Psalm 138:8
"Finish what you started in me, God.
Your love is eternal—don't quit on me now."
Get used to praying this prayer. Pray it in times when you've moved your whole life and family in a certain direction and path, things are moving along fine and dandy, and then after subtle and not so subtle circumstances you are halted - stopped dead in your tracks as things aren't moving and going anywhere anymore. Pray this in times when you feel like you've been making progress on an issue you're dealing with in your insides and then someone does something to make you mad, make you jealous, make you insecure and make you feel alone. Then you're left feeling like you're back at square one.
You're not done, your life isn't over and you're not really a mess. God hasn't forgotten you, and the eternal love He painfully feels for you every moment of every second of every minute, is the only true reason you haven't broken under the pressure of waiting waiting waiting (whatever it is you're waiting for). It's the reason that you're in the place you're at and His love is the most powerful beautiful, powerful force one can experience. His eternal love will distract you into peace, and He will not-no-way-never-ever-ever-ever forget what He has started in you, and with your precious life. Keep looking into the eyes of His eternal love. Your life will continue to unfold- it will happen. It will be finished.
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
188
Ephesians 1:3-6
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
You are wanted. If nothing else, be confident in that. You were wanted before the beginning of time and you have been wanted, very wanted, ever since. Jesus loved you, lost you, saw you, made the trip to get you, and when He gave His life up for you, the adoption papers were signed (the deal was sealed) and you became someone's someone.
Some of us are someone's someone, and some of us feel like we don't belong to anyone. Some of us were once wanted, and then we picked up the phone one day to find out we weren't quite wanted anymore like perhaps we once were. Just like adopted children on this earth have a little extra special-ness to them because someone paid a huge amount of time and love up front to find their baby to raise and adore, in even more ways than the greatest love a parent can have on this earth, so were you and I adopted by our heavenly Father.
What an overwhelming thought. That someone loved you with such ridiculous and extravagant love that the biggest price you can pay (one's life) was paid for you to belong to someone. And a celebrity (Jesus our Christ) at that. Hold your head high because you belong to royalty.
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"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
You are wanted. If nothing else, be confident in that. You were wanted before the beginning of time and you have been wanted, very wanted, ever since. Jesus loved you, lost you, saw you, made the trip to get you, and when He gave His life up for you, the adoption papers were signed (the deal was sealed) and you became someone's someone.
Some of us are someone's someone, and some of us feel like we don't belong to anyone. Some of us were once wanted, and then we picked up the phone one day to find out we weren't quite wanted anymore like perhaps we once were. Just like adopted children on this earth have a little extra special-ness to them because someone paid a huge amount of time and love up front to find their baby to raise and adore, in even more ways than the greatest love a parent can have on this earth, so were you and I adopted by our heavenly Father.
What an overwhelming thought. That someone loved you with such ridiculous and extravagant love that the biggest price you can pay (one's life) was paid for you to belong to someone. And a celebrity (Jesus our Christ) at that. Hold your head high because you belong to royalty.
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187
Romans 8:37 (New King James Version)
"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
You want your confidence to be in Jesus Christ: all that He has done for you and all that He made you to be. This will take hard work because the devil throws lies at you all day, all night and all day again. This will be hard work because it's extremely easy to lose yourself in the eighty or so years we walk the planet earth. Everything we read about, talk about or watch on TV pretty much contradicts all that Jesus is trying to drum into our heads through His Word and Spirit. His message is wonderful, and the world's message is not. You are more than able to win the fight you're fighting.
So let's tackle one thing at a time: this verse and chapter in Romans says that nothing about the state of the world really matters because Jesus loves you. You will always win because you are in Christ Jesus. Jesus is with you, you are a winner.
Whatever battle you're facing- whatever war is raging in your world, your family, your marriage, your finances or your job can't beat you because Jesus is on your side. Nothing can be against you, and you win because you are MORE than a winner with Christ Jesus in you and His love all around you and all over you.
Be confident, you will win in the end. Keep fighting.
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"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
You want your confidence to be in Jesus Christ: all that He has done for you and all that He made you to be. This will take hard work because the devil throws lies at you all day, all night and all day again. This will be hard work because it's extremely easy to lose yourself in the eighty or so years we walk the planet earth. Everything we read about, talk about or watch on TV pretty much contradicts all that Jesus is trying to drum into our heads through His Word and Spirit. His message is wonderful, and the world's message is not. You are more than able to win the fight you're fighting.
So let's tackle one thing at a time: this verse and chapter in Romans says that nothing about the state of the world really matters because Jesus loves you. You will always win because you are in Christ Jesus. Jesus is with you, you are a winner.
