November 7, 2024

Not Worrying Doesn’t Mean Don’t Plan

January 28, 2015 by

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So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.
Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Matthew 6:34

Worrying refers to negative thoughts about something that has not yet happened.  We often use our imaginations to sift through all the possible outcomes.  And we usually attempt to come up with solutions to things that have yet to happen—and may never happen.

I feel to some extent worry can be healthy.  Worry can draw attention to areas in our lives that may need some attention.  For example, if you constantly worry about money, then you should take a look at your finances:  Are you handling your finances in a godly way?  Are you worried about your future?  Have you stopped to consider and talk with God about what He would have you do?

Worrying often comes from us depending on ourselves instead of the Lord. If we are depending on the Lord in every area of our life, then there is no need for us to worry!  Planning, on the other hand IS something we can do.  Here’s an example:  if you know that you make “X” amount of money each week and you have “X” amount of bills to pay each week, then making a budget for the upcoming weeks is not worrying; it’s called planning.

Planning is essential to our well-being.  God said in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you…”  God thought it was a good idea to have a plan for us; so we, too, should have plans in our lives.

Notice I didn’t say “plan our lives”…I said, “plans IN our lives.”

Only God can plan our lives. The Bible says, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).

Planning IN our lives can be as simple as setting an alarm to go off in the morning.  Setting time aside to read your Bible or do the dishes.  Planning is opening a savings account (and using it).  In the past week, the weather has been rather cold.  I know my car does not like the cold.  My dad has told me time and time again to make sure that I start my car everyday when it is really cold outside.  This isn’t worrying…it is planning.

You might even say that planning goes hand-in-hand with common sense. Something else I have noticed is that worrying can be a result of LACK of planning.  Oh, you know…you start to worry if you will finish your 9 page paper on time because you waited until the night before to start it.  With a little planning, the worry could have been avoided.  Procrastination is worry’s best friend. (And I know this from experience.)  Don’t be afraid to make plans.  Ask the Lord where He would lead you.  Just…don’t worry!

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Lord, help us to plan in our lives for the days to come and to be able to balance this planning so that it does not turn into worrying.  Let us hold our lives loosely knowing that even the best of plans are subject to change when You grab hold of them.  Let us not be so stubborn as to refuse to waver from the plans we have and to willingly follow where You would lead us. Amen.

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Staying in the Presence

January 27, 2015 by

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Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow,
because tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34 HCSB

One of my favorite quotes is…
“Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do,
but it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

We look at the past and worry about what has happened.  We look to the future and borrow trouble worrying about what will happen.  Neither is helpful…and neither gets us anywhere.

How many times have you heard the phrase “One day at a time…”? Hundreds, maybe even thousands?  It sounds trite but it is exactly what we need to do—take one day at a time.  But HOW do we do that?  By staying in His Presence. Philippians 4:6 gives us the best advice and provides step-by-step instructions for staying in His Presence.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.

When we quit worrying—and instead—tell God everything, we shift our burdens to Him.  Psalm 55:22 (NLT) reminds us to “Give your burdens to the Lord, and He will take care of you.”  He will take care of us.  He is in control.  All we need to do is ask.  That is where telling Him what we need comes in.  John 11:22 (AMP) says “And even now I know that whatever You ask from God, He will grant it to You.” (BTW – God already knows what we need, but He likes to hear us ask.  It opens a conversation with Him.)

As we begin to thank God for all He has done, it causes us to reflect back on our life.  Psalm 77:11 (NLT) encourages us to recall what He has done and remember the miracles He has performed in our lives.

But then I recall all You have done, O Lord;
I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago.

In reflection, we can see all the times God has been there for us…we see His mighty hand at work…we recall His great grace, His faithfulness, and His unending love.  Then we know with assurance Who holds our future.

Psalm 85:9a (AMP) states “Surely His salvation is near to those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him….”  When we remain in His Presence, we have no need to worry.  He knows the plans He has for us…plans that give us hope (Jeremiah 29:11).  So let’s stop the worry and enjoy this day in His Presence.

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Tomorrow Is Another Day

January 26, 2015 by

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Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34

“Tomorrow is another day!”  For those of us who have watched Gone with the Wind (…watched it several times), how often do we remember hearing Scarlett O’Hara utter those words?  Whenever she is faced with a problem she can’t solve right then and there, she says she will think about it tomorrow.  She pushes it off until the next day.  She refuses to face it right then and there.  She knows that she has other problems to face during the rest of the day, and that tomorrow is another day.  It must be nice to put things off until tomorrow.  Scarlett was always putting her faith in what the next day would bring.

