November 26, 2024

Great Things

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I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
O God, You have taught me from my youth, and I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation, Your power to all who are to come.
For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?
You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
May You increase my greatness and turn to comfort me.
Psalms 71:16-21

God has such a great love for us.  He holds no account of the wrongs we have done once we have confessed our sins to Him. God is so faithful to toss them away.  We are the ones that  holds onto so much unforgiveness.

God wants us to love as He does.  Without limits or conditions.  He also wants us to have confidence.  Confidence in God’s ability to rescue us from our troubles.  David knew God was there for him no matter what was going on. All David needed to do was talk to God and let Him take care of the situation.

God will even choose us to further His kingdom among the nations.  We so often limit what we could do by our self-doubt.  God wants us to look at things from His point of view.  A limitless future awaits us if we choose to follow the Holy Spirit.  We do not have to go overseas to serve.  We can serve from where we are.  We just have to be aware of His promptings. It could be our paying it forward to the wait staff or taking the time to pray for someone when you feel the tugging in your mind.  There have been too many stories of people getting out of situations when the odds seemed against them.  And all because of the pressing of the Holy Spirit to pray.

Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank you for watching over us everyday and for giving us new opportunities to get it right. Some of us know Your words and do not want to be like the Israelites that wondered the desert for 40 years because of unbelief and disobedience. Help us to know when we need to stop and listen to and for you. Help us choose to put away the things that will distract us from your word. Give us strength to say no and help us to have a peace that only you can bring. Thank you again, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Next Generation

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With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
I will remind them of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
O God, from my youth You have taught me,
and I still proclaim Your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim Your might to another generation,
Your power to all those to come.
Psalms 71:16-18

One of the biggest roles that we are charged with, especially when we become parents, is to raise up the next generation of God’s children in His name.  We are supposed to be teaching them how to live by God’s rules and to follow Him.  For many of our older children (school age and beyond) that means attending a church with a good youth group and youth activities.  These groups can be fundamental in growing our youth into godly young adults.  Our youth are one of the greatest things that a church can invest in.

God is with us from the time we are born.  The first teachers He gives us is our parents. They are the first ones to teach us about God and Jesus.  Then as we grow up, we are introduced to the members of the church we attend: ministers, Sunday School teachers, peers, and other adults.  As a group we learn about God and pass on the teachings of God from the older to the younger generation.  The older generation proclaims the greatness of God and pass these proclamations on to the younger generation.

The glory of young men is their strength, and the honor of old men is their gray hair.
Proverbs 20:29

God is glorified when we pass our knowledge of Him and Jesus on to the younger generation that are being raised in the church.  It is an honor to be able to lead the younger generation into the ranks of God’s children.  The younger generation brings strength and vigor to our churches.  The older generation brings wisdom.  The older generation guides the younger generation as they take their rightful place in God’s family.

A solid and good children’s program and youth group is one of the reasons my husband and I chose to attend the church we attend today.  We have seen many of the youth leave our church and be productive both for God and our country.  The leaders of the children and the youth are great, and they have our children’s best interest at heart—just as parents do for their own.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the godly people You have put in our family’s life. In today’s world it takes more than a parent’s positive influence to raise a child. Putting godly examples in front of our children helps us to guide our children in the way that You would have them go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Until The End

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Since my youth, God, You have taught me, and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your mighty acts to all who are to come.
Psalms 71:17-18

Learning is one of those things that we are going to be doing continually. It never ends! Although, there are some things that you learn that you don’t have to keep learning—like walking—many of the areas in our lives are going to be slightly repetitive.

At one of my jobs I feel like I’ve mastered my job duties and everything is beginning to seem repetitive. To me this is the worst thing that could happen, because I need newness in all areas of my life. When I feel I’ve mastered something, I become disinterested. Oddly enough, in my walk with God, I don’t have this problem. I sometimes long for the day when God will say that I’ve mastered it all…that I’ve mastered life! Funny notion, don’t you think?

