November 25, 2024

Do Not Be Ashamed

September 27, 2013 by

SeekingHimLogo

Let the people praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.
Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Psalms 67:5-7

Praise God—no matter what.  Praise God in times of happiness, sadness, and strife.  We should praise God all the time—no matter what is going on in our lives.  Praising God in our daily lives and routines lets God know we are His.  It also lets those around us know that we have chosen God over the desires and temptations of the world.

We are living in troubling times.  God has been taken out of almost everything we would like to do or where we go.  There are many people who feel that God needs to stay in the home and the Church and are pushing for laws to prohibit God in public places.  But God did not create us to hide behind closed doors to worship Him.  We were created for open worship of God.   When we praise God through our work and our actions…people see it.  We can influence those around us by being the light that God has made us to be.  By doing this, the earth increases her yield to God.

God blesses those who follow Him and do what He commands.  If we spread His Word and show others what He has done for us, God will bless us in ways that we can never imagine later on—earthly AND heavenly. The ends of the earth shall know God and come to fear Him if we spread His Word and increase the earth’s yield.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation
to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Romans 1:16

We must not be ashamed to praise God.  Praising God is one way of spreading His Word.  The disciples praised God during their time with Jesus.  Then, as Jesus had commanded, they spread Jesus’ message about salvation.  Their work has continued through thousands of years because those who chose to follow Jesus picked up where the disciples left off when their time on earth was over.  They were not ashamed; and so we should not be either.   We should spread God’s word through praise and other actions that glorify God.

* * * * *

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your blessings.  We praise Your name in all we do.  We pray that our praise and our actions will lead others to choose the gift of salvation that You have so freely and lovingly given.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

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Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

September 17, 2013 by

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Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
Psalm 103:3-4

Remember learning in school the six following pronouns/questions:

Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How?

Have you ever stopped to wonder about these six questions when it comes to your relationship with Christ?  The questions are relatively simple to answer:

  • Who: Jesus Christ
  • What: Ultimate Sacrifice
  • When: Over 2000 years ago
  • Where: Calvary, Galgotha….the place has many names
  • Why: To redeem God’s children…to bring reconcilation between God and His children
  • How: Nailed to the Cross

But, Christ does more for us than to reconcile us to God.  As Psalms 103:3-4 has told us, we already know the answers.  Jesus heals us of our iniquities.  He heals us of our diseases.  He has redeemed our lives from destruction.  He loves us no matter what we do.

As we go through our lives, we deal with many trials and tribulations on a daily basis.  At least the thought of WHO forgives us, heals us, redeems us, and loves us is a comfort in this turbulent world we live in.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him:
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Psalms 103:11-12

The Lord shows great mercy to those who love and fear Him. For those of us who have personal relationships with Christ, we can be comforted in knowing that He loves us and forgives us no matter where we are at.  Once we accept Jesus’ gift of love and eternal life, we are forgiven forever.  We no longer have to worry about our past.  We have a new lease on life.  We are going to live forever with our Healer and Redeemer.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your healing, Your forgiveness, and our redemption. Without You, we would be nothing. We would have nothing.  Thank You for Your comfort and the many blessings You give us on a daily basis.  In Jesus ‘ name,

Amen.

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Showing Christ and Being Christ-like

September 11, 2013 by

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I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained lips, as you know, O Lord. I have not hidden Your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
Psalms 40:9-10

When we accept Christ, we are supposed to tell it to the world.  One way to do this is through baptism.  But what about after that?  Have you ever stopped and wondered about “after acceptance and baptism?”  I have often wondered about it myself.  We are supposed to show the great congregation, which is not just the church but the world as well, that we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  We are not supposed to hide Him away within our hearts, as many today would like us to.  We are charged to spread the good news about Jesus and the eternal message of hope and love He brings to us.  In today’s world, it is often a fight to share the message and show our faith.  But, it does not necessarily mean showing our faith verbally.

In 1st Timothy, Paul writes to his young colleague Timothy on how to fight the good fight of faith:

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, Godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:11-12

Paul writes that, to show the world that you are a child of God, we (just like Timothy), should pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. We are to be Christ-like in our actions.  Verbal communication about our love for Christ are not enough.  We must also show it in our actions as well.  Christ loves us, and He loves everybody in this world.  Jesus knows that He is not going to be accepted by all.  He even warned His disciples that His followers would be persecuted because of Him.  But Jesus still expects us to act Christ-like even during persecution.  Jesus expects us to be like Him—no matter the time or the place. We are not to conceal Him at anytime.

* * * * *

Dear Lord, You are my Savior.  You are my Lord.  I accept You in this time of persecution and peril.  Please be with me as I share Your message and Your love with those around me. In Jesus name.

Amen.

