Category Archives: Scripture

Nov21

Make The Effort!

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I’m highly recommending this Christian daily e-mail you can subscribe to…
Called “The Daily Verse” by Kat Davis…
Or you can purchase her book by the same name…
Web-site:  TheDailyVerse.com
Today’s Bible verse for November 20, 2012:
“And there was a man named Zacchaeus.  He was a chief tax collector and was rich.  And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small of stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.”
Luke 19:2-4

After each verse, Kat explains her thoughts from God on that verse: 

For this verse, Kat  writes:  “Let us consider how much of an effort will we make to overcome our limitations, so that we can clearly see Jesus, and figuratively climb the tree, just as Zacchaeus did.”

Always short, sweet, and to the point!!!!

Do we get it???

Don’t be lazy!

Make the effort it takes to see Jesus…

To walk with Him…

To have Him come to our house…

And into our hearts!

Then when He says, “I’m coming in!”

Let Him!!

Amen!

If you were raised in Sunday school, you know the song about Zacchaeus!!!

The song tells of Zacchaeus’s attempts to see Jesus by climbing a sycamore tree, there are a series of hand motions that accompany the song.  The song is one of the more popular children’s Bible songs, and has been featured on numerous Christian children’s music collections.

It was my favorite!!

  I can still see and hear my Uncle Angelo (my pastor!) singing it to us and teaching us the hand motions…

It’s one of those songs you teach to your children…

I taught my son!!

Here are the lyrics:

 “Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

And a wee little man was he.

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord he wanted to see.

And when the Savior passed that way

He looked up in the tree.

And said, ‘Zaccheus, you come down!

For I’m going to your house today!

For I’m going to your house today!’

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,

But a happy man was he,

For he had seen the Lord that day

And a happy man was he;

And a very happy man was he.”

Each day, “The Daily Verse” pops into my email…

I can’t tell you how much it has helped set the tone for my day…

For my walk with the Lord…

And how many, many times I’ve felt compelled to forward it to others!

  Miraculously, when I have a need, or a family member or friend is going through something…

“The Daily Verse” seems to be just what I need…

What I want to pray for…

And what I want to convey to others!

  Thank you, Lord…

For giving Kat the gift of Your insight!!

Make the effort…Jesus is worth it!!

Nov19

“Let There Be Light!”

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Okay!

See those shutters on our windows to the left in the photo???

I’m so grateful for them!!

They’ve been up since June!

And when the winds start blowing, the rain starts falling, and the storm surge starts threatening…

They are a beautiful thing!

When we first moved here…

We didn’t order them for our house…

Hadn’t had a major hurricane in forty years…

 The locals said!!!

“You’ll be fine!”

Of course, Hurricane Charlie proved them wrong!

And three more major hurricanes right after that…

That infamous year!

We were shell shocked!

We “survived!”

Thank God!

But, we were not “fine!”

Sooo, we have shutters now!

They’re an ugly silvery gray color…

But, when needed for our protection…

I love them!

Now, at the first inkling of a tropical storm brewing in the Atlantic…

Around June/July…

My husband, retired cop that he is…

Goes into “there’s a crisis” mode!

And now we all know the drill!

Board up, get supplies and cash, and hunker down…

We did that once this hurricane season…

But, the storm passed us by…

Praise God!

Lots of work…

But, we must be prudent for our safety!

Unfortunately, this year (and two years ago) our East Coast family and friends…

Know the drill, too!

We’re still praying for them!!!

And all of you that were affected!

Well, it’s November…

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, my husband took down our storm shutters TODAY!

It is officially (at our house, anyway!) the end of hurricane season!!

Yipee!

Amen and Hallelujah!

“Let There Be Light!”

I can see sunshine again!

I’m free of our dark “dungeon-effect!”  Ha!

I can see Palm Trees blowing in the mild breeze!

And the beautiful view out back!

Psalm 4:6

“…Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.”

Psalm 18:28

“You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning…

My God turns my darkness into light.”

John 12:36

Believe in the light…

That you may be the Children of Light!

Amen!

Nov15

Okay, This Is NOT On “My Bucket List!”

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Skydiving…

Wearing thongs…

Running for political office…

Living in the past, or on past glories…

Backpacking around the country…

BASE jumping…

Being a groupie of a famous person…

Walking a tightrope, like our friend, Bello the Clown…

Being stuck in an air-conditioning vent…

Falling into a mine shaft…

Working again for my least favorite principal…

Being made to eat anything slimy…

Oh, I’m sure I could go on and on…

But, I love that many of you do want to do these things!

