could it be that he is agreeing and confirming what Galatians 2:20 is saying? I think so. Christ is in us and cannot be tempted but salvation is a process of elimination. We die and Christ lives filling us with his holiness and cleansing away the old making it new; renewing us day by day…washing us with his word.
This is a word for you and me today to be ready for the test to come. If you are reading this it is to prepare you. Don’t fear…you’ve read this so you will pass the test and bring glory to God while increasing his presence within you! Have a blessed day!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
It's been a long time!
Life moves so fast I can hardly believe that I have not blogged in so long...I am amazed once more at the changes that God brings to our lives. Recently, our children who were here in Florida with us decided to move back to Indiana to go back to their old friends and school.
After much prayer and following of peace, the kids showed a lot of maturity in their decisions. It's always a rewarding thing for a mom to see growth in her children. I can see God at work in their lives and mine even though my heart breaks, I trust God for what is best for them.
Wes is a young man now, at the age of 20 and I'm thrilled to see him take charge of his life and go after it. It was a hard decision for him to go back too. He's working hard at his new job and I'm proud of him.
Jessi text me yesterday, she is soo excited about her senior year and has packed her school year with 3 art classes...It's wonderful for me to watch her pursue her passion! I'm excited and blessed for her.
Atlee is glad to be back with friends in a familiar setting, he's come to the place in life at the age of 13 where he feels he needs to be with dad and I support him in his decision and I think this will be good for him and his dad.
It's such a blessing for me to see what God will do in their lives. One thing I've learned is that God loves these kids deeply and I can completely trust his plan for their lives.
Matty and I are now emptynesters...well, until Thanksgiving at least when Jes and At come for a visit. I wonder what God has for our lives as well. Time will tell.
Recently, I was blessed to share a bit of Danni's story via skype with some lovely sisters in Guatemala through our dear friends Randy and Brenda who have been missionaries there for many years. Randy served as my interpreter and it was a very wonderful thing to feel the spirit of God flowing between the ladies and I so far away. God is so amazing!
Our granddaughter is growing by leaps and bounds and we miss squeezing her :) Our daughter Mallorie is a great mom!
I guess that's all for now, we are loving the place God has put us and even though it has its challenges we are confident that this is his timing and plan for us.
After much prayer and following of peace, the kids showed a lot of maturity in their decisions. It's always a rewarding thing for a mom to see growth in her children. I can see God at work in their lives and mine even though my heart breaks, I trust God for what is best for them.
Wes is a young man now, at the age of 20 and I'm thrilled to see him take charge of his life and go after it. It was a hard decision for him to go back too. He's working hard at his new job and I'm proud of him.
Jessi text me yesterday, she is soo excited about her senior year and has packed her school year with 3 art classes...It's wonderful for me to watch her pursue her passion! I'm excited and blessed for her.
Atlee is glad to be back with friends in a familiar setting, he's come to the place in life at the age of 13 where he feels he needs to be with dad and I support him in his decision and I think this will be good for him and his dad.
It's such a blessing for me to see what God will do in their lives. One thing I've learned is that God loves these kids deeply and I can completely trust his plan for their lives.
Matty and I are now emptynesters...well, until Thanksgiving at least when Jes and At come for a visit. I wonder what God has for our lives as well. Time will tell.
Recently, I was blessed to share a bit of Danni's story via skype with some lovely sisters in Guatemala through our dear friends Randy and Brenda who have been missionaries there for many years. Randy served as my interpreter and it was a very wonderful thing to feel the spirit of God flowing between the ladies and I so far away. God is so amazing!
Our granddaughter is growing by leaps and bounds and we miss squeezing her :) Our daughter Mallorie is a great mom!
I guess that's all for now, we are loving the place God has put us and even though it has its challenges we are confident that this is his timing and plan for us.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Believe and Confess!!
There is power in our thoughts and words. The Lord has been speaking to me about Romans 10:9-10 this morning. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
Now, if believing and confessing is powerful enough to save our souls from eternal damnation then what else could it do?
From where I am sitting I can see the sunlight shining through a large spider web that was made sometime in the night. The Lord has been speaking to me about the ploys of the enemy as well. What if he can get us to believe and confess something that isn’t true? We must guard our hearts and our minds. Just like the web is revealed by the light of the sun…so the enemy’s webs are being revealed by the light of the Son.
