Posts (page 2)
A gift from the Word of God:
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, "King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If the God we serve is able to deliver us, then he will deliver us from the blazing furnace and from Your Majesty's hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"
They replied, "Certainly, Your Majesty."
25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."
Daniel 3:16-29
"God is attracted to weakness. He cannot resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need Him. Our weakness, in fact, makes room for His power. pg. 19 Fresh Wind Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala with Dean Merrill
My sister has been telling me about this book she read and was really touched by. She had the book for a year or so but had never read it. When she did read it, she told me some things about it and gave it to me the other day on her visit from the state she lives in.
As she was telling me about it, I realized it was the same guy we watched videos about on Wednesday nights at our church! I had missed the first several videos so I was excited to get the book and have been reading it on my air conditioned breaks ever since! I've needed it.
I've needed the reminder that PRAYER isn't just rumored to change everything, make all things possible in line with the Word of God and more but it DOES do those things.
It isn't about performing a certain way or praying in a particular flair but being real and seeking the King of Kings.
"If we call upon the LORD, He has promised in His Word to answer, to bring the unsaved to Himself, to pour out His Spirit among us. If we don't call upon the LORD, He has promised nothing --- nothing at all." pg. 27
Awesome stuff. Our God is an awesome God. . .
Love,
Sandy
For the fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. John 1:16
My sister and I have discussed, lately . . . the abundant life of a Christian.
We have struggled financially and in some other ways and there are times it seems we are under a yoke of it. Pressed down under the weight and prayers for help have started sounding monotonous to our own ears.
Reading His Word each day is our guide through this. Place after place after place reveals His faithfulness and fullness. He gives us from Himself and we all receive. . . grace upon grace. When we focus on the grace He gives. . . the lack we “see” fades in comparison.
Psalm 145:14 The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
Picturing what the above verse says blesses without measure. Most of us have fallen … into sin, out of money, into great need, into despair, onto the pavement of one pain or another.
The Lord upholds each and every one of us each and every time. He reaches down and He raises up. . . ALL THOSE who are bowed down.
It doesn’t say what kind of bowed down we have to be. . . just that He raises us UP.
His ways are so different than the world’s ways. He is the King above all Kings but He takes the time to lift our hearts, our bodies, our spirits . . . from the dusty and dirty places in this world and He lovingly lifts them up. Not as the world . . . it only reaches out to help to get something in return. Not with our Father.
But they will become his slaves so that they may learn the difference between My service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries. 2 Chronicles 12:8
Whatever the battle or battles may be. . . we are not standing alone with no help.
There is one place to safely trust getting help from. When we have no strength, no ideas left, no plan to prepare and no hope to be found: we have a God to trust in.
Then Asa called to the LORD his God, and said, “LORD, there is no one besides Thee to help in the battle between the powerful and those who have no strength; so help us, O LORD our God, for we trust in Thee, and in Thy name have come against this multitude, O LORD, Thou art our God; let not man prevail against Thee.” 2 Chronicles 14:11
It dawned on me throughout today’s Bible reading that truths I have learned before still hold true. Just like God never changes. . . His instructions to us don’t waver. We keep on keeping on and we walk and work in the Name of the Lord . . . and He Himself will reward us.
Be strong today, dear Sister. Do not lose courage. . . Your Lord holds you in the palm of His hand and He will be faithful in helping you.
“And nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God troubled them with every kind of distress. “But you, be strong and do not lose courage, for there is reward for your work.” 2 Chronicles 15:6-7
Love,
Sandy
photo from: www.allposters.com
"Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail. . .
Standing on the promises of God. "
R. Kelso Carter
This world is going to knock us down and one day . . . we will notice it getting harder to get back up.
One day, it will be similar to an experience I had at the beach two months or so ago. My at the time almost 15 year old daughter and I were in the ocean on a day with some fabulous waves. We let them hit and carry us a bit and we'd venture a bit farther out as they did. At one point, a pretty intense wave swelled and rose before slamming me flat. I started to get up when another one came like a puppy with built up energy and knocked me back down the few inches I had gotten up. This got worse when I started laughing and all of my energy was spent in that so I was too weak to get up with waves coming in so fast. This went on for a good bit of time.
It took my daughter and I both working to finally, finally get me from the sand abuse on the bottom to stand upright in that water again.
The point is... the waves were coming whether I was ready or not. I didn't have the strength on my own to stand strong when they came in.
