December 23, 2024

Baby Boy

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If you told me all about your sorrows
I’d tell you about a cure
If you told me you can’t fight the battle
There’s a Baby Boy who won the war
The war was won by a Baby Boy

Alleluia, we can sing it
Alleluia, Heaven’s ringing
Alleluia
Endless hope and relentless joy started with a Baby Boy

Oh, before that silent night
No Savior and no Jesus Christ
The world cried out so desperately
And the Baby Boy was the reply
Yes, Heaven’s reply was a Baby Boy

See, the King is coming down
And He’s here without a crown
The Baby Boy without a bed
Giving life back to the dead

And hear the angels shout it out
As the people come and bow
Unexpected majesty
Alleluia, what a King

Alleluia, we can sing it
Alleluia, Heaven’s ringing

 

 Singer / Songwriters: Seth Mosely, Joel & Luke Smallbone  ~ For King & Country

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A Baby Boy who won the war of our sorrows and battles…how unimaginable is that?? That is our God.  The God of the unthinkable and the unimaginable.

All right then, the Lord Himself will give you the sign.
Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).
Isaiah 7:14 NLT

Immanuel—God with us!  Alleluia…  The God of endless Hope and endless Joy and it all started with a Baby Boy!!!

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son,
born of a woman, born under law,
to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
So you are no longer a slave, but a son;
and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Galatians 4:4-7

Baby Jesus changed everything!  We were slaves but now we are heirs.  ALLELUIA!  The “Baby Boy without a bed, giving life back to the dead…” Oh how thankful I am for that Truth!!

The thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy.
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:10

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Heavenly Father, thank You for the unimaginable gift of a Baby Boy that changed the world and history forever.  Thank You for giving life abundantly and to the full when we focus our eyes on You.  It’s only then that we can receive endless hope and relentless joy!!  In Jesus Name!!!  Amen.

Give Thanks

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Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now let the weak say, “I am strong”
Let the poor say, “I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us”

Give thanks, give thanks
We give thanks to You, oh Lord
We give thanks


Songwriter: Henry Smith / Performed by Don Moen
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Having a thankful, grateful heart is one of the most powerful tools we have in the Kingdom.  Did you know that the word, thanksgiving, is mentioned in the Bible 69 times? **  According to Paul, only where gratitude is present is there true faith (Romans 1:21).  Paul was heavily persecuted, yet he wrote,

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:57

The people of God are thankful people, for they realize how much they have been given.  Even in the most dire of circumstances Paul was always thankful.  A thankful heart is a heart that says “I trust God more than the circumstances around me and I KNOW that He will work them out for good no matter what things look like around me!”

“Thanksgiving breaks the power of the enemy. Whenever you give thanks to God, despite the most difficult circumstances, the enemy loses a big battle in your life. When you give thanks in the midst of difficulty, you bring pleasure to God’s heart. He is looking for Christians who live in a realm of praise and thanksgiving where the enemy no longer has an ability to hold or manipulate that person. Satan is defeated when we have a thankful heart because thankfulness during difficulty is a sacrifice pleasing to God.”

(Quoted from ‘Thanksgiving: The Power of a Thankful Heart’  Read the entire article here.)

Be joyful always;
pray continually;
give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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Heavenly Father, I pray that I will choose to be thankful in ALL things no matter what things look like around me… that I will always be looking for the good that You are doing in the midst of it. Help me to be like Paul and live with a heart of thankfulness and thanks giving in ALL things. So that my sacrifice may be pleasing to you….In Jesus’ name AMEN!!!

**  http://trinitycleveland.org/biblechallenge

I Love To Praise

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Holy One, Father of the Earth
Create in me a pure heart
So I can come in Spirit and in Truth
To worship You that’s what I long to do

I love to praise
I love to lift Your Holy Name
From the rising of the sun
And going down of the same
Your name is great
I will bless You all my days
‘Cause I love to praise

Righteous One, Lover of my soul
Age to age, forever still the same
Your name is like the sweetest melody
Here with You is where I long to be

You are Holy
My lips shall always speak Your praise
You are Worthy
Forever I will always sing Your praise

Singer / Songwriter: Miss Natalie Grant

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Oh, how sweet it is when we choose to look at our lives and the blessings God has given us with praise.  Praise to the One Who is the Provider, the Healer, the Vindicator (and the list goes on).

Life is better when we choose to meditate on and be thankful for the good things in our lives. There is always, always something to be grateful for! I found this excerpt on what a difference being grateful can do for our lives….

“Gratitude has been linked to increased levels of happiness and life satisfaction. Giving thanks is one of the most powerful ways there is to increase your well-being.” (Click here to read a whole list quotes about gratitude.)

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.
— William Arthur Ward

When we choose to look at our blessings and praise the One Who blessed us, our whole perspective on life will change. I would much rather be looking at what God is doing instead of the circumstances surrounding me.

