Tag: Encouraging

I Heard Him Say…

This morning as I was sitting outside on the patio, I felt led to be still and hear from God before starting any activities of the day. I had already said my morning prayers, but I was wanting more time with my Father. It had rained some yesterday and it is expected to rain some more today, so I knew I would not be outside for very long. I have mentioned in a previous post that I enjoy my time on the patio. A portion of the patio is open and another small portion is covered. Due to the dampness from the rain, I had to sit in the covered portion this morning. My view is pretty much the same no matter where I choose to sit.

It was so very quiet and peaceful. Maybe because it was so early. I didn’t hear any birds chirping; I didn’t hear any noise from lawn mowers and, I didn’t hear any cars driving on the streets nearby. I said God, I am listening for You. As I sat there, I heard a noise coming from the left of me and I saw a squirrel. Because of how quiet it was, I could hear the squirrel climbing a pine tree on the property next to my house. I could actually hear the sound its little paws made as they tapped on the bark of the tree for it to climb to the nearest branch. Then a male cardinal landed on my fence and it rested there for a minute or so before flying away. It is not unusual for me to see cardinals in my backyard, but each time, I feel so blessed to see such a beautiful bird. After the cardinal flew away, something caught my attention to the right of my yard. It was a small rabbit and as it hopped closer to the fence, I noticed how much its color blended in with the color of the wooden fence. I must have made a noise or movement, because this little creature appeared to freeze in that spot for the longest time. It was still for so long I was beginning to wonder if I really saw it. As I stood up just to make sure I wasn’t imagining that it was there, the little rabbit dashed off between the fence posts and was no longer in my yard.

As I sat there listening for God, it started to rain. It was a light rain. I noticed the rain drops as they landed on the patio table. I noticed the rain drops as they landed on the potted plants and the plants in my garden area. I could hear the rain drops fall. It was then that I thanked God for talking with me and blessing me to hear Him. I heard Him in the steps of the squirrel climbing the tree. I heard Him in the landing of the cardinal on the fence and I heard Him with the rabbit being still in the grass. And, I heard Him in the rain drops!

I heard Him say I Am your Creator, I Am your Protector and I Am your Provider. I heard Him say I will never leave you or forsake you. I heard Him say be still and know that I AM God!

It is so amazing what we hear from God when we actually take the time to be still and listen.

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Father, thank You for waking me up to see this new day. I thank You for allowing me to hear how You care for me in so many ways. Thank You for being mindful of me. If you take care of the squirrel climbing the tree, the cardinal landing on the fence and the rabbit being still in the yard, why would You not take care of me? If you send the rain to water the plants, why would You not take care of me? Thank You for blessing me with food, shelter and clothing. I thank You for Your constant watch and care over me, my family and my friends. I thank You for keeping me safe from dangers seen and unseen. I praise You for being my Creator, my Protector and my Provider. I thank You for being all I need! In Jesus’ name, amen!

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Psalm 111:4-5(GNT): “The LORD does not let us forget his wonderful actions; he is kind and merciful. He provides food for those who honor him; he never forgets his covenant.”

Psalm 8:3-4(GNT): “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”

Psalm 139:14(NIV): “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Psalm 46:10(NIV): “He says be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

John 10:27-28(NIV): “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”

Posted on in Encouragement

You Are Loved!

Happy Mother’s Day!

This morning as I was finishing up my prayer time, I heard the LORD say be still a minute. As I stayed on my knees, what I heard in my spirit was these 3 words, “You are loved.” This brought tears to my eyes because as Mother’s Day approaches, for some of us, it is not always a day of joyous celebrations. A feeling of heaviness has been tugging on my heart most of this week, because I’ve been through some disappointments or known others dealing with so many different emotions that try to hinder us from celebrating this particular holiday.

