November 23, 2024

Looking In The Right Place

June 27, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

I cry to you, O LORD;
I say, “You are my refuge,
my portion in the land of the living.”
Attend to my cry,
for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
that I may give thanks to your name!
The righteous will surround me,
for you will deal bountifully with me.
Psalms 142:5-7

I can just hear and feel the anguish of the psalmist here.  Sometimes we can feel so bullied, so utterly defeated that we do not know where to look.  Feeling desperate…with nowhere to go, it seems that our last resort is to call upon God for deliverance.  But then, the psalmist motivates himself and suddenly knows that God will deliver him from his dilemma.

There is such trust in David’s words.  Can you feel it?   Can you almost feel God’s loving care ready to assist David through his trial?  Often times, David found himself in difficult circumstances, either of his own making or by another’s jealousy.  David could have blamed God for his situation, but when he cries out passionately to God for His divine intervention, we know that God will be there to rescue him.

Think of Peter, he was another passionate man that often spoke or reacted without thinking of consequences, but Jesus knew Peter’s heart and knew Peter would lead the disciples once He was gone. Jesus saw beyond the rash actions, the quickness to judge and this speaks to me! The Holy Spirit reveals different aspects of God in people to us when we are ready to accept them, when the revelation will have the most impact on our life. This is discernment, this is trusting in the gifts God has bestowed upon us.

To some of us He gives us faith.  To others hospitality, teaching, encouragement, praise. We are not to have every one of them, nor are we to be jealous of  other people’s gifts.  Get rid of jealousy.  It takes too much time away from us and from God.  God is jealous for us to have a relationship with Him, not with social media, with our computers, with our televisions or whatever would take us away from time that is spent with Him.  We are to use these things as tools to reach the lost and to reach those who have become lost along the way. We all have done this. We all have strayed away, and then we come back. Just as David had. God loved him no less, maybe even more, when he strayed, then came back.

David was not perfect in his life as a man, husband, father, son. But his love, faith, and trust in God was absolute.  He knew when he could bargain with God and when God’s word was final.  There is no denying the bond these two had.  God loved His son, Solomon, as well.  Before Solomon allowed his wives to corrupt him, he had a great relationship with God.  Oh, for Solomon’s wisdom in our day!  I am sure someone would find a way to interfere with his words.

My prayer for those who read this today is that no matter where you are in your walk—if you have not strayed recently or have strayed so far away—know that God loves YOU.  God is standing at the door and knocking.  He wants to keep His children safe and with Him.  Are you one of His?  If not, please pray this prayer with me…

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Heavenly Father, I choose Jesus as Lord of my life.  I humble myself in repentance and turn away from ungodliness.  I choose to forgive those who have wronged me.  I offer myself as a servant of the living God.  I rejoice that through the blood of Jesus all my sins are forgiven; through the blood of Jesus I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil; through the blood of Jesus I am sanctified, set a part to God.  I rejoice in my Lord and my Redeemer, amen.

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A Love So Amazing

June 23, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjvA Love so amazing
Has come to save me
And this love changes everything
Father, You found me
Your goodness surrounds me
I’m Yours for eternity

And You will always be
The King on the throne
Now Your praise will always
Be on my tongue
No one else could do the things
That You’ve done in my life

Your ways are faithful
Your works are beautiful
Your word sets the captives free
Your hand upon me
Heals and restores me
Your grace fills my every need

And You will always be
The King on the throne
Now Your praise will always
Be on my tongue
No one else could do the things
That You’ve done in my life
There’s no greater love
That’s ever been shown
And Your song in me
Just has to be sung
No one else could do the things
That You’ve done in my life

You said, if I follow You
I’ll know the truth
And do the things You do
Yours is the kingdom and the power
Forever, Lord
You’ll always be my God

Singer / Songwriter: Paul Oakley

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No matter what comes our way, God is always true to us.  We may not understand at the moment, or until the day we stand before our Father, but we can know that He does not give us more that we can handle.  If we are honest and look back at our lives, we might just be amazed at the miracles we have lived through.

