Blog Archives - The Adventures of a Truly Blessed Woman

Read it, Hear it, Live it, Do it!

4/30/2011

Luk 11:28But He said, "More than that, blessed [are] those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Simplicity at it's best! It sounds so easy, but is it? This is definitely where the rubber meets the road! Blessed are those who hear the Word of God. . . . . (here is the catch). . . . . and KEEP it! This is where often the phrase, "Easier said than done" can come into play. One thing is for sure though. . . . . this is truth and it really is not optional! If I want to be blessed, I must keep (obey, honor, and live) what I hear and learn from the Word of God! We must see, hear, and DO! God is a great and mighty God and He has given us so many opportunities to be blessed, the only one stopping the blessings in our lives. . . . .is ourselves! I think the problem in my life is the still wanting what I want, when I want. . . . and not what HE wants when HE wants! So. . . . . I have a new motto for the day. . . . for my life. . . . Read it, Hear it, Live it, Do it! ! !
~Father God, I thank You that Your Word is so clear! I thank You that You have given us Your Word as a manual for what You expect from us and how we are to live our lives! I thank You for the grace that You have given us through the sacrifice of Your Son! Thank You for loving me so much! Father I pray that Your Word will sink deep into my heart and my mind so that it becomes second nature and I don't even have to think about it! I pray that my life will become a life that is pleasing in Your sight and that You will use me for Your glory! I love You Father, I thank You, and I praise You in the precious name of Jesus I pray. . . . . Amen!~

Wow again! God is so incredible in how He uses us! Whoda thunk?

4/29/2011

2Cr 3:3clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, [that is], of the heart.
Oh WOW! ! ! ! Now in my last post we learned about being the fragrance of Christ, this time we see that we are tablets of flesh written on by the Spirit of the living God! How exciting. . . . or scary is that! God wants to turn us into walking, talking letters of Him! Our lives should be examples of Christ and His life! Now that is a pretty tall order, but with God anything is possible! These things are manifested through our hearts, so if we want to know where we are in our journey of being a living testimony. . . . we must reflect and look at the condition of our hearts! What is in my heart today? Is it filled with the love of Christ, not boastful or prideful? Is my heart pure, free from unforgiveness, anger, and wrath? This is where the scary part comes in! Am I living this day in the mindset of Christ. . . . or the mindset of sin? Every day I have a choice. . . . .every minute I have a choice. . . . . where is my heart. . . . what is my tablet saying? Yikes! ! ! ! ! One thing I do know for sure. . . . . when I am in the Word of God and in the Spirit of prayer as I am supposed to be. . . . there He is also, writing through His Spirit on the tablet of my life. . . . . now that is AMAZING! ! !

~Father God, I want to start by asking You to forgive me for allowing pride, anger, fear, and other things to often ruin my ability to honor You and Your Son Jesus for all You have done for me! I am so sorry that my tablet of flesh has been defiled with things that do not honor You and the sacrifice that You have made for me! Father, I pray that You will lead, guide, and direct my every step that I may be a living letter of Your love, grace, and peace! I also know Lord that as I allow You to write on my heart and my flesh. . . . there will be those who find me offensive for as You showed me before. . . . as I am being diffused by Your sweet fragrance. . . . those who are lost will smell death and destruction! I pray that even though they smell this. . . . .that the Words You have written on the tablet of my life as a living letter of Christ will be seen, understood and comprehended so that they may find Christ in their lives and start to smell the beautiful aroma of You! I pray that as I go day by day. . . . You will infuse me with Your peace, knowledge, and most of all wisdom so that I will not fail YOU! ! ! ! ! I often feel as if I fail others, but ultimately it is You that I need to please, not man. I thank You Father for the many blessings You have placed in and on my life! I pray Father that You will use me to the fullest extent so that one day You will look at me and say," Well done my good and faithful servant!" ! Thank You again Father for the friends and family that You have given me in my life! Thank You for the talents and abilities You have given me and help me to use them to the best of my ability to bring honor and glory to You! I ask all of these things in the precious name of Jesus. . . . . Amen! ! ! ! ! !~

Ohhhhh......I cannot wait to get into this one!