As the day approaches and plans are being made for Mother’s Day, some are dealing with the loss of a mother or the loss of a child, whether it is a recent loss or years ago. This past week I’ve seen numerous social media posts of friends wishing their mothers or children were still here with them to celebrate Mother’s Day. There are some women who are dealing with not being able to conceive a child or not being able to carry a child full term. Others are dealing with growing older and not being able to start a family. Some are dealing with children who have distanced themselves from their families. Some are dealing with children who constantly get into trouble. Some mothers are wondering, if they will receive a call or text just to acknowledge it is Mother’s Day! And, some are even dealing with broken relationships with their own mothers.

So many different emotions can be triggered on Mother’s Day, and as with any holiday, this day can be a bittersweet day. So if you are struggling with any sadness or disappointment on this Mother’s Day, be encouraged. Be encouraged, because God wants you to know that “you are loved!” On this day and every day, He blesses us with His love because He is love. He loves us in spite of our circumstances and He loves us in the midst of our sadness and disappointments.

You are loved by your Father in heaven and He celebrates you and comforts you on this Mother’s Day.

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Father, we thank You. We thank You for protecting us through the night and waking us up to see a new day. We thank You for this Mother’s Day and we trust You to guide us through the day. We thank you for mothers who are joyously celebrating this day and we pray for those who are dealing with bittersweet emotions. We thank You for all mothers. Father, we look to You to comfort our hearts and give us peace. Heal our hearts and help us to forgive; wipe away every tear that falls. Father, we look to You to protect our families and to restore relationships. We can’t thank You enough for your precious thoughts towards us. Father, thank You for reminding us that we are loved and most importantly that no matter the circumstances, we are loved by You! In Jesus’ precious name, Amen!

John 4:16 NIV: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

Psalm 136:26 NIV: “Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.”

Zephaniah 3:17 GNT: “For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Psalm 139: 17-18 NLT: “How precious are your thoughts about me, God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

“You Are Loved”

At The Right Time, The Door Will Open

This morning I got up a bit earlier than I had planned. Imagine wanting to sleep in on a Saturday, but you get up earlier than you normally do on Monday through Friday! As I was trying to decide what playlist of worship music I should listen to this morning, I opened the back door that leads to my patio and I could hear birds already singing for me. I let the screen down on the screen door as a way to “turn the volume up” to hear the birds! It was too early and too dark for me to sit out on the patio and I had not had my 1st cup of coffee.

A few minutes later, although it was still dark and I had not turned the coffee maker on, I decided to open the screen door and step outside anyway. As I grabbed the door handle to open the door, the handle fell onto the floor! At this point I am trying not to panic, because I realize I can’t open the door to get outside. I am thinking it is too early in the day to start off like this! Panic was about to kick in, because I felt like I was locked inside from getting to my patio.

This is the time of the year I enjoy sitting outside throughout the morning just listening to the birds, watching the clouds and talking to God with my cup of coffee near by. So now my thoughts want to really race with this situation and I start to think what if I was sitting outside when this happened? How would I get back into the house, because there is a fence around my property. The gate is locked and I don’t have my house key to get in through the front! As I said, panic was about to kick in!

Now you may be wondering why didn’t I just pick up the door handle to put it back on the door. Well, I did, but still being in near panic mode, I was not processing what I needed do. I kept thinking I can’t open the door and who will I need to call to fix the door and how much will it cost? I took a deep breath and started to put the door handle back in place to connect with the door. It took me a couple of tries and then I was able to adjust it so the door would open and I was able to tighten the handle in place as well. All of this activity with the door lasted less than a few minutes. Truthfully, it has taken me longer to explain it here than it took for me to put the handle back on the door.

So at this very moment, the sun is out and I am sitting outside on my patio. I am enjoying my morning coffee as I listen to the birds sing and as I watch the trees sway with the wind gently blowing on what is a beautiful Saturday morning. As I think about my situation earlier with the door, I am reminded that when God has an open door for you, no man or no thing can shut you out, lock you out or keep you out. You may think you have missed out on an opportunity or you may feel you have been locked out or excluded from plans others have made, but when God has something for you, it will be yours! You may have to make some adjustments and continue praying, but when it is time, God will make sure the door opens for you! I thought I was in an unwelcome and unexpected situation this morning, but I am also reminded to be anxious for nothing!

