Renewed Strength

Are you worn out and just plain ole tired from all the Christmas festivities? Do you sometimes suffer from an emptiness that you just can't explain? Even believers go through times like this, and God has a thing or two to say about this, and I pray this passage will encourage and strengthen you.
Today's passage comes from Isaiah 41: 28 - 31
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and will not faint".

We all have those times when we run out of steam, and it always happens when we try to get through the day on our own instead of relying on God's strength to carry us. I've found that if I give him the first part of my morning, He is faithful to walk right beside me through the day and make it a day of purpose.
With this coming new year, I pray that you and I both will put God as our first priority, and that we'll seek a deeper relationship with Him.
Blessings,
Janelle

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Yesterday I got to go out "junkin" - thrift store and estate sale shopping - and I was fortunate to find a few old Baptist hymnals. I just had to get them, because they brought back such memories from my childhood, and always having those at our piano at home. I used to memorize what page numbers my favorite songs were on.
Today I wanted to share the lyrics to the song, "Great is Thy Faithfulness"; a favorite of mine, and in times like we're facing, a good reminder that God is faithful, no matter what circumstances or situations we find ourselves in.
"Great is they faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not;
As Thou has been
Thou forever wilt be
CHORUS
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see
ALL I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is they faithfulness, O Lord to me
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love
CHORUS
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see
ALL I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is they faithfulness, O Lord to me
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
CHORUS
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning, new mercies I see
ALL I have needed, Thy hand hath provided
Great is they faithfulness, O Lord to me

With the economy of the world in a tailspin, and wars and violence all around, Satan wants to keep us all in fear as to what is going to happen to us.
BUT the Lord says that His faithfulness will get us through and bring us to a place of peace.

I pray that you will put your trust in God's faithfulness today.

Janelle

Temptation

Have you ever said something to the affect of, "God is tempting me"? This passage in James 1 tells us that's not possible.
James 1: 13 - 15 says,"When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me'. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each one is temptd when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has convceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death".
The Greek word for 'tempted' here means, "to solicit evil", and God is not capable of that. Satan knows our weak areas, and uses those against us to entice us into things that are sinful. To be tempted is not the sin, but to be "dragged away" and follow through with the temptation IS.
God is always present - he will always make a way out of the temptations that come at us all on a daily basis.
For those who are not believers, but live a life of continual sin, face death - spiritual death, or eternal separation from God.
God does allow trials to come our way, as we saw in the previous verses in James 1, but in those trials, there is no temptation to sin. The trials we face are to strengthen us spiritually, and make us more mature and effective in our Christian witness to others.
May your day be filled with the goodness of the Lord, and as it says in Ephesians 6:10 - 11, "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms".

Janelle

Psalms Alive

In the early 1980's I came across this album in the library at the church, and borrowed it to take home to listen to. It was called, "Psalms Alive. It was absolutely beautiful, and the presence of peace it brought into my home was astounding! My kids were little toddlers then, and they heard it so much, they had many of the songs memorized.
Today in my reading, I came across a Psalm where I had noted that it was from that album. I'm reading from Psalm 143.
This morning I'm battling a horrid sinus and ear infection, and just need the peace of the Lord, and to lean on Him for some rest, and this Psalm spoke to my heart about how God is always here to give us just that.
In verses 6 - 8 it says, "I spread out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul".
I'm putting my trust in Him today that this morning, this word of his unfailing love will be my strength for the day. If you need someone to hold you up today, go to the Lord - read aloud this Psalm to him - I promise he will meet you where you are and lift up your soul.

Have a blessed day!
Janelle

Faithfulness

Sometimes God allows us to go through things to get our attention and bring us back to our knees in need of Him. I hope today's blog will speak to your heart about the faithfulness of Our Father in Heaven.
There was a song released a couple of years ago by the group Casting Crowns called "I'll Praise You in This Storm". At the time of it's release, I had a dream that I was in a terrible storm - it felt SO real when I woke up, and I remember telling Bill about it. Several days later, I got back to work after lunch and was told I was no longer needed. There were other things going on in my life at the time, and it was like I was right back in that dream. I feel the Lord gave me that dream kind of as a warning of things to come in my life, and that He knew I would have to cry out to him for help. I felt alone and scared, and wanted to know if God heard my cries, so I cried out to God to speak to me. I was driving to various places to put in resumes, and I heard this song on the radio - I had to pull over and listen to it, sobbing the entire time. It spoke directly to my heart and gave me his peace and comfort. Amazing how he can use so many different things to reach us.
That song was taken from scripture, and that's where I'm taking the passage from today. Psalm 121:1 - 2.
"I lift my eyes up to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber; Indeed he who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is the shade at your right hand. The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forever more".
This Psalm reminds us that no matter where we are, or what we are faced with - all the "storms" of life that seem to have us caught up in a whirlwind - God is with us - he is watching over us and will protect us and help us get through.
Below are the words to the song that was taken from this Psalm. It sure did give me strength and courage to face all I was going through, and every time I hear it now, it is a reminder of God's faithfulness.
Praise You in This Storm
words by Mark Hall/music by Mark Hall and Bernie Herms
I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.
Chorus: And I'll praise you in this storm and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone
how can I carry on if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away
Chorus
I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
Chorus

Whatever you're going through today, God is right here - there's nothing impossible with him, and he's just waiting for you to cry out to him in your "storm". Just as he was in the boat with the disciples out on the middle of a lake when a severe storm suddenly came up and with a word, he calmed the storm, so will he be with you.
Have a wonderful Saturday, and remember to tell all the "moms" in your life, "Happy Mother's Day".

