Merry Christmas

Wishing all my blogger friends a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed 2011!

Nurses and doctors!

To all the nurses and doctors out there.....I take my hat off to the amazing work that you do. THANK YOU!!!! The last few days in hospital has given me a deep appreciation for the tireless work that nurses and doctors do to ensure patient well-being. Some even go beyond their call of duty to sing or read a book to a patient! I don't know how they stay awake all night and still manage a smile in the morning as they attend to you!!!

May they continue to use their God given talents to reach out to others under their care not only physically but also emotionally and spritually!

Slow Me Down Lord

I had to smile when I read this. Sometimes I really need to slow down!!!!

Slow Me Down Lord

Slow me down, Lord!

Ease the pounding of my heart

By the quieting of my mind.

Steady my hurried pace

With a vision of the eternal reach of time.

Give me,

Amidst the confusions of my day,

The calmness of the everlasting hills.

Break the tensions of my nerves

With the soothing music

Of the singing streams

That live in my memory.

Help me to know

The magical power of sleep,

Teach me the art

Of taking minute vacations

Of slowing down

To look at a flower;

To chat with an old friend

Or make a new one;

To pat a stray dog;

To watch a spider build a web;

To smile at a child;

Or to read a few lines from a good book.

Remind me each day

That the race is not always to the swift;

That there is more to life

Than increasing its speed.

Let me look upward

Into the branches of the towering oak

And know that it grew great and strong

Because it grew slowly and well.

Slow me down, Lord,

And inspire me to send my roots deep

Into the soil of life's enduring values

That I may grow toward the stars

Of my greater destiny.

-- Wilfred A. Peterson

Praying Colossians

Colossians 1:1-14



Heavenly Father,


May You fill me with the knowledge of Your will through all spiritual wisdom

and understanding. I pray this in order that I may live a life worthy of the You

and may please You in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in

the knowledge of You, being strengthened with all power according to Your

glorious might ....so that I may have great endurance and patience, and

joyfully give thanks to You my Father, for You have qualified me to share in

the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light.

For You have rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into

the Kingdom of the Son You love, in whom we have redemption, the

forgiveness of sins.

In Jesus Name
Amen

Faithful

Faithful God!! He is a man of His Words.

The More I Seek You

The more I seek You...the more I love You!

Do you know HIM?

This question kept ringing in my mind when I woke up this morning. I went back to read Matt.8:23-27...this is the story about Jesus calming the storm. 'When Jesus got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.' I thought, these disciples followed Jesus or had been following Jesus everywhere He went so when their master went into the boat they automatically followed. Then when the storm arrived, fear crept in and their reaction was to wake Jesus up!


I reflected on their action and realised...here they were following Jesus everywhere but they did not know Him. If they had known Him, then they would not have been terrified or woken Jesus up! If only they had realised that the ONE sleeping in the boat.....in their midst was the creator of the universe, the sustainer of all things!  They did not know!!!!! Their reaction to the situation confronting them showed  how much they knew about the ONE who was in their midst!!!Jesus said to them......!


'You of little faith, why are you so afraid? He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves'.            


Just like the disciples, we say that we follow Jesus because we go to church, attend church functions etc.BUT do we really know HIM!!! From my initial question, other thought provoking questions emerged!! What does  having Jesus  in your life mean? To you personally, Who is Jesus?  How well do you know Him?    

I thank God for asking me this question!!! It made me stop to think!!! I need to make Him real. I need to look at life from His perspective and I need to dig deeper into the Word to find out more about Him!!!!

A thought - My reaction or reponse to challenges will depend on my knowledge of Him!!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Why eagles?

But those who wait for the Lord who expect, look for and hope in Him shall change and renew their strength and power, they shall lift their wings and mount up[close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun] they shall run and not be weary they shall  walk and not faint or become tired.
(Amp.Is.40:31)

As I read this passage I questioned why God would use the example of an eagle to portray the strength and power of an individual who waits on the Lord. In Tyron (Ty) Hanson's article on "Leadership" - Through The Eyes Of An Eagle, he explains the characteristics of an eagle that I want to share. This has helped me to undertsand why ......I've just selected two that are more appropriate for this piece.

Eagles have:
'Vision - The eagle's eyes can see great distances. They can also fly directly into the sun without being blinded. 
Looks For & Flies Into Storms - As storms approach, other birds head for cover, but the mighty eagle spreads its wings and with a great cry mounts upon the powerful updrafts, soaring to heights of glory. Eagles use the storm to lift him to these great heights.'

What an amazing powerful bird! WOW! !Such great lessons to be learnt! To look at situations from an eagle's eye view ( higher perspective) - VISION helps me to see the bigger picture rather than dwelling on the present.

No matter what I go through, as I wait on Him, He will renew my strength and cause me to spread out my wings and soar to greater heights.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the lessons that eagles teach us. Help me not to run from my storms (challenges) but to face them with the strength that You give me. Amen.