I remember the birth of my son, as I am sure most of us can our children’s births. I remember the moment I said, ‘I have to push!’ to the moment the doctor said ‘Push!’  In about two pushes, he was out. He was quiet and purple. I was afraid and so was unconcerned about what was happening to me; I cared more about what was going on with him.  The expert nurses worked on him while I was watching from my bed. They were able to get him to cry—what a beautiful sound!  His color came to him and he was truly beautiful to me.  His dad was the first to hold him and I was able to later on after I had gotten back to a room.  That first hold is when reality hit: “I am a mom, this life is my responsibility. God has gifted me this opportunity to make him a man, to grow him in God’s image, to grow to be like Jesus.”

Today, he is a wonderful young man.  People tell me of how well we (parents and stepparents) did in rearing him.  Only with the grace and goodness of God has he made it.  I had such great friends, men and women, who have poured prayers into his life and continue to do so.  I wish to be that passionate about the other children that come into our lives today through our ministry with the children of our local church. Each child that comes through the doors need to understand that the Bible is Spirit-breathed, the inspired Words of our Father.

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Father, thank You for Your Word!  Thank You for the ability to learn and show us Your love and mercy in so many ways…ways that we can not even begin to fathom.  We know in part now, then we will know in detail.  Help us seek You  with all of our heart.  Create in me the desire to reach the unreachable, to teach those whom others cast off.  Thank You, Lord, in Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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Can You Feel His Majesty?

June 20, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

1 Praise the Lord!  Servants of the Lord, praise him!
    Praise the Lord’s name.
2 May the Lord’s name be praised
    now and forever.
3 May the Lord’s name be praised
    from where the sun rises to where it goes down.
4 The Lord is higher than all nations.
    His glory rises to the skies.
5 There is no one like the Lord our God.
    He sits on his throne high in heaven.
6 He is so high above us that he must look down
    to see the sky and the earth.
7 He lifts the poor out of the dirt
    and rescues beggars from the garbage dump.
8 He puts them in important positions,
    giving them a place among the leaders of his people.
9 He gives children to the woman whose home is empty.
    He makes her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

From the moment of conception, life is a miracle. Although we carry the child for 40 weeks, it seems like forever before we give birth. I know women that have been blessed with many children and those who are blessed with one. Then there are those who may not have given birth to children of their own, but have love enough to share with children as an adoptive mom or as a servant of the Lord at church or in a teaching situation where their influence is great upon those they touch.

God gave us that capacity to love and to love others. Sometimes life will throw us curve balls. We may make a wrong turn down God’s path, get lost along the way, but know that He is there to catch us, no matter what our choices are. King David made mistakes, and truly repented, and God forgave him. Consequences were meted out, but all was forgiven.  After all, do we not want forgiveness in the end? Do we not want the shame, guilt and self-condemnation to be taken away? For all of this to happen, we need to forgive ourselves as God forgives us.

When Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, He took on every single thing we would ever do or think. He knew who we would meet, talk to, be friends with, laugh with, and who our parents would be. And, knowing all of this, He chose to die on the Cross for us.  I have mentored teenagers who have refused to accept that God would just love them. It is hard to teach someone who is not ready to hear that God loves them unconditionally. The best way is to show them unconditional love. This is best demonstrated by our service to our children, whether it is our own or loving on other children.

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Father, help us to remember that all are Your children. We each have gifting that allow us to minister to those that are hurting. Help us to be content with planting seeds, or with watering seeds, or with helping those seeds grow into a fully-developed Christians. Forgive us for when we do not look to You for guidance, but instead look to others or into ourselves. You have made us to seek You and be a part of community. Give us courage to seek godly women who will help us grow individually. I thank You for this group of women. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Washed By The Water

June 16, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Daddy was a preacher
She was his wife
Just trying to make the world a little better
You know, shine a light
People started talking
Trying to hear their own voice
Those people tried to accuse my father
Said he made the wrong choice
Though it might be painful
You know that time will always tell
Those people have long since gone
My father never failed

