Category: faith

faith, God, Hope, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

10 Bible Verses to Build Your Faith and Overcome Fear

 

These are crazy times in our world. This Coronavirus is shutting down our country. I am from Wisconsin and they closed all our bars! I know right? I’m not a bar fly these days, but that’s serious in this state. The Governor has also closed down restaurants and churches and any other gathering that has more than 10 people.

I’m human. Some days I am fine, and other times I am freaking out over COVID-19. In times like these, I need some Word to hold on to.

10 Bible Verses to Build Your Faith and Overcome Fear

  1. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” John 14:27
  2. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
  3. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
  4. “The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1
  5. “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears” Psalm 34:4
  6. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” Luke 12:22-26
  7. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
  8. “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” Psalm 42:5
  9. “So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:6
  10. “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up” Proverbs 12:25
From: http://www.ingodsimage.com
Advertisements
Disablility, faith, God, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Holy Spirit Will Speak to You and Tell You What is Coming Up

It was another early morning for me. 3:30 am.  I’m really not a morning person.  I would much rather stay up later watching Netflix or something and sleep late. But lately, this is not how my life has been going. I find myself waking up early. I go upstairs, turn on our electric fireplace, get comfy in my recliner with my fuzzy blanket and pray.

This morning Holy Spirit told me to check my health insurance. Since I went out on Disability a year ago, I have insurance through Medicaid. It takes 2 years before Medicare will kick in. My response was, “ok, why?” Keep in mind, I ‘m not really awake at 3:30 am and I haven’t had any coffee yet! God knows I’m kinda cranky then, lol!

I admit, I was kind of nervous. I was scheduled to go in for another EMG ( electromyogram) test with the Neurologist today. That’s the painful test where they put needles in your legs and arms and send current through them. All to prove that I have peripheral neuropathy, which I already knew. But hey, I changed Doctors and it has been more than a year so they wanted to repeat the test. Yeah, not!

So, I finally fall back asleep in my recliner and the alarm goes off at 5 am. My husband had another early day driving back and forth to Chicago. That’s when I remembered what Holy Spirit said to me earlier. I get on Google (what did we ever do before Google?) and start searching it out.  Interestingly enough, like I should be surprised, God was right!

My father in law recently passed away and left some life insurance to his 3 children, one of them being my husband, Bob. Come to find out, Medicare counts that money as part of your monthly family income! That means for the months of Feb and March this year, I do NOT have health insurance as Bob got checks those months.  The state will reinstate my Health Insurance next month.

I looked  back and the first time I had this EMG test it was like $1500 or so. I waited until after 8 am and called the Neurologist to cancel this appointment. I can reschedule once my insurance is back on. Thank you Holy Spirit for having me look into this so we didn’t have to pay for it on our own!

 

God’s Word for You:

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.

“I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you.  After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” – Johyn 14:16-21 AMP

 

My Prayer for You:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. You live in us and through us and remind us what You have done, and even what is coming in the day ahead. Thank you that everyday You reveal yourself to us. Open our eyes and hearts to see it, in Jesus Name, amen!

 

 

 

faith, God, Hope, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

16 Quotes to Give You Hope

16 Quotes to Give You Hope

      1. “Hold fast to dreams,
        For if dreams die
        Life is a broken-winged bird,
        That cannot fly.”― Langston Hughes
      2. “Through the dark and stormy night Faith beholds a feeble light Up the blackness streaking; Knowing God’s own time is best, In a patient hope I rest For the full day-breaking!”- John Greenleaf Whittier
      3. “Hope is the thing with feathers
        That perches in the soul
        And sings the tune without the words
        And never stops at all.”― Emily Dickinson
      4. “It is always darkest just before the day dawneth.” ― Thomas Fuller
      5. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”― Bill Keane
        “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation” – Psalm 42:5
      6. “The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
      7. “Hope
        Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
        Whispering ‘it will be happier…”― Alfred Lord Tennyson
      8. “Faith has to do with things that are not seen and hope with things that are not at hand.” – Thomas Aquinas
        “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13
        “You can look forward with hope, because one day there will be no more separation, no more scars, and no more suffering in My Father’s House. It’s the home of your dreams!” -Anne Graham Lotz
      9. “Never lose hope. Storms make people stronger and never last forever.”― Roy T. Bennett
      10. “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.” -Job 11:18-19
      11. “Where there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.” -John Maxwell
      12. “Jesus gives us hope because He keeps us company, has a vision and knows the way we should go.” -Max Lucado
      13. “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.” -Psalm 147:11
      14. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” -Romans 5:1-5
      15. “Only when our greatest love is God, a love that we cannot lose even in death, can we face all things with peace. Grief was not to be eliminated but seasoned and buoyed up with love and hope.” -John Piper
      16. “Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don’t give up.” -Anne Lamott

