She Believes 3
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Faith

Jesus A Gift To The World

Jesus A Gift To The World

Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you[a] a sign: The virgin[b] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel.[d]
Matthew 1:23
23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[a] (which means “God with us”).
Luke 2:7
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Luke 1: 30-35
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most  High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God.
Luke 2:13-14
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
John 3:16
16 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.

This morning as I look out of my bedroom window, I can see snowflakes gently falling to the ground.   There are only three days left until Christmas, and basically, the entire town has come to a silent halt.   For days now, the weather stations have been predicting, that the temperatures would plunge to very low and dangerous levels and that we would see snow.  It was also predicted that this would be one of the coldest Christmases on record, across forty-five states.

That being said, isn’t amazing how God chooses to slow things down.  I consider this a huge blessing, especially this close to Christmas.  What a great opportunity to enjoy spending time with God, focusing on His birth and His sacrificial stay here on earth.  This is a wonderful time to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate or hot tea and spend hours reading, journaling, and studying His word. It is also a great time to refamiliarize yourself with the story of the birth of Christ. 

Also, take a moment and think about all that Mary and Joseph went through in preparation for Jesus’s entry into this cruel world in the form of flesh.  I encourage you to put yourself in Mary’s shoes for a minute.   How would you have responded to the Angel that brought Mary the excellent news, that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus?   How would you feel knowing that you were indeed carrying the Savior of the world?   How would feel knowing that you were bringing a child into this world, knowing that He would be crucified? You see even though she understood the purpose for His coming, He was still her son. 

It may be a little difficult for you to focus on all that I am asking you to do If you have not finished your Christmas shopping.  You are probably going into panic mode right about now, wondering when the streets will be cleared enough for you to finish your Christmas shopping.  I want to encourage you to take some time to release yourself from the commercial side of Christmas, relax, and just for a few minutes simply bask in the spiritual side of Christmas.  After all, it is what truly matters.  Everything else will work out one way or the other.  I know that when you do, you will feel a sense of peace and you will be blessed for being in God’s presence.  You will also be focusing on what Christmas is really about and that is Jesus!    May you and your family be blessed with a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Prayers

Prayer + Praise = Power

Prayer + Praise = Power
Psalm 145[a]

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;   they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]6 They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;  he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord; your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts  and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,  and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises  and faithful in all he does.[c]
14 The Lord upholds all who fall  and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,  and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,  to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

Have you been waiting to see God’s power released, regarding something that you have been praying for?   When you want to see things shift in your life, start praising God.  I am talking about authentic, sincere praise for who He is, and not just for what you want.  God knows our hearts and he will certainly know what’s sincere and what is not.

Praise may not always change our circumstances, but it can certainly change how we view our circumstances.  Praise takes our focus off of ourselves, and our situations and it puts our focus back on God.  Through our time of praise we will be given the strength, to wait a bit longer and to trust God’s timing for right solutions to our problems.

Praise is like a medicine for our souls.  It calms us down and removes our anxieties, it restores our joy and it reminds us how sovereign and mighty our God is.  It also reminds us that He and He alone, is in control of everything and that our total dependency should be on Him.  When we exalt Him, He exalts us.

Don’t fret and don’t worry, just pray and praise.  Remember prayer plus praise equals power!

Here Are A Few Great Scriptures On Praise

God Is Our Praise

Deuteronomy 10:2
2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. Then you are to put them in the ark.”
Jeremiah 17:14
Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.

Give Praise To God

  Psalm 34:1
 I will extol the Lord at all times;  his praise will always be on my lips.
Psalm 147:1
Praise the Lord.[a]
How good it is to sing praises to our God,  how pleasant and fitting to praise him!
Hebrews 13:15
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
Psalm 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
Isaiah 25:1
Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.
Psalm 150:1
Praise the Lord.[a] Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Psalm 100:1-5
1 Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
  It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
 we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
 give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

A Thankful Heart Is A Heart That Praises God
Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 105:1
Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.
Psalm 7:17
I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;  I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm 106:1
Praise the Lord.[a]Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;  his love endures forever.
Psalm 108:3
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;  I will sing of you among the peoples.
Psalm 92:1
It is good to praise the Lord  and make music to your name, O Most High,
Psalm 109:30  NLT
But I will give repeated thanks to the Lord, praising him to everyone.

Praise Him Even In The Midst Of Trials
Acts 16:22-25
22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

 

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