i know i shouldn't be, but once again, i've been surprised at how prayer will open doors. not just my going to God, but with the company of others. i have been praying about it myself for sometime, yet after sharing my burden with a few friends i feel the Lord answering, blessing me in this trial. how wonderful to know that our Father hears us!
at our church in Henderson NV, we often sang a hymn with the chorus... "we should ask, and seek, keep knocking at the door at Jesus feet. we have not our needs because we do not lean on Jesus." a good reminder to continually lift up our requests. to go to God over and over and over.
i feel like that song is a reflection of Matt 7:7-8
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
and look at Luke 18:1-8
1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
to have others praying for you is such a blessing! yes, i think there is a time and a place to share prayer requests and also it is wise to take into account your company when you share these petitions. but oh, how great the result can be when another is lifting you up to the Lord!
and i want to be that blessing to my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. i want them to feel the Lord answering their requests because i took the time to lift them up and petition the Father. for me to go knocking on their account and both of us to be blessed by drawing near to our Savior.
Psalm 145:18
"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth."
Showing posts with label praise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label praise. Show all posts
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Psalm 71:8
"My mouth is filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all day long."
if my mouth is full of this all day long, then everything I say either needs to be in line with that or there is no room for it.
James 3:8-12
"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce olives? Nor can salt water produce fresh."
even in the same chapter, the author repeats this thought of praising God.
vs. 14 & 15
"But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them."
vs. 23 & 24
"My lips will shout for joy when i sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;"
Even look back to some of the commandments given to the Children of Isreal.
Duet 6:6-9
"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to you sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on you hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
not saying that we need to be like the Pharisee's who would liturally put little boxes of scripture on their foreheads to appear holy. but do people hear you praise the Lord? the praise of our God, the Word of the Lord, should be so much on our mind that it's always coming out of our mouth.
Even Isaac's Bible verse for church reflects this.
Psalm 104:33
"I will sing to the Lord all my life..."
think about what comes out of your mouth. focus on not just cutting out the bad things, but even the neutral things that don't line up with these verses. i was convicted today about telling Christian to "take a chill pill." not bad, but the attitude behind it is sassy and irritated and not God honoring. that is a personal conviction. it is all between you and God what you do and don't say. but maybe, we need to take it a step farther than we did in the past. maybe, we need to demand more this day. maybe, we need to require a higher standard, so that we might honor God more today than we did yesterday. that is the goal... right?
And with Your glory all day long."
if my mouth is full of this all day long, then everything I say either needs to be in line with that or there is no room for it.
James 3:8-12
"But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison.
With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God;
from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?
Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce olives? Nor can salt water produce fresh."
even in the same chapter, the author repeats this thought of praising God.
vs. 14 & 15
"But as for me, I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And of Your salvation all day long;
For I do not know the sum of them."
vs. 23 & 24
"My lips will shout for joy when i sing praises to You;
And my soul, which You have redeemed.
My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long;"
Even look back to some of the commandments given to the Children of Isreal.
Duet 6:6-9
"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to you sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
You shall bind them as a sign on you hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
not saying that we need to be like the Pharisee's who would liturally put little boxes of scripture on their foreheads to appear holy. but do people hear you praise the Lord? the praise of our God, the Word of the Lord, should be so much on our mind that it's always coming out of our mouth.
Even Isaac's Bible verse for church reflects this.
Psalm 104:33
"I will sing to the Lord all my life..."
think about what comes out of your mouth. focus on not just cutting out the bad things, but even the neutral things that don't line up with these verses. i was convicted today about telling Christian to "take a chill pill." not bad, but the attitude behind it is sassy and irritated and not God honoring. that is a personal conviction. it is all between you and God what you do and don't say. but maybe, we need to take it a step farther than we did in the past. maybe, we need to demand more this day. maybe, we need to require a higher standard, so that we might honor God more today than we did yesterday. that is the goal... right?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
confessions of a floundering mama...
let me offer these words of comfort for any other mommies who feel like their house is eating them alive, like they are failing at training up their children, and have nothing left to give their husbands at the end of the day...
... i only managed to get 7 pictures this christmas. i am in none of them (which i am ok with being in pictures, it just didn't happen). the lighting stinks, the angles are funny, and there are none remotely nice enough to even post on facebook.
Christmas is a time to remember the birth of my Savior.
