13 Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.
Mark Twain
Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.
Omar N. Bradley
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
Anais Nin
We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
There are times in life when we just simply have to step out on faith.
Twenty years ago my husband and I did just that. I was seven months pregnant and we had prayed and prayed for God to bless my husband with a position making more money so that I could stay at home with our new baby that was soon to be born.
After many prayers God blessed him to receive a new position within the same company that he was already working for. We had no clue that an unexpected move would come with this promotion. Wow! Be careful what you pray for. After accepting the reality that a move was inevitable we actually started to look forward to the adventure of it all.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
Psalm 144:12 May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a palace.
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. 7 Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.
Deuteronomy 4:9-10 “But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren. 10 Never forget the day when you stood before the Lord your God at Mount Sinai,[a] where he told me, ‘Summon the people before me, and I will personally instruct them. Then they will learn to fear me as long as they live, and they will teach their children to fear me also.’
For many years now I have written my prayers to God. The idea to pray this way came to me when I was about 18 years old and away in college. The exact thought was “why don’t you write a letter to God”. For many years I saw it as an idea that just popped into my head one day. I am now convinced that it was definitely the Holy Spirit guiding and preparing me, even at a young age for the writing I am doing now. You see I truly have never considered myself a writer. Those of you who are writers are probably saying “so true” right now. I see myself as a person who is simply writing to share her story, a person that is deeply in love with the awesome God of this Universe, who is my Lord and Savior, my Blessed Redeemer and my only hope always.
2 Corinthians 4:18….. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 6:10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything.
Psalms 23: 2-3 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Several weeks ago while traveling my husband and I had an opportunity to visit my brother and his family. This is always a treat for us since we only get to see them 2-3 times a year. My brother and his wife have been blessed with the gift of hospitality. They have truly mastered the art of entertaining.
When you leave their home you literally feel like you have been blessed to have a few nights away at a 5 star Bed and Breakfast. They love to cook and they make a great team in the kitchen. They each have their specialties’ that they enjoy preparing when guest come. And believe me they have their share of guest.
When we are there our children really enjoy each other’s company and that makes for a fun time. We have lots of laughs and of course we always have to revisit our good old childhood memories, which seem rather pre-historic to our children. The visit is just not complete without sharing those well over told stories with them one more time.
Usually after having a great meal we retire to the living area. We can sit for hours with he and his wife just talking about the wonderful things God is doing in all of our lives and just how great He is. It seems that when we start these conversations our time just gets away from us and before we know it, the whole evening has gone by. In our conversation on this last trip my brother made the statement: “the best things in life cannot be purchased” We started to name a few of the things that money cannot buy. I thought I would share some of these with you today just as a reminder of how richly blessed we are.
Things money can not buy: peace, joy, contentment, hope, great health, a beautiful sun shinny day, family, and your relationship with God, wisdom, a great friend, salvation/ eternal life and love. Just to name a few. All of these things are straight from the hand of God and none of these can be purchased.
Most of the time we work endless hours to acquire money to purchase more and more things. These are usually material items that our eyes simply cannot resist, such as a shiny new car, a beautiful home, the finest clothes, jewelry with the most sparkle or bling, and don’t forget those lavish vacations.
Please know that I enjoy beautiful things also and that there is no sin in having nice things. Yes, please hear me, there is no sin in having nice things. However while these also are blessing from God, you will never find complete fulfillment in obtaining them. Our greatest joy actually comes in the things we cannot see at all. The evidence of some of these flow through us. An example of this would be a person who has joy, is joyful. People who are at peace or are content are usually calm in their demeanor, because they have learned how to rest in God and trust His will for their lives.
Where are you today? Are you truly enjoying the gifts that are free to us straight from the hand of our Father, or are you chasing the things that have no eternal value and can never truly bring peace or contentment? If so, maybe it’s time to get still with paper and pen in hand and re-evaluate some things. Make a list of the things you have been blessed with that have cost you nothing. I think you will be amazed. I also think that you would not trade one of those for something material.