We should be thinking about what is in front of us today.  We should not be putting it off until the next day.  We are not promised tomorrow.  Our last moments could come at any time.  Our unfinished problems become someone else’s to handle when we don’t take care of them ourselves.  We have enough to worry about in one day.  We should not pile today’s worries onto tomorrow.  That will only make tomorrow, which should be a better day than the one before, worse.

Scarlett, however, is a fictional character.  A character in a book and a movie.  She can place her worries on the next day and the next and the next.  Through the words on the page and pictures on a screen, she will never die.  Yet, we are mortal.  We will die one day.  Worrying about tomorrow does not help us enjoy life.  Trying to shove our worries for today onto tomorrow will only makes the problem worse and dampens the next day.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hebrews 11:1

For those of us with strong faith in God, we do not have to worry about today or tomorrow.  God has everything in control.  We cannot see what tomorrow will bring.  We do know what will happen tomorrow if we have an appointment or something else scheduled.  However, we do not know what will happen around those planned parts of our day. We cannot control what will happen during the day.  Only God can.  Through faith we know that tomorrow will be there. Through faith, we hope and pray that we will see tomorrow. Faith gives us the certainty that what we can’t see or touch really does exist.  Unlike Scarlett, we do have to live in the here and now.

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Dear Heavenly Father: Thank You for worrying about tomorrow for us.  Thank You for being our Rock and Foundation.  With You we can tackle whatever is thrown at us today and prepare for the next day.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Trust Do Not Worry

January 25, 2015 by

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But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.
Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Matthew 6:33-34 ESV

Worry.  We come by it so easily. I do not think we as women have to be trained…it seems to come so naturally.  If we worry, it means that we do not have faith that God can take care of things in our lives. The easy things, sure; but the major things…do we trust those to Him.

As we have watched our parents walk through life, we have observed how they were able to get through hard times and good times. We have watched them worry and saw while they coped with issues…whether they trusted God or not. My parents went through a lot of hardships in their lives. Mom was the oldest of three girls; and Dad was the middle of five children. They were born during the Depression Era.  So I am sure there was plenty of worry in the households they grew up in.

As they aged, they each found their way in the world.  Mom ran away several times…Dad did, too.  Mom always found a way to support herself and Dad joined the Army.  They met and were married.  Dad worked at a saw mill while mom stayed home. She worked part-time at a veterinarian clinic which she truly loved!  They were poor and worried how to make ends meet. Mom and Dad always were able to provide for us.

Likewise, God provides for us.  All we have to do is trust Him.  As our parents provided for us, and we provide for our families, God will provide.

All we have to do is ask and trust that God will be there.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, help us to seek You when things trouble us…to bring even the tiniest things to You.  When they seem too small, help us remember it is not so. You want to be a Friend to us and friends share all thoughts, feelings, and hurts.  Thank You for wanting to be that Friend to us!  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Heal Me, O Lord

January 24, 2015 by

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A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse—after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak.  For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.”  Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.  Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?”  And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”  And He looked around to see the woman who had done this.  But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.

Heal me, O Lord
And I will be healed
Save me and I will be saved
Heal me, O Lord
And I will be healed
For You are the One I praise
You are the One I praise

Singer / Songwriter ~ Don Moen along with the Hosanna Music singers

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Week Two…Jesus’ Words on Faith (Mark 5:24-34)

January 23, 2015 by

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 …And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,
And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.
She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,
For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.
And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.
And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?
And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?
Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.
But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

Mark 5:24–34 AMP

This week the daily devotions here on the Seeking Him daily devotional blog have focused on Jesus’ words on faith from this record in the Gospel of Mark…

So much to glean and to learn here! Whenever I read or hear this passage, I am immediately drawn to the thoughts and the actions of this woman. She had FAITH…and she acted upon it!

Listen to what Tina, Laura, Cynda, Ann, and Ahmee had to share earlier this week….

In Your Faith, Cynda wrote,

“I got to thinking…if Jesus came
to give us an abundant, overflowing life,
why aren’t we experiencing that kind of life?

I think Mark 5:34a (NLT) holds the key:

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.

Our faith must be exercised to have an abundant, overflowing life.  Faith is based on knowing God & studying His words.  Joyce Meyer says “God’s Word is like medicine for the spirit, soul, and body.”  We must apply God’s Word and put our faith into action.  That’s what this woman did.”

❦

Tina reminded us, in Your Faith Has Made You Free, of the courage of this woman who had faith to approach Jesus for healing.

And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me,
springing from faith in God) has restored you to health.
Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed
from your [distressing bodily] disease.
Mark 5:34

“The woman had heard of Jesus’ miraculous healing power and out of her desperation, she knew she would probably die if she did not find someone to cure her…Getting the courage to touch His robe in the crowd, she knew she could get into trouble if found out.  Women were and are still thought of as property.  But Jesus did not rebuff her.  He wanted her to have faith in telling her story to everyone that she was healed just by touching His robe.”