Things get that way in our lives. We need something stronger than the storms to lift us and help us stand.
There is only ONE promise made good in times like these. The promise of a Savior Who stilled the sea with a mere command. His Word is our way of drinking Him in and it will guide us through.
Standing on HIS promises. . .
I loved this song and the video until the very last of it played and it said something about a life she is willing to leave. Oh, well... the rest of it was fabulous and I'll just pretend the other isn't there. Smiles...
Lord Jesus, we come to Thee now as little children. Dress us again in clean pinafores; make us tidy once more with the tidiness of true remorse and confession. Oh, wash our hearts, that they may be clean again. Make us to know the strengthening joys of the Spirit, and the newness of life which only Thou can give.
Amen.
Peter Marshall
I took a late night shower and used lavender scented wash cloth and towel when I did. This was wonderful!
It was nothing amazing --- I just dropped a couple drops of lavender essential oil on each and used them as usual but the fragrance changed routine to lovely. I kept the towel wrapped around my head as long as I could:)
My hair is soft from a fresh washing and conditioning and my skin smells and feels so clean from my favorite soap: Kirk's Castile Bar.
I am tired and haven't had time on here for much writing but it is quiet all through the house so I dug this typing up as one would dig sand with a scoop shaped seashell. Softly and sifting. . .
The tiny writing I shared at the top of this reminds me to make sure my inner woman is washed clean. Free of the debris of sin and shame. The Shower of the Spirit is sacred and sanctifies from the inside out.
We are blessed!
Here it is, CWTR Ladies and all!
When the schooner came into sight, the nerves in my fingertips tingled. What I was about to attempt was a daring feat. I knew the dangers, but this was my only chance to get back to who I used to be. . . and merge that girl with who I wanted to become.
I dove in.
The water was cold and I felt excitement shoot through my entire body as I furiously swam away from one world, towards another.
It hadn’t been easy to plan.
When the idea first started forming, I had little knowledge of boats and their place in the water other than the ability they had to float.
I started researching until I settled on something with sails after reading an info sheet on yachts. There were guided rides and one headed back inward after midnight. I needed it to be dark.
Pushing myself as hard as I ever had, I furiously swam and prayed to stay on course. It would take a miracle to get to the little hut on the hill before being discovered.
I was scared … to the point of being terrified but I fought panic. I used the fear to fuel the magnificent adrenaline racing through me.
My biggest scare had been what was living, swimming, and lurking in the depths of endless waves. Mainly, sharks and the life long fear of them. It was the hardest hurdle I had come up against and I had known all along it would taunt me most when the time came.
I fought down the feeling that one of the fearsome creatures was stealthily swimming behind, under, or anywhere near me. I grappled to stay composed, purposing and trying to keep my strokes smooth.
Using the breast stroke, my arms and legs finally stopped burning and seemed to follow my sight and sense of direction. Thoughts of right before I made my break entered my solitary swim away. . .
The person I portrayed on the 75-foot sailing vessel blended into the crowd. I made her that way to not be noticed. It was amazing how easy it was to be invisible, especially after so long of it not being found where ever I went. .
I swam through thoughts of the past and took huge breaths of air every time my head rose above the water. There would be time for reflecting once I was on the plane to Montana.
I kept swimming and wondered how long I had been in the water. My destination had to be coming soon because I was getting tired. The practice swims had grown closer and closer to the distance I strove for and the last one… I made it the whole way without stopping.
Something brushed against my thigh and swooshed down my leg. I drove myself on and out of a scream and didn’t look back. Whatever it was would either keep moving away or it would come my way but I could not stop to find out.
I felt the surge of a wave behind me and let it wash me closer. It was only a matter of minutes now. Wave after wave came and seemed to take a turn helping me out of the sea and I felt sand. When the water was down to my knees, I gave a good look around and ran. I ran as fast as I could in water and did okay on the wet sand. When I hit the dry sand before the hill, my entire body struggled to keep moving ahead. Reaching the bottom of the hill was like finding home after being lost in a storm. I scrambled up it and symmetrically grabbed the sturdy roots and twisted branches until I was in the sloped yard holding up a small and fixed up “shanty”.
I was still so wet my long hair was sticking to my face and had to be hurriedly pushed away from my eyes. My shaking hand found the key between a window’s glass and white wood.
A light switch by the door almost got flipped on but my hand stopped and I tore my clothes off in a mad rush. . .
www.christianwomentakeroot.com
