Verses For Encouragement

A blogger friend sent these verses to me a few days back. I needed them then and I need them now. Maybe some of you out there tonight need to read them as well.

Deuteronomy 7:9
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?

Psalm 9:10
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 36:5
Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

Psalm 40:10
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

Psalm 89:2, 8
I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself... O LORD God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

Psalm 143:1
O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness
come to my relief.

Isaiah 25:1
O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Lamentations 3:22-24
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

What A Week!

I want to start this post by saying this. . .

GOD is good all the time and all the time GOD is good!!

What a week! Is it only Wednesday??? To me it feels like next Monday already! I am thanking the Lord that it's not because then the three day weekend would be over!

On a serious note. . .

Most of you know that I have been having some health issues. . . heart issues to be exact. I have had a problem since I was young and at times it would be what I thought was bad. Well, it's amazing how fast things can go from being bad at times to being really bad most of the time. Sunday night I found myself in the emergency room and I wasn't feeling real good about that. My stay was for 8 hours in two different luxurious suites. Then I went home for nine hours and "rested!"  Then off to the cardiologist. He seems like a good doctor and gave me a lot of information that I didn't know and a lot of meds to take with more to come! That part I don't really like but if it helps me to live without so many problems I can get used to it. Then today I was off to do an echo-stress test. That would be pictures and a treadmill. Now "that" was fun. Really, I didn't think I was going to be able to get my heart rate up, and keep it there as long as they needed, but I just kept praying and I got there. When it was all over they said they didn't find any serious problems. Now that I've had a few hours I'm wondering what the non-serious ones were? lol Really, I'm not going to worry about that. It's just one day at a time with the Lord walking with me. When it was all said and done I was reminded in a phone call that. . ."Sometimes God uses medicine and doctors to help us but that He can also still heal me." I probably didn't say that exactly as it was said to me but I hope you can get the meaning from it. It really was what I needed to hear after everything I have heard this week from doctors. It's just that my brain has been pretty foggy for days now and thinking is sometimes really hard to do!

Some if what I am learning through all of this is. . .

God cares about us. Over the last few days there have been times when I was scared. Yep, me. I was scared. There have been many prayers from some great Christians being said on my behalf and
God has heard everyone of them. I too have prayed a lot. I've prayed for courage, strength, rest, sleep, good test results and healing. He has heard every prayer and He has answered them in the way He has planned for me. Which reminds me of a verse . . .

Isaiah 55:8

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord."

It wasn't too long before this all started happening that He led me to this verse and reminded me that His ways are always better than ours . . .

Isaiah 55:9

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

We might not fully understand why He allows what He allows in our lives. The pain and sorrow, the sickness and disease, the giving and taking and sometimes even . . . the losses we face. But we always know that whatever happens . . . Gods way is the best way. We as Christians just need to live our lives fully, in His will, being held securely in the palm of His hand. 

Isaiah 43:1-3

But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
² When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom;
    I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Thank you all for your prayers for me. I greatly appreciate each and everyone of you.

Blessings . . . Chelle

When The Calmness Comes

This morning I had some extra time before leaving for work and so I picked up my Bible to read. Having a bit of a hard time getting my thoughts together I decided to look at the Psalms and just see what I could find. I would read a verse or two and decide that I wasn't in the right Psalm yet...what I was reading just wasn't really hitting me like I wanted it two. They all had been good but just not the right one. Then I hit on Psalm 86.

Psalm 86:1-7

¹ Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
    answer me, for I need your help.
² Protect me, for I am devoted to you.
    Save me, for I serve you and trust you.
    You are my God.
³ Be merciful to me, O Lord,
    for I am calling on you constantly.
⁴ Give me happiness, O Lord,
    for I give myself to you.
⁵ O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,
    so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.
⁶ Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord;
    hear my urgent cry.
⁷ I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,
    and you will answer me.

⁸ No pagan god is like you, O Lord.
    None can do what you do!
⁹ All the nations you made
    will come and bow before you, Lord;
    they will praise your holy name.
¹⁰ For you are great and perform wonderful deeds.
    You alone are God.

¹¹ Teach me your ways, O Lord,
    that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
    so that I may honor you.
¹² With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.
    I will give glory to your name forever,
¹³ for your love for me is very great.
    You have rescued me from the depths of death.

