November 22, 2024

Captivate Us

August 2, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Your face is beautiful
And Your eyes are like the stars
Your gentle hands have healing
There inside the scars
Your loving arms they draw me near
And Your smile it brings me peace
Draw me closer oh, my Lord
Draw me closer, Lord, to Thee

And captivate us, Lord Jesus, set our eyes on You
Devastate us with Your presence falling down
And rushing River draw us nearer
Holy Fountain, consume us with You
Captivate us, Lord Jesus, with You

Your voice is powerful
And Your words are radiant bright
In Your breath and shadow
I will come close and abide
You whisper love and life divine
And Your fellowship is free
Draw us closer, oh my Lord
Draw me closer, Lord, to Thee

And let ev’rything be lost in the shadows
Of the light of Your face
And let ev’ry chain be broken from me
As I’m bound in Your grace
For Your yoke is easy, Your burden is light
You’re full of wisdom pow’r and might
And ev’ry eye will see You

Captivate us,  Lord Jesus, with You
Captivate us

Watermark
Writer(s): Charlie Hall, Christy Nockels, Nathan Nockels

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You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;
You have captivated my heart with one glance of Your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
Song of Solomon 4:9

Can you think of anything more awesome than to be captivated by Jesus? I looked up the definition of the word captivate and this is what it said:

“…to attract and hold the attention of, as by beauty or excellence; enchant“

Now imagine that your whole life is centered around Jesus and you are captivated by Him.  The Son of God really is completely in love with you.  So, as you listen to this beautiful song today, I hope that you will close your eyes and just sing this as a prayer to Him.  He is so worthy of such a praise song from you…

Tell Him that His face is beautiful; just picture His eyes focused on you, just you.

Then look at His hands. See the scars? And those nails that were driven into His hands and they drove out the sins of us, His daughters and sons. And in those scars, there is so much healing. Remember the woman that just touched His garment? Oh the power that He holds. Lay all your afflictions down at His feet and allow Him to begin to heal you.

Now let His arms fold you in. Feel His embrace and allow Him to hold you long…it’s okay , y’know. He wants to love on His children and that includes you.

And while you’re in His presence, look up at Him.  See the smile on His face.  See how He looks at you with adoration and joy.  It is time to  let all the cares of this world just crumble and vanish in His presence.

{Oh Jesus, please draw us closer to You. Let all the other things of this world pale in comparison and keep us from putting anything before You, oh Lord.  Let all our chains be broken in Your name.  Break all addictions, oh Lord.  All worry and all spirit of fear replace with peace that only You can give. You are stronger than any burden that we carry, Jesus….}

Friend, if you prayed this song today, I am so glad! Jesus wants to captivate us, and be so big in our lives that He is the first and last thing we think about. That during the day—when burdens stack up—that we are quick to give them to His capable hands.  He is waiting and watching and hoping to get some time with you today…I pray He consumes you, friend!

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Dear Jesus, we echo the prayer above today.  Oh Jesus, we come to You today wanting to be captivated by You.  We want to put all earthly things aside and just dwell in You.  I pray that the things of this world will become so small in the presence of our big Savior.  Thank You for Your arms that hold us and for Your smile that warms us and for Your nail-scarred hands that stretch out to pull us close.  Keep us focused on You.  In Your name we pray, amen.

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

I Will Not Fear

July 31, 2015 by

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
Yet I will triumph in Yahweh;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!
Yahweh my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!
Habakkuk 3:17-19

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I am claiming this verse today…and I am placing my needs before His feet. Fig trees and olive crops are symbols for the things of this world that we may lack at this very moment.  August is always hard here.  School is looming and there are always needs: clothes, shoes, school supplies (and now with one in college), the list goes on…and on. But isn’t God so much bigger than any of these?  {yes!}

It’s funny how God leads me to certain verses on the days that i write…and it always is something that I need to hear and to pass along to you.  What are you believing God for today?  Are you struggling to believe at all?  Sometimes things feel so desperate (and, truly, they may be).  There may be no food in the pantry and no money to go purchase any.  Or a really big bill is due and you have absolutely no idea how you are going to pay it.  Or an illness and a bad report has you feeling like there is no hope at all.

But the good news is this: There is always hope in Jesus!

I know that my sound cliche but it is so true! If you put all your hope and all your efforts into just praising Him today—though the problems may still be there—there will be joy in place of sorrow!  Hope will replace hopelessness and praise will replace pity.  We may not get to choose the circumstances in our lives but we can choose how we react to them.  (I am preaching to myself!)