Whatever battle you're facing- whatever war is raging in your world, your family, your marriage, your finances or your job can't beat you because Jesus is on your side. Nothing can be against you, and you win because you are MORE than a winner with Christ Jesus in you and His love all around you and all over you.
Be confident, you will win in the end. Keep fighting.
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Saturday, September 25, 2010
186
Proverbs 3:26 (New King James Version)
"For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught."
The devil will try to steal your confidence. He will take a mean word here and there, a subtle or not so subtle jab by a friend, co-worker or parent, the mirror, the bank account, your business, your kids, your home, your car... let me promise you that anything and everything he can use to bring you and your wonderful mind and spirit and body down to feeling 1-inch tall, believe me, he will. He delights in you feeling weak, pathetic, failure-ish, ugly and stupid. Every perfect and fabulous (you) child of God has lived this. You're not the only one. When we start looking at some of the realities of life - where we're at, or how quickly anything we think we've accomplished can be crushed to the ground and stomped on by mean people and stupid demons, the reality that it's hard to stay confident in this world in which we live sinks in. Through some days, months, and seasons it's hard to be the person you know you can be, or the person you read that you are in the Bible.
There is nothing in the Bible that says you aren't good enough and absolutely nothing that says you can't be and do anything that is in your heart to do. Don't let the devil use ANYONE to take away your God given confidence. And, don't be fooled into thinking you created your own confidence. If you're a child of God, you don't want the fake confidence (the type you made up on your own with status, money clothes, cars, stuff, humor, talent etc. although not bad things), you want to be confident because of Jesus Christ and who He says you are and what He says you can do.
Goodbye devil. Say it out loud.
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"For the LORD will be your confidence, And will keep your foot from being caught."
The devil will try to steal your confidence. He will take a mean word here and there, a subtle or not so subtle jab by a friend, co-worker or parent, the mirror, the bank account, your business, your kids, your home, your car... let me promise you that anything and everything he can use to bring you and your wonderful mind and spirit and body down to feeling 1-inch tall, believe me, he will. He delights in you feeling weak, pathetic, failure-ish, ugly and stupid. Every perfect and fabulous (you) child of God has lived this. You're not the only one. When we start looking at some of the realities of life - where we're at, or how quickly anything we think we've accomplished can be crushed to the ground and stomped on by mean people and stupid demons, the reality that it's hard to stay confident in this world in which we live sinks in. Through some days, months, and seasons it's hard to be the person you know you can be, or the person you read that you are in the Bible.
There is nothing in the Bible that says you aren't good enough and absolutely nothing that says you can't be and do anything that is in your heart to do. Don't let the devil use ANYONE to take away your God given confidence. And, don't be fooled into thinking you created your own confidence. If you're a child of God, you don't want the fake confidence (the type you made up on your own with status, money clothes, cars, stuff, humor, talent etc. although not bad things), you want to be confident because of Jesus Christ and who He says you are and what He says you can do.
Goodbye devil. Say it out loud.
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Friday, September 24, 2010
187
Romans 8:37 (New King James Version)
"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
You want your confidence to be in Jesus Christ: all that He has done for you and all that He made you to be. This will take hard work because the devil throws lies at you all day, all night and all day again. This will be hard work because it's extremely easy to lose yourself in the eighty or so years we walk the planet earth. Everything we read about, talk about or watch on TV pretty much contradicts all that Jesus is trying to drum into our heads through His Word and Spirit. His message is wonderful, and the world's message is not. You are more than able to win the fight you're fighting.
So let's tackle one thing at a time: this verse and chapter in Romans says that nothing about the state of the world really matters because Jesus loves you. You will always win because you are in Christ Jesus. Jesus is with you, you are a winner.
Whatever battle you're facing- whatever war is raging in your world, your family, your marriage, your finances or your job can't beat you because Jesus is on your side. Nothing can be against you, and you win because you are MORE than a winner with Christ Jesus in you and His love all around you and all over you.
Be confident, you will win in the end. Keep fighting.
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*
*
"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."
You want your confidence to be in Jesus Christ: all that He has done for you and all that He made you to be. This will take hard work because the devil throws lies at you all day, all night and all day again. This will be hard work because it's extremely easy to lose yourself in the eighty or so years we walk the planet earth. Everything we read about, talk about or watch on TV pretty much contradicts all that Jesus is trying to drum into our heads through His Word and Spirit. His message is wonderful, and the world's message is not. You are more than able to win the fight you're fighting.
So let's tackle one thing at a time: this verse and chapter in Romans says that nothing about the state of the world really matters because Jesus loves you. You will always win because you are in Christ Jesus. Jesus is with you, you are a winner.