And I’ll pray for your “Bucket List” to be fulfilled…

But, I refuse to live without JOY everyday…

So, I do have a Prayer List…

And here’s what’s on it:

I do want to…

Write a book…

And have it published…

See my son successful in life, especially in God’s eyes…

See him married to a Godly girl, and have a family that serves the Lord…

To live healthy, so I can see my grandchildren…

And teach them to love God…

Live a peaceful life with the Lord…

But, know how to battle spiritual warfare when necessary!

Impact for Christ, all kids, young adults, and adults…

Minister and speak where God leads…

Encourage our drama team to outreach far and wide with God’s direction…

Travel to Italy to see relatives still living there…

Go to Israel to see where Jesus walked…

Serve the Lord on Earth, ’til I get to Heaven to hear…

“…well done, good and faithful servant…”

Mathew 25:23

Leave a legacy of love and encouragement…

To all those…

I’ve been blessed to come into contact with in my life on Earth…

In Jesus Name I pray…

Amen!

Nov15

Train Up!

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“Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Proverbs 22:6

Train Up:

To teach and form by practice; to educate; to exercise; to discipline; to form by instruction; to bring up…

Hey, wait a minute that sounds like hard work…

Day in and day out work…

Lifetime work…

No wonder we’re all tired!

Raising kids is tough!

Hey, God…

We need some help here!!

Parents…

Are you ready for this?

Are you prepared for all this training up???

Better get ready fast!

I always tell new Parents, or Parents-To-Be…

Being a parent is great…

As long as you know…

The ONLY thing you get done after you have kids is taking care of the kids…

And sometimes, not even that very well!!

If you start out thinking that…
Then when you actually start having time for yourselves again…
You’ll feel really blessed!  Ha!!
I’ve always believed that raising a kid you like to be around, is the best reward there is!

Take the time needed to do it God’s way…
It’s worth it!
I just read this great article on Christian Growth Network, by Pierre Eade, called “In The Way They Should Go.”
Here’s what he said in the article:  “Train Up, if translated literally means:  Narrow the way in which your kids go.  The idea here is that you are bringing your child down a narrow path of life, not letting them go off to be wild and reckless on a path of destruction.  This concept is very similar to the teachings of Jesus.
 
Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it. How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14)
 
It is our obligation as parents to guide our children in ways that are right, true, noble and good.  We are at the same time to keep our children from ways that are destructive, harmful, false and evil.  We cannot delegate this responsibility to the Sunday school teacher, church or any other institution.  God calls us as parents to perform this function.  We also cannot expect our children to know the way to go or figure it out on their own.  Children must be taught and even trained to live a godly lifestyle.
The word “child” in the Hebrew covers the ages of infancy to adolescence.  The training and molding of our children begins at a young age.  In the youngest years children are most impressionable providing us as parents a prime opportunity for developing their ways of thinking and behavior.  Obviously, the training and development of our children does not stop after their toddler years, but the idea here is that we are to start young and continue on throughout their adolescence.
 
Some Bible scholars have suggested that training a child in ‘the way he should go’ implies that each child has been given by God a unique set of gifts, talents, traits, abilities and personality that we as parents must be sensitive to guide them in following individually.  Any parent with more than one child understands that no two children are alike in temperament or skills, so it would only make sense to guide and encourage our children to flourish in their God-given abilities.
 
The word ‘way’ in the Hebrew means a road, and figuratively means ‘a course of life or mode of action.’ We are teaching our children the way in which they are to live, how they are to treat others, how they are to love God and interact with Him, how they are to be in character and conduct.  And what is ‘the way’ that we need to train our kids?  In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us that He is the way.
 
I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)
If we begin to get confused about the model or style of parenting we should follow, it’s always wise to default back to Jesus.  When facing a dilemma in parenting, it would be helpful to ask questions like, ‘What would Jesus think of my child’s attitude?’  ‘How would He respond?’ ‘What would it look like for my son or daughter to be more like Jesus?’ And most importantly, we need to pray to the Lord on our children’s behalf and for His guidance, help and wisdom for us as parents.
As we guide our children in the ways of Jesus, we are hopeful that they will one day choose for themselves to follow Him.   This proverb does say that ‘when (our child) is old, he will not depart from (the way)”’which at times has been used to guarantee parents of their child’s salvation or future as a Christian.  It is true that as we train and disciple our children in God’s ways, we lay the foundation for them to make the choice to follow Christ when they grow older.
 
