Happy Father's Day Abba!

I am thankful for my Dad, and though he has been gone to be with Jesus for ten months, I still think of him. It's interesting that when I am dealing with something, I almost know what he would say. I remember his advice, his mannerisms, and his sense of humor. I have recently found myself decorating a new house, and bought a brand of bath soap he used to use. When ever I am working in that bathroom, he comes to my mind. I almost feel like he is in the house! As I paint, I remember the new house he and Mom built, and those memories flood my mind. Fond memories... of love and security.

Father's Day is upon us, and my mind is drawn to my Heavenly Father. Oh, how much He loves me.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,

but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

 

Even before I was born, He knew me, and loved me enough to sacrifice His Son to redeem me from my sins. Because I believe in Him and all He has done for me, even though I never deserved it, I am assured eternal life. And forever I will be in the presence of my Heavenly Father!

 

My Dad knew how to give me wonderful gifts. And so does my Heavenly Father! He knows what is best for me, and in His perfect way and perfect time, He gifts me with the best gifts (Matthew 7:11)

 

Have you shown the Heavenly Father how much you appreciate all that He has done for you? Do you take the time to thank Him, and worship Him? Even Jesus started out the Lord's Prayer with:

 

Our Father who is in heaven,

hallowed be your Name.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:9-10

 

Today, let us spend time in prayer, thanking our Heavenly Father for the new life He has given to us. For His never ending love, His grace and mercy, and His protection and guidance. He is always near, and hears our prayers. Our Heavenly Father loves us! Happy Father's Day, Abba Father!

 



 





Beware Of Being Caught In The Web!

Have you ever seen a huge spider web that was stretched out, and woven so beautifully? Quite a work of art! The spider who made it went to a lot of work and it took some time. But I don't remember noticing the spider himself! Just the bugs who were caught!  That was the spider's plan when he made the web. To catch bugs. And to devour them. The bugs weren't aware of the trap set out to catch them. They weren't prepared. So they flew into it, and it's stickiness entrapped them. They couldn't escape. So they died.

That happens in our lives! Satan is the spider, who weaves his web of sin, evil, and deception. He creates his web to be alluring to unsuspecting people. People who search for pleasure. Who search for answers. But in the wrong places.

The Bible warns us to be watchful and not to fall prey to the evil of this world. Satan plants many things in front of us, to entice and lure us to walk away from God, which leads us to destruction. If we aren't discerning, and if we aren't familiar with what God wants for us, we can be led astray.

God is way bigger than Satan. And He wants the best for us.

For I know the plans I have for you,

plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon Me

and come and pray to Me,

and I will listen to You.

You will seek Me and find Me

when You seek Me with all your heart.

I will be found by You,

and will bring you back from captivity.

God - Jeremiah 29:11-14

 

Did you read this? He will bring you BACK FROM CAPTIVITY! If you are finding yourself caught in the web of sin, call upon God and He will free you, and release you from the traps of Satan. He is always near to those who call upon Him.

 

The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

The Lord is good to all;

He has compassion on all He has made.

The Lord is faithful to all His promises

and loving toward all He has made.

The Lord upholds all those who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

The Lord is near to all who call on Him,

to all who call on Him in truth.

He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him;

He hears their cry and saves them.

Psalm 145:8,9,13,14,18,19

 

 

Seek the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind and strength! Get in His Word and know what the Scriptures say. Ask Him to reveal Satan's traps so you won't be caught in them. And He will guide you and help you. After all, His love endures forever!

 

 







Father Knows Best

I was doing my homework for a Bible Study and this verse from Matthew 6:8 popped out at me:

 

Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

 

I wrote it down, and then chewed on it. If He already knows what I need, then why do I have to ask Him? In His sovereign way, wouldn't He just give me all I need when I need it, and then I'd be content and satisfied in life? The more I thought about it, the more it appeared to me that if I had everything I needed, then I wouldn't have to pray, right? The problem is we confuse our needs with our wants! We are like little children who don't know what is best for us. We want it all!

