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Matthew 5:13-16

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I am a Christian wife and mother of 2. I am the mother of two adult children. My husband is a full time Pastor. I also work full time outside of the home. Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” And for this season of our lives, I have to work. A couple of years ago I asked God for a job using me to serve others and that is exactly what He did. Not in the way I expected, but I am serving! This blog is a way for me to share devotions, whatever the Lord lays on my heart. It is an avenue for me fulfill something I feel the Lord leading me in, which is writing. I am currently working on a book as well!

  • Pine Trees Praise

    It’s almost Easter. Some people think of Easter as a pagan holiday. I’m not sure I quite understand why. I mean yes, we are not exactly sure of the date that Jesus rose from the grave, but we can still celebrate it. Some people do not celebrate Easter for the resurrection of Christ, but they just like to have fun with the bunny, baskets and egg hunting. I guess that is where the confusion comes in. However you celebrate Easter, just remember that the holiday was created for the purpose of remembering Jesus’ resurrection.

    Something that absolutely amazes me every year close to Easter – the pine trees are praising God! Have you ever noticed? The pine trees have little shoots at the ends of their branches. When it gets close to Easter, those shoots form crosses. It never fails and I look for it now every year. If you’ve never noticed, please start looking for it! Hopefully you will be amazed like I am.

    This reminds of of the verse in Luke 19:39 – And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. I always think about that verse when I see the crosses. These aren’t stones. But, it just makes me think about nature praising God. Another good verse and probably even more fitting – Psalm 96:11-12 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

    What I think about is this. Am I praising God enough? I pray that I never withhold or hold back my praise and that nature would praise God more than me! He has given me a mouth to sing his praises. He has given me holy hands to lift towards him. He’s given me eyes to ready His word. He has given me ears to hear beautiful music and preaching! We have all of the tools to be able to praise Him the most. But sometimes we let nature out-do us.

    Isaiah 55:12 For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

    Even the living things in nature know to praise the one that created them! You were created. And if you are still breathing (I’m assuming if you are reading this you are!) then He has kept you here! You have a purpose.

    Let us spend these next few days out-praising the pine trees and the stones! Seek God. If you look around you, you will see His hand in everything from the smallest grain of sand, to the majestic beauty of the mountains. From the glorious sunsets to refreshing rain. From your child’s smile to your grandparents worn and wrinkled hands.

    He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

  • Preparing for Worship

    When you sit down to eat a meal, what do you have to do before you can eat? I’m not talking about saying the blessing although that’s important. I mean, you have had to prepare. You either had to prepare the meal yourself or you had to order the food. Even if someone surprised you with a meal, you go and wash your hands and get ready to eat, right? (I hope! Ha, ha!)

    Much like preparing to eat, before we enter into worship with our Savior, we should prepare our hearts and minds for worship. Anything that we do worth while, we have to prepare for it. Preparation for worship is important. You may think that you disagree with me on this, but hear me out….

    If you have not been talking to God lately. If you haven’t been in His word. When you attend a church service, how is your worship at the service? Maybe I’m alone in this, but I have a feeling that I’m not. I’ve been there. I’ve gone weeks without picking up my Bible except in a church service. I’ve also gone weeks without spending true time in prayer. The time in prayer that requires more than a few seconds! That prayer time is so important. And when we go too long without it, it’s like being in a desert.

    So, when our hearts aren’t prepared ahead of time, the worship won’t feel the same. I’ve had someone say to me recently, “I’ve got to feel it” in a worship service. Well, let me tell you. If you have prepared your heart for worship, you will feel it. If you have not prepared your heart for worship. If you haven’t been in God’s word or at least talked to Him lately, then you are just enjoying the music. There is a difference in emotion and worship. Let me say that again for the people in the back. There is a big difference in an emotional experience and true worship. Don’t go to church for an emotional experience. That is not going to change you. Emotions come and go and change like the wind. An emotional experience will make you feel good at the moment. But it’s not going to change your heart. It’s not going to change you.

    Did you know that worship is not just the singing part of each church service? Worship should be a daily part of our lives and in everything we do. In Romans 12:1 Paul says I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

    However in a church service, the part of the service that we spend singing and preparing for the message, can be much more fulfilling for us if we have prepared our heart and mind throughout the week.

    We prepare for many things. We prepare for work by getting ready and setting up our day. We prepare for a fun day out by planning what we are going to do, where we are going to eat and what time are we planning on leaving and coming back. We prepare so many things in our lives every day. But when it comes to one of the most important things in our life, we just expect it to happen however it happens. That’s not how it works, friend.

