December 28, 2024

The More I Seek You

October 7, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

The more I seek You
The more I find You
The more I find You
The more I love You

I wanna sit at Your feet
Drink from the cup in Your hand
Lay back against You and breathe, feel your heart beat
This love is so deep, it’s more than I can stand
I melt in Your peace, it’s overwhelming

Christ For The Nations Worship
written by Zac Neese

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Seeking God can be done in any number of ways; such as,

  • reading the Scriptures (Psalm 119:2)
  • singing praises (Psalms 104:33-34)
  • praying (Jeremiah 29:11)
  • times of worship (corporate and personal) (Psalm 63:1)
  • calling upon Him (Isaiah 55:6)

But, no matter how you seek God, it is ‘all your heart’ that is required.

But if…you seek the LORD your God, you will find Him
if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29

Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God….
1 Chronicles 22:19

And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord,
the God of their fathers,
with all their heart….
2 Chronicles 15:12

So, as we seek Him—whether through our prayers, our praises, our thanksgiving, our study of His Word—our whole heart must be engaged.

And another thing that I do believe is required as we seek Him is quiet—actual physical-absence-of-distracting-noise quiet.

Our Lord recognized His need for quiet.  If He, in His perfect sinless life, needed quiet time alone to seek His Father…we do too and even more so!  His example speaks clearly to us.

And in the morning, long before daylight,
He got up and went out to a deserted place,
and there He prayed.
Mark 1:35

…and great crowds gathered to hear Him and to be healed of their infirmities.
But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
Luke 5:15, 16

Along with quietness in our surroundings, perhaps even more important is quietness in our hearts.  This is something that I believe each of us yearns for and, truly, can only be found as we seek Him.  There is an incomparable quietness that we are promised as we trust in our Lord.

Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him;
Psalm 37:7

Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

Come to Me,
all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened,
and I will cause you to rest.
Matthew 11:28

I love those that love Me; and those that seek Me diligently shall find Me.
Proverbs 8:17

As you seek Him, my friends, He will be found…He promises!

Then you will call upon Me,
and you will come and pray to Me,
and I will hear and heed you.
Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity]
and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:12 and 13 AMP

{before you go any further, may i suggest that you take a
few moments to simply seek Your God and be found in His Presence}

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

Herb-licious Roasted Cauliflower Skillet

October 6, 2015 by

So, to spare you another butternut recipe 😉 here’s one that is delicious—HERB-licious, that is!  Whether you are blessed to have fresh herbs on hand or are relying (like me) on your stash of dried herbs, this is a very tasty way to serve roasted cauliflower.

Large, beautiful heads of cauliflower are super-abundant in our area now and for the rest of the Fall season.  Cauliflower makes for an excellent low carb stand-in for more traditional carb-laden foods like potatoes and rice.  Here are some nutrition facts which will show the value of eating (often!) this wonderful veggie.

And this whole recipe from cutting up the cauliflower (here’s a link to an efficient way to do that job) to grating on the Parm right before serving will take you just about one half hour…really!

Herb-licious Roasted Cauliflower Skillet

2015-10-04 19.56.25

ingredients:
1 head cauliflower, about 2#
3-4 tablespoons olive oil (or coconut oil), divided
2-3 teaspoons (combined) of dried herbs (thyme, tarragon, crushed rosemary), your choice
sea salt, freshly ground pepper
2 (or more!) tablespoons of minced garlic
3 links of uncooked chicken (or turkey) sausage, removed from casings
1/2 # ground chicken or turkey
1 medium onion, diced
handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

directions:

  • heat the oven to 425; line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • cut the cauliflower up into bite-sized florets; and place into a large bowl
  • add 2 (or 3 if necessary) tablespoons of oil, all the herbs and a teaspoon each of s&p; combine
  • pour onto the lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes; pull out of the oven
  • scatter the minced garlic and tomatoes over the cauliflower and gently combine
  • continue to roast for another 5 minutes or so ‘til cauliflower is lightly browned and easily pierced with a sharp knife; remove from oven
  • meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat
  • add the onion and sausage and cook for 5 minutes, using a spoon to break up the meat as it cooks
  • crumble in the ground meat; and continue to cook for another 6 minutes or so ‘til all the meat is thoroughly cooked through and broken up into small-ish chunks; reduce heat to very low
  • taste the <thoroughly cooked> meat, add s&p to taste
  • when cauliflower is ready, add to skillet and stir to combine
  • top with cheese, if desired

   ♥      ♥      ♥      ♥      ♥ 

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

♥  coleen

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

The Spoken Word

October 6, 2015 by

Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven.
Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations;
You established the earth, and it stands.

