He’s Got This
The rain continues to pour
As darkness claims the sky
But
I looked up
And saw through a crack in a cloud
That the sun is still near.
Hope rises.
By Martha L Shaw – © 2014
Category: Inspiration
Our Message Potpourri
You may wonder why there is such a diversity of subject matter on sharin’ His love. We are interested in understanding where Jesus lived, the pathways He walked, the message He taught. As we seek to know our Lord in a more personal way, any information about Him and His life is exciting.
Traveling to Israel, the homeland of Jesus, has always been a dream of mine. We share pictures and information about Israel for our own enjoyment and inspiration and hope it interests our readers, too.
Since messages of encouragement and inspiration are so helpful to us, we like sharing them with you.
Studying Prophecy has also been an interest of mine since I was a teenager. Many hundreds of prophecies in the Bible have already occurred. As we compare the prophecies in the Bible with daily news, we will see the importance of an ongoing study of what the prophets said so many years ago.
We hope you will enjoy sharin’ His love and be involved in our discussions.
Blessings,
Sharon & Erick
Sitting in Heavenly Places
Pondering, letting my thoughts go upward and all around me up to HIM, I constantly Sit in Heavenly Places. It’s joy unspeakable! ~ Sharon
Today I Rise
Toxic People
PRAYER CHANGES THINGS
Live Forgiven
Footprints (Revisited)
Untitled, allegory?
No Act of Kindness, No Matter How Small, Is Ever Wasted – Aesop | TheSeeds4Life.com
Out of Darkness
1 Peter 2:9 (WEB)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
Balloons – The Art Of Letting Go | Insidethelifeofmoi
Letting go… A good friend once told me, “Put it in a balloon and let it go”. She continued… “The balloon may float to the ceiling,
A good friend once told me, “Put it in a balloon and let it go”. She continued… “The balloon may float to the ceiling, the strings are there for you to grab… but for now, just let it go”. In the midst of my broken marriage, this was the best advice anyone could have given me. Prior to ‘letting go’, a dark cloud followed my every move. It leaked melancholy over our relationship and consequently, made things look bleaker than ever. My husband and I walked around with this heaviness in our hearts. Like a mouse chasing an endless maze, we could no longer see a way out. We were lost, confused and travelling down the same tracks we’d traveled before. There’s only so many times you can go over the same old territory. At some point, you need to find your way out and never look back. But how do we get out of this soul-destroying maze?
Letting go
The answer is really quite easy…You just need to ask yourself; how did I get into the maze in the first place? For me, it was a case of finding it difficult to let things go. During the bleak time in my marriage, mistakes were made on both sides. My husband was able to accept my faults, however, I couldn’t let go of those balloons. And so, the same broken record played on, and we kept on dancing our repetitive dance. We would talk about forgiveness. We drew lines in the sand. Only months, weeks, days down the line…the cork would go POP, and I would explode once again. Suddenly, that same tiresome tune began to play and we’d find ourselves dancing over the same tiresome terrain. But how long can we endure the same broken record? Surely there will come a time when the record becomes so exhausted, it gives up.
Some of us find it easy to let go of our balloons, others will be pulling the strings, too afraid to let them go. There are those types which I call the ‘whistling kettles’. Like a kettle, their problems boil up inside. To begin with, they can keep their bubbles under control. However, as time goes on, they start to boil up inside until the almighty whistle blows! As one can image, it’s not healthy to let things fester inside. It’s inevitable that at, some point, you’re going to boil over! And yet, so many of us fall into this category. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to deal with the problem before it escalates. If you can feel yourself slipping things under that rug…STOP! You have two choices; you can deal with the issue there and then, or you can collect up all of the negative energy, blow it into a balloon and let it go. As my friend wisely explained, you can pull the string down at another time, but for the sake of your sanity…just let it go!
There are also those types which I call the ‘bee-infested bonnet-wearers’. I hold my hands up, for I fall into this category of the ‘unforgiving’. For those of us who walk around with bees in our bonnet, we all know, the constant buzzing is enough to drive us insane…and yet we continue to wear our bonnets with pride. Whether it is hurt, anger or disappointment we are wearing on our hearts, there needs to come a time when we have to swallow our pride and let go of those negative feelings. Nothing good comes from lugging around a big rucksack of negativity…you can either; take a break from the bag you have been carrying for so long, or you can start rummaging – throwing out all of yesterday’s’ hurt – and find forgiveness. Once you have established a mutual forgiveness, it’s time to leave the empty bag and move on. Who needs an empty bag anyway?
Once you learn the art of letting-go, whether it’s sweeping under that rug or abandoning a rucksack on the side of the road…you will fall into the category I call the ‘balloon letter goers’. What a truly amazing place this is! One day, when I was feeling particularly angry and hurt, rather than doing something destructive, I reflected back on what my friend had told me. Later that day I bought a pack of balloons, I was debating whether to go for a pack of ten or twenty– I decided twenty would be adequate. I blew all my negativity into these balloons, sealed them closed and scribbled issues I needed to ‘let go’ over them. So there I was, surrounded by a bunch of colorful balloons, looking as though I had just raided a children’s birthday party. If anyone saw me, they’d think I had lost it!
Craziness aside, I wanted to pop all these balloons with a knife. For these balloons had caused me so much hurt. I wanted to destroy them all. Or did I? The truth was, I didn’t want to let them go. I wanted to surround myself with these balloons and wallow in hurt, anger and tears. However, I had come to the point in my life, when I knew very well that I couldn’t keep going on this way. Enough was enough. I tied strings onto those balloons, kicked open the back door and I let every one of those balloons go. I watched them disappear into the sky until they got sucked up into oblivion. It was at this point when I felt a weight had been lifted. I was free.