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Father, thank You for this new day and the tender mercies You grant us each morning. Thank You for blessing us to see and hear the beauty of nature around us. Father, we thank You for opening doors of opportunities and blessings that no man or no thing can shut. We thank You, Father, for designating the right time and the right circumstances to open doors for us. Father, we also thank You for doors that have been shut, because they were not our doors to open and the time was not designated by You! It is in Jesus’ mighty name, we say amen and amen again!

“…At the right time, I, the LORD, will make it happen.” Isaiah 60:22 NLT

” I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” Revelation 3:8 NIV

” Do not be anxious about anything, but in every and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Posted on in Encouragement

Go Back and Say Thank You!

In the story of the 10 lepers, we are told that Jesus healed all 10 from leprosy, but only one returned to say thank you.

In the book of Luke, chapter 17, the Message version, it reads as follows: “11-13 It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”14-16Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.17-19Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.

When you take the time to reflect over situations you’ve been in where do you stand? Are you part of the 9 or did you go back and say “thank You”? As the world continues to see so much sickness, disease, death, chaos, devastation and violence have you thanked God that you are still here? If you are reading this, you have survived all that 2020 threw at you and you have survived a good part of 2021. Have you remembered to say “Thank You”?

“Be thankful in all circumstances. This is what God wants from you in your life union with Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (GNT)

I want to encourage you, that if you have not taken the time to tell God “Thank You, that it’s not too late to go back and tell Him.

Heavenly Father, we are coming back to say Thank You. Thank You for waking us up today. Thank You for protecting us and providing for us. Thank You for Your unconditional Love. Thank You for Your Grace and Your Mercy. Thank You for all the things You have done and especially for those things where we failed to show gratitude. Father, please forgive us for not coming back to say “Thank You”. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

He is My Rock!

Have you ever felt like you just wanted to crawl under a rock and hide? I know that is just a figure of speech, but have you ever felt that way? You just feel like you need to be by yourself or you need to take a break from all the noises and distractions going on around you. Do you have some decisions to make and you just want to spend time alone with God in order to seek His guidance? Perhaps you are dealing with some issues that are hard to put into words and/or share with others and you just want to hide under a rock. Do you just need to rest and get closer to the Rock who saves you?

I must admit I have felt like crawling under a rock many times. Even during the pandemic and time of quarantining at home, there were times I just felt like too much was going on and I needed to crawl under a rock! I found myself trying to focus on too much and being distracted all at the same time. Thankfully, when I feel this way, I know where to find my Rock in order to steal away for awhile. God is my Rock. He is the One that I can take all my troubles to and lay them down at the foot of the cross. He is the One I can go to when I am feeling overwhelmed with everything that concerns me. He is the One I ask to take captive of my thoughts and to calm my spirit. He is my Rock!

Here are a few verses out of Psalms that you can pray whenever you may feel overwhelmed or feel like you may want to crawl under a rock:

“In you, LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel. For you have been my hope. Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.” Psalm 71:1-5 NIV

“I love you, LORD, you are my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior, my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” Psalm 18:1-2 NLT

“He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.” Psalm 64:2 NLT

“But the LORD is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.” Psalm 94:22 NLT

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Father, I thank You for being my Rock. I thank You for being my place of shelter and refuge. I thank You for being the Rock that gives me peace, hope, joy and love. I thank You for the strength I find in You to keep going. You are my Rock. In Jesus’ name, amen!

Inevitable Change

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Yes, that is a lizard in the picture!  I was outside checking on my plants the other morning, when I spotted this lizard being very still on the exterior wall of my home.   I really don’t do well with seeing lizards or any other little creatures around me, but this one had me reaching for my phone so that I could take a picture.  If you look closely, you will see what appears to be a white substance on the lizard.   My first thought was what did it get into, and then I realized that it might be shedding it’s old skin.

I tend to pay attention to the nature around me and I am always curious as to why God allows me to see or hear certain things. So after seeing this lizard,  I did a bit of research on lizards shedding their skins. I found out that shedding is an indication of growth and renewal.  I also found out that some lizards will eat the skin they shed for nourishment.  The shedding of the skin is an inevitable change the lizard will experience.