 

Then I began to think about who my Heavenly Father is, what His personality is like, and what He wants from me. I have learned that He is intimate and involved (Psalm 139:1-18), He is kind and compassionate (Psalm 103:8-14), He is accepting and filled with joy and love (Zephaniah 3:17; Romans 15:7), He is warm and affectionate (Isaiah 40:11; Hosea 11:3-4), He is always with me and eager to be with me (Jeremiah 31:20, Ezekiel 34:11, Hebrews 13:5), He is patient and slow to anger (Exodus 34:6, 2 Peter 3:9), He is loving, gentle and protective (Jeremiah 31:3, Isaiah 42:3, Psalm 18:2), He is trustworthy and wants to give me a full life; His will is good, perfect and acceptable for me (Lamentations 3:22-23, John 10:10, Romans 12:1-2), He is full of grace and mercy, and He gives me freedom to fail (Luke 15:11-16, Hebrews 4:15-16), He is tenderhearted and forgiving; His heart and arms are always open to me (Psalm 130:1-4, Luke 15:17-24), He is committed to my growth and proud of me as His beloved child (Romans 8:28-29, Hebrews 12:5-11, 2 Corinthians 7:4), and I am the apple of His eye! (Deuteronomy 32:9-10). I found these qualities on a bookmark from Gospel Light that I had in my Bible, and wanted to share these with you.

 

Isn't it comforting to have a Father like this who loves us, watches over us, takes care of us, and meets all our needs? I wonder if we, as His children, have taken Him for granted! We are so blessed and don't realize it! 

 

In regards to our prayerlife, He wants us to humbly communicate with Him. He wants us to be appreciative of the blessings He gives us, He wants us to talk to Him about anything that's on our heart, even though He already knows, and He wants us to simply ask Him. If we truly believe that He knows what is best for us, then in His perfect way and perfect time, He will answer our requests. We can trust Him that He knows best! 

 

Ask and it will be given to you,

seek and you will find,

knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives;

He who seeks finds;

and him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Which of you, if his son asks for bread,

will give him a stone?

Or, if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you, then, though you are evil,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will

your Father in heaven

give good gifts to those who ask Him!

 

Jesus - Matthew 7:7-12

Thank you, Abba Father!

 



 



A Simple Yet Profound Psalm

 

Psalm 103

 

 

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise His Holy Name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all His benefits.

 

He forgives all my sins

and heals all my diseases;

He redeems my life from the pit

and crowns me with love and compassion.

He satisfies my desires with good things,

so that my youth is renewed like the eagle's.

 

The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known His ways to Moses,

His deeds to the people of Israel:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

nor will harbor His anger forever;

He does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

 

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is His love for those who fear Him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him;

for He knows how we are formed,

He remembers that we are dust.

As  for man, his days are like grass,

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.
 

But from everlasting to everlasting

the Lord's love is with those who fear Him,

and His righteousness with their children's children -

those who keep His covenant

and remember to obey His precepts.

The Lord has established His throne in heaven,

and His kingdom rules over all.

 

Praise the Lord, you His angels,

you mighty ones who do His bidding,

who obey His word.

Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts,

you His servants who do His will.

Praise the Lord, all His works

everywhere in His domain.

 

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

 

 

 



Personally Yours

Today I picked up my Bible, not knowing what I was going to read, but casually thumbed through it. I randomly chose a page, which happened to be in Psalms, and allowed my eyes to wander. Sometimes this method leads me to discover some real gems that pop out to me, and they seem to apply to what I'm going through at the time. It's as if God had chosen that passage just for me! How did He know I was going to need this? This was written centuries ago!

 

That's because the Bible is a living book, a breathing book, like no other book ever written! One can read a particular passage and get something from it, and years later, return to the very same passage, thereby getting something completely different from it. How can that possibly happen?

 

All Scripture is inspired by God, 

and  is profitable for teaching,

for reproof,  for correction,

and for training in righteousness.

                                                    - 2 Timothy 3:16 

 

This applies to people who seek after God and His ways; for those who surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit, who gives spiritual understanding. The Bible says in John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This Word is Jesus Christ, and for those who place their trust in Him as Savior, He gives spiritual wisdom and discernment. When we read certain passages, they pop out to us because the Holy Spirit wants us to take notice of what it says. It is meant personally for us. Yes, for you! And for me.