Let’s fully enjoy all that God has given us and realize that we are already rich beyond measure. We simply need to take time to review what we freely possess.
May your cup run over today with peace, joy, love, contentment, and most of all gratitude.
Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.
Colossians 3:12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
Isaiah 49:15 (NLT)
15 “Never! Can a mother forget her nursing child?
Can she feel no love for the child she has borne?
But even if that were possible,
I would not forget you!
Proverbs 31:28
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
Many years ago I was taught a method in which to pray, that many of you may already be aware of called ACTS.
ACTS is an acronym for:
Adoration,
Confession,
Thanksgiving, and
Supplication.
This method of praying helps me to cover all of my basis when writing my prayers.
Below I have listed the 13 Steps to a Powerful Quiet Time.
1. Adoration starts by praising our Great and Mighty God who loves praise. When we praise God we are acknowledging His place of authority in our lives.
2. Next, we need to Confess our sins to get back in right standing with God. Don’t just confess, commit to repent of those sins. Repenting is to turn away so that you do not make this offense against God and others again. And yes I write the confessions of my sins down as well.
Be totally honest, after all, God already knows the truth. Confession of my sins has also been a great aid in helping me to learn to forgive myself as well. This is because writing helps me to release my inner feelings
3. Express Thanksgiving; when I write the things that I am thankful for, I am pleasing God because I am expressing my gratitude for the many blessings that he has bestowed upon me.
4. Supplication is simply making our request to God for the things that we are in need of. Although God already knows our needs, He finds delight in us asking Him. Because when we ask, we are admitting that He is our only source for all that we need.
5. If you are a person that gets distracted easily during your quiet time, write down all of the things that you need to do for the day, the night before. I suggest that you come to your quiet place with two spiral notebooks. As thoughts pop into your head jot them down and immediately go back to your journaling. One book is to journal in and the other is to write your reminders or to-do list on. This has been a huge help for me. It will help you to get settled into your writing quicker. You will be able to get distractive thoughts out of you and on paper and then you can fully concentrate on your writing.
6. I suggest that you journal early in the morning while the house is quiet and there are no phones ringing or TV’s on, and no one coming in and out to distract you. Some of you may prefer to do this after you have put your children to bed. I personally prefer the morning because I am rested and I am fully present with my thoughts and not fighting fatigue.
Psalm 5:3 – Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.
7. Be sure to have your Bible to read scriptures before and after you write.
8. Make an appointment with God. Try to write at the same time each day and in the same location. It feels more purposeful and structured this way, making it a commitment.
9. Be still several minutes before your writing starts. I usually sing some praise songs to God before I start. Invite Him to be a part of your day. Seek His guidance and instructions for your day.
10. Have your morning beverage of choice whether coffee juice etc. at your place of writing.
11. Have an extra pen handy in case yours stops writing. You don’t want your flow of writing to be distracted by having to get up and search for a pen.
12. Keep an emergency notebook in your car for a time when you are out and about and you just need to vent or release unexpectedly or you may even want to write down praise for something that you don’t want to forget to give gratitude for.
13. If the fear of someone finding your written thoughts concerns you, shred them when you are done.
Psalm 63:1-4 O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory.
Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
Deuteronomy 10:21 He alone is your God, the only one who is worthy of your praise, the one who has done these mighty miracles that you have seen with your own eyes.
Revelations 19:5-6 And from the throne came a voice that said, “Praise our God,
all his servants,
all who fear him, from the least to the greatest. ”Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: “Praise the Lord!
For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Proverbs 28:13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
1st John 1:9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
Psalm 51:3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.
1st Thessalonians 5:18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 5:20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalm 95:1-3 Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him. For the Lord is a great God, a great King above all gods.
Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
Psalm 55:17 Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.
1st Peter 4:7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers.
April 16, 2017
Mark 16:1-6
1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!…