     

  2.  
faith, God, Hope, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

21 Encouraging and Inspiring Quotes for the New Year

Looking for a new mantra for  2020? I have collected a few quotes and verses that will help with that. I have found that if I always look backwards, I can’t move forward because I can’t see it. I have to look forward and HOPE for something to see it happen in my life. I have to have FAITH that God will do what he said He would do. In the meantime while I am waiting,  I want a Word to hold on to. I want that confirmation or deed that what I hope for is guaranteed, even if I don’t see it right now.

21 Encouraging and Inspiring Quotes for the New Year

  1. “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” – Hebrews 11:1 AMP
  2. “We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” ― Ellen Goodman
  3. “Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations.” – Catherine Pulsifer
  4. “But those who wait on the Lord
    Shall renew their strength;
    They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
    They shall run and not be weary,
    They shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 NKJV
  5. “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
  6. “When you feel that you have reached the end and that you cannot go one step further when life seems to be drained of all purpose; what a wonderful opportunity to start all over again, to turn over a new page.” – Eileen Caddy
  7. “For 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.” – Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV
  8. “Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.” ― Benjamin Franklin
  9. “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” ― Edith Lovejoy Pierce
  10. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 NKJV
  11. “Hope
    Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
    Whispering ‘it will be happier’…” ― Alfred Lord Tennyson
  12. “Make 2020 the year that you want to remember.”― Anthony T. Hincks
  13. “ Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV
  14. “Faith…involves trusting in the future promises of God and waiting for their fulfillment.” – R. C. Sproul
  15. “A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.” – Charles Finney
  16. “Our quitting point is God’s beginning point.” – Woodrow Kroll
  17. “The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
    In those who hope in His mercy.” – Psalm 147:11 NKJV
  18. “You can’t get to where today needs to take you if you’re holding on to yesterday.”― Toni Sorenson
  19. “As we begin a New Year, let’s discard what was jaded. Let’s put on in its place, the beautiful garments of Faith, Hope and Love.”― Anusha Atukorala
  20. “The only way to get rid of your past is to make a future out of it. God will waste nothing.” – Phillips Brooks
  21. “He has put a new song in my mouth—
    Praise to our God;
    Many will see it and fear,
    And will trust in the Lord.” – Psalm 40:3 NKJV

faith, God, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

What is Heaven Really Like?

Do you ever wonder what Heaven is really like? Me too. There are lots of sites out there that say all sorts of things. Some people say there is no Heaven or Hell. That’s depressing to me. I choose to believe the Bible about Heaven. Let’s take a look at what the Word of God says about Heaven.

What is Heaven Really Like?

 

“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.  In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.  And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.”  Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; so how can we know the way?”  Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14″ 1-6 AMP

“Pay close attention now: I’m creating new heavens and a new earth. All the earlier troubles, chaos, and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy. Anticipate what I’m creating: I’ll create Jerusalem as sheer joy, create my people as pure delight. I’ll take joy in Jerusalem, take delight in my people: No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish; No more babies dying in the cradle, or old people who don’t enjoy a full lifetime; One-hundredth birthdays will be considered normal— anything less will seem like a cheat. They’ll build houses and move in. They’ll plant fields and eat what they grow. No more building a house that some outsider takes over, No more planting fields that some enemy confiscates, For my people will be as long-lived as trees, my chosen ones will have satisfaction in their work. They won’t work and have nothing come of it, they won’t have children snatched out from under them. For they themselves are plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise God -blessed. Before they call out, I’ll answer. Before they’ve finished speaking, I’ll have heard. Wolf and lamb will graze the same meadow, lion and ox eat straw from the same trough, but snakes—they’ll get a diet of dirt! Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my Holy Mountain,” says God .”  Isaiah 65:17-25 MSG

“I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea. I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband. I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.” Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!” Revelation 21:1-6 MSG

“Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center. His servants will offer God service—worshiping, they’ll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God. Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with him age after age after age.”  Revelation 22:1-5 MSG

 

“Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. But when the Day of God’s Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment. Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.” 2 Peter 3:8-13 MSG

 