❦

Ahmee reminded us in A Single Choice, of the importance of making choices based upon the guidance of God and God’s Word.

“A single choice can change your life for better or for worse.  Big decisions and small decisions can have catastrophic results.  The choices we make today form our habits for our tomorrows.  The choices we make today influence who will be in our tomorrows.  The choice this woman made (in this passage from Mark chapter 5) changed her life!  For twelve years—everyday—she bled.  She’d tried getting help from doctors, but to no avail.  And she had spent everything she had.   As I read this I wondered if she went to Jesus only because she had run out of other options.  Was it desperation that pulled her to Him?  Is this not so often the case, though? Regardless of why… she still made the choice and that’s the part that matters.

Choose. And make sure they are wise choices.“

❦

In Faith That Brings Peace, Ann posed some important questions regarding making good decisions to step out in faith.

“This lady knew that ‘if only I can touch Jesus’ hem of His garments…all will be well for me.’  She took a step of faith and broke protocols of that time by maneuvering through the crowd and found herself amidst the disciples (men) and touched Jesus.

On its own, it was not proper for a woman to be brushing shoulders with men; she didn’t mind what people would say about her.  All she was concerned with was that she would be healed.  I therefore urge each one of us to be a people of vision.  Let us also ask ourselves these questions below:

  • What is it that we want God to do for us
  • How are we drawing near to Him for Him to help us
  • How much time do we have for God
  • Do we believe He can do it
  • How great is He to heal us and free us from suffering”

❦

And  in Healing Power, Laura shared with us the faith in action of some folks from her home church who are endeavoring to have faith as they go through some hard times.

“One of our church members was involved in a bad car accident this week.  He was in very bad shape.  He was paralyzed from the neck down and was having trouble breathing.  The family asked for prayers….

The power of prayer and faith in God has helped this follower of Jesus to improve.  Faith and prayer is hopefully going to bring this family through this season in their life.  …However, I believe that they have faith like the woman in this record in the Gospel of Mark.  They have been praying, and he is slowly starting to improve (at last update).

To have faith strong as this is a blessing to any family.  Faith this strong can bring the healing power of God to anybody.  This is what Jesus wants from us—full faith in Him.  He wants us to rely on Him.  He died for us…we should all be able to rely on Him no matter the season or the trial ahead of us.”

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Your Faith Has Made You Free

January 22, 2015 by

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And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me,
springing from faith in God) has restored you to health.
Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed
from your [distressing bodily] disease.
Mark 5:34

(To read the context, please click this link.)

Can you imagine those who live with chronic pain being freed from it forever? I know plenty of people who would love for this to happen. People look for the cure everywhere except for going to their Father in heaven who can heal.  Does He always?  No.  We will probably never know why.  It is not for us to know all of the answers.

The woman had heard of Jesus’ miraculous healing power and out of her desperation, she knew she would probably die if she did not find someone to cure her. If she were a single woman and had spent all of her money on finding a cure, this was her last hope. Getting the courage to touch His robe in the crowd, she knew she could get into trouble if found out. Women were and are still thought of as property. But Jesus did not rebuff her. He wanted her to have faith in telling her story to everyone that she was healed just by touching His robe.

Remember in the Old Testament, Elisha the prophet was like that…people would touch his bones and come alive!

Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man’s body into Elisha’s tomb.
When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet.
2 Kings 13:21

Elisha was a holy man of God…one of His great prophets.  And then there was Peter…his shadow would fall across people and they would be healed.  What a great testimony of one of the disciples that loved Jesus!
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, help us have faith in Your Word.  Like the man asking Jesus to heal his daughter, ‘If you can’ and Jesus saying that  He can only do it if the man had faith. The father responded, “I believe, help my unbelief’.” We want that. You are our Sovereign God. There is none like You. Thank You for loving us more than anyone on earth ever could.  Forgive us and help us to show grace to others. Thank You for always being there and never leaving us. Thank You for second chances!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Your Faith

January 21, 2015 by

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And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years,
And who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse.
She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment,
For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.
And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment.
And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes?
And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?
Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it.
But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.
And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.

Mark 5:25 – 34 AMP

And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
Luke 8:48 NASB

Recently, John 10:10 has come to my attention a lot!

The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have and enjoy life,
and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
Amplified Bible version

I got to thinking…if Jesus came
to give us an abundant, overflowing life,
why aren’t we experiencing that kind of life?

I think Mark 5:34a (NLT) holds the key:

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.

Our faith must be exercised to have an abundant, overflowing life.  Faith is based on knowing God & studying His words.  Joyce Meyer says “God’s Word is like medicine for the spirit, soul, and body.”  We must apply God’s Word and put our faith into action.  That’s what this woman did.

Look at Mark 5:28 (AMP) –

For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.