Does an inevitable change occur when we join with Christ? I surely hope so! Inevitable means that something is certain to happen.  Change means becoming or experiencing something different.  As we join with Christ we have to put away the former things and walk in our newness with Him.  Of course, this doesn’t mean everything will be easy from here on out, but it does mean we can find hope and peace in our newness with Him.  It means we can put all of our trust in Him instead of being so quick to worry and try to figure things out on our own.   It means we strive to be better and to make better choices.

II Corinthians 5:17(GNT) says “Anyone who has joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.”   When we join with Christ, are we similar to this lizard shedding it’s skin? I would imagine that in a way we are.  Hopefully, we are getting rid of what is old to embrace the new.  Hopefully, we are able to allow what we’ve been through to help us grow and mature in our relationship with Christ.  Just as the lizard may eat it’s shed skin for nourishment, we can take our past experiences to learn life’s lessons and move forward.

Another thought I had about this lizard shedding it’s skin is that you can’t put new wine into old wineskin.  Jesus says in Luke 5:37 NIV: “And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined.”  This parable came about when there was a discussion of John’s disciples time of fasting being compared to Jesus and His disciples not fasting.  Traditionally, fasting was a time of mourning over sins or an urgency for prayer.  Jesus was telling them it was a time of celebration; time to embrace a new covenant.  How often do we try to hold onto old traditions that no longer serve a purpose to help us move forward?  

When I was a little girl, one of my chores was to iron pillow cases after the laundry was done.  I have often wondered what was the purpose in ironing pillow cases when we were just going to wrinkle them as soon as we laid our heads on them.  I do understand it was to make everything nice and neat, but really, what was the point?  Fast forward to today, I’m thankful for wrinkle free pillow cases and those decorative pillow covers.  But just imagine, if I told you I was still ironing pillow cases! You’d probably think does she know how much better it is to embrace the wrinkle free and not waste time ironing! She’s ironing something that does not need to be ironed. There are times we just have to let go of the old traditions and embrace what is new.  (I don’t know if that analogy worked for you, but it made me smile!)  

Jesus offers us something new everyday.  The Bible tells us His mercies are new every morning.  What He offers us is so much better than what we have.  I would like to think the lizard felt so much better after the shedding process was complete.  Getting rid of the old and shaking off that extra burden from the old skin it was carrying around was probably a relief.  I’m sure it looked different from the appearance I captured in my photo.  I believe we look different when we grow and mature in our relationship with Christ.   We don’t wear worry  on our faces as much.  We don’t look like we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, because we know  we can cast our burdens on Him.

As you draw closer to Christ, I encourage you to embrace the inevitable changes that should occur in your life.  You have to get yourself to a place where you don’t do certain things you used to do.  You have to resist fleshly desires and seek God for strength and direction.  You have to increase your faith in Him, and make wise decisions concerning you and others.  You have to pray more and study the Bible more.  You have to shed the old and embrace the new.

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Father, we come before You and give thanks to You for being a gracious and merciful God.  We thank You for being wonderful and loving towards us.  Lord, we thank You for all things new.  We know You are the one Who makes a new way out of what was the old way, and we look to You for all we need.  Dear Father, we seek Your guidance for the inevitable changes in our lives because of our relationship with You.   We ask You to  cleanse us with hyssop; give us joy and gladness in bones that were once crushed.  Lord, we know as we embrace change and seek You to forgive us that You hide Your face from our sins and blot out our iniquities. Lord, as we join with You and change for the better, create in us a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit within us.  In the precious name of Jesus, amen!

Posted on in Encouragement, Faith, Inspirational, Prayers, Spiritual

While You Wait On God

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When you don’t know what to expect in your personal circumstances or what to expect in what is going on in the world today, expect God.  The definition of expect means to regard something as likely to happen.  Today, I encourage you to  expect God to show up and to work everything out on your behalf.   Expect God to make a way out of no way.  Expect God to be your Healer, your Provider and your Protector. While you wait on the Lord, you should wait with an expectancy.  Expectancy means the state of thinking  or hoping that something pleasant will happen.  While you wait on God, expect Him to be your Strength, your Hope and your Peace.

