May 3, 2024

In You Alone

July 17, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in Him.
He alone is my Rock and my Salvation,
my Fortress where I will not be shaken.
My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my Refuge, a Rock where no enemy can reach me.
O my people, trust in Him at all times.
Pour out your heart to Him,
for God is our Refuge.
Psalms 62:5-8

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I read David’s writings daily.  Who can’t relate to an awesome king that loved God…yet was extremely human and sought forgiveness when he was wrong.  There is so much hope and healing in his writings and I find myself praying his words back to God.

David was a spiritual man and an extremely emotional one, too.  Many times he wrote these psalms out of his own feelings—feelings of amazement, fear, love, anger, and pain.  And this particular psalm was written in a time of disappointment, a time that David had been let down over and over.  If you have lived into adulthood, then you know how this feels.  It’s even harder when the person who disappoints you is a man or woman of God.  It can shake us off our firm foundation if we let it.

The person in David’s life was Saul and David’s eyes were opened as a teenager.  He couldn’t believe that someone could really go that far off the right path and let sin take him down so far.  Later in his life, David himself would slip, too.  No one is immune to sin and no one will ever walk a perfect journey here on earth—except Jesus!  Pastors will mess up. Friends in the congregation may stop coming. But good can from this…if we don’t let bitterness and resentment in.

The theme in this psalm of David’s is God alone.  He didn’t let bitterness come from his shattered expectations.  Instead he found hope in his Father.  He realized that the only constant on this earth is God.  Good people will hurt you and they will slip and sometimes they may never come back into God’s house again.  This shouldn’t sway you either way; and, if it does, it is time to do some reconnecting with God the Father.

Read verses 1-2 and 5-8 out loud.  Put the emphasis on every repetition of the words ‘God, He, and Him’.  Can you hear it?  See, because David poured out his heart to God, and he didn’t let it fester and build up, bitterness couldn’t take hold.  He had a hope and a rest in God.  In Hebrew, the word ‘hope’ means “a cord or an attachment.”  Everyone is holding onto something, or someone, for security.  Sometimes we hold onto a knotted rope and depend on whatever is on the other end to keep us from falling.

Picture that rope in your hands…
close your eyes and look up the rope…
who do you see on the other end?

Unless God is at the end of your rope, you’re about to fall…and you’re hanging on by a thread.  God alone can hold us up.  So the next time you allow someone to disappoint you, whisper two words to yourself—“God alone“.  When you decide to let that person off the hook and let God alone hold the other end of your rope, you will attach yourself to God’s strong arm.  He can hold you up over the deep and strong waves.  You will be secure enough to let one arm go free to help the person that disappointed you along the way, until he or she gets back on their feet.  And you will be able to say that it was worth all of the hard!  For you will really have found that your strength can only be found in Him.

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Let us pray:  Dear God, You are so great and You are fully able to do anything we ask or think according to Your will.  I am in awe of You.  Thank You for loving us so much and for sending Jesus to die in our place.  Oh God, forgive us when we place people above You and expect them to fulfill us…for only You can satisfy our every need.  Let us never forget that only You are perfect.  Help us to keep our eyes on You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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A New Name

July 10, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit
and understand what He is saying to the churches.
‘To everyone who is victorious,
I will give some of the manna
that has been hidden away in Heaven.
And I will give to each one a white stone,
and on the stone will be engraved a new name
that no one understands except the one who receives it.’
Revelation 2:17 NLT

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What kind of names do you call yourself?  When I was in trouble as a child, I was called by all my names, my FULL name.  I remember one time begging my mom to change my name to some name I read in a book. Eventually she convinced me that my name was carefully chosen when I was born and that it was given with love. When I looked up the meaning of “Kimberly”, it said something about a forest, or wood clearing…so I went to my middle name which is “Ann.”  It means grace.  Oh, do I need some!