This verse does not say that by simply being a Christian ourselves, our children will also become believers in Jesus.  Parenting is a process.  It happens day after day, night after night, year after year.  Over time, if you are consistent in living out your faith, your children will learn the way to go.
 
If we desire to maximize the impact we have on our children, we need to start by examining our own walk with God and ask the question, ‘How well am I modeling Christianity to my children in my attitude, actions and words on a daily basis?’  And when we fall short, which we inevitably and frequently do, are we willing to admit our shortcomings to our kids and ask their forgiveness.
 
The clearest commandment in the Old Testament on parenting may just about sum up all we need to do and be as parents who raise God loving children.
 
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:5-8
Our ultimate goal as parents is first to love the Lord our God.  We are to be examples to our children of what it means to live a life of loving and following God.  We are to model that love to our children everywhere we go with them.  We are to be consistent in teaching, instructing, and training our children in the love of God.   And as they observe and learn the ways of God through our lives and witness the faithfulness of God to us, they will be convinced that there is no better way to live.”
Nov14

“Think Beyond Yourself…”

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I was listening to Dr. Charles Stanley, In Touch Ministries, on TV the other day…

His message was on “Forgiveness, Think Beyond Yourself…”

He wasn’t talking about God’s forgiveness of us…

That’s easy…

Just repent and accept it!

But, our forgiveness to others!

Ouch!

That’s hard!

We don’t want to!!

We question…

We vent…

We complain..

We state our case…

To everyone…

To God…

Do You know what he/she did to me???

Said to me???

But Dr. Stanley said, “You can do all that, but it’s still clear from Scripture that you MUST…

Forgive!

To be Forgiven…

Don’t even bother to ask, Dr. Stanley said…

“Is it God’s will for me to forgive__________(insert name!) AGAIN????”

It is His will!

Let it go!

Don’t let satan take a root…

It’s a choice you need to make!

That you MUST make!

Lay it down…

With God’s power!

Here’s a tip:

Dr. Stanley says, “Pray for the other person, so that your attention won’t be on yourself!”

Ask, “What can I do for the other person?”

Get rid of your unforgiveness…

Even if your request for forgiveness is rejected…

When your unforgiveness is gone…

You won’t see  the other person in the same way…

Harsh feelings will be replaced with a new attitude…

Accept the other person as they are…

Give them time…

God’s working on them…

And on your behalf, also…

So you can understand why they act as they do…

Life is too short for you to just avoid the other person…

Or to wait for them to apologize…

Choose to Forgive today!

To be free…

And not bound by unforgiveness!

Preaching to myself!

I had to put this into practice just today!!

Matthew 6:15

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 18:21

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.

Nov14

satan, I refuse…

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I’m reading Kingdom Man:  Every Man’s Destiny, Every Woman’s Dream by Dr. Tony Evans…

What a powerful book!

Here’s what I learned from it…

satan I refuse…

To ever compare my life with anyone else’s…

To ever live beneath my purpose…

To ever think of my son as anything less than a Kingdom Man in the making…

To ever lower my standard of conduct to the world’s level..

To ever listen to enemy lies about me, or my family…

To ever let you have control of our thoughts, actions, or dreams…

To ever give up hope that my purpose is far greater than any pain to pursue it…

To ever let you convince me to give in to exhaustion…(Dr. Evans says, “Exhaustion is only a word!”)

To ever be swayed by the majority…If I’m in the minority on a matter, so be it!

To ever allow you to dethrone my ruler-JESUS!  He rules me, not you!

To ever teach “religion” without teaching about the divine authority of Christ…

To ever seek the world’s answer to problems…Only my God’s opinion matters to me…

To ever be governed by anything, or anyone…

To ever be only a fan of Jesus, but rather a devoted follower instead!

To ever be content to sit on the sidelines…but  rather, to always live to represent my King Jesus!

To ever allow anyone, or anything, to overrule God’s authority in my life…especially you!

To ever place myself under anyone’s rule, except for my Lord God’s absolute rule…

To ever lose sight of Jesus Christ’s absolute prototype for my life…I was made to reflect Him only!