“But here on this mountain, God -of-the-Angel-Armies will throw a feast for all the people of the world, A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines, a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts. And here on this mountain, God will banish the pall of doom hanging over all peoples, The shadow of doom darkening all nations. Yes, he’ll banish death forever. And God will wipe the tears from every face. He’ll remove every sign of disgrace From his people, wherever they are. Yes! God says so! Also at that time, people will say, “Look at what’s happened! This is our God! We waited for him and he showed up and saved us! This God, the one we waited for! Let’s celebrate, sing the joys of his salvation. God ’s hand rests on this mountain!” Isaiah 25:6-10 MSG

 

faith, God, Hope, Life, Motivation, Music, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, Videos

Shout Out to the Plants Growing Through Concrete or Snow

I live in Wisconsin. Last night we had another snow emergency with another 1 to 4 inches. We are kinda buried in snow. It’s real pretty to look at – as long as you are inside, lol!Then you see it. There is always a sign. God never gives up on us. Here is a little geranium plant that refuses to give up. It won’t quit. Shout out to all the plants growing through concrete – or snow!

“But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.” – Philippians 3:20 MSG

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV

This is my new favorite song!

The God Who Stays by Matthew West

Verse 1
If I were You I would’ve given up on me by now
I would’ve labeled me a lost cause
‘Cause I feel just like a lost cause
If I were You
I would’ve turned around and walked away
I would’ve labeled me beyond repair
‘Cause I feel like I’m beyond repair

Pre-Chorus
But (‘Cause) somehow You don’t see me like I do
Somehow You’re still hereChorus
You’re (From) the God who stays
You’re the God who stays
You’re the one who runs in my direction
When the whole world walks away
You’re the God who stands
With wide open arms
And You tell me nothing I have ever done
Could separate my heart
(From the God who stays)

Verse 2
I used to hide
Every time I thought I let You down
I always thought I had to earn my way
But I’m learning You don’t work that way

Bridge
My shame can’t separate my guilt can’t separate
My past can’t separate I’m Yours foreverMy sin can’t separate my scars can’t separate
My failures can’t separate I’m Yours forever
No enemy can separate
No power of hell can take away
Your love for me will never change
I’m Yours forever

AJ Pruis | Jonathan Smith | Matthew West

© Be Essential Songs (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
Cashagamble Jet Music (Admin. by Essential Music Publishing LLC)
Combustion Five (Admin. by Me Gusta Music LLC)
Highly Combustible Music (Admin. by One77 Songs c/o Kobalt Songs Music Publishing (ASCAP))

faith, God, Hope, Life, motivational, Music, Psalms, Quotes

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him

As the Christmas Season is upon us there is one word that I keep thinking of – Adore. Adore means to love and respect someone deeply, to worship them. This season I am taking time to Adore Jesus.

Yes, we can Adore Jesus in Church. But this season, I am going to Adore Him in my home, adore Him in my car, adore Him when I am doing the dishes, adore Him when I am doing laundry, adore Him when I am going about my day to day activities.

Psalm 95:1-7 MSG

1-2 Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!

3-5 And why? Because God is the best,
    High King over all the gods.
In one hand he holds deep caves and caverns,
    in the other hand grasps the high mountains.
He made Ocean—he owns it!
    His hands sculpted Earth!

6-7 So come, let us worship: bow before him,
    on your knees before God, who made us!
Oh yes, he’s our God,
    and we’re the people he pastures, the flock he feeds.

Source: lovelylovelythings.wordpress.com

I LOVE this version of O Come All Ye Faithful by Pentatonix!

O Come, All Ye Faithful

Pentatonix

O come, all ye faithful
Joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels!

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem

Oh, sing, choirs of angels
Sing in exultation
Oh, come, oh come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem

O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye
O come, all ye faithful

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem

O come, all ye faithful
(O come, all ye faithful, o come, all ye faithful)
Joyful and triumphant
(O come, all ye faithful to Bethlehem)
Come and behold Him
(O come, all ye faithful, o come, all ye faithful)
Born the King of Angels

O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord

O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful to BethlehemSongwriters: KEVIN OLUSOLA, SCOTT HOYING, AVRIEL KAPLAN, KIRSTIN MALDONADO, MITCHELL GRASSI, BEN BRAM© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLCFor non-commercial use only.

faith, God, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Quotes on Little Things Becoming Greater

I have been in the body of Christ for about 25 years now. I did not grow up in the church, I grew up in the world. Yes, God has delivered me from many things, including my negative mind. I am eternally grateful that the ‘voices’ have stopped talking in my head. Maybe you  know what I mean.