But often times, we call ourselves lots of other names that really aren’t chosen for us at all, especially by our heavenly Father.  We may call ourselves ‘ugly’ or ‘stupid.’  Or maybe someone else called you something early on in your life, and it stuck and you can’t seem to get it out of your head.  If this is you today then I encourage you to write those names down on paper and one by one throw them away in the trash replacing them with the names that your Father has given you.  For example,

He has called you His beloved
He has called you a treasure
He has called you royalty
(But most importantly) He has called you loved, and He has called you His

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.”
Isaiah 43:1

At the end of this time here on earth, the Lord will give each of us a new name which will be written on a white stone.  The Bible tells us it will be a name that only Jesus knows.

That name will represent what Christ was to you, and only you, here on this earth.  What is He to you?  For me…

  • He is my Stronghold in times of trouble.
  • He is my Provider in times of need.
  • He is my Deliverer when I am in over my head
  • He is my patient, long-suffering Lord that loves me with all that He is.

{And the list really goes on and on depending on my circumstances.}

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If you don’t know all that He is to you then I challenge you to get to know His character.  Read His Word and get to know His heart for you.  At the end of each day, write down all that He was to you that day. As you journal, go back and see all the ways He saves you and loves you.  And if you don’t know Him at all…and you really want to…I ask that you pray this simple prayer with me and cross the line from death to life.  Pray this…

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner.  I need a Savior.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He died on the Cross to save me from my sins.  I want You to come into my life today and be my Lord.  Walk with me through this life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Keep Your Eyes On Me

July 3, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray.  Later that night, He was there alone, and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.  Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified.  “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”  “Lord, if it’s You,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to You on the water.”  “Come,” He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14:22-33 NIV

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How many times have you heard this story?  (If you’ve grown up in church, I know you’ve probably seen a felt board or two with this story demonstrated.)  These stories never get old though.

In this story, Jesus had just finished performing miracles and He sent His disciples on ahead of Him in a boat.  As they continued on, there came a storm and winds.  Then Jesus started to walk out there to them…yes…He walked on water.  In fact, the disciples thought He was a ghost!  The thing to remember is—Jesus knew that there was a storm coming but He sent them on anyway.  Maybe it was that He wanted to prove to them that He was stronger than any storm.

Jesus really is bigger than what you are going through.  And He knew, too, exactly where you would be today.  Are you going to trust Him?  What if He asks you to walk on water…like He asked Peter?  Would you stay afloat with your eyes on Him or would you sink in your circumstances?  Oh, friend, Jesus wants so much for you to trust Him, and to look to Him, and know that He is able to calm any storm or still those crashing waves around you.  Take that first step of faith today and walk out onto the water and meet your Savior!  Then, like Peter, you will say “Truly You are the Son of God!”

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Do you know Him?  He knows you and He wants you to know Him.  I hope you will pray this with me today…

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I need a Savior.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He died on the Cross for my sins.  So I ask You to come into my heart and be Lord of my life.  Help me to walk closer to You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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A Beautiful Jar of Clay

June 26, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

We now have this light shining in our hearts,
but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars
containing this great treasure.
This makes it clear that our great power
is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles,
but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed, but not driven to despair.
We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God.
We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
Through suffering, our bodies continue
to share in the death of Jesus
so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
2 Corinthians 4:7-11 NLT

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There is so much brokenness in this world.  Look at the headlines every day…Christians are being tortured daily; children are being taken from their mothers; there is hunger and poverty…and the list goes on.  I’m sure if you went anywhere today, you passed a wife that cries every night because her husband is leaving or a father who is working so hard yet not being able to provide.  I know hard…and I know the One Who mends the hearts of all these people.  It is Jesus.

I went through a really trying time when my kids were younger.  It was a time that sometimes I wish I didn’t have to remember.  The memories sometimes are too much and I find myself wanting to erase them all.  But as messy as I see it, God sees it as a ministry that will give others hope and faith.  If I made it through and found joy and peace and restoration on the other side, then so can you.