Psalm 130:5-6 says ” I wait on the Lord, my whole being waits and in his word I put my hope.  I wait for the Lord more than the watchmen wait for morning, more than watchman wait for the morning.” NIV

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Dear Father, thank You for being everything we need.  While we wait for You to do great and mighty things, we wait with a joyful expectancy.  We know that as we wait on You, Lord, You will move in a mighty way.  Dear Lord, even in the midst of chaos,  we still wait with an expectancy knowing You already have the victory.  While we wait, Lord,  we wait with our whole beings and we stand firm on the promises of  Your word.  Lord, we thank You that we can walk by faith and not by sight, confidently expecting Your promises to be fulfilled in our lives. In Jesus’ mighty and precious name, amen and amen again!

 

Thankful 2B Thankful

 

Be Thankful!     The other morning as I was saying my prayers, I said “Lord, I know I tend to be thankful for the same things over and over again. I thank You for waking me up. I thank You for my life and allowing me to see another day.  I thank You for keeping my children, siblings and friends safe. I thank You for the followers on Broken-2b-Restored. I thank You for a roof over my head and food on my table.” I said, “Lord, I know I sound like a broken record and that I am always thankful for the same things.” But then I said, “Lord, I am just thankful to be thankful!”

Thankful to be thankful! This made me realize that I have not always told Him Thank You. As a young person in college, I would just get up and take everything for granted.   As I became a full time employee, wife, and mother, I would wake up and maybe say a brief Thank You, but then I would just go on about my day.  Reflecting on this and how He has kept me over the years, made me realize even more how thankful I am.

Like most, I have been through my share of  ups and downs.  I have had some major disappointments and personal challenges that weighed heavy on my heart, my body, and my mind. I have wondered how the bills were going to get paid: how was I going to free myself from a verbally abusive and controlling spouse, or how I was going to be a good mother to my children.  And today, when I look back on where I was and where I am now, I am so very thankful.  I am thankful to be thankful, because of how God has kept me.  He has protected me from the seen and unseen dangers.   He has kept me and my children safe; He has clothed and fed us; and He has always provided us with a roof over our heads.

As I grew closer to God and I learned to ask Jesus to intercede on my behalf, my perspective on being thankful changed. I stopped taking it for granted that I just woke up each morning.  I know that God’s mercies towards me are new every morning, even when I tend to thank Him for the same people and things over and over again. I know I can repeat these words of thankfulness and also add onto it as each day passes, because He waits to hear from me. I know He has always provided for me and that He will continue to do so.  Yes, I have continued to experience the ups and downs that come with living this life here on Earth, but I’m thankful for every day, every blessing, and every lesson learned.   I am thankful to be thankful.

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Dear God, thank You for keeping me and my family covered under Your mighty protection.  Thank You for continuously blessing us and showing us how much You love us.  Thank You for my life, health and strength. Thank You for allowing me to see how good You have been to me, and for teaching me the lessons to be learned from heartbreaks and disappointments.  Thank You for Your grace and mercy towards me. Thank You for Jesus and Thank You for The Holy Spirit. Lord, I am just thankful 2b thankful! In Jesus’ name, Amen!

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Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17 NIV

Every good and  perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of fristfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18 NIV

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. John 3:16 NIV

Do not be anxious about anything, but  in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 NIV

 

 

Posted on in Encouragement, Faith, Inspirational, Prayers

What Will You Say To Your Mountain?

 

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Matthew 17:18-21(NIV) tells us ” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.  Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why, couldn’t we drive it out? He replied “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.”

A mustard seed of faith against a mountain?  Can you visualize that picture?  Do you know how small a mustard seed is and how big mountains can be? And when you look at what Jesus said, that is exactly what he meant.   Yes, a mustard seed is very small.  Yes, mountains are huge.  However, if you trust and believe just a little bit, you will be surprised as to how things can move mightily in your circumstances!