¹⁴ O God, insolent people rise up against me;
    a violent gang is trying to kill me.
    You mean nothing to them.
¹⁵ But you, O Lord,
    are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
    and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Look down and have mercy on me.
    Give your strength to your servant;
    save me, the son of your servant.
¹⁷ Send me a sign of your favor.
    Then those who hate me will be put to shame,
    for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.

I just really like this Psalm and this morning...it "hit" me just the way I needed.

Tonight I sat down to read and found that I am still having a hard time concentrating on much of anything. Sometimes it's just hard to completely wrap your mind around what goes on in life. So I just sent up a short little prayer and asked that the Lord just help me to find the right thing to read. He did. something I noticed through all of this is that when I need "help" I tend to go to the Psalms.

 

Psalm 62:5-8

⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
    for my hope is in him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress where I will not be shaken.
⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone.
    He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge.

I'm finding that more and more this is what I must do. Pray and just wait quietly before Him. That's when the calmness finally comes.

Get A Grip!

Recently I started reading Jennifer Dukes Lee blog . . . Getting Down With Jesus. You can go there by clicking her button on my sidebar. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Jennifer has told something that her husband always says when things are wrong. He says . . . Gods Got It!

I really like that. God does have it when things happen in our lives. He is right there for us all the time . . . no matter what. I do believe that but there are times when something can really rock your world and it is hard to just accept that . . . Gods Got It! Deep down in your heart of hearts you know He does. Then there are times when that little bit of doubt and fear just sneak right in and play havoc with your head. I find myself waffling back and forth between . . . knowing Gods Got It and . . . hoping Gods Got It. 

So . . .

Today I was out driving around . . . talking to God some because I really needed some new thoughts in my head . . . then finally decided to just go home. When I got here I sat down at my computer and looked at Facebook. You know . . . God knew I was going to look at Facebook. This is what I saw.

1 Peter 5:7

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

And some things that aren't scriptures.

Let your faith be bigger than your fears.

God Is faithful

  to faithful to fail

is always with us

  always on time!

My child,

YOU WORRY TOO MUCH

I'VE got this remember!

Love GOD

Then there was Child of Gods comment on my blog. Ten wonderful scriptures for me to read!

All of this . . . I believe . . . because GOD knew that I needed to read all of this. GOD knew that I needed these great, and positive, thoughts instead of the doubt and fear that has been swimming around inside my head since yesterday. I am so thankful that HE is faithful . . . loves us . . . and has us in the palm of HIS hand!

Verses

Isaiah 41:10

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

Psalm 73:26

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
    but God remains the strength of my heart;
    he is mine forever.

Deuteronomy 31:6-8

^"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 50:15

^"Then call on me when you are in trouble,
    and I will rescue you,
    and you will give me glory.”

Comfort

God's Word ~ we all need to read it . . . soak in it . . . meditate on it . . . consume it. We need to feel the very words that are contained in it . . . right down to our very core . . . our souls!! The strength that lies in the Word of our God is immeasurable. We receive power when we are weak and strength when we are powerless!

Isaiah 40:29

Amplified Bible (AMP)

²⁹ He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].


When we get into the Word our problems seem less.

Recently I have been learning much about myself and about the Word of God. I believe that the Lord has been blessing me with the desire to read and study His Word. Why? Because I got really serious and asked Him too. I kept telling Him what I thought I needed . . . over and over. I knew He had answered my prayer when one day I picked up my Bible . . . started reading it . . . and found that it was as if everything had changed overnight. I just can't seem to read enough.

Tonight I picked up my Bible and turned to Isaiah 40 and began to read. There is a heading in my Bible just before chapter 40 that says; Comfort for God's People. I knew I was starting in the right place tonight. I was thinking only about myself at that point because of something that happened in my life this afternoon. Then, as I read, I realized that I needed to post some of this because there are others reading that need the Comfort of the Lord tonight also. What came immediately to my thoughts was this . . .

Comfort . . . Comfort . . . Comfort . . . it is the Word of the day for us all.

I know that was the Lord speaking those words to me so I would share. . . because tonight, I didn't really think I had anything in me to say.

The one last thought I have before leaving you with a scripture is . . . Let God be God and He will do amazing things for you.

Isaiah 40:1

“Comfort, comfort my people,”
    says your God.

Notes ~

The seeds of comfort may take root in the soil of adversity. When your life seems to be falling apart, ask God to comfort you. You may not escape adversity, but you may find God's comfort as you face it. Sometimes, however, the only comfort we have is in the knowledge that someday we will be with God. Appreciate the comfort and encouragement found in His Word, His presence, and His people.