Whatever battle you're facing- whatever war is raging in your world, your family, your marriage, your finances or your job can't beat you because Jesus is on your side. Nothing can be against you, and you win because you are MORE than a winner with Christ Jesus in you and His love all around you and all over you.
Be confident, you will win in the end. Keep fighting.
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Sunday, September 19, 2010
185
Colossians 3:14 (The Message)
"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it."
I want to give people a reason to say they were loved by someone.
We must accept the fact that there are people out there - wonderful human souls - who have not been loved well. Not loved too well at all. Most of us have been broken by one or more people, but most of us can also say that we know what love is because of a parent, a friend, a relative or someone who just took the time to reach out to us (and I do realize that some of us can't).
Jesus Christ was the walking, talking and dying epitome of love. He adored, forgave and covered people in love better than anyone on this earth, and it's His love that helps us go and cover (like a blanket) with love the person next to us. In every situation there must be compassion, kindness, humility, strength and discipline, basking in the undeserved love that was poured out over our lives.
Know Jesus more, one day at a time. Ask that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you the Father's love. And go give it away.
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"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it."
I want to give people a reason to say they were loved by someone.
We must accept the fact that there are people out there - wonderful human souls - who have not been loved well. Not loved too well at all. Most of us have been broken by one or more people, but most of us can also say that we know what love is because of a parent, a friend, a relative or someone who just took the time to reach out to us (and I do realize that some of us can't).
Jesus Christ was the walking, talking and dying epitome of love. He adored, forgave and covered people in love better than anyone on this earth, and it's His love that helps us go and cover (like a blanket) with love the person next to us. In every situation there must be compassion, kindness, humility, strength and discipline, basking in the undeserved love that was poured out over our lives.
Know Jesus more, one day at a time. Ask that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you the Father's love. And go give it away.
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Thursday, September 16, 2010
184
Psalm 78:35
"Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer."
I was speaking with my sweet friend about this tonight. We were two girls on opposite sides of the world and in that moment talking about the same wonderful, brilliant friend and Lord, Jesus. He is the rock of our hearts and souls and whole beings. He is all we know and everything we are and ever hope to be, is because of Him.
It's interesting when you get to a point in your life when you've had the opportunity to do some things that you thought you really wanted to do with your life. Cool things that you feel blessed to have experienced. You get the chance to take that "dream" job where you may be really using your gifts and your strengths, or you get to know the people you thought would maybe make you feel somewhat more complete and wanted. You take the job, meet the right people, or fulfill one (or if you're lucky some) of your life long goals. Then you kind of realize that the thing you thought you really wanted to do, the places you thought you really wanted to be, and the person you thought you really wanted to become, isn't (after all) what you wanted. You catch yourself wanting something more or something else. You wake up one day and realize that it's just earthly stuff, these are all just human beings, you thought you would feel different, but it's still just me. You begin to think that you don't really know anything.
So me and my Jaynie came to the conclusion that we don't know much, (anything, really), we thought we wanted some stuff and maybe we really don't want it after all, we aren't ever going to be models, and we know that God is the only thing that we know to be true and real. He is the only thing that we want, and if God is all that we get, no frills and thrills, then He will be enough. Even though "the fairy floss and rainbows are fun" (Jaynie), we don't care anymore. We just want Him.
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"Then they remembered that God was their rock, And the Most High God their Redeemer."
I was speaking with my sweet friend about this tonight. We were two girls on opposite sides of the world and in that moment talking about the same wonderful, brilliant friend and Lord, Jesus. He is the rock of our hearts and souls and whole beings. He is all we know and everything we are and ever hope to be, is because of Him.
It's interesting when you get to a point in your life when you've had the opportunity to do some things that you thought you really wanted to do with your life. Cool things that you feel blessed to have experienced. You get the chance to take that "dream" job where you may be really using your gifts and your strengths, or you get to know the people you thought would maybe make you feel somewhat more complete and wanted. You take the job, meet the right people, or fulfill one (or if you're lucky some) of your life long goals. Then you kind of realize that the thing you thought you really wanted to do, the places you thought you really wanted to be, and the person you thought you really wanted to become, isn't (after all) what you wanted. You catch yourself wanting something more or something else. You wake up one day and realize that it's just earthly stuff, these are all just human beings, you thought you would feel different, but it's still just me. You begin to think that you don't really know anything.
So me and my Jaynie came to the conclusion that we don't know much, (anything, really), we thought we wanted some stuff and maybe we really don't want it after all, we aren't ever going to be models, and we know that God is the only thing that we know to be true and real. He is the only thing that we want, and if God is all that we get, no frills and thrills, then He will be enough. Even though "the fairy floss and rainbows are fun" (Jaynie), we don't care anymore. We just want Him.
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