That’s the negative aspect but what is the positive side of this whole argument? What if God has given us the power to change the lives of those around us by believing (having faith) and confessing that God will move on their behalf?
I believe he has given us this gift and responsibility. God shows us the needs for the purpose of prayer...to exercise this gift he's given us.
For some time now I’ve been praying for vision, passion for the vision and focus for our children and for us. This morning I believe and confess that God will give an answer to my prayers. That he will give us a vision and passion for what it is he has prepared in advance for us to do.
I’m not going to spend time believing, agreeing with and confessing the lies of the enemy…I will take those thoughts captive before they ever reach my mouth. I will believe and confess that I am in complete agreement with God and his plans and purposes!!
If I am saved in this manner then by this manner other things will be established! I am challenged today once again to ignore the circumstances of life and believe and confess what is in the heart of God.
Restoration, regeneration, revelation, vision, passion, equipping of the Saints, and preparation all for the furtherance of the Kingdom…this is the heart of God!
And God said….and it was so! Amen! I agree!
Now, if believing and confessing is powerful enough to save our souls from eternal damnation then what else could it do?
From where I am sitting I can see the sunlight shining through a large spider web that was made sometime in the night. The Lord has been speaking to me about the ploys of the enemy as well. What if he can get us to believe and confess something that isn’t true? We must guard our hearts and our minds. Just like the web is revealed by the light of the sun…so the enemy’s webs are being revealed by the light of the Son.
That’s the negative aspect but what is the positive side of this whole argument? What if God has given us the power to change the lives of those around us by believing (having faith) and confessing that God will move on their behalf?
I believe he has given us this gift and responsibility. God shows us the needs for the purpose of prayer...to exercise this gift he's given us.
For some time now I’ve been praying for vision, passion for the vision and focus for our children and for us. This morning I believe and confess that God will give an answer to my prayers. That he will give us a vision and passion for what it is he has prepared in advance for us to do.
I’m not going to spend time believing, agreeing with and confessing the lies of the enemy…I will take those thoughts captive before they ever reach my mouth. I will believe and confess that I am in complete agreement with God and his plans and purposes!!
If I am saved in this manner then by this manner other things will be established! I am challenged today once again to ignore the circumstances of life and believe and confess what is in the heart of God.
Restoration, regeneration, revelation, vision, passion, equipping of the Saints, and preparation all for the furtherance of the Kingdom…this is the heart of God!
And God said….and it was so! Amen! I agree!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Anointing Oil and Incense
It’s been a long time since I last wrote. Life seems to get in the way, cluttering up time with God, squeezing devotion to him into a small compartment. Every morning the kids and I take time to sit down and read the scriptures together and pray. It’s part of their home school program and a good start to the day.
God is so gracious to us by using the time we give to him to speak in very direct ways causing each person’s handpicked scripture to link together forming one thought or progression of thoughts. The other morning during my time alone before children got up led me to study Exodus 30. I was very interested as I researched the different combinations of spices alluded to in this chapter and I would love to share my findings with you.
Lately, we have been discussing the many aspects of the Old Testimate sacrifices that were performed like clockwork by the priests. We have been talking about all the “blood and guts” so to speak of the acts carried out in and around the Tent of Meeting (see Exodus 29 for example).
As I studied Exodus 30, it was logical to me to see what the medicinal uses were for each of the spices named in 22-33 (anointing oil) and 34-38 (incense). I googled the names of each of the spices and found a reputable botany web site for my answers. Surprisingly enough, I found that most of the herbs were used to ease stomach disorders.
Herbs such as myrrh were used for ulcers and to excite appetite. Cinnamon is said to stop vomiting and is useful as an astringent. Cassia is another form of cinnamon and it is a powerful germicide helpful in relieving diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Fragrant cane was used to remove discomfort caused by flatulence and can be used to keep the growth of bacteria in check. It also increases appetite and benefits digestion. It is said to have a sweet smell and it is grown in marshes and has the appearance of a reed.