I’m not suggesting you go out and purchase 100 balloons. By all means, do this, if this is what you want to do! Alternatively, you can visualize blowing all of your pent up negativity or hurt into imaginary balloons and letting them go. You may decide to ‘let go’ in other ways – be it screaming your lungs out on top of a hill or burning the contents of your husband’s wardrobe on the bonfire (Um, that was just a joke – don’t do that!). Whatever you choose, the fact that you’re taking those steps in letting go, will enable you to move on with your life. It’s a truly beautiful thing when you wake up without that heaviness in your heart.
One of my favorite films to watch with my children is Disney Pixar’s ‘UP’. The bitter old man – who had sadly lost his wife – spent years in the same old house, looking at the same old walls. The world was moving on, but he stayed stagnant. One day he attached thousands of colorful balloons onto his house, and he floated into the sky. Unknown to himself, he was ‘letting go’. If he had stayed in the same place, dwelling over the negatives and unable to move forwards, he wouldn’t have experienced the happiness he gained later in the film!
It’s time to take off our bee-infested bonnets, it’s time to stop dancing that same old repetitive dance…
…It’s time to ‘let go’.
Source: Balloons – The Art Of Letting Go | Insidethelifeofmoi
Images courtesy of https://pixabay.com
Possibilities
Let Go
Freedom
To thine own self be true
Commitment
Living
Old life is ended
When We Meet Again
The fairies shall be our trail
The angels will write our tale
With their enchanted, golden pen
Whenever we may meet again
…
Memories of a million days
Will come back in many ways
Yet so little be spoken then
Whenever we may speak again
…
The distance of time and years
Will reflects in our tears
But not a single drop shall be wasted then
Until I’ve held you close again
…
Summers are long and old
Winters are lonely and cold
But the weather will be perfect then
Whenever we may meet again
…
Lost in love, we will stand
Once we hold each other’s hand
Violets will whisper in rhyme when
Ever we may speak again
…
It is dark and it is quiet
There is silence in the night
There will be no light in this den
Until I’ve laughed with you again
…
It will…
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You can rest in My love, for I have power to save you.
Zephaniah 3:17 KJV
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice
over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
I give life
Acts 17:24-25 KJV
24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Bible Verses About Antichrist
Bible verses related to Antichrist from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance
Revelation 13:1-18 – And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (Read More…)
2 John 1:7 – For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
1 John 2:22 – Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:3 – And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that…
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A Worthy Goal for Women
She is clothed in Strength and Dignity, and laughs without Fear of the Future –
Proverbs: 31.25
Love
Willing?
My race is Love!
Standing over the basin
Ive been washing my face in
Jet black mascara racing
Down my cheeks till I taste it
Staring at my reflection
Every slight imperfection
Staring back at me
Naked as a girl can be
In a society that features and emphasizes your looks, judge you by your race, it’s easy to let your feelings about looks overtake all other aspects of your self-esteem.
As I would see it, the most alluring individuals are the ones who realize that their physical appearance isn’t the most appealing thing about them. They have a specific sort of confidence, they’re normally more enjoyable to hang out with, and they’re the sort of individuals who are prepared to love you for your identity and not what you are.
Self-perception, body image is no light subject. There are individuals who are suffering legitimate illnesses, mental and physical, relating to how they…
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To one Jewish professor, Martin Luther King Jr. was a mensch
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marches with other civil rights leaders — from left, John Lewis, an unidentified nun, Ralph Abernathy, Martin Luther King Jr., Ralph Bunche, Heschel and Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth — from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, on March 21, 1965. Credit: Courtesy of Susannah Heschel
January 16, 2017 · 10:00 PM EST
By Lidia Jean Kott
Susannah Heschel was just a child in the spring of 1965, when her father left for Selma, Alabama, to march with those demanding that everyone be allowed to vote regardless of their skin color.
“He kissed me goodbye,” says Heschel. “And I remember thinking ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.’”
Just a few weeks earlier, many demonstrators had been brutally attacked by police officers on a day known as Bloody Sunday.
Heschel’s father returned safely. But the experience left an impression.
“My father came home feeling like it was a religious event,” says Heschel. “He said, ‘I felt my legs were praying.’”
To Heschel, and her family, the religious aspect of the Civil Rights Movement is an important part of the story, even if it’s not talked about as much.
That’s because Heschel is a professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College.
And her father, Abraham Joshua Heschel, was a rabbi.
Heschel’s father was born in Poland and lost several members of his family to the Holocaust. He was able to escape and come to the US, where he became an activist.
A calling, according to Heschel, with a lot of historical precedent.
“Jews came to the United States at the turn of the century from Russia, and there were Yiddish newspapers that would report in screaming headlines that there were Pogroms here in the United States. And what did they mean? Lynchings,” says Heschel. “Jews were outraged by that. How could that be? Russia is one thing but in the United States? So there is a long tradition of rabbi’s speaking out against segregation.’’
Heschel believes that, in part, the Civil Rights Movement became so powerful because everyone felt included, regardless of their religion.
“If you look at Dr. King’s major speeches, he doesn’t talk about Jesus, he doesn’t make this an exclusively Christian event,” says Heschel. “That openness, that embrace of Jews meant so much to my father.”
The night before he joined the march, Heschel’s father stayed in the same house as King and a few others. This house, which belonged to Sullivan and Richie Jean Sharrod Jackson, became an informal headquarters for activists.
Heschel later spoke to Richie Jean Sharrod Jackson about the night her father stayed there.
