“When the Holy Spirit is in control of
our lives, we will find Him gradually transforming us, healing our emotions, and empowering us to live in a way that glorifies
Him. …God is greater than our thoughts and emotions, and as we trust Him, seek to obey His Word, and spend quiet, intimate
moments in His presence through prayer, He can set us free from defeating thoughts and negative emotions.” Stormie Omartian
I read the following quote this morning
in my quiet time… “We can exercise our faith in God in one of two ways. One leaves us at the mercy of life’s constant ups
and downs. The other is the key to steadfast faith—the way off the roller coaster to begin walking with God and practicing
a faith that can’t be ‘greatly moved’ (Ps 62:2, KJV). Every believer falls into one of these two categories on the basis of
her answer to one simple question: do you base your faith on what God does or who He is?” Beth Moore
This afternoon I received word that my
weekly blood draw showed my white blood count dropped from 4.1 to 3.8, and my neutrophil count dropped from 2.5 to 2.1. I
must admit being disappointed. I was ready to receive word that all my counts were normal and that healing had taken place.
God continues to give me strength and protection.
Even with my white count so low, I have had few problems with infections or additional illness. For at least seven years Lyme
disease has attacked. I’ve had some really rough days, weeks, months, and years.
My counts may dip and rise but God
will never change. His love and power are constant. Blessed be His name. Praising Him for who He is!
“He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is
my fortress, I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:2 NIV).
Blessed be Your name
By Matt Redman
Blessed be your name In the land that is plentiful Where the streams of abundance
flow Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name When I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through
the wilderness Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out, I turn back to praise When the darkness closes in,
Lord Still I will say... Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed
be your glorious name
Blessed be your name When the sun's shining down on me When the world's all as
it should be Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in
the offering Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out, I turn back to praise When the darkness closes in,
Lord Still I will say... Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed
be your glorious name
You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord,
Blessed be your name
“Jesus spoke about how prayer
can remove mountains. However, we need to remember there are two ways by which a mountain can cease to block our paths. One
way is to move it. The other is to develop strength to walk over the top of the mountain and keep going. In answer to our
prayers, sometimes God takes away our handicaps, at other times He gives us the strength to keep going in spite of what has
happened.”
Charles L. Allen
“I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13 NIV).
“Prayer is the easiest and
hardest of all things; the simplest and the sublimest; the weakest and the most powerful; its results lie outside the range
of human possibilities—they are limited only by the omnipotence of God.” E.M. Bounds
“For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37 NIV).
“Nothing is so blessed as quiet, unbroken communication with our Lord. The sense of the Lord’s
nearness, which then fills our souls, is greater than any other peace, joy, inner satisfaction, or security which we have
known.” O. Hallesby
“Let us be like a bird for a moment perched on a frail branch when he sings; though
he feels it bend, yet he sings his song, knowing that he has wings.” —Victor Hugo
I will rejoice in the Lord even though…
My illness continues and my white count
refuses to rise to a normal level. Praise the Lord He gives me strength for each day.
My husband will soon be laid off and has
no job in sight. Praise the Lord that his employment continues for at least another month.
Other family problems still have no answer
and my heart breaks and my spiritual knees stay raw. Praise God that He is always in control, and nothing is impossible with
Him.
When terrible memories torment from the
past, praise God that I can run to Him for protection and restoration.
When failures and inadequacies become evident,
praise God that He works within to bring me to His final perfection.
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there
are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful
in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).
No matter what our past has been, no matter
what today may hold—Praise God. Praise Him for He knows every situation, He knows every need, and He will always, always be
faithful.
“Because You are my help,
I sing in the shadow of Your wings” (Psalm 63:7 NIV).
“A friend is one to whom one may pour out
all the content of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that gentle hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth
keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” George Eliot
I think of my friends, near and far, and
those who cross my path through the internet. More importantly, I think of God who knows my every thought and action, every
failure and sin, and still offers me His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. I am forever grateful, humbled, and amazed for His
constant unending, ultimate friendship.
“You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a
servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father
I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15).
“We can do nothing without prayer. All
things can be done by importunate (persistent) prayer. It surmounts or removes all obstacles, overcomes every resisting force,
and gains its ends in the face of invincible hindrances.” E.M. Bounds
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in
Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Two children were baptized in our church
last Sunday morning. During the baptism, friends and families are invited to stand in their honor. The two rows in front of
us stood, including three young girls probably no older than three or four. The girls watched with great anticipation, tiny
hands clasped to hold in their excitement as the preacher explained who was being baptized and their faith walk. Then, in
the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, the preacher immersed each child.
Much to the delight of those of us
close enough to watch, the little girls clapped, jumped up and down, and squealed in glee. I couldn’t help wondering if the
angels in Heaven were doing the same. “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing
in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10 NIV).
I want to be like those little girls, living
a life full of joy. I want to be like our dog who cranes to stick his head out of the car window and wags as he goes through
life. I want to walk with childlike faith knowing everything will be okay because God is in control.
Though His Precious Son, Jesus, He is the
One who takes a sinner and makes them whole. He takes the past and renews and restores. He gives hope for the future. In Him,
we find joy for today and tomorrow.
Oh Father, help me always choose joy.
Woo hoo! Rejoicing forever in Him,
Lisa
“But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you” (Psalm 5:11
NIV).
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”
“Don’t assume that God will always work
in your life the way He always has. A sunset is proof that God colors outside the lines. He has no status quo. Even the laws
of nature are His to interrupt. As many times as you’ve prayed before, today may be the day when God sends the answer so swiftly—so
divinely—that you’re windburned.” Beth Moore
“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the
power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ
Jesus to all generations forever and ever” (Ephesians 3:20-21 NASB).
Various colors, sizes, and shapes of etched
and broken glass litter the table. Each piece different, some jagged, others veined, streaked, delicate, or marbled.
The artist carefully grinds each one until
smooth, and then presses copper foil against the edges. He places each piece in His lovingly created design, then heating
them until all become one.
He holds up His unique and priceless creation.
The light shines through, and what was once broken, becomes beautiful.
“Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
Broken Into Beautiful Gwen Smith/Sue Smith/Chad Cates
She's
smiling on the outside But she's hurting on the inside It's getting hard just living anymore And the shadows she
has clung to Painful things that she has been through Have left her feeling worthless, Lord... but
You change
worthless into precious Guilty to forgiven Hungry into satisfied Empty into full All the lies are shattered And
we believe we matter When You change broken into beautiful
We live with accusations Sometimes heavy expectations That
tell us we can never measure up And yet You repeat with mercy That in your eyes we are worthy At last we see how
much we're loved cause
You change worthless into precious Guilty to forgiven Hungry
into satisfied Empty into full All the lies are shattered And we believe we matter When You change broken into
beautiful
Though we can't see how we can stand before you Lord And feel valued, priceless and
adored
Copyright… Sunday Best Music / (ASCAP)
New Spring, a division of Zomba Enterprises, Inc. (ASCAP) / CCTB Music (ASCAP) All rights OBO CCTB.Music administered by New Spring
Please listen to this beautiful song, either on YouTube or through Gwen Smith’s MySpace site.
“Satan may be able to wear out our human
strength, but he cannot wear out the Holy Spirit’s. We can call upon God’s supernatural strength to fight the good fight of
faith and persist in our proclamation of Christ, the Son of the Most High God…. Let’s call on God to fill us with His all-surpassing
power day in and day out. His ‘incomparably great power’ is accessible daily for those who believe! This power is the same
power He used to raise Jesus from the dead (see Eph 1:19-20). What more could we need.” Beth Moore
“For
this I labor [ unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me” (Colossians 1:29 AMP).
