You are always loved!-Encouraging Messages

[Judy Harder]

     

Roy Lessin
   

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Who do men say that I am? Luke 9:18


  Jesus Is Neither...

Ancient, modern, or post-modern—He is Eternal.

Liberal, conservative, or orthodox—He is the Truth.

Conventional, legalistic, or traditional—He is Holy.

Denominational, non-denominational, or inter-denominational—He is the Head of the Church.

Entertaining, amusing, or diverting—He is Fullness of Joy.

Republican, Democrat, or Libertarian—He is King of kings and Lord of lords.

One of many ways to God, the best way to God, or the Western way to God—He is the only Way to God, no one comes to the Father except through Him.

[Judy Harder]

According to Lisa Hammond and BJ Gallagher, the "Golden Rule for Women" should be this:

"We need to do unto ourselves as we do unto others."

My wife is a convert! She has endorsed their new "Golden Rule" and she loves their new book, Oil for Your Lamp...Women Taking Care of Themselves. In fact, she said, "Of all the Simple Truth's books (70 total), this is my favorite!"

Today, I'd like to share the Introduction for a great new book. If you're a woman, it will speak to your soul. Enjoy!

From Oil for Your Lamp...Women Taking Care of Themselves
by Lisa Hammond & BJ Gallagher

Virtually every woman we know has the same problem - she knows what's good for her, but she often doesn't do it. She knows she should eat less and exercise more, but still she doesn't make healthy choices. She knows she needs to spend her time and money more effectively, but good time and money management elude her. She finds herself always putting others first, while neglecting her own needs and wants. She doesn't get enough rest or sleep and her endless to-do list hangs overhead like the sword of Damocles. As our friend Brenda Knight laments frequently, "Why am I always riding in the back of my own bus?"

We don't do the things we know are good for us because we are so busy taking care of others that we neglect ourselves. The problem isn't lack of information - we have plenty of information about the importance of sleep, healthy foods, and exercise. The problem is how we prioritize our lives.

Psychologists tell us that some people are inner-directed and some are other-directed. That is, some people focus on their own internal guidance system for making choices about how to spend their time and energy. Their own self-interest ranks very high on their list of priorities. "What's best for me?" is a key guiding principle in determining where they focus their attention and how they make day-to-day decisions.

And some people are other-directed, which means that their primary focus is external, not internal. They are primarily concerned with relationships, especially people they care about. "How can I help others?" is a key question in how they spend their time and energy. Building and nurturing relationships with loved ones, family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers is the guiding principle in their lives.

Research indicates that, in general, men tend to be more inner-directed, while women tend to be more other-directed. There are exceptions, of course, but as a group, men are focused on themselves while women are focused on other people. Men like to build things while women like to build relationships.

This difference in psychological orientation goes a long way toward helping us understand why we women often do such a poor job of taking care of ourselves. We run around filling others' lamps with oil, but forget to fill our own lamps first. Then we wonder why we're often exhausted, frazzled, stressed-out, anxious and/or depressed!

Awareness is the first step toward solving a problem. So the first section of this book is devoted to helping us acknowledge the problem and understand the reasons for it. Chapter 1 looks at how girls are socialized, growing up to be women who put others first. Chapter 2 examines the values women have adopted in the past 50 years, beginning with the feminist movement - leading us to believe that we can have it all - all at once. And Chapter 3 explores the corresponding myth that we can DO it all.

But don't be discouraged. Help is on the way - in Section II, we'll get into solutions for the problem. We'll learn the value of doing nothing, how to play again, how to become more inner-directed, and most important, how to ask for help.

Lisa and BJ are two of the most talented writers I know. Together, they've written over 30 books. In Oil for Your Lamp, their stories and their humor will create many "a-ha" moments to reinforce their "Golden Rule" message in an unforgettable way.




(Friends, this is a clip from a devotional I get and altho I am not going to make a habit of putting this on the forum, I like todays and plan on finding the book and reading it. Here is the name of the site and you will find lots of inspiring info on this message.)

Judy


  Beliefnet.com

[Judy Harder]

Fret buster #94

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:24 AM PDT

How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none. Eternal years lie in His heart. For Him time does not pass, it remains; God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work. To know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.

A. W. Tozer

[Judy Harder]

There is...

06 Jul 2011

For every hectic work day there is a quiet rest...

For every painful experience there is a healing touch...

For every negative feeling there is an abiding joy...

For every disappointment there is a certain hope...

For every turbulent storm there is a sure foundation...

For every doubting thought there is a calm assurance...

For every hurtful action there is a forgiving love.