Janelle

Giving Thanks

Today is a very emotional day for me, as it is my last day at my job. I have made many friends there, and it will be hard to say goodbye to them.
It was a decision that I had to seek the Lord on, and I feel that I'm doing his will in my life for the present time.
Now, the verse for today, that I plan to put into action as best I can is I Thessalonians 5:16 - 17
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks IN all things and circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus".
To pray continually translates in the orginal Greek text to mean "like a hacking cough"....we all know what it's like to have a tickle in our throat and not be able to suppress it. That is what our prayer life should be like. There are times when we should be in our "prayer closet" and get face to face with God, and he's also saying that we can and should come to him continually - while going about our daily business. He is available to us no matter where we are or what we're doing, and wants us to just talk to him and ask him for his wisdom and direction, his comfort and peace, ANYTHING that we need.
The phrase that is hard for most of us to practice is where it says, "give thanks IN all things and circumstances". He doesn't say give thanks FOR all things, he says IN all things. Our circumstances might not be pleasant at times, but if we give thanks to the Lord no matter what the circumstances are, He says that is his will for us in Christ Jesus, and will receive our thank offerings and bless us for taking the matter to him in faith and trust.
I thank the Good Lord for providing me with the job I've had for the last couple of years, and I thank him for the friends I've made, and how they have been such a huge part of my life. I thank him for the new opportunity he's giving to me, and today - I will be going to him on a constant basis, because I know it will be a day of tears and goodbyes, and will need his strength to get me through.

Janelle

Keeping Watch

Today's passage from proverbs is taken from verses 20 - 23. It speaks of the vital importance of keeping God's Word active in our lives, and in our hearts.
"My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart, for they are LIFE to those who find them, and HEALTH to a man's whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life".

Let's break down some of the key words here -

BODY - The Hebrew word for this is "basar", which means: the pudenda of a man- the body; the flesh and the skin. It also means to be full, to announce good news, to be a messenger.
God is saying that His Word brings us life and health - this isn't just our physical life or health, but also our spiritual life and health, and when we have those in line with his Word, it gives us the strength in our physical body to be able to go out and be a messenger of good news. Even if one is sick, God will enable them with HIS strength to go out and be a messenger of the Gospel.
I saw this in my own life when my Mother in Law was suffering with cancer. That is when she turned her life over to Jesus, and although she was gravely sick - she was able to lean on God for strength and became a very strong witness to His love and grace, and brought others to know Him. She was able to use her sickness to reach out to others who were suffering and her life was FULL.

HEART - again, I go to the Hebrew to get the full meaning of this word, and it refers to the heart as the mind or inner being. God is saying that THIS is the most important thing to guard, for God's Word can and will change our way of thinking (our minds) and change our heart(our inner being) to place of health - calmness and peace of mind.

WELLSPRING OF LIFE - this refers to our spiritual vitality.

No matter what you are faced with today, turn to God's Word. Ask Him to speak to you, and to lead you to places in His Word to give you the answers you're looking for. Keep his words in your heart, and when you are faced with difficulties, His Holy Spirit will bring those words to your mind and strengthen you.

Have a very blessed Sunday!
Janelle

Coping

Today in my morning devotionals, I read Psalm 116, and in my Bible, I have notes and dates of when the Lord has spoken to me about certain passages.
This particular Psalm speaks about how when one is in distress, the Lord is there for us.
My daddy died on March 15, 1984, and on that day, part of me died too. I was in more emotional pain and distress than I've ever faced up to this point in my life. I went into severe depression and was angry at God for taking my daddy, then He spoke to me through His Word and his Peace enveloped me.
Verse 3 - 9 says, "The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: O Lord save me! The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The Lord protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living."
Down in verse 15 it says, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints".

This brought me so much comfort, and I know that we all face tragedies in our lives, and if we reach out to God in those times, he says that he is here for us, and he will pour out his compassion on us and renew our strength, that we may go on.
If there is something in your life that seems overwhelming; something that you think is unbearable, I encourage you to go to God's Word and get your strength and peace from him.
I close with this passage:
The Lord bless you and keep you
The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you
The Lord turn His face toward you and give you Peace
Numbers 6:24 - 26

Blessings to you today.
Janelle