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
Here are 12 things woment give bith to. It is the Word God have me to share at our Women’s Luncheon this year. God bless you!
FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Copyright 2018 Diana Rasmussen
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Gal. 5:22-26 NKJV
A tree doesn’t have to work to make fruit. You don’t walk outside and hear an orange tree saying, “Uggggg, Ohhhhhh, give me an orange.” You don’t walk through an apple orchard and hear, “Noooooo, Ouchhhhhhh, Oh myyyyyyyyy, give me an apple.
Why?
Because that is what is was made to produce.
The fruit is already in the tree.
God made it that way.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5 NKJV
Yes, the trees need water, they need sunlight, and soil. But the important thing is – they were already made to birth fruit!
I want you to think of a birthing suite. There is a special room, special Doctors and Nurses. A special place to bring a baby into the world. God is our father. We are his inheritance, We are His children. He will birth new things from Heaven to Earth – through us. We are God’s Birthing Suite.
As women we were made to birth new things. Yes, we birth children, but God also created us to birth new ministries, new life, and new hope into those we touch. Do you remember your mothers touch? You would be sad or upset, and she would scoop you into her arms and hug you. That love would drive out the sadness or the anger. It washed over you like waves until all you felt was good.
There is healing in our hands. God has given us the right and the authority to heal. A woman’s touch can change world! As mothers of children and ministries and hope we carry within us the Healer, the Redeemer, the King of Kings. Sometimes it’s just a friend that needs someone to listen. Other times it’s a family in need of desperate prayer. Either way, God hears and answers our prayers.
DEFINITION OF BIRTH
• an act or instance of being born
• the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent
• high or noble birth
• any coming into existence; origin; beginning
12 Things Women Give Birth To
1. Forgiveness
God calls us his Beloved. We are already loved and accepted by what Jesus did at the cross. We are forgiven god calls us to share that forgiveness with others. I remember when my mom was passing away. I was there in the hospital with her. She started bringing up things that she regretted. I stopped her. All I said was, “Mom, I forgive you. You did the best you could with what you had. I love you. And God forgives you too.” She started crying. Forgiveness is a powerful thing we birth into others. It has the power to break down walls and years of regret. Offer it generously.
2. Love
Women know how to love. God made us that way. We will go out of our way to help someone in need. We will sacrifice every day for our children and our families. We will love the lost. We love the broken. In fact, we are the first to get out the Band-Aids and antibiotic lotion. We will bandage up the broken. Do you remember when Jesus died and was buried in the tomb? It was the women that went to the tomb to anoint Him.
3. Hope
“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
God is the author of hope. His hope is our anchor. Our hope is not in ourselves, but in God! How can we go wrong when we place our hope in the hands of the Maker of Creation? He knows all things, can do all things, and will bring life to the dead! God will use that hope to spill on over to those we meet. Your hope in the middle of this crazy world is what will draw people to you like a magnet. The entire creation, even the Earth is groaning for HOPE!
4. Children
Do you remember when God decided to enter his creation as a man? He chose a woman to give Him birth. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she became pregnant. God chose a woman to carry Him, to hold Him, to love him when he was a baby. He knew that a woman’s touch would help him grow and thrive. As women we have the ability to bear children. We also find ourselves caring for other people’s children. Heck, we usually adopt the whole neighborhood!
5. Peace
Have you noticed how women are peacemakers? Give a woman a few kids fighting and she will instinctively jump right in the middle of it and break it up. God made us that way. We crave peace. So do those around us. God gave us peace that surpasses all understanding, and we carry to those who we touch
6. Joy
God had given us joy unspeakable. Joy that bubbles up like rivers of living water from the depths of our being. There are times we laugh out loud at the smallest thing. That is the Joy of the Lord spilling over. Joy is contagious. Have you ever laughed uncontrollably and all of a sudden so is everyone else? That is what our God does. He delights in you my Princess. You are the apple of His eye and he adores you!
7. Ministries
God has a place for women in his Body the Church. Without women, it would be pretty dry out there! We are the water for a dry and weary land. We are the light bearers who go rescue those who are lost in the darkness. We are the hands of God to a lost and dying world.
8. New life
“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,
And He who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who makes all things,
Who stretches out the heavens all alone,
Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;” – Isaiah 44:24 NKJV
God will use us to bring life to dead things. Have you noticed how a woman can take a run down old house and make it a home? We are resourceful. We use what we have. We are creative. God made us that way. We bring life to the dead, just like Jesus.
9. Faith
“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”” – Matthew 21:21-22 NKJV
The faith we carry to those around us will open up the doors of Heaven over them. Our faith is contagious in a good way. When we bring God into the situation, we bring health, healing, hope, love, forgiveness, and new life!
