Wow! A few days ago I was doing my devotional and listening to a man on tv doing a bible study. I am sorry I do not remember his name, but he was from Arkansas. Anyway, he was teaching in the book of Jude and went off on a rabbit trail...just for me. He strayed from Jude to the book of John beginning with chapter thirteen and I will just start with verse 8, where Jesus was going to wash Peter's feet.
Now, I must admit, if Jesus were to say to me, let me wash your feet, I would be just like Peter and say "No way!" But, Jesus goes on, when Peter then asked for Him to bathe him, to explain that Peter was already cleansed, but his feet were dirty.
The thoughts that were opened up to me were truly an awakening.....this could clearly be the way we are as spirit and flesh on this earth. We are forgiven, we have been cleansed (by the washing of our sin, by the blood of Jesus), but we continue to walk in this dusty (sinful) world and our feet (sins) need to be washed everyday.
Lord, help me to never keep the dust on my feet, but allow you to wash them clean everyday. Thank you for Who you are and giving of yourself to die for me....to give me the Living Water that washes over me.
Giving God Glory
gs
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Seek Him with All Your Heart
Sometime you just need to take a spell and focus on God. We are in the middle of the mountains, at the Billy Graham Training Center "The Cove", and His presence has been felt, heard, and seen this week. I cannot imagine how glorious Heaven will be!
Jesus took time away from the crowds and separated Himself from the 'needs' to refill His tank (so to speak). Some of us need to do this more often than sitting in church on Sundays. We heard Richard Blackaby speak on "Going to the next level with God" and we can only do that when we spend time with Him.
What are ways we can change our time with Him? Meet Him in a different 'closet' of our lives, meet in His nature, see Him in your daily walks, listen to Him. We often don't take time to 'listen' to God, only to pour out our requests. Be Still and know I AM. He has great and mighty things, beyond anything we could imagine, for us to see and do...to Glorify Him.
There are two things God wants from us:
1. Fellowship (with Him)
2. Give Him Glory
How can we begin to do those things? Nudge up closer to the Father, let Him know you are ready to do whatever and wherever He leads you to do. Be prepared, He may take you on the journey of your life!! But it will be a BLESSED journey!!
Jeremiah 29:13
Give Him Glory!!
GS
Jesus took time away from the crowds and separated Himself from the 'needs' to refill His tank (so to speak). Some of us need to do this more often than sitting in church on Sundays. We heard Richard Blackaby speak on "Going to the next level with God" and we can only do that when we spend time with Him.
What are ways we can change our time with Him? Meet Him in a different 'closet' of our lives, meet in His nature, see Him in your daily walks, listen to Him. We often don't take time to 'listen' to God, only to pour out our requests. Be Still and know I AM. He has great and mighty things, beyond anything we could imagine, for us to see and do...to Glorify Him.
There are two things God wants from us:
1. Fellowship (with Him)
2. Give Him Glory
How can we begin to do those things? Nudge up closer to the Father, let Him know you are ready to do whatever and wherever He leads you to do. Be prepared, He may take you on the journey of your life!! But it will be a BLESSED journey!!
Jeremiah 29:13
Give Him Glory!!
GS
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Sunhine or storms?
This week we have seen the beauty of God's creation in the Carolinas. We have seen the mountain tops, the oceans, the valleys.....the sunshine, the storms and even a rainbow.
This is the way life is as we take our journey. We cannot be on vacation in our lives and forget Who we serve. Nor can we always see the mountain tops, the vast oceans or the deep valleys. We must journey one day at a time, and at the end of each day, there awaits our rainbow....God's promise to us....He will never forsake or forget us....He will be with us each day and in the darkest of night. He walks with us on the heights of the mountains and the depths of the oceans of life. I think He even smiles when we serve Him and He knows that the Plan was there all along on the pathway of life, this is when He receives Glory. I am not sure I even understand His gift to me, that I am all I am made to be....to give Him glory.
But, what I do know is that He loves us so much, when we seek Him, He is there for us. Our God is a mighty God, Who sent His Son, and now we have the Holy Spirit to guide our ways. Do we look to Him, do we try to live life ourselves? Why? Enjoy life in Him and let Him be glorified!
Giving God Glory!
GS
This is the way life is as we take our journey. We cannot be on vacation in our lives and forget Who we serve. Nor can we always see the mountain tops, the vast oceans or the deep valleys. We must journey one day at a time, and at the end of each day, there awaits our rainbow....God's promise to us....He will never forsake or forget us....He will be with us each day and in the darkest of night. He walks with us on the heights of the mountains and the depths of the oceans of life. I think He even smiles when we serve Him and He knows that the Plan was there all along on the pathway of life, this is when He receives Glory. I am not sure I even understand His gift to me, that I am all I am made to be....to give Him glory.
But, what I do know is that He loves us so much, when we seek Him, He is there for us. Our God is a mighty God, Who sent His Son, and now we have the Holy Spirit to guide our ways. Do we look to Him, do we try to live life ourselves? Why? Enjoy life in Him and let Him be glorified!
