Sunday, July 13, 2008

Passing Through Deep Waters



When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. - Isaiah 43:2

A lot of folks--maybe you're included--can accept the fact that God is a God of concern, but they wonder how much of the time He's in control. They can accept, "If it's good, it must be of God!" but they also reason, "If times are tough, I must have missed God somewhere!"

In chapter 43 Isaiah recorded words that still bring a great deal of comfort. "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you."

God says, "I will be with you," and those five words should make all the difference in the world. And if that's not enough, they're followed by two other statements. God says, "You are honored, and I love you" (Isaiah 43:4). Wow! That's good news! We could only face all the battles of life victoriously with the certainty that He is with us.

-From Just for Today



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Thursday, July 10, 2008

My Strength is Perfected in Weakness


And then he told me, "My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness." - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Where is God in relation to your greatest flaws? Some folks thing that God just ignores our failings since He's busy running the world, but that isn't what the Bible says. He knows our flaws and our weaknesses. So how does He view them? While the Bible contends that we are responsible for our failures, the best news of all is that God says, "My strength is made perfect in weakness."

The word weakness can refer to a physical or moral weakness. You know what yours is; God does too.

God never forces Himself on you. As you pray, "Lord, help me overcome my weakness," He goes to work. His effort begins and your weakness ends with your invitation to let Him meet your need.

-from Just for Today

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Getting to Know God

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator if the ends of the earth." - Isaiah 40:28

Many individuals know something about God but do not know Him personally. They understand that there is some kind of a connection between creation and the Almighty Creator. But they wonder, "Can I really know God?"

You can, but you've got to look for the answers in the right place. You see, reading a book on cooking will never help you be a good chef. Reading a book on royalty isn't the same as a face-to-face audience with Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.

That's why you need to go to the only real source which answers the question, "How can I know God?" It is the Bile. This book says you can know God personally through His Son
Jesus Christ. The Cross became a bridge for us to know God and to become His children.

You are no accident. You are one of a kind among the billions of people who live on planet Earth, and it is God's desire to bring you into a relationship with Himself. Don't settle for anything less than knowing God.

- from
Just for Today

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Our Love for God

You know how Jesus said that we are to love God with all of our heart, and how this is of such importance? (Mark 12:30)

Well, I believe that as we spend time with our Father, we are richly rewarded.
I think that as we get to know Him and let Him into our lives more and more, that we grow to love Him more and more, for there is nothing about Him that we can not love. He is perfect and He bends over backwards to help us out and to show He cares when we ask and I think that as we get to know Him it would be impossible not to love Him with all of our hearts.

It's a shame that in our fallen states it is hard for us to love at times, and sometimes almost impossible, but with God all things are possible and I think the love for our Father will change everything! God Bless!

Is There God?


Have you ever wondered, "Is there truly a God?". And then you look up at the sun, or the stars, or a beautiful light, and you realize that out there somewhere, something or someone had to create all this. It seems like there is too much beauty for it all to be chance. And then there are those moments that make you think. Moments of true beauty. Moments that are so Divine that they take your breath away and leave you wondering. A little child, a warm hug, a gentle laugh. Something that happens throughout the busy day that makes you stop and think, there must be more.

These are the moments that make us think. Sometimes they may be few and far between. Some may be closer than others. But these are the moments that define reality. That make us really think, God must be watching now, and He must want me to see this. He must be there, and He must care enough to go out of His way to do this for me. Maybe He has never stopped caring, even if I forgot about Him, He never forgot about me. Maybe He has been there all along, and in those split moments we see a little glimpse of what is really going on. A little glimpse of who He is, what He is truly like. These are the moments that make up life and eternity. God bless!

Singing during Hard Times


The Lord is my strength and my song: He has become my salvation. He is my God and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.”- Exodus 15:2
Sometimes when my walk with Jesus is difficult and hard

I sing a song to get the sadness out of my heavy, burdened heart

Because the music lifts my sorrows to Him I worship most

He is my Father in heaven and the Host of host

He knows how heavy my cross at times can be

He carried once His own

And He did way more then that for me

Because He carried His alone

My burden is nothing compared with what He endured

And because of it, my life is in Him secured

That is why, in every situation and in every circumstance

I will rejoice and I will dance

Because when I sing ESPECIALLY in times of sadness and of grief

He takes away my sorrow and I find in Him relief


a poem posted from Windmill ministries

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Sin's Pressure Cooker

By Glenn Ansley
DeeperDevotion.com

Lamentations 5:15-16
The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning. The crown is fallen from our head: Woe unto us! for we have sinned.

Sin will crush your spirit like few others will. The burden of guilt is an unyielding force pressing you from every direction. The accuser’s lies fall upon your head like shards of broken glass. The Father’s voice seems no more than a distant memory.