Today I just want to say how good GOD is! HE has been doing so much in my life recently . . . healing me from things that have kept me bound . . . showing me through scripture things that used to be true in my life . . . and just feeling me with joy and a new attitude! I just want to continue on with more of what happened to me after the revival services. 

 

On August 12 I posted Isiah 55:12-13 and said that soon I would tell you why they were special to me. Today is the day . . .

Isaiah 55:12-13

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹² You will live in joy and peace.
    The mountains and hills will burst into song,
    and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
¹³ Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
    Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
    they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

When I read this I immediately knew that verse 13 had been me. Prior to becoming a Christian, inside I was all thorny and full of nettles. We all know what thorns are but what exactly is a nettle? When I read this verse I thought they were something like thorns. That works but the definition is . . . a plant covered with stinging hairs. A nettle stings . . . irritates . . . annoys . . . and provokes! Well . . . when I read this the LORD was letting me know that I was filled with that stuff! HE also let me know that even after accepting JESUS into my heart I still had this stuff in me. Why? Because I hadn't totally been healed of the hold that satan has had on me. In a way I was holding on to all that stuff and that was keeping me from being totally free! I was still believing some of the lies that held me captive from long ago. But now, since I have let the HOLY SPIRIT go in and purify and cleanse me, the hold on my life from my past is gone, so are the thorns and the nettles. There are now only good things inside of me. I am redeemed! Being transformed more and more everyday! I am a new person! After I read these verses the joy that I was feeling was indescribable. Really . . . I just wanted to shout it out to the world . . . I'm Free!! Then I read my study notes and this is what they say . . .

vs 12-13 The prophet encourages his people to forget the past, leave Babylon and to accept the perspective of the coming age.

vs 12       Joy is found in being redeemed from bondage. Godly people experience an inner peace not known to the wicked. Creation participates in the freedom of the children of GOD. (How cool is that!!!!)

vs 13       Redemption is like the transformation from desert to forest. God's glory will be more and more visible to humanity as HIS redemption takes effect.

Today before writing this I looked up these scriptures in The Amplified Bible . . .

Isaiah 55:12-13

Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹² For you shall go out [from the spiritual exile caused by sin and evil into the homeland] with joy and be led forth [by your Leader, the Lord Himself, and His word] with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name of renown, for an everlasting sign [of jubilant exaltation] and memorial [to His praise], which shall not be cut off.

I love this version too! Spiritual exile . . . that is what we are all in until we let the LORD come in and completely heal us from all the past sin and evil in our lives! Then beautiful things will grow inside of us and we will be filled with peace and joy!! 

If you are holding on to things from your past that are not of GOD . . .let GOD clean them out of you. Let go and let GOD have HIS way in your life. You really won't be disappointed. HE only wants the best for you and HE can't give you the best if you won't let HIM.

AMEN!!!

An Inside Job

For the last couple of weeks there has been many things happening. Some good . . . some I could do without. But . . . GOD is in all of them so I will just go with it! HE seems to be giving me a lot to think about while at times doing a work within me . . . changing me from the inside out. Sometimes I haven't really understood what HE has been doing so I just simply asked HIM. HE has shown me scriptures and given me some answers. HE is an awesome GOD!!! At church on August 8th HE did some incredible things for me...and later told me what it was all about.

I have mentioned in other posts how I believed at a young age, around 9, that GOD told satan he could have me. That HE . . . GOD . . .  didn't want me. Obviously GOD didn't do that but I believed satans lie. Even since giving my heart to JESUS it sometimes has been hard to shake that . . . to not believe at times that I really was free from satan. This is how it began . . .

It all started one night when I woke up and felt a warm hand on my chest. At nine . . . that's a scary thing. (I'm not going to go into the whole event but you can go back to 12/6/2008 in my posts and read it if you care too.) From then on I always knew that satan was powerful. I experienced, and saw, many things that happened because of him. So because of all this . . . I was a believer of his lies for years. Fast forward to 8/8/2012 . . .

At the revival service at church I went up front for a specific reason. You know . . . sometimes the LORD has other plans. As it says in Isaiah 55: 8-9

⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

So . . . I had my reasons for going up front that night but HE had HIS plans for me that night. I am learning that HIS plans are much better than mine!