4/27/2011

2Cr 2:14Now thanks [be] to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.2Cr 2:15For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.2Cr 2:16To the one [we are] the aroma of death [leading] to death, and to the other the aroma of life [leading] to life. And who [is] sufficient for these things?2Cr 2:17For we are not, as so many, [fn] peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
I am gonna start this right here with a question. . . . . have you ever had an epiphany? Well, I did this morning! As I was reading this devotion, I saw something that made such perfect sense that I had not really been able to put a finger on before! Let me ask you another question. . . . have you ever done all you can to be the best person you can, giving of yourself for no other reason than to do the will of Your Father with no hidden agenda and wanting nothing in return but the satisfaction of a job well done for Him. . . . . and then got persecuted for it by others thinking you just want all of the credit and that you have a hidden agenda? Well. . . . I have and I have racked my brain wondering why! This scripture here has given me a bit of an insight! Now I am not trying to build up anything I have done. . . .not at all. . . . for my one true goal is to do for others as Christ has done for us. . . . how do you ever attain that one?! ! ! ! In this scripture. . . it is clear that the fragrance of God is diffused through us. . . . . kinda like those diffusing sticks that make your house smell so good, but they do not stick out liked a sore thumb! The beautiful Aroma of God is too gently loft from us as we do His will! We are truly and instrument of God in this way. Now, it goes on to say that to the fellow Christians. . . . this is a pleasing fragrance that brings about life in God! After all, through Christ we have the gift of eternal life! However, to those who are not saved and do not know the true Spirit of Christ, we have the wretched smell of death! Now I do not know about you, but when someone is bringing horrible news that condemns me. . . . I tend to go on the defensive! The aroma of death and destruction puts a fear in your heart that makes you automatically put up your guard. This must be what it is like in this instance! Automatic thoughts of hidden agendas and deception would come to mind. . . . for the ways of Christ are foolishness to a lost and dying world! My heart aches and breaks for those who feel this kind of unrest! Instead of getting defensive myself. . . . I need to remember to pray harder and longer and more intensely knowing in my heart that God will use EVERY situation for His good! look at the life of Christ. . . . He was perfect. . . . His intentions were of the purest possible intent. . . . . . and yet he was mocked, battered (wow what an understatement!), bruised, His perfect ways were hated, unrecognized, despised and rejected, and then He was crucified. . . . . all I got was hurt feelings. . . . what foolishness on my part! Instead. . . . . I should consider it pure joy, for I am doing the will of my Father who loves me! I, unlike Christ am totally imperfect and I have sin in my life. . . . pride. . . . the wrong kind. . . . . .and still, God can use me, and at the same time, reveal these things to me! I long to be a big ole diffusing stick for the fragrance of God. . . . I just HAVE to remember that to the lost. . . . .I stink! Funny part about it is. . . . that is a good thing! Maybe through the stink of death. . . realization will come and lives will be changed. . . .that is my prayer! Just recently we had a concert where we were the only Christian Band and most of the people there we as lost as could be! As the boys started singing of the Beauty of Christ.. . . His Blood. . . .His Sacrifice. . . . the people were not very receptive and some even left. . . . .this is why! This is an example of the above scripture. To those in the crowd who were Christians. . . it had the sweet smell of Christ. . . .to those who were lost. . . it carried conviction and the smell of death they will experience if they do not change their ways! As the scripture says," 2Cr 2:17For we are not, as so many, [fn] peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ." We are not to be peddling the Word of God, we are to be living it! Father, let my life speak of You in sincerity in the sight of God in Christ!
~Father God, I long to exude the sweet fragrance of You! I long to have the sweet smell of life that only comes from You reaching far and wide to those around! I also now realize Father that this fragrance is only sweet to those who know You. . . .to those who love and accept You! I now realize that when I am doing my part and that when I am earnestly doing Your will, I will smell to others as the stench of death! I now realize that when intentions are pure and when I am functioning as You would have me function. . . . I will be hated and despised for Your fragrance will bring about fear and trembling! I pray Father that through it all, You will use me to help those who do not know You to find the beautiful fragrance of LIFE! Eternal Life through Your precious Son Jesus Christ! I pray that You will help me keep my intentions pure, that Your fragrance will never go away or die down through me! I pray Father that You forgive me for any times that my intentions were not pure and sought self gratification in which then I am a stench to those who know and love You! Forgive me for the times that I have not pleased You! Help me to understand and to see others with Your eyes and Your heart! I love You and I thank You for all You are going to do in my life and the lives of those You have placed in my life! I Praise You Father for Your revelation in my life! I ask all of these things in the precious name of Jesus. . . . Amen!~

Happy Easter. . . let me tell you about my weekend!

