Category: Devotion

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! ! ! ! !

0 Comments

Where is your heart today?

4/9/2011

0 Comments

2Ti 2:11This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him .2Ti 2:12If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
Well this is a gentle. . . or not so gentle reminder of where we stand with Christ! If we died with Him. . . which is dying to self and taking up the cross of Christ and dying to sin. . . . .now look at the beautiful promise that comes with that. . . . we get to live with Him! Yeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaw! Now, as we continue I want you to pay close attention. There is one very crucial word here that keeps popping up and it is a qualifier. . . IF! Now the first two IF's are good IF's. IF we died with Him, then we shall live with Him. . . . . IF we endure, we shall also reign with Him. . . . .Now, IF we deny Him. . . . He WILL deny us! As I ponder on this last IF, it seems so clear cut, but is it? To deny Him, my mouth must say that I do not know Him, right. . . . or is it possibly more than that? You know the old saying, "Actions speak louder than words!", is this another aspect that we must explore? I know many times my words say one thing, but my actions say something totally opposite! I know I may be alone here, but has anyone else out there ever been on a diet? Have you ever talked about it and maybe bragged on yourself so others will think you are doing so well, and then in the secret places. . . . you ate a Krispy Kreme doughnut, or two, or twelve! How many times do we give Christ lip service and in the secret we live a life that is no different than those who do not claim Christ? Is this not also a form of denial of Christ? This is the part where you must look back and really take a look to see if you truly ever died with Christ in the first place! We have two really good examples of this in the bible. Peter Mat 26:75And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.
And Judas Mat 26:24"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."
As we look at the lives of these two men who both denied Christ, we must look at the outcome. Peter denied Christ as Christ told him he would. After doing this, He went out and preached the gospel of Christ for the rest of his days until his death. Now Judas, instead of taking responsibility for his actions and using them for the glory of God, he went out and hung himself for he never truly belonged to Christ! This is the time that we MUST sit back and really look at who holds our hearts! We MUST know without a shadow of a doubt that we have died with Christ and that we are not just giving lip service! What are your actions saying about you today? As I write all of this, please do know that I am preaching to the Choir. . . . . I must do the same thing! This is why God's Word is sooooooooo important! This is why we must continually seek out His promises, His expectations, and His qualifiers! We must be truthful to ourselves and to God. . . . After all, He knows the condition of our hearts even more than we do!
~Father God, I am so thankful for Your Word and for the direction it gives us! I want to thank You for Christ and the ultimate gift He has given us! I want to thank You for bringing things to my attention and for Your Spirit that gives me direction! Father, please speak to the hearts of those who will read this post, and if I have made any wrong statements here, that You will show me, and forgive me for it is truly my desire to honor You! Father, I pray for Chelsea right now as she is taking the ACT to better her score, please give her clarity of mind, peace, and bring all of those things she has learned back to her memory! I also pray that you will soothe her broken heart and give her a peace that surpasses all understanding! Please help her to see the beauty that lives inside of her that comes from You! I pray Father that you will give her the desires of her heart and help her to see You in every circumstance in her life! I thank You and I praise You in the precious name of Jesus. . . . AMEN! ! ! ! ~

0 Comments

Oh how I love the Psalms!

4/8/2011

0 Comments

Psa 136:1OH, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
You want to talk about being blessed! Just read Psalms 136 and you will see how blessed we really are and how thankful we should be. I think I love the Psalms so much because King David just POURS out his heart! It also makes me feel a little more normal and maybe not so psychotic on some days! I have told you before that some of the things that David struggled with in his life seem way worse than what I do and yet he was always considered a man after God's own heart! I am afraid had David lived in this day and time. . . . he would probably be on Zoloft or Prozac. . . . or any myriad of anti depressants like I have been at times. Please do not think I am knocking medicines. . . . Chelsea is on Zoloft and I have taken a few different meds to help me deal with the depression that comes with all of the struggles our family has been through. The one thing I can tell you though. . . . . they may help your mood in certain situations, but they do not change the circumstances. . . . they do not stop sin. . . . they do not give peace in your heart. . . . . and they do not give you eternal salvation! When Chelsea was going through the worst parts of her anorexia, she was tormented in her heart and her soul! No amount of medication changed that. . . .they did however eventually keep her from the horrendous and sometimes dangerous outburst that came from that torment, but she also became numb. . . . numb to life. . . . numb to her family and friends. . . . and sometimes like a zombie with no feelings, no pain yet no joy. King David felt every bit of pain and ecstatic joy! He messed up many times but found favor in God because of his ability to recognize the sin for what it was and his heart was truly broken because he had sinned and hurt his Father! As a parent we often face our children making wrong choices and stupid decisions (usually like we did), but the joy comes when we see them realize what they have done and see them truly long to change and repent for their actions and accept punishment and learn from their consequences! God must feel the same way about us! King David is proof positive! Surely I digress from my original intent here, but I long to share with you what I learn from scripture! Thank God for David and his heart! Thank God that he was not perfect in any capacity, but God loved him! Thank God that we have that same love available to us from the Father and all we must do is believe in His Son and the sacrifice He made for our sin and accept Him as our Savior! We do not have to make sacrifices, cover ourselves with ashes, or any of the other things we have read about. If we love Him and accept Him, then we will become aware of the sin in our lives and long to change it! God will help us every step of the way if we truly believe! I am so thankful! I am truly BLESSED! ! ! ! Oh, and p.s. I implore you not only to read all of Psalm 136. . . . but all of the Psalms. . . . . ALL of God's Word!
~Father God, I thank You for Your Word and for the encouragement You give me from the example of Your children! I thank You for loving me so much that You sent Your Son to give me salvation! I thank You for Your Spirit who dwells within me and brings wisdom and comfort! I thank You for the ability to share Your Word with others and to share my experiences. . . . mistakes. . . . and total failures with people like David did so they can see that there is hope in You, there is forgiveness, there is healing, there is peace in dark places, and there is someone else who feels like they do at times! I thank You for the people You put in my life as examples of these things! I thank You for Your love and Your forgiveness, Your punishment and the redemption that I have received! I thank You for loving me. . . . even when I am so me and often unlovable! I love You Father and I realize just how truly blessed I am. . . . . even when I hurt. . . . even when I do not understand certain circumstances. . . . . even when I don't get what I want or get my way, wait, especially when I don't get what I want or get my way! I love You, I praise You, and I thank You in the precious name of Jesus I pray. . . . AMEN!~
p.s. After reading this. . . . you may still think I need to be on medication! I love you all and pray that God will do a mighty work in your lives. . . . may God bless you all! ! ! ! ! !

