June 17, 2025

Weapons of God

April 30, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

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This past weekend I had the joy of enjoying the Priscilla Shirer simulcast from Huntsville, Alabama.  I love Ms. Shirer; she is funny and she understands the Bible very clearly.  She has this way about her that makes you think about the Bible in a totally different perspective.  This past weekend her topic was on the armor of God.

God is greater than all in the world.  He is greater than man and greater than all disasters and sin on the earth.  It is hard to protect ourselves from the world.  Yet, when we accept God we are from God. He sends us to spread His message, and we must be prepared.  The armor of God is a set of weapons that we can use to protect ourselves with and be part of the one who is greater than us.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,
with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,
with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me
so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in chains.
Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Ephesians 6:14-20

Our weapons are spiritual.  If we gird ourselves with the Truth of God we can’t be touched.  All we have to do is have faith in God and His Living Word—Jesus.  We are made ready when we get into the Word of God.  The Word of God is our Shield and Sword.  The Word of God protects us by teaching us how God wants us to live.  It is the Sword that lets us protect ourselves from the enemy.  Prayer is one of the greatest weapons…it is our direct line to God.  We can praise Him and ask Him for anything when we pray to Him.

All we have to do is become part of God and put on His armor.  His armor—truth, love, faith, the Word of the living God, and prayer—are the weapons that we are equipped with to protect ourselves from sin and to spread the good news about God to others.  The armor shields us from sin and allows us to be godly example to others.

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Dear Heavenly Father: I put on Your armor when I step out of the door every day.  I remember Your words and let them guide me.  I let Your truths wash over me and cleanse me.  Your Spirit is my Sword and salvation.  Without it, the world would consume me.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Greater

April 30, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Bring your tired
Bring your shame
Bring your guilt
Bring your pain
Don’t you know that’s not your name
You will always be much more to me
Every day I wrestle with the voices
That keep telling me I’m not right
But that’s all right

‘Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed
When others say I’ll never be enough
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world
In the world
In the world
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world

Bring your doubts
Bring your fears
Bring your hurt
Bring your tears
There’ll be no condemnation here
You are holy, righteous, and redeemed

Every time I fall
There’ll be those who will call me
A mistake
Well that’s ok

There’ll be days I lose the battle
Grace says that it doesn’t matter
‘Cause the Cross already won the war
He’s Greater
He’s Greater

I am learning to run freely
Understanding just how He sees me
And it makes me love Him more and more
He’s Greater
He’s Greater

MercyMe
written by: Bart Millard, Nathan Cochran, Barry Graul, Mike Scheuchzer, Robby Shaffer, along with David Garcia, Ben Glover

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Will you sing this truth along with me…

“…Greater is the One living inside of me than he who is living in the world!”

Declare it!  Confess it!  Proclaim it!  Believe it!  This truth needs to be deep in our hearts.  It has nothing to do with anything that you or I, my friend, can accomplish…it is ALL because of Jesus.

Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him]
and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist],
because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 AMP

 I have been crucified with Christ;
and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 2:20

There are times (and there will be more times) when we are tempted to deny this truth….  So you lost the battle today; not such a big deal!

“Grace says that it doesn’t matter ’cause the Cross already won the war!”

When we are willing to accept this grace we can be free.  Free to be just exactly who God (in Christ) has made us to be!

  • We are set free from bondage and slavery to sin

It was for freedom that Christ set us free;
thereforekeep standing firm
and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 5:1

  • We are free from condemnation

Therefore there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
For what the Law could not do…God did: sending His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin….
Romans 8:1-3

  • We are alive to God and dead to sin

  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead,
is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all;
but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin,
but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:8-11

  • We are seated with Him now…and for eternity

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh,
indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
even when we were dead in our transgressions,
made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
and raised us up with Him,
and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the ages to come He might show
the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:1-7

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Heavenly Father, how good and kind You are to us!  For all You have provided for us through Your Son, our Lord, we are so thankful!  Truly we are free indeed ’cause “greater is the One Who is living in us than he who is living in the world”!   We do get distracted and tempted to forget this Truth…please help us to remember!  Thank You for Your mercy and love and grace which has made us alive in Christ!  May we keep this Truth in our hearts and on our lips so that we can share it with others!  We pray thanking You and praising You…in Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Living In Us

April 29, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them;
because greater is He Who is in you
than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 NASB

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How to be in the world but not of the world.  We strive everyday to live in a fallen world…surrounded by hate, mistrust, deception, malice, negative thoughts, and backbiting.  We are guilty of it no matter how hard we may try to remove ourselves from it.