4/24/2011

Psa 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
Good Beautiful Easeter Morning to you! I wanted to give you and update on our retreat this weekend! Our day started on Friday night as the boys came over to our house to spend the night for our early morning departure. Needless to say, not much sleeping went on, but they had tons of fun! Saturday morning started with a big EARLY breakfast and getting ready for our photo shoot. The funny thing is. . . . . .guys are just as bad as girls when it comes to getting ready! Blow dryers, hair gel, ironing, etc.!!! We finally made it to our first destination about an hour later than we had planned, but God was in control. We went to Toccoa Falls College for our photo shoot and was it ever beautiful! Chris was my assistant and our driver and he did a marvelous job! The boys did a great job of deciding what poses they wanted, minus a few exploration jaunts. . . . .but they had fun and that is what we there for! We then left for Franklin, NC where my parents live. Beth and Larry Rymer, my parents, live at a place called the Christian Training Center where they are on staff. We had lunch and the boys gave a wonderful little acoustic concert for some of the other people who are on staff there. After the concert, the real work began. The boys, Chris, Chelsea and myself commenced to raking up rocks, cutting down trees, and disposing of debris. One of my intentions while there was to show the boys what it truly means to serve. There was a lot of work, but with many hands we were done in no time! I could not have been prouder as I watched us all work together to accomplish our goal . . . . .after all, this is what ministry is about . . . . .working hard even when it is something we may not like doing, but doing it for the glory of God! As we finished raking up rocks, I had each of us pick out five rocks. . . . .not just little rocks, but rocks that represented the burdens we had in our lives. I had three not so big rocks, and two pretty large ones. We left mom and dads and went to a waterfall near the Inn. To get to the waterfall we had an approximate 15 minute climb. . . .well, with me along it was more like 20-25 all uphill with rocks in our backpacks! As we hiked up, we took time to stop and reflect, pray, and encourage each other. When we finally reached our destination, and could breathe, we sat and reflected on what God had revealed to us as we climbed and talked to Him. This was a beautiful time of seeing God reveal things to the hearts of precious young men! Chelsea who was also our tour guide to find the falls, also shared some of the things God has been showing her over the two weeks she had just spent there with mom and dad. After our sharing time and a time of prayer, each person went off to a place by themselves to just listen to God as they sat at His feet. As we listened to hear God, we also took our rocks and made the decision of whether we were going to lay them down and let God take control, or whether we were going to hold on to them and carry them back down with us. Personally, my two biggest burdens. . . . .they were hard to let go of! As I looked at those rocks. . . .with many tears. . . . . I knew I had to lay them down . . . . but it took a while to let them go! As I was pondering what to do, God spoke directly to me. . . . you see, my biggest rock was Chelsea and all we had been through while dealing with anorexia. God told me that I had carried this burden long enough and that He was taking care of her as He had this whole time! He assured me that He was in control and that she was going to be ok. He has such big plans for her life and God wants me to sit back and watch what He is going to do! God gave me such a wonderful blessing in Chelsea and in all of my children, grandchildren, and my wonderful husband. I am the one who chooses to carry burdens that God never intended me to carry! Each of the boys took their burdens and threw them away to allow God to work in an even bigger way in their lives through trusting God! I know without a shadow of doubt in my mind that God has such a big and wonderful plan for each and every one of us. . . . . and for the band that is made up of such wonderful young men! I forgot to mention that God has blessed us with a new member as well, Zach Rudolph. Zach brings new life to their music and pushes each member to stretch themselves to be better musicians! He is also a great source of fun and laughter in his uniquely Zach way! God is great and He knows what we need and when we need it! We finally hiked back down the mountain picking up ones along the way who went further down the trail to hear God. As we drove back home, God kept reminding me that He is in control . . . He is working in each life. . . . . and that in the end . . . . . they are still boys, that He is building into Mighty, Godly Men! May God bless you!
~Father God, I thank Your for this beautiful Easter day! I thank You for loving us so much that You gave us Your Son to live and die as a sacrifice for MY sin! I thank You that He willingly became that sacrifice that I may live in Heaven with You for eternity! I thank You for where You have brought me in my life and for the MANY blessings You have bestowed on me! I thank You that You ordained our day yesterday and that You are going to use it for Your glory, honor and praise! I thank You for allowing me the privileged of leading these fine young men into a time of worship with You! I pray that You will use us for Your glory and Your honor! I praise You for the time I was able to spend with my family and for allowing us to be used to bless others! I pray Father that You will continue to bless my family, the band, their families, and the many thousands of people that You are going to put in our path along the way! I love You, I praise You, and I thank You. . . . In the precious, blood bought name of Jesus I pray. . . . . Amen! ! !