The Heart is a Storehouse for Good or Evil Things

I was blessed with this this morning. Sometimes I need to tighten the leash on my thoughts so that it matches what I believe in. Lord, may You fill my mind today with positive thoughts that please You. AMEN.

'Whatever we sow in our thoughts, agree with in our emotions, and speak forth from our heart in conversations will manifest in our lives. We will reap the harvest of its fruit, either good or evil.
Our thoughts sow an action.
Our actions sow a habit.
Our habits sow our character and integrity.
Our character sows our destiny.
Our destiny determines our eternity.
The heart is a storehouse for good or evil things.

Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

We must filter everything that comes through our mind so only good things reach our heart.

Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.'

by Barbie Breathitt

Ten Benefits of the Favor of God

Ten Benefits of the Favor of God

1. The favor of God is producing supernatural increase and promotion in my life. (Genesis 39:21)
2. The favor of God is restoring everything that the enemy has stolen from me. (Exodus 3:21)
3. The favor of God is giving me honor in the midst of my adversaries. (Exodus 11:3)
4. The favor of God is increasing my assets and real estate. (Deuteronomy 33:23)
5. The favor of God is producing great victories in the midst of great impossibilities. (Joshua 11:20)
6. The favor of God is producing recognition, even when I seem the least likely to receive it. (I Samuel 16:22)
7. The favor of God gives me preferential treatment. (Esther 2:17)
8. The favor of God grants me petitions, even by ungodly civil authorities. (Esther 5:8)
9. The favor of God causes policies, rules, regulations and laws to be changed to my advantage. (Esther 8:5)
10. The favor of God will win battles that I won't have to fight because God will fight them for me. (Psalm 44:3)

The following confession is taken from Walking in Divine Favor by Dr. Jerry Savelle:

Holy Spirit Come Fill This Place

The Spirit of sonship

Dear Lord

I believe that I did not receive a spirit that makes me a slave again to fear, but I received the Spirit of sonship. And by this Spirit I can cry Abba Father. Just like how I can cry to my earthly father, I know I can cry to You. The Spirit himself testifies with my spirit that I am Your child. If I am Your child, that means I am an heir, heir of God and co-heir with Christ (Rom:815-17).

What a priviledge!! Thank you Father. In Jesus beautiful Name. Amen.

Lighthouse

Reflections on today.... The sermon was about the LAW........Law restores order- that's what Jesus came to do.

Matt. 4: 17

Matt4:23-24

We need to value the LAW, it is the key to life!! 

Law is like a lighthouse:

• Always established on rocks
• Never moves
• Are never threatened by storms or ships
• Submission to the lighthouse provides protection

Four Things You Can't Recover

Four Things You Can't Recover

  The stone ... after the throw.
  The word ... after it's said.
  The occasion ... after it's missed.
  The time ... after it's gone.
        Author Unknown

Word of His Power

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. Heb. 1:3

 God used His Words to create the universe. When He spoke, His words and the letters which form them, brought light and calm to the chaos. The universe continues to be upheld by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). These letters of light is what I will continue to hold on to. I believe it will bring calm to any chaos.This is the Word of God that won't return to Him void. AMEN!

The joy of the LORD is my strength

What is my strength? The joy of the Lord!


Nehemiah 8:10
........the joy of the LORD is your strength


 "What is the joy of the Lord?" The fuel or the driving force that gives me the strength to endure whatever I face. When my heart is totally focussed on God and my eyes fixed upon His glory, I am oblivious to things hapenning to me as I see His attributes; goodness, faithfulness and His love.  As I delight myself in the Lord and worship Him, He fills my heart with this inner joy of His promises. This joy fills me with content, hope, peace and it empowers me to endure.

Rom.15:13
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A Father's Love Letter

His love is just so amazing. My Heavenly Father does everything out of LOVE!!!

Praying Psalms 35

A warfare prayer!

Dear Lord,
Contend with those who contend with me fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid.

Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me,"I am your salvation."

May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.

May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.

Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,
may ruin overtake them by surprise— may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin.

Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation.

My whole being will exclaim, "Who is like you, LORD?
You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them."

Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about.

They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved. But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge.
They slandered me without ceasing.

Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me.

How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions. I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you.

Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye. They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. They sneer at me and say, "Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it."

LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord.

Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.
Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.

Do not let them think, "Aha, just what we wanted!" or say, "We have swallowed him up." May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.

May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, "The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant."

My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.

In Jesus Mighty Name.
AMEN.

Lord I lift my friend to you

Living a life that is BIGGER than yourself

'Live a life that is bigger than yourself'......that was the message I came away with after our Mission Dinner function last night!!! You will get more satisfaction from helping others achieve their dreams than focussing on your own needs.

When you have leftover food think of people around the world who do not have enough to eat!

New Home

Last Friday I made a big move. Here are images of the city I moved to.