... this is what my kitchen table has looked like for the past 6 days. my husband smiles and deals with it graciously, but will be appalled when he finds that i have posted this for the world to see. but other mommies need to know, we all have these times. and it's ok.
Jesus has still covered me with His blood and washed me white as snow.
... i got claustrophobic today when Christian was climbing on my lap. i had to set him down and find my own seat. he gave me a look like he thought i was crazy. i probably am.
Blessed be our Lord who holds us close and never let's go.
... Isaac is watching his new curious george movie for the 2nd time today. he didn't take an afternoon nap so this evening will be ruff.
Praise the Lord for He is Good! ... and p.t.L. for dvd's.
the point is not that i'm making a list of excuses for bad behavior. on the contrary. i try to work hard within my home for the glory of God, for the honor of my husband, and for the good of my sons. but sometimes things can become a bit very overwhelming. and whether my home is spotless or not, God is still God!
my family can function in a messy house for a couple weeks if the need is there. they cannot deal with a mama who is have a mental breakdown. it just doesn't work.
so here are a couple suggestions to try and help save mamma's sanity...
... do something with your kids that will make you all laugh. sit down and watch a kids movie, or have a game of tag around the piles of laundry.
Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones."
... throw half of the toys in a box, seal it & throw it in a storage place for a while. if your kids are little, they won't even notice and less stuff means less to clean up later. (plus, when you get it out again it will be new and exciting toys for free!)
... mix 1/4 white sugar with a tablespoon or 2 of lemon juice and a tiny bit of water by shaking it all up in a little container. use it right away as an amazing body scrub that is super refreshing and CHEAP! (note: you will not be sticky as all the sugar rinses clean in the shower. trust me, this is a favorite of mine.)
... sing something! children love to sing and mine love to dance. they don't care what you sing or how it sounds. plus, i heard that singing releases endorphins (those are the happy hormones in your body).
... before bed, read some chapters from the Song of Solomon, pray, brush your hair, and put on some pretty pj's. i don't want to embarrass anyone, but, a husband who is satisfied is more understanding and patient with all the stuff around the house.
... i only managed to get 7 pictures this christmas. i am in none of them (which i am ok with being in pictures, it just didn't happen). the lighting stinks, the angles are funny, and there are none remotely nice enough to even post on facebook.
Christmas is a time to remember the birth of my Savior.
Jesus has still covered me with His blood and washed me white as snow.
... i got claustrophobic today when Christian was climbing on my lap. i had to set him down and find my own seat. he gave me a look like he thought i was crazy. i probably am.
Blessed be our Lord who holds us close and never let's go.
... Isaac is watching his new curious george movie for the 2nd time today. he didn't take an afternoon nap so this evening will be ruff.
Praise the Lord for He is Good! ... and p.t.L. for dvd's.
the point is not that i'm making a list of excuses for bad behavior. on the contrary. i try to work hard within my home for the glory of God, for the honor of my husband, and for the good of my sons. but sometimes things can become a bit very overwhelming. and whether my home is spotless or not, God is still God!
my family can function in a messy house for a couple weeks if the need is there. they cannot deal with a mama who is have a mental breakdown. it just doesn't work.
so here are a couple suggestions to try and help save mamma's sanity...
... do something with your kids that will make you all laugh. sit down and watch a kids movie, or have a game of tag around the piles of laundry.
Proverbs 17:22 "A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones."
... throw half of the toys in a box, seal it & throw it in a storage place for a while. if your kids are little, they won't even notice and less stuff means less to clean up later. (plus, when you get it out again it will be new and exciting toys for free!)
... mix 1/4 white sugar with a tablespoon or 2 of lemon juice and a tiny bit of water by shaking it all up in a little container. use it right away as an amazing body scrub that is super refreshing and CHEAP! (note: you will not be sticky as all the sugar rinses clean in the shower. trust me, this is a favorite of mine.)
... sing something! children love to sing and mine love to dance. they don't care what you sing or how it sounds. plus, i heard that singing releases endorphins (those are the happy hormones in your body).
... before bed, read some chapters from the Song of Solomon, pray, brush your hair, and put on some pretty pj's. i don't want to embarrass anyone, but, a husband who is satisfied is more understanding and patient with all the stuff around the house.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
fears...