10. Healing
“In that region there was an estate of the leading citizen of the island, whose name was Publius, who received us and entertained us courteously for three days. And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery. Paul went in to him and prayed, and he laid his hands on him and healed him. So when this was done, the rest of those on the island who had diseases also came and were healed. They also honored us in many ways; and when we departed, they provided such things as were necessary.” – Act 28:7-10 NKJV.
As women of God there is healing in our hands. We carry in us this hope of Glory, Christ in us. Christ can touch people and heal them when we simply reach out and touch someone. God will do the healing. We can just lay hands on them and they shall recover, God promised!
11. Prayer
“ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” – Philippians 4:6 NKJV
“Confess your trespasses[ to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” -James 5:16 NKJV
Our prayers move mountains. When we stumble and fall, there is a sister to pick us up. We carry each other’s burdens. We pray for one another. God answers our prayers.
12. Power
“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.” 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 NKJV
God fills us with His power with the Holy Spirit. We have received a deposit. A precious deposit that guarantees our inheritance. It marks us as His.
“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1;11-13 NKJV
To summarize, the fruit is already in you. God put it there.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.” John 15:16-17 NKJV
You were give the power with Jesus to birth 12 new things into this world:
Forgiveness, Love, Hope, Children, Peace, Joy, Ministries, New Life, Faith, Healing, Prayer, and Power.
Now go on out there and share the love, and share the fruit, in Jesus Name!
Happy Easter, or Happy Resurrection Day! I pray that all dead things come back to life for you this year – your relationships, your finances, your health, your life – all is made new because HE IS RISEN!
12 Resurrection Quotes for Easter
“The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence. Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there. -You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise!”- Clarence W. Hall
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”” – John 11:25-26 NKJV
“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…He’s risen!’– Charles R. Swindoll
“No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.”
“Few people seem to realize that the resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone to a worldview that provides the perspective to all of life.” – Josh McDowell
““For me the most radical demand of Christian faith lies in summoning the courage to say yes to the present risenness of Jesus Christ.” – Brennan Manning
“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone but in every leaf of springtime.”– Martin Luther
“There is more evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or that Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three.” – Billy Graham
“Salvation is the root–the resurrection is the fruit.” – T.D. Jakes
“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
“The difference between knowing Christ and knowing the power of his resurrection, is the difference between knowing a person and resembling a person . . . It is not about relationship but about supernatural character growth. When Paul says, “I want to know him,” it means, “I want to be with him,” but when he says, “I want to know the power of his resurrection,” it means, “I want to be just like him.” Look at the deadness in your life. Look at the anger. How is that going to be turned into forgiveness? Look at the insecurity. How is that going to be turned into confidence? Look at the self-centeredness. How is that going to be turned into compassion and generosity? How? The answer is that the dead stuff gets taken over by the Spirit of God . . . The minute you decide to receive Jesus as Savior and Lord, the power of the Holy Spirit comes into your life. It’s the power of the resurrection—the same thing that raised Jesus from the dead.” – Tim Keller
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” – 1 Peter 3: 3-5 NKJV
“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.” ― Jim Bishop
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.” [Indian Summer]” ― William Cullen Bryant
“Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.” ― Elizabeth Lawrence
“I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.” ― Lee Maynard
“Is not this a true autumn day? Just the still melancholy that I love – that makes life and nature harmonise. The birds are consulting about their migrations, the trees are putting on the hectic or the pallid hues of decay, and begin to strew the ground, that one’s very footsteps may not disturb the repose of earth and air, while they give us a scent that is a perfect anodyne to the restless spirit. Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” [Letter to Miss Lewis, Oct. 1, 1841]” ― George Eliot
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” ― Henry David Thoreau
“He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” ― Lauren DeStefano, Wither
“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.” ― John Donne
A Time for Everything
There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—
A time to be born and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to [a]tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to keep silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.
Our family has had 3 graduation this year – two from High School and one from College. Yes, we are blessed and so proud of all of our 6 kids. But, can I ask, “Now what?” We still have one son at home, at least for one more semester. My son went to visit family for the next 2 weeks, so here my husband and I sit. We have 2 older kids who are doing amazing and are out on their own.
We have finished 3 Netflix series this week. I am just about caught up on laundry. I haven’t cooked in days. How do you people do this? This changing seasons things is very confusing for this Mama. I feel all flustered!
So I went looking for wisdom. Here are some great quotes about living in the empty nest!
