Strength. Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don’t. What can I say? I’m still human. Some days I am on top of the world, and other days I can’t find my way out from under a rock.
Those hard days I have to take a step back, and pray. In those times I like to remind myself of what God says about strength.
“God is our refuge and strength, a tested help in times of trouble. And so we need not fear even if the world blows up and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam; let the mountains tremble!” – Psalm 46:1-3 TLB
“The Lord is a strong fortress. The godly run to him and are safe.” – Proverbs 18:10 TLB
“The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, A refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.” – Psalm 9:9-10 NKJV
“But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When 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. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.” – Isaiah 43:1-3 NKJV
“I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.” – Psalm 34:4 NKJV
Yes, 2020 sucked. But it’s over. We made it. God saw us through and we are still here! Hallelujah! I don’t know about you, but there were a few times I didn’t know if I would make it to 2021. Yes, I have been knocked down this past year with deaths, COVID in my family, heart attack, and pancreatitis, as well as 5 other ER visits. It’s been kind of a blur. But one thing I do know, God was with me the whole time! There were days I cried, days I just wanted to give up, as well as happy days, and beautiful memories. COVID and illness has certainly given us all a clearer picture of what is really important.
There were more than a few days that I stayed home from Church and watched online. This was hard for me because I am part of our Worship Team. So is my husband Bob, and 6 other friends that are the most amazing gift ever. The last time I stayed home I just cried. The Worship Team sounded so good – without me. It was very humbling. Yes, they are all amazing and we are blessed. I felt lonely and left out. It’s so hard to be sick and stay home all the time. But God showed me something. I could praise Him at home, without the band, without my piano or bass, just on my own for He is worthy to be praised! I learned how to just BE with Jesus.
I learned a very important lesson this past year.
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” – Romans 14:8 NKJV
Yes, God is still on the throne, and whether I play or don’t play, laugh or cry, live or die, I belong to the Lord. This brought me comfort. It is way easier to let go of things I can’t control if I trust my God who knows the end from the beginning. God is with us. He has plans for us here and in Heaven.
“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. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:11-13 NKJV
This verse and song helped me too. I need to see the vision of where I am going, not where I am. Hope rises. Faith rises. God rises, and so will we!
RISE UP by Andra Day
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” – Isaiah 60:1-3 NIV
You’re broken down and tired Of living life on a merry go round And you can’t find the fighter But I see it in you so we gonna walk it out And move mountains We gonna walk it out And move mountains, And I’ll rise up I’ll rise like the day I’ll rise up I’ll rise unafraid I’ll rise up And I’ll do it a thousand times again And I’ll rise up High like the waves I’ll rise up In spite of the ache I’ll rise up And I’ll do it a thousand times again, For you For you For you For you, When the silence isn’t quiet And it feels like it’s getting hard to breathe And I know you feel like dying But I promise we’ll take the world to its feet And move mountains Bring it to its feet And move mountains, And I’ll rise up I’ll rise like the day I’ll rise up I’ll rise unafraid I’ll rise up And I’ll do it a thousand times again, For you For you For you For you All we need, all we need is hope And for that we have each other And for that we have each other And we will rise We will rise We’ll rise, oh, oh We’ll rise I’ll rise up Rise like the day I’ll rise up In spite of the ache I will rise a thousand times again And we’ll rise up High like the waves We’ll rise up In spite of the ache We’ll rise up And we’ll do it a thousand times again For you For you For you For you Ah, ah, ah, ah
I don’t know about you, but my heart hurts for the people in the midst of Hurricane Dorian. I live in the Midwest. I have never been in a hurricane. I can’t even imagine. But I can pray for all of the people impacted by Hurricane Dorian.