This woman took action.  She reached out in faith—her faith was in Jesus. Why? Well, Old Testament Scripture states:

He sends forth His word and heals them
and rescues them from the pit and destruction.
Psalm 107:20 AMP

Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses)
and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment],
yet we [ignorantly] considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities;
the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him,
and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.
Isaiah 53:4-5 AMP

For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 30:17a AMP

Jesus is Jehovah Rapha—The Lord Who Heals.  But we can’t just have faith in Him.  Our faith needs to be put into action.  Otherwise, it is like getting a headache and having pain reliever…but not taking it.  It doesn’t do you much good.  Neither does our faith if we don’t use it.  Our faith, when put into action, honors Christ.  In return, Christ puts His royal seal on our faith.  And the end result?  Healing and peace.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You so much for being our Healer.  Help us put our faith into action so that we may live in the promise of an abundant, overflowing life.  May our faith always bring honor and glory to You.  In Your Holy Name – Amen, it is so!

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Faith That Brings Peace

January 20, 2015 by

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Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.
Go in peace and freed from suffering.”
Mark 5:34

Jesus went about doing good in His ministry.  Each and every time He healed the sick, He would release them with some grace.

In our Scripture reference today we see the lady being healed and at the end Jesus said, “Your faith has healed you, go in peace and freed from suffering.”  In this Scripture we see that if it wasn’t for faith this lady would not have benefitted from the presence of Jesus on earth.  You know what, sisters—we can attain all things when we have faith.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for….
Hebrews 11:1 KJV

This lady knew that ‘if only I can touch Jesus’ hem of His garments…all will be well for me.’  She took a step of faith and broke protocols of that time by maneuvering through the crowd and found herself amidst the disciples (men) and touched Jesus.

On its own, it was not proper for a woman to be brushing shoulders with men; she didn’t mind what people would say about her.  All she was concerned with was that she would be healed.  I therefore urge each one of us to be a people of vision.  Let us also ask ourselves these questions below:

  • What is it that we want God to do for us
  • How are we drawing near to Him for Him to help us
  • How much time do we have for God
  • Do we believe He can do it
  • How great is He to heal us and free us from suffering

There are times we need to fast, pray, and believe God for a miracle.  As well as have faith that whatsoever we pray for we shall have it (Mark 11:24-25).  Sometimes we just need to make bold decisions. Such as going for ‘Esther-type’ of prayer when you have husband at home whom we can’t deny matrimonial rights.  Except for the time of fasting (1 Corinthians 7:5) you excuse yourself to that.

We see also this type of faith in Mark 10:52 where Jesus healed blind Bartimeaus, who later followed Jesus. Let us follow Jesus always—we know what He is capable of doing!  Let us not doubt anything.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, thank You for Your Word at the right time.  Thank You for You made it possible for us to study these Scriptures which show us how great You are and that you operate well when we have faith.  We thank You for You stand by Your Word that without faith we can’t please You.  As You are pleased with our faith, Lord, do unto us what we need not…what we want.  We ask all this in Jesus’ name Amen.

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Healing Power

January 18, 2015 by

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But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her,
came and fell at His feet and, trembling with fear, told Him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.
Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Mark 5:32-34

There are many families around us that are dealing with diseases and lasting injuries. These diseases and injuries drain the life out of many people.  The make life miserable, and they can make people wish for a better life.  These traumas also make people wonder… ‘Why did this happen? What is the reason?’  Only God knows, but it is up to us as humans to persevere through it.

One of our church members was involved in a bad car accident this week.  He was in very bad shape.  He was paralyzed from the neck down and was having trouble breathing.  The family asked for prayers.  Prayers went through the church.  As of the last update, he was being moved to another hospital, and was off the ventilator and breathing better.  However, he is still in critical condition.

The power of prayer and faith in God has helped this follower of Jesus to improve. What is so moving about this is that he had just challenged church members about their giving and tithing; then two days later…he is in a car wreck.  Through the prayers of family and church members he is improving, though still in critical care.

Faith and prayer is hopefully going to bring this family through this season in their life.  They are prepared for the Lord’s decision, and they are praying for the best for their loved one.  They have a long road ahead of them if improvement continues. However, I believe that they have faith like the woman in this record in the Gospel of Mark.  They have been praying, and he is slowly starting to improve (at last update).

To have faith strong as this is a blessing to any family.  Faith this strong can bring the healing power of God to anybody.  This is what Jesus wants from us—full faith in Him.  He wants us to rely on Him.  He died for us…we should all be able to rely on Him no matter the season or the trial ahead of us.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father:  Thank You for Your love and healing.  Our faith in You keeps us strong and heals our hearts.  Without You, we would not be healed, and we would remain broken.  Thank You for fixing us and being in a relationship with us.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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