The question is, how do we live in the world but not of the world ?
By inviting the Holy Spirit to live in us.

When we ask Jesus to come and live in us, we invite God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit to take up residence in us and assist us in our daily living.  God directs them and grants to each what is needed at the appropriate time.  The Holy Spirit helps us to determine if what we are doing is honoring God.

When we are tested, we are put in situations that would determine whether we believe it is God’s ability to help us in a situation or if we trust our own abilities.  I recently heard someone state that our first place to run is supposed to be God (not to our friends). We all need our quiet time with God and to be still and reflect. To allow Him to be greater in us, by seeking His will before our own and that of man.

God always wants our best.  He puts us in hard situations to determine how we will react.  Will be become angry, bitter, lashing out…or will we be patient and kind, waiting to see what is going on.  If we are being meek and humble, we can do what God asks of us.

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Father, give us the courage to seek You first before we do or say anything.  Let us have the discipline to control our thoughts and emotions.  We want to please You.  We want to be a light for others who are seeking something more in their lives.  Thank You for allowing us to be your children…your daughters.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

I Can’t Stop Singing

April 29, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Your grace for me will always be
More than enough
More than enough
The power of Jesus Christ in me
Is more than enough
More than enough

Because my heart is full
And my soul is free
In my weakness You
Had a plan for me

And I can’t stop singing about Your love
No, I can’t stop singing about Your love
Jesus, forever You will be more than enough
No, I can’t stop, I can’t stop

You will provide, You will supply
More than enough, more than enough
Open Heaven, open wide
More than enough, more than enough

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so
I can’t stop shouting
Can’t stop shouting

Because my heart is full
And my soul is free
In my weakness You
Had a plan for me
Now I sing the song
Angels cannot sing
I have been reborn
I have been redeemed

Covenant Worship
Songwriters: Joshua Dufrene, David Binion, Israel Houghton

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‘Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!
I can’t stop shouting…because my heart is full and my soul is free!’

{ And all God’s people said, AMEN ! }

Psalm 107 is full of what ‘the redeemed of the Lord’ should say.  (Click here to read Psalm 107.)  The psalmist writes, in verse after verse after verse, of the awesome deeds and wonders of the Almighty, and repeatedly proclaims that the redeemed should say so in this manner:

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
(verses 8, 15, 21, 31)

Oh, don’t we have so MUCH to give thanks for!?!  And truly, we sometimes just can’t stop singing about God’s love!!  Without God’s love, each of us would still be dead in our trespasses and sins…bound as slaves because of Adam’s sin.  But because God loves us, we are redeemed by His Son and given new life.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

By this the love of God was manifested in us,
that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world
so that we might live through Him.
In this is love, not that we loved God,
but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:9 and 10

I love the ‘more than enoughs’ in this song!  Just think…we have been given not just enough but more than enough!

  • Your grace for me will always be more than enough
  • The power of Jesus Christ in me is more than enough

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is perfected in weakness.”
Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

  • You will provide…You will supply more than enough
  • Open heaven, open wide more than enough

Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse,
that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it,
says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven 
for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:10

  • Jesus, forever You will be more than enough

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:8-14

Just like the writers of this song and the psalmist may we—the redeemed of the Lord—also say so!