0 Comments

Today is a day I need encouragement. . . . . Let me share with you what God had sent my way.

4/7/2011

0 Comments

Isa 43:2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. Now for the devotion that came with this beautiful verse:
Sometimes the pressures of life threaten to overwhelm us and sweep us away like a strong river current. During these times God continues to be with us. He does not leave us to suffer alone. He does not promise to take us out of our trials. But He does promise to be with us and guide us every step of the way! Praise be to the Lord, our great constancy!
Today God knew I needed this devotion. Today is one of those days when my brain and my heart are not on the same page! I am so thankful that God's Word gives me these promises because sometimes I end up in a funk and if it were not for His Word. . . . I am not sure I could get out of the funk I find myself in! God is constant. . . I am not, thus the problem lies. Please pray for me and my family, we have many changes going on right now and Chris and I are facing the dreaded empty nest syndrome! This comes with both excitement. . . . . and dread! I asked Chris if I could go off to College too, but he told me no. . . . oh well! I know God has great plans for Chris and I as well, it is just a matter of learning to live life differently, but I am up for the challenge. . . . most days anyway. I still have the grandkiddos to play with and love on and I always look forward to that. . . . . I am blessed and life is great! I just need to keep reminding myself when I get down.
~Father God, I thank You for Your Word and for Your many promises. I thank You for the wonderful people You have placed in my life. I thank You for Your many, many blessings and I ask that You forgive me for the times I have taken those blessings for granted. Please know that I love You Father and I am sooooooo thankful! I thank You and praise You in the name of Jesus. . . . .Amen!~

0 Comments

Devotion for Wednesday: A reflection of being blessed by being the manager of the band!

3/29/2011

0 Comments

Psa 95:1 OH come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.
Wow.....let me tell you what a blessing it is to be the manager of Against the Downpour! I am so blessed to be surrounded by young men who love the Lord their God with all of their hearts. Last night we were going to have a practice in which we were going to work on harmonies.....at least that is what I thought! Apparently God had other plans. We sat down to do our devotion before practice and Russ shared with us that he had done his devotion that day on Psalms 95. Well, Caleb looked it up and had this idea of singing the Psalm. Little did we know that a new song would be birthed! It is not the Psalm verbatim, but it is parts of different Psalms and worship from the hearts of these fellas. Ryan who plays the bass guitar came up with a part that absolutely blew me away! God was working through these verses! "OH come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." These verses are so good they bore repeating! As they put the song together, a praise and worship song that includes audience participation was born! If this is not a blessing, then what is? God's Word is full of songs just waiting to be written on the hearts of His people! These songs are His promises to those who love Him! This blessing alone is a reason that we should reach out to those we love so that they can feel the same joy and blessing that we experience on a daily basis!
~Father God, I thank you for your many blessings! I praise You for the promises You have given us! I pray Father that You will use me to reach those who do not know You and need Your loving kindness and salvation! I pray Father that You will continue to bless the band and the mighty work that they are doing to further Your kingdom! I pray that You will touch each of their lives in a special way and that those things that need changed in their lives You will give freedom! Father, I pray that any sin that creeps into their lives will be brought to their attention so that You can cleanse their hearts and make them pure that Your will might be done as they minister to those who need to find you, and those who need to be encouraged to keep on in their walk with You! I love You and praise You in the precious name of Jesus I pray. . . . . Amen! ~

0 Comments

Forward>>

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!

March 2011

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

Where is your heart today?

Oh how I love the Psalms!

Today is a day I need encouragement. . . . . Let me share with you what God had sent my way.

Devotion for Wednesday: A reflection of being blessed by being the manager of the band!

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!

Archives

Categories

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

Where is your heart today?

Oh how I love the Psalms!

Today is a day I need encouragement. . . . . Let me share with you what God had sent my way.

Devotion for Wednesday: A reflection of being blessed by being the manager of the band!

AuthorMy 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!

Archives

Categories

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!