You are always loved!-Encouraging Messages

[Judy Harder]

     

Roy Lessin
   
Faith, Part 1

Nov 3 2011

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:17 (KJV)

There are two ways that we can walk through a day. One is to walk by sight and the other is to walk by faith. To walk by faith means to walk in a different kind of reality. The Bible tells us that there are two realities (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). One reality is what is seen; the other reality is what is unseen. There are two realities because there are two worlds. One is the physical world; the other is the spiritual world. The physical world is the temporary world; the spiritual world is the eternal world.

Today, as a believer and a follower of Jesus Christ, you live in both worlds. Through your senses you connect with the physical world, and with your heart and spirit you connect with the spiritual world. Your spiritual reality is not based upon wishful thinking or some unknown mystic influence, but upon the truth of God's word, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the life of Jesus Christ.

Faith sees what your physical eyes can never see;
Faith knows what your natural mind can never comprehend;
Faith possesses what your physical arms can never hold.
Faith says "yes" to everything God declares to be true;
Faith stands upon everything God says is certain, it leans upon everything God says is unmovable, and it counts upon everything God says will come to pass.

[Judy Harder]

Our Messiah ~

When I look at the blue skies and white clouds,
The meadows and brooks
And everything I touch
I feel Our Messiah looking down at us.



When we call His name
The leaves ruffle in the air,
A light shines from Our Messiah
For He loves us so much,
He really cares.



He gives
The bright sun to warm our face,
Animals and birds that sing.
All throughout the world we see
Bright flowers that smell so sweet,
Love from Our Messiah
For those who can really see.



Look at the beauty and never look at the bad
For Our Messiah wants us to be holy.
That is how God prepared life for us
In Jesus Christ, oh look and find
On the ocean as far as the eye can behold
You will find Our Messiah
Walking on water,
He is all divine.



We are His loved children
If we listen to what He said
And love each other as He has done.
He has died for us
Let us live for Him,
Our Messiah makes miracles,
For everyone.

~ page created 11-1-11 ~

~**~

Linda Ann Henry ©2008
Do you remember me
The people's poet
Linda11231949@aol.com



My Master knows all my wants and needs
Hearing my every heartfelt prayer
He has a way or reaching out to me
That lets me know that He is there.

My Master knows each burden I face
In His wonderful caring way
He makes my burdens so much lighter
When I kneel to Him and pray.


I see my Master in a beautiful sunrise
He created all this beauty for our eyes
And He wants each of us to understand
Everything is just the way He planned.

I walk and talk with my Master every day
I trust Him to lead me along the way
When I say my prayers I know He is there
I have complete faith in His loving care.


© 2006 Glenna M. Baugh
Living by Faith


"Believe the Master, God's only Son
and He will take care of you."
~Quote by Glenna~

[Judy Harder]

(in)courage
   

What Women Fear: Chapter Nine
When Your Child Chooses A Different Way
Here Again...

What Women Fear: Chapter Nine

Nov 4 2011

Can you believe we are almost done with this study. Today we are talking about chapter nine with Trish.

From Angie:

Trish didn't grow up in a home where she was surrounded by people who were convinced about God, and there were plenty of opportunities for her to turn into a completely different person than who she is. I have always admired the strength she displayed by allowing the Lord to use her despite how unlikely a candidate she might have seemed as a little girl. She had a lot of opposition from those around her and moved into a place where she stood firm with Jesus. She knows exactly where she was and WHO brought her out...


We look forward to your thoughts!

Love,
Ang and Jess

When Your Child Chooses A Different Way

Sometimes our children choose a path that seems to wind and twist and loop back on itself. It seems sometimes they prefer to walk right along the edge of the cliff, where the limestone crumbles away beneath their feet with every step they take. They teeter on the precipice – their arms outstretched, refusing to heed our calls to come back from the edge or to take a different path or to choose the road we highlighted for them on the map.

Our hearts beat fast and our hair turns gray and we wring our hands as we watch them tempt fate. They laugh at us, or wave us off, or maybe they don't even turn to look in our direction. We toss and turn at night and then fall asleep at stop lights in broad daylight.

We write laments in journals. We submit prayer requests and we sign them, "Anonymous" because the story doesn't just belong to us. We pray and give up praying. We cry and shout and whisper and grow silent, and our hearts sit heavy in our chests. We hold our breath.