Even when the rain falls
Even when the flood starts rising
Even when the storm comes
I am washed by the water

Even if the Earth crumbles under my feet
Even if the ones I love turn around and crucify me
I won’t never ever let you down
I won’t fall
I won’t fall
I won’t fall as long as you’re around me

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Have you ever felt prompted to do something, felt it was right, only to be talked out of it by friends and family, or your own insecurity? I know I have. But you know, if it is of God, there will be opportunities to pursue those outreaches. It may not have the same blessing as before, but you can still receive a blessing from your service opportunity. It is almost like the son that said he would help in the garden, then doesn’t. Then the other son says no, but then does. I so understand.

Age does not mean that we obey any better than when we were younger. Sometimes we just get more stubborn and figure who wants to hear from this old person. Let me tell you, we are not old. We have alot of life to live and experiences to share. We may need to practice our delivery, may need to soften our demeanor, but we also do not ever need to give up hope. There are people I am sure you have been ministering to and praying for. Never give up on them. Jesus has not given up on us!

 

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Praise Him

June 13, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love
and His wonderful deeds for mankind.
Let them exalt Him in the assembly of the people
and praise Him in the council of the elders.
Psalms 107:31-32

What does praising the Lord look like to you? Is it going out into nature and drinking in the glory of it all, listening to the birds singing, the wind swirling about you or the sounds to the insects? Or do you prefer the corporate worship, where you enter the sanctuary and sing to your hearts content and settle in and listen to the minister teach or preach? Whatever your style is, worship Him. Worship Him with your whole life, your whole being.

Just as David praised God in the good and the bad times of his life, we can too.  We can be angry with God as well, just as David was.  Our God is such a big God. Growing up I had such a reverence for God..I still do.  What has changed is that I have learned that God loves me more than my earthly parents, my husband, my child or my friends ever could. Only—to come to that conclusion—I had to understand who God is.

God loves us and wants what is best for us. Here is an example of His protection of Job:

Have You not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?
You have blessed the work of his hands,
So that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.
Job 1:10 NIV

Even though God allowed Job to suffer, Job never wavered from his faith.  Job was a strong leader for his friends and for his wife.  Job always looked out for those around him and looked for ways to improve his relationship with God.

God is sure to give us rest when we need it.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27

I pray, as this week closes and we begin to celebrate our fathers, that we choose to honor them for who they are. My dad (who raised me) was brought up during the Depression Era. He was the second or third of five children whose father was a saw miller. His mom was a stay-at-home mom who was responsible for the four boys and daughter. Dad started out on his own with only an eighth grade education and  joined the Army. He served only two years and was discharged. He followed his dad and joined him and older brother in the saw mill business for a short period. Then he was employed by Mr. Pride Car Wash where he became a manager. Dad did his best for his family. He worked hard and advanced with what education he had and took advantage of the skills God had given him.

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Father, thank You for our fathers. They may not be the one we would have chosen, but You have plans. You know who was the best person to help develop us for who we were meant to be. I know I would not be who I am today without the two dads You placed in my life. I thank You for both of them and I thank You for the other people who have helped develop me into the person I am today. I know I still need to improve and seek to know more about You and Your Son.  In His name, I pray.  Amen.

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The More I Seek You

June 2, 2014 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 breath, feel Your heartbeat
This love is so deep, it’s more than I can stand
I melt in Your peace, it’s overwhelming

Written by Zach Neese / Performed by Kari Jobe, Gateway Worship

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But if from there 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 NIV

 

What a simple, yet moving, praise and worship song!  This is a song that will move you as you sit and meditate on the words and their meanings in your quiet time.  Please enjoy!

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Deeds

June 1, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love,
for His wondrous works to the children of man!
And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of His deeds in songs of joy!
Psalms 107:21-22

Reading the background of these verses, it amazes me how we are in such rebellion.  No matter how good we are, we cannot become better by our deeds. When we become ill, we pray for our heavenly Father to heal us, to make us better.  We pray when we lose our jobs.  We pray when we are in any kind of trouble.  What I want to do is praise my Father for whatever may come my way.  I want to sing for joy and dance with passion!