    I’m going to challenge you this week – it’s Holy Week! The perfect time to start preparing our hearts and our minds. When you step into church on Easter Sunday (it might be the first time you’ve been in a while), but you can come in with a heart ready for true worship! It won’t matter if the church performs a drama, a cantata or just sings hymns. Because it will all feel like worship, when YOUR heart is ready!

    “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24

    “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12:28

    Blessings,

    Cheryl

  • Relationships

    Relationships can be tricky sometimes. Think about some of the relationships in your life. Your relationship with your spouse, your children. Your relationship with your parents if they are still living. You have relationships with coworkers, neighbors, church family, friends, acquaintances…. The list goes on.

    What is something that all relationships need? Both parties have to participate for the relationship to be maintained, right? If you never speak to your spouse, it’s not a very good relationship. I realize that some relationships can be toxic and you have to remove yourself from the situation. But the basic need on both sides of a relationship is for both people to communicate with each other. The more communication, the better the relationship. I feel like this is common sense.

    So why on earth do we think that we can have a relationship with God without communicating with or spending time with Him? Think about your relationship with God. This is just food for thought, just something for you to chew on. I promise I don’t sit in judgment because my relationship with God hasn’t always been the best either.

    Story time! It’s a quick one, I promise. Several years ago, when my son was in high school, he had started driving himself to school. And he was a senior and he was at that age! (If you know, you know!) Anyways, I was dropping off my daughter at the same school because it was on my way to work and I cherished those morning car rides with my children. Anyways, my son was walking into the school as I was pulling off. Surely he saw me! And I was looking his way trying to subtly get his attention to wave to him. That was all I wanted, just to wave at him. Just acknowledge that I’m here. But did he even look my way? Nope. Well my feelings were hurt. I mean, it was such a small thing but I was all up in my feelings after that. So I prayed. I said “Lord, why is he acting this way? All I wanted was to wave to him and he couldn’t even give me that.” And do you know what God said to me? “Now you know how I feel when you treat me that way.” GULP! Oh man! Okay, okay, I get it Lord.

    The ONLY reason I even remember this is because of how I felt when I had that conversation with the Lord. Of course my son didn’t mean to be rude to me. He could have been dealing with something else and just didn’t feel like looking my way. He may not have even seen me. The point is that I remind myself often that I never want the Lord to feel that way, when I ignore Him. That is my most important relationship!

    Our relationship with God depends on us making the time to spend with Him. We have to make time to pray. We have to make the time to read God’s word! If you don’t do those things, you aren’t in a relationship. He’s not just a sky Daddy that sits up in the sky waiting to answer our prayers. He wants more than that for us!

    The thing is that He wants us to spend time with Him for our benefit. It’s not for Him. Do you think He needs us? He’s God! He could make us do His will, but he gives us free will. He gives us the choice. And when we make the right choices, He blesses us. Oh how He loves us so! God is so good! (Go ahead and sing the song, you know you want to!)


    John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

    1 Peter 2:1-3 – So put away all malice and all deceipt and hypocrisy and envy and slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation – If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

    Revlelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

  • It’s not about the money

    And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:43-44

    I think about the poor widow mentioned in Mark often. In our society today, everything seems to revolve around money. We work 40+ hours a week to make money to pay our bills and buy the things we need and let’s be honest, the things we want. We work, we pay bills, we pay taxes, we hopefully pay tithes, we provide for our children (even the grown ones), and we might even have enough to save a little money. It’s a never ending roller coaster ride.

    The thing is, the story of the widow is not about the money. It’s about obedience, faith and sacrifice. There were people casting much more money into the treasury than she did. But see, Jesus knew their hearts. He knew that they had plenty and probably could have given even more. This widow, had nothing. Two mites in our currency today would equal a penny. It was not about the amount of money being given. It was the heart with which they were giving.

    Imagine being this widow. Put yourself in her place. All you have in this world is a penny. Surely God would understand if you hang on to this little bit that you have in case you need it. Of course He would. But, I personally feel that God told her to give what she had. She was being obedient to Him. That alone takes faith. Faith that if she does this, God will take care of her. He will provide what she needs. And also faith that she is doing what she is supposed to do. When we do what God has told us to do, He will take care of our needs.

    It is not about money. We may not have any money to give. But we all have time. We are all allotted 24 hours in a day. How much of our time do we give to Him? Do we surrender the things that we do have to Him? Do we even ask Him about decisions that we need to make? It’s about what is in your heart. This whole story was about her heart. Her actions show us where her heart was at!

