I'll Take Jesus

There is a song Jason Crabb recorded that is one of the best I have heard...of course, I really like to listen to Jason sing! But the words are so good and I can so relate to them. It talks about making a choice. One day I had to make that choice and I haven't regretted it yet...I never will! In the song Jesus is asking...Me or the world my child, which one will you take? There is no question for me. I will take Jesus! There isn't anything in this world that is better. I have tried what they call "those earthly pleasures" and they have failed! Every time. Nothing...Nothing...Nothing...can take the place of what I have now! Life is still hard sometimes...I still mess up...but Jesus is always there waiting with His arms open wide. Jesus has never failed me. I am learning more and more...time and time again...He is faithful! I finally get it Marge! No matter what...HE is Faithful! Praise the Lord!! 

Here's a link to the video. I think you will enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_hvNIihG5I&feature=related

Slip Slidin' Away

Remember the old Paul Simon song, Slip Slidin' Away? The chorus goes like this...

Slip slidin' away, slip slidin' away

You know the nearer your destination, the more you slip slidin' away.

I was just sitting and thinking about my week and those words just came to mind.

Kind of funny really because I was never a Paul Simon fan. I didn't even know it was his song.

So...I Googled the words slip slidin' away and there it was. I am a fan of Google!

So, I was thinking how sometimes I just feel like that. Like I'm slippin' and slidin' away from everything,

and everyone, that I know is good for me. It's like my old self comes back and tries to take over.

Then my world starts spinnin' and before I know it I'm on that old slippery path and I'm...

Slip Slidin' Away right on down it! Yes, I've noticed little things popping up, here and there, the last couple weeks but didn't really think there was a problem. Then this morning I received a call...

My wake up call came in at about 11:30 last night. I was asleep but remember trying to fight my way out of it. When I finally did I was filled with unbelievable fear. It was so bad I could hardly breathe. Then all these thoughts started pouring into my head. Thoughts like...you are totally alone...everyone is gone...your friends are gone...your family is gone...you are alone. So I thought about it for a minute and the next thing that popped into my head was...do you hear how quiet it is? It's quiet because Jesus has come back and you were left here because He didn't really love you. You have been too bad! Your whole life time was a mess and nothing has really changed...you have not really changed! Well...fighting to wake up from a bad dream and then feeling nothing but total fear...I started to believe it! I turned on the stereo to find there was no dj on the Christian station. It was just taped segments. Wow...not good! Went to the computer and saw that there had been nothing changed on it since about 10 p.m. More bad news! Just as I really started to panic and wonder what I was going to do my thoughts changed. I said just a couple of words...help me! Then the new words in my head were...

Stop and think about this. Everything is okay. Just go back to bed and go to sleep. It's all okay. Your okay. It was like PEACE just sort of fell over me. All the fear was gone! I went to bed...turned off my light...and next thing I new the alarm was going off! 

I believe that was just the devil trying to shake me up...rock my boat a bit. For a few minutes I let him...I played right into his hand. Then I turned to the One that has my life in His hands and I called out to Him. That's when it all changed. Jesus took over and satan had to flee! All you really have to do is just...call on Him.

What I'm saying in all of this is you don't have to be afraid. God is always with you.

Joshua 1:9

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.”

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
      so why should I be afraid?
   The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
      so why should I tremble?

Isaiah 43:13

Isaiah 43:13

“From eternity to eternity I am God.
      No one can snatch anyone out of my hand.
      No one can undo what I have done.”

I was flipping through my Bible this morning and came upon this verse. Isn't that a good feeling? To me He is saying this morning...

No matter what...No matter what you have done or what you do I am still God! You can mess up and make mistakes. You might
even try going your own way but...I am still God and what I have done won't change. I will still love you.

Psalm 100:5

For the Lord is good.
      His unfailing love continues forever,
      and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

God is all about love. He "is" love. We are the object of His love...His unfailing love.

No matter what you are going through today. No matter how you feel about yourself.
Even if you think no one loves you. You can rest assured that someone does.
GOD does. Just be still and rest in the assurance of God's love!


