Holding My Father's Hand

So often when I’m weary--

Life’s struggles get me down

Circumstances overwhelm

I feel like I will drown

 

I need the calm assurance

Of my Father’s gentle care

I will seek His face in Scripture

And kneel to Him in prayer

 

It is there that He reminds me

That He will always hold my hand

I will trust in Him completely

To walk the path He’s planned

 

I feel His peace surround me

I can even find a song

For I’m walking with my Father

And His hand is very strong

 

**********

 

Psalms 139:10 

Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 

Isa 41:10 

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. 

Isa 26:3-4 

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. 

Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength: 

Psalms 23:3-5 

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  

Christmas!

In the Bible, there was a prophet by the name of Habakkuk. He definitely wasn't in the Christmas spirit! He was seeing everything that was wrong in his world and wondering if God even cared. He had prayed and his prayers seemed not to be heard--but we know that they were because God answered him and shared that answer with us in the book of Habakkuk.

God showed to Habakkuk the sin of the Enemy and--if we are honest--the sins we commit: Pride, vanity, covetousness, idolatry...a sad place to be! God's wrath is inevitable when sin is present.

 Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death...

Sin is the problem. Sin separates us from God. There is an answer--Jesus!

Jesus is God with us!

God took the wages of sin and put them on Jesus. As Jesus shed His blood on the Cross, the price of sin was paid--forgiven! 

Romans 6:23  ...but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

2Corinthians 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 

Romans 5:8-9  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 

Much of the Christmas story happened at night--the whole world was lost in sin/darkness

The Resurrection happened in the morning--Jesus is the Light of the World!

If you recognize your sin problem, come to Jesus! Habakkuk found that it was not what he saw or the feelings that he had or even the prayers he prayed--it was faith in Jesus!

Do you recognize that you are a sinner?

Do you understand that sin has a punishment--separation from God for ever in a real place called Hell?

Do you believe that God sent Jesus to die on the Cross and shed his blood--pure, holy blood--to save you from your sins? Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is listening to hear you call unto Him?

Calling unto Him is like crying for help when you are drowning--you are doing nothing but depending on someone else to save you.

Will you place your faith completely in Jesus? Not your church, baptism, or good works.

Habakkuk trusted God not his own understanding. Even though nothing changed in the world around him, God had changed him on the inside! God can do this for you, too!

Habakkuk 3:17-19  

Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. 

The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments. 

This is the hope and joy of Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

 

The Guessing Game

 

The Guessing Game

 

Ever learning yet never coming

Truth outside your reach

Depending on your own understanding

With faith you will not seek

 

You like to run to others with

What you suppose is true

But soon will come the judgment day

Your playing you will rue

 

Listen to the Master’s call

Do you not hear your name?

Trust His mighty work of grace

Stop playing the guessing game

 

*******

 

John 20

 

1.      Mary Magdalene guessed that someone had stolen the body

2.      Mary Magdalene supposed that Jesus was the gardener

3.      She would not stop to listen to anyone else—the angels barely got a word in edgewise!

4.      She was focusing on the supposed problem instead of seeking to God for the answer

5.      Asking questions is a good way to get people to stop and listen to themselves

6.      Be still—listen to God’s Word for your problem

7.      When you know—then go!

What A Word Is This

What a Word is This

What a Word is this!

That calms men’s hearts

Yet puts the enemy to flight

What a Word is this!

With great Authority

That rescues from sin’s plight

What a Word is this!

Who made the mountains grand

And spread the sea shore sand

What a Word is this!

Revealing God to man

Exposing each command

What a Word is this!

Speaking “Peace, be still”

Enfolding us in God’s Will

What a Word is this!

To guard our steps today

Lead in the Heavenly Way

What a Word is this!

May every tongue proclaim

The Glory and the Name

What a Word is This!

Followers

Followers

They came to have their needs met

Broken and wounded

And Jesus healed them

They came to ask Him questions

Doubting and deceitful

And Jesus gave them Answers

They came as little children

Needing affection and attention

And Jesus blessed them

One came a rich, young ruler

But something was lacking

And Jesus offered Himself

They came to serve Him only

Forsaking all to find all

And Jesus was their All in all 

All had needs but not all received

And until one receives they will never perceive

Grace opens the door, but faith must walk through

What is your choice--It is opened to you!

**********************************************

Revive Thy People!

Dear Lord,


Give us...
Compassion without compromise
Holiness without hypocrisy
Suffering without self-pity


We are...
Turning to You away from self
Guilty but forgiven
Rejoicing in the Lord alway!