I believe it is this heart-change that allows us to see that God is not the image we have of our earthly father.  God is so not that man!  God wants us to love Him because He first loved us.  God has given us the Psalms and the other accounts to remind us of how He wants what is best.  He knew we would make mistakes…He knew we would need His loving arms around us all the time.

As God spoke and His word was done, we also can speak and proclaim His Word throughout all of the world.  We can speak them over our lives and the lives of those we love. We can speak the healing Scriptures over those that are hurting. For example we can pray,

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Yahweh is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never grows faint or weary;
there is no limit to His understanding.
He gives strength to the weary
and strengthens the powerless.
Youths may faint and grow weary,
and young men stumble and fall,
But those who trust in the Lord
will renew their strength;
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary;
They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

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Father, give us courage to seek You everyday, with every waking moment and every breath we take.  Help us to not be afraid of what others may think if we begin to pray Your Word and proclaim it over our family, our church, and our nation.  We love You and want to experience life to the fullest!  In Your name we pray, Amen!

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Protector

May 30, 2014 by

So thank God for His marvelous love,
for His miracle mercy to the children He loves;
He shattered the heavy jailhouse doors,
He snapped the prison bars like matchsticks!
Psalms107:15-16 (The Message)

God is our Protector.  When you review the Bible and history there are many times He rescued His people from certain extinction.  I have heard many people say they do not like history, but we need to know what was, to know how to prevent it from happening again or to know the signs to watch for.

When we search for miracles in God’s Word we read about Joseph. I recall that God used Joseph’s life as a foreshadowing of His Son Jesus coming to Earth, living among mankind, performing miracles and, while fulfilling God’s purposes, forgiving those who had wronged him.  How many of us can say that we have done that?  As Joseph forgave his brothers, God forgives us.

As we move forward in the Scriptures, we read where God used Moses to bring out the Hebrew people from Egypt into the Promised Land after the Egyptians endured the ten plagues. After the people were let go then they were led through the desert and came up to the Red Sea, where God performed yet another miracle in parting the Red Sea.  Let us not stop there, because the entire exodus from Egypt was a miracle in that no one starved, no one died (unless they angered God), no one grew thirsty, and their clothes never wore out.  God protected them in miraculous ways they would never have considered.

Moving forward a few hundred years, let’s go into the New Testament and meet the disciples in the Book of Acts as written by Luke. In Acts we see where the Holy Spirit empowers each person to carry out God’s purposes. Not by using tricks, but by the Spirit of the Living God.

In today’s times, we have seen men like Billy Graham share the Word of God in a miraculous way.  Through the recordings of his early messages Mr. Graham is reaching more people than ever before imagined.  Television, when used correctly, is a powerful tool for the spreading of the Gospel of Christ to the nations and the world.  With Mr. Graham’s outreach, it has allowed other ministries to reach out further than ever anticipated to peoples who would not have had the opportunity to hear the Gospel.

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Father, give us the tools we need to spread Your Word to the nations.  Empower us to train the next generation of missionaries to take the Gospel to those still living in dark places.  We look forward to serving You and we thank You for Your protection from the beginning of time…from then to the end of time.  Please bless our kids and empower them to carry Your Word to the nations.  In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

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How Great Thou Art

May 19, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjvO Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think of God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come, with shout of acclamation,
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration,
And then proclaim: “My God, how great Thou art!”

~ Sing this song with me as our prayer and worship today. ~

Stuart K. Hine was born in 1899 in Great Britain. In much of Stuart’s earlier years he and his wife were missionaries in the Western Ukraine of Russia, where they evangelized as Christian workers and singers. In 1931, Stuart K. Hine and his wife returned to Britain and conducted gospel campaigns throughout Great Britain. During those years, Stuart published many song books and wrote many of his beloved gospel songs. Stuart retired from the active ministry but continued to publish his song books and his music and contributed the majority of his income to various missionary endeavors around the world…Stuart K. Hine’s most popular composition is “How Great Thou Art,” which is recognized in many polls as the number one hymn in America. Among his other compositions are “Can There Be One,” “O Savior Mine?,” “Faith Is The Bridge,” and “What Can Cleanse My heart?” Mr. Hine died in 1989.