Psalms 119:89-90

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Growing up in a small town, nothing is ever hidden for long.  People love to talk.  They often do not realize their words can hurt and cause irreparable damage to others.  No one knew (other than one or two) my secret.  But I felt I needed to tell my brother and sister-in-law when I found out they were letting their daughter spend the night at my parent’s home and her sleep in the bed with my dad.  Little did I know when I did share with them that my sister-in-law would go around telling everyone in the town I had lived in.  I was trying to protect my niece…not hurt mom and dad.  Mom asked me about it, and I told her I told my brother to protect my niece; and she was angry.

Was I wrong?  I don’t think so.  It did, however, change a few things.  Dad did say he was sorry for what he had done to me, but said he would never have hurt my niece.  How was I to trust that?  I pray he never did.   The secret was out and I did not have to hide that any longer.  What did hurt though was the words my sister-in-law spread.  My brother and she are no longer married due to some other things, but I believe God is just and merciful in all situations, because He said we are not to exact revenge on others.

Genesis chapter 1 tells us how God created everything with His spoken Word.  He spoke and it was.  And in just six days.  Genesis 2 tells us God rested on the seventh day. After He rested He created man, Adam, in His own image.  Can you imagine how lovely Adam was?  Perfect in every way.  Then God gave Adam charge over the Garden of Eden.  From the beginning of time God has given us work to do.  And He also gave us rules.

But the LORD God warned him,
“You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden
— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.
Genesis 2:17
Adam did not have a problem obeying.  God then created Eve, from Adam’s rib, to be a helpmate in the perfect world God created and placed them in. God fellowshipped with Adam and Eve…walking with them and talking with them everyday.  Then a serpent entered the scene.  He thought he would tempt the woman with the fruit growing on the tree in the middle of the garden—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
He was very sly.  He told Eve she would not die and made her look at the fruit and observe how appetizing it looked.  He also told her she would have knowledge just like God of good and evil.  We do not know what truly enticed her to eat, but the serpent caused her to look at the fruit and want it.  Then she shared with Adam after he observed that she did not die.
God gave them consequences for disobeying.  He knew they would but He was disappointed all the same.  Their disobedience (as well as our own sin) has separated us from God.
 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 
Father, we thank You for telling us You love us. Thank You for grafting us into Your Kingdom when we accepted Your Son, Jesus, in our hearts.  Send Your Holy Spirit to show us when we stray and go off course.  Let us seek Your Word, grow Your Word in our hearts and be able to share Your love and grace with everyone…even family.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , ,

Faithful Promises

October 5, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Your eternal word, O Lord, stands firm in heaven.
Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
as enduring as the earth You created.
Psalms 119:89-90

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

The thing I love about God’s Word is that no matter how I am feeling, no matter what is going on around me, no matter what other people say, and no matter what my mind or eyes see God’s promises take rank over all of it.

God’s promise is always true. Sometimes it is hard to see this, but it is true. You know, when bad things happen God does not cause them.  He is a good God, therefore, He is incapable of doing wrong or bad.  He can only do good. It is hard for us to understand because we, as humans, can do both. However, God is not like us in this aspect.  He can only do good.

Let me say it again, He can ONLY do good.

God’s word says that He has come to give us life and that He has come to give us that life abundantly (John 10:10).  Here are a few of my favorite promises:

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary
and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you.
Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart
and you will find rest for your souls.”
Matthew 11:28-29

And this same God who takes care of me
will supply all your needs from His glorious riches,
which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19

I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart.
And the peace I give is a gift the world can’t give.
So don’t be troubled or afraid.
John 14:27

Knowing God’s promises isn’t enough…we have to believe them no matter what.

Hebrews 10: 23 (my favorite verse) says,
“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,
for God can be trusted to keep His promise.”

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

How Majestic Is Your Name

October 5, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

O Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth
O Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth

O Lord, we praise Your name
O Lord, we magnify Your name
Prince of peace, mighty God
O Lord, God Almighty

O Lord, we praise Your name
O Lord, we magnify Your name
O Lord, we praise Your name
O Lord, we magnify Your name

Prince of peace, mighty God
O Lord, God Almighty
Prince of peace, mighty God
O Lord, God Almighty
We magnify Your name

Sandi Patty along with the Nashville String Machine Orchestra
written by Michael W. Smith

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

O Lord, our Lord, How majestic and glorious and excellent
is Your name in all the earth!
You have displayed Your splendor above the heavens.
Psalm 8:1 AMP

O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!
Psalm 8:9 NASB

As many of you know, we moved from Colorado to Missouri this summer. Adjusting has been a struggle for me. I miss the beauty of the mountains, the hiking trails, and spending time in nature.  However, I have found a couple of nearby walking trails.  Last week as I was admiring the majestic towering trees, this song popped into my head and stuck.  So y’all know me 😉 I was off to do some research….