Giving God Glory!
GS
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Amazing One
Often times God amazes me!! More often than not!! When we pray, we pray expectantly, but when He answers...why do we say "WOW?" He hears, He answers....He would say that is simple. But, I hope I never get so confident in God that He ceases to amaze me!
I look and see Him in all of creation, but the beauty of it is still amazing. The swirling of the clouds, the ripple of the water, the chirping of the birds, the shooting star. These are all simple to Him, the Creator, but to me, it is amazing.
Thank you God Almighty, for being the All Amazing One. Never let me take You for granted. I praise You in all You are and all You do.
Giving God Glory............
I look and see Him in all of creation, but the beauty of it is still amazing. The swirling of the clouds, the ripple of the water, the chirping of the birds, the shooting star. These are all simple to Him, the Creator, but to me, it is amazing.
Thank you God Almighty, for being the All Amazing One. Never let me take You for granted. I praise You in all You are and all You do.
Giving God Glory............
God Hears and Sees
God Hears and Sees all that we have done, all that we are doing and what we are going to do. Nothing surprises Him! He may be disappointed in us, but He is a loving God that forgives. (Thank goodness !)
He has a Plan for each of us, it we would just 'listen' to Him. It does not matter what other people think or say about you, as long as you are doing God's Will. If you are in the Center of His Will, (His Plan for you) all will work out best for you and God will get the glory.
Remember, He is our Father who wants to bless, to take care of us to the upmost. He can only do that if we are where we are supposed to be in Him, in a right relationship.
Where are you, God didn't move....give Him this day and let Him lead your steps today.
Jeremiah 29:11
He has a Plan for each of us, it we would just 'listen' to Him. It does not matter what other people think or say about you, as long as you are doing God's Will. If you are in the Center of His Will, (His Plan for you) all will work out best for you and God will get the glory.
Remember, He is our Father who wants to bless, to take care of us to the upmost. He can only do that if we are where we are supposed to be in Him, in a right relationship.
Where are you, God didn't move....give Him this day and let Him lead your steps today.
Jeremiah 29:11
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Listening to God as a Parent
| Listening In Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts. Hebrews 3:7-8 It's usually appropriate for our children to ask why we've come to a certain parenting decision. But sometimes, they must simply be satisfied with the answer: "I'm not sure. I just know that this is what we've decided." Pastor, author and longtime friend Tom Elliff remembers one snowy Friday night when his daughter was returning from a school event by bus. She called home from the school building to say that she was going out with her boyfriend to get something to eat and would be home soon afterward. "I'm sorry, Beth, you can't tonight." "Why?" "I don't know, but I'm coming to get you." The mood was naturally a little icy when he arrived to retrieve his daughter from school. She just couldn't understand it. Had she done something wrong? "No, I just had a reservation about it tonight. I needed you to come on home." When they walked into the house, the phone was ringing. His daughter answered and immediately turned white as a sheet. After listening for less than a minute, she awkwardly returned the phone to its cradle and stared dumbfounded in her dad's direction. "I will never question your authority in my life again," she said. As her boyfriend was pulling out of the school parking lot, someone shot a bullet through the passenger-side window. "He was okay at the hospital," she said, "but if I had been riding with him, I would have been dead." Inner reservations. Checks in your spirit. They're often God's signals that something isn't right. Learn how to listen to them, and don't be afraid to follow up on what He seems to be alerting you to. Your courageous decision to go against your teen's opinion and possible resistance could save a life. Discuss Talk about what you do when your children push back. How can you better back one another up in these situations? Pray Ask God to give you a heart that is spiritually receptive to His guidance and warnings. |
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Prayers of a Faithful Saint
Prayers of a Faithful Saint *****(This is a
story of really seeing the Spirit of God!!)
Chaplains had visited the home of Miss Shirley, age 83, and met her daughter and daughter in law, who both lives down the same street. The daughter shared how she had accepted Christ by watching Billy Graham on tv as a young girl.
The chaplains had been told, that day, that Miss Shirley's son was not a christian. The daughter in law asked for prayer for her husband and Miss Shirley said she had been praying for her son, Michael, for years.
A couple of days later, Samaritan's Purse was doing a mudout on Michael's home. Chaplains came to visit and met Michael on the front porch. Chaplains talked with Michael, listening to all that had been going on in his neighborhood. Then, the chaplains asked him about heaven and was he sure of his eternal home. Did he know for sure he would go to heaven when he died. Michael said no and the chaplains shared with him the gospel of Jesus. He smile and said his mother, Miss Shirley had told him about Jesus, but he never listened. Chaplains asked Michael if he would like to pray and receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. With his wife holding his hand, Michael prayed the Sinner's Prayer and accepted Christ.