Since my youth, God, You have taught me, and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare Your power to the next generation, Your mighty acts to all who are to come.
Psalms 71:17-18

Since the beginning of my relationship with the Lord, I have been aware of all the lessons God has taught me and the blessings He has bestowed upon me. Learning to, and then continuing to, share all the Lord has done for me is a constant struggle. Some days I will pray that the Lord will give me the opportunity to share Him and then that He would give me the courage to follow through. Other days, I am not so brave and want to just curl up in a ball and be left alone.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket.
Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
Matthew 5:14-16

God wants us to share Him until the very end. Learning about God and sharing God are two things in our spiritual walks that just do not end…rather…should not end.

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Lord, help me to remember that as long as I am alive on this here earth my goal is to shine for You. May I keep the flame burning for You and continue to move forward each day. Amen.

No Other Way

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The revelation of GOD is whole and pulls our lives together.
The signposts of GOD are clear and point out the right road.
The life-maps of GOD are right, showing the way to joy.
The directions of GOD are plain and easy on the eyes.
GOD’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee.
The decisions of GOD are accurate down to the nth degree.
Psalms 19:7-9 MSG

Many objects, people and organizations claim to have the ultimate solution for life. These things slip in and take hold of our lives attempting to show us a better way. Thing is—your paycheck, your boss, and your job do not hold the key to life. These things didn’t make you and they couldn’t possibly tell you what path to follow and what choices to make. One Being, and one alone, knows all that the world could hold. And that very same Being created both you and me. As Job said, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). Isaiah advised, “Don’t put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as breath. What good are they?” (Isaiah 2:22).

When I first researched Psalms19:7-9 in the Message Translation, I was taken aback. The way this version explains these verses is amazing. “The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together.” Wow…if you sit and think on it…how simple, but profound, is this statement. Not just knowing about or being aware of, but the revelation of God basically makes everything right and complete. “The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road.” Truthfully, I don’t find this to be so simple, but then again, in my human ways, I have been known to… (putting it nicely) complicate things. “The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy.

Notice these verses say nothing about any other thing in this world—but God. God has the answer to everything. He IS the answer to everything. Nothing is impossible for the Lord. What other way could there possibly be, if God is the answer to everything?  There is no other way. All other ways are false and a waste of time. THE Way is the way. Jesus said it best in John 14:6: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

I know I’ve said this before, but it is so important and imperative for us to remember, that the only One who knows our path is the Lord. Yes, I do believe that He can and will place people in our lives to help us, listen to us, and guide us, but these helpers cannot replace the Maker. If we constantly are leaning on our physical helpers and not taking the time to spend time with God and hear His voice, then we aren’t hurting anyone but ourselves. No person can have a relationship with God for us. This means our parents, our friends, our pastor, our spouses, our children—none of these can have a relationship with Christ for us.

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Lord, thank You for being the Way. Thank You for making the choice simple. Although, it may be hard sometimes to walk Your path, I know that Your way is the only way for me. Amen.

Young and Old

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I will come with the mighty deeds of the Lord God;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.
O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?
You who have shown me many troubles and distresses
Will revive me again,
And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.
May You increase my greatness
And turn to comfort me.
Psalms 71:16-21

I just turned 30 this past week.  I know I’m far from old and gray, but I’m also not considered “young” anymore.  (Just ask my kids).  It was an important milestone for me and, apparently, 30 makes you a real adult.  When I read the words, “You have taught me from my youth,” I thought back on the past 30 years.  I was amazed by how much He has taught me over these years; some lessons I needed to learn more than once….  But it is much more than just what He has taught me over the years.

It is the time He has invested in me and the love shown to me.  It is His strength, His wonderous deeds, His greatness.  It is His desire to revive and comfort me again…and again…and again.  At 30 I find myself married with 3 busy kids, working full time, going to school full time—and needing a lot of reviving and comfort.  He does this daily, and sometimes all I can say is “O God, who is like You?”

Today I find myself thanking Him for His greatness and provision in my life.  I find myself repeating the words of David, “Lord don’t forsake me in my old age….” I want to spread His goodness.  I want to show this next generation that, without Him, I could not do what I do.

