Sometimes You Just Have to Praise

5 Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.

O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

8 They feast on the abundance of your house;
you give them drink from your river of delights.

9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Psalm 36:5-9

Thank You Father for Your amazing love!

How high, how wide, how deep it reaches to show us your faithfulness.

Your righteousness - there is none like You!

How do we describe your tenderness toward us - Priceless!

And when life begins to bear down on us - even scorch us,

we find refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

You prepare a banquet fit for a King, and you invite us to dine!

Thank You for being my Father, my God.

Amazing, simply amazing!

What are you believing God for?

Do you trust God enough to take Him at His word?
Not only for your neighbor or friend..., but for you?

Saturday Steps of Faith is our opportunity to publicly claim His promises for our lives. It is the place where we believe God for things great and small.

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is
faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:9

Does that verse ring true with you? Just reading it stirs up something deep within my soul. It's a beautiful picture of my relationship with the Lord. Who was the initiator? God! He called me! He pursued me. His desire was for me.

Why? Because at the very center of His being, God loves. His desire is for us to enter into a wonderful love relationship with Him, through fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Though life may take it's dips and turns, if you ask me to describe God in just one word, my word would be faithful. He is faithful to love, faithful to forgive, faithful to protect, faithful to restore, faithful to meet our needs. He is all of that and so much more. He is faithful.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. Deuteronomy 7:9

How about you? Will you join me?

• Leave a comment or write a post.
• Copy the button located on the left sidebar and paste it into your post.
• Next write down the promise from the Word of God you are taking a step of faith and believing. • Last, come back here and link up with MckLinky. It's that easy.

Thankful Thursday #33

It's Thankful Thursday and I am again joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey once again. Click on the button above and feel free to join in with 5 items of Thanksgiving.

1. Thank You God for answered prayer. I love how You love me. I love how Your desire is for me. Thank You for hearing and answering beyond my belief.
2. Thank You God for friends who reflect You. Friends with a word of encouragement on their lips and a joy that flows from a fulfilling relationship with You.
3. Thank You God for peace. Unsure times. Unsure people. A God who is the I AM of my present, my past and my future.
4. Thank You God for Your Provision. Day by day every need is met - and then some. You are the God of 'more than we ask of imagine'.
5. Thank You God for a season of thankfulness. It's nice to see people really stopping and taking stock of Your goodness and blessing on their lives.

How about you? What are you thankful for?

It's not the way things ought to be

I wrote this post back in March, but God brought it back to my mind this morning. I love this poem by Jill Briscoe and it really resonates with my heart this morning. I hope it speaks to you in some way too.

Have you ever thought about how different this world is than God planned? As God created the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the animals and creatures to roam the earth, Adam and Eve; each stage of His magnificent creation God saw that it was good.

Man and woman in a beautiful garden fashioned by God's own hand. He would even come walking in the garden in the cool of the day, just enjoying all that He had made. Sweet fellowship with the ones He loved. It was truly paradise.

What a difference a day makes as Eve is deceived and takes a bite. Adam also partakes. Their lives are forever changed as God banishes them from the garden forever. Lives can be changed in just a moment - forever.

It's not the way things ought to be

And yet the way things are,

I look above and see a void

And not one single star.

Then in the day the blue is grey,

The winds of change are stilled,

My heart it seems

Must die to dreams

I'll never see fulfilled.

It's not the way things ought to be

And Yet the way things are,

Then God walks in,

Forgives the sin

And lights my evening star.

He tames my rebel doubts with love,

Rebukes my frantic fears,

Then asks my why

I sigh and cry

And counts my many tears.

One day the things that "ought to be"

Will be the way He planned,

So I should live

And freely give

My hopes into His hand.

I'll live in light of ever-ness

With eyes upon the Throne,

He'll give me grace

To run the race

Till I am safely home.

- Jill Briscoe -

From the book, "The Deep Place Where Nobody Goes"

Oh how I look forward to the day when things will be as they "ought to be". One day, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, we will see Jesus, face to face. We will fall on our faces before Him saying,

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Revelation 4:11

But until that day Lord, I place all of my hopes is in Your hands. My eyes are upon Your throne, fixed upon You until my race is run!

Saturday Steps of Faith #33

What are you believing God for?

Do you trust God enough to take Him at His word?
Not only for your neighbor or friend..., but for you?

Saturday Steps of Faith is our opportunity to publicly claim His promises for our lives. It is the place where we believe God for things great and small.

This past week has been a very full one. Sunday afternoon I headed to Indianapolis to spend the night with a girlfriend before beginning a heavily scheduled week of work in the Home Office.

Each morning began with three hours of training as the instructor literally read to us from a 6 inch binder describing the inner workings of a computer language I need to learn. As you can imagine it was thrilling.

Each afternoon for three and a half hours I led a group of Systems Analysts and Business partners through the steps of defining a new credit card application for our Payment Entry System.

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with
power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

How can I do the things that I do? It's all God my friend! It's all Him! I didn't finish college but instead got married to a man in ministry at the age of 19. And yet God had a plan for my life that included great opportunities.

