* Proper Use of OMG!

You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
Exodus 20:7 The Amplified Bible

God is serious about His Name... It would behoove us to be serious about His Name, too. I cringe every time I hear someone take the Lord's Name in vain - every time someone uses "OMG!" as a frivolous response to someone else's drama of the moment/hour, every time I hear "OH MY GAWD!" in the same vein as "Are you kidding me?!?" or "Are you serious?!?"

God IS serious about His Name... actually, He's serious about all of them. They represent the very nature and character of who He is. They are designed to be called upon and they correspond to our needs and dependence on Him. 

Elohim - Strength, power, greatness, and glory
Yahweh (or Jehovah) - I AM
El Shaddai - God Almighty
Adonai - Master, Lord
Jehovah-Jireh - God will provide
Jehovah-M'Kaddesh - God who sanctifies
Jehovah-Shalom - God is peace
Jehovah-Nissi - God our banner
Jehovah-Raphah (sometimes spelled 'Rophe') - God our Healer
Jehovah-Tsidkenu - God our righteousness

The proper use is in acknowledgement and affirmation of who He is. Calling His Name in faith, confirming who He is and who we BELIEVE He is, not in unbelief at someone's trivial pursuit. Selah

Prayer:

Father,
               We pray as Ezra prayed, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads and our guilt has mounted to the heavens. Open our hearts to receive Your Truths, open our eyes to see and our ears to hear. Forgive us, O God, we pray. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Always There *

The distance around the city shall be 18,000 [4 x 4,500] measures; and the name of the city from that day and ever after shall be, The Lord is There.
Ezekiel 48:35 The Amplified Bible

All of my Christian walk, I have heard how God is "always there" for us, even when it doesn't feel like He is. In fact, sometimes it feels as though I've been abandoned, but I know that's not the Truth, and here's how I know that for certain.

The Names of God reveal His character. His character is who He is - He said Himself, He does not change. God was so intent on revealing this consuming part of His character to His people, that throughout the old and new testaments, how many instances can you think of off the top of your head where Scripture talks about His presence in the tabernacle and/or in the temple? He wanted it to be very clear that He is 'always there' for us.

Jehovah-Shammah "The Lord is There." His Word fulfilled. Our bodies are temples of the living God; Christ lives inside of us. So what we have is His presence there in His temple. Always...

Prayer:

Father,
            Thank You for always being there with us and for us even when we can't see you. Help us to remember You are always there and walk and live accordingly. Lord, may we always be aware of Your precious presence in our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Gathering

A happy heart is good medicine, but low spirits sap one’s strength.
Proverbs 17:22 CJB (Complete Jewish Bible)

The enemy of our soul would like nothing better than to divide and conquer us. It's what he does best. We get busy, this practice, that practice, this deadline, that deadline, and always what are the first things to go? Church and family time. Yet the writer of Hebrews tells us in 10:24-25 (CJB), "And let us keep paying attention to one another, in order to spur each other on to love and good deeds, not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing, but, rather, encouraging each other. And let us do this all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Are you part of a small group or Life Group within your church? Oh, how we grow when we are accountable to others. We cannot afford to stop gathering together - to encourage one another, to exhort each other to keep following the Lord with our WHOLE hearts, not just as an afterthought or quick-fix therapy. We cannot afford to stop gathering together - to reinforce the ties that bind us together and to God. We cannot afford to stop gathering together - our burdens are lighter when shared, and our joys are multiplied! 

We are stronger together than we are apart. The joy of the Lord is our Strength. Come, let us gather together and celebrate the Lord!

Prayer:

Father,
           You are so good to give us hearts for each other and to love us and give us laughter. Father, we are so grateful to You for family and friends who make us laugh - who love us and encourage us and strengthen us through the tough times! Bless them, Father, this we pray in Jesus' Name. Amen

All the Days +

When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Psalm 61:2b NKJV

I know that God's Grace is sufficient and I know that goodness and mercy shall follow me ALL the days of my life. And according to His Word, He knew this day would be one of them...

Today has been a tough day. What I can tell you at the end of it is this:

I don't have to understand the whys and the wherefores, I just have to trust Him. God is good and He knows what is best for our lives. He has the Master Plan, and if we trust Him, He will execute it perfectly. 