Fear and worry are stealers, and they come straight from the enemy who wants nothing more than to rob you of all you have.  He especially wants to take your hope away.  But if we let him have that…we have let him win.  The enemy doesn’t go after your salvation.  He can’t have it!  But he can take the peace that comes with the salvation that Jesus gave His own life for us to have.  One of my favorite passages is Psalms 23.  It was one of the first ones that I learned in elementary school and it is one that has gotten me through a lot of hard times.  In verse 4 is says:

Even when I walk through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me.
Your rod and Your staff protect and comfort me.

Today, as you read this verse, fill in the blank with your own valley.

Even when I walk through ________,
I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me. 

And know beyond a shadow of a doubt that whatever it is you wrote down, that your God is able to do this and so much more.  Claim it with me today…and enjoy the sunshine today!

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Let us pray: Dear God, You are so full of love for us and Your grace is sufficient for every minute that we breathe.  You are the same always; You never change.  Thank You for Your provision and Your hand in everything that we go through.  You waste nothing, oh Lord!  I pray today for all these friends reading this today, that You would give them back their joy and peace, oh God!  And that nothing that the enemy throws at them can take away the hope that they have in You.  Silence his lies today and everyday.  Remind them that feelings are feelings but that Your Word is truth.  Lead them to the truth today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

It Is Well With My Soul

July 26, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

When peace like a river attendeth my way
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Whatever my lot You have taught me to say
It is well, it is well with my soul

Though the devil will ruin, though trials may come
Let this blessed assurance control
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate
And He shed His own blood for my soul

It is well, with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul
It is well, with my soul
It is well, it is well with my soul

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part, but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul

And, Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight
And the clouds be rolled back as a scroll
The trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend
Even so, it is well with my soul 

Jars of Clay
Original writers: Horatio Spafford, Phillip Bliss
This version: Chris Rice, Stephen Mason, Matt Odmark, Jim Cooper, Dan Haseltine, Travis Cottrell, James Brickman, Charlie Lowell

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Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
Psalm 116:7

I can say that this is one of those hymns that the Holy Spirit brings to mind on many occasions and especially on the really hard days.  The Lord speaks to us through music, I know for sure.  Some days (even before the first cup of coffee) are already setting me up for failure.  I think in my head that there are words that I shouldn’t have said yesterday and I went to bed without an “I’m sorry”…and there will be words today that I will wish I could take back.  There are cluttered cabinets that need to be cleaned out, kind of like the cluttered  mind that needs to hear Jesus.  I am a frustrated perfectionist and I often compare my lack to others’ abundance.  But the Holy Spirit whispers early…in the form of a hymn…’it is well with my soul‘.  And it is….

In the 1800’s, a man named Horatio Spafford had lived through what he thought were the hardest trials of his life—his only son died and, shortly after, a horrible fire consumed all he had materially.  He recovered only to hit bottom two years later.  He put his wife and four daughters on a ship to England and he was to meet them soon.  Not long after they took off, the ship ran into another ship and the children sunk to the bottom of the ocean.  He received a telegram four days after from his wife that said, “Saved alone.”  He got on a ship to meet her and, as he went over the location where his daughters had drowned, these words came to his mind: “When sorrows like sea billows roll…” and there was birthed one of the greatest hymns of all times.

Yes, he lost his children (something I cannot even imagine).  But in all that tragedy, his God was enough.  The fact that Jesus loved him was all he needed to make it through.  He knew that Jesus was coming again to take him and his wife to meet his girls.  So here on earth, he would choose to live his days in praise.

What about you today?  Are you experiencing loss?  It may not be as severe as the loss of a child (or four children) but it may hurt still.  I pray today that you and I are able to look at all the chaos around us and still have peace and be able to say without hesitation that “It is well with my soul.”

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Let us pray: Dear Lord, You are awesome and mighty, You bring me to my knees in worship and praise!  You are Holy and You are worthy of all that we are and all that we have and we love You.  Thank You for the peace that comes from just knowing You and knowing that Jesus took away all our sins so that we are looked at as pure in Your eyes.  Oh Lord, I pray for all the broken hearts today.  I pray that You can mend them and put a new song in each one; one that says “It is well with my soul”…no matter what.  Your love is enough.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Love is the Home for Both

July 24, 2015 by

encouragementbloggraphicromans15

In the fifteenth chapter of Luke, starting with verse 11, we read the story of the prodigal son.  I’m sure you have read or heard this so many times but bear with me for a minute.  The actual word ‘prodigal’ means ‘the squanderer or the waster’.  And the prodigal son did squander his inheritance and totally wasted all that his father gave him.