    Where is your heart? Are you consulting God and waiting for His answer on things? Are you giving all that you have to Him? I don’t mean your money. I mean surrendering everything in your life to God. Allowing Him to lead in every area of your life. Absolute surrender is the key to peace. The world tells us that we have to hustle to get ahead and that we have control of our future. That we have to look out for ourselves because no one else will. Sadly, too many folks, even Christians, live this way. I’ve been guilty of this mindset at times. But we don’t have to. And frankly, it’s exhausting.

    Putting your full trust in the Lord will give you such freedom and peace. This is what the widow had. She fully trusted that she was being obedient to God and that He would take care of her. A small story in God’s word that has such a huge impact!

    Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

  • What a Mess!


    “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Genesis 2:18

    It’s women’s history month. So, I have been thinking about the first woman in history, Eve. Eve gets a bad rap sometimes. We think of her as the one that messed everything up for the rest of us. She was fooled by the serpent. She convinced her husband to go down with her. She fell for Satan’s trick. She did the one thing that God told them not to do. Do you honestly think you would have done any different?

    Do you think God was surprised by what Eve did? Do you think God is ever surprised? God knew what was going to happen. It’s not like he created the universe without knowing what would happen. He’s not a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of God. He has had everything planned from the very beginning. He knew Eve and Adam were going to make this mistake. And He had a plan for their mistake. He made them imperfect, otherwise the mistake would not have happened.

    Now, put yourself in Eve’s place. You have this perfect world, perfect life, perfect husband. Everything is great. But you are not perfect. Somewhere deep in your heart, there is imperfection. So you are tempted by Satan to do the one thing that God told you not to do. He lied to you, he tricked you. I can’t imagine how she felt when she realized she had been duped.

    How many times have you been tricked by the devil? There are too many to count for me! And I usually feel pretty crummy when I realize the mistake I have made. Just like Eve, a lot of people have been hurt by my mistakes and bad decisions. More than likely we have been in a place and time in our lives when everything was going good, but then we make a mistake. We mess things up. So, we can’t be too hard on Eve. She was not perfect, but God still used her.

    The thing about God is that He can take all of our mistakes, and turn them into something good. If Eve hadn’t messed up, if she had not fell for Satan’s lies, everything would have remained perfect. No punishment would have come. Do you think that would have stopped Satan from trying again? He would have kept on trying and trying until someone fell for his trickery. We can learn a lot from Eve. And all of the stories in God’s word of people that messed up. People that were redeemed and still used by God.

    How would we ever know how good God is, if we hadn’t messed up and been redeemed? Over and over again, he redeems us. He helps us up when we fall down. Like Eve, sometimes it takes us making the worst mistake of our life for us to really turn things around and follow Him. When you are at rock bottom and the ONLY one who can help you is God himself. When you have no one else to turn to. And when you start really trusting God. That is when miracles start happening!

    “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Genesis 50:20

    God will take your mess and turn it into His message. I know that is cliche but it’s also true! He knows we are going to mess up, and He also knows if we are going to repent and turn to Him to make things better. He knows when we are going to stop running from Him and finally get things right. Even as a Christian for 30+ years, I still mess up. I still need His help daily. “He’s still working on me, to make me what I ought to be.” This life that He gives to us can be beautiful. God continues to pursue us because He wants better for us. He has a wonderful plan for your life, if you would just trust Him!

    Lord, I thank you for my trials as well as my triumphs. You work it all out for my good. Lord, you know what a mess I really am, and you still pursue me. You still choose to use me for your glory. And you still bless me in ways that I never even expect. God you are so good! Lord I pray that we never forget Eve and the sacrifice that she made. The mess that she made that you knew was going to happen. I thank you for our messes. Lord if we never had any problems, we wouldn’t understand how good you are! You are truly amazing! I love you Father. In Jesus holy name, Amen.

  • Our Refuge

    “For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.” Psalm 31:3-4

    In this Psalm, David is holding onto his faith! Some believe this was during the time that Saul was trying to kill him. I don’t believe I’ve ever been in that particular situation. To my knowledge no one has ever tried to kill me. (Unless you count when I was little with two older brothers!) However, I have gotten myself into some pickles. There have been so many times that I thought how in the world am I going to fix this? How is this going to work out? Or most often – I sure wish I could go back in time and change this situation.