I haven't trusted Him all of my life. But I do trust Him now and will continue to trust Him for all the rest of my days.

Prayer:

Father,
          I pray healing for all those who need a touch from You. I pray peace for the troubled soul. I pray comfort as only You can give to those who have lost what they have loved. I pray Your provision as Way Maker for those who are lost and without. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Light of the World

If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1st John 1:6-7 NKJV

When I leave for work in the morning, the sun is not yet up. However, when I make the final turn-around, I'm heading east, and I see the tinges of color across the remains of night. By the time I pull into the parking lot, the sun has streaked color through the sky with the promise of full light peeking over the horizon. The last few mornings, the beauty of it has touched me deeply and I am reminded that Jesus is the Light of the world.

He comes into our darkest times, and as the Light of His life begins to touch ours, He turns our darkness into light. The rays of His love overshadow and remove the last vestiges of night, coloring our world with beauty to behold.

 ...if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. The Truth is it is impossible to continue to walk in darkness, if we truly walk with Him. And isn't it a GREAT blessing to be able to bring True Light and Real Life into someone's world?

Prayer:

Father,
          Hear the song we sang as children and offer to You now, meaning so much more today, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..." May we perfectly reflect Your Light and Life into a darkened world. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Stand Up or Fall +

[ Judgment for Disobedience ] “My people bend their tongues like bows to shoot out lies. They refuse to stand up for the truth. They only go from bad to worse. They do not know me,” says the Lord.
Jeremiah 9:3 NLT

Today is the first day of Fall. Here in Texas, we don't really call it Fall. Here it's known as Lesser Summer... and we are grateful for it. However, people love to mark the seasons. In the U.S., Fall is most appreciated on the East Coast and in the Midwest. The trees are extraordinary with colors you have to see to believe. The pictures - no matter how good they are - just can't quite capture the first-hand experience. It is worth every penny to make that trip at least once in your lifetime. 

As the news was abuzz with the change of seasons, I just kept thinking about Fall, which led me to thinking about The Fall. Mankind's fall. There's an old song from the 80's we used to sing that part of the lyric was, "If you don't stand up for what is right, you're going to fall for anything." As I contemplated on that line, I realized the depth of the Truth in it.

When we make a stand for or against something, there is a determination in our stance. Our feet are planted more squarely, our body braced, our muscles tensed for action to combat the opposition. If we don't stand up for what we know to be right - to be Truth, we have no courage or strength born of conviction to withstand the onslaught against us and so, we will fall... again. 

I love Ephesians 6:13-14a in the King James or the New King James:  
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth...  We will not fall if we take up the whole armor of God.

It's our choice: Stand up or fall. 

Prayer:

Father,
          I don't want to be knocked down to make me look up. I look to You now for strength born of conviction to walk in Your Truth. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life and we want to follow Him and worship You in Truth. Help us, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Pouring Out My Praise *

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:18-20 NLT

Last night at church, we had an evening of worship that was so marvelous, I know it was a sweet savor unto the Lord! Today, I have no words, but I can't get away from wanting to sing more songs of praise to and about my God and King. So I'm sharing what's in my spirit today...

Alabaster Box 

Pour My Love on You 

Breathe

Never Once

Not For a Moment

Holy, Holy, Holy 

How Great Thou Art 

Wonderful, Merciful Savior   

10,000 Reasons  

Let Them See You

Prayer:

Father,
          Let Your praises be continually in my heart, so that when I open my mouth to speak, what they hear is all about You. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

* Farther Along, We'll Know

Do not envy sinners in your heart. Instead, continue to fear the Lord. There is indeed a future, and your hope will never be cut off.
Proverbs 23:17-18 GWT (God's Word translation)

Envious of sinners?!? Never!!! Right? Check your heart...

When things go wrong for us - those of us who are trying to follow in Christ's footsteps - and the blatant sinner goes merrily along, seemingly without a care, do we sometimes wish we had their life? Their money?  

Do we ever wish that we didn't feel conviction of the Holy Spirit - the conviction that makes us say, "No, I can't do that or go there..."? The conviction that makes us hold our tongue when what we really want to do is tell them off? I don't need to list any more examples, your heart may have already taken you to a similar situation.