Olive oil comes from a tree that is said to represent peace and happiness. It is useful as an astringent and an antiseptic. It is used against obstinate fevers, is a laxative and relieves burns or stings. It is also a good vehicle for liniments.
I find it a wonderful thing that in the midst of all the gore that was necessary for the cleansing of sin, God thought of the health of the priests who were ministering before him. All these things were to be used to anoint “…the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.” (Verses 26-28) In effect, this concoction would clean, sanitize and deodorize all of these things making them holy.
God even thought to use herbs that would stimulate appetite in the priest as this scene day after day might have an effect on their desire to eat. The incense was another matter. Herbs such as gum resin were used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, it was used for the swelling of joints and also for indolent tumors. I couldn’t find any information on onycha but when I googled it, the next herb came up that being galbanum. Galbanum was also used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis as an expectorant and stimulant to open bronchial passageways. Frankincense was used in the treatment of tumors, ulcers, vomiting, dysentery, and fevers. What a wonderful God who loves us so. As the priest would be called on to have burnt offerings before God he would breathe in the healing incense to care for the demands these acts would place on his body.
We may not understand all of God’s ways but he certainly has a plan and a purpose for everything. Not just to be a “meany” as I often say to the children but because he loves us so.
I want to stress that this was just an independent study of mine and that if you are interested in using any of these herbs you should consult someone who knows more than I do.
I will say that as we sit in the presence of our Most Holy God his power for healing is available to us. As we minister to him he will minister healing to us. Much love and blessings to you all.
God is so gracious to us by using the time we give to him to speak in very direct ways causing each person’s handpicked scripture to link together forming one thought or progression of thoughts. The other morning during my time alone before children got up led me to study Exodus 30. I was very interested as I researched the different combinations of spices alluded to in this chapter and I would love to share my findings with you.
Lately, we have been discussing the many aspects of the Old Testimate sacrifices that were performed like clockwork by the priests. We have been talking about all the “blood and guts” so to speak of the acts carried out in and around the Tent of Meeting (see Exodus 29 for example).
As I studied Exodus 30, it was logical to me to see what the medicinal uses were for each of the spices named in 22-33 (anointing oil) and 34-38 (incense). I googled the names of each of the spices and found a reputable botany web site for my answers. Surprisingly enough, I found that most of the herbs were used to ease stomach disorders.
Herbs such as myrrh were used for ulcers and to excite appetite. Cinnamon is said to stop vomiting and is useful as an astringent. Cassia is another form of cinnamon and it is a powerful germicide helpful in relieving diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Fragrant cane was used to remove discomfort caused by flatulence and can be used to keep the growth of bacteria in check. It also increases appetite and benefits digestion. It is said to have a sweet smell and it is grown in marshes and has the appearance of a reed.
Olive oil comes from a tree that is said to represent peace and happiness. It is useful as an astringent and an antiseptic. It is used against obstinate fevers, is a laxative and relieves burns or stings. It is also a good vehicle for liniments.
I find it a wonderful thing that in the midst of all the gore that was necessary for the cleansing of sin, God thought of the health of the priests who were ministering before him. All these things were to be used to anoint “…the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand.” (Verses 26-28) In effect, this concoction would clean, sanitize and deodorize all of these things making them holy.
God even thought to use herbs that would stimulate appetite in the priest as this scene day after day might have an effect on their desire to eat. The incense was another matter. Herbs such as gum resin were used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis, it was used for the swelling of joints and also for indolent tumors. I couldn’t find any information on onycha but when I googled it, the next herb came up that being galbanum. Galbanum was also used in the treatment of chronic bronchitis as an expectorant and stimulant to open bronchial passageways. Frankincense was used in the treatment of tumors, ulcers, vomiting, dysentery, and fevers. What a wonderful God who loves us so. As the priest would be called on to have burnt offerings before God he would breathe in the healing incense to care for the demands these acts would place on his body.
We may not understand all of God’s ways but he certainly has a plan and a purpose for everything. Not just to be a “meany” as I often say to the children but because he loves us so.
I want to stress that this was just an independent study of mine and that if you are interested in using any of these herbs you should consult someone who knows more than I do.
I will say that as we sit in the presence of our Most Holy God his power for healing is available to us. As we minister to him he will minister healing to us. Much love and blessings to you all.
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