Ask God

Luke 11: 9"Here's what I'm saying:
Ask and you'll get;
Seek and you'll find;
Knock and the door will open.
10"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need.

Don't be shy with God. He wants to fill your need. Just like you would ask a parent for something you wanted or needed; be like this with God. He waits to hear from you. Be bold when going to His throne; you are His child. He will not push you away. He loves you and wants to bless you.

Psalm 16

Psalm 16:5-6
My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I'm your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I'm awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I'll stick with God; I've got a good thing going and I'm not letting go.
9-10 I'm happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I'm firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that's not my destination!
11 Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way.

Intimate Relationship

John 4: 23-24
"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration."

Be real before God. Nothing is a surprise to Him; He knows all things. Darkness likes to hide, reveal the dark parts of you to God, so that they won't have a hold on you anymore. He is your only true friend with whom you can be truly open. He longs for an intimate relationship with all of us. God's presence inhabits the praise of His people. Be a Worshiper and praise the Lord with all you have.

Psalm 89:5
The Right and Justice are the roots of your rule; Love and Truth are its fruits. Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade in the bright presence of God. Delighted, they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you do—they can't keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us— you've been so good to us! We're walking on air! All we are and have we owe to God, Holy God of Israel, our King!

Psalm 22:3 (Amplified Bible)
But You are holy, O You Who dwell in the praises of Israel.

Words to live by

Romans 12: 9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.
17-19Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."
20-21Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

These are good words from a good God! I know I used to be a people pleaser, a faker. I'd be whatever you needed me to be, but that was not coming from the center of who I was. God does not want a show; He knows your heart and you can't fake it with Him. Your friends do not want a show either. They want the real you. The real you is good enough. You are good enough. When we fake it we never find out who we are.
"Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality". The more you can give out and be the care giver the less you can play the victim role. When we get stuck on being the victim, we drain others and we get depressed.
Be blessed today and be a blessing!

Thank You, Lord!

Psalm 65 (The Message)
1-2 Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, And also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all.

2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us -but you get rid of them once and for all.
Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest at home in your place!
We expect our fill of good things in your house, your heavenly manse.
All your salvation wonders are on display in your trophy room.

Love you!

Lamentations 1:16
“ For these things I weep; My eye, my eye overflows with water; Because the comforter, who should restore my life, Is far from me. My children are desolate Because the enemy prevailed.”

I bind you, Satan , from trying to steal any more from this family! In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord. You may have prevailed in the moment, but Jesus is the Author of our faith and He has the last say. Eternity is a long time, and though it seems far off, when we get there, we will not recall our hurts or sorrow. I believe I will see my friend again and rejoice over our reunion. I love you, Trace!! I am sorry that I was not there for you at the end. I am sure that your pain was too much to bear. If we only knew then what we know now, we would have tried to help. I pray that God holds your 'babies' in His hands 'til they can reunite with Him and you. We will miss you dearly. I wish you knew how to share your pain, so others could have carried some of your load. Lord, help me to learn from this and to 'see' with open eyes into hurting souls.

Micah 2:12
“ I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob, I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together like sheep of the fold, Like a flock in the midst of their pasture; They shall make a loud noise because of so many people.

Oil of Joy for Mourning

Isaiah 61:1
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
3 To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”

This prayer goes out to my friends and their family, who just found out that their mother/ex-wife just committed murder/suicide this morning. She was a friend of mine. We had some differences and hadn't talked for over a year, but I am still heart broken.
Lord, please comfort their family right now during this horrific time. I pray that You give them the peace that passes understanding that can only come from You. Jesus we call out to You, please answer their questions by Your precious Holy Spirit and give them joy for mourning.

Care in Time of Need- God Never Quits III

Psalms 136: 23-26
God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need. His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!

Trust God during these hard times. He will hold you up above the circumstances, above the situation. Watch Him work on your behalf. God remembers us, rescues us, and takes care of us. Bind fear in the name of Jesus and do not let it steal your joy! We have authority over things that are not of God. Speak to them "in the name of Jesus" and command them to leave. This includes fear, sickness, disease, lack, and strife. Thank God, who gave us this authority!

Night Sky- His love never quits-II

Psalms 136 4-9
Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos, His love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations, His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light, His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day, His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night, His love never quits.

Do you ever feel insignificant when looking into a night sky and knowing that what you can see is such a tiny fraction of the stars that are out there? Are you ever just amazed at how beautiful the world is and all of it's systems. Now think about God's love for you. What an amazing God we have! A God who is limited by nothing and yet His love for us is immense, immeasurable, and boundless, like the night sky!

His love never quits-I

Psalm 136 1-3
Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
His love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords.
His love never quits.


People quit! God never quits. Even when we quit on God, He does not quit on us. Thank You , Lord!! Thank you for being the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We all crave stability and security, especially women and mothers. We LOVE to have security, God designed us this way. One Pastor says that women have a 'security organ' that freaks out when their security is threatened. I definitely have one of those, just ask my husband! I found that when I put my trust in the Lord, fully, then nothing and no one can threaten my security. It is a daily battle to fully trust the Lord and to look past the situation, but it is worth it. The greater the battle, the greater the victory!

Self-Sacrifice and Suffering

Mark 8:34-36

Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said,
"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am.
Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how.
Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.



Self-sacrifice is how we find out what we are made of. What part of us are we willing to lay down for others. We don't have to do a lot of sacrificing in this country. We have all that we need and most of what we want. Self-sacrifice is a choice to put others first and it is God's way.

