THANKS GIVING 2019: THE TRUTH

Good Afternoon Friends!

I pray your day is well –

That you are making time to celebrate all the things which make you THANKFUL

I am definitely benefiting from focusing on THANKS GIVING

AND TODAY?

TODAY – I am exceptionally thankful for THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD

You see, there are time when I am uncertain of everyone and everything around me 

But I know His nature and I know His Word to be true

Therefore, if ever there is a time when I find myself doubting –

which happens more than I care to admit

If ever there is a time when I start think He just does not care or –

that I must have made Him angry

His Holy Spirit assures me there is something amiss in my reasoning.

He reminds me - that is not the God I serve.

He gently [and sometimes forcefully] prods me to GAIN A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING,

to EMBRACE A BROADER PERSPECTIVE.

It is in those moments, often mixed with tears (like it was last night) –

that I am reminded how very blessed I am,

how much I truly have to be thankful for.

I talked a couple of days ago about how THANKS NEEDS TO BE INTENTIONAL at times 

I mean, life is not always sunshine and roses 

Indeed in the Word we are forewarned:

‘In the world you will have trouble ...’ John 16:33

It does not say you could, not that you might, not even a maybe ... it is a certainty 

But we also admonished to ...

     'take courage [be of good cheer] for I have overcome the world.’

Even the most painful experiences can provide value –

     They can usher in understanding and hope,

     if we will submit to the idea of them being our teachers and not our adversaries

GOD is still in control –

He does still sit enthroned 

And He cares for every single matter which matters to us

That is indeed something to be thankful for! 

No matter what kind of day you have had –

Irrespective of the type of week, the manner of month

I pray the truth of His Word will meet you where you are

AND

If you are filled with joy – that His truth would embolden you further

If you are filled with sadness – that His truth would be the spark of joy & light of hope you need

If you are filled with uncertainty – that His Word would be the peace, direction, comfort and assurance which you long for

I thank God for you in my prayers ....

Praying You Have a Blessed Evening!

LOVE: STILL REAL

Good Evening Friends!

I can’t believe it is Sunday evening already

The weekend goes entirely too fast for my liking.

Nevertheless, I have enjoyed my weekend. I hope you have enjoyed your as well.

I am also enjoying our focus on LOVE

I KNOW – I am not focusing on the types of love that are typically thought of at this time of year; that are typically associated with Valentine’s Day. However, it is important to delve into the differing types of love [starting with God’s love] because our perceptions of the love the LORD has for us serves as the foundation to how we display, pursue, receive and embrace all other kinds of love.

SADLY – in my discussions with others and in interacting with individuals online, there are many [far too many] who experience significant challenges in believing that God actually holds that amazing, unchanging & unconditional love which I spoke of yesterday. Understand, there are many who believe that He loves – and that He is love. However, there are countless others who – recognizing those characteristics as true – struggle in their belief that He loves them that way.

There are so many broken hearts which cry [internally & externally]:

1.       I DO NOT FEEL LOVED BY GOD

2.       I DO NOT FEEL LOVED AT ALL

If we can take a few moments to address the first – it will go a long way in addressing the second

Again, the perceptions of the love the LORD has for us serves as the foundation to how we display, pursue, receive and embrace all other kinds of love. And …

There are times when the pain we experience is so intense, it overrides what we know to be true.

While suffering violently on the cross, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “"Eli Eli lama sabachthani?" which is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" [Matthew 27:46] That moment – I believe – likely more than any other in Scripture, provides such a poignant depiction of His humanity. It shows Jesus responding very much the way we do when we endure cross-bearing challenges. Now, please understand, I am in NO WAY suggesting that anything any one of us has to endure is remotely on scale with what our Savior endured for us. However, the pattern of what can happen during a trial is what is significant.

Had God’s love for Jesus changed? No – absolutely not!

His circumstance was not the measure for whether God’s love was still present

Likewise – in your own life, in my life, in our collective lives, the presence of problems is not an accurate gauge of His love for us. The love of God does not change – but the perspective of God’s love can be severely impacted by the trauma of our individual situations. This is why we are tasked with walking by faith and not by sight. You cannot always trust what you hear, what you see or even what you feel.

In my book, When Storms Rage, I shared that, ‘…there are times when God will allow everything that we trust in to fail: finances, health, intellect and even feelings. And in doing so, He takes us to a place where we depend solely upon the truth of His Word. Yes we confess His promise that He will never leave us, but will we still believe it when we do not feel it, when we cannot see Him? This is faith – faith that is developed in the whirlwind of the storm.’

It is this faith which enables us to believe in the love God – despite the challenges

It is the fact that He is love and that His love for us is never-ending, which enables us to overcome & love others.

When we do not feel God’s love, it impacts our ability to receive His love; and it impacts our ability to give love to and receive love from others. It can leave us feeling unloved by all and cause significant relationship challenges. We will delve into this more in the next few days.