When challenges and frustrations start to overwhelm you, speak to them just as Jesus said to speak to the mountain.  When you feel you are under attack, rebuke the schemes of the enemy just like Jesus did over the little boy.  So often, we see how God blesses and/or delivers others and we don’t understand why our prayers did not manifest into the blessings and actions we spoke.  Could it be we have focused too much on our mountain and not enough on our faith? Today, I encourage you to focus on your faith, no matter how small or weak your faith may be, speak to your mountain and believe it can be moved. Sometimes the mountain is not as close to you as you think it is, and when you keep trusting God the mountain starts to get smaller and eventually disappears from your circumstances.  All you have to do is have a mustard seed of faith and believe that nothing is impossible.  Can believe in your faith in God enough to move the mountain? What will you say to your mountain?

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Dear Heavenly Father, I come before you today with just a mustard seed of faith.  And, with this tiny seed of faith, I believe that my situation is already better.  I believe that mountain of frustration is moved; I believe the financial obstacle is no longer in my way; I believe that all manner of sickness and disease in my body is gone. I believe the enemy is under my feet and no longer in my way. I believe you are taking my mustard seed of faith and showing me that nothing is impossible, and that I can speak to the mountain in my life and it shall move. Right now I am telling the mountain with my mustard seed of faith  to move!  In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen and Thank You!

 

 

 

Posted on in Encouragement, Faith, Inspirational

I Thought The Chair Was Empty

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As I write this blog, I am visiting a location near Cleveland, Ohio.   When I left South Carolina the other day the temperature was 81 degrees, and  when I arrived in Ohio the next day, it was 39 degrees.  Driving through the streets to get to this charming apartment in Ohio, I could see what was left of a light blanket of snow that had fallen the night before. It’s always fascinating for me to see snow blanket the ground and rooftops, especially before it gets too messy.

I share this with you because this morning, I find myself sitting alone at breakfast having a bagel and coffee. (It’s cold outside and right now I am not ready to venture out the front door.)  There are only two chairs at this table and the “empty” one is directly across from me.  As I looked at the “empty” chair, I began to think what if Jesus was sitting in this empty chair and what would I say to Him?

Immediately, I began to think I would tell Him about things in my life I did not get right.  I would tell Him about the wrong decisions I made and how my thoughts and actions often got me into some messy situations. I would let Him know that my heart had been broken a few times and how I had struggled with forgiveness.   I figured if I brought all of this up myself, He wouldn’t have to tell me about how I mishandled things.  As I looked across at what I thought was an  “empty” chair, I heard Him say to me “I love you”.  There was no bringing up the past.  There was no making me feel ashamed. It was just those three words, “I love you.”

As I sat across from this chair with tears and rejoicing in the revelation it was not really  an empty chair, I felt so blessed. It is such a great feeling to know you are loved unconditionally.  Others may bring up your past and remember all the bad stuff,  but not God.  The Bible tells us that He knew each one of us before we were formed in our mothers’ wombs. He knows all about us and He knows what we are going to say and do before we even utter a word or make a move.  He loves us in spite of the mistakes He knew we would make. He is such a loving and compassionate God.

As I took another look at this chair, I began to thank God for blessing me today with His presence, His love and His amazing grace.   The chair in front of me was filled with compassion, strength, joy, peace, hope and most importantly it was filled with the love of Christ.  Whenever Jesus is seated at the table with you, the chair is never empty.

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“Lord, You know everything there is to know about me.  You perceive every moment of my heart and soul, and You understand my every thought before it even enters my mind.   You are so intimately aware of me, Lord. You read my heart like an open book and You know all the words I’m about to speak before I even start a sentence!   You know every step I will take before my journey even begins. You’ve gone into my future and prepared the way, and in kindness You follow behind me to spare me from the harm of my past. With Your hand of love upon my life, You impart a blessing to me. This is just too wonderful, deep, and incomprehensible! Your understanding of me brings me wonder and strength.”

Psalm 139:1-7 The Passion Translation