“Mrs. Jackson told me she got up in the morning and went into the living room, and there was Dr. King standing in one corner of the room saying his prayers, and my father was in another corner of the room saying his morning prayers, and there were a few others in the dining room praying,” says Heschel. “That to me is such a central concept of the Civil Rights Movement, coming together in that way, each one praying in their own faith tradition, in a different part of the house.”
Even as a kid, Heschel says that she felt herself to be surrounded by heroes. Heroes like her father, other friends and activisits, and King.
“He was always so gentle and kind and friendly to me,” says Heschel. “There were times at the end of lectures when I’m sure he was tired and just wanted to relax, and yet he was so generous and sweet.”
Now, says Heschel, she often goes back and listens to King’s speeches. Speeches that made her cry when she was younger.
She credits King with teaching her about “how to be a human being, how to be a mensch in the world,” and helping set her on her life’s path.
“I became a professor of religion because of him,” she says.
Note: “mensch” means “a person of integrity”.
Peace
Six reasons why we shouldn’t worry
1. It’s fruitless.
2. It’s disobedience.
3. It’s taking what is not yet given.
4. It’s refusing the given.
5. It is the antithesis of trust. If you trust, you can’t worry. If you worry, you can’t trust.
6. It is a wicked squandering of time and energy.
~ Elizabeth Elliott Quotes
DON’T STROLL THROUGH THE SWAMP
“You’re gonna regret it!” I waved away the warning without turning around. What was to regret? I took the shortcut.
I was on my way to a picnic. The tables sat on the other side of a marsh. The parks department had kindly constructed a bridge over the marsh. But who needed a bridge? I ventured in. The mud swallowed my feet. Squiggly things swam past me. I think I saw a set of eyeballs peering in my direction. I backpedaled—flip-flops sucked into the abyss. I exited, mud covered, mosquito bitten, and red faced.
I walked over and took my seat at the picnic table. It made for a miserable picnic, but it makes for an apt proverb. Life comes with voices. Voices lead to choices, and choices have consequences!
~ Max Lucado
Grace and Power
No part of our lives is hidden from God’s grace and power.
~ Our Daily Bread
No fear
ABC’s of Salvation
Kindling
God is with us
We will always be battered in this life. Physical limitations. Cruel people. Spiritual battles. But God is with us. He promises never to abandon us. And He renews our spirits even during the struggles. We can keep going in this life and look with anticipation to the next. From Our Daily Bread
We are the World! Happy New Year!
Praying for blessings to all of you around the world. May we all come together to find what is best in each of us. Love surely is better than hate. Working together, standing together, loving together will make the difference. If you are upset about something, find your voice. Go on Twitter, Facebook, start a Website, care and share positive ideas and progressive thinking instead of crying in a corner. We can all light the place where we stand and that light will shine enough to change things.
Be blessed with much love, joy, and happiness!
Sharon & Erick
There comes a time when we heed a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying
And its time to lend a hand to life
The greatest gift of all
We can’t go on pretending day by day
That someone, somehow will soon make a change
We are all a part of Gods great big family
And the truth, you know,
Love is all we need
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So lets start giving
Losing my religion for equality
Although this article was published in 2015, when I discovered it today, I thought it important to share. ~ Sharon Rule
Jimmy Carter
Published: April 27, 2015 – 11:12AM
Women and girls have been discriminated against for too long in a twisted interpretation of the word of God.
I HAVE been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention’s leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be “subservient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service.
This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths. Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women’s equal rights across the world for centuries.
At its most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities.
The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met.
In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.
The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in the West. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family.
It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices – as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.
I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive areas to challenge. But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy – and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it.
The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by former South African president Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. We have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights and have recently published a statement that declares: “The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable.”
We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world’s major faiths share.
The carefully selected verses found in the Holy Scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place – and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence – than eternal truths. Similar biblical excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers.
I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same Scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn’t until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy.
The truth is that male religious leaders have had – and still have – an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions – all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views.
Jimmy Carter was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981
May 4 2015
Want equality for all? Then spurn organised religion.
This story was found at: The Age
Make me a gift and a blessing
Christmas
So happy to be sharing this amazing day with all of you. Hoping you are having a wonderful, blessed, full-of-love day. If any of you are alone today, we reach out to you to let you know you are never alone because we love you and are with you in spirit. Remembering those who are no longer with us and feeling the loss of their presence. Sharon and Erick
Why I love Christmas
When Christ was born, so was our hope! This is why I love Christmas. The event invites us to believe the wildest of promises! He did away with every barrier, fence, sin, bent, debt, and grave. Anything that might keep us from him was demolished.
He only awaits our word to walk through the door. Invite him in. Escort him to the seat of honor, and pull out his chair. Clear the table; clear the calendar. Call the kids and neighbors. Christmas is here. Christ is here. One request from you, and God will do again what he did then. He’ll scatter the night with everlasting light. He’ll be born in you.
Let “Silent Night” be sung! Every heart can be a manger. Every day can be a Christmas. The Christmas miracle—a yearlong celebration! ~Max Lucado
Happy Hanukkah
On this first night of Hanukkah, I’d like to wish all who celebrate a joyous holiday.
Source: Happy Hanukkah
When you are given a vision
When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait. God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing. Abram went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years all of his self-sufficiency was destroyed. He grew past the point of relying on his own common sense. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure. Just wait upon God and be grounded in Him.”
–Oswald Chambers, from My Utmost for His Highest.
Source: When you are given a vision
Press On!