Living next door to Michael, his sister Gayla, just happened to be home to meet an insurance agent. The chaplains met Gayla and her husband in the yard. Gayla remembered the chaplains an said they were so happy they came back to visit. Hugging the Gayla the chaplain whispered into her ear that her brother had just prayed to receive Christ. Gayla at first, could not believe it...she then sobbed. She said he has not spoken to me in 15 years!! Chaplain said, "The Holy Spirit is working here, let's go". Gayla hesitantly took the chaplains armed and they started to walk across the yard into Michael's yard. Michael came out of the house and did not turn back, but continued coming onto the sidewalk, stopping to look at the two approaching. The chaplain and the sister stopped and the chaplain spoke to him, "Michael it is time to get out of the boat and walk in faith". Michael took a step toward his sister and stopped. She took a step toward him and said, "Michael I am sorry, will you forgive me?" He said, "Yes" as she collapsed into his arms sobbing.
The chaplains had been told that Miss Shirley had fallen the day before and broken both her wrists and was in the hospital. Gayla was so excited about what happened, she wanted to go tell her mother and invited the chaplains to go to the hospital with her. Arriving at the hospital, the group was walking in and looked up to see a large rainbow over the hospital. God's Promise.
While standing beside her mother's bed, with her sister on the other side, Gayla said, "Mother, Michael prayed to receive Christ today". The sister sobbed uncontrollably and the mother, cried and said, "My prayers have been answered'. Gayla then said, "That is not the end of the story Mother, I asked forgiveness from Michael and he forgave me and we hugged each other"!! Tears were flowing in the room and mother said, "If I could get up out of this bed, I would dance!"
Then, the chaplains asked the brother in law, standing in the room about his relationship with Christ and his reply was, "I am a Christian, but have not walked with the Lord as I should. Have not been to church in years. " The group gathered around the bed of Miss Shirley, holding hands and the chaplain led Dave in a prayer and he rededicated his life to the Lord.
Miss Shirley said her prayers have been heard and during the prayer, she said she felt as if someone kissed her on the cheek. His Presence was in that place.
***Note: This above story of salvation, rededication and family reconcilement was all filmed by BGEA media!! They were crying too!
Chaplains had visited the home of Miss Shirley, age 83, and met her daughter and daughter in law, who both lives down the same street. The daughter shared how she had accepted Christ by watching Billy Graham on tv as a young girl.
The chaplains had been told, that day, that Miss Shirley's son was not a christian. The daughter in law asked for prayer for her husband and Miss Shirley said she had been praying for her son, Michael, for years.
A couple of days later, Samaritan's Purse was doing a mudout on Michael's home. Chaplains came to visit and met Michael on the front porch. Chaplains talked with Michael, listening to all that had been going on in his neighborhood. Then, the chaplains asked him about heaven and was he sure of his eternal home. Did he know for sure he would go to heaven when he died. Michael said no and the chaplains shared with him the gospel of Jesus. He smile and said his mother, Miss Shirley had told him about Jesus, but he never listened. Chaplains asked Michael if he would like to pray and receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. With his wife holding his hand, Michael prayed the Sinner's Prayer and accepted Christ.
Living next door to Michael, his sister Gayla, just happened to be home to meet an insurance agent. The chaplains met Gayla and her husband in the yard. Gayla remembered the chaplains an said they were so happy they came back to visit. Hugging the Gayla the chaplain whispered into her ear that her brother had just prayed to receive Christ. Gayla at first, could not believe it...she then sobbed. She said he has not spoken to me in 15 years!! Chaplain said, "The Holy Spirit is working here, let's go". Gayla hesitantly took the chaplains armed and they started to walk across the yard into Michael's yard. Michael came out of the house and did not turn back, but continued coming onto the sidewalk, stopping to look at the two approaching. The chaplain and the sister stopped and the chaplain spoke to him, "Michael it is time to get out of the boat and walk in faith". Michael took a step toward his sister and stopped. She took a step toward him and said, "Michael I am sorry, will you forgive me?" He said, "Yes" as she collapsed into his arms sobbing.
The chaplains had been told that Miss Shirley had fallen the day before and broken both her wrists and was in the hospital. Gayla was so excited about what happened, she wanted to go tell her mother and invited the chaplains to go to the hospital with her. Arriving at the hospital, the group was walking in and looked up to see a large rainbow over the hospital. God's Promise.
While standing beside her mother's bed, with her sister on the other side, Gayla said, "Mother, Michael prayed to receive Christ today". The sister sobbed uncontrollably and the mother, cried and said, "My prayers have been answered'. Gayla then said, "That is not the end of the story Mother, I asked forgiveness from Michael and he forgave me and we hugged each other"!! Tears were flowing in the room and mother said, "If I could get up out of this bed, I would dance!"
Then, the chaplains asked the brother in law, standing in the room about his relationship with Christ and his reply was, "I am a Christian, but have not walked with the Lord as I should. Have not been to church in years. " The group gathered around the bed of Miss Shirley, holding hands and the chaplain led Dave in a prayer and he rededicated his life to the Lord.
Miss Shirley said her prayers have been heard and during the prayer, she said she felt as if someone kissed her on the cheek. His Presence was in that place.
***Note: This above story of salvation, rededication and family reconcilement was all filmed by BGEA media!! They were crying too!
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