Majestic refers to being “impressive or beautiful in a dignified or inspiring way” (thefreedictionary.com). Other definitions include: “of lofty dignity or imposing aspect; stately; grand; beautiful”.

In order to put it into a Biblical perspective, I searched for verses describing God as majestic.  Job 25:5 NLT tells us that God is more glorious, more majestic than the moon.  Psalm 76:4 NLT says “You are glorious and more majestic than the everlasting mountains.”  (This verse really caught my attention.)  Psalm 93:4 HCSB states “Greater than the roar of many waters— the mighty breakers of the sea— the Lord on high is majestic.”  And Exodus 15:11 NASB asks “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?”

Stop for a minute and think about this:

nothing and no one can compare to the majesty of our God

Nothing!  Not even my beloved mountains.  No where in Heaven or on earth will you find anyone or anything as majestic as Him. Wow!  Then I came across Psalm 145:5 NLT

I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor and your wonderful miracles.

We are called to meditate on His majestic splendor.  I realized that God’s glorious majesty surrounds me—no matter where I am.  And, as I admire the beauty of my surroundings, it gives me pause to meditate on His majesty and proclaim

“O, Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth”
and praise His Holy Name!

Lord, How majestic is Your name—impressive, beautiful, and inspiring us to praise You and magnify Your name.   We cannot even begin to know just how majestic You are.  The things we believe to be beautiful  do not even begin to compare to You.   But I thank You for sharing brief glimpses of Your majesty to me through my surroundings and for reminding me that Your majesty always surrounds me, if I choose to see it.  In Your name, I pray – Amen, it is so!

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

Faithful

October 4, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven [standing firm and unchangeable].
Your faithfulness continues from generation to generation;
Psalms 119:89-90

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

You know my future
like You knew my past
Your word concerning me
was made to last forever

I know Your Word is Your integrity
And that You’ll do
just what You said You would
You are faithful

Heaven and earth will pass away
But Your Word will remain
Your Word will remain faithful
Though all I have is stripped away
To You I remain
To You I remain faithful

I know that Your love is forever strong
And I will sing about it
All day long, forever

I know that there is
no one else like You
No one else can do the things You do
You are faithful

Hillsong United

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

Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

October 2, 2015 by

 

Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

This Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken is GOOD.  My family scarfed it up last night.  If you don’t have gochujang – Korean red pepper paste that is both fruity and fiery – you can add hot sauce instead.  The longer you marinate the chicken, the better, but don’t go more than 24 hours.  You can put this together in the morning before work and come home and cook it.  Serve with rice, a salad, or a full table of ban chan!

Korean Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into strips
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang – or more! – or hot sauce of choice
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons rice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
  • sliced green onions and sesame seeds, to serve

Directions:

  1. Place the chicken in a large Ziplock bag, or other resealable / Tupperware-type container.  Add the soy sauce, gochujang, ketchup, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and sesame oil.  Mix thoroughly to combine.  Let marinate at least one hour, but less than 24 hours.
  2. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil.  When hot, add the chicken in two batches, stirring occasionally, and making sure both sides get browned, about 5-8 minutes per batch.  Discard any leftover marinade.  Serve chicken heaped in a bowl, topped with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
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: , , , , , , , , ,

God’s Promises Last Forever

October 2, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

The grass withers and the flowers fall
but the Word of God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

To everything there is a season.  Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, there is life and there is death.  All of creation is under that curse.  The grass has a life span; then it withers and dies.  The flowers open with beauty and sweet fragrance; then they fade and die. There are storms that break the stems of the plant, and there are floods that drown the grass.  There are also droughts that kill the grass, flowers, and other vegetation.

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 NLT

This summer, as I walked beside a nearby creek, I discovered a single plant that had the most beautiful little red flowers growing along its stem. I had never seen it before and I have no idea what its name is, but I enjoyed its beauty.  That is until the flowers one by one started to fade and die.  That made me sad.  I’m so hoping I will find it growing along the bank next year, but I have no promise of that.

What I do know is that I/we have the promise, as our devotional Scripture says, that God’s Word will stand forever.