Braver, Stronger, Smarter, Beautiful
Choosing to Love
The Heart of the Human Problem
The sinful nature is the stubborn, self-centered attitude that says, “My way or the highway.” The sinful nature is all about self: pleasing self, promoting self, preserving self. I have a sin nature! So do you. Under the right circumstances you will do the wrong thing. You’ll try not to, but you will. You have a sin nature. You were born with it. The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart!
Christmas commemorates the day and the way God saved us from ourselves. The angel speaking to Mary in Matthew 1:21 says, “. . .you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Each of us entered the world with a sin nature. God entered the world to take it away!
~ Max Lucado
Blessings
Beautiful! I’m sharing this amazing poem with all of those out of reach of the touch of love through hugs and smiles that they may need today!
You who are light
shining in the darkest hours
waiting in the window like a beautiful beacon,
knowing you will be there
when we arrive.
Voices and hearts afar know truth,
as they dive beneath the surface of souls
to see what lies beneath
we carry each other through
good days and not so good,
we light the way in love.
So many gather here
in this place of imagination,
where all is possible and dreams thrive
because we craft ourselves out of purity
and in doing so gather together
the tribe of like selves
who see what many cannot,
who inspire those we may never meet.
I feel at peace here today
and for those who wear their painted caps
in shades to make the moments pop,
and those whose voices are heard between lines,
those who quietly inspire who’ve slipped away
through the passages of time,
I think…
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Change is good.
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. Don’t complain. – Maya Angelou.
Source: Change is good.
Glorious Ruins
The world has some pretty amazing landmarks. France has the Eiffel Tower. England the Big Ben. USA the Statue of Liberty. Egypt the Pyramids. Australia the Sydney Harbour Bridge. And these are (to …
Source: Glorious Ruins
Kindness
Be kind and compassionate to one another. Ephesians 4:32
Who can add to Christmas?
We’re back!
So glad to be back writing and posting things I find interesting. Thanks so much to all of you who are sharing and following us. Be blessed. Until I write again, soon.
Give Us This Day, Our Daily Meds
A Teaching Ministry of Bryan Lowe
Source: Give Us This Day, Our Daily Meds
My particular issue is with Bipolar 1, with psychotic features. I have social anxiety which factors in as well as weird delusions. The anxiety and delusions are pretty much one and the same. They are often the things that will touch other people, while the rest is less obtrusive and can be hidden.
I have a tendency to hatch ‘mini-conspiracies’ almost daily. They can be really paranoid as I think the worse about people, and life as it enfolds around me. Facebook with its social networking helps, but it has also intensified my issues. I am very much a recluse, and only get out and about twice a week. There are some who can see through my issues and really help. They are worth more then gold to me.
Depression, which is part of the Bipolar, has been more of a factor just in the last few months. Suicide, that dark word, will deepen if the depression goes too long without lifting. It is an awful and brutal thing. My last bout was just two months ago and I quit functioning. I really did pray for death. Debilitated, I laid in bed powerless to do anything but sleep, and hide. I didn’t take a shower or bath for almost a month. Just the thought of being pelted by water seemed too violent.
Being a believer gives me a reason to live. The Holy Spirit is so patient with me. His companionship is far more helpful than any anti-depressant. He doesn’t require that I become symptom free to fellowship with Him. Instead, He weaves with the materials He has, and my discipleship is really no different than other Christian believers. This gives me a constant hope.
Overall, in spite of a very tumultuous, and ‘see-saw life’, I find that life with Jesus (discipleship) is truly grand. He understands me, and is guiding me. He is the Shepherd who is good, and I am His sheep who needs kindness and forgiveness always. He bruises no reed, nor does He quench the smoking candle (Matthew 12:20.)
One more thing. Having a mental illness has, I believe, made me more compassionate and tender toward others. When I meet a difficult person, I will be the last one to give up on him. Others will bail out, but I stick. I guess this can be a bad trait, but I can’t help it. I love people, esp. those who hurt.
Here’s a list of my daily meds. I hope this helps someone navigate the wild seas of psychiatry safely.
AM– lithium, 600 mg/Zoloft 200mg/Seroquel 400 mg/Provigil 200mg
NOON-Seroquel 200 mg
PM-lithium 600 mg/Seroquel 400 mg/Lunesta 2 mg
The lithium works mostly on mania, but does help depressive states. The Zoloft is an anti-depressant (similar to Paxil) The Provigil is for alertness, I have had issues with daytime sleepiness, esp. since my brain tumor. Finally the Lunesta is a sleeping pill. This may seem a lot, but it has taken 2-3 years to get it figured out. If I can help explain any of this, please let me know. I aim to please!
Worried Enough to Pray?
| by Max Lucado |
|
God’s Agape Love
Paul reminded the church at Corinth the kind of love Christ offers to us– Agape love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.” Don’t we need the same prescription today? Don’t groups still fight with each other? Don’t we flirt with those we shouldn’t? Aren’t we sometimes quiet when we should speak?
Someday there will be a community where everyone behaves and no one complains. But it won’t be this side of heaven. So till then we reason, we confront, and we teach. But most of all we love. Such love isn’t easy. Not even for Jesus. Listen to his frustration in Mark 9:19: “You people have no faith. How long must I stay with you? How long must I put up with you? How long? Until it kills me! Jesus bore all things, believed all things, hoped all things, and endured all things! Even the cross.
From A Love Worth Giving
Loving Like God Loves
|
The Lost Art of Listening
by LISA-JO BAKER27
topics:
I was listening to a podcast recently by two of my favorite human beings — Emily P. Freeman of Chatting at the Sky and Myquillyn Smith of The Nesting Place (this podcast is called, Hope*Ologie and I recommend it as a sort of Vitamin D for the soul). Anyway, they were each taking a turn answering listener questions but soon discovered that while one was sharing their answer the other was inevitably not listening because they were too busy trying to think up their own answer.