10 Quotes on Living in the Empty Nest
“It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.” —Ann Landers
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Bault
“When mothers talk about the depression of the empty nest, they’re not mourning the passing of all those wet towels on the floor, or the music that numbs your teeth, or even the bottle of capless shampoo dribbling down the shower drain. They’re upset because they’ve gone from supervisor of a child’s life to a spectator. It’s like being the vice president of the United States.” — Erma Bombeck
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.” — Agatha Christie
“Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back and reasons to stay.” — The Dalai Lama
“The day a child realizes that all adults are imperfect, he becomes an adolescent; the day he forgives them, he becomes an adult; the day he forgives himself, he becomes wise.” ― Alden Nowlan
“The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires.” ― Dorothy Parker
“Graduation day is tough for adults. They go to the ceremony as parents. They come home as contemporaries. After twenty-two years of child-rearing, they are unemployed.” ― Erma Bombeck
“I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” ― Phyllis Diller
“All of us have moments in our lives that test our courage. Taking children into a house with white carpet is one of them. ” ― — Erma Bombeck
Greater days are coming for you. God promised. Yes, really. I don’t know about you, but sometimes this world just weighs me down. Work, clean, eat, sleep, rinse, and repeat. I love my family and my Church – I just need a revival!
No wonder God says to set your mind on things above. If you think about this world and all the terrorism, wars, hate, etc. it is down right depressing. It won’t always be this way. Better days are coming. God promised to come right into the middle of our mess and lighten up our world. God is with us – Emmanuel. I remember Him saying, “I will be their God and they will be my people.” All things are possible with God. He will not leave us as orphans. We can call out to Him, “Abba Father” – to me that means “Daddy, help me!”
Some days I just praise Him in the middle of my mess. I don’t know all the answers, I don’t have to. There is such freedom in not having to know all the answers. God loves us – despite all the imperfections we see in ourselves and others. God’s vision is much greater than ours.
It’s not our love for Him – it’s HIS LOVE FOR US that holds us close. We can never pray enough, be good enough, or do everything right. He already knows that. He never expected perfection. He’s our Daddy – our Papa God. And only God is perfect. He created us to LOVE Him! God wanted someone to love – and that is YOU!
So today, Lord, let us open our hearts and revive our spirits to know that You love us no matter what. Let the rivers of living waters well up within us and revive our souls. Lord, better days are coming, You promised and we trust You!
God’s Word for You:
“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” – 2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9 NIV
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28
My Prayer for You:
Dear Lord,
Please renew our vision. Help us to see beyond this world and into your Kingdom. Strengthen us with your Holy Spirit and let us bring light and love to this broken world. Let us be the salt of the Earth and the light of the world, in Jesus Name.
What do you think of when you hear the word Father? That word has so many meanings today. Our families really don’t look the same anymore. Let’s face it, many kids are not growing up with their father.
Today 1 in 4 children under the age of 18 — a total of about 17.2 million — are being raised without a father and almost half 40% live below the poverty line. (US Census Bureau, Household Relationship and Living Arrangements of Children Under 18 Years, by Age and Sex: 2016)
An estimated 24.7 million children (33%) live absent their biological father. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, “Living Arrangements of Children under 18 Years/1 and Marital Status of Parents by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin/2 and Selected Characteristics of the Child for all Children 2010.” Table C3. Internet Release Date November, 2010.
Of students in grades 1 through 12, 39 percent (17.7 million) live in homes absent their biological fathers. Source: Nord, Christine Winquist, and Jerry West. Fathers’ and Mothers’ Involvement in their Children’s Schools by Family Type and Resident Status. Table 1. (NCES 2001-032). Washington, DC: U.S. Dept of Education, National Center of Education Statistics, 2001.
57.6% of black children, 31.2% of Hispanic children, and 20.7% of white children are living absent their biological fathers. Source: Family Structure and Children’s Living Arrangements 2012. Current Population Report. U.S. Census Bureau July 1, 2012.
According to 72.2 % of the U.S. population, fatherlessness is the most significant family or social problem facing America. Source: National Center for Fathering, Fathering in America Poll, January, 1999.
There is an opportunity here. Every kid needs a male figure to look up to, to model, and learn from. We desperately need Spiritual Fathers for these kids. We need men who will step up and step in to a child’s life to make a difference. How will our sons learn honor and how to protect? How will our daughters learn how valuable they are?
Thank you Lord for providing for the fatherless kids, thank you Lord for the men who will step up and show our boys how to be men and our girls how to be women. And God please bless those men who do.
