God is so faithful

It has been some time since I have blogged.  Mainly because of time restraints, and also because I do not want to write just anything that comes to my mind.  I started this blog with the intention that it would be the Lord’s, not mine and that I would use it when He directed me.  This post is for Him…to praise Him for His faithfulness to me and to those who trust in Him.

The past two weeks have been, unusual…for lack of a better word.  My grandmother had shown signs of a stroke and she was the primary care giver to my grandfather who really couldn’t even stand up without help.  My mom lives with them, but works full time.  So, I gathered up the kids and left to help.  I spent a week there helping my grandmother and mother.  We worked on arrangements for a long term facility and spoke with an attorney about those arrangements. 

There were so many unanswered questions, but, through this, I was able to pray with my grandmother.  We stood in the hallway and prayed to the Lord for answers and guidence.  Something I had never done with her before. My children witnessed the Lord’s provision when the long term care facility let us know that the “home” closest to my grandmother which never has room available, just happened to have a bed for my grandfather.  And not only that, but that they would waive fees usually required to place a patient.  At that point, it was time to get back home to my husband…

When I arrived home, I was contacted by my stepmother.  My father had been put into the hospital with an intestinal blockage and a possible heart problem.  He had emergency surgery. 

That same week, my husband was notified that a close family friend…actually, his godfather (he was raised Catholic), had passed away.  He had cancer that had spread through his body very quickly. 

As I have shared this with friends, they ask me how I am keeping it together, and I just have one answer.  I trust so I won’t crumble!  I have such peace about it all.  My life is God’s.  What He does with it, is His choice.  I know that He will work all things out for the good of anyone who trusts in Him.  And, I trust Him!  Everyday, I see the Lord working  and I know that He is real.  He is alive.  He is working in my life and in others lives around me.  And, if you don’t know this already…He wants to be a part of yours.  God is good to provide, He is faithful to provide, and He is worthy of our praise!  God bless you.

 

Lest anyone should boast!

Ok, so today I am rereading Ephesians.  I love this book of the Bible.  Of course I love all the books, but this one just touches my heart every time.  The entire book will be completely underlined before too long.  But as I was reading, I came to the verse, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  Ephesians 2:8-9

Every time I read that verse, I just smile.   I think of what salvation could look like if it were something we earned.  Could you imagine?  Everyone walking around telling everyone exactly what they did to get salvation and how that got them “in” to Heaven.  We know people like that in this world, and I have to tell you…being around them for any short period of time will  make you crazy.  How about spending eternity with someone like that?  No way!!! 

Our God is so good to know exactly how sinful man is.  He knew, if He did not make salvation a free gift, and provide the Holy Spirit to guide us in our life in order to change our hearts, it would be a disaster.  I am so glad He knows best in EVERY situation.  It brings me comfort and peace to know how He works.  And I know this from reading His Word.

I just wanted to share this with all of you.  First, just because it is an amazing thing that God has given us in our Lord Jesus Christ.  But secondly, because we need to make sure we are not “boasting” in our every day life.  It is so unbecoming.

God bless you all today.

 

A New Year, A New Life

It’s a new year!  That in itself excites so many people.  They dance in the streets, and sing, they even wish the best to people they don’t even know.  Of course the new year stimulates resolutions which are made in all good intention of completion.  But, within a few weeks, months, and sometimes only days, the resolution has been set aside.  I gave up on resolutions years ago.  Although I don’t condemn anyone who is seeking to better themselves.

That brings me to my point, how can we better ourselves?  We make the commitment, and then fall short.  But not to worry!  There is hope.  It doesn’t come in the form of a diet program, or fitness center.  No pill contains the secret ingredient, no special “low fat” foods.  Nope!  No friendship, not even “positive thinking exercises”.  And can you believe we fall for all this stuff? 

There is only one way to a new life this new year, and that is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Because the Bible teaches us, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. BEHOLD, ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW..”  (2 Corinthians 2:15) All things.  All things.  I LOVE THAT!  No matter what you have done in your past, you are forgiven and God no longer sees it.  God forgets it.  And you are new. 

Maybe you have been involved in things you are ashamed of.  Maybe you have done something you think no one could be forgiven for.  Maybe you can not even forgive yourself.  But God will.  Take His invitation this New Year for a New Life.  One filled  with forgiveness, love, peace, and fellowship with others who have been where you are but are New today.

To find out more about how you can accept this new life follow this link.

God bless you all this new year!