There were some ladies praying with me and one of them put there hand . . . just the ends of her fingers . . . really lightly at the top of my stomach. When she did this I felt heat in that spot and it started spreading out through my whole being. It was really hot but it didn't burn or hurt. It felt good and I really just wanted to feel it more. It's hard to explain it but I just wanted to feel more of it! It was as if I was suspended there somehow. I could feel myself wanting to just sort of melt into it . . . and I felt a tremendous pressure like feeling. Really at some points I felt as if I was going to explode and I could feel this sort of groan rising up within me put it never came out. This happened three times, I think, and two of the times I ended up on the floor. As soon as I would hit the floor the fire inside of me would stop and I would be on my knees face down on the floor. Then what would happen next I can't really explain. It was kind of like I was sobbing . . . but not. I think it was just my bodies reaction to what was happening. I don't know. That night at home I begin asking the LORD what all of that was. I knew it was the HOLY SPIRIT working inside of me but what was HE doing? A few days later HE answered me . . .

HE told me that I went up front for one thing but that there was something else I needed. HE said to me . . . "Do you remember the hand?"  "Yes, I remember the hand." HE told me that I had always believed that "that hand" was very powerful. GOD wanted me to know that HIS hand is so much more powerful! The hand I felt at church was the Hand of the LORD. The heat was purifying . . . cleansing . . . setting me free . . . from the hand of my past! I have been telling the LORD that I want more of HIM and less of me. I want to feel HIM more . . . to know beyond any doubt that HE is with me. That night at church was HIS way of letting me know and freeing me once and for all from my past! There is no more "hand on my chest" controlling me. But, the Hand Of GOD is on my life . . . and HE is living in me! HE is the fire within me now! HE is THE all powerful and consuming in my life . . . as long as I want HIM to be!! 

Not only was the HOLY SPIRIT freeing me from my past but I believe HE was giving me healing as well. When you are so bound up on the inside sometimes it takes the HAND of GOD . . .literally . . . to free you and make you whole! As I have said before . . .

HE is changing me from the inside out. HE is recreating me to be the person that HE wants me to be. A better person. Free to be what HE wants me to be and do what HE wants me to do.

Praying that this somehow makes sense when you read it. I have known for days that I was going to write it but the words wouldn't come. It wasn't GODS time for me to write it until today!

Still learning . . .

More Than Ever Before

More than ever before Lord I love YOU
More than ever before Lord I need YOU
More than ever before I've got to tell YOU
I love YOU now more than ever before

This is a chorus sung by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir that I think is really beautiful. I was thinking of a specific conversation I had with a friend recently when the LORD brought this song to memory. We mentioned about how hard it is to just find time to have quiet time with the LORD. To just sit. . . read the Word . . . talk with HIM and give HIM time to talk with us. How much better does your day go when you do this? Sometimes we really don't have time in the morning but we can make time at some other point in the day. We need this time with HIM. HE refreshes us . . . gives us a better perspective on what's going on in our lives . . . HE really ministers to our souls. We . . . need . . . this . . . time . . . with . . . HIM!

FATHER GOD today just give each of us the little nudge we need to take time out for YOU. Help us to talk to YOU . . . worship and praise YOU . . . and simply sit at YOUR feet and listen to what YOU have to say to us.
YOU are wonderful LORD. YOU are everything to us. Without YOU we couldn't survive. We Love YOU LORD more than life. Thank YOU for all that YOU do for us. In JESUS name we pray . . . Amen.