 

While I also partake in Bible Studies that focus on certain topics, or books in the Bible, my favorite method is to see what God has to tell me through randomly wandering. The former way of studying the Bible is more focused, and it helps me to know what the Bible says about God. But when I approach the Word in a casual way, it helps me to know what God is saying to me about Him. For that moment. Meant just for me.

 

I realize others may have a different opinion in the method they prefer for reading the Bible, and that is okay. As long as we read the Bible! On a regular basis! Making it a daily habit reaps benefits that have eternal significance...not only for you, but for others in your life, as you share and live out what the Word is revealing to you. The Word of God is powerful! And it can change your life forever!

 

I hope I have been able to inspire you to read the Bible. See what God wants to tell you. After all, He wrote it just for you....with you in mind.

 

 



  

When The Mouth is Faster Than The Brain

I was browsing through the Psalms this morning and came across the following scripture found in Psalm 39:

I said, "I will watch my ways

and keep my mouth from sin;

I will put a muzzle on my mouth

as long as the wicked are in my presence."

But when I was silent and still,

not even saying anything good,

my anguish increased.

My heart grew hot within me,

and as I meditated, the fire burned;

then I spoke with my tongue.

 

That really got my attention! How many times have we promised ourselves that we wouldn't talk about someone, or be critical, or judgemental, but ended up spilling the beans! We couldn't help ourselves and just blurted out all that "wonderful knowledge" we have stored up in our brains, without regards to who our words would hurt. Or how we would come across.

 

I checked my concordance and there are at least 41 verses on the tongue! No wonder we find ourselves getting in trouble! But our words reflect what's in our minds, and it's up to us what we fill our minds with. Regular times with the Lord, getting into His Word, and a determined prayer time will help us tremendously. We will find ourselves being filled with the mind of Christ, and what comes out of our mouth will reflect His love and compassion for others.

 

So, the next time you find your mouth rushing ahead of your brain, STOP! Get alone with the Lord, and pray this  from Psalm 19:14:

 

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight,

O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

 

 





Could The Boston Story Happen To You?

Today a horrific terroristic attack occured at the final stretch of the Boston Marathon, killing two people and injuring many others. Two bombs exploded within seconds of each other, sending shards of ball bearings every which way, ripping flesh and destroying lives. This has become another one of those unforgetable events that we dread here in America. Like 911. Like Columbine. Like....

What if this occurred where you happened to be? Would you be prepared? How on earth can anyone prepare for something like this? And why would you have to? You, like me, just want to be left alone to live the American dream, the good life. To do what we want to do. Not to have it interrupted like this. Maybe the American dream is not so good after all...

Jesus tells us in John 16: 33 "I have told you...in this world you will have trouble." Ever since Adam and Eve committed the first sin of disobedience, mankind has been drowning in sin. At one point God became so angry with the massive sin that people were living, that he allowed a flood to completely cover our whole planet, destroying everyone. But he saved Noah and his family because they were living righteous lives. The Bible also tells us that in the last days, it will be again like the days of Noah, where people will choose to disobey God. Evil, hatred and all the ways of Satan have become rampant, and more terroristic activity will inevitably continue.

What are we to do? We can't avoid it, that's for sure. But we can prepare for it...

While Jesus told His disciples that in this world there will be trouble, He also declared that He has overcome the world. He came to bear our sins on the cross, shedding His innocent blood so He could redeem us and give us the free gift of everlasting life! He has won the victory over sin and death. Satan knows his demise is just on the horizon, when he will be cast in the everlasting lake of fire. In these last days, he will be working overtime with fury to destroy people. But those who believe that Jesus is the Savior will be saved. Those who make the most important decision of their lives, to make Jesus the Lord of their lives, will live on. Even if they lose their lives here on earth, their spirits will continue on, in the presence of our Glorious Lord!

Jesus promises us that He will never leave us or forsake us. He never abandons those He loves. And He sends His angels to help us in our times of need. He is our shepherd, who leads us, and He hears us when we call. Each and every time. 

And everyone who calls on the

name of the Lord will be saved.

       -  Acts 2:21

No one is ever assured of tomorrow! All we ever have is today. So, what are we to do? Call on Jesus. Make sure He is the Lord of your life. Then, no matter what happens in the future, you will know of your destiny.