BUT, UNTIL THEN – REMEMBER THIS

SOMETIMES – the only evidence you will have of His presence & His love is the fact that you are not being consumed by your situation.

HOWEVER – His love is still every bit as real and unchanging … FOR YOU!

Jeremiah 31:3 notes that, ‘The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’ And here is the beautiful thing: He is unchanging. You can trust His Word as true, you can trust His love as true ... even when you cannot not see it or feel it.

Praying You Have a Blessed Evening!

Much Love ... 

Meeting...

MEETING MINUTES                           

TIME:                 All the Time
DATE:                 Everyday
AGENDA:         Praise, Honor Worship
ATTENDEES:  GOD's Faithful, Jehovah


NOTES:
'Then those whose lives honored God got together and talked it over. God saw what they were doing and listened in. A book was opened in God's presence and minutes were taken of the meeting, with the names of the God-fearers written down, all the names of those who honored God's name.

[Then] God-of-the-Angel-Armies said, "They're mine, all mine. They'll get special treatment when I go into action. I treat them with the same consideration and kindness that parents give the child who honors them. Once more you'll see the difference it makes between being a person who does the right thing and one who doesn't, between serving God and not serving Him." Malachi 3:16-18 MSG

Holy ...

'I am the Lord, your Holy One,

the Creator of Israel, your King.'

Isaiah 43:15

'To whom then will you liken Me, that I should be equal to him? says the Holy One.' Isaiah 40:25

'Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?'

Exodus 15:11

'There is none holy like the Lord, there is none besides You; there is no Rock like our God.'
I Samuel 2:2

'Send out Your light and Your truth;

let them guide me.

Let them lead me to Your holy mountain,

to the place where You live.

There I will go to the altar of God,

to God—the source of all my joy.

I will praise you with my harp,

O God, my God!'

Psalm 43:3-4

Read God ...

'When you can't hear God, read God.'  

I heard a preacher say that one time. I was reminded of it yesterday morning as I prayed. I was asking the LORD what I should read when I was drawn to the one journal of mine which did not make it into any of the moving boxes. It is a journal from 2006 and the page I opened up to had this entry:

II Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of GOD, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of GOD may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I was praying and asking GOD what I should read. The answer - just read.

All of GOD's Word is profitable. From Genesis to Revelation, every bit is useful for aiding us in Christian living, in equipping us to be victorious, in shaping us into the form and nature of Christ.


When you can't hear GOD, read GOD!  

Get up, God!

Just wondering if there is anyone out there today who can identify with the psalmist ...

Psalm 44 MSG

A Psalm of the Sons of Korah

1 -3 We've been hearing about this, God, all our lives.

Our fathers told us the stories

their fathers told them,

How single-handedly You weeded out the godless

from the fields and planted us,

How You sent those people packing

but gave us a fresh start.

We didn't fight for this land;

we didn't work for it—it was a gift!

You gave it, smiling as You gave it,

delighting as You gave it.

4 -8 You're my King, O God—

command victories for Jacob!

With Your help we'll wipe out our enemies,

in Your name we'll stomp them to dust.

I don't trust in weapons;

my sword won't save me—

But it's You, You who saved us from the enemy;

You made those who hate us lose face.

All day we parade God's praise—

we thank You by name over and over.

9 -12 But now You've walked off and left us,

You've disgraced us and won't fight for us.

You made us turn tail and run;

those who hate us have cleaned us out.

You delivered us as sheep to the butcher,

You scattered us to the four winds.

You sold Your people at a discount—

You made nothing on the sale.  

13 -16 You made people on the street,

urchins, poke fun and call us names.

You made us a joke among the godless,

a cheap joke among the rabble.

Every day I'm up against it,

my nose rubbed in my shame—

Gossip and ridicule fill the air,

people out to get me crowd the street.

17 -19 All this came down on us,

and we've done nothing to deserve it.

We never betrayed Your Covenant: our hearts

were never false, our feet never left Your path.

Do we deserve torture in a den of jackals?

or lockup in a black hole?  

 20 -22 If we had forgotten to pray to our God

or made fools of ourselves with store-bought gods,

Wouldn't God have figured this out?

We can't hide things from him.

No, you decided to make us martyrs,

lambs assigned for sacrifice each day.

 23 -26 Get up, God! Are You going to sleep all day?

Wake up! Don't you care what happens to us?

Why do You bury Your face in the pillow?

Why pretend things are just fine with us?

And here we are—flat on our faces in the dirt,

held down with a boot on our necks.

Get up and come to our rescue.

If You love us so much, Help us!

 '... nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. ' 

Mt. 26:39

shining bright...

Are you in a dark place?

Is it difficult to see your way?

Are you in need of direction?

Help is as close as your fingertips ....

There is wisdom in the Word of God,

The Holy Spirit illuminates Scripture,

He instructs us in what to read,

Brings it to remembrance when needed,

And, reveals how to apply what has been read.