Now I have gone to medaling! Really, God is the one who has said it!

4/20/2011

Eph 4:17This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of [fn] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,Eph 4:18having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart;Eph 4:19who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.Eph 4:20But you have not so learned Christ,Eph 4:21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus:Eph 4:22that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,Eph 4:23and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,Eph 4:24and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.Eph 4:25Therefore, putting away lying, "[Let] each one [of you] speak truth with his neighbor," [fn] for we are members of one another.Eph 4:26"Be angry, and do not sin": [fn] do not let the sun go down on your wrath,Eph 4:27nor give place to the devil.Eph 4:28Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with [his] hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.Eph 4:29Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.Eph 4:30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.Eph 4:31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.Eph 4:32And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
As much as I could expound upon this, it truly speaks for itself! When we become Christians, we are no longer part of this world, yet we often try to hold onto and want what the world has to offer. These verses here tell us how we are and are not to live as new Creations in Christ! We are no longer entitled to bitterness, anger, wrath, clamor, or evil speaking! We are to be kind and love one another as Christ loved and forgave us! God's Word does not mince words. . . . .especially here! What is it going to take for us to learn that we must live a life that seems foolishness to the world? Sadly enough. . . . I have seen "Christians" make fun of, and chastise other Christians for living a life that is set apart. . . . this truly breaks my heart! What breaks it even more is the times I have done this myself! The more I get into God's Word, the more I realize that my life is often missing components that set me apart. . . . .but I know that I am striving to change through Christ and I know that I long to please my Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit! I pray that each of you long for this as well. . . . are you game? I am! ! ! ! !
~ Father God, I pray that You will help me be set apart! I pray that You will show me the ways in which I am pleasing the world and in the process displeasing You. Father, I NEED Your direction, I NEED Your love and compassion for others, I NEED You to give me a heart that exudes Your Spirit and pours out on others Your love! Father, I NEED YOU! ! ! ! I thank You and I praise You for all that You have done for me and for all You are going to do for me! I thank You for my family, my friends, my purpose, and my salvation! I praise Your Holy Name! I pray Father for this weekend, that You will pour out Your Spirit on the band and on all who are around! I pray that You will open each and every persons eyes to the sin, the shame, and the burdens in our lives! I pray that EVERYTHING hidden will be exposed by Your Light that we may "SHINE"! I love You, I praise You, and I thank You in the precious, blood bought name of Jesus. . . . . Amen!

This one is for the Band. . . . and everyone else too!

4/19/2011

Col 3:23And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, Col 3:24knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for [fn] you serve the Lord Christ. Col 3:25But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
I want to thank my friend Pat Harding for posting this verse on his FB! It is just what I needed for today! The reason I titled this blog the way I did is because I am praying earnestly for the Band and I am expecting miracles to happen in each and every life of anyone involved! We are going on a retreat for the day on Saturday and I covet your prayers for us! There are burdens that need to be laid down, and perspectives put in place. These verses explicitly describe what the ministry of the band needs to be! Each individual needs to do the best they can for the LORD. . . . not man, not money, not fame, not for ego. . . .but for GOD ALMIGHTY! ! ! ! ! The reward that comes is from the Lord and it comes in a spectacular inheritance in Him! Ministry can start out in ways that are pure and righteous. . . . and end up in ways that serve those who are in the ministry instead of the ministry serving others. This is why I included the last verse. . . . if we, meaning ministries. . . people. . . . whoever. . . .do wrong, we will be repaid for the wrong that is done. . . and there ain't no question about it! God Himself tells us that there is no partiality! Just because you feel you are in the God business. . . . it does not give you a get away with doing wrong free card! We must always strive to do our best, to serve our Lord with all of our hearts, all of our minds, and all of our souls! ! ! ! This is what I long to teach to and live in front of the boys in the band, my children and grandchildren, my friends and family, and the world! I am not perfect nor will I ever be, however I believe this is how God calls us to live on a daily, hourly, even minutely (I made that one up) basis! I ask that each of you help keep me accountable, and I will do the same! Seek God's Word, search your hearts, pray without ceasing and ask God to show you what you need to change in your life that you might please and honor Him!
~Father God, I pray that You will open my eyes to Your truth and to what needs changing in my life! I pray Father that You will do a mighty miracle in my heart and in the hearts of the boys in the band as we go to seek Your face, Your will, and Your direction! I pray Father that You will show up in a way that will blow our minds and change our live forever! Father, I pray this same prayer for all of my friends and family as You work in our lives on a daily basis! I pray that Your Word will come to life and that the desire to live for You and do Your will, will become what drives us forward day by day! Help us to recognize the wrong that is in our lives that we may repent and change our ways! I pray that each and every one of us will seek Your face and live our lives for You and You alone! I thank You and praise You in the precious name of Jesus, Amen!~