Didn't I Walk On The Water

Jeremiah 29:13 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. A few weeks back I started telling the Lord that I wanted more of Him. I wanted to know that He is with me...to feel His presence more. Like most times it didn't happen right away for me because at that point God wasn't ready to reveal Himself to me in any new, more powerful, way. But...He did start revealing himself to me more through scriptures. Like the verse in Jeremiah says...I had to seek Him...search for Him...with my whole heart. I had to truly want to become closer to Him and want more of Him with me on a day to day basis. When I started reading and studying the Bible more...He would let me see what I had been missing in many verses. Many of those I have shared recently in posts. Through those verses I am learning more about Him and getting closer to Him. He is faithful and will do what He says He will do when we are faithful to do what He tells us to do! Whew...praying that all makes sense. Throughout this new leg in my journey God is not only showing me verses, He has also been speaking to me through music...because He "knows" that music speaks to me! I've been having some health issues and at times just can't sleep. Sometimes because of the things that start happening to me...fear creeps in. In fact at times...I just get plain scared. So I was driving the other day and listening to the radio. A song by The Dunaways came on titled...Don't Start Doubtin' Now. It's a great song and at that moment it was as if God was speaking right to me through the radio. When I got home that day I found it on iTunes and then listened to the other songs on the CD. Well...don't you know that there is four songs in a row that I really needed to hear. Isn't God good that way...just to lead you to something that He knows you will like and that He can speak to you through! This song is that song for me right now! It is my song! I may not be kneeling in the darkness but I am definitely praying and I do see a battle. Some of it is a battle in my mind...maybe not defeat but in those moments...fear. Since we are all human I know that everyone feels this way at some point when they are going through things that they aren't sure of. When you feel like this talk to God. Then remember the words of this song. I do remember where He's brought me from...what life He took me out of. How far I have come because of Him...not because of anything I have done. He walks through our raging storms with us. He calms us and gives us peace...but we have to ask. He has done all of the things for me, this song says, more times than I can tell you. Most of all He died for me and He died for you...and He would do it all again. Didn't I Walk On The Water As I kneel in the darkness in the middle of the night I’m praying for assurance everything’s gonna be alright Lord I see another battle out in front of me I’m afraid I won’t be able and I’ll go down in defeat He said, do you remember where I brought you from Just take a look behind you at how far you’ve come And everytime you asked me, didn’t I deliver you So why would you be thinking that I wouldn’t see you through Didn't I walk on the water and I calmed the raging sea I spoke to the wind, it hushed and I gave you peace Didn’t I run to your rescue didn’t I hear you when you called I walked right beside you just so you wouldn’t fall Didn’t I leave all of Heaven just to die for your sin I searched until I found you and I’d do it all again Songwriter: Linda Gibson Johnson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2omyPmgOdbk

Come and Drink

At the end of July I started going on a scripture hunt. Hunting for those "little golden nuggets" that I maybe have read before but didn't really "hear" what they were saying. Maybe I'm really "hearing" now because...I know beyond knowing how important it is for me to "really" dig into the Word so I can "really" get closer to the Lord! Whenever I jump into the Word lately it's as if scriptures jump off the page at me! It's great really...I am seeing so many things that I never noticed before. Not only am I seeing and hearing the Word differently but I can feel it permeating into the depths...and it makes me feel joy...an incredible joy that just kind of wells up within me! Reading the Word like this is changing me...from the inside out. God is good...awesome...and amazing! If we do our part He will more than do His!

I have been reading Isaiah 55 lately...yes, it seems that I am stuck in Isaiah! But that's good. This chapter is the last one of the chapters of comfort.

Isaiah 55

55 “Is anyone thirsty?
    Come and drink—
    even if you have no money!
Come, take your choice of wine or milk—
    it’s all free!
² Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?
    Why pay for food that does you no good?
Listen to me, and you will eat what is good.
    You will enjoy the finest food.

³ “Come to me with your ears wide open.
    Listen, and you will find life.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you.
    I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.
⁶ Seek the Lord while you can find him.
    Call on him now while he is near.


This is the salvation message. Are you thirsty...come on...come and drink of the best! Are you hungry...the best food there is is waiting for you. All you have to do is reach out and take it. It's free!

My study Bible says this...God is offering free nourishment for our souls. Just come and listen, seek and call on God. Receive the food that He is offering us today.

For me something that I'm getting out of it is this...
Even though I have already accepted His free gift of salvation I still need the free nourishment. My soul longs for it and I can receive it again and again. All I have to do is go to Him...listen...seek...and call on Him. He's there waiting for me everyday...every minute of everyday...for me. And for you too! Isn't that an amazing thought? He's waiting for us just to come to Him...anytime and any place.

Isaiah 55:12-13

Okay...I know I have posted already today but this is great! It jumped right off the page because this is so real to me right now!!

I was reading in Isaiah and this is what I found...

Isaiah 55:12-13

¹² You will live in joy and peace.
    The mountains and hills will burst into song,
    and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
¹³ Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
    Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
    they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

My study bible says this...

vs 12 ~ Joy is found in being redeemed from bondage.

vs 13 ~ Redemption is like the transformation from desert to forest.

I can hardly wait to tell you why this is so real to me right now...but I can't.

It has to wait until I talk to Marge. I will say though that He is filling me up with a joy that I didn't know existed!

And I'm thinking it will only get better from here!

God is Awesome!!