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Verse 43

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Oh, Lord, Your grace, Your love, Your mercy, Your goodness, Your provision are all more than enough!  How awesome to know that Your sufficiency doesn’t mean “just enough” or “barely enough,” but way more than enough for whatever we face, whatever our need.  Help us to rest fully in Your grace as we seek to live for You today.  Thank You for Your love…we love and adore You!  And we pray acknowledging these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

PorkChops with Mushroom-Tarragon Sauce

April 28, 2015 by

Recently we were on vacation in Florida and spent a few days with my sister and brother-in-law.  We had been having meals out for a week or so…and I was really missing a home-cooked meal.  They graciously prepared supper our first night visiting them…and it was my brother-in-law’s version of this dish.  Simply delicious!  (Thank you, Tony and Brenda!)

A few days after we returned home to New York, I thought about this dish.  It is simple and quick (aren’t some of your best meals just like that?).  But full of flavor from the caramelized onions and mushrooms, the abudance of garlic, and the subtle flavor that herbs—in this case, tarragon—add.   The prep and cooking time amount to just about 30 minutes or so. This fits well into our healthy but oh-so-yummy POV since the pork chops are low in fat and protein-rich.  The entire dish  includes just a small amount of olive oil…and just a little bit of carbs.  You can make this your own by increasing the quantity of mushrooms or perhaps using a variety of mushrooms!  This goes along well with quite a variety of side dishes.  We enjoyed it with our family served with black rice and broccoli; I prepared it at home with one of our current favorites, this Sweet Potato-Spinach Mash.  Enjoy!

Mushroom-Tarragon Pork Chops

2015-04-24 19.52.33

ingredients:
4 boneless pork chops (5 or 6 ounces each)
1+ teaspoon lemon-pepper blend, freshly ground
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3/4 pound Baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium sweet onion, halved and sliced into half-moons
2 tablespoons minced garlic (I use jarred)
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
2 tablespoons brown rice (or all-purpose) flour
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or 2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

directions:

  • coat both sides of pork chops with lemon-pepper blend
  • in a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 teaspoon olive oil, and then add pork chops
  • quickly brown (about 2 minutes each side), and then remove, cover and keep warm
  • in the same pan, saute mushrooms and onion in additional teaspoon of oil ’til lightly caramelized
  • lower heat and add garlic; stirring constantly, cook for 1 minute longer
  • stir in wine; raise heat to medium and bring to a boil; cook ‘til all liquids are almost evaporated
  • lower heat again and sprinkle the flour over the onion-mushroom mixture; stir well and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes to reduce the flour-y taste
  • stir the broth into the onion-mushroom mixture ‘til smooth
    bring to a boil; cook and stir continually for about 2 minutes ‘til thickened and a gravy has formed. (if necessary, add additional broth ‘til the gravy reaches the consistency you prefer.)
  • return the pork chops to pan along with the tarragon; cover and cook on low heat (just barely simmering) for 6-8 minutes or ‘til a thermometer reads 145
  • turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes or so ‘til plating

♥  ♥  ♥  ♥  ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Who You Are

April 27, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

You, dear children, are from God
and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

These past few months I have had a lot going on—constant sickness, tragic events, stress at jobs, quitting the preschool job, deciding what to do with my life, school, exams, papers galore, and, getting engaged.  During this time I have been struggling with my identity, or rather, a mixture of that and where I belong.  Life can be tough sometimes.  And I’ll be the first to say that I am not a happy-go-lucky person.  I’m often practical…not too emotional; but I do have my days.  Some would say I’m mean.  I say I’m just straight to the point.  Either way, I think we could all agree that I’m a little rough around the edges.

I used to struggle daily with self-hatred.  I have grown to like myself.  I love myself, but I also now like myself, too.  Others, though, are keen on trying to change me.  I know I have things that I need to improve, but people don’t change people.  God changes people.  And people constantly telling me that I need be this or that, does not work for me. I hear what people say. And I prayerfully consider what people say. But I work with God to improve me, and I strive to be the person that He created me to be.

I believe that you are who you are because of the things we have experienced and the lives we have lived and the hand we’ve been dealt and the families we are part of.  I also believe that who you are may not line up 100% with who God intended you to be.  Therefore, we must work hand-in-hand with Him allowing Him to transform us into the beings He intended us to be.  It’s a lifelong process.  Do I think I will ever reach that goal?  Nope.  But I will strive for it until the day I die.