Embrace suffering. Wow, that doesn't sound good does it? Suffering sounds hard and God wants us to embrace it. I do know that when we go through hard things God gives us victory and we then can show others how to have the same victory.

Romans 8:16-18 (New King James Version)
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
It says if we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified together. That does sound good! Suffer in Christ today and be glorified!

No hoarding

Matthew 6:19-21
"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

God is definately teaching my family how to live on less and to be content with what we have. A lot has changed over the last year and a half with the economy and we sure feel it. But, on the other hand, God fills in the gaps and we are taken care of. We don't go out to eat all the time like we used to but we're OK with that, too. I wish now that we had saved up for a rainy day like God says to do. It would have been easier on us!
God says to 'stockpile treasure in heaven'. Tithe, offerings, and doing good for others, these are the things that we can invest in heaven and know that our investment is safe in god's economy.

All of Me

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.' This is the most important, the first on any list.

Wow, what a verse! It is really making me reflect.
Do we love our God with all our passion and all our intelligence? Do we really give God our all?
I don't think I give anyone or anything my all. Why not? Fear that my all wouldn't be good enough?
If I never give my all then what exactly am I doing in my life?
Is that why I am never satisfied with the result of my efforts and in doing so, never satisfied with me?
What else makes me hold back? Is it laziness, lack of drive, depression, or are these the results of not giving my all?
Why do I feel like 'giving it my all' would cost me too much? Is it just the lie of the Devil to keep me stuck in a place of 'Not'? Not feeling worthy, not fully accomplishing, not succeeding, not living life to the fullest, not completing, Not giving God or anyone else ALL of my passion, ALL of my prayer, ALL of my intelligence or ALL of me!!
Starting today, I resolve to give my ALL, beginning with God and ALL of me!

You are Blessed - VIII

Matthew 5:10
"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
11-12"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

We are blessed, so far, that our country doesn't persecute us for worshiping God, but I know first hand that our families and friends do. It can be hard to stand for your faith when the ones we speak to look at us like we are crazy. They will try to combat our faith with logic, which goes against faith. Not that God and Creation isn't logical, but sometimes the way we respond to things or the way we forgive in areas doesn't make logical sense to someone looking in from the outside. Stay committed and stand the test of faith. To know what we stand for and what we would die for , depicts who we are. Be proud of who you are in Christ and 'count it all joy'. Be Blessed today!

You are Blessed - VII

Matthew 5:9
"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

Be a Peace-Maker. God wants us to get along, just like we want our children to get along. With this concept of cooperating, adults can be as hard to teach as children, ask any Pastor.
This is a great verse for marriage. With God it's not a win-lose. If you seek God, He will show you the win-win. Step back, stop looking at everything emotionally, see the situation through the other persons eyes and you'll find a way to come together on the issue.
'Discover who you really are, and your place in God's family', just the thought Blesses me! Be a Peace-Maker and be Blessed today!!

You are Blessed - VI

Matthew 5:8
"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

Get our hearts right with God, first, and God will open our eyes, to see, and our ears, to hear. Then we will see God working in our everyday life. Some of us open our hearts. but have a harder time with our minds. Others open their minds, and have a hard time with their hearts. God wants your heart and your mind, so you can fully receive His Love and His Blessings. There is freedom in trusting the Lord.

You are Blessed - V

Matthew 5:7
"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

God taught me an important lesson a year ago. I watched someone who was irrate and upset, turn completely around when she saw a friend in need, and filled the need. She went from being self-consumed to outreaching; from Victim to Care-giver. It was amazing how the shift was immediate. You can not be the Victim and the Care-giver at the same time. Have you ever been around someone that is so draining that you feel drained from just talking to them? They are focusing on being the Victim and on being negative and can steal someone else's joy for the moment.
Focus on being the Care-giver not the Victim and you will be Blessed!

You are Blessed - IV

Matthew 5:6 "You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

Don't we all just love food, especially when we are hungry? The Word of God is like that! The more we get a taste of His truth the more we want. Begin to stir up a Spiritual hunger and let God fill you up until you're stuffed. The more and more Spiritually full we become, the more we will spill over on to others. Be Blessed, be a Blessing!!

You are Blessed - III

Matthew5:5
"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

Let's face it we all would like to improve on the things we do. We strive to be more like others everyday. Today let's focus on who we are not what we do. Be content with who you are. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Be careful not to compare yourself to others. We can never measure up to what we think others are. We look at their strengths against our weaknesses when we compare our lives to theirs. Be proud of who you are in Christ and continually grow in the excellence of honesty, integrity, character, forgiveness, kindness, generosity and selflessness. Know that you are at the right level, right now and God will help you grow. True riches can not be bought. You are Blessed!

You are Blessed - II

Matthew 5:4
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

This verse is so very real to me . My children are most dear to me and a little over a year ago my baby girl was stillborn at 31 weeks. I could not have survived it emotionally if God had not held me through all of it. Now I can see it as a beautiful thing to have a child born straight into the loving hands of God. Don't be afraid to give God all of your hurts and cares. He is there for you. He loves you. He cherishes you. You are Blessed!

You are Blessed - I

Matthew 5:3
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.

How many of us have felt at the end of our rope? Especially when we focus on the world and what it has to offer. Last year has opened our eyes to how engolfed we have become in the world's system. If it fails we fail; but only if we get too dependant. God would have us be debt-free and separated from the world's economy. That way if it fails we remain strong and our faith is not covered in fear. Believe and ask God to show you a way to be debt-free then praise Him and thank Him daily until it manifests in your life and then praise Him some more. God is faithful!