I'm only telling my own story here. I'm offering it up in case there is another someone out there who has tried everything she can to fix it, or to make it right, or to call her child back from the edge. I just want to tell you, you are not alone.

And I want to tell you, God's got this. He does. So go ahead and breathe.

I don't say that lightly. It's hard to breathe when every phone call makes your lungs stop cold. And if you remember to breathe today, by tomorrow you might forget again.

One day I sat breathless before God. My gut was twisted in a knot, and I couldn't even look in His direction. My hands fell open in my lap and I whispered, "What am I supposed to do?"  And just as quickly as I asked the question, one word slipped its way into my heart: "Love."

"I can do that," I thought to myself. "I can love. But what else, God?"

"Just love," He breathed into my heart. "I'll do the rest. I've got this. All you have to do is love."

Here Again...


Here Again...

"Regardless of the outcome, my current attitude isn't doing any good," I commented, laughing at the truth of that statement.  The funk that had clouded the recent past was not helping the situation.  The kicker was, the situation was the same situation as it had been for quite a while.  It was just the funky attitude that had reared its ugly head–again.

The high-achieving, high-performing aspect of my personality leaves quite a bit of room for self-reliance. And we all know where that leads–no place good.

The hope of a possible change shed light on the grumpy areas of the current situation. But rather than focus on the God-desired outcomes for the potential future, I started to pick apart the current reality.

Funky attitude + self-reliance + critical eye = no place good.

I like the logic of math, and this math is rather ugly.  Payoffs for long days of hard work give opportunity to praise God.  Layers and layers of payoffs for that work led to the ugly reality that I am not so humble.

So here He and I are–again. Looking at the payoffs.  Taking a breath.  Getting over myself.  And finally seeing the Light, the miraculous timing of all the pieces that had to come into place at the exact moments so that the accomplishments could be possible.  The many players involved in the work from a number of areas, who were all primed for the change that led to the outcomes that brought the payoffs.  I was not the magic.  I just got to be part of it.

It would behoove me to stand here awhile–and admire His work–humbled at the thought that He would allow me to take part.

An amazing thing happens from this locale: the funky attitude dissipates, the gratitude for God's provision pours forth unhindered, and contentment reigns in my soul where, minutes before, there was agitation.

I like that He is willing to stand here with me–again.  I like that He is never done teaching me–even when I am tired of learning.  And I like the peace in my heart when I step back and recognize His hand throughout the process.

Here we are–again–marveling at His glory.  I like it here.

By Jennifer Cook, from groundswell ministries

[Judy Harder]

Roy Lessin
   

Faith, Part 2


What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see. So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that there is a God and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. Hebrews 11:1, 6 (NLT)

Your faith in God today is your lifeline to His heartbeat. Faith is the hand that reaches up and takes hold of God's promises and gathers in the spiritual treasures that are found in Christ. Faith sees the sunshine of God's face, even when there are dark clouds all around.

When the things that you are experiencing don't make sense, faith says, "God knows what He is doing."
When your resources don't match your need, faith says, "God is my provider."
When you are fearful to take the next step, faith says, "God will not fail me."
When you're not sure what to do next, faith says, "God will guide me."
When you are in a situation that seems impossible, faith says, "Nothing is too hard for the Lord."

What things are possible for you today through faith? All things are possible, because your faith is in the God who knows no impossibilities.

[Judy Harder]

God is in our Midst



Amid the turmoil and woe of our world today
When so many troubles seem to exist
And our spirit sinks low along the way
Remember this, God is in our midst.



Things always seem darkest at night
And we think we are more at risk
Looking up we will see a bright light
Then we know God is in our midst.



God's love and goodness will prevail
He will forgive our sins and assist
Us in believing His mercy never fails
We can trust God is in our midst.

© 9-27-06 Glenna M. Baugh
Living by Faith

"God is in our midst night and day
and He hears us when we pray."
~ Quote by Glenna ~

[Judy Harder]

H A P P Y   A U T U M N!!!

The 7 Ups!

1. Wake Up !!

Decide to have a good day.
"This is the day

the Lord hath made; 

let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalms 118:24

2. Dress Up !!


The best way to dress up ...

put on a smile.
A smile is an inexpensive way to

improve your looks.   

"The Lord does not look at the things

man looks at. 

