The Peace of God

 What does it mean to have the peace of God, in our minds, hearts, spirits?  

That is a loaded question.  I like to think of it as being unique to your situation, my situation, and others.  I’d like to think that whatever we are going through as individuals is unique to us as individuals. For you it may be you have an overwhelming peace in God for His provisions for all of your needs and your family’s needs.  For our neighbor it may be having God’s peace for their job. For me, it may be several different things that I feel God’s peace in my life. 

Throughout my life I have faced some very serious, even life threatening illnesses.  Most of them came into my life as a result of one major illness/injury.  All of these resulting in surgeries to save my life.  And again I am facing a major surgery that is not related to the past illnesses.  It is just a result of normal circumstances in our lives.  However, the thought of another major surgery is hard to swallow.  That is, it is hard to swallow alone.  

You see I haven’t faced any of these alone.  I have my husband and my family with me, and my church family praying.   But most importantly I have the comfort and peace from God.  Jesus promises us we will have the understanding and peace we need to face our situations.  When His peace pours over you, it is awe inspiring, a magnificent feeling of being held by our Almighty God, and a knowing deep in your heart that all will be okay. 

”Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.“.    Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬-‭7‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

 The peace of God…..  people have often commented to me or asked “how do you do it?”  I do not do it, but it is Jesus and His Holy Spirit alive in me.  Does that mean I’m not nervous before surgery?  Of course not, I am definitely nervous or anxious about it. But that nervousness or anxiousness does not control me.  I have chosen to walk with Jesus, and follow Him.  I have asked Him into my life.  He is invited, I invited Him in.  That means I have chosen Jesus to be my Lord and Savior.  And with that invitation to Jesus also came all that He has for me.  The miracles, the provisions, the answers to prayers, His protection over my life, and many many more promises from Jesus.  

Whatever you are struggling with,  hand it over to Jesus.  Whatever fear you have, give it to Him.  He wants to pour His love into us.  He wants to comfort us.  He loves us so very much!  

Give your cares over to Jesus.  Let him comfort you always.  

Faith in Your Salvation

 As I was praying about this blog post I had so many topics going through my head.  Things we need to do, or things that have to be done.  This could be spiritual or just regular things in our daily lives. I was praying for several people on my heart.  And the list could go on.  So I decided to be still while praying and listen for God’s voice.  Wait and let God speak to me.  And what spoke very loud and clear to me, FAITH.  Okay then, faith.  That is certainly a wide open topic.  

The Scripture I have is 1Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)

”Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.“

We love Jesus. I can say that with total confidence. I‭‭ love Him! I know that deep in my heart.  Even though I have not seen Him in the flesh, I still love Him.  I do that in faith.  How can I love someone I have never seen? By faith.  And this brings me so much joy.  To be able to trust in someone in every aspect of my life.  Wow!  That’s faith.  

Then the second part of the Scripture comes in verse 9.  The end result of our faith is our salvation.  Why does the verse say the “end” result?  Because what is more important to us other than our eternal salvation through Jesus Christ?  For me, nothing!  What I want the most in my life is to spend eternity with Him in heaven.  It will be glorious, beautiful, timeless, full of joy. And most of all Jesus is there all the time, forever and ever, Amen.  

I know I want to live forever in a place where there is no more evil, no more pain, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more hatred, no more hopeless, no more helpless.  You might think, that sounds like a perfect place.  It is perfect.  Jesus is perfect.  His love for us is perfect.  I want that!  And I know how I can get it.  By loving my Lord Jesus with my whole heart.  By asking Him for forgiveness of my sins, and knowing, by faith, that He loves me unconditionally, forgives me, and promises me I will be with Him forever, in eternity, and in that glorious place we call heaven.  

Jesus died for our sins on that cross.  Yours, mine, and so many many more.  He rose again as He promised.  He then ascended into heaven, and sent His Holy Spirit to be with us on earth. To help us, guide is, speak to us, and reassure us that FAITH is real. Jesus said He will never leave us or forsake us.  He will not abandon us.  There is so much more I can think of to add.  But I must remember this is a blog, not a book.  😉

How can I be so assured in someone I have never seen? How do I know these things are true?  How do I know I will be with Him forever in heaven?  Because of the faith I have in Jesus.  Ever hear the saying “I know in my knower”? Well that’s me, I know in my knower.  Jesus is Lord.  He is faithful and true.  If  you feel doubt creeping in, call on the Holy Spirit for help and reassurance.  

I hope this encourages you my friends and reminds you just how important faith is.  

Faith is the foundation of our salvation 

Praying with Compassion

 This week when I heard of the earthquake in Taiwan I felt so much compassion for the people there.  An earthquake is such a devastating thing to go through.  No matter who you are, it is a very scary horrific event.  This made me start thinking about what my attitude is like when I am praying. Do I pray just because someone asked me to?  Do I pray because I know someone who was directly affected by the event? Was it God who placed the prayer on my heart? 