With His hand guiding me, I have been able to accomplish things I never would have dreamed of even trying. With His strength I have endured and grown through trying times. With His love I have been fully established and my feet have been set firm. With Him leading and guiding, all things are possible.

This one thing I do know, no matter what my future may hold, I trust the One who holds my future. He is so worthy! He is a loving Father! I am believing in Him.

How about you? What are you believing God for this week? Will you join me?

• Leave a comment or write a post.
• Copy the button located on the left sidebar and paste it into your post.
• Next write down the promise from the Word of God you are taking a step of faith and believing. • Last, come back here and link up with MckLinky. It's that easy.

Saturday Steps of Faith #32

What are you believing God for?

Do you trust God enough to take Him at His word?
Not only for your neighbor or friend..., but for you?

Saturday Steps of Faith is our opportunity to publicly claim His promises for our lives. It is the place where we believe God for things great and small.

For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" Galatians 2:19-21

One thing I know for certain, and this I truly believe, Jesus did not die "for nothing".

• I have lied.
• I have cheated.
• I have stolen.
• I have gossipped.
• I have spoken angry, hurtful words against others.
• I have had idols in my life.
• I have....., (and the list can go on far too long).

The Bible says, "For the wages of sin is death is death". It's what I deserve. The verse goes on to say, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I deserve death and Hell. I earned it. I chose to disobey God. But by His grace, because of what Jesus did on the cross, I get to choose something different. God said, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

• I choose forgiveness.
• I choose to turn from my way and follow Him.
• I choose the righteousness of Christ.
• I choose grace.
• I choose life.

I choose to believe God, to take Him at His Word, and to walk by faith.

How about you? Who or what are you placing your faith in? Only Jesus can save.

I believe God for my future.

What are you believing God for this week? Will you join me?

• Leave a comment or write a post.
• Copy the button located on the left sidebar and paste it into your post.
• Next write down the promise from the Word of God you are taking a step of faith and believing. • Last, come back here and link up with MckLinky. It's that easy.

Thankful Thursday #32

It's Thankful Thursday and I am again joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey once again. Click on the button above and feel free to join in with 5 items of Thanksgiving.

1. Thank You God for my families health. With so much sickness around us we have been blessed with good health. Thank You Lord!
2. Thank You God for giving me a Word - just when I need it. When I was feeling discouraged last week and opened Your Word, hope and love came flooding out. Thank You Lord!
3. Thank You God for the beautiful sunset last night. As I drove to Bible study the sky was captivating. The sun, the clouds, the colors all reflected Your glory to me. Thank You Lord!
4. Thank You God for pursuing us. As Susan shared her story last night, what kept running through my mind was, "What amazing love". Through the good times and bad, Your hand prints were all over her life, drawing her to You. The same can be said of each of us. Thank You Lord!
5. Thank You God for lifetime friend. Some are for a season. Some are for a reason. But some You give for a lifetime. Thank You Lord!

How about you? What are you thankful for?

For Such A Time As This

Image via Wikipedia

An edict had gone out all across the land. In 11 months the Jews of the diaspora would be "destroyed, killed and annihilated" as ordered by King Xerxes right hand man - the evil Haman.

Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and little children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. Esther 3:13

Their hope, a orphan girl named Esther, now Queen of Persia, and their God from whom they had strayed.

As the Jews heard of the death sentence they would be living with for the next 11 months, they spilled out into the streets of every city and province bewildered, weeping and wailing.

Inside the palace, Queen Esther had no clue of the heartbreak that was taking place just outside the walls. She had no idea that she herself would be staring death in the face right along side them.

Her uncle Mordecai sent word to Queen Esther telling her all that had been done. Detail after gut wrenching detail was vivdly explained to her eunuch who in turn brought the message inside the gates to Esther.

She was the one who would have to go to the King and plead for her people. But what he was asking of her was too much. Going before the King without an invitation was prohibited. If he did not show her mercy and extend the gold scepter whe would be immediately killed.

Can you imagine being place in a situation where there was a 50/50 chance you would be immediately beheaded? The consequences were too much! This decision was too hard! The responsibility was too great! What would she do?

Mordecai's response to Esthers words brought clarity to her dire situation. They made her choice become very clear. "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

Esther had a destiny to fulfill and the events of her past and present each played a role in bringing her to this critical crossroad.

• The death of her parents.
• Orphaned at a young age.
• Her adoption by Mordecai.
• Living among the diaspora Jews in Susa.
• Mordecai's position as a Jew in the government.
• The banishment of Queen Vashti
• The search for a new Queen
• Finding favor with the King's eunuch
• Finding favor with the King.
• He was captivated by her.
• She was crowned Queen of Persia.

All of these things and more..., "For such a time as this".

So often we go through life thinking and believing that things "just happen". When in reality, God may be preparing you and I "for such a time as this".

Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

If God is preparing you for what He has prepared for you, are you ready?

What will your answer be?