Was 2014 a Rotten Year for You?

I can’t say 2014 was rotten for me, but I can say I have had my challenges! I think of some of my friends tho…. quite a few of them.  They have been dealt a rotten 2014! I walked through that rotten year with them and I feel their pain.

2 days ago I began listening to the Old Testament, (Audio version) this stuck out to me. 

But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:13-14 NLT)

As I reflect on the past year, I now deliberately choose peace.

The 'Egyptians' in this verse symbolize the 'problems', the 'difficulties,' the 'challenges', the pure rottenness of this year. It says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart so that God's Name will be glorified". So don't lose heart or give up God WILL surely come thru for you. Choose peace.  He has already given us peace, (I’m leaving you with a gift,-- peace of mind and heart,  and the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  John 14:27).  We only need to accept and receive it.  Whisper His Name in the midst of the turmoil in your mind. Soon, His peace will be felt. 

So I stand up and shake it off.  I resolve to leave 2014 behind me and face forward to tackle what is to come in 2015 a new beginning, a brand new start. I will leave those “Egyptians” behind me and will see them no more! Thank goodness!

My Verses for 2015:  

 Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.

And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.   Exodus 33:13-14 Amplified Bible

Gives and Takes

I borrowed this from someone on YouVersion.com

Subject: Gives and Takes

"Hi there, I just thought you might want to know that your children were having lunch together when suddenly a tornado swept in and the house collapsed. They're all dead."

•••

Yeah, I'm kidding. But seriously now. If someone came up and told you that, how would you react?

(Job 1)
Job was, of course, devastated. On top of losing all his children in one day, he'd already lost all his animals and working men by way of robbers, killers, and fire from heaven.
As if that wasn't enough, now all his children are dead.
This wasn't a good day for Job.

Verse 20 says he "stood up and tore his robe in grief."
That makes sense...I'd be pretty upset...but what comes next? When you run out of tears? Even after something like that, life must go on.

Well, see what Job did:

..."Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on.
Job just lost all his children. Why on earth is he worshipping God? Isn't it God's fault? After all, He is in control of everything. He shouldn't have let something like that happen, right?

That might be our point of view.
When something goes wrong, or life doesn't seem "fair," we blame God. Apparently we think the world owes us a living. We feel that we are entitled to all the "good things" in life. We think God isn't giving us what we deserve.

Well, guess what. News flash. God really isn't giving us what we deserve.
If He did, you and I would be in Hell right now. But because of His mercy and grace, He not only doesn't give us what we DO deserve - He gives us what we DON'T deserve (you might have to read that twice). For one thing, He gives us many earthly blessings, but best of all He gives us His Son!

There's no reason to think we deserve that! It's only because of God's Amazing Grace! If life isn't going my way, or I'm not getting what I want...so be it. It is God's will. I didn't bring anything into the world, so I shouldn't expect to get something out of it. It is God who has blessed me with so much, and it is His right to take it away.

Here's how Job put it:
"I came naked from my mother's womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The LORD gave me what I had,
and the LORD has taken it away."

('We brought nothing of this world's goods into the world ... and it is certain we can carry nothing out ... Job, under all his losses, is [simply] reduced to his first state. He is [simply] where he [will be at death], and is only unclothed, or unloaded rather, a little sooner than he expected.'
—Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary)

In fact, Job even said, "Praise the name of the LORD!"
We should praise the Lord too! Even when disasters happen, praise Him, because we can trust that it is all part of His will. ALL things work for the good of those who love God...even the hard things.
Even when bad things happen, God is in control. There is not a single atom in the universe that is not subject to God's will. We can praise God always.

Verse 22 says: In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

•••

Wow. Even after Job lost his livestock, his servants, and his family in what would seem like a terrible accident, he didn't blame God. He knew he didn't deserve God's blessings. He knew it was God who had given him all that he had, and God could take it away.
I can't say I want all the things that happened to Job to happen to me...but if they ever do, hope I can remember to have the attitude Job had.