It made me laugh.
It made them laugh.
Listening to friends laughing while you’re folding laundry is a great way to start a week.
But it got me thinking.
Because some days I think friendship feels like that — one person sharing and another person thinking about what they’re going to say. Instead of listening to what’s being said.
Some days a friend is trying to share and instead of laying down all the things we’re mentally fiddling around with and focusing our heads, hearts, eyes, and mouths at our friend, we’re actually preoccupied with a sort of mental gymnastics planning what WE want to say next.
Sometimes I imagine those conversations like this:
Friend: Gah, I’m so sad today. I feel stupid and dumb at my job, and there’s this weird nagging loneliness I can’t seem to shake.
Me: (internally thinking: Oh man, I know EXACTLY how that feels — this week has been the WORST. Just wait till I tell her about how I blew that deadline and how I’m sure my boss thinks I’m stupid and why won’t my kids go to bed on time anymore.)
Friend takes a breath: —-
Me: Oh man, I know EXACTLY how that feels — this week has been the WORST. Just wait till I tell you about how I blew that deadline and how I’m sure my boss thinks I’m stupid and why won’t my kids go to bed on time anymore.
Friend: (stranded and without a way to steer the conversation back to the encouragement they so desperately need just feels even lonelier instead).
The thing is, sometimes it’s not our turn to talk.
“Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.” {James 1: 19-21, MSG}
Sometimes, listening is the most powerful gift we can give a friend. Especially when they’re trying to share something that feels vulnerable to them or that feels vulnerable to us — for example, when they feel misunderstood and they’re trying to tell us about it.
Because sometimes our determination to speak before we’re properly done listening is an act of self-defense. We load our responses, our arguments, and our words up in front of us to block out what’s being said and lob our own point of view out into the conversation instead.
Nothing will shut down true communication faster.
But nothing will disarm a friend more than the grace you grant them when you listen with palms up and walls down — inviting their hurt or their joy, their exhaustion or their delight, their fear or their fun, into your own self so you can understand it from the inside out.
Nothing is more powerful than giving someone the gift of truly hearing them without tagging on your own conditions, explanations, or justifications.
Here are three easy ways to put this into practice:
1. Listen to the whole story before you start formulating a response.
2. Ask follow-up questions.
3. Repeat the key parts of what you heard, empathizing with them.
Question for you: What makes you feel truly heard? Let’s crowd-source some of the best ways we can revive the lost art of listening well.
You are loved!
Just wanted you to know
on this day,
and every day,
You are loved.
Not only by your creator,
but by me.
Have a blessed Valentine’s Day,
knowing,
no matter what,
YOU ARE LOVED!
Love yourself
Chasing God
If you were chasing God like you chase people and things,
you’d know true love and real wealth.
The God Who Sees You
https://bookshout.com/ebooks/the-god-who-sees-you#_=_
I found this little ebook on Bookshout. I think it will minister to you as it did to me. Enjoy! Reflect! Know God Sees You!
The Essence of Christianity
“The essence of Christianity is that we give the Son of God a chance to live and move and have His being in us.”
– Oswald Chambers,
in Run Today’s Race from The Complete Works of Oswald Chambers.
New link to The Wildlife Art of Sharon Rule
Would really like for you to visit my new website http://thewildlifeartofsharonrule.wordpress.com/
I started painting last year for my daughter’s annual charity. Here is another link that will help you understand why I paint for this very worthy cause.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOfVV7D_bws
My daughter, Michele Lee Stumpe (the one in the blue shirt) posted this video that was made in their recent visit to the Limbe Wildlife Centre in Cameroon, Africa. I’m so proud of her and her husband Kerry’s passion to help these children have an education which will change their world. I am extremely humbled and honored that I also have the opportunity to contribute in a small way to their education by painting oil paintings that are auctioned at the annual benefit in Atlanta. I hope this helps you understand the impact that the childrenofconservation.org foundation has on the people it touches.
What if I fall?
“What if I fall?”
“Oh but my darling, what if you fly?”
– Erin Hanson
An encouraging video
Sowing Seeds
Many parents aren’t proud of their family trees. The harvest was taken, but no seed was sown. Childhood memories bring more hurt than inspiration. If such is the case, put down the family scrapbook and pick up your Bible. John 3:6 reminds us, “Human life comes from human parents, but spiritual life comes from the Spirit.” Your parents have given you genes, but God gives you grace.
Didn’t have a good father? Galatians 4:7 says God will be your father. Didn’t have a good role model? Ephesians 5:1 says, “You are God’s child whom He loves, so try to be like Him.”
You cannot control the way your forefathers responded to God. But you can control the way you respond to Him. The past does not have to be your prison. Choose well and someday—generations from now—your grandchildren and great-grandchildren will thank God for the seeds you sowed!
From When God Whispers Your Name
~ Max Lucado
You’re not selfish . . .
You’re not selfish for deciding to cut someone off.
There comes a point when you got to stop
being unfair to yourself.
#Rehab Time
Letting Go
(Photo of the Pacific Ocean along the Hwy 1 California Coast)
~ ~ ~
I’ve been having a rough time lately learning the lesson of “Letting Go”.
From time to time, I feel I already “know” this lesson.
But then I turn around and realize, “Letting Go” is a daily thing.
The subject of the “Letting Go” project changes,
but the lesson is always the same.
I have to let go to the right person —
and that is My Lord.
The latest lesson was to go to the Serenity Prayer
and repeat it until I let go of whatever is controlling my life.