Read the verses above; a jar that has cracks and holes can allow light to enter in those places.  And, as His children, we are never crushed!  We will always be able to withstand because we have Him to hold us together.  If your story is not the one you would have written for yourself, then thank Him for it anyway.  Our God is good and all He gives is good.  Your story may save someone else one day.  And God says if one person meets Jesus because of your story, then it was all worth it.  It may mean the difference between life and death for that person.

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Now, more than ever, we need Him.  And reading and studying His Word will help you know Him more and know His true character.  I just want you to know that all hope is found in Jesus!  Do you know Him?  Are you tired of running and hurting?  He wants to save you!  I ask you to pray this prayer with me:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I need a Savior.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He died for my sins—all of them.  I want You to be Lord of my life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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He Is My Rock

June 19, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Since You are my Rock and my Fortress,
for the sake of Your Name, lead and guide me.
Psalm 31:3

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The verse today comes from one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Psalms.  Might I suggest that you read verses 1-8?  Here we see David asking God for deliverance from his enemies.  He is trudging along right now and life is really not going very good for him.  {Can you relate?}  See, back in the days of David, people were only aware of the hardships and trials that were going on right around them.  But today, we get to see worldwide disasters day-by-day on TV right in our kitchens!  We see so much violence and poverty and hatred that the good out there, well, it never makes the news.

So what does it do to us when we hear crisis after crisis?  Does it harden our hearts?  If so, don’t you think it is a defense—a wall that we have built around our hearts because of fear?  We build wall upon wall to keep from feeling the hurt.  But those same walls that keep things from coming in…they also keep love from coming out.  What if those walls become like a prison?  This is not what God wants for us.  He wants us to know that He is so able to help in our time of need.

We spend a whole lot of time, though, trying to avoid every kind of pain.  Including prayers begging God to deliver us or a friend or a family member from hardship that will cause them (or ourselves) hurt.  Isn’t that what God wants us to do—to ask? The answer is yes.  But the idea is not to live a life without any hurt and pain but rather to have God with us always…in the midst of it all…and to see His glory in all that happens around us.

Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.
Each time He said, “My grace is all you need.
My power works best in weakness.”
So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ can work through me.
That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults,
hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT

If God can bring glory to Himself without allowing us any pain, He really will!  But when He can’t, be ready for a little pain.  And know this: it will be worth it !!!

Yet what we suffer now is nothing
compared to the glory He will reveal to us later.
Romans 8:18 NLT

God sent Jesus to come so that we might have life and have it abundantly.  But living behind a wall of fear isn’t the life that God intended for us.  The walls that we have built to keep pain away must be replaced with God.  He is to be our Fortress and He alone can protect us from evil.  He is the Rock that we must build our home on and not on the shifting sand of this world.

And we must not become so hard that we forget to love and are not able to feel anything for others anymore.  God wants us to love and to love so much!  And when there is hurt and pain then we are to have compassion, and to call on His name.  He will come near—He promises.  Oh, I pray that we will not let this world change us; but that we will let God break down barriers to get to us.  May we remember that we will bend, but we will not break because we are His….

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Where are you today…are you living behind walls that need to come down?  Jesus can do this for you.  If you don’t have Him as your Savior, I hope today you will pray this simple prayer with me and cross the line to life!

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner.  I am so tired of hurting. I need forgiveness.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and He died for me on the Cross with my sins on Him.  He is the Savior and I want Him to be Lord of my life.  Come into my heart today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Are You A Mary Or Martha?

June 12, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
but only one thing is needed.
Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41 and 42

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I think of all the times I am Martha and I have chosen the things that can easily be taken away…and they have been.  I remember how important it was to entertain and have people over and show off all the beautiful things we had acquired; and I wasn’t putting Jesus anywhere in the mix.  And I sure had not sat at His feet that day.  Fast forward a few years and all the pretty things went away and Jesus became all that was important to me because I saw how fast and fleeting the material things of this world really are.  But Jesus is forever.

In this story in Luke, Jesus is visiting the home of the two sisters, and Martha had come to Him to complain about her sister Mary.