If you think about it, we have all played both roles at some time in our lives.  Maybe at one point we are the older, responsible son—keeping everything in order and never disappointing our Father, and looking down on those who do and those who give the sinner a break.  We have also been the younger one—wasting our inheritance from our Father, turning to anyone or anything that will make us “happy”, and running so far the other way.  But instead of finding happiness and freedom, we find ourselves in slavery to this other life that we thought we wanted so desperately.  We find ourselves starving for real substance and we are desperate for the life we had before.

And then there’s the father who never gave up on his son, and continued to search and wait and believe that they will one day be a family again. The son returns and the father lavishes love and compassion and hugs. He gives him his best robe and a ring and acts as if nothing happened. Even when the older son gets mad and protests, the father does not judge him. He is fair and just, resembling our Father in Heaven.

Here is the story:

The Parable of the Lost Son

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.  After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.  When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’  So he got up and went to his father.  But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’  But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.  Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on.  ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’  The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’  ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ ”

Luke 15:11-32 (NIV)

Which son do you relate to?  Have you run so far or are you a slave to something other than God?  Have you wasted all that God has given you for something you thought was better?  Or are you the older brother, looking down on the one who made the bad choices, and maybe a little bitter when he is given mercy by others?

God is your Father and He loves you.  If you have run away, He is ready to meet you where you are.  He is willing to accept you just the way you are and give you the finest life and the abundant blessings that are yours!  All you have to do is ask.  God’s arm reaches so far and you can’t ever outrun Him.

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Do you know this Father I’m talking about?  Do you want this unconditional love that you’ve just read about?  Then pray this with me:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner and I need forgiveness.  I believe that Jesus, Your Son, died on the cross to save me from my sins and I will have Him in my heart forever.  I love You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

Here’s My Heart, Lord

July 19, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Here’s my heart, Lord
Here’s my heart, Lord
Here’s my heart, Lord
Speak what is true

‘Cause I am found, I am Yours
I am loved, I’m made pure
I have life, I can breathe
I am healed, I am free

‘Cause You are strong, You are sure
You are life, You endure
You are good, always true
You are light breaking through

Here’s my life, Lord
Here’s my life, Lord
Here’s my life, Lord
Speak what is true

You are more than enough
You are here, You are love
You are hope, You are grace
You’re all I have, You’re everything

David Crowder Band
written by Jason Ingram, Chris Tomlin, Louis Giglio

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This song says the same verses over and over again…as if the writer knows that I am a slow learner.  Today, as I was putting the last of the dishes away, I turned on my playlist and this is what played.  Oh, how I love when God reminds me in subtle yet profound ways that I need to surrender it all to Him.

See, lately, I have allowed my brain to be hijacked with worry.  The enemy knows that if we are preoccupied with other things that we will not be quiet enough to hear our Lord speak to us.  So I’m confessing that I need a time out.

Proverbs 23:26 says,”My son {daughter}, give Me your heart and let your eyes keep to My ways.” So when we are frustrated and we let the things of this world control us, we are not completely giving Him our whole heart.  I’m not saying that we aren’t saved or that we don’t love Him; I am saying that we are seeking other things above Him.  The worry over finances…the rifts in your marriage…the bitterness and resentment you’re holding onto against that one friend….  These are all symptoms of a bigger issue—we are putting Him after _____ (you fill in the blank).

At our small group study that I lead, we were asked a question that I would love for you think about and answer to yourself:

“What keeps you up at night?”

If your answer is anything but ‘God ‘, then it is time for a change.
And if you don’t know the answer…ask God.

Psalm 26:2 says, “Test me O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.”  What I do know is this: It’s time to seek Him first and all the other problems will just fade.  Repeat the words with me: “Here’s my heart Lord, speak what is true. Here’s my life Lord, speak what is true.”  And then really let the words sink in…”I am found, I am loved, I’m made pure, I am healed“!

Oh friend, He is so good.  He is so patient with us when we are slow learners.  He proves Himself over and over, and yet we still wake up with that elephant on our chest.  He never gets tired of loving you.  He never stops working in your life.  If you are reading this today, I pray that this speaks to you right where you are…know that God will meet you there.

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Pray with me: Dear God, You are so awesome and so full of love.  You are so patient with us when we doubt.  Thank You for Your healing hand and for Your constant provision.  Thank You that no matter how many times we fall down, You never tire of picking us up and putting our feet on a firm place.  Lord, with You, we will not be shaken no matter what comes our way.  I pray that we will seek You above it all.  We love You.  We praise You.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

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.