What are your fears? Dark alleys at night? heights? ok, but think a little deeper. are you fearful of financial hardship? family turmoil? false rumors/ruined reputation? think about the things that make you lose sleep. you know, the things that make you argue with yourself when no one else is around. the events and happenings that cause tears.
take a minute and write some of the big ones down. maybe a few of the little ones too. they are all fears and we are going to talk about dealing with them biblically, but before we start i want you to have a hard copy in front of you.
got it? really? did you actually write them down or are you just ignoring me? remember, answer honestly.
ok.
look at Psalm 56:3-4
"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise, In God I will put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"
there are 3 things i really want us to draw from these verses in relation to dealing with our fears. 1) an active purpose, 2) the order, 3) thank God.
1) an active purpose
Whenever i read these verses i think of the song that i knew as a child with the same words. well, almost. the difference being "i will put my trust in You." do to the melody they picked, they left out the word "put" and i think that word is very important. so let me start there.
"put" is a very simple word that even the smallest child knows. "put that back" "put your shoes on" "put your book away." it involves action. really doing something. not just thinking about it. there is movement and purpose behind that word. so when i apply that to this verse it strikes me that i must actively purpose to put my trust in God.
while our God is omnipotent, and His will is the final word on everything, He is no dictator. He will not pry our fears out of our clenched hands. He doesn't demand that you fork them over. no, He waits for us to give them over to Him. and putting something in God's hands is not a long drawn out process of labor and learning how. you simply put it there and (as long as you don't snatch it back so that you can worry about it some more) it's done. God has it and He will take care of it.
is there a reason that you hesitate to put it with God? do you really think that you can handle them better? do you think that He won't take care of them? that He won't take care of you? these seem to be fairly rhetorical questions, but if we really are honest, a lot of us still struggle with just giving it to God and leaving it there.
Psalm 55:22
"Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
what about when i have given it to the Lord one day, and the next day i break down and grab it back? when i was at peace about it for a whole week and then couldn't sleep last night because it consumed me again?
don't fret about it. our God is one of infinite patience and mercy. He wants what is best for us. and while He does allow us to feel the affects of our sinful choices, He will never show us attitude because we messed up. remember the prodigal son? if we have trusted in the sacrifice of His Son for atonement of our sins, we are His child. adopted into the family of God. He's not going to tisk His tongue at us because we gave into fear about something we had previously given to Him.
So don't feel bad, don't hide from Him, just put it with God & trust that He will most wisely deal with it.
2) the order
see the difference of wording in verse 3&4? look at that difference and the contrast is creates. it's beautiful!
"When i am afraid, I will put my trust in You."
In verse 3, fear comes first and they use the word "when".
"In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid."
But in verse 4, the "put" comes first and now it's a "shall not".
when fears come into your life, you don't have to live with them. You can take them to God and, as we've already talked about, He will take care of them. But if you prepare, when you work to trust in God first, while the road is smooth and things are fairly easy, then when things get hard and all those things on your list come into your life, you shall not be afraid.
do you remember the verse i mentioned on Tuesday?
Hebrews 4:16
"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
when we are drawing near daily, reading the Word and in prayer with the Lord, then when all the crud comes into your life, or the life of someone you know, you will be prepared with the scriptures you need and the wisdom to apply them.
i know the order of things doesn't sound easy. but if God says it, i believe it! if i trust Him first thing, then i won't even have to fear. i hope i remember that with the same confidence in the next valley of trials in my life...
3) thank God
smooshed right in the middle of all that is a little comment that we might miss. "In God, whose word i praise," we often use praise to describe the worship and joyful adoration we give Him. we praise the Lord for answered prayers. we praise Him in song and even sometimes in dance (gasp! lol!). there is often joy when we praise our Maker. but it isn't limited to that. so many of the Psalms speak of praising the Lord, even when the writer is grieved and in sorrow.
so in the midst of our fear, yes, right in the middle, in of the thick of it, just like it's right in the middle of all the talk about fears, we can praise God. we can have joy and happiness because of His Word and the promises there found. or we can adore Him while in mourning. we can thank Him for His love and compassion even in the hard times.
But we do not have to live with these fears. you can pray down your list, asking Him to deal with these fears as He sees fit. you might still have to live with the difficulty. Your family may still be in turmoil or there may still be less money than bills. but my God is bigger than money, and He is closer than a brother and loves me more than even my father or my husband. so to quote the '90's cliche...