Time for a reality check!

4/18/2011

1Th 5:14Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
1Th 5:15See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
1Th 5:16Rejoice always,
1Th 5:17pray without ceasing,
1Th 5:18in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In reading this passage today, it struck me that I am not doing all that I am supposed to do according to God's Word. I am borrowing a commentary from Blue Letter Bible to help explain verse 14: Warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all: Paul told the Thessalonians - the people, not only the pastor and leaders - to minister in a variety of ways, depending on the state of the person who needs the ministry. So if someone is unruly, the duty of the Christian is to warn them. Others need comfort, others need to be upheld.i. The unruly are those who are out of order, using a military word that describes the soldier that breaks ranks or marches out of step. This is the self-willed person who simply demands to hold their own opinion or preference. These must be warned.
ii. The fainthearted are those who, literally, are small-souled. By nature or experience they tend to be timid and lack courage. These need comfort – in the sense of assisting strength – to be brought to them.
iii. The weak must be upheld, and assisted with an eye to building their own strength instead of perpetuating their weakness.
c. Be patient with all: Though different approaches must be taken with different people, Christians must be patient with all. This is because true Christianity is shown by its ability to love and help difficult people. We do not look for only perfect people to minister to and to minister with.
d. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone: The Christian never should seek revenge or vengeance, but let God take up our side. Instead, we must always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. When we have a forgiving heart towards others, not only is it good for them, it is good for ourselves.
Here is the link for the full commentary
http://www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?AuthorID=2&contentID=8051&commInfo=31&topic=1%20Thessalonians&ar=1Th_4_14
Now, I decided to post this because this is a better and more knowledgeable explanation of the first two verses I posted. But I will talk about it! As I have observed over the years. . . . . almost everyone falls into one of these categories to some extent or another. I have even seen pastors that could be described this way, but most of the time the maturity level in Christ takes many beyond these points. The interesting part to me is that I have seen almost all of these categories in my life at one time or another! One very important thing that was pointed out here is that Paul was talking not only to the pastors and the leaders, but to all who claim to be a Christian! It is each and every one of our responsibility to hold each other accountable and hold each other up! I know for me, the verse that tells us to be patient with all is one that can be rather difficult! However, as Christians, this is absolutely imperative! This is one very important way that we SHOW the love of Christ! It goes way beyond our words. . . . .it goes deep into our actions, there is a reason that it is said that actions speak louder than words! Then there is the revenge issue, we as Christians should NEVER seek revenge, why?. . . . because that is what God tells us! We are to trust in Him and allow Him to fight our battles! This part bears repeating: "See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone: The Christian never should seek revenge or vengeance, but let God take up our side. Instead, we must always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. When we have a forgiving heart towards others, not only is it good for them, it is good for ourselves." Man, this is great stuff! Now on to the next verses. . . .
1Th 5:16Rejoice always,
Always. . . good times. . . . bad times. . . . hard times. . . . ALL TIMES! ! !
1Th 5:17 pray without ceasing,
This means to always have an attitude of prayer. We cannot pray verbally at all times, but we can be mindful of God and bring HIM into every equation of our lives! We can always have an attitude of prayer and know that in every situation, prayer should be our FIRST defense. . . . not our last hope!
1Th 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
In EVERYTHING. . . . . did you get the EVERYTHING part here? Good, bad, ugly, and indifferent. . . . . EVERYTHING! ! ! ! ! Sometimes this seems so absolutely impossible sometimes. . . . I am the first to admit this one! I don't remember being too thankful the last time I had a virus. . . . or a broken heart. . . . . or when I feel like an utter failure! Kinda like when I fail at being thankful in EVERYTHING! Enough said. . . . I have thoroughly convicted myself at this point! Please note that when I try and point out things in scripture, I am doing it more for me than for anyone! It gives me a reality check in my life!
~Father God, let me start by asking You to forgive me for failing to do Your will as Your Word has directed me to do! Thank You for pointing out the things in my life that need changed and thank You for the help and strength You are giving me to help change what is unholy in me! I want to thank and praise You Father for loving me enough to allow Paul. . . . so many years ago, to speak to me today! Your Word is amazing. . . .Your love is incredible. . . . .Your sacrifice was beautiful, and in it all. . . . . I am thankful! I am so unworthy and yet You lavish Your love, Your compassion, and Your Son on me! I thank You for all of the many blessings in my life. . . . . even the ones that are hard to recognize as blessings! I thank You Father. . . . . I thank You! In the precious name of Jesus I pray. . . . . Amen!~