Last week was a crazy week. Revival services for four days and then a doc appointment on Friday. Most of you who read this blog know about the appointment and have been praying. So I guess it's time to tell you what I found out. God didn't heal me of the problem with my heart but He did let me see a doctor that knows there is a problem and is working with me to find out what will fix it. The problem is one of two types of tachycardia. The fix for one of them is medicine and he has already had me start on some...this one is my choice of the two! LOL The fix for the other one is a little more complicated and actually has a couple of options. We didn't go into any of that yet. I am wearing a "king of hearts" monitor for two weeks first and taking a stress test. Then after the results come in from those we will talk. I'm sure that God knows what the problem is and the solution too. So I'll just go with it and see what happens. God is awesome!! Thank you all for praying!

I wanted to say too that the services last week were great! The Lord did some really great things in peoples lives. He touched me in a way that I was really having a hard time understanding...until this morning. Then when I was in my favorite place for Him to talk to me...the shower!...He did. I will be sharing that story with you sometime this week after I share it in person with someone! So for now...I have to leave you hanging for a bit. 

I was reading in Isiah this morning and This is what I found...

Isaiah 55:8-9

⁸ “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹ For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

I don't understand why He does things the way He does in my life when they happen. However...if I keep seeking for an answer He sometimes gives me a verse that kind of says it all! 

Still learning...still believing

I Am Free Today Because Of Jesus

Today has been a good day. I love this verse...

Psalm 118:24

²⁴ This is the day the Lord has made.
    We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Today has been a special day for me because it is my "ReBirthday". I actually stole that word from Marge. Never would I have thought of it on my own!

It's my ReBirthday because 5 years ago...August 10, 2007...I asked Jesus into my life...my heart. It was the best thing that I ever did! My life has actually become a life! Before I met the Lord it was mostly a series of failures, downward spirals and bad events. Jesus has changed all of that for me. He has freed me from so many things...He broke the chains and set this captive free!! I don't drink anymore and I have no desire to. In the past there were many times when I contemplated killing myself. From the time I was a teenager, and until I became a Christian 5 years ago, these thoughts were with me...I did crazy things just to see if I would live through them. I'm not proud of that nor am I bragging but, I'm putting it out here so everybody will know what an awesome...awesome...Savior we have!! I used to hate the light...I always wanted to have the rooms dark...without any lights on. That's really funny in a way because I was afraid of what "lived" in the dark! I was afraid of what was coming up the stairs behind me...day or night! I was afraid to be alone! I was afraid of just about everything. And now...I can go to sleep without fear of what will come out of the dark and get me...because...Where the spirit of the Lord is...there is no reason for fear!

2 Corinthians 3:17

¹⁷ For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

For me that means freedom from fear...addictions...suicide...darkness. Don't get me wrong...I'm not perfect and neither is my life but...I am free to live a life devoted to the Lord. 

It also means freedom to be the person that He wants me to be. The person that He made me to be.

I praise Him and thank Him today for all that He has done for me.

His Everlasting Love

Another powerful church service tonight. It is so amazing to be in the presence of God! When His presence washes over you there really is nothing like it! Last night I so wanted to write about this but I just couldn't fit it all in. That really is a good thing because a conversation I had with a friend tonight fits right in. So here we go....

I have always had a problem believing that God could really care about me. That was the main reason I never asked the Lord into my heart earlier in my life. I believed that God didn't want anything to do with me...that He had told satan that he could have me. Consequently...satan uses that against me quite often. When things start going downhill for me this is the first kind of thing he whispers in my ear...

"You know that God never really wanted you and look at you now, you've failed Him again! Why don't you just give up? You wonder why you don't feel God's presence with you and this is why. Nothing has really ever changed. You have just been believing what other people want you to believe...that God loves you and has saved you from going to hell! You know God loves them...you can see it in their faces. You can feel love from them...but you don't really feel love from God. You will still be left behind when Jesus comes back! Just think about that for a minute. If God really loved you surely He would let you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you will be going with all the people you care about up to Heaven. But I'm telling you...you will be left here to face all of the things that are written in the Bible. Then you will go to Hell with me...to "die" forever!!

My problem is...I sometimes start having doubt. Doubt that I really am a Christian. I'm ashamed to tell you this but yes...I start believing satans lies. Eventually I get my brain back and realize that I have been going down that same road again! Thankfully...I don't listen as much as I used to and when I do...I don't stay in that trap very long anymore. I have learned to recognize that it is the master liar of the universe doing the whispering!