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Today, Tomorrow, and Eternity

September 6, 2013 by

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Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.
Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
Psalms 34:11-14

Have you noticed how unruly and ungodly our own culture, society, world, etc., have become?  It is slowly degrading everyday.  It makes me wonder what kind of world my grandchildren (if my kids decide to have kids) will see.  Faith is being attacked from every angle.  God and Jesus are being taken from the public eye while other faiths can keep themselves out in public view.

Yet, if you look around, there are still plenty of people who fear the Lord.  The Lord will teach those who are getting rid of Him that they should fear Him.  The final punishment will be one that they probably can’t even imagine because they have not been taught how to fear the Lord. The Lord is perfect.  And the Lord is jealous…as the Israelites found out many times before.

The Israelites turned from God many times.  They ended up in slavery in Egypt.  Cities were destroyed because they became intertwined within the cultures that had accepted the Israelites into theirs.  Sodom and Gomorrah paid the ultimate price—complete destruction.  If we continue on the path we are on today then our culture, society, world, etc., is looking at its own destruction from God’s power soon.  Jesus will return for God’s children, and the end will come.

For those of us who fear the Lord and accept His blessings and teachings, the end will be great.   We will see many good days here on Earth, but we will see an eternity of good days in Heaven.   God’s children’s lives are immortal if they have accepted the one true Savior, Jesus Christ.  Just think about these verses:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

By accepting the Lord, by fearing the Lord, and receiving blessings from the Lord, we will have many good days here on Earth and in Heaven.  We must turn from evil to good and seek God.  If the rest of the world would do this then maybe there would not be so much disaster and heartache in our world today.  Maybe our children would get the examples they need instead of the ones they don’t need.

* * * * *

Dear Lord, we thank You for our earthly days.  We look forward to the days we will spend with You in eternity.  We believe that Jesus died for all here on earth.  We pray that this message of love and sacrifice reaches everyone.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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God’s Angels

August 29, 2013 by

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For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Psalm 91:11

This verse has been sticking me for the past 24 hours.  God commands His angels to guard us no matter what we do.  Now, it does not necessarily mean that this angel is the angel we all see in pictures.  God’s angels come in all forms.  It may be somebody we know or may be in something that happens.

We have had many accidental deaths in our area over the past few weeks.  I am reminded of one accident where a girl was pulling out of her driveway and was hit by a drunk driver.  She was 18 or 19 years old.  She died.  When the paramedics and firemen pulled her body away from her steering wheel, there were hardly any marks or outward injuries present.  They said it was like one of God’s angels had wrapped their arms around her as she died.  It was like she was hugged and comforted as she entered eternity.  I am glad to know that when I die, or just in anything I am doing, that God will have Jesus or an angel there with me.

God is a refuge and a fortress.  When we are down or in trouble, we should take refuge in our God.  My son is having adjustment issues to kindergarten.  His first day went terribly.  I blamed myself.  See, he has been in daycare since he was 6 weeks old.  I have to work.  It was a family decision.  I blamed myself because I know he is acting out to get attention.  I felt like I had deprived him over the last 5 years.  Thanks to God’s angels (my husband, my mother, and friends whose own kids started kindergarten and had similar days), I was relieved to know that I was not the only one whose kid was having trouble adjusting.  I felt better.  God sent his angels to comfort me and bring me back up from my despair.

* * * * *

God, I pray that You send Your angels to protect us in no matter what we do.  We know that You are our Refuge.  We can come to You no matter the time, place, or situation.  I pray that You send Your angels—spiritual and physical—to us everyday as a sign of Your love and protection.   Amen.

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Children of God

August 19, 2013 by

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As of this past Saturday, I officially have a five year old son.  We have tried to instill knowledge of God in his life since he was old enough to talk and attend children’s Sunday school.  My husband informed me that our son saw the Bible we used at our wedding (it is considered the family Bible), and it has our names and wedding date are on that Bible.  Our son has requested his own Bible with his name and birth date only printed on the front.  My, my!  He is only five and already asking for a Bible.  Where does the time go?

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.
Psalms 19:2-3

Time flies…and life flies.  We are busy with work, school, family, etc.  Yet, a five year old boy can stop and ask for a Bible.  Every Saturday night and Sunday morning, a five year old boy can stop and ask if we are going to church.  If a five year old can stop and ask if he is going to church today or for his own Bible then so should we.  We should seek the Lord so we have knowledge of Him. We should pass this knowledge on to those who do not believe.  We should help God place a yearning for Him in our kids and those around us.  Pass the word along.  It spreads the knowledge of God to the ends of the earth.