Or was it like this, when I heard the need I felt compassion for the people? I prayed because I truly cared for the people.  When I felt the need for prayer from the Holy Spirit I felt a deep “ache” inside knowing that God wants us to care for His children, and pray in earnest for them.  Pray like you truly mean it.  

And then we have this scenario.  God has placed it on your heart to pray for a specific individual.  Turns out this person has a great need.  But it also turns out that you know the person, and you do not really care for that person.  How will we pray for that person?  Say a quick “Lord bless them” type of prayer, and say amen.  Is that really what the Lord desires in our prayers?  I would say no.  At least for me, that is not how God wants me to pray.  He wants my heart clean before Him.  He wants me to confess my sins before Him so that I am clean before Him. So that I am not a hypocrite praying.  

So how do I deal with not liking the person very well.  It is not up to my liking a person or not.  It is up to me being obedient and praying for anyone, regardless of race, color, male or female, where they live, how wealthy are they, and so on.  When Jesus reveals a need to me, it is up to me to be proactive and pray for that need.  You may say, I don’t have the words to pray.  That is when we need the Holy Spirit. Let Him put the words in your heart.  Or simply just pray and ask the Lord to touch that situation and minister to those involved.  

I am sure there are many times that I will not know how to pray for someone.  It is during those times that I must lean in and ask God to move on the behalf of those involved.  And while we are at it, why not ask God to put compassion in your heart for the person you don’t like very much.  

Our Lord Jesus died on that cross for all of His children. Not just for you or for me, or for those we are friends with.  He loves us all.  He asks that we show His love to all people.  We do not have to like what they are doing or who they are to pray for them.  

Next time we hear of a need, let’s all pray for the need.  I am confident Jesus will honor those prayers regardless of who they are.   It is not up to us to judge.  God will take care of that.  

”When you pray, don’t babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. “Therefore, you should pray like this: 

Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭7‬-‭13‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

#prayforTaiwan

#Taiwan

#prayer

#praywithmeaning

Happy Easter!

 When I was praying about this blog post I couldn’t seem to focus.  I wondered how can I write something short that would adequately reflect my thoughts about this special week and special Sunday.  It took listening to a very familiar song that had its words changed so it was about Easter and Jesus.  

I still don’t have a lot to write.  But my heart is, as you hear this song and follow the words being sung, it hits you deeply in your heart.  Easter, or Resurrection Day as I like to say, is the most important day for our salvation.  Why would I say that?  Because this whole week is about our forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.  It is about the hope we have in Jesus.  

Jesus was arrested for loving us.  He was tortured for us.  He made the way for our salvation , eternal salvation.  He forgave us of our sins.  He hung on that cross, bleeding and tortured for our forgiveness and redemption.  He died so that we can live.  Finally, on Easter, he rose from the dead.  He left that tomb, leaving it empty, all because He loves us.  Forever! 

Listen to this song, read the words.  I pray it ministers to your heart.  

Happy Resurrection Day, and Happy Easter week.  May you all be filled with the hope we have in Jesus.   

#Easter  #ResurrectionDay #redemption #salvation

There Were Three Crosses

 As Easter approaches we are always more mindful about the cross.  Jesus having to carry His own cross down that road.  And those roads were not smooth and paved.  They were rocky, rough, and mostly dirt.  This all taking place after He was beaten and tortured.  He was bleeding  with that HUGE crown of thorns on His head.   It wasn’t full of little tiny thorns, but big thick thorns.  The cross wasn’t made of thin little sticks or branches. But of a large solid piece of wood.  I am not sure if it was any specific wood.  Some say cypress, others say a mixture.  My point being, Jesus already physically hurting, had to carry heavy wood to the place He would be nailed to it and hung to die.  

The cross, we think of Jesus dying for us.  But that is one cross.  I might add the most important.  There were two other crosses.  One on each side of Jesus.  Folks would say those other two men deserved to die.  Jesus did not!  I very rarely think of the other two crosses.  

There was Jesus, nailed to that cross, slowly dying a very long and painful death.  What does He do?  He speaks to the other men.  Telling them if they just believe and ask forgiveness, they too will be with Him that day in paradise.  Jesus was giving them to the very last moment to believe in Him.  

The criminals were taunting Him. But towards the end one of the criminals began to believe and respond to Jesus.  Jesus told him he was forgiven and would be with Him in paradise forever.   The other criminal, let’s just say he won’t be as comfortable like the other forever.  

Even to the very last moment of Jesus’s life His love for the lost was unmeasurable.  He gave that man every chance.  He still denied Jesus.  