 

Do not worry about tomorrow…

I wanted to check in to say, I am still dedicated to this blog site.  It has been a while since I have been able to sit down and write.  Call it writers block, or whatever. 

The current status of the country is somewhat overwhelming, and I have been caught up in the world events the past few months, as I am sure you all have been as well.  I listened carefully to all the debates, the ads, the speeches, and concerns of the candidates during the election campaign, and I don’t think any questions were really answered.  But something I can safely say is this, Obama is a tool to the Lord. 

As Christians, we know where the story ends.  We believe in that, and we know that the Bible does not teach us to believe in a world that progressively gets better and better until it is just the “Garden of Eden” again.  We do not know what role President Elect Obama will play, but we can safely say he has a role. 

I have heard that people are in somewhat of a panic; questioning, “what do I do now?” But I think it is important to continue doing exactly what we are doing right now.  Pray, fast, attend church, earn what we can, save, and just continue to put one foot in front of the other.  The bible tells us in Matthew 6 verse 34, Matt. 6:34 ”Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  We must continue to live each day as for the Lord.  Do not worry about tomorrow.  Meditate on the promises of God to those who trust in Him.

If you would like to know more about the promises of God and the life that is waiting for anyone who trusts in Him, please follow this link.  Know God

God bless you today.

 

Video, War on God in America.

This is really sad.  The new visitor center at our Capital will be opening in a few months.  This should be a good thing right?  Not so!  Come to find out, this center has taken God out of our history completely.  They have taken parts of the constitution out which pointed to God or religion.  They recreated the part of the building which says, “In God we trust”.  Now it says nothing, and so on.  I am sure the tax payers paid for this $600 million dollar exhibit.  And if so, we are paying to be lied to and for children to be misinformed about our true heritage.  I love the quote in the video below.  It is so true…whoever controls the present controls the future.  Something like that…it’s in the video and you’ll see what I mean.  We need to stand up for our true heritage.  This country relied on God to shape it.  Did you know the pilgrims started electing their own officials because of a verse in Exodus which stated that you should elect officials from amongst yourselves?  That had never happened before.  There had always been a king, a emperor, etc.  So where did they come up with this?  THE BIBLE!!

 

Funny, this building is built deep under ground…sounds like a dark pit to me!  How can our goverment allow this?  I know, I know, those liberals.  But what about the people that are conservitives?  I had no idea this was going on.  Please inform your friends.  You can choose to believe in God, but you should not be able to take Him out of our true history.  History is what has happened already, how can you just make it up as you go along?  I’m disgusted.

 

Please watch the video attached. http://www.floridabruce.com/war_on_god.htm  It explains everything better than I could.  And, for more real American History, go to www.wallbuilders.com

 

In love and peace to all,

-Jennifer

 

Joyful or Angry, You Have the Promises of God.

I was listening to Joyce Meyer’s this morning.  She was speaking about the promises of God to those who set their minds on joy and happiness.  She was going on about how we don’t have to just think about whatever comes into our heads.  Well, I agree with her completely!  In fact, I have actually had to purposely change my mind in order to stop Satan from filling my mind with things that I did not want to think on.

But then, I started praying about those who believe that there just is not any way for them to get around being angry, hurt, discouraged, and feeling as though they can not trust God or anyone else.  And, God told me, “My promises are real.  They are for everyone.  The saved and the unsaved.”  I thought, “Lord, what do you mean by that?”  So, I started to search for what God says in His word about being angry.  And, I found out that there are some promises to that. 

Here is what I found.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only to evil (Psalm 37:8)- True!  Anger leads to evil.  That is a promise.

Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Proverbs 12:18)- True!  Reckless words do pierce like a sword, but words can also heal.  Some reckless words can damage someone forever!  That is a promise!

A quick-tempered man does foolish things, and a crafty man is hated (Proverbs 14:17)- True!  A quick temper (in a man or a woman) causes them to do foolish things.  That is a promise!

A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly (Proverbs 14:29).- True!  Quick tempered people often seem foolish.  Displaying folly means to show foolishness.  That is a promise.

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel (Proverbs 15:18)- True!  A hot temper can stir up a division or an argument.  That is a promise.

An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins (Proverbs 29:22).- True! Our hot tempers can cause us to sin.  It will cause us to sin.  That is a promise!

You see, we are either accepting the promises of God to be in turmoil or, we are accepting God’s promises to be blessed.  People seem to think that because things are not going the way they want them, that God has left them or that there is no God.  But God is allowing exactly what He promises.  Anger = pain, suffering, foolish decisions, emptiness, bitterness, arguments, and hate.  Those are promises. 