We should seek God daily.  Noah and Moses looked for His guidance during their trials.  The prophets listened to God, and spread His message upon command.  Jesus commanded his disciples to spread the word and the knowledge of Jesus to the world.  Thanks to the Internet, telephone, airplanes, cars, boats, trains, Skype, etc., we can spread the knowledge of God to every language, nation, and culture in the world.  We can use our knowledge that was passed down from the disciples to spread the knowledge of God.

But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Matthew 19:14

My son has asked for his own Bible.  I know that is mainly because of having his own name on there, but I also know that he yearns for God.  It never fails that he asks on Saturday nights if we are going to church tomorrow.  I hope that when he gets his own Bible in four and a half months that we can continue to help his yearning grow to the point he becomes a child of Jesus.  We are not going to hinder him or his sister from becoming a child of God.

* * * * *

Dear God, please give us the strength to spread Your word.  Bless us in our work for You.  Be with us as we spread Your word.  Thank You for the tools You have given us to finish the mission You have given us.   Amen.

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Trust the Great I AM

August 15, 2013 by

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But mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord:
in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.
Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me,
and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.
Psalms 141:8-10

Putting my trust anywhere is one of the hardest things that I have trouble doing.  It all comes from experience.  As most of us know, it is Back-to-School time.  For my family, it is Start-to-School time.  Our son starts Kindergarten this fall.  I worry about my son as he begins Kindergarten and the journey through school—academics, sports, friends—i.e., that word friends is the worriesome part.  I was a victim of bullying in school; hence the trust issues that I have.  However, I do trust the Lord will protect him.  We are blessed to be zoned for a school where we know that most of the teachers and administrators for the three schools (elementary, middle, and high) are Christians. We go to church with some of them, and I have looked at the online bios of others.  The Lord is looking out for us and not leaving us.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts Him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song.
Psalm 28:7

For us as children of God, there are those out there who are jealous of us.  However He protects us from them.  He looks out for us when we walk into their traps.  We are rescued when the wicked fall and are punished.  We escape the fate that awaits the wicked when the final judgment comes because we have faith in the Lord.  The Lord has His ways of looking out for His children.

The Lord provides for His children in many ways.  He gave His only Son to the Cross, so we could be with Him.  He has protected us from the never-ending punishment that awaits the wicked in the final judgment if we accept Christ as The One and Only way to stand at His throne.  This is the escape of the righteous from the wicked in the final moments of what we know as time.  The Lord protects and answers the prayers of those who call on the Great I AM for deliverance.

God answered the calls of the Israelites when Egypt held them in bondage through Moses.  He delivered David from the hand of Saul when David worshipped the Lord in prayer and song and dance.  The Lord protects those who call on Him, no matter the day, time, or season.  He will deliver us from this world soon, and we should be ready for His joyous return.

* * * * *

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for Your protection.  We trust that You are always with us no matter the time or season.  We praise You in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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Giving Thanks and Praise

August 9, 2013 by

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Last week was one of those weeks where I just wanted to throw my hands up in the air, scream, and just get away from what I was doing.  Nothing was going right.  At least in my mind, it was not going right.  In God’s eyes it was going right—right as He planned.

It seemed like I couldn’t do anything right at work, and it led to a literal crying meltdown.  Thankfully, one of our professors walked by my office and saw me crying.  Thank God for sending her.  I was just ready to walk out.

Thank God. It’s one of those phrases that many of us say on a daily basis. Thank God. Remember the preschool prayer, “God is great. God is good. Thank you for our food…Amen.”  We have been trained to thank God since we were toddlers.

Enter His gates with Thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

Psalm 100:4

This verse has struck me for the past few days. We should thank God regardless of the situation. We should thank God for everything that He has given us on a daily basis, and thank Him everyday for sending His son, Jesus, to die for us.  He did not have to do that.  God stopped Abraham from killing Issac even though He had commanded Abraham to do so.  Abraham was doing as He commanded through his worship to God.  He was showing praise and thankfulness by doing as he was commanded.  Yet God stopped him.  Abraham was thankful for his blessing from God and was willing to sacrifice his own God-given son as commanded.  Yet God stopped him, but God did not stop Himself when Jesus hung on the Cross.  We should give thanks and praise for this every day.  Abraham was praising and thanking God by doing what he was commanded to do.  Jesus did the same on the cross when He followed God’s will for His life by dying for us. Thank God.

I try to thank God for everything I have everyday, whether it be when I first wake up or when I go to bed.  We should praise God everyday.  When we go to church, we praise the Lord through song, prayer, and worship.  Yet we are still in His courts when we leave the church door because we are still in the world He created.  His court is everywhere, not just at the church house door. Thank God. Praise God.

* * * * *

Thank You, God.  Just thank You for all your blessings and the life you have given us.  May we praise Your name and thank You for all our days.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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