He has heard your cry....

I love the Lord, for He heard my voice, He heard my cry for mercy. ( Psalm 116:1 )

God's Word gives us hope when we feel utterly alone and hopeless. We can take comfort in knowing that God does not allow a trial in our lives that is too great for us to bear. - Carol Baldwin - Women's Devotional Bible Calendar

And remember, through ALL of our trials and tribulations, He is there to walk with us, to give us guidance and strength for His Word does not say that we will be free of such things, but rather that the afflictions of the righteous are many, but He is there to see us through them all!

Blessings in Obedience

Deuteronomy 28 tells us that if we obey the Lord & follow His commands that God will set us high above all nations of the earth and many blessings are ours. The following is rewritten for us to confess over our lives, based from this passage.

I love and obey God, therefore...
I am blessed in the city & blessed in the country.
My children are blessed and I am prosperous.
I am blessed in the field & blessed in my basket.
I am blessed going out & blessed coming in.
The Lord grants me victory over my enemies.
Everything I put my hand to prospers.
The Lord has established me holy.
All the people will see that the Lord is my God.
The Lord grants me prosperity of my children, my job & my home.
The Lord opens the heavens to bless my life & all the works of my hands.
I lend to many & borrow from none.
I am the head & not the tail.
I am above only & not beneath.

The Bible also tells us to speak the things that are not as if they were. Meaning that even when we do not "feel" that the above is true, speak it anyhow! Words are very powerful in the spiritual realm ( God spoke & the world was! ) and we are first spiritual beings. When you want to say, "I am sick" instead speak the Truth, "I am healed!" This works for all things for we will have what we speak!

Psalm 90

The Bible is full of God's promises. There are many passages that we can use to pray to God and speak against the enemy just as Jesus did. The prayer below is based on Psalms 90: 1-2 ; 12-17

Lord, You have been my dwelling place throughout generations.
Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth & world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
Teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.
Have compassion on me, Your servant.
Satisfy me in the morning with Your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy & be glad all my days.
Make me glad for as many days as You have afflicted me, for as many years as I have seen trouble.
May Your deeds be shown to me, Your servant, Your splendor to my children.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon me; establish the work of my hands for me.

What is coming out of my mouth?

Have you ever had a thought but decided it was something that didn't need to be said? Or maybe looked at a situation and wished that you could say something positive about it or maybe even say the very opposite of what you saw? Then it may be time for you to ask yourself, "What is coming out of my mouth?"

The world is filled today with people and their affirmations. New Age religions are all about the self and the power one has within themselves to change their lives. But did you know that God addressed this from the beginning of time? The major difference is that we, as Christians, know that we are powerless without Christ and no matter how many times we say " I Can", we can't if it's not in Christ!

Just like affirmations, or confessions, can turn things around into positives, so can negative words we say everyday...... " I'm too short." ; "I'm too slow" ; "We don't have the money" ; "I'm not worthy" ; "He's not smart enough" ; "She can't understand that"

EVERYTHING we say has an impact - either positively or negatively!

The next time you being bombarded with negative thoughts and feelings, try looking at things through the eyes of Faith instead of fear. Remember the promises throughout the Bible that God gives us for our lives. Read Psalm 91. Read the Psalm 91 books written by Peggy Joyce Ruth & Angela Ruth Schum- available as donation only copies, not to be sold. In fact, if you'd like a copy, contact me and I will get one to you free! For more info on the books, you can visit Peggy Joyce Ruth Ministries. And then begin to make Biblical based confessions such as:

" No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against me in judgement I condemn"

( Isa. 54:17 )

"I am established in righteousness, and oppression is far from me"

(Isa. 54:14)

"I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son"

( Col.1:13 )

"I do not have the spirit of fear but power, love, and a sound mind."

( 2 Tim 1:7)

These are just some examples of the millions of prayers and confessions that come straight from God's Word! He equipped us from the start!! Ask God to show you.....

"Lord, we thank You that You have already given us the equipment we need. All we have to do is pick it up and use it in Faith and in the Name of Jesus! We thank you, Jesus that Your blood covers us and protects us. We thank You for Your provision, protection and power! Lead us and guide us in using all of these how we should. In Jesus Name we pray - Amen"

Care2Causes

This is a site that I just found. I'm obviously a little behind in the times because it appears that it's been around for a while, but it's new to me! I'd like to encourage everyone to check it out and get involved! It's FREE and important!!! Check out Care2Causes today!

Excellence of the Restored Nation

I asked God to show me a passage in the Bible that I could share here tonight, and boy did He answer! This is God talking to Jeremiah about Israel and basically how they would be over taken by Nebuchadnezzar but then also how He would restore them.

Jeremiah 33:

3 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

4 "For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been pulled down to fortify against the siege mounds and the sword:

5 ' They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but only to fill their places with the dead bodies of men whom I will slay in My anger and My fury, all for whose wickedness I have hidden My face from this city.

6 ' Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heals them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.

7 'And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return and will rebuild those places as at first.

8 ' I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.

9 ' Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.' "

His promises continue on and on, in fact, I would highly suggest taking some time to read and study Jeremiah, I know I am!

Now, what do I get from this? HOPE!!!!

God's promises to the nation, aren't just for the nation, but for us - individually, our families, our communities!

Sometimes, when we have strayed so far away from God, when we have let the enemy, the devil, have control over us - many times not even realizing it - God may decide to let an opposing force win a battle over us, just to get us on our knees! Then He can begin the healing...

" Behold I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth" - Remember Jesus is referred to as the way, the TRUTH and the life and He is also the Prince of PEACE. He came not to condemn the world to bring us life - more abundantly!

He then restores us, bringing us back to how we were when we first came to accept him... " And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first" We are those captives and those places are our lives!

"I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me." - He cleanses us from all unrighteousness just as soon as we turn back to Him!

Then He will gain the Honor and praise when others look at us and see where we have been, where we are and where we are going! " Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it."

God wants to prosper us, in all ways, not just in the financial sense of them word, but in all that we do, in all that we are!

If you have been touched by this, or if God is speaking to you about this, please feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!

" Dear Heavenly Father, our great Provider and Healer. We thank You that even when we have turned away from You, we still have an opportunity to come back to You and know that You will welcome us with open arms. It's never too late! We thank You, Lord for Your undying love and never ending forgiveness. We praise You that when You forgive us, it is forgotten! As far as the East is to the West, that's the depth of Your forgiveness! We thank You that You bring healing to our lives and set us free from the bonds of sin and death! We want to bring You praise and honor and be a joy unto You, Lord! In Jesus' name we pray - Hallelujah and Amen! "

A Warning to our Nation....

....but not just our nation, any nation, and to us individually.

Isaiah 30: 1-3

" 'Woe to the obstinate children,' declares the Lord, 'to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge. But Pharaoh's protection will be your shame, Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace. ' "

OBSTINATE ( From Thesaurus.com )

Main Entry:	obstinate
Part of Speech:	adjective
Definition:	stubborn, determined
Synonyms:	adamant, cantankerous, contradictory, contrary, contumacious, convinced, dead set on, dogged, dogmatic, firm, hard, hardened, headstrong, heady, immovable, indomitable, inflexible, intractable, intransigent, locked in, mulish, obdurate, opinionated, opinionated, persistent, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, recalcitrant, refractory, relentless, resolved, restive, self-willed, steadfast, strong-minded, tenacious, unalterable, unflinching, unmanageable, unyielding, willful
Antonyms:	agreeable, amenable, cooperative, flexible, helpful, submissive, willing, yielding

When we take matters into our own hands and do not wait upon the Lord, we are not only being disobedient, but also: stubborn, cantankerous, contrary, hardened, inflexible, pigheaded, self-willed, unmanageable and unyielding.

Has life thrown you a curve ball and you're not sure what to do? Ask God to show you, go to HIM for your shelter and your protection, not some outside force. When we do this, we are instead being agreeable, cooperative, submissive, willing and yielding. And by allowing HIM to take care of us as He has promised He will do, we are also being helpful even in our own circumstance. He can not move in our life if we do not allow him to do so.

When we as a country turn to other leaders, other countries, and move outside of God's grace, we are in a dire situation! We form alliances that are not made by God, not endorsed by Him and in turn we begin to make our situation worse and worse.

Remember, God can lead us through anything, but we must allow Him! For our country, we must stay on our knees in prayer, and make a stand for what we know is right! In our own lives, we must also allow God to move as He see's fit. We must run to HIM for safety and let Him be our shield and our protection!

" Abba, Father, Daddy - We thank You that You are our shield. You are our provider, Jehova Jira. Anything we may face, You already have the answer to. Any storm that may come our way, you already have the shelter. We ask Lord that You would help us to remember to always seek Your face. To always seek Your will. We ask that we would not go about things our own way and try to solve things in our own fashion which only leads us to more and more sins, but that we would turn to You. We thank You, Heavenly Father , that You are always there for us. You are the Alpha and the Omega and there is no one like you! In the name of your precious Son, Jesus, Amen. "

Will vs. Want

"I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." Psalm 138:1-3

Many times throughout the Psalms , David states how he WILL praise the Lord. Perhaps he was making a purposed statement. There are plenty of times that I know I do not "feel" like or "want" to sing praises. Perhaps I am too tired, perhaps I am too busy, whatever the excuse, I believe God is telling me in this verse that I must make a stand and a statement. I must purpose to praise Him even when I do not feel like it. I believe that the Lord honors these praises even more than when we "want" to sing to Him and praise Him. When we can begin to praise and worship God for who He is, all the time, we ignite something. When we give Him the glory, He in turns blesses us even more!

Think about it this way.... If you are a parent and you give your child a present, you bless them with something they have been wanting or needing, and they don't even bother to say thank you. They toss your gift to the side, or use it as the case may be, but they show no gratitude, do you think you would want to bless them again any time soon?

Now if you bless your child with the thing they have been wanting or needing and they show sincere gratitude and appreciation for this thing, how quickly will you want to bless them again?

We should never praise God just so we can get something more out of Him, don't get me wrong. I am simply stating that through praise and worship, we unlock a realm of blessings. And although His simple everyday blessings that we may even miss throughout the day are enough, He will choose to open the windows of Heaven and pour out His blessings when we show our appreciation.

Of course, we show our gratitude through many ways, praise is just one. Other ways are things like : obedience, generosity and love to others.

Have you taken time today to say thank you? Have you purposed time in your day for praise? If not, now is the perfect time!!!

"My Abba Father, I thank you so much for each blessing that you generously give us each day. From the clothes on my back, to my job, my friends, my family and that traffic light that kept me from getting into that accident. I pray that I might take the time to praise you everyday and to tell others of your grace and love. I thank you Father for your forgiveness and your mercy. I thank you Lord that I may be a blessing to others, through You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!"

A need?

I am not very good at keeping a blog. Let me just admit that fact right up front! But I have noticed one thing. Although this blog has not been updated in quite some time, I still get a lot of page impressions. That tells me that people are looking for lessons from God. People need to hear from God. Do I think that I have answers for them? No. But God does. And maybe, just maybe, something that He teaches me will help others if I just write about it here!

So, I am going to keep this blog more updated and use the gifts God has given me for His Glory. I must make the time. Life is very busy and hectic for me. I run the catering division of a successful privately owned restaurant and when I am not busy on a catering, I work in the restaurant as a manager. I have two teenagers at home, and one who lives with his father several states away. Add two cats, two dogs and a landlord who wants to sell my home, and yes, it's a crazy busy life! But if I can not take time out for God....... Just a few minutes a day to listen and hear what He places on my heart. Just a few minutes a day to find quiet and be able to type..... If I can not do this, do I really deserve His goodness? No way! Truth is, even if I do these things I do not deserve His goodness!

That's the wonderful thing about God and His goodness. We don't deserve any of it, but He freely gives it anyhow.

Sidewalk Prophets put it great in their song " You love me anyways "

"I am the thorn in Your crown

But You love me anyway

I am the sweat from Your brow

But You love me anyway

I am the nail in Your wrist

But You love me anyway

I am Judas’ kiss

But You love me anyway

See now, I am the man who yelled out from the crowd

For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking

ground

Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face

With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace

And then alone in the night, I still called out for You

So ashamed of my life, my life, my life

But You love me anyway

Oh, God… how you love me"