I hope these words help someone
who is going through the same lesson.
~ Sharon
You’ll never be enough . . .
You’ll never be enough to somebody
who can’t recognize your worth.
You can’t make them see
what they choose to stay blind to.
#Rehab Time
Trent Shelton
And so I choose . . .
It’s quiet.
It’s early.
For the next 12 hours I’ll be exposed to the day’s demands.
It’s now that I must make a choice.
And so I choose—love.
I will love God and what God loves.
- I choose joy.
- I choose peace. I will live forgiven.
- I choose patience—Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I’ll thank God for a moment to pray.
- I choose kindness—for that’s how God has treated me.
- I choose goodness.
- I choose faithfulness. Today I’ll keep my promises. My wife will not question my love.
- I choose gentleness. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
- I choose self-control. I will be impassioned only by my faith and influenced only by God.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
When this day is done, I’ll place my head on my pillow and rest.
~ Max Lucado
Perfectly Lonely
Sometimes it takes being
perfectly lonely
Just so God can show you
what being
PERFECTLY LOVED
feels like.
~ Trent Shelton
I can’t control . . .
I can’t control what life does to me – –
But I can control how I react to
what life does!
~ Lewis Timberlake
Never lose yourself
Never lose yourself
while trying to hold onto someone
who doesn’t care
about losing you.
~ Trent Shelton
Respect Yourself
Respect yourself enough to walk away from
ANYTHING
that keeps you from loving yourself.
~ Trent Shelton
True Love
Nobody deserves to be physically, emotionally, or verbally abused.
Love isn’t abusive, so never let your heart believe it is.
True love wants to see the BEST YOU,
not a hurt you.
The person . . . the pain
The Power of Discipline
“Self-discipline and self-motivation are joined at the hip. Why is that? When you practice self-discipline you feel like you are in control of your life. You feel content and motivated because you’re moving toward your goals.”
~ Brian Tracy
“No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated and disciplined.”
~ Harry E. Fosdick
“If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.”
~ Napoleon Hill
Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.
~ Thomas Huxley
God will guard you from the evil one
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Happy Father’s Day
Happy Father’s Day to all Dads out there.
Never underestimate the power of a Father’s love and guidance in a child’s life. I thank God that my dad followed the Lord and introduced us to Him.
Happy Father’s Day to the best Father of All — GOD!
sharin’ His Love
Happy Easter
May all of you have a very blessed Easter ! He is risen!
Overcoming discouragement brings great blessing
Are you a “big picture” person?
(My Note: Considering the previous message on the site today, I think this one was also “right on” and meant for me to contemplate today. Funny how that happens, huh?)
Who but God goes up to the heaven and comes back down? Who holds the wind in his fist? Who wraps up the oceans in his cloak? Who has created the whole wide world? What is his name — and his son’s name? Tell me if you know!
Proverbs 30:4 NLT
Impressive panorama
When people understand events clearly, we often say that they “see the big picture.” This passage in Proverbs makes the point that the clearest view of the “big picture” will always include God. The sequence of rhetorical questions helps us consider the awesome identity and capacity of God. Much like the litany of questions that God showered on Job (Job 38:1-41:34), these push us toward humble and silent worship.
Agur was feeling overwhelmed (30:1), insignificant (30:2), and limited (30:3). But when he turned away from his smallness to contemplate God’s greatness, an atmosphere of confidence filled the rest of the chapter. He began with a little picture, no bigger than himself, but he soon looked at the big picture and forgot that he was weary and worn out. God gave him a new and refreshing point of view.
WISE WAYS One of the best remedies for a weary and tired spirit is to contemplate the majesty and greatness of God. How have you found that to be true?
Dear Lord, when I look at all you have made, I know it makes me feel smaller, but it also fills me with wonder over how great you are! I worship you.
Adapted from The One Year® Book of Proverbs by Neil S. Wilson, Tyndale House Publishers (2002), entry for January 30.
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Look up!
God wants you to stop being “absorbed with the things right in front of you.
Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—
that’s where the action is.
See things from his perspective”.
(Colossians 3:2 MSG)
If I ever needed to hear this verse, today was the day! I’m having a rough time facing the fact that my sister’s leukemia has now progressed and she will be starting chemo soon. Also, it seems, people who are “supposed friends”, just simply “aren’t”. So I need to look up, and try to see it all in “God’s perspective”.
Six terrific truths about Time
Here are :
First: Nobody can manage time. But you can manage those things that take up your time.
Second: Time is expensive. As a matter of fact, 80 percent of our day is spent on those things or those people that only bring us two percent of our results.
Third: Time is perishable. It cannot be saved for later use.
Fourth: Time is measurable. Everybody has the same amount of time…pauper or king. It is not how much time you have; it is how much you use.
Fifth: Time is irreplaceable. We never make back time once it is gone.
Sixth: Time is a priority. You have enough time for anything in the world, so long as it ranks high enough among your priorities.
Judging
Judging is the easiest path of resistance. We all do it. Even if we don’t realize that we do. And we may judge BECAUSE we don’t understand. But the goal is to: Never judge what you don’t understand.
Be what you are
You have a choice
Every day of your life, you have a choice:
You can focus on the bigness of the giants that stand before you,
or …
You can focus on the bigness of the one,
true God who is pouring his strength into you.
~ Jon Walker
Obeying God brings great joy
Have you experienced the joy of obedience?
No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who do what it right. O Lord Almighty, happy are those who trust in you.
Psalm 84:11-12 NLT
This is what I told them: “Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Only do as I say, and all will be well!”