Linking today with Tracy

You Decide

Does fear ever seem to overtake you? When it does how do you handle it? React by shutting people out, maybe even God out? Sometimes we don't understand why life is the way it is. Maybe you just feel like you are alone. Oh yea...there are people all around you but you're still alone. Why is that? You have family...but it really doesn't feel like it. You have some friends...but they all have their own life. And your life, well...it just seems to go on. Maybe you're just hanging on at the end of your rope and...it's starting to fray. Have you been there in that never ending struggle of...do you keep pressing forward or...?

It seems to be some crazy battle you're in for your life at times doesn't it?

Fear...Peace  Sadness...Joy  Depression...Happiness  Dark...Light  Death...Life

What it comes down to is basically this... 

Forward...Backward  New Life...Old Life  Truth...Lies  God...satan 

Which one are we going to choose to listen to today?

Joshua 24:15a (NLT)

But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve.

Think back to how your life was before.

Psalm 143:4-5 (NLT)

I am losing all hope;
      I am paralyzed with fear.
I remember the days of old.
      I ponder all your great works
      and think about what you have done.

Then really think about...ponder...all God has done for you in your new life. Do you really even want to think about going back?
It's really up to you.

Relax and Rest

Psalm 55:16-17

¹⁶ But I will call on God,
      and the Lord will rescue me.
 ¹⁷ Morning, noon, and night
      I cry out in my distress,
      and the Lord hears my voice.

When I read this tonight my thoughts were...

It doesn't matter where we are or what we are doing the Lord is right there with us all the time. When things go wrong...when we're sick...lonely...afraid...have received bad news...whatever your going through at that moment...the Lord is always right beside you. All you have to do is just call out His name, loudly or in a whisper, and He will answer. I read in my Jesus calling devotional that all you have to do is just whisper the name...His name...Jesus. What happens when you do that is He comes in and calms you down. He takes away the fear...feels the lonely places in your heart...lets you know that everything will be okay...helps you to rest when your sick or in pain...He's just there for you through everything. Call on Him and He will be there.

I have trouble sleeping a lot of times so I do something that may seem kind of odd to you. There is always a Bible by my bed and when I can't sleep, or I'm just feeling restless for one reason or the other, I lay it on my chest, wrap my arms around it and talk to God. Most of the time before I know it I'm falling asleep. Now when I know things are bothering me, instead of waiting for two or three hours, I pick it up as soon as I lay down. It's amazing how much more sleep I get these days.

As I read on down through Psalm 55 I got to verse 22a.

²² Give your burdens to the Lord,
      and he will take care of you.
    
Sometimes there are things that go on in our lives that really we can't do anything about on our own. We can pray and have others pray but only God can change what's happening. Really, that's okay because He knows the best way to take care of the problem anyway. So if we just do what that verse says...He will take care of the problem and He will take care of you!  You can relax and rest in Him knowing that His ways are best. He will do what is best because He cares for you and what you're going through.

1 Peter 5:7

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Watch What You Say

Today I got one of my bibles out that I haven't used in a while. I opened it up and started reading in the book of Psalm.

Psalm 19:14

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
         Be acceptable in Your sight,
         O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

For the last couple of weeks I have been being reminded how important it is that I watch what I say. A lot of the devotions I have read recently are about complaining and talking negatively. When I read this verse today God reminded me that it is so important to not have a negative or complaining attitude. If Jesus were in the room with us would we change the way we were talking? We need to ask the Lord everyday to help us with how we think so that our words are guided by Him.

Something that I try to pray everyday is this...

Father God help me to be more like You today. Help me to see with Your eyes, to think Your thoughts, to say Your words so that people I am with will somehow see You.

Sometimes, that's not exactly how it all works out. So...for that reason this will be my "memory" verse for the week.

It's Not All About You

Many times I have been told...It's not all about you. Do people think we really don't know that? It's usually pretty clear that there are other people who are far more important than you. But...wouldn't you really like it if just one time it was all about you?! You know you would. On a scale of one to ten where do you think you usually rank in everyone else's life? Maybe...15? I'm sure you aren't alone in feeling that way. Most of us feel like that at least some of the time. If this sounds like you there's some good news out there for you...

There's someone's list you're on that always thinks of you as number "1". No one else means more to Him and no one else is above you. To God you are always at the top...the center of His attention...the "apple" of His eye!

Deuteronomy 32:10

“He found him in a desert land
      And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness;
      He encircled him, He instructed him,
      He kept him as the apple of His eye."