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Ephesians 5:20

We are to give thanks in all things…not that all things that happen in our lives will be good. However God promises to work them for our good. ALL things…not just some thing. It is in the hardest of circumstances that we can grow and learn the most and God is ALWAYS working…

But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.”
John 5:17 NLT

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Heavenly Father, I thank You that You are ALWAYS working and that You never sleep.  Thank You that You work ALL things for good for those who love You…and we do love You, Lord!  It is in the hard things that we become stronger and wiser.  So for this we give thanks for we become a better person because of them.  In Jesus’ name.  AMEN!!!

Made Me Glad

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I will bless the Lord forever
And I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
And He has set my feet upon a rock

I will not be moved, and I’ll say of the Lord
You are my Shield, my Strength, my Portion
Deliverer, my Shelter, Strong Tower
My very present Help in time of need

Whom have I in Heaven but You
There’s none I desire beside You

Songwriter ~ Miriam Webster / Performed by Darlene Zschech and Hillsong United

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Do you practice blessing the Lord on a daily basis…or only when things are going well in your life?  God calls us to count our blessings on a daily basis.  There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for!

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT

This does not mean that we are happy all the time or would choose our current circumstances.  When you are in the fire and walking through extremely difficult circumstances, it can be harder to look for the things in which to be thankful. However, God is always faithful in our circumstances when we choose to be thankful and look to Him and what He is doing in our lives.

When I focus on the yuck in my life, it doesn’t help me.  But when I focus on God and the blessings that are there in disguise, my perspective changes and I begin to see the things that He is doing.  I would much rather focus on what God is doing in my life than what the enemy is doing.  Then I can watch this promise unfold in my life.…

And we know that all things work together for good
to those who love God
to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Romans 8:28 KJV

I love the wording in this Scripture!  The first part, ‘And we know…,’ means we must know and believe that God will work whatever we are walking through for ‘good’. The next part that speaks to me is that God says He uses ‘ALL things’ (not just some things) but ALL things for good.  Keep looking for the ‘good’ in whatever you are going through.  He Who has promised is faithful.

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess,
for He Who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23

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Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are our Shield, our Strength and our Portion.  May we believe and receive it in Jesus name.  AMEN!!!

Life Of Praise

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I will love You, Lord, always
Not just for the things You’ve done for me
And I will praise You all my days
Not just for the change You’ve made in me

I’ll praise you for You are holy, Lord
And I’ll lift my hands, but You are worthy of so much more
For You are awesome, God of the Nations,
Lion of Judah, Rock of the Ages, Alpha, Omega
You’re worthy of all praise
More that these hands I’ll raise
I’ll live a life of praise

I will serve You, Lord, always
For You are my strength
When I am weak
I will never be afraid for You are my rock and You protect me

But I’ll praise You for You are holy, Lord
And I’ll lift my hands, but You are worthy of so much more

 Singer/Songwriter: Mark Hall along with Casting Crowns

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Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
Psalms 95:2-3

When I am weak and weary, all I need to do is put on a song of praise…it instantly gets my heart and my thoughts on the goodness of Jesus.  I have heard it said that ‘a heart full of gratitude begins when my sense of entitlement ends*’.  Even in the midst of the most difficult of circumstances we have so much to be thankful for!

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people
may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
2 Corinthians 4:15-16

It is in the hard stuff that we are renewed and strengthened day by day. God is our Strength when we are weary.

The LORD is my Strength and my Shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.
Psalm 28:7

When I think of strength and being strengthened I think of a mighty oak tree. May this poem about the mighty oak tree encourage you this day… I know it blessed me!

The Oak Tree
by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.

A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree’s leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing, Oak?
The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway
But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You’ll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me
Until today, I wasn’t sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I’ve found, with thanks to you
I’m stronger than I ever knew

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Heavenly Father, I thank You that when we are weak You are strong.  And that no matter what we are enduring we KNOW You are faithful!  In Jesus’ Name!!  Amen!!!

* quote from Steven Furtick

He Knows My Name

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Spent today in a conversation
In the mirror face to face with
somebody less than perfect
I wouldn’t choose me first if
I was looking for a champion
In fact I’d understand if
You picked everyone before me
But that’s just not my story

True to who You are
You saw my heart
And made
Something out of nothing

I don’t need my name in lights
I’m famous in my Father’s eyes
Make no mistake
He knows my name
I’m not living for applause
I’m already so adored
It’s all His stage
He knows my name oh, oh,
He knows my name oh, oh

I’m not meant to just stay quiet
I’m meant to be a lion
I’ll roar beyond a song
With every moment that I’ve got

True to who You are
You saw my heart
And made
Something out of nothing

He calls me chosen, free, forgiven, wanted, child of the King
His forever, held in treasure
I am loved
I don’t need my name in lights
I’m famous in my Father’s eyes

Singer/Songwriter: Francesca Battistelli along with Mia Fieldes, Seth Mosely

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This song speaks to me in so many ways….  Do we really know how precious we are to God??  It amazes me when I think about the details of my life and that He still chose me.  Me—a girl once so beaten down by life and caught up in the depths of despair.  But I am redeemed, I am chosen and He knows my name!