Let The Rock that followed them in the      Wilderness
Flow with Living Water--the Washing  Water
Your Precious Word magnified above all  Thy Name
Revive the stones out of the rubbish heaps  of worldly living
Break the rocky hearts! Teach us the praise  of Your Name
Place each Pebble into the place prepared  for them--Provoking one another to love  and good works
Looking unto Jesus--Who is full of compassion, gracious, and longsuffering

The Author of Our Faith
The Finisher of His Work

Amen

Ps. 85, Neh. 4:2, Heb. 10:24-25, Is. 57:15,
Hab. 3:2, I Peter 2:1-11, Deut. 32

(The Washing of the Word includes the washing away our sins under the Blood of Jesus! Epe.5:26, Rom. 3:21-28)

Believe and Receive

Truth changes me when I believe...
Love reaches me when I receive...

Hebrews 4:2
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.

John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Matthew 1:21
....thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Romans 3:20-26
Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

Even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the  justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

I John 4:19
We love him, because he first loved us.

I Cor. 15:3-4
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

Romans 10:9, 13
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

I John 5:16

"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

This verse can be somewhat confusing. Some things to remember:

1. A person is born of God when they acknowledge that they are a sinner that deserves punishment then believe that Jesus took that punishment with His shed blood, was buried, and rose again to atone for those sins. They call on the name of the Lord to save them. This is an individual decision--no one can believe for another person. (John 3, Ro. 10:8-10)

2. Sin is to "miss the mark" or fall short of the glory of God (Ro. 3:23)

3. Christ hit the "mark" and glorified God for us (Ro. 5:8)

4. We, in Jesus, no longer "miss the mark"! (Ro. 8:1-2, John 15) This does not mean that we never transgress or disobey, but that we should " follow after" our Saviour. (Phil. 2:12-21, Heb. 12:1-4)

5. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God

    (John 3:16)

6. He made Himself responsible for our keeping. The name "Jesus" means "Jehovah will save". He is the only safety or refuge, our success and victory, our Comforter and Avenger. (John 10:27-29, Psalm 23)

7. The Wicked One cannot touch Him 

   (I John 4:4, 5:1-4)

8. Frantic fear does not come from God--it is a tool of Satan to distract us from God's character. (II Tim. 1:7)

Other helpful verses:

Ps. 31:14-24

Ps. 33:8-22

Ps. 32:7

I John 2:25-26

Phil. 3:13-15

Ps. 119

I John 1:9

Don't Go to Ono!

Be Still...and Go!

Be still...
   Trusting Jesus who loves in all seasons
        and changes not
   Hoping with patience and joy as He
      Performs His work in His time
   Loving Him--my heart drawn to conform
      To the beauty of Christ

He that came...
   Not to be ministered unto
      But to minister
   Not to condemn the world
       But to seek and save the lost
   Not to be a Slave Driver
      But to become our Dearest Friend

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Matt. 28:18-20. 

Faith, Hope, Charity

Failing to find peace in the life that I
           make
Acknowledging sin, my way I forsake
Inspecting God's Word, its path to take
Turning to Jesus Who died for my sake
Having true peace, His life I partake


Happily anticipating a joyful end
Opening the Book that God did send
Promised blessings of my Faithful Friend
Exercising confidence--on Him I depend

                  And

Crying over the sufferer's plight
Humbly serving in Jesus' might
Asking that sinners receive their sight
Rejoicing in The Truth, The Light
Iniquity causing me no delight
Taking reproach without holding a spite
Yearning that others come out of the  
           night

And now abideth faith, hope, and charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
        I Corinthians 13:13

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
          I John 4:10

The Danger of Doing Things My Way or Proverbs 3:5-6

Do you remember the story of the 12 spies that went to spy out the land of Canaan? They saw many great sights--a land flowing with milk and honey, grapes that took two men to carry a cluster, and GIANTS!

10 spies saw the obstacles....

 2 spies saw God's promises

These men saw! They walked on the land God had promised! 10 spies let the enemy defeat them without a battle.

How could this happen????

1. Rebellion-they chose their own way of seeing and doing. God's way is found in the Bible.

2. Complaining-infecting others with rebellion.

3. Doubting God's ability, character, and Word. This breaks down absolute truth making everything subject to opinion.

4. Fear-Without the boundaries in God's Word, who will know what is safe?

5. Unbelief-The spies chose to walk away from God based on the decision that He was not worthy or able to lead them.

When man chooses to be his own "god", he ignores God's good and perfect way.

" As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.". Psalm 18:30

There were two other spies. Caleb and Joshua were different. They trusted God--even though the rest of the Israelites were planning to throw rocks at them until they died!

God led Israel back into the Wilderness. Those 10 spies died in that Wilderness. Only Caleb and Joshua went into the Promised Land--40 years later with the next generation. Were they a failure for having to wait??? NO! This was a growing time for them and their families!

They found that truly:

"Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds."

 "How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings."