The joy in your heart has ceased. Gone away with your innocence is the ability to rejoice in the Lord, to worship in truth, or to sing songs of praise. Your dancing has turned into mourning… a constant distraction from the realities of the cross. Your crown all of honor, your splendor, anything that you could have held as dignity has past away. It has fallen from your head and you search desperately for the place where it rests.

As the Lamentation says, “Woe unto you! For you have sinned.”

Take joy in knowing that you serve a compassionate God. You’re Father has paid the price for your disgusting habits. His Son has died for your sin. But have fear. Remember that His Son DID die for this sin. The Father has willingly allowed Him to do so, is overjoyed by the results, and beacons you to come to Him in repentance. Nonetheless, His forgiveness has come to you along with His strength. You are no longer enslaved to sin, therefore deeming each instance as a choice of your own.

The Father will always forgive a repentant spirit, but He takes much more joy in one that’s contrite, steering away from the sin in the first place.

The Importance of Prayer


Prayer is of such great importance in our lives and our walk with our Father. Prayer needs to be our connection to Him, our inviting of the Holy Spirit into our lives, our daily resource. Since God is the source of all of our strength, I believe it is of utmost importance that we stay connected to Him through prayer.
The more and more I live, I see the vast importance of prayer in our lives. Almost like a soldier receiving orders, an athlete discussing matters with a coach, a son spending time with a Father, prayer is so important to us. Without it, without that open communication to Him, I believe that we can easily become lost in this tough world.

Thankfully we have prayer to keep us on track. Not a list of rules or regulations or things we must do or say, but talking to God from the heart and listening. Let it not be a chore but something to be loved. Time with the Father can be great and can relieve our burdens and answer our needs. If you have questions, let Him know. He is here to answer. He wants to help. Invite Him into your life and allow Him to teach you and show you the true way.

Let us stand fast in prayer and our connection to Him, for it will lift us higher and higher while we walk through this life! God Bless!

Is There Hope?


It can sometimes seem to us
As though we fall behind
Other things seem to emerge
That crowds our troubled minds
There are days we feel as though
We can’t take it anymore
What’s the use of carrying on
When we struggle in the Lord?

Why all this needless grief?
And why do we carry on?
Frustration is our only friend
And the hope we had is gone
Each new day that we face
Is the dawning of the same
We feel a sense of hopelessness
When we see that nothing's changed

Joylessness and uselessness
It seems it’s all we have
Even though we proclaim Christ
We’ve lost the spark we had
The anguish of the Christian soul
So twisted in our grief
It seems as though it will never end
Our hearts continually bleed

Is there hope in carrying on?
Is there hope in God?
Who is He that will carry us
When we’re in spiritual fog?
Though at times we feel these things
God stays faithful and true
He fully understands our pain
And He sheds a tear or two

Jesus too has felt real anguish
In Gethsemane that night
Torn between living His life
And what He knew was right
And even on the cross He felt
The heaviness of our sin
He saw the pain deep in our hearts
And the prison we are in

He won the victory over death
In His hand He holds the keys
That unlocks our prison doors
And sets our spirits free
So yes there’s hope in carrying on
And reason to believe
Jesus Christ is our hope in life
And for Eternity.


© By M.S.Lowndes
Devotionals © Heavens Inspirations

Waiting on His Miracles

Patience is something that our God would have us all to learn. Patience is also a fruit of knowing Him (see Galatians 5:22-23).

Imagine the Israelites having to wait before the Red Sea for God to act. Meanwhile, one of the most powerful armies of all the world is nipping at their heals and closing fast open though. But they dare not move, not without their God that is. So as the Egyptian army is steadfastly closing in on them, Moses waits in patience, only holding up the staff which God had given him, for he knew that God would act, he knew that God would show himself strong. This faith gave him such great patience and perseverance, waiting upon the Lord our God.

And God did act, He came through and showed himself strong, as He always does for those who wait upon Him and trust His might hand.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God"

-from Jesus Devotionals.org

A Bad News World


Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. - Proverbs 25:25

Have you noticed how little "good news" there is anymore in a bad news world? It is not without reason that we refer to the Gospel as "The Good News!"

Firstly, it tells you that God is concerned with you. This is in contrast to how life today leaves you with the impression that there are few who care about what happens to you.

Secondly, it promised an end to the problems confronting the world. The Bible says that God is in control. Reading the book of Revelation reveals the eventual return of the Prince of Peace to rule and reign. It says there is a limit to how far God will allow humanity to go; He'll eventually step in and say, " That's enough."

Finally, it tells you that y our life can be different. That is the bad news of all. With God, there is forgiveness and help. You need not be a victim of your failure and sin or live in bondage to the hostilities that imprison. You can be a new person with a hope and a future.

Read the Bible. There you'll find the best news you will ever get.

-from "Just for Today" by Harold J. Sala

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