Man looks at outward appearance,
                                            but the Lord looks at the heart."
                                    I Samuel 16:7

3. Shut Up!!
Say nice things and learn to listen.
God gave us two ears and one mouth,
so He must have meant for us to do

twice as much listening as talking.
"He who guards his lips guards his soul."

Proverbs 13:3

4. STAND UP

. . . for what you believe in.
                       Stand for something or you will fall for anything.
                 "Let us not be weary in doing good; for at the proper time,

we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."

Galatians 6:9-10

5. Look Up !!


. . to the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me".
Philippians 4:13

6. Reach Up !!
. . for something higher.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and lean not unto your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him,

and He will direct your path." Proverbs 3:5-6

7. Lift Up !!
. . your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything; instead
PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6

A POSITIVE THOUGHT

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.

If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.

He sends you flowers every spring,   and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen.
He could live anywhere in the universe, and He chose your heart.
What about the Christmas gift He sent you in Bethlehem;

not to mention that Friday at Calvary.
Face it, He's crazy about you.


I thought this was mighty special, just like YOU.
Pass this on and brighten someone's day, and remember . ...


God answers

Knee-Mail!


Wishing you a Blessed day!!!
 

[Judy Harder]

Stars We Cannot Count

There's a hole up in the universe
They can see within it now,
It was thought to be a hole
But, imagine what they found.



Trillions more galaxies
More stars we cannot count,
Oh yes, our God is so much greater
Than we can ever know about.



And there in Genesis, we read
One line- "He made the stars",
Yes, just...., "He made the stars"
What wonder He imparts.

~**~

Soft Whispers from
Derry's Heart Poems ©Nov 2011
heartwhispers@iinet.net.au
Poetry from The Heart

God - so big, the universe wherein He dwells
is beyond imagination, whether near and far..
yet so gracious, beautiful, He will come
to live within our heart.
~blossoms ~

[Judy Harder]

Work for God

Most of us will not become famous
Nor be listed in Who's Who
Each one of us great or small
Has work for God we can do.

God wants to assign a job to us
Unimportant it may seem
But work for God will be rewarding
And bring reality to our dreams

God gave each of us a talent to use each day
Work for God will be blessed in every way
He loves us and wants our attention
Doing our very best is His intention.

Doing work for God is never wrong
Telling others about Him makes us strong
God is watching over our work from above
Blessing us with strength, courage, and love.


© 2006Glenna M. Baugh
Living by Faith


Let the words of my mouth, and the
meditation of my heart, be acceptable in
thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer
Psalms 19:14 KJV

[Judy Harder]

   

You Make a Difference
Hello Friend!

I'm thinking of you this morning, wherever you are, and of the difference you're making.

You might think it's small.

You might think no one really sees.

You might think you should do something bigger, better, more spiritual.

But lean in and listen close...

The best gift you can offer this world is you.

And that's what you're doing--

just putting messy, glorious, imperfect, made-new you out there.

In your home, your family, your office, your community, your world.

We'd miss you if you weren't there. It just wouldn't be the same. And no one could take your place.

So keep it up, my friend. Keep giving and loving and living right where you are.

It matters more than you know, more than you see.

{And you do too.}

--Holley Gerth

For more hope and encouragement from Holley, visit Heart to Heart with Holley and subscribe by email there to receive her free devotionals.

 
 

You Have a Defender
You have a DEFENDER who knows your name,

who fights on your behalf,

who protects your heart.

He surrounds you with love,

fortifies you with favor,

keeps you in His care.

The battles rage,

and yes, in this fallen world,

sometimes we are wounded.

But with Him on our side

we can be sure we will never be defeated.

You are not alone as you face this battle - many prayers and much love are with you.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

--Holley Gerth

 

[Judy Harder]

Counting My Blessings


Counting my blessings from God is a pleasure
Many have become my greatest treasure
God's blessings are special, you see
And each one brings peace to me.

God sends new blessings each day
His blessings are received in mysterious ways
Every joyful blessing He gives is free
And I pray my eyes be open that I may see.

All blessings from God are everlasting
They cover the world in every place
Every blessing speaks of His mercy
And He sends them with loving grace.

God's blessings of love He does bestow
Only He knows what our future will be
His blessings will continue we know
Because He loves you and me.

Glenna M. Baugh © 2007
Living by Faith


"May God be merciful unto you
and may His blessings bring peace"
~Quote by Glenna~