Jeremiah 7:23 NLT
We all live in a web of relationships dependent upon obedience to authority. Like a loving parent, God sets standards for our good and to protect us from evil and harm. God desires obedience motivated not by fear but by love and trust. Ironically, obedience actually frees us up to enjoy life as God intended, because it keeps us from becoming entangled or enslaved to those things that distract us and cause us heartache. Even though God’s command is sometimes difficult, or doesn’t make sense from our human perspective, obedience will always bring blessing, joy, and peace.
adapted from TouchPoint Bible with devotional commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers, Tyndale House Publishers (1996), p 1238
Digging Deeper
For more on obedience, see End of the Spear by Steve Saint, Tyndale House Publishers (2005).
Steve Saint was five years old when his father, missionary pilot Nate Saint, was speared to death by a primitive Ecuadorian tribe. In adulthood, Steve, having left Ecuador for a successful business career in the United States, never imagined making the jungle his home again. But when that same tribe asks him to help them, Steve, his wife, and their teenage children move back to the jungle. There, Steve learns long-buried secrets about his father’s murder, confronts difficult choices, and finds himself caught between two worlds.
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Have a blessed New Year!
Just wanted to wish you all a blessed New Year…full of happiness, love, warmth, encouragement, healing, discernment, wisdom, praise to our Lord, humility, gratitude, forgiveness, grace, mercy, hope, faith, spiritual growth, victory, and all the good things our Lord has in store for each of us.
Sharon & Erick
Merry Christ mas to all of you!
More of Christ!
In Bethlehem, the human being who best understood who God was and what he was doing, is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. As Mary looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His majesty—she can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she’s holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. “His kingdom will never end!”
He looks like anything but a king. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.
God came near!
“And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
Luke 1:33″
~ Max Lucado
It seems today is the day to emphasize “Forgiveness”
Everywhere I turned today, I ran into new tidbits about “Forgiveness”. I don’t believe in coincidence, because I believe in the verse Romans 8:28 which reads . . . And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. NIV
So . . . it seems He is trying to bring home to me a truth that needs to be reexamined!
Forgiveness is an act of love and obedience
It isn’t dependent on who the person is, what the person has done or how many times they have done it.
In fact it really has nothing to do with the person who hurt you.
It is all about you and your relationship with God.
I’m so thankful that He loves me enough to command me to do this. Because at the end of the day I know I can say, “God of second chances and new beginnings … here I am again, Please forgive me…
Daniel 9:18
We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.
Forgiveness vs Unforgiveness
Today is your best day
In God we boast all day long, And praise Your name forever.
Psalm 44:8 (NKJV)
Here are four reasons why today is your best day.
– Today is your best day because you are here. God has placed you in this moment of time for a purpose, and the things that happen to you today will be an unfolding of that purpose.
– What happened to you yesterday, however easy or difficult, was used by God to help prepare you for what He has for you today.
– God will use what happens today to prepare you for what He has for you in future days.
– God has used your past and worked it all together for the good, and He will use this day to add to the good that He has already worked in your behalf.
If you are in Jesus Christ and your heart is committed to God’s plan for your life, it means that today is your best day.
Today is your best day because you can grow a little more in your faith, a little more in your maturity, and a little more in your intimacy with Jesus.
Today you can take another step higher as He takes you from glory to glory; take another step deeper as you grow in His love; take another step further as you obediently walk with Him.
Today is your best day because it has brought you one day closer to the coming of the Lord.
Devotional excerpt by Roy Lessin, from his new book Today is Your Best Day.
Deliverance from Fear
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”
Psalm 34:4
Prayer positions us to receive the peace of God. It is when we seek Him that we see Him. It is when we see Him that we are secure. As we travel across the choppy sea of life’s circumstances, we can become dizzy and fearful if we look down at the water of wonder. But if we keep our eyes fixed ahead on a stable object, we remain secure and feel safe. Jesus is our immovable object of belief. He is our secure Savior who is there for us when fear assaults our attitude and threatens to highjack our heart. When we seek His face He reciprocates by flooding our countenance with His peace. He replaces our furrowed brow of fear with a calm face of faith. He gives the righteous a radiant face that is never to be covered with shame. The Lord hears our prayers by extending His peaceful presence.
No one has ever been sorry for seeking the Lord. It takes time and effort but it is your best investment. Process your problems with prayer and you will be the most productive. We cannot come to the best solutions in our own strength. One dimensional problem solving only leads to average results at best. Why be satisfied with a perspective limited to your experiences, intelligence and giftedness? It is seeking the Lord that unlocks a treasure trove of truth that leads us to possibilities we would never imagine on our own. The fruit that comes from replacing fear with faith is unlimited. We can rest assured as the Almighty leads us down a new path. This is what may happen in the process of seeking your Savior. He delights in determining a better way for you.
This next season of your life is the Lord’s reward for your faithfulness all these years. You have sought Him unashamedly and obediently. Money has not been your motive. Pride has not prodded you. Fame has not been your forte. You have sought Him with your unselfish service. You have sought Him with your humble obedience. You have sought Him by ministering to the needs of others. Because of your faithfulness in seeking Him, He has grown your faith and marginalized your fears. Therefore, see this next season as an extension of His blessings. There is no need to fear because God is near those who seek Him. There is no safer or more secure place to be than in the process of seeking Him.