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved,
put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
Colossians 3:12

He knows who you are and He knows who you are meant to be…and, oh sweet sisters, you are so adored!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,
that we should be called children of God!
And that is what we are!
The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.
1 John 3:1

We don’t need applause from man or our name in lights.  We only need to live for an audience of One.  We were chosen by Him.

“Your Heavenly Father is the creator of the universe. God created all things. He is holy, righteous, omniscient, all knowing, loving, full of grace and mercy, and He calls you his child. You are a co-heir to the one and true God, and you will receive all the benefits that are attached to being an heir.”

(From Adored By God…by Karen Stubbs.)

Click here to read entire devotional.

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people.
You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession.
As a result, you can show others the goodness of God,
for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

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Father, thank You for seeing my heart and for making something out of nothing.  For choosing each one of us and calling us out of the darkness surrounding us and into Your wonderful light.  May we produce good fruit and remember each day that we are living for You.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen!!!

More Of You

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I made my castle tall
I built up every wall
This is my kingdom and it needs to fall
I want You and no one else
Empty me of myself
Until the only thing that’s left is

More of You
Less of me
Make me who I’m meant to be
You’re all I want all I need
You’re everything
Take it all I surrender
Be my King
God, I choose
More of You
Less of me

This life I hold so close
Oh, God, I let it go
I refuse to gain the world and lose my soul
So take it all—I abandon everything I am You can have it
The only thing I need is

All to You I surrender
All to You, my blessed Savior
I surrender all

 Singer/Songwriter ~ Colton Dixon with Ben Glover and David Garcia

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“I made my castle tall, I built up every wall…and it needs to fall….” This lyric gives me a visual of a sandcastle and reminds me of the parable in Matthew 7:24-27.

Everyone therefore who hears these words of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Everyone who hears these words of Mine, and doesn’t do them will be like a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.

If our lives are not built on the solid foundation of Jesus…it will quickly dissolve away much like the sand….

And they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer.
Psalms 78:35

I need more of HIM and less of me…. When I start to focus on myself and my circumstances more than focusing on God, I quickly dissolve into a puddle of despair with no hope.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 NIV

We must continue to focus on God and draw our strength in the journey from Him.

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Heavenly Father, all to You I surrender, my blessed Savior…I need more of You and less of me!  In Jesus’ name, Amen!!!

Something In The Water

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He said, I’ve been where you’ve been before
Down every hallway’s a slamming door
No way out, no one to come and save me
Wasting a life that the Good Lord gave you
Then somebody said what I’m saying to you
Opened my eyes and told me truth
He said, Just a little faith and it’ll all get better
So I followed that preacher man down to the river

And now I’m changed
And now I’m stronger
There must’ve been something in the water
Oh there must’ve been something in the water

Well I heard what he said and I went on my way
Didn’t think about it for a couple of days
Then it hit me like a lightning late one night
I was all out of hoping, all out of fight
Couldn’t fight back my tears so I fell on my knees
Saying, God, if You’re there come and rescue me
Felt love pouring down from above
Got washed in the water, washed in the blood

And now I’m singing along to ‘Amazing Grace’
Can’t nobody wipe this smile off my face
Got joy in my heart, angels on my side
Thank God Almighty I saw the light
Going to look ahead, no turning back,
Live everyday, give it all that I have
Trusted Someone bigger than me
Ever since the day that I believed

 Singer/Songwriter Carrie Underwood with Chris Stefano, Brett James

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What is your testimony?  What moment in your life comes to mind where you were changed COMPLETELY…?

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
Revelation 12:11 NLT

It is AMAZING what God can do with the broken pieces of your life.  I was about 22 when my life was changed completely by the love of God.  I can so relate to the desperation in this song where she says “God, if You’re there please come rescue me…”.  My life was in a million pieces and I had sunk into a pit of despair from years of poor choices.  It was then that I cried out in my desperation and God met me right where I was at and my life changed completely.

Oh, sisters, BELIEVE it!  There IS something in the water and it WILL change your life forever!

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11

I don’t even want to think of where my life would be today if I had not made the choice to surrender it in my desperation…. What we have been through, or are currently going through, will make us stronger.  Girls, He is more than able!

Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20 NLT

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Heavenly Father, I pray that in our moments of desperation that we will choose to cry out to You and surrender it all.  So that we may have a smile on our face and be singing of your AMAZING GRACE in Jesus’ name.  AMEN!