To ever disobey God, my Father in any way…

To ever be out of alignment with God & His Kingdom commandments…

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

James 4:7

“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.'”

Matthew 16:23

Oct18

How And When Did You Meet Jesus???

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This is your post today!!

Your Comments will tell the story and witness to others…go for it!!

Was it anything like this???

Listen to “When Mercy Found Me”

by Rhett Walker Band

Here are the lyrics:

“Something had to give, something had to give…

‘Cause living my life so wild and free, finally caught up…

Oh, it left me broken, left me hopeless…

But that’s where I met Jesus…

In one moment everything changed…
Who I was got washed away…
When mercy found me…
My Savior’s arms were open wide…
And I felt love for the very first time…
When mercy found me…
All those days, all those doubts…
They don’t seem to matter now…
His Grace is all I need…
And the chains that I was in before…
They don’t hold me anymore…
His love has rescued me…
His love has set me free…
In one moment everything changed…
Who I was got washed away…
When mercy found me…
My Savior’s arms were open wide…
And I felt love for the very first time…
When mercy found me…
My mind found peace…
My soul found hope…
My heart found a home…
In one moment everything changed…
Who I was got washed away…
When mercy found me…
My Savior’s arms were open wide…
And I felt love for the very first time…
When mercy found me…”
Yes, it felt exactly like this!!  Amen!
Oct11

I Eat Meat!

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Nothing against vegetarians!!

I’m talking about spiritually…

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,

So that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”  I Peter 2:2  NIV

Milk is for baby Christians…

Grow up…

Eat meat!

“For when…you ought to be teachers,

You have need that one teach you again…;

And…have need of milk, and not of strong meat.”  KJV

Crave strong meat, not just milk…

Pick up your Bible!

God’s Holy Word…

God’s instructions on how to live a victorious Christian life…

An abundant life!

Open it and devour it!

The Bible teaches us to Believe…

Feed your Belief!

We’re told to increase our Faith…

Feed your Faith, so it will grow!

Start with the book of John in the New Testament to learn about the Word made flesh…

Jesus!

Pray for understanding as you read…

Let the Holy Spirit talk to you…

I’m attending a DVD/Bible study right now by Robert Morris, based on his book The God I Never Knew.

He says, “To many people the Holy Spirit is mysterious, confounding—even controversial.”

As the senior pastor of Gateway Church in Dallas, Texas, Robert Morris reveals a common-sense approach to the Holy Spirit.

He explains, “The Holy Spirit doesn’t need to be feared and isn’t a weird element of the trinity…

The Holy Spirit is a person who thinks, feels and has desires, and is present to help each person live the Christian life.

Perhaps its time for you to meet the God you’ve had misconceptions about…

The one you’ve feared..

Or the one you never knew!”

I’ve never been more excited about a Bible study message before!!

I believe it should be shouted from the roof tops!!

I love learning more and more about the Holy Spirit…

And how He operates in our lives…

You can also read these Christian books:

John Bevere:  The Bait Of Satan.

This is my all-time favorite Christian book…it’s about how we should not take offense at everything that happens in our lives!

Because that’s what the enemy uses to try to defeat us…

It’s the bait he uses!

To hook us!

A must read for every Christian, for sure!!

His other books are great, too!  Heart Ablaze, Relentless, Extraordinary, and more…

Pastor Reza Soffa:  Blessings In The Light Of Our Redemption, and more…

Joseph Prince:  Destined To Reign, Unmerited Favor, and more..

T.D. Jakes: Reposition Yourself, Woman Thou Art Loosed, and more…

Reinhard Bonnke:  Evangelism By Fire, Taking Action, and more…

Joyce Meyer:  Battlefield Of The Mind, Never Give Up! and more…

Joel Osteen:  Your Best Life Now, Every Day A Friday, Become A Better You, and more…

Rick Warren:  The Purpose Driven Life, The Purpose Driven Church,

Max Lucado:

He is my all-time favorite Christian writer…I could read his books forever, since…

Because of his God-given gift of writing, I can picture in my mind everything he’s saying!  His writing is awesome!

Read his other books, also…Facing your Giants, It’s Not About Me, He Choose The Nails, Cure For The Common Life, and more…

Also read anything by Billy Graham, Charles Stanley, Tony Dungy, John Eldredge, Tim LaHaye, Beth Moore,  Stormie Omartian, Lee Strobel,  Philip Yancey, Bill Hybels.  There are so many anointed Christian writers, pastors, and speakers!