That's being envious of sinners in our hearts. There's an old hymn titled "Farther Along" - one of my very favorites. It talks about wondering why we're always tempted and tried and why it has to be like that when sinners don't seem to be bothered at all. Oh, there's some lamenting in it, but then there's the verse that reminds us of the Truth of today's text - There is indeed a future, and your hope will never be cut off.  The last verse starts with, "When we see Jesus coming in glory...'  THAT's when we'll know that NOTHING on this Earth compares to what waits for us in glory.

Oh, dear one, when we see Jesus coming in glory - coming to take us home with Him - we will be thrilled that we chose not to envy, but rather continued to fear the Lord! Hold this Truth in your heart - There is indeed a future, and your hope will never be cut off. As the song says, "Farther along, we'll know all about it."

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for the Truth of Your Word - the conviction and encouragement that comes from it. The promises and our confident hope in its life-giving instructions. Father, give us wisdom AND understanding. Help us to see there is indeed a future. Keep our feet on the path to our eternity with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* In God We Trust...Maybe...

Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?
Galatians 3:2-3 NLT

Guilty! Guilty as charged! When will we grasp the gist of grace? When will we comprehend the cruxes of the crucifixion? When will we divest ourselves of our delusions that we could possibly do anything to earn salvation?

Why is it so difficult to relinquish our will and our own selfish desires to the One who has given HIS all so that we could have it all? Is it because He didn't answer our prayer the way we thought He should? Is it because we didn't get the spouse, the job, the house, the car, the (fill in the blank) when we "really prayed hard"? Is it because the loved one died anyway? 

Here's the Truth. We cannot have Christianity on our terms. It's not called "ME-anity." It's His rules. His way. And Jesus is the only way to God. 

Where's your trust?

Prayer:

Father,
         According to Your Word in Hebrews 11:6, It’s impossible to please You apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach You must believe both that You exist and that You care enough to respond to those who seek You. As an act of my will, I lay down my will in surrender to Your will, O God. I want to walk humbly before You. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen

* + He Did What He Said

Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.
Mark 16:7 NLT

We live in a day of broken promises and empty words. The result is that no one trusts anyone or anything except themselves... and that's a mistake. BIG mistake. In our finite minds, we then tend to project that same perception onto the Lord - especially if we don't get the answer we wanted for something we prayed about.

I love this passage in Mark 16, and I know I just wrote about it recently, but I want to point out something important here. Jesus is going ahead of you (to Heaven). You will see Him, just as He said... All those who are in relationship with Him (disciples) AND the ones who are sincerely trying, but messing up (including Peter) - He's going ahead, but we'll see Him, just like He said...

John 14:1-3 NKJV, Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Numbers 23:19 NLT God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

He did what He said and He'll continue to do so. What or who are you gonna believe?

Prayer:

Father,

           Thank You for being a God of exceeding, precious promises and for being a God who cannot lie. Help us to see to the heart of the matter for those things in our lives that would cause us to not take You at Your Word. Deliver us from it and cleanse us from all unrighteousness and unbelief. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Let's Talk Percentages

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” 

Mark 12:41-44 NLT

Relax - I'm not going to ask you for money! Let's talk percentages. 

The two coins the widow dropped in the collection box were lepta. Two of them equaled one quadrans. One quadrans equaled 1/64th of a daily wage. So, if she'd 128 lepta, she would have had equal to a day's wage. She had only two. It was all she had and she gave it all. That's 100%.

In today's time, for a little perspective, multiply your hourly wage by 8 (or 10, depending on how many hours per day) and divide by 64.  That's all you have. What would you do with it? Selah...

When it comes to money, God doesn't require 100%. He calls for a tithe - 10%. However, when He calls for your heart, He wants it all. 

Prayer:

Father, 

          We want to be cheerful givers in every way. We want to love You with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength, and we want to love our neighbors as ourselves. Teach us to love, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Comforting Thought

He [God] comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 
2nd Corinthians 1:4 NLT

Short and to the point. This is not a ministry of apologetics. I am a firm believer that God does not need nor does He want anyone to apologize for anything He does or anything He allows to touch our lives. 

I most definitely believe that God can and will use everything that happens to us - good or bad - to create and/or strengthen Christ-like character in us... IF we allow Him to work in us. IF we choose to forgive. IF we choose the counsel of His Word over what we want to do in the flesh. 