No fear!
take a minute and write some of the big ones down. maybe a few of the little ones too. they are all fears and we are going to talk about dealing with them biblically, but before we start i want you to have a hard copy in front of you.
got it? really? did you actually write them down or are you just ignoring me? remember, answer honestly.
ok.
look at Psalm 56:3-4
"When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise, In God I will put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?"
there are 3 things i really want us to draw from these verses in relation to dealing with our fears. 1) an active purpose, 2) the order, 3) thank God.
1) an active purpose
Whenever i read these verses i think of the song that i knew as a child with the same words. well, almost. the difference being "i will put my trust in You." do to the melody they picked, they left out the word "put" and i think that word is very important. so let me start there.
"put" is a very simple word that even the smallest child knows. "put that back" "put your shoes on" "put your book away." it involves action. really doing something. not just thinking about it. there is movement and purpose behind that word. so when i apply that to this verse it strikes me that i must actively purpose to put my trust in God.
while our God is omnipotent, and His will is the final word on everything, He is no dictator. He will not pry our fears out of our clenched hands. He doesn't demand that you fork them over. no, He waits for us to give them over to Him. and putting something in God's hands is not a long drawn out process of labor and learning how. you simply put it there and (as long as you don't snatch it back so that you can worry about it some more) it's done. God has it and He will take care of it.
is there a reason that you hesitate to put it with God? do you really think that you can handle them better? do you think that He won't take care of them? that He won't take care of you? these seem to be fairly rhetorical questions, but if we really are honest, a lot of us still struggle with just giving it to God and leaving it there.
Psalm 55:22
"Cast your burdens upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken."
what about when i have given it to the Lord one day, and the next day i break down and grab it back? when i was at peace about it for a whole week and then couldn't sleep last night because it consumed me again?
don't fret about it. our God is one of infinite patience and mercy. He wants what is best for us. and while He does allow us to feel the affects of our sinful choices, He will never show us attitude because we messed up. remember the prodigal son? if we have trusted in the sacrifice of His Son for atonement of our sins, we are His child. adopted into the family of God. He's not going to tisk His tongue at us because we gave into fear about something we had previously given to Him.
So don't feel bad, don't hide from Him, just put it with God & trust that He will most wisely deal with it.
2) the order
see the difference of wording in verse 3&4? look at that difference and the contrast is creates. it's beautiful!
"When i am afraid, I will put my trust in You."
In verse 3, fear comes first and they use the word "when".
"In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid."
But in verse 4, the "put" comes first and now it's a "shall not".
when fears come into your life, you don't have to live with them. You can take them to God and, as we've already talked about, He will take care of them. But if you prepare, when you work to trust in God first, while the road is smooth and things are fairly easy, then when things get hard and all those things on your list come into your life, you shall not be afraid.
do you remember the verse i mentioned on Tuesday?
Hebrews 4:16
"Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
when we are drawing near daily, reading the Word and in prayer with the Lord, then when all the crud comes into your life, or the life of someone you know, you will be prepared with the scriptures you need and the wisdom to apply them.
i know the order of things doesn't sound easy. but if God says it, i believe it! if i trust Him first thing, then i won't even have to fear. i hope i remember that with the same confidence in the next valley of trials in my life...
3) thank God
smooshed right in the middle of all that is a little comment that we might miss. "In God, whose word i praise," we often use praise to describe the worship and joyful adoration we give Him. we praise the Lord for answered prayers. we praise Him in song and even sometimes in dance (gasp! lol!). there is often joy when we praise our Maker. but it isn't limited to that. so many of the Psalms speak of praising the Lord, even when the writer is grieved and in sorrow.
so in the midst of our fear, yes, right in the middle, in of the thick of it, just like it's right in the middle of all the talk about fears, we can praise God. we can have joy and happiness because of His Word and the promises there found. or we can adore Him while in mourning. we can thank Him for His love and compassion even in the hard times.
But we do not have to live with these fears. you can pray down your list, asking Him to deal with these fears as He sees fit. you might still have to live with the difficulty. Your family may still be in turmoil or there may still be less money than bills. but my God is bigger than money, and He is closer than a brother and loves me more than even my father or my husband. so to quote the '90's cliche...
No fear!
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