As Jesus and His disciples were traveling on their way,
they came to a village where a woman named Martha lived
and she opened her house to Him and she had a sister named Mary.
Jesus sat down in the home and began teaching in a secluded corner.
verses 38 and 39

The people are hanging on every word.  Mary is sitting at His feet just drinking in His Presence.  Martha is hurrying about, worrying about how everyone would get fed, where they would sit and how this would all come together for they were hosting Jesus!

But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.
She came to Him and asked,
“Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?
Tell her to help me!”
verse 40

Martha gets frustrated and interrupts this gathering to complain about her sister not helping and how all Mary is doing is sitting at His feet!  The others look up to Him to see how Jesus will react.  He tells her (verses 41-42) that Mary has chosen the right thing to do instead of being so busy—she sat at His feet first.  All the work will still be there when she gets finished hearing her Jesus but if she gets up too fast, she just might miss something important that Jesus might say to her.

Mary was preparing her heart for Jesus while Martha was running around.  She would grasp what little words she could hear Jesus say while she was serving everyone else.  But what does Jesus say is the right thing to do?  He says, “…Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her.”  Jesus cannot be taken from her.

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Can you relate to either of these women?  Which one are you?  If you don’t know, then pray that God will reveal it to you.  Ask yourself if you remember to sit at Jesus’ feet before you do anything else…or are you too busy to just be with Him…always in a hurry and forgetting to listen for His voice.  We need to remember that God is able to fix those things that we are so busy trying to fix if we will only stop trying and start trusting Him.  Trust Him today, friend.  And if you don’t know Jesus or maybe you just haven’t made Him Lord of your life, I pray that you will join me in this sinners prayer.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner.  I need a Savior.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and He died to save me from my sins.  I ask for forgiveness today.  Will You, Jesus, come into my heart today and be my Lord?  I want to know more about You as we walk together through life.  Thank  You for loving me and for forgiving me.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Be Bold

June 5, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

And He said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.  And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Luke 11:5-13

Jesus is never annoyed with your prayers—the bolder they are the better—because you are saying that He truly can do anything!  In this account, the disciples had just asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (see Luke 11:1).  Then Jesus tells them this parable of the persistent friend.  So in Jesus words, He is saying to them: pray often and pray boldly.  And He tells us the very same thing.

In this story, neighbors are friends, not strangers.  In the Greek language, a friend means ‘to share common interests’, so the seeker friend wasn’t asking anything that would go against the interest of the giver friend!  Now the giver friend may have wanted to wait until the morning, but he wasn’t against giving his friend all he needed.  Jesus is our Friend and, if we spend time with Him and truly get to know Him, we will know more about Him and our wants will most likely go along with what He wants for us.  Yet sometimes we do ask for things that aren’t right for us or maybe it’s not right at this very time and so the answer is ‘no’.  God isn’t saying that He will give us anything we ask in His name just because we are bold enough to ask.  Remember, friends don’t ask of one another what they would be opposed to giving.  And friends know one another so well that they know if what they are asking is okay  to ask.

Is there something that you are praying for today? Don’t be afraid to be bold.  Don’t ever think that Jesus will get tired of hearing the same request over and over because He never tires of hearing your voice.  I do prayer walks when I am really seeking something from Him.  I make a circle around it and I keep on asking until the miracle happens.  Remember, our timing is not His so don’t lose hope!  Be bold today!

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And if you don’t know this Jesus that I am speaking about, I would love for you to get to know Him today.  He is a life changer for sure and You will never be the same.  Would you pray this prayer with me?