~my thoughts

Speak God's Word to the Mountain

Speak God's Word to the Mountain 

When Jesus said that we are to speak to the mountain, commanding it to be lifted up and thrown into the sea, He was making a radical statement. 

See, we usually talk about the "mountains," or challenges, in our lives, but God's Word instructs us to talk to them. And when we do, we must respond to them with the Word of God. 

In Luke 4, when Satan was trying to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, the Lord responded to every trial by speaking Scripture. He repeatedly quoted verses that met the lies and deceptions of the devil head-on. 

We have a tendency to try this for awhile, but when we do not see quick results, we stop speaking the Word to our problems and begin once again to speak our feelings. Persistence is a vital link to obtaining victory. 

Constantly speaking the Word is powerful and absolutely necessary in overcoming any problem or negative situation. Know what you believe and be determined to stick with it to the end. 

Prayer Starter: Holy Spirit, remind me daily to speak the Word to the mountains in my life. Every time I give in to complaining or despair, fill me with Your peace and boldness and prompt me to speak Your will and move mountains!

Surrender

God cannot work His 'magic' in your life if you don't give your life to him. He desires for us to completely trust Him with every part of our life, and surrender it to Him so that He can mold us into a beautiful piece that glorifies Him.
 For example, I have a pen in my pocket. The pen is absolutely surrendered to the work of writing. It must be completely surrendered to my hand if I am to write with it. If someone else also holds the this pen I cannot write properly.

Do you think God can work His work, or His desire in your life, unless you are totally given up to Him? Of course not.

My Prayer: Oh God, I am willing for You to make me willing to surrender my complete life, being, job, relationships, health to You.

Be to Others

 I'm sure we lose a lot of blessings we never even know about simply because we fail to do for others what we would like to have done for us. We always want to be blessed by others, but do we take the initiative to unselfishly bless them first?

Instead of sitting around, focusing on yourself, waiting for blessings to come your way, it's time to actively make sacrifices and serve the people God has placed in your life. Be a servant and make others the focus.

Instead of feeling rejected and ignored, you'll be amazed at how your relationships improve when you treat others the way you want to be treated.

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12 NLT)

God's Timing

God Causes Things to Happen at the Right Time

Are you waiting for the desires of your heart to begin to manifest? Are you praying for bondages to fall off of you so you can see your dreams come to pass? Are you waiting and praying for the salvation of friends and family? Are you trusting God for prosperity, favor, promotion, honor, and all the blessings found in His Word?

Are you tired of waiting for harvest time in your life? Are you frustrated, crying out, "When, God, when?" Then you need to understand that God's timing is often a mystery. He doesn't do things on our timetable. Yet His Word promises that He will not be late, not one single day.

God causes things to happen at exactly the right time! Your job is not to figure out when, but to make up your mind that you won't give up until you cross the finish line and are living in the radical, outrageous blessings of God! The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.

Prayer Starter: God, I know that Your timing is perfect, even when I grow tired of waiting. Help me to trust in You and rest in Your plan for me.

Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

PSALM 103

¹ O my soul, bless God. From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don't forget a single blessing! ³ He forgives your sins - every one.
He heals your diseases - every one.
He redeems you from hell - saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy - a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness - beauty eternal.
He renews your youth - you're always young in his presence.

⁶ God makes everything come out right;
he puts victims back on their feet.
He showed Moses how he went about his work,
opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
not easily angered, he's rich in love.
He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
God feels for those who fear him.
He knows us inside and out,
keeps in mind that we're made of mud.
Men and women don't live very long;
like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
leaving nothing to show they were here.
God's love, though, is ever and always,
eternally present to all who fear him,
Making everything right for them and their children
as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said.

¹⁹ God has set his throne in heaven;
he rules over us all. He's the King!
So bless God, you angels,
ready and able to fly at his bidding,
quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
alert to respond to whatever he wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are -
everything and everyone made by God. And you, O my soul, bless God!