At that time the followers came to Jesus. They said, “Who is the greatest in the holy nation of heaven?” Jesus took a little child and put him among them. He said, “For sure, I tell you, unless you have a change of heart and become like a little child, you will not get into the holy nation of heaven. Whoever is without pride as this little child is the greatest in the holy nation of heaven. Whoever receives a little child because of Me receives Me. But whoever is the reason for one of these little children who believe in Me to fall into sin, it would be better for him to have a large rock put around his neck and to be thrown into the sea. – Matthew 18:1-6 NLV
16 Inspirational Father’s Day Quotes
“A good father is one of the most unsung, unpraised, unnoticed, and yet one of the most valuable assets in our society.” – Billy Graham
“”The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.” – Antoine-François Prévost
“To be a father requires patience, love and giving up the ‘all about me’ attitude.” Catherine Pulsifer
“I encourage all fathers to focus on the intangibles, because those are the gifts that make the difference.” Asha Patrick
“Becoming a good father is not automatic – it takes time and effort. We must be willing to invest in this job – our most important, second to being a husband – as any other career we might pursue.” Dr. John C. Maxwell
“I have repeatedly stated and emphatically declared that the key to the restoration and preservation of a sane and healthy society is the salvaging of the male, especially as a responsible father.” Myles Munroe
“Any man can be a Father it takes someone special to be a Dad.” – Author Unknown
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” – Mark Twain
“By profession I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder – infinitely prouder — to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys.” – Douglas MacArthur
“It takes a strong man to accept somebody else’s children and step up to the plate another man left on the table.” – Ray Johnson
“I want to congratulate all the men out there who are working diligently to be good fathers whether they are stepfathers, or biological fathers, or just spiritual fathers.” – TD Jakes
“I have repeatedly stated and emphatically declared that the key to the restoration and preservation of a sane and healthy society is the salvaging of the male, especially as a responsible father.” – Myles Munroe
“The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him.” -Psalm 103:13 (NLT)
“When you’re young, you think your dad is Superman. Then you grow up, and you realize he’s just a regular guy who wears a cape.” – Dave Atell
“It is easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.” – Pope John XXIII
The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.” – Proverbs 23:24 (NLT)
Learning to rest. It is not always easy in this digital world. There are so many pretty things to look at. Plus you can see who is doing what any time you want. It’s insane. I miss the simpler times. The days without cell phones – when you had to leave a message on the answering machine and we could call them back when we wanted to. Our kids will never know life without cell phones. I mean really – I did not have internet when I grew up. No computer at home. Really. My kids think I’m a dinosaur.
There are times I have to unplug. Just rest and be. Go for a walk, dig in the dirt, just breathe. This life is so fast. The older I get, the faster time flies.
Can you relate?
God’s Word for You:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” – Psalm 91:1-2 NIV
“The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” – Mark 6:30-32 NIV
“Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.” – Exodus 34:21 NIV
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 NIV
My Prayer for You:
Dear Lord,
Help us to let go of this world and rest in you. Bring to our minds the peace of spending time just resting in You. Let us choose to trust you with all our trials and tribulations knowing that this life is only temporary. You are the Author and Finisher of our faith. Forgive our disbelief. Our beginning and our ending is in You and what you have already done. Increase our faith, in Jesus Name.
“An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest.” — Spanish Proverb
“A mom’s hug lasts long after she lets go.”—Author Unknown
“I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” — Abraham Lincoln
“Motherhood: All love begins and ends there.” — Robert Browning
“As is the mother, so is her daughter.” — Ezekiel 16:4
“Mothers were meant to love us unconditionally, to understand our moments of stupidity, to reprimand us for lame excuses while yet acknowledging our point of view, to weep over our pain and failures as well as cry at our joy and successes, and to cheer us on despite countless start-overs. Heaven knows, no one else will.” — RIichelle E Goodrich
“Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.” — Harriet Beecher Stowe
“Having children just puts the whole world into perspective. Everything else just disappears.” — Kate Winslet
“Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.” — Unknown
“The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men — from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes
“Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness. If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.” — Stevie Wonder
“Mothers were the only ones you could depend on to tell the whole, unvarnished truth.”―Margaret Dilloway,
“Mother, the ribbons of your love are woven around my heart.” — Author Unknown
“A mother is a mother still,
The holiest thing alive.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge
It was the end of another day. Then God decided to show me something. My husband works in IT and brings his laptop to work everyday. He carries it in a computer bag. Well last night God showed up in our ordinary everyday life! Have you ever seen the power of God just show up?
Bob grabbed his computer bag. He reached in and grabbed his computer. It was still closed and not attached to any power source. Immediately it started playing a David Crowder song. “Oh Wanderer come home, you’re not too far” is what we heard. It’s from the song “Come As You Are.”