So...last night after the word from God, and accepting and receiving my healing, we had an amazing service. Then at the end of the service the speaker asked for people to come up front to pray. I've been trying to remember what the alter call was for but I can't. I just knew, beyond knowing, that I had to go up and pray. The Holy Spirit came on me so heavily that I could hardly stand. It was amazing. I could feel Him so much...it was so real! He was so real! Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Holy Spirit is not real...He is! I know some of you reading this will think what I am saying is crazy but if you know me at all you know I could never make this up. I am not a very feeling person...but I felt HIM! I don't know how it happens for other people but for me my hands and arms start shaking and it's like a blanket is just sort of dropped on me. A blanket of nothing but feelings and I can't stop it...I don't want to stop it...and I have no idea how long I am there. The whole point of me telling you this is...

God touched me last night...and I knew it. He was telling me this..."I love you and I care about you! Even though you don't always feel me like a lot of people do...I'm still here with you. I have always loved you and always will. I have showed you tonight that I love you. If I will do this for you...why would I leave you here when I come back. You are my child...don't worry."

Today I thought about this a lot. I know He loves me and I am His child. If I wasn't why would He go to all the trouble of healing me and letting me feel His presence so strongly? He wouldn't!

Tonight I want to say to you...

God loves you. Jesus loves you. If God didn't love you He wouldn't have sent His Son to die for you. If Jesus didn't love you He wouldn't have came to earth and died on the cross.

You know...we think that we have it all figured out. Why we're here...what to do with our lives. But until we meet the Savior...turn our lives over to Him...we really don't have a clue. I have come to know, just recently, that the way to get it all figured out is to...Let GOD be GOD in your life. Let Him takeover and lead you into what He wants you to do. It's not an easy thing. Tonight I failed at doing that. The good thing is...tomorrow is on the way. Every morning you get a new 24 to try to do it right!

I am looking forward to the service tomorrow night. Praying for miracles to happen! People to find Jesus as their Savior...people to be healed...and others just having the Holy Spirit come down and touch them in what ever way they need.

Jeremiah 31:3

³ Long ago the Lord said to Israel:
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

And He is still saying this today to all that will listen and except His love.

Letting Go Of Self

John 3:30


He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
 
The way I always think of this verse is...More of HIM and less of me. I have used this verse many times in my posts and lately I just can't get away from it. Just this morning before church I visited a blog and this was the verse she used. Again in church this morning the speaker used this verse. Coincidence...probably not. I know that God has been talking to me about this in a few areas of my life. Sometimes we just have to get out of the way and let GOD do what GOD wants to do! That's hard...something I am really struggling with today. So many things can come into your thoughts...distractions...that keep you from letting GOD be GOD in your life. The main distraction for GOD things in my life is fear...mostly of the unknown. You might know all about something...head knowledge...but you don't know it for yourself. For me that brings on fear. For most things of GOD I am good. But sometimes there is just one thing...the same thing...that stops me. Why?...I ask myself. The same answer all the time...I don't know. Maybe...it's just fear of letting go of self.

Please Pray

I just talked with Marge and got an update on Wayne.

Wayne had six weeks off from chemo to let his body rest and they were able to get away for a family vacation last week. They had a good time and were able to get some much needed time away for rest and fun.  They got back and immediately he had to have his next infusion...Monday July 31. So, this week has been rough on him. He is feeling discouraged because he just doesn't feel good. Wayne even said,  "this just isn't living". He's tired...achey...and generally just doesn't feel well. I don't know all the symptoms but I do know they aren't good. He really just needs a miracle. I know...and you know...that God is more than able. HE doesn't like for any of HIS children to be sick or suffer in any way. When you think about Wayne if you could please just say a prayer for him and Marge. They are two of the most wonderful people you could ever know and most of all...they both love the LORD with all their hearts. They have told me many times how much they appreciate all the prayers from all of you.

I think of the song by Don Moen...

I Am The God That Healeth Thee

I am the God that
Healeth thee
I am the Lord
Your healer
I sent My word
And I healed your disease
I am the Lord
Your healer

You are the God that
Healeth me
You are the Lord
My healer
You sent Your word
And You healed my disease
You are the Lord
My healer
You sent Your word
And You healed
My disease
You are the Lord
My healer
You sent Your word
And You healed
My disease
You are the Lord
My healer

I am putting their picture on here so you can see who you are praying for. Thank you all again and God bless you for all your prayers.