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

That Was Then, This Is Now

July 12, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

We used to hide from the light
We made friends with the night
We were headed the wrong way on a one way track
Going nowhere fast

We got used to the dark
We thought this is who we are
And we figured that we were just too far gone
But we were wrong

‘Cause love came running like a river
And we got washed in the water
Then He said you’re forgiven
Your sins are gone

That was then, this is now
You’re bought by the blood,
Saved by the Son the saints all sing about
That was lost, this is found
And it’s time to say goodbye to the old you now

So go ahead, put the past in the past
Box it up like an old photograph
You don’t have to go back
‘Cause that was then and this is now

We’ve been remade by grace
We’ve all got new names
And nothing we do could ever change
What He did that day

If we turn and confess every unrighteousness
He is faithful and just to forgive
Oh, so turn and confess every wrong and regret
And see what it means to live

‘Cause that was then and this is now

 Josh Wilson, singer/songwriter

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There was a time in my life that I was in the dark for so long that my eyes adjusted to it, and I could see.  Chaos was normal and I definitely made wrong choice after wrong choice.  I accepted my life the way it had become and I even labeled myself as a loser.  The crazy thing was that I had lived more of my life in His light than in the dark; yet the dark became normal.  But one day He became so much brighter than my present darkness and I decided that I wanted to be out there.  His love for me was still so big…so much bigger than my circumstances.  And I surrendered it all that day.

And (as the song says), we have to take the past and ‘box it up‘. There will be times that the memories of those wrong choices still come flooding in.  You will have to make a decision to surrender it again and remember that Jesus came to forgive you.  Everything you have ever done or will ever do was left at the Cross with Jesus.  You are now covered in His blood and you’ve been made new.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ
has become a new person.
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT

So take heart!
Claim the grace that is so free for you!
Know that He loves you beyond measure!
You are never too far gone to turn back now!
He is there with open arms…
Today can be the day that your life will change forever!

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Let us pray: Dear God, You are so amazing!  Thank You for being so full of grace and mercy.  You know the choices we are going to make before we even make them yet You still love us so much.  Even when we sit in darkness, You are so close that all we have to do is move toward You.  Thank You for Your light that shines into our pits.  Oh Lord, we are so grateful for Your Son, Jesus, Who died for our sins so that we will live with You forever one day.  We love You!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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

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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Finish What He Started

July 5, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

You take two steps forward and three steps back
On a journey of a thousand miles
And you cry and you pray
But you know at this pace you never will arrive
Well I know in your heart you believed from the start

God had a purpose He knit you together for
But life has pulled at the seams
And you’re unraveling
And you can’t hold it together anymore

But God will, He will finish what He started
No thread will be left unwoven
Nothing will be left undone
Every plan and every purpose
That He has will be accomplished
And God will finish what He’s begun

And it may feel like 40 long days in a hard driving rain
Or 40 years in a dry desert sand
But when He’s finished we will see
A beautiful tapestry
And know that nothing has been wasted in the end

And we’ll stand as the ones completed
By the miracle of His love
We’ll sing of His goodness and sing to His glory
As we tell the story of how

God has, He has finished what He’s started
Not a thread will be unwoven
And nothing will be left undone
Every plan and every purpose
That He has will be accomplished
And God will finish what He’s begun
I know that God will finish what He’s begun

Singer/Songwriter ~ Steven Curtis Chapman

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And I am certain that God,
Who began the good work within you,
will continue His work until it is finally finished
on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Philippians 1:6

How many times do you say to yourself: “One day I will be a better ____.” or “One day I will finish____.”?  How hard we can be on ourselves.  Yet God is so very patient and He sees us, His masterpiece, as beautiful.  But He is far from finished with us.  And as the song says, God will finish what He has begun!

There are days that I feel like I have got it all together.  I have done my quiet time and used kind words with my children and put my husband’s needs before my own.  Then there are the days that my words crush spirits and I haven’t paused long enough to even say,”Dear God…” and the last thing I want to do is praise Him.  I am just being honest.  Have you had those days?  The truth is that we will take steps forward and steps backwards. And it is all okay because Jesus paid the price and so there is grace.

From the time that you entered this world, God has been sewing a beautiful tapestry of your life.  And all the pieces will one day fit all together and you will see the big picture. You will know the whys and hows of His beautiful plan.  But until then, we keep trusting and praying and worshipping His Holy name.  And we keep believing that, one day, He will be finished and He will say…”well done.”   It will all be so worth it!

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Let us pray: Dear God, You are so loving and merciful.  You are our Provider and Creator.  Thank You so much for planning this life out for us.  Your patience and grace meets us right where we are.  I love that You don’t expect us to be perfect ever. Jesus did that for us.  And until the day that He comes for us, You will still be working in us and through us; we are so grateful!  Progress, not perfection!  We love You.  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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