    Praise the Lord that I came to know Him at age 15. I was starting to head the wrong way and He rescued me. And He’s been rescuing me ever since! There have been quite a few times that I have made a mess of things, and He has had to clean it up. And I’ve had to take punishment because of the messes I’ve made. But, He can redeem the messes. Romans 8:28 (one of my favorites!) And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called, according to his purpose.

    Now back to David, he put himself into some pickles as well. Anytime I think about the mistakes that I have made, I remember David. He really made a mess with Bathsheba and Uriah. And he was punished because of it. But that did not stop God from using him later on.

    God can and will use you for His glory. You only need to trust Him. When you mess up, as we all do, talk to Him. After you have prayed for forgiveness, then ask Him to use you and the situation for good. He can handle our embarrassment, our sadness, our anger, whatever we are feeling. He already knows, and He wants to help! He has a plan for your life. You might be shocked at what it turns out to be, if you just give it all to him. (It’s never too late!)

    Surrender your life to Him and watch what happens! If 15 year old me could look ahead and see what God has done, I don’t think I would have believed it. I’m not sure if I would run and hide or if I would be excited! Life is a roller coaster. There are peaks and there are dips. And there are some really scary moments that make you want to scream and wonder how to get off the ride! But we hang on. If you read the Psalms you can see that David was on quite the roller coaster ride as well. There are times that he is begging God for help and forgiveness. And then there are times that he is praising God for seeing him through. (Sounds like most of us honestly).

    And I honestly don’t know how people make it without God in their life. If I didn’t have Him to surrender it all to, I would never have peace. There is peace in knowing that He’s got you. He really loves you and wants what is best for you. How can anyone turn their back on him? Maybe you have not yet given your heart to Him. You might believe in God, but have never actually surrendered your life to Him. There is a big difference friend. Please don’t walk away from this post without getting this part straight.

    Romans 10:9-10 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and the the mouth one confesses and is saved.

  • Obedience, Peace and Provision

    Obedient children make a peaceful home, don’t they? When the kids do what you ask when you ask, it just makes everything go smoother. We don’t have to keep asking. We don’t have to get angry and start yelling. We don’t have to punish. But, life rarely works that way. Children are going to be disobedient from time to time. Hopefully as they get older and have been disciplined, they become more obedient.

    As I write this, I am actually thinking of myself and my obedience to the Lord. Sometimes I find it hard to obey God. (I know, shocking, right?) Sometimes I know what His word says and I just think deep down well….. Maybe that wasn’t a really important rule. Maybe I can fudge on that a little. No. Absolutely not. As I pray and study God’s Word, over time I get chastised and become more obedient!

    I’ve come to realize that when I am obedient, things go much better for me. I don’t struggle quite as much. I get unexpected blessings. Isn’t that what we do when our children are obedient? We reward them in some way. If we are loving parents, we want our children to grow up learning to be respectful. So, we teach them to respect us and other adults. We punish them when they do wrong. We give them some type of reward or positive affirmation when they do good. God created us this way. And He teaches us in His word to be this way.

    Recently I have become more obedient in an area of my life. And God has really blessed because of this. I can see Him working things out for my good and it is in direct correlation to my obedience. Maybe you can think of an area in your life that you should be more obedient to God. Trust me, there’s always more work to do in all of our lives. It’s because we aren’t perfect and we live in a sin sick world.

    I can give you example after example of times where my disobedience led to discipline and when I got it right and became more obedient to God’s word, then I could see Him working things out for me! It’s really amazing when you think about it. But that’s God. He is amazing! His grace and His mercy overflow.

    We find in the Word so many times that people disobeyed God and suffered the consequences. And then we can see when people obeyed God, they were blessed. There is one example probably hits us Mamas the hardest – when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. (Genesis 22). Abraham obeyed God. He took Isaac up to Moriah and prepared him for a burnt offering. Can you imagine how hard that must be? I don’t know where Abraham’s wife was, but I can imagine her reaction if Abraham had come back without Isaac! This Mama bear would not have reacted well! LOL (You want to see me act up, just mess with my children!) Anyways, Abraham had faith that God knew what He was doing. And just as he was about to complete the sacrifice, and angel of the Lord spoke to him and told him not to go through with it. And a ram caught in the bushes was sacrificed instead. I’m condensing and paraphrasing, so read the whole chapter for yourself. It’s a great story! And when the angel spoke again he told Abraham that he would be blessed and that his seed would be multiplied.