–Excerpt from Gospel Music Hall of Fame website.

What a great praise and worship song.  Just reading about Mr. Hine and his endeavors to serve are humbling.  I should strive to do even more for God’s Kingdom.

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Father, thank You for men and women like Mr. Hine who have given of themselves for You. Without their endurance and ability to serve You, we would not have these wonderful songs to sing back to You and be able to use them to minister to Your people. Thank You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Brandon’s Shield

May 15, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy;
and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.
Psalms 5:11-12

On a Thursday evening I get a text from my son, saying he was not feeling well.  I ask him to describe his symptoms and I also get his step-dad involved.  We think he needs to drink something to help ‘clean’ him out.  When he does get the bottle of nasty-tasting stuff, he can’t keep it down.  He tries to sleep that night but not very well.  The next morning,  he asks that I call one of my friends who is a nurse practitioner and get him an appointment.  At 1:15 pm he goes for the appointment.  After the exam she determines it could be appendicitis, and sends him for a CT scan to get better information.  Brandon calls to say he is going in for the scan at 3 pm.  I am praying this whole time asking for God’s help in evaluating the situation quickly.  Brandon calls after the scan to say he is going home.  I suggest that he go over to see my friend/nurse practitioner, Julie, for the results. By the time he gets to the office she has called me to say he has appendicitis and for us to go to the emergency room.

I reach Brandon just as he is getting out of his truck, and tell him to meet me at the ER… that he does have appendicitis…and they will be operating today. I ask him to call his dad and I contact my husband, John.  I managed to get there before Brandon and tried to get paperwork started but he had to be there.  Once he arrives, he checks in.  This is about 4 pm. John arrives around 4:05 and we all sit down.  At about 4:15 we are called back to a room where everyone has a job and are asking Brandon questions.  They begin putting in an IV and drawing blood.  Julie had tried to reach the surgical group she knew that were very qualified to work on Brandon, but could not reach them.  When she spoke with the ER doctor, he said he would take care of reaching one of the team.

By 5 pm Brandon was being wheeled up to the surgical suite to begin the process. This was my first time experiencing emergency surgery on my child (who happens to be 23).  I was a nervous wreck, but Brandon had peace about the whole situation.  From the time he was hurting to the time we left the hospital, he had a peace about him.  I kept looking at the clock in the waiting room.  The surgeon had said it was a 45 minute procedure and recovery would be about an hour. A friend of ours came out who had assisted with the surgery.  Her name is Rose, and she has a sweet, sweet spirit.  It was then I knew Brandon was well covered in prayer while he was being operated on.  God is so merciful!

The surgeon came out and said Brandon was doing great!  Brandon would have to take it easy for a week to 10 days before he could go back to work.  I was just so happy to hear that he was fine!  I stayed the night with Brandon at the hospital and neither of us got much sleep.  Saturday around noon he was discharged; and we went to my house where he would stay with us for a couple of days.  He is a little sore, but moving around.  He is such a trooper…not asking for attention, just wanting to get better and get back to work.

Through this whole adventure, I can see how God shielded and protected Brandon.  Brandon was wise enough to listen to his body—the way God designed us—and knew that something was not right.  And from the CT scan we learned that Brandon was born with just one kidney that is functioning.  I know God has this covered, but we are now going to get a little education on what he should and should not do.

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Father, thank You for taking care of my son.  Thank You that I will be able to have many Christmas, birthdays, and other celebrations with him.  I thank You for Your mercy and Your shield.  I thank You that You give us mom-hearts to pray every day for our family and that we have great pray-ers as friends. I pray Your protection around those today who are hurting and seeking You. May someone give them a word of knowledge and comfort from You.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

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