Every day of my life I ask Jesus to forgive me.  I am a sinner until I get to heaven to be with Jesus forever.  We are not perfect. We are in the flesh.  I know Jesus loves me and wants me with Him in heaven. 

”They crucified two criminals with Him, one on His right and one on His left.“

‭‭Mark‬ ‭15‬:‭27‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

”Then one of the criminals hanging there began to yell insults at Him: “Aren’t You the Messiah? Save Yourself and us! ” But the other answered, rebuking him: “Don’t you even fear God, since you are undergoing the same punishment? We are punished justly, because we’re getting back what we deserve for the things we did, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom! ” And He said to him, “I assure you: Today you will be with Me in paradise.”“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭23‬:‭39‬-‭43‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Let’s take time this Easter season to remember this.  It is never too late to accept Jesus as Lord of your life.  He gives us all the time we need.  Until our last breath.  At that point I pray we all have accepted Jesus and believe in Him and His promises to us.  After that, it is

# thecross #threecrosses #forgiveness #paradise #heaven

RUN THE RACE!

 I have written many times about perseverance and running the race set before us.  But I am passionate about this word from God.  It is so vitally important that we persevere, gain strength, focus with our eyes on Jesus, and finish this race Jesus gave us, in victory. 

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.“

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

As the Word of God tells us, “ we have a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” What does that mean? It means we live in a world that has Christians under a microscope.  The world wants to see us fail.  They want us to suffer for the works we do for Jesus.  Many feel threatened by Christians.  Many have no specific reason, except they believe differently from us.  And the list goes on. Why do others feel so threatened by us? To me it makes no sense.  But the Word tells us we will be persecuted.  

That’s very sad.  Jesus commands us to love one another.  You may ask how can we when they hate us.  We can through the power of Christ.  We love others, but we do not like the sin.  Or we don’t like the persecution.  How does this fit into running the race?  Our life is part of our race. I have had to fight hard for my health.  That is one portion of my race.  The next portion, learning to accept those who have done wrong to Christians.  They are just some examples. Everyone’s race is different.  We have different goals.  

But we all must run the race to the finish. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus while running our race.  We must persevere and push through no matter how difficult the race gets.  Persevere no matter how many times you are mocked. Do not run the race to receive a medal, but run so Jesus receives the glory.  

I want to encourage you all.  We have our races to run. We come upon stumbling blocks.  We may even stumble at times. We may get slowed down, or even veer off course.  That’s okay.  Jesus knows us, He knows our limitations.  That is when we focus on Him more than ever before.  He didn’t give us our race to fail.  He is right by our side to help us when we need it.  Wow, what more can we ask for?  Our Lord, our Father, our Teacher, our Coach, running with us and helping us.  

My friends I pray that when your race is getting very difficult, you lean on Jesus.  Call out to Him for help.  And run with your eyes on Him, and your heart focused on the mission He has given you.  

He loves you, and me, and even those who condemn us.  I pray we all can love others the way Jesus does.  

Run your race friends. 

Fear! Being Afraid!

 Do you struggle with fear?  Like you have a fear of something specific. Or do you fear you are not capable of doing your job properly.  How about fear for your health?  The list can go on and on.  I think we all have something we struggle with. That’s just a common struggle of life.  However, what do we do to get beyond those fears?  How can we walk victoriously and not let those fears pull us down? 

You are probably already thinking ahead and saying I know what she’s going to say.  You are probably right.  My trust is in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. 

”When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not fear. What can man do to me?“       Psalms‬ ‭56‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

The Word of God is our manual of how to get through our troubles in life and walk victoriously.   Yet we all still resist and walk in our troubles.  All the while still complaining about it and asking God where He is.  

I can tell you from my own experience God is right here with me.  Not only that, He is alive in me, through His Holy Spirit.  He is all powerful, mighty, omnipresent.  He is the most powerful being alive, who was, who is, and who is to be.  Yes, that means nothing can defeat Him.  Not death, not persecution, not anything.  That means if our faith is in Him, He can protect us with everything He has, everything within Him. He is our GOD!  

So how do I tackle my fears?  I have faced death, I have faced struggles and fears.  The best way I know how to walk in my faith is to do it.  Don’t procrastinate, don’t argue with yourself, don’t make excuses, just do it.  Grab ahold of your Bible, God’s proven Word, start to worship Him with your favorite song, and lastly pray.  And repeat these steps over and over again, until you feel that faith getting stronger and stronger.   Then, do it all over again.  

You see our faith can easily be diminished again if we allow the enemy’s lies to come into our heart again.  Be strong and rebuke those thoughts.  Call on Jesus,loudly and boldly, to help you through.  

And don’t just do this when we face trouble. Instead do this daily, everyday, all day long.  There is always a word in our heart, a song in our thoughts that can lift us up and help us to remember Jesus is alive in us.  Trust Him, rely on Him, and love Him.