In the original Hebrew apple is really, pupil of the eye. So pretty much if we are the center of His eye we must be the center of His attention. First in His thoughts. That's a great place to be. Who really cares if we don't make other top 10 lists. Gods is all that really matters anyway!

Then how about the verse that says He knows how much hair you have!

Matthew 10:30

But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Wow! Who would have thought hair matters so much? Too God...everything about us matters.

Wherever you are today...whatever problems you're having...whether you think no one really cares or not...GOD does.You're at the top of His list. Number one!! Share His love with someone else today that needs to know how much He cares. There's always someone else that's having a worse day than you. Lift them up by sharing with them how much God loves them!

Lessons

Lessons...seems like I have to learn them all the time. This week has been no exception. In past posts I have mentioned that I really like music. Christian music mainly, but I still enjoy other types occasionally. When at work, I have my earbuds in listening to Christian music about half the time. It helps to keep me grounded and my thoughts on the Lord.

Last week that didn't happen. I was on the phone a lot so I just didn't have the opportunity. Then this week I wasn't feeling well so I didn't listen. By last night I was really sick and had to go to the doc. Today...I found myself home in bed. Besides being physically sick I was laying there feeling sorry for myself. But isn't GOD good!

This afternoon I turned the tv on and saw there was going to be a Jason Crabb special on. Jason is one of my favorite singers. You know...about 15 minutes into it I found myself worshiping the Lord. HE definitely started working inside of me and the dark heaviness I had been feeling just lifted! Praise GOD! I'm still sick...there was no miraculous healing of my body. But...my soul was refreshed.

That was the lesson for me to learn today. Praise and worship the Lord no matter what circumstance you find yourself in. He doesn't always make you well. He doesn't always change your circumstance. What He does do is...He always comes in and meets us right where we are. Sometimes, we just have to take the step towards Him. Reach out to Him.

God has been speaking to me a lot about worshiping...praising...and trusting Him no matter what is going on in my life. If I do that He will help me to deal with what's going on in my life. He will help you to. There's an old song I remember from when I was a kid.

Reach out and touch the Lord as He passes by. You'll find He's not to busy to hear your hearts cry. He's passing by this moment your needs to supply. Reach out and touch the Lord as He passes by.

Matthew 11:28

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Psalm 100

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
    Worship the Lord with gladness.
      Come before him, singing with joy.
 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
      He made us, and we are his.
      We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
      go into his courts with praise.
      Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
      His unfailing love continues forever,
      and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Take A Timeout

There is a story in the bible that I can't seem to get out of my mind lately. It's the one where Jesus visits Martha and Mary...

Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Mary was devoting all of her attention to Jesus. Nothing was going to pull her away from worshiping Him. That's the one thing that Jesus wants most from us...our attention. Why is it we let other things distract us and keep us from sitting at Jesus' feet? Because most of us are like Martha. We see things that need to be done so we do them. We get distracted by things. Sometimes it's not things it's issues, or problems, in our lives. We all have them. What we need to learn to do is sit at Jesus' feet and talk to Him about them. He can take care of them much better than we can. He longs for our attention...praise...and worship!

So, today I encourage you to give yourself a timeout! Sit at Jesus' feet and worship Him...talk to Him...give Jesus all of your attention. He's waiting for your time.

Linking with Tracy today at her Winsome Wednesday Bloghop

Luke 11:24-26

Sunday...the first day of a brand new week. What a day it has been so far. Our church service today was absolutely awesome! There was a guest speaker today and he was definitely all fired up. When I left for church this morning I wasn't sure what to expect but I sure wasn't expecting what I got. It all started with a great band playing for worship. It was loud but it was really good. Then the speaker...who is a youth speaker...got up and started talking. It was geared for men but he incorporated everyone into the message. It was so good I still haven't wrapped my head around it all...even after staying for both services! I will be getting a copy of the service when I go to church next week to listen to again...and again...and again! There is one thing that keeps playing over and over in my mind that I know God really wants me to get. He told this story and this is what I got from what he said...

Luke 11:24-26

²⁴ “When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ ²⁵ So it returns and finds that its former home is all swept and in order. ²⁶ Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before."