During this 25 years I have attended numerous Churches. I find an interesting quality with the leadership teams I have seen. Some are servants, doing the work that God has called us to do with humility and honor. Others, however, just want the microphone and the glory. That makes me sad. 

I really think all of us Christians need therapy. We need to learn how to serve each other and put each other before our own desires. Many Christians are mostly selfish. Sorry, that has been my experience. Yes, there are exceptions. And it is the Servant Heart is what draws me in. I trust a Shepherd who will feed and care for the sheep. You know, when you are in the Hospital, they show up. When you end up in jail, they show up. When you are sick, they visit. When you are disabled, they come.  They call to check up on you. They take an interest in what goes on the rest of the week.

Servant Leaders are the first ones to show up and take care of all the little things. They clean the bathrooms, take out the garbage, mow the grass. Stuff like that. They don’t announce it or look for a trophy, they are busy doing the Father’s work in the Father’s House. I honor the True Shepherds today because they are faithful with the little things – that really become the big things in God’s hands!

Quotes on Little Things Becoming Greater

  1. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. – Mother Teresa
  2. All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. –  Winston Churchill
  3. The beginning of Greater things starts as a seed. Passion, willingness to learn and tenacity is the key to rising above the average and the mediocre. Keep pushing and the refinery of life will bring out the Gold within you.” ― Oscar Bim
  4. There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things. – Dwight L. Moody
  5. God has greater things in stock for us, but unless our great things are given away, we can’t receive our greater things. Give big and you’ll receive bigger! – ― Israelmore Ayivor
  6. Success in life is founded upon attention to the small things rather than to the large things; to the every day things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon. – Booker T. Washington
  7. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. – Luke 16:10 NIV
  8. “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ – Matthew 25:23
  9. “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, you are to be in authority over ten cities.’ – Luke 19:17
  10. After that, the Word of God came to me: “Zerubbabel started rebuilding this Temple and he will complete it. That will be your confirmation that God-of-the-Angel-Armies sent me to you. Does anyone dare despise this day of small beginnings? They’ll change their tune when they see Zerubbabel setting the last stone in place!” – Zechariah 4: 8-10 The Message (MSG)
  11. God hides great things in little things. In every young girl, God hides a great woman; in every young boy, He hides a great man; in a small seed, He hides a big forest! A little is never inadequate if God’s hands are its creator! Don’t despise little things!” ― Israelmore Ayivor
  12. A faithful man will abound with blessings,
    But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished. – Proverbs 28:12
behavior, faith, God, Healing, health and wellness, Mental Illness, Music, Videos

Life Lesson Learned – You Can’t Change Someone Who Does Not Want to be Changed

I am sure you have met one, a person who absolutely did not want to change. You can love them all you want, give them all the tools for personal growth, but they are not interested. You may want the best for someone but they don’t want it for themselves. Life lesson learned – you can’t change someone who does not want to be changed. They simply have no vision. Without vision the people perish. Yep, that’s in the Bible, and it’s true.

I always thought if I loved them enough, they would change. Not always true. I have met some very stubborn people in my life that are happy just where they are. They do not have any desire to change anything. No amount of me pushing or prodding will make one bit of difference. Just because I think there may be more, they are happy to stay right where they are. That’s ok. I think I will stop trying to control them and just let it go!

Talk about freedom, wow! I finally don’t have to have everything figured out. That’s a load off this control freak shoulders, lol! For today, my focus has changed. I am going to let others make their own choices and I’m gonna focus on making my own. I can choose to let it go!

So now I have opened myself up to learning new things, to choosing a higher road. I have been on this path for the last year. First with becoming a Certified Peer Specialist and now with training for becoming a Certified Life Coach. Yes, I have been declared disabled by the Social Security System, but I’ll tell you what, I’m not giving up! I have used this time to refocus and build a vision for my future. You can too! Don’t give up, God is not done writing your story!

I signed up on Udemy for a number of classes. This month I am working on the Life Coach Certificate from Kain Ramsey. I admit it, I am only through the 4th video, and I’m hooked. Wow, I sure wish I would have met this guy sooner! I could have avoided so many detrimental things in my life. Oh well, lesson learned.