    This is just one example in God’s word of obedience bringing forth blessings. It seems like the hardest things for us to obey God in, the things that takes us out of our comfort zones, are the things that will bring forth the most blessings. Sometimes we have to obey God even when it doesn’t make sense. Remember Noah?

    So, pray about where you need to become more obedient. Pray about the steps that you need to take to walk in that obedience. It may take just one step at a time! But obeying God’s word and what He is leading you to do, will bring so much peace and blessing. He will provide for you, just as He provided the ram. He does all of this for us. It’s all for our own good. That’s how much He loves us.

    Father I just want to thank you right now for Your Word, Your provision and Your Blessings! You provide instruction and then You bless us when we follow Your instruction. Your grace and mercy abound! I pray that you will guide and direct us in following your Word. Pour your Holy Spirit out upon us so much so that we have no choice but to obey You! We praise you! In your Holy name, Amen.

  • Focus

    Would you agree that there is a lot of anger, hatred, evil and just plain ugliness going around the world today? If you watch the news or spend very much time on social media or talk to people in the community, you will hear of some kind of ugliness being spoken or done. Alot of fear going on as well. And unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have heard all kinds of theories concerning a certain virus being spread throughout the world.

    If you spend very much time focusing on these things, you may tend to feel anxious, angry, defeated and sometimes even find yourself being ugly towards someone else. We are human and we can all fall into this trap if we aren’t careful. But, there is a sure fire way that we can keep this from happening!

    Romans 12:21 says “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  How do we do that? Well, all of the ugliness, hatred and evil in this world comes from someone we all know too well. Satan wants nothing more than to steal, kill and destroy all of us. Especially those of us that have put our faith in God. If he can get us to doubt or act like we aren’t a Christian, then he wins.  He may not win overall cause we still belong to God, but he wins the battle. And this can hurt our testimony.

    James 4:7 tells us “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded.”  Walking closely with the Lord, talking to Him daily, multiple times even! Reading His word!  Turn off the TV, lay down the phone and get into the word. Fill your mind with the things you know to be true.

    If you dwell on all of the things the world tells you, you will feel defeated! Dwell on the things that are good. Focus on spreading goodness to one another. I guarantee that if you would focus on trying to help others, being positive and being a light to others, you will find that you don’t feel so defeated anymore!

    We cannot rely on the news, TV, Social Media, or even our friends to always tell us the truth.  BUT, we KNOW that we can always receive the truth in God’s word!

    Father I thank you today. I thank you for most of all your love. I don’t deserve a bit of it, but you give it anyways. You give me so much more than I deserve. Lord I thank you that we can come to you for the truth. We can come to you with our burdens and lay them at your feet. Lord, I know that this world has turned it’s back on you. I pray that as your children, you will continue to gives us strength in dealing with all of this mess.  Lord help us to focus on You and keep ours eyes towards Heaven. In Your Holy and Precious Name! Amen!

  • God is so good

    Early last year, 2019 I was feeling the spirit of the Lord move in mighty ways. I even spoke with several christian friends who were feeling the same thing. During my alone time with the Lord I felt in my spirit that things were about to change. I didn’t know what kind of changes were about to take place, but I felt that big changes were coming. I do not claim to have the gift of prophecy in any way. But, I do feel that God will prepare our hearts for things when we seek Him. I believe that last year a revival was taking place in our land. And now I truly feel that was preparing our hearts for 2020.

    Look at all that has happened this year, a lot of the changes that have taken place are because of Covid-19. It has almost felt as if the world has stopped turning. All of the things that we normally celebrate such as Easter, Mother’s Day, graduation, birthdays, etc had to be celebrated in different ways. Festivals that normally take place had to be cancelled. Amusement parks shut down. Vacations were cancelled. Some that live alone have become very depressed because they can’t go out and be around people. Many people were sent to work from home. Church services turned into online sessions. All of the church activities that normally take place, meetings and gatherings all cancelled.

    Some have been devastated by this virus and I completely understand that. I understand that lives have been lost due to the virus. I understand that it has caused alot of worry and uncertainty. Some have questioned God in this. Some have turned to God more during all of this. Alot of questions have been asked about whether the virus is really as bad as they say. Or was it hyped up by the media and politicians because this is an election year. Some think they have the cure for it and some think there is no cure. Every other day new information is being sent out on news and social media.

    I obviously don’t have any answers. But, I serve a God that has all the answers. And He has the ultimate answer. ALL I know is God knows all and He works everything for good for those that love Him (Romans 8:28). He has a purpose for everything. This virus even has a purpose.