3 WAYS TO PRAY FOR THOSE IN HURRICANE DORIAN’S PATH
1. PRAYERS FOR PROTECTION
“The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.” – 2 Samuel 22:3-4
“Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You from those who rise up against them. Keep me as the apple of Your eye; hide me under the shadow of Your wings.” – Psalm 17:7-8
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” – Psalm 34:17-18
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” -Psalm 34:19
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me; You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and Your right hand will save me.” – Psalm 138:7
“We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” – 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him.” – Nahum 1:7
“The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17
2. PRAYERS FOR PEACE
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
“The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you.”1 Peter 5:7
3. PRAYERS FOR RESTORATION
“But they who wait for 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
“You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.” Psalm 71:20-2
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 1 Peter 5:10
“Instead of your shame there shall be a double portion; instead of dishonor they shall rejoice in their lot; therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion; they shall have everlasting joy.” Isaiah 61:7
“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” Psalm 51:12
“And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” Job 42:10
“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent among you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame.” Joel 2:25-26
“For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!” Jeremiah 30:17
I understand hiding. I can hide for days sometimes and not talk to anyone about anything. Just grunt sometimes, lol. Sometimes we just don’t want to talk to anyone because of whatever. It’s ok. Can I come and sit with you?
Thanks. I come and sit next to you, wherever that may be. We are in this together. I don’t know why this is happening, but let’s ask the One who knows and can help. Lets’s pray.
Dear Lord,
I pray that you would hold ________ in your arms today. We are struggling and we need a place to rest. You said if we were weary we could come to You and You would give us rest. There are so many questions, and no answers. We don’t understand this. We sit at your feet Lord. We rest our heads on Your shoulder. Abba Father, help.
Lord, you know. Let us rest in the secret place with You and restore our hearts and minds. Heal our spirits Lord. Give us fresh annointing with your Holy Spirit and fill us up with the Living Water. We want to hide in You Lord, under the shadow of Your wings until we have the strength to get up. You are faithful Lord. You are our anchor in the storms. We need you Lord, in Jesus Name.
There is peace in salvation. There is peace in Jesus. There is forgiveness and rest in the Lord. But, may I be so bold – now what? We have been transferred from the Kingdom of Darkness and brought into the Kingdom of Light. Can I ask, “What do we do now?”
“For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty.” “- Colossians 1:13-14 AMP
That is my saga. My Pastor challenged us today. He said, “Don’t stop.” Two simple words that rocked me in the spirit. Don’t stop Diana. God is not done yet. There is a battle to be fought, souls to be won, and new life to be given.
“being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” -Phillipains 1;6 NKJV
There are those who have been taken captive by the Enemy’s lies and have believed the Liar. They are suffering, hopeless, and think that nobody cares or sees. That is not true. We are still here in the Kingdom and if God did it for us, He will bring them hope as well. God is no respecter of persons. He is not willing that any should perish.
God has raised us up Body of Christ for such a time as this. We are the light of the world and can grab them back from the edge of the cliff. We see and we hear their cries. We can step out with the compassion of Christ and make a difference.
Get up, look up, and don’t stop. God is not finished yet. He has raised you up for such a time as this!
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.” – Jude 1:20-23 NKJV
I don’t know about you, but I am weary of this Winter/Spring season. I live in Wisconsin and we have had ice and snow for the last few days. Yeah. Happy Spring right? We have had more snow in April this year than we did for the whole month of December in our state. Crazy right?
So let’s open the door for a new season with the Word and a prayer for a new season!
God’s Word for You:
“So keep on trying to know the Lord. His coming to us is as sure as the rising of the sun. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain giving water to the earth.” – Hosea 6:3 NLV
““Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.” – Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV
“My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away. For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!” – Song of Solomon 2:10-13 NKJV
My Prayer for You:
Dear Lord,
I thank you for the strength to get thorough this long winter. You know I have struggled to keep my peace and joy. You know I am not a snowbird and the lack of sunlight just brings me down. Thank you for being with me and giving the strength to endure.
I pray Lord that you let this new season of Spring begin – both in my state and in my life. I am ready for new things to blossom and grow. You promised to bring me new life and life more abundantly. I am ready! Let it be done to me according to your Word Lord, in Jesus Name.
Merry Chirstmas my friends. I wish you peace and joy and new birth of all new things. God came into the world, to do what we could not do for ourselves. Emmanuel, God with us. He is such a good, good Father.