I would say this is a long introduction to get to the point I am trying to make.  1 John 4:4 says,

You, dear children, are from God
and have overcome them,
because the One Who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.

This passage really does need to be read in context.  It goes on to say, “They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them” (verse 5).

Be mindful of the spoken words you choose to believe about yourself. John 8:44 says that the devil is ‘the father of lies’.  The people we encounter may not be of the devil or demons, but their words can be used to plant seeds that Satan will use against us.  Anything time you choose to believe words spoken about yourself, first test it against the Word of God.  God has the final say about who you are, because He made you.  God is greater than Satan.  He will always be greater than Satan. Therefore, His Word is always going to be greater than anything Satan could have to say about us.  Test the words you hear, against the Almighty’s words.

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Lord, I know that You are greater than anything this world could ever fathom.  Please help me to believe and live in this wonderful truth.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Our God (Is Greater)

April 27, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Water You turned into wine
Opened the eyes of the blind
There’s no one like You, none like You
Into the darkness You shine
Out of the ashes we rise
There’s no one like You, none like You

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome in power
Our God, Our God

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against
And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
What could stand against

Chris Tomlin
written along with Jonas Myrin, Matt Redman, Jesse Reeves

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Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him]
and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist],
because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4 AMP

I was writing a devotional blog on 1 John 4:4 and this song got stuck in my head.  Such a great reminder that we have nothing to fear.  Our God IS greater than the enemy and anything he can throw at us.  The Scriptures repeat this over and over again:

Now I know that Yahweh is greater than all gods,
because He did wonders when the Egyptians acted arrogantly against Israel.
Exodus 18:11 HCSB

David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.
2 Samuel 5:10/1 Chronicles 11:9 NASB

And the temple which I build will be great, for our God is greater than all gods.
2 Chronicles 2:5 NKJV

Be strong and courageous.
Be not afraid or dismayed before the king of Assyria and all the horde that is with him,
for there is Another with us greater than [all those] with him.
2 Chronicles 32:7 AMP

Look, God is greater than we can understand.
Job 36:26 NLT

Greater than the roar of many waters—the mighty breakers of the sea—the Lord on high is majestic.
Psalm 93:4 HCSB

For I know that Yahweh is great; our Lord is greater than all gods.
Psalm 135:5 HCSB

On and on it goes—our God is Greater.

  • Greater than any human being.
  • Greater than all of our enemies.
  • Greater than any obstacles or circumstances in our life.
  • Greater than any of our mistakes, our failures, our flaws.

To quote MercyMe:

“There’ll be days I lose the battle
Grace says that it doesn’t matter
‘Cause the Cross already won the war
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world.”

Our God is greater, stronger, higher than anyone or anything else.  Period.  His power is beyond our understanding.  Since God is for us, who or what could ever stop us?  Since God is with us, then what could ever stand against us?

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Thank You, Lord!  You are greater than any other and Your power far exceeds anything we could imagine. Thank You for lifting us out of the ashes and shining Your light on us.  In Your precious name I pray, Amen – It is so!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Greater – 1 John 4:4

April 26, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

You are from God, little children, and have overcome them;
because greater is He who is in you
than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

Bring your tired
Bring your shame
Bring your guilt
Bring your pain
Don’t you know that’s not your name
You will always be much more to Me

Everyday I wrestle with the voices
That keep telling me I’m not right
But that’s alright

‘Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed
When others say I’ll never be enough
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world
In the world
In the world
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world

Bring your doubts
Bring your fears
Bring your hurt
Bring your tears
There’ll be no condemnation here
You are holy, righteous and redeemed

Every time I fall
There’ll be those who will call me
A mistake
Well, that’s ok

There’ll be days I lose the battle
Grace says that it doesn’t matter
‘Cause the Cross already won the war
He’s greater
He’s greater
I am learning to run freely
Understanding just how He sees me
And it makes me love Him more and more
He’s greater
He’s greater

MercyMe
Writer(s): Bart Millard, Mike Scheuchzer, Nathan Cochran,
Robby Shaffer, Barry Graul, David Garcia, Ben Glover

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

A Guiding Hand

April 25, 2015 by

Many of you have gone on Spring Break or are anticipating taking a vacation this summer.  It is a time to refresh spirit, soul, and body.  Over the next couple of weeks, our faithful bloggers will be taking a ‘spring break’ from writing so that they can come back to us refreshed and freshly anointed. 