You've been through a bad time? Did God get you through? Share it! You've been an addict and God delivered you? Share it! You've been abused? Molested? Held captive - literally or spiritually? Lost it all? God healed you and set you free?!? Share it! Or maybe you didn't get healed, but God has given you the grace to walk through it. I can't list everything here - but you get the picture.

God has comforted you and now you are to comfort others with the comfort He gave you!

And if you are NOW going through these things - I can put you in touch with people who have a testimony - those who know the way God will get you through because He did it for them! And I guarantee He will do it for you. That should be a comforting thought!

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for always sending someone to light our way with the oil of Your grace and to lighten our load with the comfort of Your Word for us and to us. Thank You, Father, for loving us beyond our expectation and even our ability to comprehend the depth of it. Thank You for every hard place we've ever been in that worked a measure of compassion and grace in us to be able to comfort others. Open our eyes to the opportunities around us to share those comforts to hurting hearts and souls in our sphere of influence and beyond. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* First Things First

Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers.

Mark 2:8-12a NLT

I am always amazed at the heart of Jesus - moved with such great compassion that Scripture tells us He healed all their sicknesses and disease. But in most of those instances of one-on-one healing miracles, forgiveness was His number one priority, THEN He healed them. Think about it. Which is the greater miracle?

When people are sick - Christian or not - they want to be made well. When someone is seriously sick, it is an opportunity to minister to the whole person - body, soul and spirit. Jesus knew it. He did it. And we are to follow His example. Ask them if they want you to pray for them. If they say yes, then ask if they want to pray now. Some will say no, but most will say yes. 

First things first. Don't preach at them. Pray WITH them. Plant the seed. Someone else will water. God will give the increase. 

Father,

           Thank You that we can come to You and ask for healing. We know Jesus made provision for our healing when He was beaten before He was crucified. And we know that He was crucified to pay for our sins so that we could be forgiven. Father, we ask You to do both. Forgive us for our sins against You and heal all our diseases. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Bodacious

Then they reached Jericho, and as Jesus and his disciples left town, a large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus (son of Timaeus) was sitting beside the road. When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Be quiet!” many of the people yelled at him.

But he only shouted louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

When Jesus heard him, he stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man. “Cheer up,” they said. “Come on, he’s calling you!”

Bartimaeus threw aside his coat, jumped up, and came to Jesus.

“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

Mark 10:46-51 NLT

This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I love the audacity of Bartimaeus. He shouts for Jesus, and when the crowd tries to stop him, he shouts louder, "JESUS!" Then he throws off his coat - his beggar rags - and comes to Jesus. He went from blind beggar to Bodacious Bartimaeus! Mercy AND healing!! Don't you love that?!? 

It's symbolic of our own experience. We walk around blind to the goodness and holiness of God, then we call out to Jesus - and we have our first choice. When the world tries to shout us down, do we give up or go on? If we shout the louder and get His attention, will we leave our rags behind - everything we've ever known - to get up and go on with Him? And if we get up, do we have an answer for His question - “What do you want me to do for you?”  

How bodacious are you?

Prayer:

Father,

          We want to see! Open our eyes to see what You have planned and purposed for our lives. Open our hearts to embrace all that You have planned. Cause us to be bodacious!! We want to see You, Father. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* All of It

And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar's.” Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him.
Mark 12:16-17 ESV

Many are the discussions I have heard centered around this text - especially those who are passionate about taxes! However, that's not what leapt out at me on this verse today. 

Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”  How did they know what belonged to Caesar - what they were to give to him? They knew by the likeness and inscription on the coin.

By the same token then, how do we know what is God's? Exodus 19:5, God speaks to us, Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. In 1st Samuel 2:8c, it reads, For all the earth is the Lord’s, and he has set the world in order. 

Do we know? Is there an inscription? Yes, there is! In Hebrews 8:10, the writer reiterates the promise of God from the prophet Jeremiah, For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people... 

A little further down in our text for today, vvs 29-30, Jesus said this is the greatest commandment, 'The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ With everything - ALL - that we are! Have we rendered ourselves to God? ALL of it? 

Prayer:

Father,
          We are guilty of holding back and rendering unto ourselves what belongs only to You. Forgive us, O God! We don't want our love for You and our service to and for You to be only partially given. We want to love You as You demand - with ALL our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. Break off the blinders we have so willingly kept in place. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen