LORD, I love the Temple where you live, where your glory is. Psa 26:8 When it comes to resting your soul, there is no place like the Great House of God. "I'm asking Yahweh for one thing," [David] wrote, "only one thing: to live with him in his house my whole life long. I'll contemplate his beauty, I'll study at his feet. That's the only quiet secure place in a noisy world" (Psa 27:4-5 MSG). If you could ask God for one thing, what would you request? David tells us what he would ask. He longs to live in the house of God. I emphasize the word live, because it deserves to be emphasized. David doesn't want to chat. He doesn't desire a cup of coffee on the back porch. He doesn't ask for a meal or to spend an evening in God's house. He wants to move in with him … forever. He's asking for his own room … permanently. He doesn't want to be stationed in God's house, he longs to retire there. He doesn't seek a temporary assignment, but rather lifelong residence. The Great House of God (Max Lucado) “Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds” Psalm 149:5
As you woke up this morning, what was the first thing that went through your mind? Did you wake up with a song of praise on your lips? When we start the day in worship, we start the day connected to Almighty God. When we live a lifestyle of praise, it shows that our faith is constantly in Him. We make glorifying God a priority. It’s not secondary, “Oh, if I have time.” No, you’re always talking about God’s goodness. You’re constantly telling your friends how God has blessed you. In your car, you’re singing songs of praise. At the office, under your breath, you’re thanking God for His favour. You get up in the morning and say, “God, I love You today. I praise You today. Thank You for another beautiful day.” Then, when you go to bed at night, you bless Him for His faithfulness! Friend, when you have the high praises of God coming out of your mouth, the scripture says Almighty God will go to war against your enemies. Praise precedes the victory, so start the day right and live a lifestyle of praise! ~ Joel Osteen God can do all things. Mar 10:27 Our questions betray our lack of understanding: How can God be everywhere at one time? (Who says God is bound by a body?) How can God hear all the prayers which come to him? (Perhaps his ears are different from yours.) How can God be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit? (Could it be that heaven has a different set of physics than earth?) If people down here won't forgive me, how much more am I guilty before a holy God? (Oh, just the opposite. God is always able to give grace when we humans can't—he invented it.) The Great House of God He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." Psalm 91:1-2
Every day we are bombarded with news of conflicts, natural disasters, diseases etc... We also hear of people losing their loved ones in freak accidents. And we ask ourselves, Is there a place where I can take refuge from a world gone mad?” Yes, there is! God foresaw all these things and He has promised in His Word protection from every evil known to man. There is no trap set by the devil that our Father cannot deliver us from, if we trust in Him and take Him as our refuge – that is His promise in Psalm 91. Whether it is an earthquake at midnight, an unknown virus or a terror attack, God says, “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste by noonday.” (Psalm 91:5-6) Because you have made Him your dwelling place, angels are watching over you right now. (Psalm 91:9-11) They give heed to the voice of God’s Word, so you should give voice to God’s Word. This means that you should agree with and speak what God’s Word says about preserving and protecting you. Then, angels are send to minister for you. (Hebrews 1:14) Don’t say, “If it can happen to them, it can also happen to me!” Say, “A thousand may fall at my side, and 10 000 at my right hand, but it will not come near me!” (Psalm 91:7) The world says that you cannot but accept danger all around. God says, “You are in this world, but not of this world. You have My protection because you are of Me and in Me.” (John 17:14-23) You have access by faith into the secret place of the Most High where no evil can touch you. There is no need to fear living in the end times because the Lord is your refuge and fortress. His Word says so. And those who trust His Word completely find His Word true! Psalm 29:11
The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace. - Here are two blessings that God wants to give you. - The blessing of strength and the blessing of peace. - God gives strength to those who feel weak. - Peace is a blessing of great value! PRAYER: Lord, I receive Your gifts of strength and peace today. I ask You to strengthen me and give me peace. Amen. "Persistence means continuing to pursue a goal until it is achieved" - Gary Smalley.
If there's anything we've learned about marriage it's that it takes an incredible amount of persistence to live with each other in an "understanding way," as it's talked about in the Bible. Read below a few thoughts on persistence in marriage (from two different authors). We hope it will inspire you (as it has us) on this subject: "Mountains are big. But you have no idea just how big they are until you climb one. I discovered this first-hand last summer when I took on a Colorado Rocky. By the time I made it halfway up the slope, my whole body hurt for want of oxygen. I breathed as heavily as I could but couldn't get enough air. My muscles didn't want to move. I pushed on despite the difficulty, but my excitement about reaching the peak faded. I no longer saw the beauty that surrounded me. All I could think about was the pain and exhaustion claiming every cell of my body. I saw only the steep, rocky ground underfoot. "Then something wonderful happened. My eyes focused not on craggy rock, but on the grass, ruffled by a sudden rush if wind. Overwhelmed, I realized I reached the summit. I could sit to rest; too captivated by the mountains, valleys, lakes, and streams, I looked down from this lofty height. "For some couples, marriage and mountains share a lot in common. Marriage seemed a daunting enough commitment before the vows were spoken, but being married turned out to be even harder than it looked. During the difficult climbs of a rocky marriage, it can become hard for couples to remember why they even married. Their thoughts begin to focus only on the present problems. But God is strong in our weaknesses and he can turn human frailty into the most spectacular of experiences if we let Him." (Wesley English, Editor for the newsletter, "Marriage Connection") Continuing on with that thought, read what Dr. Gary Smalley has to say about being persistent in marriage even though the "mountains ahead" may seem too tough to climb over in the beginning: "Persistence means continuing to pursue a goal until it is achieved. For years, Ken's way of dealing with Carla's hurt feelings was to give her a lecture or a rational explanation for why she was hurting and how she could stop. These ranged in length from the brief, 'you're too sensitive' all the way to the twenty-minute complex analysis of her entire situation. "Carla always assumed it was just his way of trying to tell her he was superior by making her feel at fault. If someone didn't talk to her at a party and she deduced they didn't like her anymore, Ken would simply tell her, 'Oh, they were just too busy. You're taking it too seriously.' If she had an argument with his mother, his mother got his understanding while Carla got comments like, 'You overreacted,' or 'I can't believe how you hurt mom's feelings.' "After Carla realized that men have to learn how to respond to women's feelings, she began to tell Ken each time she needed comfort, 'don't lecture me… just hold me and understand.' This didn't do a bit of good for the first 6 - 7 times she tried it. She still got lectures (although they kept getting shorter). Finally Ken (genius that he is) realized that Carla was simply asking him to not preach at her but to comfort her with silent gentleness. He tried it once and noticed a completely different response in Carla. She recovered from her hurt feelings much faster than when he tried to explain away her feelings. "Ken told me that although it was hard not to lecture the first few times, his quiet response was so much more effective that it has now become natural. If Carla had tried to help him change by sharing her feelings only once, nothing would have happened. But she persisted, and now both she and Ken are enjoying the benefits of her persistence. "Several years ago I met a man who had been successful in his work with teenagers. He had influenced thousands of young people in a positive way. When I asked the secret of his success, I was surprised by his answer. He said, 'It's simple. For every 200 ideas I try, one works!' One of the teenagers from his youth group, Jill, followed his example after she married. "Since the first week of their marriage, Jill noticed how Dave always showed preference for his family over hers. When they moved across the country for Dave to attend graduate school, she thought she would be free from rating second to his family. Unfortunately, 2,000 miles wasn't far enough. Phone calls, letters, or visits with the family continued to add fuel to the fire. Whenever Jill found fault with any of Dave's family, Dave would always rise to their defense. Time after time she would try to tell Dave how deeply it bothered her that he preferred his family to hers, but Dave always defended himself. "A few years after graduate school Dave finally had the chance to relocate to their hometown. He thought Jill would be thrilled because it meant living near to her family too. He couldn't understand why she cried when he told her about the opportunity. Once again she explained that she was afraid to live near his family because of his preference for them. As usual, he defended himself and couldn't see it from her viewpoint. "On vacation they visited their hometown. As they were leaving his family, he asked her, 'Tell me one more time why you don't want to move back?' She explained once more and it finally got through. Since then, he has had many opportunities to demonstrate his preference for Jill. She now feels so secure that she is looking forward to the possibility of returning home. Once again, the wife's gentle persistence brought lasting benefit to her and her husband." Persistence, which is perseverance, can pay off as we apply it to marriage. As the Bible says, "Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4). "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self- control, perseverance & perseverance, godliness; & to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins" (2 Peter 1:5-9). We hope that together we will persevere in finding ways to live with each other in understanding ways --those than reflect the love and character of God! Peace is not the absence of trouble, it is the presence of God
You are strong... when you take your grief and teach it to smile. You are brave... when you overcome your fear and help others to do the same. You are happy... when you see a flower and are thankful for the blessing. You love... when your own pain does not blind you to the pain of others. You are wise... when you know the limits of your wisdom. You are true... when you admit there are times you fool yourself. You are alive... when tomorrows hope means more to you than yesterday's mistake. You are growing... when you know that you are but not what you are becoming. You are free... when you are in control of yourself but do not wish to control others. You are honourable... when you find your honour is to honour others. You are humble... when you do not know how humble you are. You are beautiful... when you don't need a mirror to tell you. You are rich... when you never need more than you have. You are you... when you are at peace with who you are not. YOU must have a great day, Thank you for being an inspiration to me 2 Chronicles 16:9
'For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.' - Is your heart fully committed to Him? - That is the way to live your life today and during the year. - In the process HE will come and strengthen you. - Receive His strength and step forward with boldness and confidence. PRAYER: Lord, strengthen me because my heart is fully committed to You! Amen. Do not fear . . . ; you are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:7
Are You Living in Fear? In a movie, the dad of a caveman family, believes that there’s no safe place beyond their cave. They huddle together at night so he can protect them. He thinks his teenage daughter should give up her adventurous side because it can only lead to danger. His motto for his family is “Never not be afraid.” In other words, “Always be afraid.” Jesus often told His followers the opposite: “Do not be afraid.” He said that to Simon when He called him to follow Him (Luke 5:10). When Jairus, a synagogue leader whose daughter was dying, came to Him, Jesus reassured him with those same words of care (8:50). Luke 12 records Jesus telling His disciples not to be afraid when He taught them how God cared for them much more than for the sparrows (v.7). And after His resurrection, Jesus told the women who came to the tomb, “Rejoice! . . . Do not be afraid” (Matt. 28:9-10). Fear is a universal feeling. We have concerns about loved ones, our needs, and the unknown future. How can we learn to have faith? The Lord has given us a foundation on which to build our confidence in Him: “He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear’ ” (Heb. 13:5-6). 1 Samuel 18:30
'Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul's officers.' - David was a man who enjoyed the blessing of God on his life. - As a result he saw more success than those around him. - Trust God for His blessing on your life - ask Him to do it. - Then expect to walk in that favour regardless of the circumstances. PRAYER: Lord, You know exactly what I am facing and going through. I take a moment right now to ask for Your hand of blessing on my life. Amen. |
Ana & Andre Schoonbee God uses us to motivate and encourage the body. Authors
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