However, Girlfriends’ Coffee Hour website won’t ‘go black’!  We will be revisiting some of our favorite blogs and daily devotions which have blessed us in the past.  We pray that each of you, our faithful friends and readers, will continue to start your day meditating on the devotionals and songblogs, and be encouraged and blessed.

Let’s give each of our bloggers a big round of applause,
a hug, and the rest they so deserve.  God bless you, ladies!

SeekingHimLogo

The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
and all of them are righteous.
They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the honeycomb.
Psalms 19:7-10

My son has been learning about Moses and the Ten Commandments at church on Wednesday nights. I was probably about his age when I was first introduced to them myself. When I stop to think about them, I always imagine Charlton Heston playing Moses in the movie, The Ten Commandments, and receiving the tablets from God. Just seeing the fear on Moses’s (Heston’s) face is enough to invoke trembling in anyone’s mind.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Exodus 20:19-20

When Moses came down from the Mount, the people could tell that he had seen and talked with God. They themselves became scared. They had been trembling in fear when the thunder and lightning and the trumpet sounded. They knew that Moses had spoken to God, but they were afraid to speak to God themselves. They told Moses they would listen to what God said if Moses spoke it to them.

God gave His people His perfect Law through Moses. Moses’s face radiated the glory of God when he descended from the Mount with the Ten Commandments—the same commandments that many people are fighting over displaying today. God made these Laws to help guide us and protect us from the temptation of sin. His Laws are firm just like those of parents’ rules for their children.

God knew what human nature was like even before Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit. God knew that without guidance that man would fall into sin and not be able to return Him. It is wonderful to know that we have a God Who already knows about us and knows how to guide and take care of us.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guiding hand. Without it we would surely be stuck in slavery to sin. You are always with us and always showing Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting

April 24, 2015 by

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We were having friends over for dinner a few weeks back, and I’d just gotten back from the store when I realized I hadn’t planned anything for dessert.  Oh no!  I did have some bananas, and I figured I had enough staples on hand to whip up a banana cake.  I lucked out and found this delicious recipe on Epicurious.com:  Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting!

This is extremely simple and it came out perfectly.  The only kind of weird thing in the recipe is the cream of coconut.  It’s not coconut milk, and it’s not coconut cream, and in fact it’s more like a syrup for making pina coladas than anything else.  I bought some earlier in the year, because I was going to make coconut-flavored yogurt for my girl.  (It’s delicious, but it does have a lot of added sugar – not exactly healthy, but okay for a splurge.)  If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, substitute whole coconut milk or coconut cream.  Or leave it out and double the sweetened shredded coconut.  In any case, this came together quickly but was fancy enough for company.  Can’t beat that combination!

Banana Cake with Coconut Frosting

Ingredients:

For cake

  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for greasing pan
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 3/4 cup well-mashed very ripe bananas
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For coconut frosting

  • 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
  • 3 tablespoons well-stirred canned cream of coconut such as Coco López (not coconut milk)
  • 1 teaspoon dark rum (optional)
  • 1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Directions:

  1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.  Lightly butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan, knocking out excess flour.
  2. Whisk together flour (1+1/2 cups), baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
  3. Beat together butter (1 stick) and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg until combined, then add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla and beat until combined well. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated.
  4. Spread batter in cake pan and bake until pale golden and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert rack over cake and invert cake onto rack to cool completely.
  5. Make frosting while cake cools:
    Beat together cream cheese and butter in a bowl using cleaned beaters at medium speed until smooth. Reduce speed to low, then add confectioners sugar, cream of coconut, and rum (if using) and mix until combined. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Frost top of cooled cake and sprinkle with coconut.

 

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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