“We cannot make people change. We cannot want more for the people than they want for themselves. People are either ready to change, or a person will never change until the desire to change becomes greater than their desire to remain the same. People will generally never have a desire to change until they HAVE A VISION OF THEIR FUTURE that is GREATER then where they are today. ” – Kain Ramsay, internationally bestselling instructor, social entrepreneur

faith, God, Healing, Hope, poem, poetrty

My Beloved

My Beloved (Based on the Song of Solomon) -2019 Copyright Diana Rasmussen-

I worship You in between every tear
I worship You in spite of my fear
I worship You in the midst of the pain
I worship You, I am called by Your Name

You are my Beloved, and my Beloved is mine

Your love is better than wine
Your name is like the meadow brook
Come to me, take me away with you
Your love is like a fragrant bouquet of wildflowers
A sachet of pure myrrh
Come to me, take me away with you
You woke me up to love

You are my Beloved, and my Beloved is mine

Let me see your face
Let me hear your voice
My lover is mine and I am His
We dance and we feast on His grace
Our victory dance is love and peace
You awoke me to a love that lives outside of time

I am my Beloveds, and my Beloved is
mine

The fire of Your love stops at nothing
Sweeping everything put before it
Floodwaters cant drown it
Torrential rains don’t put it out
Your love can’t be bought or sold
Run to me dear lover like a gazelle
Leap like a wild stag on our spice mountain

I am my Beloveds, and my Beloved is mine

faith, God, Motivation, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Filled With Awe and Wonder

It was an ordinary morning, until I opened the door to let our dog Max out. He is still a puppy at 6 months old. It had snowed overnight here in Wisconsin. Then it occurred to me, Max has never seen snow!

I could not resist taking a video of him and his first look at snow. He is a Borderjack, a mix between Border Collie and Jack Russell terrier. He was a bit hesitant at first, but then his sense of awe and wonder came out and he starts jumping around in it! He loves it.

That made me think of God and His Creation. Daddy God loves to surprise us, just like He surprised Max today. I have to admit it, I have been a bit cynical with all the things going on in my life. I had let the cares of the world take over. I was too busy trying to figure out my life that I had missed it, Just watching Max today reminded me of what awe and wonder look like.

I believe that Daddy God wants to surprise us with amazing things. He is good, all the time. But if I lose my sense of awe and wonder I am not paying attention to Him. Forgive me Lord.

God’s Word for You

Place Your Life Before God

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” – Romans 12:1-2 MSG

Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, “Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say ‘I forgive your sins,’ or to say ‘Get up and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . .” He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: “Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, “We’ve never seen anything like that!” Luke 5:22-26 MSG

The enemy spoke,
        “I’ll pursue, I’ll hunt them down,
    I’ll divide up the plunder,
        I’ll glut myself on them;
    I’ll pull out my sword,
        my fist will send them reeling.”

You blew with all your might
        and the sea covered them.
    They sank like a lead weight
        in the majestic waters.
    Who compares with you
        among gods, O God?
    Who compares with you in power,
        in holy majesty,
    In awesome praises,
        wonder-working God?” – Exodus 15:9-11 MSG

My Prayer for You:

Surprise us Daddy. Show us your Glory. Just like you surprised Max this morning. Fill us with an amazing sense of awe and wonder for our everyday ordinary lives, in Jesus Name.

Disablility, faith, God, Life, Spirituality

What to Do When Life Changes and You End Up Disabled

There will be times of pruning in our lives. Times after Harvest, where God will till the fields of our lives. He is a Good Father, and wants to help us produce more fruit, more wine.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” – Hebrews 12:1-2 NKJV

I guess this is the season where I get to use that Faith Muscle. Not sure I like it. Next month it will be a year since I have been out of work. It definitely is not what I had planned. I was happy working my way up the ladder of Corporate America when BAM, life took a left turn I didn’t expect.

So, here I sit a year later. Last week I was granted Social Security Disability after my first attempt. People told me it would never happen, that I would have to go through at least 3 appeals, hire a lawyer, etc. They were wrong. I did use a service to help me with the paperwork. (If you need help, email me and I’ll send you a link).

Today I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I never wanted to be labelled as Disabled.

Is God mad at me? No, not according to the book of Job. He lost a lot in one day. Did I do something to deserve this? Is it punishment? No, I don’t think God punishes us like that. Jesus took the wrath that we deserved at the Cross. “It is finished.” He said. Well then, I don’t need to carry that wrath.

But why? Isn’t it funny that we as humans always want to know why? Sometimes I remind myself of a toddler. Why Daddy why? As a Good Father, He has vision way beyond my meager view of the world. I guess in this season, I have learned to stop asking Why, and just trust and believe that My Daddy knows what He is doing. I may not know all the answers, but I think I’ll stop my whining at the checkout aisle and see what God has in store for me next!

 

The True Vine

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. – John 15:1-6