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.
Here are a few morning prayers to help strengthen you my friends. There is something special about meeting the Lord when you are only half awake. Yes, even before coffee. Well, maybe during coffee…
I don’t know about you, but trials are still here for me. Some days I just get tired. Yes Lord, I am weary. Yes Lord, I am coming to you. I lay down all these burdens and open my heart up to receive fresh living water from You today.
I know in times like these I have to make a real effort to keep my nose in the Book of Life. My God is more than able to strengthen me. The Holy Spirit comforts me and revives my hope. Jesus is my hope and my salvation and I have faith that He will show Himself strong. Hey, I guess I’m primed for a miracle! God loves to show up when I have no answers!
“Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.” – Psalm 5: 1-3 NKJV
“Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
Deliver me, O LORD from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.
Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.
Revive me, O Lord for Your name’s sake!
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
In Your mercy cut off my enemies
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.” -Psalm 143:8-12 NKJV
“Return, O Lord!
How long?
And have compassion on Your servants.
Oh, satisfy us early with Your mercy,
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days!” – Psalm 90:13-14 NKJV
“I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.” -Psalm 119:147-149 NKJV
“But I will sing of Your power;
Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
For You have been my defense
And refuge in the day of my trouble.
To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
For God is my defense,
My God of mercy.” -Psalm 59:16-17 NKJV
“Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.” -Psalm 73:25-28 NKJV
“Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel;[a] but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” – Genesis 28:18-22 NKJV
“Then they rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord, and returned and came to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel,[e] saying, “Because I have asked for him from the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:19-20 NKJV
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” – Mark 1:35 NKJV
Time. It goes on and on. We think we have only 24 hours in a day to get everything done. We load ourselves up with things to do and places to be to get everything done in a day. And then wonder why we are so exhausted. Like we have the market on time. Silly us.
3 Ways the Lord Redeems Time
God owns time. And He is not limited by our little minds and small agendas.
Praise God!A day is as a thousand years to the Lord. The Lord owns time – not us. God lives outside of time and our times are in His hands. He is patient with us not wanting any to perish.
So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12 NKJV
(Image credit – WhatWomenShouldKnow.org)
For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me. Pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me, For You are my strength. Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. -Psalm 31:3-5 NKJV
(Image credit – Instapray.com)
The Lord is able to restore time.
The Lord is able to make up for all the bad things that have ever happened to us. God is able. He will restore the years that have been stolen from us.
“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, 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 be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel: I am the Lord your God And there is no other. My people shall never be put to shame. -Joel 2:25-27 NKJV
The Lord will restore us with a double portion and a double honor.
Everlasting joy is ours in the Lord!
But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, And in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs. -Isaiah 61:6-7 NKJV
Thank you Jesus. We are grateful that You are not limited by time. You own it all Lord. Thank you for the revelation that our times are in Your hands today and forever, in Jesus Name.
As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel. – Isaiah 47:4 NKJV
We are all fearful at times. Life can be overwhelming some days. But when we are afraid there are promises of God that we can hold on to.
Prayer for Comfort
Lead us to the Rock that is higher than I Lord. When my heart is overwhelmed I will cry to the Lord and He will hear me.
Judges 6:12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Lord your ways are higher than mine. You are my Strength and myShield and my Protection. The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want. You will never leave me nor forsake me Lord. Comfort me Holy Spirit and let me lean on You as we go through this day, in Jesus Name
Ruth 3:11 And now, my daughter, don’t be afraid. I will do for you all you ask. All the people of my town know that you are a woman of noble character.
Remember that story in the Bible where a man’s friends go through the roof to see Jesus. The man was paralyzed. I always thought this was in the physical realm. But what if the man was paralyzed by fear? What if he was paralyzed by disbelief?
Our family has recently gone through a trial – too personal to share here. And I admit it – I was paralyzed with fear. I tried to pray. I tried to read the Word. But my brain was fried. Nothing stuck.
I have learned that in times of trials I have to reach out to a few people and ask them to pray for me and my family. I had to be honest with someone and share what was going on. And then they would pray.
Just like the man on the mat, sometimes we need friends to bring us to Jesus.
God has answered their prayers. Our trial is almost over. I am eternally grateful for friends that will bring me through the roof and into the presence of Jesus. Thank you Lord. God bless all my friends Lord!
Mark 2:1-12
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
(Image credits: the wow style.com, healthy image.com)
My husband bob got a Word from the Lord I would like to share with you today. God gave his this Word at our recent Prayer Meeting to share with the Body of Christ. It has to do with the DOOR.
“My children, this door, this door that you that you keep talking about, this door that you see every Sunday, this door opens- but it opens both ways.
We don’t need just to PUSH, we need to PULL. I want you to to PUSH into areas of service and healing and outreach. I want you to PUSH during worship, and PUSH when You praise me, I want you to PUSH in your relationships.
But you are not alone, I want you to PULL Me closer, I will give you the strength, I will give you the courage and I will give you the wisdom you need. I will provide. I have never failed. PULL Me close, closer than you ever have before. Trust Me, trust Me more than ever before. I cannot fail. I cannot fail, I will not fail you. I AM the Lord your God. PULL my Word, PULL My Word around your heart and PULL My Word around your thoughts. Let it protect and guide you. Let it burst forth newly in your life and the lives around you. I AM the DOOR. I AM the access to the Father.
Keep PUSHING, Keep PULLING, and arise my Royal Children!“
I was talking to a few friends yesterday and we were sharing our struggles. Some of us struggle with our bad habits and trying to change. Yes, God is greater and He will change our hearts, but let’s face it – sometimes we just make stupid choices. As with all of this, I will start with myself. I have battled with the bad habit of smoking for over 8 years now. I didn’t smoke as a kid. I didn’t even start until I met my last husband and started going to those ‘wonderful’ 12 step meetings. Yeah. Drink coffee, smoke, and talk about how life sucks. And after that divorce I just kept going.
Now I have tried to quit. I tried the patch and felt like I was having a heart attack. I tried Chantix and almost went crazy again. Now, I have bought the lozenges to try again. I know I am not alone. My sister in Christ and I shared our struggles and agreed to pray for each other. last month I had a respiratory illness and the Dr. gave me an inhaler. And what did I do? Instead of using it as an opportunity to quit, I would go smoke and then use my inhaler. Yeah – stupid.
And then another sister and I were sharing about how those that we love continue to make bad choices about their health. It is so hard to see those you love continue to struggle with self destructive behavior. Especially when you know that God has put an amazing call on their life and great destiny in front of them.
Now I know why Paul started all those letters to the Churches with “Grace unto you…”. Yeah, he knew that we needed more grace. Grace that abounds to love and to live the way Christ wants us to. Grace to change our hearts and our minds. And grace to give to others so we don’t hit them over the head.
Yeah, only grace can fix stupid!
Without the Word of God there will be no change in ourselves or others. The Word is alive and is able to change our hearts and our thoughts – and finally our actions. Help us Lord, to see things from Your point of view. Transform these stubborn minds, in Jesus Name.
Idk about you, but today I am going to open up that Book of Life and eat! And I pray that those we love do the same. Give them a hunger and thirst for your Word Jesus.
The Cheerful Giver
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NKJV)
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