For that is what God is like.
He is our God forever and ever,
and He will guide us until we die.
Psalm 48:14

All He does is just and good,
and all His commandments are trustworthy.
They are forever true,
to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.
He has paid a full ransom for His people.
He has guaranteed His covenant with them forever.
What a holy, awe-inspiring name He has!
Psalms 111:7-9

But You are near, O Lord,
and all Your commands are true.
I have known from my earliest days
that Your laws will last forever.
Psalms 119:151-152

The very essence of Your words is truth;
all Your just regulations will stand forever.
Psalm 119:160

For each of us, there is life and there is death.  For each of us, we will have storms that try to break us, floods that try to drown us, droughts that try to kill us.  Perhaps you are going through one of those periods right now in your life.  If you are grounded in the Word of the Lord—as the flower is rooted in the rich soil along the creek bank—rest assured that the hard times are for a season but God’s Word lasts forever.  The sun will come out, Spring will come again, the grass will grow and the flower will bloom in your life.  We have that promise when we trust in His Word.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear God, we, Your children, thank You for Your Word.  We know You are from everlasting to everlasting, therefore so is Your Word.  You and Your Word are one.  When we are going through seasons of storms or droughts, please remind us by Your Holy Spirit that Your promises are true everyday no matter what.  You will see us through the stormy times, and we will grow and bloom again and be stronger than before.  Thank You, Lord, that Your Word stands forever.  In Jesus’ Precious Name, Amen.

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

We Have Already Won

October 2, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

So the people shouted, and the trumpets sounded.
When they heard the blast of the trumpet,
the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed.
The people advanced into the city, each man straight ahead,
and they captured the city.
Joshua 6:20

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I am in awe of our God and His never-ending blessings.  He loves His children so much and He wants to bless each one of us…and He does.  As children, we are taught to tell the truth at all costs.  And if you have been around little children, you know that this is true. They tell the truth—even if it hurts!  But as we get older, we somehow lose bits and pieces of our honesty. One white lie leads to another and then we get used to our new way of telling the ‘truth.’  But God—He always tells the truth and He always keeps His promises.

Some of His promises are conditional, like “If you will ______ … then I will_____.”  This was the case in the Battle of Jericho (read the account here).  The Lord said, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, and its king and its fighting men.”  Can you imagine what Joshua thought? Maybe something like…”It doesn’t look like mine to me!” as he looked at the wall that he couldn’t get through!  But the Lord’s message was that the victory was already his but He wanted him to do a few things first.

Even today, God directs us in ways like this.  In the battles we face day to day, victory is already ours because of our position in Him.  But it may not be in our possession if He doesn’t get our full cooperation. See, God has already defeated the enemy by sending Jesus to die in our place…in sin’s place.  But some of the victories that we have are ours only if we take them.  We have to take that first step sometimes to show that we want it!  Here’s how:

Stay armed for battle — Joshua 6:3-9
God’s Word is a Sword. Our victories will never happen without it!

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:17

~   ♥   ~

Always stay on course — Joshua 6:3,14
Never get tired of doing the right thing. Pray every day that God will give you direction and lead you on the right path and that you will never grow tired of trying.

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight
and the sin that so easily ensnares us.
Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us….
Hebrews 12:1

~   ♥   ~

Always stay together with your army — Joshua 6:13
Surround yourselves with Jesus followers that will help you be the best you. The people that will lift you up out of the trenches and speak truth loudly over the enemy’s lies. Stay in the Church and serve with the body of believers so that the enemy cannot even get a toehold!

~   ♥   ~

Always stay awake and alert — Joshua 6:18
Always avoid the temptations that the enemy sends your way and keep your eyes on Him.  It is so easy to let your guard down and let our foot slip.  We start looking at our problems and we take the focus off of the Problem Solver. We lose hope.  Stay in the Word!  It’s the only way to keep your eyes always on the prize.

The things of this world look and smell and taste so good that sometimes we may slip into the enemies trap.  But God is bigger and He is mighty to save!  Psalm 13:8 says “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”

I am praying for each one of you to stay victorious!  We need to step out as His children and tell all who will listen that He is The Way!  And remember… you have already won!

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let us pray: Dear God, thank You for loving us so much that You give us a endless supply of grace.  We confess that we don’t always stay close and we do take our eyes off of You and we need forgiveness.  Help us to stay in Your Word and really press into You so that the enemy cannot get through to us at all.  We love You and we praise You.  In Jesus; name, amen.

 

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Word of our God will Stand Forever

October 1, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

The grass withers, the flower fades,
    but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:8

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

from the folks over at Fighter Verses.com
click through to go to their website;
an excellent source of great Scripture memorization tools

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »