” And Jesus, replying, said to them, ” Have faith in God constantly. Truly [ seriously ] I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. ” Mark 11:23 , the Amplified Bible, emphasis mine. The believing precedes the speaking.
” And this is the confidence ( the privilege of boldness ) which we have in Him ( we are sure ) that if we ask anything ( in agreement with His own plan ) He listens to and hears us. And ( since ) we [ positively ] know that He listens to us in WHATEVER we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge ] that we have [ granted us as our present possessions ] the requests made of Him. ” Ist John 5:14,15 ( Amplified )
This is what I see in these 2 verses: 1. We are sure 2. God listens to and hears us 3. We know that He listens to us 4. We have the requests made of Him. It’s gotta be in His own plan tho, but that plan is humongous.
This is revolutionary stuff! Do you believe it? Father, I pray that everyone reading Your words would have faith dropped into their hearts like a bomb-shell. Amen!
So I often believe that the core of a christian is to make God proud as it would be to make a father proud of His son or as a a man being thanked by his boss. We call these things that we do for God our ministry but many time in our minds we can limit that to so few things. The big three I would have to say would be preaching if u can preach man u must be really used by God. If you can Lead worship man they have a voice of an angle or Ushering though not as esteemed as the latter they are being used none the less. So is this what makes God happy. What if I dont like speaking in front of people of dont have the voice of a heavenly being am I simply left to do my turn in ushering and this is the apex of my divine calling? I came across this in our daily reading and it brought me great joy.
”30 Then Moses said to the sons of Israel, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding and in knowledge and in allcraftsmanship; 32to make designs for working in gold and in silver and in bronze, 33 and in the cutting of stones for settings and in the carving of wood, so as to perform in every inventive work.34 He also has put in his heart to teach, both he andOholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to perform every work of an engraver and of a designer and of an embroiderer, in blue and in purple and in scarlet material, and in fine linen, and of a weaver, as performers of every work and makers of designs.” - EXODUS 35:30-35
What you mean God can use interior decorators come on ha ha (Briana Gould) Yes! God wants to use u and he can in whatever. I just want to encourage us all that we cannot limit the way God will use us We have His spirit inside of us for every good work even if that means decorating
My daughter and son-in-law have a schnauzer/terrier cross who sometimes HAS TO run. They will take him to a dog park in the city and he goes crazy wild, digging holes and running around. My son-in-law says it helps to ” re-set his brain. ” How about you?
Done anything to -re-set your brain lately? How about hitting the gym or some weight training? Do you know it is virtually impossible to carry all those mental cares and worries in your head while you are working out?
A fitness instructor I know drinks about six bottles of water a day. I am fairly sure most of us walk around in a mild state of dehydration. Drinking water will ward off headaches and improve a lot inside your body, including muscle stiffness.
How about getting some good audio books from the library? Joyce Meyer and Joel Osteen have some great stuff out there. Have the Word of God coming into your ears while you are driving or doing stuff around the house.
Lastly, whatever the enemy of your soul is telling you is not going to happen, realize that exactly the opposite is true. Think about what you are thinking about. If God has to pull you through a knothole backward, He is going to get the job done! Pray all the time. Rejoice like crazy! God is not deaf, nor has He slipped off the throne. He knows what He is doing at all times and what concerns you, concerns Him. He is able!!!
Teddy Roosevelt was one of the greatest Presidents of the United States. He was used to power and comfortable in using it. But he understood full well where real power came from.
Many times before retiring to bed, Roosevelt, and his naturalist friend William Beebe, would step outside the White House and look up into the night sky, searching for a tiny patch of light near the constellation Pegasus.
“That is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda,” they would chant in unison. ”It is as large as the Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our own sun.”
After a moment of silent awe together, Roosevelt would then turn to his companion and say, “Now I think we are small enough. Let’s go to bed.”
I was reflecting on the life of Moses this week and realized in all of history he has probably seen and performed the greatest signs and wonders of God in all the world. Yet in all of this he remained small (the bible says he was the meekest man on the earth). It just reminded me that when we realize who we really are (small compared to God) and how great our God is, this is when we are truly ready to be used by Him to do great things!
As I have been reading this past week the story of the exodus a common theme has stood out to me. Time and again Pharaoh and the people of Egypt say they “feared the word of the Lord.” Each plague ends with them asking for forgiveness of their sins but then quickly turning back against God the moment the plague is lifted. I asked myself this question, why did this go on and on. The answer was this, They feared the “word of the Lord” but they did not have a “fear of the Lord”
Let me explain this way. Today I celebrated a decade of marriage. (feel free to applaud) Wanna know my secret to a great marriage? I have a “Fear of Donna.” That may sound odd to you but hear me out. I don’t fear her, or even what she would do if I screwed up at some point. What I fear is not the consequence of my actions, but rather the separation it would cause to our relationship. I fear the rift, the divide, the wall that would separate me from her. I fear the loss of our intimacy. Not just the sexual part. I’m talking the emotional and spiritual bonds, the love, the trust and the transparency we have. I fear the loss of it.
It’s the same with God. I don’t fear his judgements, his consequences, I don’t even fear hell to a degree. What scares me most is the thought of an eternity of separation from the person I am closest to, Him. I fear that my actions could cause division in our relationship. That is why I work to be quick to repent and turn from those actions and sins, not just ask forgiveness and do it all over again tomorrow when the sorrow has passed.
The Bible say over a over again “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and understanding.” and “the fear of the Lord brings long life.” Why? Because from that place I can draw close to Him and learn more about Him, His Kingdom and His ways, and reap the blessings of a relationship with Him.
So…today is a great day to start on your road to a healthy Fear of the Lord.
15 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom [l]was named Shiphrah and the other [m]was named Puah; 16 and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” 17 But the midwives [n]feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had [o]commanded them, but let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife [p]can get to them.” 20 So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very [q]mighty. 21 Because the midwives [r]feared God, He [s]established [t]households for them. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born [u]you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.” Exodus 1:15-22
Abortion is nothing new, it is not something only recent generations have had to deal with. And for as long as abortion has been around so have great men and women who have stood up for what is wrong. In Barrie we have a great organisation called the Pregancy Resource Center. I encourage you to find out more about it if you have not heard about the great things they are doing in Barrie. Instead of just preaching that it is wrong, and accusing those who consider abortions or have had them in the past, they provide a solution and in doing so, save lives. Take some time today to invest in this great organisation and their founder Cathy Pederson. You can pray, give finicailly or of your time or even make a trip down there and check it out. Here is their link and a link to a video by Faytene Kryskow about Canada’s shocking stand on abortion.
I am encouraged by the blogs each week and thought I better join in on the fun! Yesterday we read where the Israelites groaned and cried out for help from the Lord because of their slavery and it says God looked to them and was concerned for them. When I go through troubling times I cry out to God for help and sometimes it feels like God is silent but just like He was with Israel we need to remember that He hears us, is looking at us, concerned for us and just like we read today God had an awesome plan to deliver them and He does with us. It says that when Moses and Aaron performed the signs to the people they believed and when they heard that the Lord was concerned for them they bowed down and worshiped. We serve a wonderful Saviour that loves us!
In Ephesians 3:18 Paul prayed that we being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God! I prayed this over us all today. However, just like when Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh, things got worse not better. Sometimes it looks like that to us also. I love how God responded to Moses when he questioned Him on this. The Lord says I appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty but by my name the Lord I didn’t make myself known to them. As He continues He promises not only deliverance but also the promised land in their possession and that He would take them as His own people and He would be there God. Wow!! What a good God!! We serve this same God who not only gets us through but has an inheritance for us and will walk with us closely and intimately. Ever notice that when you see your prayer answered it is always so much more then you even asked and has so much more freedom then you even expected.
Then we look at the response of the Israelites when Moses reported what the Lord said and we see they didn’t listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage. What comfort and faith we can receive when we choose to listen to God in our times of trouble or discouragement. What discouragement or bondage are you maybe facing? Take time today to listen to what God has to say over your life instead of talking and stressing much over the problem. I find sometimes I come to God just to give Him a piece of my mind but when I seek to hear what He is saying to me, it gives me hope and faith to continue and to walk in victory. Jesus is our Source for all we need and when we remember He is concerned for us and moved to action we can cry out in faith to our Deliverer and trust His ability.