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner.  My life feels so out of control.  I need You in my life.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son and that He came to die for me so that I can spend eternity with You in Heaven.  I want Jesus to come into my heart.  Please walk with me through this life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Empty Vessels

May 22, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

Three days later there was a wedding in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. Jesus and His disciples were guests also. When they started running low on wine at the wedding banquet, Jesus’ mother told Him, “They’re just about out of wine.”  Jesus said, “Is that any of our business, Mother—yours or mine? This isn’t My time. Don’t push Me.”  She went ahead anyway, telling the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.”  Six stoneware water pots were there, used by the Jews for ritual washings.  Each held twenty to thirty gallons.  Jesus ordered the servants, “Fill the pots with water.”  And they filled them to the brim.  “Now fill your pitchers and take them to the host,” Jesus said, and they did.  When the host tasted the water that had become wine (he didn’t know what had just happened but the servants, of course, knew), he called out to the bridegroom, “Everybody I know begins with their finest wines and after the guests have had their fill brings in the cheap stuff.  But you’ve saved the best till now!”  This act in Cana of Galilee was the first sign Jesus gave, the first glimpse of His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.

John 2:1-11 MSG

Jesus performed many miracles during His time here on earth yet the one He performed at Cana is still the most awesome wonder of them all.  For Jesus filled the empty vessels with only good.

Nothing destroys life like emptiness.  Those hollow places, holes really, inside of us never lay dormant for long.  They just keep sucking the life out of us and out of anything that gets close to us.  And left to our own device, we will self-destruct.  Even believers struggle with this and battle those feelings of emptiness.  We can know that eternal life is ours, and yet never be actually filled with the love of God.  You may have a whole lot of knowledge of who He is yet not really know Him personally.

Please listen close…If Jesus has not been asked to fill all the empty spaces in our lives, we may be saved but, friend, we are not safe!  There is nothing in this world that can satisfy you and truly give you the abundant joy that Jesus came to give!  If we are honest with ourselves, we can probably list a few things that we have tried to satsify and fill ourselves with.

But today, let’s do something different.  Let’s take action!  Like this:

  • Being filled starts with being honest with yourself about what is missing.  Just as Mary told Jesus that there was a problem with the empty pitchers, we must also tell Him what is missing in our lives.  Tell Him every attempt you have made to fill the emptiness with other things, aside from Him.  Name people and things that have left you disappointed, feeling neglected, and unloved.  And tell Jesus what it cost you to keep looking for love and acceptance and healing in all the wrong places.
  • Then, when you have told Him all your needs, ask Jesus to fill you with His love and to overflow into those hollow places with the Holy Spirit.  Not just today but every day from here on out!

When we let Jesus have it all, fill us up with His love, others will see and they, too, will want what you have.  Just like those empty jars at the wedding, Jesus can fill us up with the good stuff!  He only has good stuff to give.  And you know what? He will never be surprised at your needs! He is so willing to be yours, all you have to do is ask…

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Do you know Jesus?  Are you trying every way that you know how to fill the emptiness in your heart?  You don’t have to anymore.  I ask that you pray this simple prayer with me:

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I am in need of a Savior.  I believe that Jesus is Your Son, and You sent Him to die for my sins and He is the Savior of the world.  I ask that You come into my heart today to be my Lord and Savior.  Help me to grow and learn more about You each day.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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But God Knows

May 15, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

When Joseph was taken to Egypt by the Ishmaelite traders, he was purchased by Potiphar, an Egyptian officer. Potiphar was captain of the guard for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.  The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.  Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did.  This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned.  From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake. All his household affairs ran smoothly, and his crops and livestock flourished.  So Potiphar gave Joseph complete administrative responsibility over everything he owned. With Joseph there, he didn’t worry about a thing—except what kind of food to eat!

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded.”  As you can imagine, Joseph didn’t do what she wanted and it angered her…so she set him up and made it look like he came onto her.

Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her.  So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.  But the Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.  Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison.  The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

excerpts from Genesis 39 NLT
(click here to read the complete account.)

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I should tell you that this story didn’t begin here…. Joseph was born into a family of lots of brothers and, of all of them, he was his father’s favorite.  Oh, how Jacob loved him!  It was because of this that his brothers sold him into slavery one day and let his father believe he was dead.  But God was always with Joseph and caused Joseph to succeed in everything he did.  The Lord was always glorified because Joseph pointed it all back to Him.