Brave

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The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You’re safe and sound and
Until now it’s where I’ve been

‘Cause it’s been fear that ties me down to everything
But it’s been love, Your love, that cuts the strings

So long, status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave

I am small
And I speak when I’m spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your Name
Just Your Name and I’m ready to jump
Even ready to fall

Why did I take this vow of compromise
Why did I try to keep it all inside

I’ve never known a fire that didn’t begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if you believe in me
That changes everything
So long, I’m gone

Singer/Songwriter Nichole Nordeman with Jay Joyce

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I had the gift of seeing Nichole Nordeman at the Women of Faith conference this past weekend in Denver, Colorado.  This song got me to thinking “What is status quo?” So I started doing some digging to find out about status quo and Christianity.  Here is what I found….

This excerpt, from Jane Morin, says it perfectly.  And she gives us examples of biblical people who dared to move beyond the safe way of living, a.k.a status quo, into a brave way of living.

“Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present current, existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep things the way they presently are. There is nothing wrong with the status quo when it pertains to certain areas of our lives. However, living a status quo Christian life is totally unacceptable. At least it was during the days of the bible. I can think of many biblical characters who dared to move beyond the status quo of their belief system.”

•The woman who knelt and touched the hem of Jesus garment so she could be healed. (Luke 8:43-44)

•John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. (John 1:23)

•David as he danced before the Ark of the Covenant throughout the kingdom to welcome back God’s presence. (1 Chronicles 15:29)

•Moses, when God used him through a series of plagues to set the Israelites free. (Exodus 9:14)

I could go on and on but I think you are getting the idea of what I am saying here. We have never been called to live in the cozy, Christian, comfort zone of life.”

(JaneMorin.com)

For we live by believing and not by seeing.
2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT

Living beyond the status quo of what you see and fully trusting God in whatever it is—is a brave way of living.  This is how we were meant to live…not in our safe little boxes where we are afraid to step into the unknown.  The situations you have no control over are the ones where God can shine the most and where miracles can happen.

I also had the gift of seeing Christine Caine and Lisa Bevere at this conference.  Here are a couple of things they said that struck me about living in a Higher Place beyond the status quo….

“It is time to grow up, ladies! What are you doing under your circumstances? Go to the Rock that is higher than I…”
Christine Caine

…From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I….
Psalm 61:2 ESV

“Status quo is no longer an option, you are bringing the threshold of heaven.”
Lisa Bevere

Will you be brave and trust God with the very details of your life?  The choice is ultimately ours.

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Heavenly Father, I pray for each lady reading this, and myself, that we will choose to live beyond the status quo and be brave in the unknown places and trust you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen!!!

Come To The River

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I’m torn between myself and Your Truth
These cursed memories, forever seeping through
My thirst for myself left me wanting more
‘Til I found myself facedown on Your shore

You say, Come to the river
Oh, and lay yourself down and let your heart be found
You say, Come to the river
Drink from the cup I pour and thirst no more

My restless heart led me astray
To my selfish pride I became my own slave
But You placed a thirst in me with no drink in sight
‘Cause I could not see ‘til I saw through Your eyes

Songwriters: Allen Salmon, Rhett Walker Canipe / Performed by Rhett Walker Band

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Have you ever been caught in this place?  “Torn between yourself and His Truth”?  I know I have….

This song has such powerful Truth in it.  A restless heart can lead you astray and to selfish pride you will become your own slave.  WOW!!!  Powerful words to consider….  Let’s see what God says about pride.

The pride of your heart has deceived you,
you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights,
you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’
Obadiah 1:3

A prideful heart leads to a restless heart where you can be lost to yourself.  When my heart is restless I must come to the river and drink from the cup of living water where I will thirst no more.

I love how this excerpt from this woman’s website describes God’s love penetrating a restless heart.  She writes:

“That’s the Trust He’s asking of me, to let His love, as deep and endless as the ocean, to hold me up, to let the wellspring of His heart meet my deepest needs.”

(http://www.arestlessheart.com/)

This is the very trust that God is asking of you and of me, too.  That the “wellspring of God’s heart will meet my deepest need.”  Once we know and embrace the love of the Father towards us we can then be satisfied in our deepest needs and we will thirst no more.

But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again.
It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.
John 4:14 NLT

God is calling us to come and drink from the endless river where we will thirst no more and let Him fill us up.  So many times in life we try and fill up those empty places with other things that will never satisfy us.  They aren’t meant to…only God can fill the empty places of the heart until we are completely satisfied.  Will you let Him?  The choice is ours.  He is waiting with open arms for us to take the first step. So He can tell His daughters how precious and valuable we are to Him.

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Heavenly Father, may my restless heart never lead me astray to where I become my own slave.  May I choose to drink of the Living Water where I will thirst no more.  In Jesus’ name!!  Amen!!