Psalm 36:5 and 7


"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 In all thy way acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Proverbs 3:5 and 6

"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John 3: 15-21


The danger of doing things my own way is that I will miss God's way. He has the only way of salvation:
1. A person recognizing self as a sinner in need of a Saviour (Ro. 3:23)
2. Recognize that Jesus Christ took the punishment for sin on the cross. He bled, died, and rose again to become our Saviour.
Ro. 10:9, 10, 13
3. Ask for Jesus to save their soul

He has the only way to an abundant life--because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

Overcoming!

Attention! About face! March!
John 14:15 and 15:14

My former life is left behind
Sharp orders my obedience demand
So I listen closely to each command

There are no civilians in this army!
I Tim. 2:3 Epe. 6:13-17

Comfort is passed-- I don my new clothes;
Thoughts on eternal, Covered in Right
Strengthened with Truth and walking in Light

Do your duty, Soldier!
I John 1:9. Is. 59

Searching my heart, confessing sin
Little things--like keeping clean feet
Can win the war or cause defeat

Get ready, Men, here they come!
I This. 3:3-4

Suff'ring and sorrow are seen all around
 Fiery darts whistle fearful sounds
But having done all to stand, I stand

On my command... Charge!
John 11:25-26 and 15:13

The soldier must give all--his very life!
So setting affections on Heaven above
I lay down my will to show Godly love

Keep the lines of communication open!
Phil. 4:6-7. Epe. 6:18

I look to my Saviour-put worry to rest
 Praying with passion in each battle test
Trusting the Captain for He knows best!

Raise the flag--We've taken the ground!
I John 5:4. Ps. 60:4, 11-12  Song Sol. 2:4

The Captain of Salvation brings sweet victory
 Triumphant faith marches over enemy territory
 While hope raises this banner--God's love for eternity!

Prayer's Answer

Torrents of tears puddle on my table
My weeping was met with deafening silence...

    "Please...
           Just something tangible to hang
                      Onto...

                "To see...to have...to hear..."

                        * * * * * * *

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.". Heb. 11:1

"Charity suffereth long...charity never faileth." I Cor. 13

                         * * * * * * *

To see is not Faith
     
     To have is not Hope

        And if I stop listening 
               for Your answer, it is not

                                     Charity

                          * * * * * * *

"Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee...nevertheless not what I will but what thou wilt." Mark 14:36

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." Is. 26:3

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice." Phil. 4:4

In Your Shadow

Draw me close, Spirit
Ps. 57:1; Ps. 17:8

I hide in the shadow of your wings
Your sweet Words healing my heart
Promises made, promises kept
Faith's Awakening

 Draw me closer still, Father
Ro. 15:13; Ex. 33:18-23

I wait in the shadow of the great Rock
You cover my face with Your gentle hand
Amazing Grace and Infinite Glory pass before me
Hope's Vision

Even closer yet, Jesus
Phil. 3:10; Matt. 9:36-38

I pray  in the shadow of the Olive trees
"May I know the fellowship of your suffering"
Then my fingertips brush the hem of Your robe
Charity's Joy

Togetherness

The table was covered with it

   Edge pieces off to one side
      Sky pieces at the top
         Grass ones at the bottom

And then all the rest...

   Mysteries of shape and color
      No obvious place or order
         All knobs and shoulders

No clear image--just You

   Giving me direction
      Changing my perception
         Aiding with compassion

Because some pieces never seem to fit

   Twisting and turning
      While griping and fuming
         "It's all so confusing!"

Until I listen and learn

   Faith in Your design
      Patience in Your order
         Hope in Your goodness

 Enjoying the puzzle...
                                     Together


 Romans 8:25-39

FAITH

"Jump," He said, "I will catch you."

My Daddy was so very strong,
But what if something should go wrong?
What if this time He should miss?
Could I take a chance like this?

"Jump," He said again, "Trust me."

I chose to take Him at His Word
Finding all my doubts absurd
So much better than I'd dreamed of
Caught in His strong arms...
                                                  With love.

Trusting God

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.". Hebrews 11:6

A good definition of faith is dependence. When I sit in a chair, I depend on it to hold me up. It is the same with God. I stop trusting my own perspective and trust Christ--the way, the truth, and the life. So many religions teach that my spiritual success depends on something I do. God teaches me that He provided for this success in Christ's shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection. He took my sin punishment and all I need is to trust His promise.

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the  Lord shall be saved." Ro. 10:13

God is teaching me that faith is a daily way of living also. It is so freeing to take all my thoughts and feelings to Him. He listens with infinite understanding and love. His Word shows me the truth of how I should feel. Faith is knowing that God is interested in my whole life and can use even hurtful things to make something beautiful. "O for grace to trust Him more".