Everything you need is found in the Word!

'Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.'
Psalm 119:105

Psalm 23

What do you do ...

When the issues of life are too much to think about,

Yet they are too pressing not to?

You Trust God ...

 

The LORD is my Shepherd,  I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk

through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness

will follow me all the days of my life, 

And I will dwell

in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 27

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the strength of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes,

came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though an army should encamp against me,

my heart shall not fear;

though war should rise against me,

even in this will I be confident.

One thing have I desired of the LORD;

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion;

in the secret places of His tabernacle shall He hide me;

He shall set me upon a rock.

And then shall mine head be lifted up

above mine enemies round about me;

therefore I will offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of joy;

I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice!

Have mercy also upon me and answer me.

When Thou saidst, "Seek ye My face,"

my heart said unto Thee,

"Thy face, LORD, will I seek."

Hide not Thy face far from me;

put not Thy servant away in anger.

Thou hast been my help;

leave me not, neither forsake me,

O God of my salvation.

When my father and my mother forsake me,

then the LORD will take me up.

Teach me Thy way, O LORD,

and lead me in a level path because of mine enemies.

Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies;

for false witnesses have risen up against me,

and such as breathe out cruelty.

I would have fainted,

unless I had believed
that I would see the goodness of the LORD

in the land of the living.

Wait on the LORD;

be of good courage,

and He shall strengthen thine heart.

Wait, I say, on the LORD!

restoration ...

Then the LORD will be zealous for His land

And will have pity on His people.

The LORD will answer and say to His people,

"Behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil,

And you will be satisfied in full with them;

And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.

So rejoice, O sons of Zion,

And be glad in the LORD your God;

For He has given you the early rain for your vindication

And He has poured down for you the rain,

The early and latter rain as before.

The threshing floors will be full of grain,

And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil.

"Then I will make up to you for the years

That the swarming locust has eaten,

The creeping locust, the stripping locust

and the gnawing locust,

My great army which I sent among you.

"You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied

And praise the name of the LORD your God,

Who has dealt wondrously with you;

Then My people will never be put to shame.

"Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel,

And that I am the LORD your God,

And there is no other;

And My people will never be put to shame.

Joel 2:18-19, 23-27

the love of God ...

'The Lord does not delay

and is not tardy or slow about what He promises,

according to some people's conception of slowness,

but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you,

not desiring that any should perish,

but that all should turn to repentance.'

II Peter 3:9 AMP

'For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world

that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son,

so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him

shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost)

but have eternal (everlasting) life.'

John 3:16 AMP

Psalm 124

Woke up this morning,

Psalm 124:2 on my heart...

'If it had not  been for the LORD who was on our side ...'

Knowledge

Wisdom

Growth

Shelter

Peace

Divine Guidance

Healing

Unity

Joy

Every blessing in our lives,

points toward

Jesus

and

His Amazing Grace!

Our help is in the name of the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.

Psalms 124:8

joy is here ... now!

I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up

and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,

and you have healed me.

O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;

you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints,

and give thanks to His holy name.

For His anger is but for a moment,

and His favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

As for me, I said in my prosperity,

“I shall never be moved.”

By your favor, O LORD,

you made my mountain stand strong;

you hid your face;

I was dismayed.

To you, O LORD, I cry,

and to the Lord I plead for mercy:

“What profit is there in my death,

if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it tell of your faithfulness?

Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!

O LORD, be my helper!”

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Psalm 30

the LORD with you ...

This poor man cried,

and the LORD heard him

and saved him

out of all his troubles.

Psalm 34:6 NASB

Have not I commanded you?

Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous.

Be not afraid, neither be dismayed,

for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 AMP

It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer;

and while they are still speaking, I will hear.  

Isaiah 65:24 NASB

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;

I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8 NASB

Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

your walls are continually before Me.

Isaiah 49:16 AMP

God is always on the alert,

constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to Him.

You were foolish to go for human help when you could have had God's help...

II Chronicles 16:9 MSG

For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth

to show Himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are blameless toward Him.

II Chronicles 16:9 AMP

The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers. O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him. O fear the Lord, you His saints [revere and worship Him]! For there is no want to those who truly revere and worship Him with godly fear.

Psalm 34:7-9 AMP

The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry.

Psalm 34:15 AMP

God keeps an eye on His friends,

His ears pick up every moan and groan.

Psalm 34:15 MSG

Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth

does not become weary or tired.

His understanding is inscrutable.

He gives strength to the weary,

and to him who lacks might

He increases power.

Isaiah 40:28-29

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

My Prayer For You Today

The Lord bless you

and watch, guard, and keep you;

The Lord make His face

to shine upon and enlighten you

and

be gracious

(kind, merciful, and giving favor) to you;

The Lord lift up His [approving] countenance upon you

and

give you peace

(tranquility of heart and life continually).

Numbers 6:24-26 AMP