Joseph could have slept with Potiphar’s wife and Potiphar may never have ever found out about it…but God would have known.  And I am pretty sure that Joseph wouldn’t have been as successful either and all that hardship wouldn’t have been turned into blessing.  Aren’t we tempted every day with something that we could easily get away with…

  • No one would know if we didn’t keep that secret that we promised we would…but God does.
  • No one would know that we didn’t tell the whole truth on an application and who is really going to check if we finished college…but God does.
  • And is that friend calling you to meet her going to know that you don’t really have a doctor’s appointment? Probably not…but God does.  And when it comes time that you really need His supernatural favor, it may not come as easily.

Joseph lived a righteous life. I’m not saying that he was without sin, but his intentions and his heart were always in line with God’s Will.  And because of this, Joseph was eventually saved from prison (Genesis 40) and became a very important person to Pharaoh.

And those brothers that wanted to get rid of him?

Now Joseph was the governor of the land,
the person who sold grain to all its people.
So when Joseph’s brothers arrived,
they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
Genesis 42:6

Be all that you know that God wants you to be. Always stay in His Word and you will know what He expects.  And the Lord will help you succeed in all that you do.

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Do you know Him?  If you are wanting Jesus to be your Savior, then pray this prayer with me.

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I need forgiveness.  I know that Jesus is Your Son and He died to save me.  I ask that You come and be my Lord, to live in my heart and life.  Help me walk through this life the way You want me to.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Let It Go

May 1, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

I am of the opinion that there is no comparison
between the pain of this present time
and the glory which we will see in the future.
Romans 8:18 BBE

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Spring seems to be a time of deep cleaning and emptying out the places that only you can really see.  You know the ones, right? Everything seems to be in order on the outside, but if we really go into cabinets and drawers, there’s stuff that needs to be thrown away and papers that need to be shredded…and so on and so on.  ‘Organized clutter’ that’s what I used to call it.

Same with our lives sometimes.  There are so many things we are holding onto and our minds are so cluttered that we have a hard time just enjoying the present. And if you are sentimental, like I am, it is hard to let it all—the good and the bad— go.  When we think of the phrase ‘let go and let God,’  we tend to lean toward thinking about letting our past mistakes and sins go, and  not to dwell on them…and that is definitely right!  But…we also need to let go of the days that we loved so much, the awesome times that we cherished, so that we can truly enjoy the life that is ahead of us.  For me that means the house that I loved so much—the one where I strolled my babies around the lake, and had picnics in the park.  It can still be a good memory but it cannot be what I dwell on and long for.

God has so much more for us here and now.  Our lives are full of purpose and meaning.  We are His children and every day of our lives is His beautiful masterpiece.  The past is the past.  The future is the future.  And today? It is the “present”…the gift that unwraps minute by minute, so full of His blessings and joy and opportunity to share Him with so many.

I have lost a lot in the past and for a while I truly yearned and mourned for those things; so much so that I couldn’t even look at pictures from that time.  God heals those broken places and redeems them with so much more than we could ever imagine or hope for!

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

My prayer for us today is that we don’t want what we have lost so much that we miss what we have.  And that we will always see the blessings in each day as well as all the ways He loves us today. What do you need to let go of?  Is there pain in the hidden places?  Or maybe there are so many good memories you long for that you can’t see the beauty in today?

God knows your heart and He is willing to help you in anyway you need.  He is the Healer of our hearts and the Lover of your soul.  He is so good at helping us clean out the clutter so that we can see more clearly and hear His voice above all.  If anxiety is haunting you today, here are some verses for you to claim:

When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
Psalm 94:19

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
Matthew 6:34

Trust in Him at all times,
pour your heart out to Him,
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8

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And if you don’t know Him, and you want Jesus to be your Lord, would you pray this simple prayer with me?

Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I believe that Jesus is Your Son and You sent Him to die for me and to forgive my sins.  Thank You for what You are about to do in my life.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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