Source: lovelylovelythings.wordpress.com
Quotes for Christmas
“Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.” -C.S. Lewis
All the Christmas presents in the world are worth nothing without the presence of Christ.” -David Jeremiah
“Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice.” – Vance Havner
“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.” – C S Lewis
“Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman. Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms. King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son.” – Charles Spurgeon
“For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” – Isaiah 9:6-7 NKJV
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” ― Charles Dickens
“You can never truly enjoy Christmas until you can look up into the Father’s face and tell him you have received his Christmas gift. ” – John R Rice
“Best of all, Christmas means a spirit of love, a time when the love of God and the love of our fellow men should prevail over all hatred and bitterness, a time when our thoughts and deeds and the spirit of our lives manifest the presence of God.” -George F. McDougall
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold,an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And thiswill be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” – Luke 2:8-14 NKJV
You know I am tired. This world is so draining. Sometimes it seems like I am just a rat running circles in a cage. These endless bills and living paycheck to paycheck just sucks. Enlarge my vision Lord. Help me to see what purpose I fulfill here on planet Earth. Show me your glory. I am so hungry for a fresh revelation of You. Make your home in my heart Lord.
You said all who are weary could come to You and You would give us rest. Here I am Lord, fill me with fresh hope and joy. I need You. Only your presence gives me hope to carry on in this world of monotony. Show me your glory Lord.
My husband Bob wrote this out for our friend. It spoke to my heart as well so I wanted to share it with you.
Our bodies respond to our voices. There are times we have to fight. There are times when our symptoms do not match up with the the Word of God. I have found that these are the times I need to declare the Word over myself and my body. Next is the hard part – giving God a minute to work it out.
Lord,
I have received You as my Savoir. You are my God. Your Word declares that by Your stripes I am healed! Your Spirit dwells inside of me, so if there is any sickness, I cast it out in Your mighty name.
I say to my body, get in line. My Savior died and says I will be healed. I plead the blood of Jesus over my health, and Father, if I have opened any doors to allow sickness, forgive me and I close them now in Jesus name. I cast out anything that dwells within me to be cast to the bottom of the sea, never to come back. In Jesus name, I call you out. Body, get in line.
I have the mind of Christ Jesus, Lord of all. If anything about my mind is not like His, I tell it to get out in Jesus name! Any damage that has been declared in my mind, I call it healed, in Jesus name. Lord restore my mind to how you would will it to be. I call myself healed in Jesus name. I call my mind whole, restored, and renewed.
Lord I ask for your holy presence to flow throughout my body, restoring, rebuilding, and renewing me. I speak to the pressure of my blood, and I say you must be lower, in the name of Jesus. Pain and soreness, you must leave, in the name of Jesus. Body, I call you to get in line with the word that says that I am healed!
Listen, do you hear Him in your heart? He is Calling you, “Come.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.”
Come sit at His feet as the waterfall of His love washes over You. Be washed, be renewed, be loved. He will fill your heart as you spend time with Him!
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the Lord directs his love,
at night his song is with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
My heart skipped a beat as I thought of what I could say
To take away the pain that brought you to that place
How I wish I could change the things that you’ve been through
I’m here today to sit and listen if you choose to share
I remember what it felt like
To be the girl with the scars
You are in my prayers each and every day
I ask God to shine His light
upon the darkness of your heart
Your story is not over
Things will change with a new start
I have carried you to Jesus
with my prayers to heal your heart
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here!All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5: 16-21 NIV
The National Library of Medicine reports the following nonsuicidal self injury (NSSI) statistics:
1/3 to 1/2 of US adolescents have engaged in some type of self injury.
Cutting and burning are the most common types of non-suicidal self-injury.
70% of teens engaging in self-injury behavior have made at least one suicide attempt.
55% had made multiple suicide attempts.
Let us bring light into the darkness and see the hurting. We know the Healer of Souls. Lord, use us today to bring hope and healing to those who cross our paths today, in Jesus Name.
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