When God frees you from something...delivers you...then you ( I ) need to basically not take it for granted. God has done amazing...miraculous...things for me and I need to be more diligent. Satan is going to get in my mind and tell me lots of things. For one...how hard it is to sit and read the Word everyday. There are other things I could be doing. What I need to do is to be stubborn...like I am...and do it anyway. Spend time soaking in the Word and talking to God. Not just occasionally but...diligently. God has delivered me from things in my life that I don't ever want to go back to. However...as bad as they were...there are even worse things out there that satan could send my way. I don't want other things coming to my thoughts to take the place of what God has set me free from already! I want my mind to be filled with the things of God all the time.

We all need to be careful not to let "things" take the place of our personal devotion time. God speaks to us through His word. Sometimes He even speaks to us when we talk to Him. Whenever He speaks to me...and in whatever way He chooses...it always is so exciting.

I'm not sure if this post even makes much sense. My mind is just so full of good...GOD...things right now. The most important thing I have to say is...

God is an awesome God. He loves us all so much and only wants good things for us. He really just wants us to spend time with Him. When we do that He shows up. He comes in to our everyday life. Our good times as well as our bad times. He is with us all the time. We just know it more when we spend time with Him.

Does Anyone Care?

Do you ever feel helpless...think no one cares? Sometimes your life just jumps up and slaps you and you realize that you are helpless to change situations you find yourself in. It could be that you're the reason for the situations. Could be that someone else is. Or maybe, it's a combination of the two. Whatever the case...at this point there is nothing you can do to change it and no one cares...or so you think. That's really not so. Things can change...anything is possible. 

There is a verse that says this...

Matthew 19:26 (NASB)

And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

And though you may not think so...someone does care. 

Another verse I like is ...

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

Though it may be hard for you to wrap your mind around it all...there is Someone who cares. He cares about what you're going through and how you feel. He cares about every aspect of your life. What you consider to be the small stuff and what you think to be the big stuff. Really it's all the same to Him. Nothing is to big or to small for Him to care about. You know why? Because He loves you. He loves you with all of your problems...your doubts...your fears...your restlessness...your lack of faith...your feelings of helplessness...your sadness...your lack of trust...your general overall feelings of depression. WOW!! Isn't that a list? I could probably think of some more things to add but really...why do that!? The point is this...

No matter how far down you let yourself sink...if you will only look up for an instant, you will see the hand of Jesus reaching down to you! If you reach out, just a bit, He will take hold of your hand and pull you to Him. I know that sometimes, that can be a really hard thing to do. You have to set aside your doubts and fears and take the step. Jesus is always telling us to not be afraid. Kind of like when Peter saw Jesus walking on the water. Peter had to take the first step out of the boat. And yes...he did get scared and start to sink. But what happened then? Jesus reached out His hand and took Peters hand and kept him from sinking. That's exactly what Jesus will do for you if you give Him the chance. You just have to take the first step. Reach up from the place you are and take His hand. 

Matthew 14:27-33 (NLT)

 ²⁷ But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

 ²⁸ Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”
 ²⁹ “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

   So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

 ³¹ Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

 ³² When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. ³³ Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

So today it's your choice. Stay down where you are or...take that first step. Reach up and take the hand of Jesus! He cares!!

Prayer

Sharing something like this is very different for me.

This prayer is just a prayer from my heart that I was

writing just for myself...or so I thought.

Why I am sharing this one...only God knows.

If this helps someone else...in some way...Praise GOD!

Father God we come to You now

worn down and beaten. You Father,

are the only One who can calm our fears

and bring peace to our troubled souls.

When problems come we go back to things of old,

like erecting walls to protect ourselves from pain.

Help us Father to not do that. But if we fail,

please, help us to break them down

so that life in You goes easily on.

Father, You are the only One that can bring

us back from the edge of uneasiness, of loss of all

that is good in our lives. Please help us to find our

way back to You once again. Heal up our new

wounds and scars, as You have the old,

before they have a chance to take hold in our

lives and change us back into something we once

were. Help us to always remember who You are.

Knowing You, and surrendering to You,

is what will make the difference in our lives. 

Father God, we know that You are the only

way to have real peace in our lives. With You

we have nothing to fear.Thank You for always

caring about how we hurt, and why. Thank You

for always loving us, even when we fail. 

Thank You for being with us through every

second of every day, through every problem

and trial that arises. Thank You for giving us

new life through Your Son Jesus. We praise You

and thank You for everything You have done

in our lives and all that You are still going to do.

In Jesus Name...Amen