    Some people have come to know Jesus as their personal savior because of all of this. Churches have reached more people by moving their services online than they ever would have reached in the church building. Some have had more time to spend in prayer and Bible study. Before “the rona” hit, we were running around like a bunch of chickens with no heads. We had our calendars full of activities that left us out of breath at the end of each week only to start over again every Monday. This virus has forced us to slow down.  It has given us more time with our families (especially us Mamas with children still living at home!).  It has even given our kids a break from their crazy schedules. I’ve talked to several people that have benefited in different ways because of this down time. I also know that God promised in His word that He would never leave us or forsake us. Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you for forsake you.” 

    I know that alot of people have suffered from this. God never promised this life would be without problems. But, He promises to carry us through. All we have to do is trust Him. He knows all, and He has it all under control. Things may not seem that way to us.

    When everything seems to be going wrong all around us, God is still good.

    When all hope seems lost, God is still good.

    When everyone else lets us down, God is still so good!

    We have to praise Him in the valleys as well as the mountaintops. It’s easy to praise Him when everything is going great, but we must also thank Him and praise Him for those valleys. It’s in the valleys that we grow the most.

    Don’t give up hope, just place all of your hope in Him.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • You have no power over me

    Have you ever watched the move “The Labyrinth”?  It’s an 80’s movie about a teenage girl that, out of frustration, wishes her baby brother to be taken away by goblins. When her wish comes true, she immediately regrets her wish and has to go through a labyrinth to find her baby brother and save him from the goblin king. When she succeeds and has to face the goblin king, she recites the lines from a book but can’t remember the last line. Finally just in time, she remembers the iconic last line. “You have no power over me.”  When she speaks the words, the goblin king is forced to return her and her baby brother back home safe and sound.

    The past few weeks have been a little stressful.  A close family member has been dealing with some things and it has really had me on my knees a lot! Not only that, but instead of leaving my worries at the altar, I’ve been picking them up and taking them with me! Obsessing over the whole situation, (which I tend to do sometimes). But, this week as I was praying and praising God for some answered prayers, those words came to my mind. “You have no power over me.”  I imagined myself as that teenage girl standing face to face with the enemy and speaking those words to him.

    See, we tend to forget sometimes, that the devil really has no power over us.  He can try to tempt us with worry, fear and anger. He can cause us physical and emotional pain as we see in the book of Job. But, doubting God, questioning God’s love is what he really wants us to do. He can tempt us to forget to pray and leave our burdens at the altar. He can try, and believe me he does try and succeeds a lot of times! But only when we give him that power, does he succeed. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: I Peter 5:8

    Satan is always lurking and waiting for the exact right moment to attack.  He sees when our faith is starting to weaken. He knows what areas of our life to attack. He wants to come after the things that mean the most to us, our children, our family, our church, our finances, _______________ (you can fill in the blank).  Those things that we sometimes tend to put ahead of God. Those are the things Satan knows to attack.

    So, how do we fight him?  Our #1 enemy in life is Satan and we need to be ready at all times.  But, we ourselves cannot win against such a powerful enemy.  We are not that powerful.  But, we have a God that is more powerful than anything or anyone. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. I John 4:4

    Satan’s power is limited.  No matter how hard he tries, he can’t have what isn’t his. When we surrendered our hearts to God, we became His child. As a child of God, the enemy can only do so much.  But, when we let our guard down we give him a little more power. When we fail to pray and read God’s word, he inches his way in.

    The only way to fight our enemy is on our knees, praying to God and asking Him to guide us. That is how our battles are fought and won! I can just imagine when we fall on our knees or bow our heads in prayer, Satan probably winces. He knows that we have just gone into the armory and retrieved the most powerful weapon. He immediately loses some of his power.

    There are times when our prayers are not answered in the way we expect. That is when we have to trust God.  So many times, I’ve prayed expecting something to work out a certain way just because I prayed for it.  But sometimes God’s answer is “No, that’s not what you need right now”.  But, I have been able to look back and see where God knew what was best and He worked it all out.  We have to trust God even when we don’t understand His answer.  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

    We don’t always get exactly what we pray for when we pray for it.  Just praying and giving our problems to God, trusting Him to work it out, gives us so much peace.  We can trust that He loves us so much, more than we can even imagine, and that He has control. He has a plan for our lives. Don’t give the enemy the upper hand, by forsaking your time with God.  If you don’t get anything else done today, take some time to read your Bible and pray about whatever is on your heart today. He’s ready and waiting for you!

    Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

    And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7