Go ahead…read them!

And go where you can (to church, Bible studies, conferences, conventions, camps, etc.) to…

Learn…

To Dig Deep!!

To find that morsel of meat in the Word to nourish your spirit…

Something that tastes so good to your spiritual taste buds…

Take notes…

Read the Scriptures again at home…

Pray…

Pray for your pastor, your speaker, your Bible teacher…

That God will fill them with wisdom and understanding…

To teach you God’s Word with a fresh anointing each time you hear them speak…

A baby must be fed…

A mature Christian needs to find what sustains the spirit-man…

Listen to God when He speaks…

Listen to worship music that lifts up your soul…

And praises your God!

Put contemporary Christian tunes on your iPod…

Download them onto your computer…

Play them when you’re walking your dog…

Or driving in your car…

Keep a prayer constantly on your lips…

And a song in your heart…

Some of my favorite contemporary Christian artists are:

Casting Crowns, tobymac, Francesca Battistelli, Laura Story, Skillet, Newsboys, Mandisa, Jamie Grace, Britt Nicole, Steven Curtis Chapman, Anthem Lights, MercyMe, Eddie James, and so many, many more…

Are you hungry, yet?

Hungry for more of the Lord?

Hungry for meat?

Sit down to a bountiful feast with the Lord…

When you’re blessed with meat, be grateful to God…

Because He is the only One who satisfies us with a full meal!

Oct10

John 3:16

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The words of this verse occur in Jerusalem,

With Jesus talking with Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council, or Sanhedrin.

He comes to talk with Jesus in the dark of night.

He calls Jesus, Rabbi,

Since Jesus’ miracles have convinced Nicodemus that Jesus is sent from God.

In reply, Jesus answered,

“Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God…

Unless they are born of water and the Spirit.

Flesh gives birth to flesh,

But the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”   John 3:5, 6

John 3:16

Builds upon Jesus’ lesson to Nicodemus:

That belief in Jesus is necessary for eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,

That whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  NIV

For God…

Creator of the Universe, Gracious Heavenly Father…

So loved…

With an everlasting LOVE!  Amen!

The world…

Everyone, You included!

Right here, right Now!

No matter what your situation…

How you look…

How you feel…

What you think about yourself…

Or what others say about you…

That He gave…

That which was needed to save us!

Freely without expecting anything in return!

His one and only Son…

Would you be able to do that…I wouldn’t!

I couldn’t!

That whoever…

Even the folks we think aren’t deserving of it!

Believes in Him…

Please, don’t add anything to this!

Not for yourself, and not for anyone else, either!

Nothing else is necessary…

Not even, “How much of the Bible do you know and have memorized?”

Only simple Faith…

And belief in Jesus!

Shall not perish…

Die and go to Hell!

But have eternal life…

With Jesus forever in Heaven!

No wonder people hold up signs, wear crazy rainbow wigs, and try to get on camera at Golf Tournaments, and such!!

It’s a great message!

It’s God’s message for You!

Oct4

Good Morning, Super-Size Me!

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Stop!  Listen to Mandisa’s “Good Morning”

Good Morning, God!

Help!

I pray this simple prayer today…

Are you there?

“Yes…”

I have Super-Sized dreams…

I need a Super-Sized God…

I need Super-Sized blessings…

I want a Super-Sized anointing to do Your work…

Super-Increase my influence for you…

I love you  Lord, give me a Super-Sized life in You!!

Amen!

“Done!!

Use My finger to write your life…your Super-Sized life!

If you’re searching for me…I’m right here…

For now and into eternity…

Your Super-Sized dreams are doable…easy for Me!

Your blessings will be Super-Sized…and your favor with others, also!

The anointing on You will be Super-Sized…and I’ll give you wisdom and understanding, too!

I’d be happy to Super-Increase your influence for Me…

Here Are My Words…”

“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.  Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.  Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock.  Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl… “ Deuteronomy 28:1-68   (ESV)

 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us…”  Ephesians 3:20   (ESV)

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”  Psalm 23:5   (ESV)

Thank you, Lord…now, is there anything I can do for you?

“Yes!

Go!

Into all the world…

And have a Great Morning!”