Hold on. . . . here we go! ! !

4/16/2011

Eph 4:29Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
This is going to be a several parter! I am pretty sure I have written on this verse before, but after reading it. . . . I think I need to revisit it! O.k., so what is exactly considered a corrupt word? Well, in context. . . . it is a word that can tear someone else down, or a word that goes against the nature of God! If you read on, if it does not edify (build someone up), then it should not even shoot out of your mouth! Our words. . . . as God shows us here, should impart grace. . . . . wow, grace. . . . just like Jesus extends to us! How can we expect Jesus to extend grace to us if we cannot even extend grace to one another? Kind of like when Jesus says that if we cannot forgive, we cannot be forgiven! Powerful stuff here. . . . are we listening? Now to move on. . . .this is really good stuff!
Eph 4:30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Oh my. . . . .I am afraid that my actions alone must grieve Him on a daily basis! I must daily die to myself that I may not grieve Him! He sealed me. . . . how can I honestly grieve Him on purpose? If I can. . . . am I really His?
Eph 4:31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

I am about to go to preaching to myself right here! But Gooooooood. . . . . . do you know how hard some of this is for meeeeeeee! ! ! ! ! Bitterness is sooooo easy to hold on to! Wrath. . . .I have that one under control, but anger. . . . . that one is hard at times! How do I let some of this go? ? Well, let's read on!
Eph 4:32And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Well, someone has to bring Jesus into this! Christ forgave us and continues to forgive us on a daily basis! Jesus. . . . how did you do it? How did you forgive the people who tortured you. . . . .turned their backs on you. . . . . who murdered you with joy and pride in their hearts?! ! ! Well, I think in this verse here, God gives us a way to change our minds and our hearts by following these instructions! Be kind to one another, tender hearted and forgiving. . . . . .you see. . . . . Christ lived these actions! As Christains. . . . .we MUST renew our minds. . . . we must be kind and tenderhearted towards each other. . . . . . We MUST forgive. . . . . let me reitterate. . . . we MUST forgive, this is not an option, it is not a choice. . . . .if we are to be Christlike, we MUST! Why? Because Christ FORGAVE US! ! ! ! How beautiful is this! ! ! Hello Lorri. . . wake up. . . . renew your mind! ! !
~ Oh Father God. . . why does it seem as if my mind must be renewed every single day? Why can it not be second nature. . . . I am so torn in my heart for I feel as if I should be able to do this so much easier! Sometimes I feel as if I am doing a good job, and then wham. . . . I mess up again! I thank You Father for Your grace and Your forgiveness! I thank You for the many opportunities to learn from Your Word. . . thank You for Your Word. . . . thank You for Your Son! Thank You for Your love and compassion for a lost and dying world! Thank You for loving even me! I love You, I praise You and I thank You in the precious name of Jesus I pray. . . . . Amen!

Chelsea's Favorite Verse...and then some!