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Let’s pray: Dear Heavenly Father, the things You do for me it’s more than amazing!  Thank You for teaching us in our youth, and for not forsaking us in our adult years. Thank You for Your provision, for Your greatness, and for sustaining us as we share with the world what you do daily in our lives.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

The Bible as a Teacher

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Since my youth, O God, You have taught me and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds.
Psalm 71: 17

David had to recount throughout his life what had been happening to him.  How he has excelled in life, how he has been protected, etc.  And he came to a point of realizing that it was not about him but that the Lord was with him always.  And so it is for us today to have a recount of our own lives.

How does God teach us?

He teaches us through His very own Words in the Bible.  And the Bible is the true book where the wisdom of our wise God is revealed.  God spoke the Word and breathed into it and it became life.  We thank God for the Word that is life today.  The Word that is changing our lives for the best disciples.

I have learned in life that I can only learn better as long as I study much. Learning is a process which goes step-by-step.  Looking at myself I have passed through a nursery school (kindergarten) through a higher level and now a profession in my field.  All this is achievable through teachings, studies etc.

And so the Word of God teaches us—from a Sunday School kid and now a born-again Christian who is not merely born again but also a disciple of Jesus Christ.  In Isaiah 8:11, “ The Lord spoke to me with his strong hand upon me warning me not to follow the way of this people, he said….”

Why does God teach us?

• So that we can walk in the right way: Isaiah says His God instructs him and teaches him the right way. Isaiah 28:26
• That we may know what God have freely given us: We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. I Corinthians 2:12
• That we know the truth that is in Jesus : Surely you have heard of Him and were taught in Him that is in Jesus. You were taught with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires. Ephesian 4:21-22
• Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you for you yourselves have been taught by god to love each other. 1 Thessalonians 4:9
• All these teachings urge us to appreciate the marvelous deeds God has done. 1 John 2:27

Let us be Christians who are not only mouthing the words but rather renewed in our minds and able to study the Word of God and observe to do what it says we should do. Joshua 1:8.

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Father, we thank You for Your Word. You’ve give us the grace to be true disciples that are willing to be taught by a great teacher.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

There Is Still Power in the Name of Jesus

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O God.
Let me proclaim Your power to this new generation,
Your mighty miracles to all who come
Psalm 71:18b NLT

Let me confess a couple of things before I get started:
-My blogs are about things God is showing and teaching me that I hope will touch you too.
-I went about writing this blog backwards. I started with an idea and God showed me the Scripture.

I was watching a video this morning and God thumped me upside the head and asked, “Are you paying attention?” I have included a link to the video (see below) but here is a brief outline:

Samuel Rodriguez is asked to pray at a secular event in Washington, D.C. When he arrives, he finds out a Universalist, an Imam, and a Rabbi have been asked to pray as well. He is given a choice where in the order he would like to pray…and chooses to go last. After he prays there is clapping for 4-6 minutes. When asked why the people kept clapping he states, “There is STILL power in the Name of Jesus!”

Let me ask you something—Do you proclaim Jesus’ power? Do you pray like you believe in His power?
This is where God was drawing my attention. I have not been praying like I believe in the mighty power of His Name. Then when I saw Psalm 71:18 I knew this was something I needed to research and write about.

Jesus Christ

  • His is the Name above ALL names
  • Angels fall prostrate at His Name
  • Every knee shall bow at the Name of Jesus
  • His Name causes the dead to rise
  • His Name makes demons tremble and flee
  • His Name gives sight to the blind, makes the lame walk and heals the sick

Best of all, Jesus’ is the only Name that can wash us white as snow and make us acceptable to God – “…by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name” (John 20:31 NLT).

In Matthew 28:18 AMP, Jesus tells us, “All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”  John 13:3 NIV says “…the Father had put all things under His power…”  That is the ultimate power!  We have been given access to that power. We are to use it when we pray and proclaim it loudly for all to hear so the next generation knows there is still power in the name of Jesus.

All hail the power of Jesus’ Name.