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37

[Catwoman]

Sure wish there was a <like> button for what you post, Judy...Thank you!! 

[Judy Harder]

Benediction

08 Jul 2011

May you receive from the Lord Jesus Christ, who is mighty and abundant in you, every blessing, every kindness, and every provision of life to be abundantly joyful, exceedingly peaceful, extremely hopeful, and overwhelmingly grateful for His abounding grace and favor toward you.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21 NKJV

[Judy Harder]

     

Roy Lessin
   

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Holy Promises

11 Jul 2011
No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said. I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie. Psalm 89:34-35 NLT

Octavius Winslow wrote wonderful thoughts about the holiness of God. He says, "To conceive of a God infinite in essence, divine in majesty, almighty in power, wise in counsel, and eternal in duration, and yet destitute of holiness...would be to imagine an infinite monster."

I share the following, inspired by his thoughts of Psalm 89:

The promises that we find in the Scriptures have been spoken to us by God. They are His words to us. Can they be fully believed and fully trusted? The answer for us is "yes" because of the character of the one who spoke them.

There is one perfect word that tells us everything we need to know about God's character and that word is "holy!" The holiness of God is your greatest comfort, confidence, and assurance as a believer. The loudest sound of heaven is "holy is the Lord" and it should also be the loudest proclamation of your faith.

When God made a promise to King David, God wanted to assure him that His promise was not a lie. To do so, God tied His promise to His holiness. God is all-powerful, but it is not His power that defines His character; God is all-knowing, but it is not His knowledge that defines His character; God is all-present, but it is not His presence that defines His character. God's character is defined by His holiness.

The Scriptures declare that God is holy—they do not say that He was once holy, that He will one day be holy, or that He is presently in the process of becoming holy. God is eternally holy. God cannot ever lie because He is eternally holy. Whatever God does or says must be an expression and an extension of who He is. He cannot and will not deny Himself. It is impossible for God to lie because His holiness will not allow it.

We know God is love, but what makes His love so beautiful and so appealing is that His love is holy love. God loves you today with a holy love; that is why you can rest in His love. Everything about His love for you is good and right because it is holy love. There is not a drop of corruption, not a taint of evil, and not a stain of impurity in God's holy love. When God says He loves you, it is not a lie. It is only God who can love you with a holy love, and it is only God who can speak to you with holy promises.

Is there a promise you hear Him speaking to your heart today? You can trust that promise because the one who speaks it to you is holy.

[Judy Harder]

Roy Lessin
   

Cruise Control, Part 1


I like having a car with cruise control. It's a great benefit to the driving experience and provides a good object lesson for our spiritual walk.

Cruise control locks you into a more relaxing way to drive. Once you know the speed limit and set the cruise control to that speed, you can make your journey with peace of mind, knowing you are driving in harmony with the law. This frees you from the panic of having to hit the brakes every time you see a police car nearby.

In order to be fully relaxed and happy while in cruise control you need to be inwardly in agreement with the speed you are traveling. It is not a restful thing if you have set your cruise for 65 miles an hour, but you are inwardly wishing you could go 85.

Cruise control in our cars can help us understand what sanctification means in our spiritual lives. Through sanctification we not only do what is pleasing to the Lord outwardly, but inwardly as well. This is what it means to do God's will from the heart. Sanctification brings our inward life and outward life into complete harmony, and this harmony produces the rest we need as we follow the Lord.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification. 1 Thessalonians 4:3

[Judy Harder]

Cruise Control, Part 2

15 Jul 2011

Cruise control is not called "snooze control."  Cruise control means your car is moving under the control of the cruise setting, but you still need to drive with care, pay attention to what others are doing around you, and know when to hit the brakes if you sense there is danger ahead or you are being warned to stop.

In a similar way, being sanctified and at rest in the Spirit also means that we stay alert to what is happening around us, and are prepared to slow down or stop when the Spirit warns us of danger ahead.

A spiritual cruise control system (sanctification) does not come to us naturally. God must do it for you and work in you. It is His will to sanctify you and He will do the work as you yield to Him. Jesus has promised you that if you take His yoke upon you and learn of Him, you will find rest for your soul.

And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24  KJV

[Judy Harder]

     

Roy Lessin
   
Who is against you?

18 Jul 2011

God is not.

Jesus is not.

The Holy Spirit is not.

The angels are not.

Those who are for you are greater than any foe that is against you. Nothing and no one can prevail, defeat, conquer, or overcome those who are for you, and they who are for you have the final authority and the final say over everything that concerns you.

If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Romans 8:31