So, if you are experiencing these things,  God has not left the picture.  He’s just allowing you to experience what He promises you will when you act in anger.  Do not blame God.

If you want to experience the promises of God that bring joy, put on Love.  Put on kindness, gentleness, forgiveness, trust, understanding, faithfulness, and abide in God’s word.  For He promises joy, happiness, blessings, and provision to those who obey these things. 

You are already experiencing the promises of God, the question is; which of the promises you wish to have for your life?

There are so many resources available for you to figure out how to live with the promises of blessings and how to avoid the promises of strife.  Start with the Word of God.  Start with the book of psalms and the book of proverbs.  Embrace the truth of the promises of God and find joy!

 

“A Silly Peacefulness…”, says who?

Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; [and] they shall walk, and not faint.”

Here I am today with complete contentment and peace.  Some people seem to think it is “a simple peacefulness”, like I am naive to what my situation is.  But I am so not naive, or in denial, or even ignoring the facts.  I am completely aware that my husband has not brought home an actual paycheck in 5 months, that the real estate market is dropping like a free falling elevator, and that we could be sent packing from our home at any time.  My peace does not come from denial of my situation, but from the fact that I know my God is in control of all these things and that He will work them out for my good and the good of my family.

I have been told by many that “God helps those who help themselves,” and that I should be doing all that I can to get out of the situation we are in.  That would include getting some kind of work, leaving my kids home alone, (they are eleven and thirteen), and putting my children back in traditional school instead of teaching them in the Lord at home.  But I say that doing all I can to help our situation is “waiting on the Lord and finding new strength…”  Obeying the Lord in my calling is much more difficult than running out to find any work out there.  Although, I am not against working.  I believe that it is actually Biblical for a wife to work, as long as she is home to take care of her children and husband.  Proverbs 31 is a perfect example of that.  But, if I was to abandon my responsibilities at home in order to make money, the Lord would not be with the plan…I would be on my own, and I am not willing to do that.

So, here I am.  I am doing what I can.  I am studying for my GED, I am getting certified in Quickbooks to take some bookkeeping assignments from home, I am still homeschooling, and I am available to my husband to support him when he needs me.  That is where my “silly peacefulness” comes from.  It is God given peace that comes from knowing that I am obeying His will for my life.  It is not silly, in fact it is somewhat unconscious.  I can not help but be content knowing He is in control.

If you would like to experience this kind of “silly peacefulness”, there are a few things you need to do.

1. Go to http://www.ccmodesto.com/knowing_god  and give control to God.
2. Start reading the Bible daily so you can become more aware of what God’s plan is for your life.
3. Find a Bible teaching church to attend and get involved.  The encouragement of other Christians is important for our strength.

God bless you today.

 

We just don’t know how our words can encourage…

Did you ever have a moment when someone said something to you and you just thought, “huh,” and it stuck with you?  Maybe it was at a time when you just needed to hear something encouraging.  Or maybe, you did not know why they said it to you, but it seemed to stir inside you.  That is exactly what happened to me this week.

I find strengh in the Lord everyday through His word. (The Bible)  I stand strong in my faith and I believe prayer can move mountains.  I face every situation with a question to God, “what am I to do with this?”  But this week, as I was cleaning a kitchen floor, with a wax bottle in one hand and a cloth in another, I was hit with a piece of wisdom that was like a brick wall.  Simple words that came so matter of factually that I almost could  not believe that I had not know it already. “Don’t tell God how big the mountain is, tell the mountain how big your God is.” 

I agreed, of course.  But then it stirred inside me.  I kept thinking it over and over and I asked God, “am I telling you what you already know?”  I know I believe that God already knows every situation I am in and how He will work it out.  And when I pray, I have faith.  But after hearing these words, I realized that I continue to explain my situation to the God who already worked out the answer. 

This knew piece of knowledge, one that I should have already been aware of, has changed my prayer life.  Now, when I pray I can say, “this issue will not break me for my God is bigger than it.  My God will keep me in His hands and you (situation) are nothing to Him.”  That is a confidence I did not know before. 

What’s more, I told my Uncle and he told my Aunt.  She told her prayer group, and I posted it on my-space and face book.  I blogged about it here, and my uncle shared it in his bible study group.  The knowledge, the wisdom, of this passing comment has touched so many and will continue to be an encouragement for years to come.

Thank you Shirley for speaking when you were moved to do so.