God doesn’t need a power cord. He can show up at any time in any way in our ordinary everyday lives.
The power of God lives in each of us and sometimes when you touch things stuff happens.
All Bob did was touch the computer and the song started playing. The computer was not on. The computer by all rights should not have done that. But there is our God – breaking all barriers and reminding us that He can do anything. He is the power above all powers – even computers, lol!
I have blown up so many light bulbs I can’t tell you. I have turned off televisions and radios and other stuff just by touching it. Some of my pianos have taken a hike too. The power of God lives in each of us believers and it is amazing! No wonder God wants us to lay hands on the sick – the power of God lives in us and can heal.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV
The power of the living God is flowing through you. The blood of Jesus is flowing through your veins. The same power that rose Jesus from the dead is in you if you have received the Holy Spirit. Now what will we do with it?
Come out of sadness
From wherever you’ve been
Come broken hearted
Let rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
There’s hope for the hopeless
And all those who’ve strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace
There’s rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t cure
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
Lay down your hurt lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Fall in his arms
Come as you are
There’s joy for the morning
Oh sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are
Songwriters: David Crowder / Ben Glover Glover / Matt Maher
Those are lies from the enemy to discourage you. I know, I listened to the wrong guy for years. Yeah, in the natural and the spiritual, lol! It’s funny how when the enemy wants to discourage you he will send a critic. You know – that person who has nothing good to say about you. The person who finds fault with everything you do or ever did. Guess what? He’s lying! God didn’t say that about you. He says something completely opporist.
I can’t tell you what freedom I felt when I finally didn’t have to believe what everyone else said about me. He who the Son sets free is free indeed!
Here is what God really thinks of you. It was news to me too!
Psalm 139:13
Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.
Isaiah 43:1 1-4
But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That’s how much you mean to me! That’s how much I love you! I’d sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.
John 15:16
“You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.”
You are NOT an accident. You are NOT a mistake. The Maker of the Universe has chosen YOU! He who made everything thinks you are special – the apple of His eye. He has great plans for you – good plans – plans for a great future, and not to harm you!
Just Think,
You’re here not by chance, But by God’s choosing.
His hand formed you and made you the person you are.
He compares you to no one else— You are one of a kind.
You lack nothing that His grace can’t give you.
He has allowed you to be here at this time in history
To fulfill His special purpose for this generation.”
I admit it. I struggle with extremes. It’s that alll or nothing mentality. You either love me or you hate me. I’m a hopeless sinner or a forgiven saint. It’s all flesh, I know. But I struggle. Sometimes my emotions get the best of me. I act before I think. I jump in with both feet first with no consideration of the consequences. Sometimes that works, and other times I find myself drowning.
I don’t want to be reckless, or a wandering gypsy my whole life. I look back and I am amazed I am still here. I know there is a God – I am still breathing! I’m amazed at all that the Lord has brought me out of – depression, despair, violence, etc. My whole life has been covered with His mercy and grace. Every time I fell, He gently picked me up and led me out of the desert. He led me beside quiet waters. Now what do I do, lol? God give me wisdom.
What about you?
God’s Word for You:
Ecclesiastes 7:16-20 Do not be excessively righteous like those given to self-conceit, and do not be overly wise pretentious—why should you bring yourself to ruin? Do not be excessively or willfully wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time? It is good that you take hold of one thing righteousness and also not let go of the other wisdom; for the one who fears and worships God with awe-filled reverence will come forth with both of them. Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city. Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins.
Proverbs 4:5-9 “Get skillful and godly wisdom! Acquire understanding actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth. “Do not turn away from her Wisdom and she will guard and protect you; Love her, and she will watch over you. “The beginning of wisdom is: Get skillful and godly wisdom it is preeminent! And with all your acquiring, get understanding actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation. “Prize wisdom and exalt her, and she will exalt you; She will honor you if you embrace her. “She will place on your head a garland of grace; She will present you with a crown of beauty and glory.”
James 1:5-6 If any of you lacks wisdom to guide him through a decision or circumstance, he is to ask of our benevolent God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. But he must ask for wisdom in faith, without doubting God’s willingness to help, for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind.
My Prayer for You:
Dear Lord,
Help us with this wisdom stuff. Let us not be thrown about with the waves of our emotions. Feelings are so fickle Lord. Give us discernment to run every thought through your Word to see if it is true or not. Help us to reject the words that are not true and hold on to the promises You have given us. Lord, give us wisdom about the right way to go. Help us to stop and think. Help us to stop and wait for You to lead, in Jesus Name.
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