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Lord Jesus, we are so thankful for the power of Your Holy Name. Remind us of that power continually so that we may use it to bring You glory and honor. May we lift our voices to proclaim how the power of Your Name is alive and at work in our own lives. In Your precious and Holy Name, I ask this, Amen – it is so!

You Are My Strength Psalm 71

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I will come in the strength and with the mighty acts of the Lord God;
I will mention and praise Your righteousness, even Yours alone.
O God, You have taught me from my youth, and hitherto have I declared Your wondrous works.
Yes, even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not, [but keep me alive]
until I have declared Your mighty strength to [this] generation,
and Your might and power to all that are to come.
Your righteousness also, O God, is very high [reaching to the heavens],
You Who have done great things; O God, who is like You, or who is Your equal?
Psalms 71:16-19

You are my strength
Strength like no other
Strength like no other
Reaches to me

You are my hope
Hope like no other
Hope like no other
Reaches to me

In the fullness of Your grace
In the power of Your Name
You lift me up
You lift me up

Unfailing love
Stronger than mountains
Deeper than oceans
Reaches to me

Your love O Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness
Reaches to the sky

Singer/Songwriter – Reuben Morgan with Hillsong United

An Infinite God

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I will exalt You, my God the King;
I will praise Your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise You
and extol Your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.
Psalms 145:1-3

God is so great. God is so good. God is great all the time. It is hard to fathom just how far-reaching God’s greatness is—it is infinite. Infinity is hard to imagine because it never ends. It is often too hard to imagine infinity. There is no way to put an end to it.

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods.
1 Chronicles 16:25

God has been here before any of us were ever born. He created the universe, the world, humans—everything. His reach is infinite. His reach is so infinite that He is able to send His Son to be with us no matter where we are. His reach is so infinite that we cannot hide anything from God. He knows everything and sees everything. God’s reach is so infinite that it is amazing and scary at the same time. It is amazing that our God knows us so well.

He is so great that God deserves praise every day. His greatness and love make Him worthy of eternal praise and love. Once we are in Heaven with God for eternity, we will have the chance to praise Him for eternity.

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Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your infinite love. We praise You for Your greatness. Without You, we would be nothing. You have our best interests in Your mind and sight, and we are thankful for that. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Perfection

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Great is the Lord and highly to be praised;
and His greatness is [so vast and deep as to be] unsearchable.
Psalm 145:3 AMP

These two Scriptures echo the unsearchable greatness of God:

Who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number…
Job 5:9 AMP

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unfathomable (inscrutable, unsearchable) are His judgments (His decisions)!
And how untraceable (mysterious, undiscoverable) are His ways (His methods, His paths)!
Romans 11:33 AMP

Ok…I admit it…I am a word nerd.  When I read Psalm 145:3, two words stuck out – greatness and unsearchable. So I researched each word to see how it was defined in Biblical times.

Unsearchable:  infinite, deep, incomprehensible, untraceable, vast. But when I looked up greatness, one word kept reoccurring—perfection. God IS Perfection. Which is something we continually strive for but cannot attain. In others words, God is described as ‘infinite, incomprehensible, untraceable perfection’.  I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around that.  I love the question that is asked in Job 11:7 (HCSB):

Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?

Job 26:14 (AMP) asks it this way:

Yet these are but [a small part of His doings] the outskirts of His ways
or the mere fringes of His force, the faintest whisper of His voice!
Who dares contemplate or who can understand the thunders of His full, magnificent power?

We will never be able to conceive the riches of God’s greatness or His perfection.  We tend to define God by our limited experiences and our own point of view.  But God is so immense that we will not discover His full magnitude this side of Heaven.  Yet as we continue to seek Him, He continues to reveal Himself to us.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

Hebrews 11:6 says “He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.”  Amazing! God continues to reveal His greatness and His perfection to us when we sincerely seek Him.  He is more than worthy of our praise.  But we will never be able to glorify Him with as much praise as He deserves because His perfection is beyond what our feeble minds can comprehend.  But the more I seek Him, the more He reveals of Himself to me and I praise Him more.  As I grow in knowledge of who God is, I am able to honor Him with more and more praise.

Great is the Lord and highly to be praised…
Psalm 145:3