4/14/2011

Jer 29:11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
I mean. . . . . WOW! ! ! ! ! Is there any wonder that this is her life verse?! Going through anorexia, the biggest thing she has had to deal with was her thoughts. Unfortunately, her thoughts were not those that came from the Lord! God say's right here that His thoughts are of PEACE! His thoughts are NOT of evil. . . . His are to give us a FUTURE. . . . and a HOPE! This leads me to the conclusion that if OUR thoughts are on the Lord and HIS will for us. . . . then why do we believe the thoughts that deceive us? God's Word is soooo clear and so concise! God has a special future for each one of us. . . . and each future is filled with hope and peace. . . . .we are the ones who bring the strife through our actions that are NOT Christlike! We are the ones who thwart the perfect plan that God has for us for we do not always follow the path He has set before us! Now, does God use it. . . . by all means YES! Now is the time for the more I was talking about in the title of this post:
Jer 29:12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you .Jer 29:13And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
OOOOHHHH YEEEEEEESSSSS! ! ! We needed to read further! ! ! ! THEN you will call upon Me and pray to Me. . . . . and I WILL listen to you! ! ! ! Did you see that. . . . He WILL listen! ! ! ! Keep reading. . . . you will SEEK Me and FIND Me when you SEARCH for Me with ALL YOUR HEART! ! ! ! This is the answer! ! ! ! When I asked earlier why do we believe the thoughts that deceive us, because we do not go further in the scripture to realize this final point! We MUST call upon the Lord and pray! We must seek and search for Him! But not just seek and search. . . . seek and search with ALL OUR HEARTS! ! ! ! God has all the answers, right here in His Word! All we have to do is read, absorb, listen, and act upon what we have learned! Are you ready. . . . I pray we all are!
~Father God, I thank You so much for Your Word and for the life that it brings to us! I thank You for Your Spirit who reveals Your Word and Your heart to us! I pray Father God that You will reveal Yourself to me and to each one who loves You and longs to do Your Will! Father, I pray that You will continue to do a deep and mighty work in my life, the life of my family and friends, and in the life of each and every member of the band so that Your will might be done in the way You intended from the beginning of time! I thank You for the lives of each and every friend, family member, and people I have yet to meet! You are so mighty and so holy and I thank You and Praise You for being who You are! Father God, I pray for our Country and our leaders for they are not listening to You and they are forsaking You and who You are! I pray that You will bring each one to the realization of You and who You are! I pray for the men and women who protect our country every single day! I pray protection, but more than that Lord, I pray that You will bring them to You so that they may have eternal life with You for eternity! I thank You and I praise You in the precious blood bought name of Jesus I pray. . . . . Amen! ! ! ! !

Oh how I LOVE the Mountains!

4/13/2011

2Ti 4:1I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead eat [fn]His appearing and His kingdom: 2Ti 4:2Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and teaching. 2Ti 4:3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;2Ti 4:4and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2Ti 4:5But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. Today has been a most wonderful day! I am here in the Mountains of NC, with my parents and with Chelsea. It was time to get some much needed spiritual rest and renewal and I know of no better place than here at the Inn! God has been doing some mighty things in the life of me, my family, our church and the Band! The problem is that with sooooo many things going on, it becomes hard to hear that sweet, still, small voice of my Father! I have had so many things running in and through my brain (which feels as if it is deteriorating by the day!) that confusion and frustration seem to be the words of the day. Today after lunch, we had a devotion time and it was so right up the alley of what I needed to hear! 1Cr 13:7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.This is the book and chapter of love. . . . . . please read the whole thing! Our devotion however was on how "love" endures all things. What exactly is the definition of endures? dictionary.com says, "to hold out against; sustain without impairment or yielding ;undergo:"

You see, to endure is to hold on and keep going to the end without stopping or giving up! Our love should endure like God's does! His love endures forever and ever! I love God's Word, I love His promises, and I love to share the love of Christ with others! Can my love endure? Only if it is the love of Christ! Only if I endure in the love of Christ in my own life! I am up for the challenge. . . . . How about you?
~Father God, I thank You and praise You for your enduring love! I thank You that You love me enough to teach me Your Word and guide me in Your ways! Father, Your love NEVER fails! Your love ENDURES forever! I thank You for the love You have given me and I ask You to forgive me for not living my life as I should. I pray that You will do a mighty work in my life, in my families life, and in the lives of the band members! I love You Father and I pray that You will show Yourself to each member of my family, friends, and band members! I thank You, I praise You. . . . .in the name of Jesus I pray. . . . .Amen!!!!!!!

Author
My name is Lorri and I am a proud wife, mother, Honeygram, and band manager! I pray that you will laugh, cry, find needed information, peace and encouragement as you pa-ruse this site!

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