Moreover, God expects to hear from you before you can expect to hear from Him. If you restrain prayer; He may refrain grace and mercy. The more you think upon the Lord, and less of yourself, the better off you become. Seek Him, lose yourself, and you will discover the best way. Furthermore, there is no need to fear your next transition as your Heavenly Father has your hand and He is guiding you. There is no need to fear the cessation of this phase of your career as He is in control. There is no need to fear the breaking off of a relationship as He is in the business of mending broken hearts. There is no need to fear provision for your family as God is your provider. Seek Him and He will deliver you from your fears. Seek Him and you will be secure in Him. Seek Him before, during and after trouble comes. Then the process of seeking the Lord becomes second nature to your soul. Then fear fails its mission. Indeed, seeking Him fossilizes your fears!
Taken from Reading #23 in the 90-day devotional book, “Seeking God in the Psalms”… http://bit.ly/bQHNIE
Prayer positions us to receive the peace of God. It is when we seek Him that we see Him.
Be patient and tough
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalms 32:8
Be patient and tough.
Someday this pain will be useful to you.
You will never realize your true strength until being strong is your only option left.
Until you are broken,
you won’t know what you’re truly made of.
Pain doesn’t just show up in your life for no reason.
It’s a sign that something needs to change –
it’s a wake-up call that guides you toward a better future.
A Sunday School teacher once gave me this same advice.
Whatever we go through prepares us for something
that is going to happen somewhere down the road.
The experience will make us strong enough to stand it.
~ Sharon
Are you filled with Joy?
Are you filled with joy?
I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
John 15:11 NLT
Full Joy
In many ways, we live in bleak times. Millions feel disillusioned with life while millions more feel uncertain about the future — especially young people. Many of you in Generation X have been victims of a great social experiment in which parents who never grew up cast aside time-honored moral values and, in the phrase of the 1960s, did their own thing.
Nevertheless, there is someone to believe in, something to grasp, and someone to trust. You need to go to the next letter of the alphabet, to Y — as in “Why do I exist. Why was I created? And what am I living for?”
According to Jesus, you were created for joy. “These things I have spoken to you,” Jesus said, “that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
The things Jesus spoke of were His teachings about bearing fruit. We were created to bear fruit for God, which essentially means to become like Jesus: His mind becomes our mind, His purpose becomes our purpose. And there’s only one way to produce such luscious fruit, according to Jesus: “Abide in Me” (John 15:4). This is the secret of spiritual growth and the key to overflowing joy. Are you bearing spiritual fruit?
Adapted from Breakfast with Jesus by Greg Laurie (Tyndale House) p 246-48
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Are you wearing the “belt of truth”?
The belt of truth
Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth.
Ephesians 6:14 NLT
“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” says Jesus (John 8:32). But what will the truth set us free from?
First of all, it sets us free from the snares of deception. When people know the truth, they can’t be taken in by a lie. You can’t convince people to believe in something that they know in their hearts and minds is false.
The truth will also set you free from guilt and shame. When you’ve held tightly to the truth, you don’t have to worry about a lie coming back to haunt you. You don’t spend your nights lying awake wondering what words of deception might trap and ensnare you. You are free to live with a clean conscience and an innocent heart.
Finally, the truth sets you free from judgment. When you trust in the truth of Jesus, you have no more fear of death — physical or spiritual. You know his promises to be true and his words to be life-giving. You can no longer be bound by Satan’s lies.
The belt of truth Paul writes about is the strap that holds together the entire armor of God. Without it, everything else would fall away and Satan would have an open target to your heart. So take the truth of Christ, and latch it firmly around your waist. Let it set you free!
From a devotional by Frank M. Martin in Embracing Eternity (Tyndale House) p 293
Content is derived from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale Publishing House
Blessings come from applying God’s Word.
God Answers the Mess of Life
by Max Lucado
You stare into the darkness. The ceiling fan whirls above you. Your husband slumbers next to you. In minutes the alarm will sound, and the demands of the day will shoot you like a clown out of a cannon into a three-ring circus of meetings, bosses, and baseball practices.
And for the millionth time you’ll make breakfast, schedules, and payroll… but for the life of you, you can’t make sense of this thing called life. Its beginnings and endings. Cradles and cancers and cemeteries and questions.
The meaning of life! The poor choices of life. God answers the mess of life with one word: grace! Do we really understand it?
Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you!”
Grace calls us to change
and then gives us the power to pull it off!
From GRACE
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
I have always loved this passage in Psalm 34. Read the whole chapter (which I have copied from biblegateway.com and included it after the following message from The Life Application Study Bible). Let it bathe over you with comfort.
~~~~~
God pays attention to those who call on Him. Whether God offers escape from trouble or help in times of trouble, we can be certain that He always hears and acts on behalf of those who love Him.
God promises great blessings to His people, but many of these blessings require active participation. He will deliver us from:
- fear (34:4),
- save us out of our troubles (34:6),
- guard and deliver us (34:7),
- show us goodness (34:8),
- supply our needs (34:9),
- listen when we talk to Him (34:15)
- and redeem us (34:22),
but we must do our part.
We can appropriate His blessings when:
- we seek Him (34:4, 10),
- cry out to Him (34:6, 17),
- trust Him (34:8),
- fear Him (34:7,9),
- refrain from lying (34:13),
- turn from evil,
- do good and seek peace (34:14),
- are humble (34:18,
- and serve Him (34:22).
34:8 “Taste and see” does not mean “Check out God’s credentials.” Instead it is a warm invitation. “Try this; I know you’ll like it.” When we take that first step of obedience in following God, we will discover that Je is good and kind. When we begin the Christian life, our knowledge of God is partial and incomplete. As we trust Him daily, we experience how good He is.
34:9 You say you belong to the Lord, but do you fear Him? To fear the Lord means to show deep respect and honor to Him. We demonstrate true reverence by our humble attitude and genuine worship. Reverence was shown by Abraham (Genesis 17:2-4), Moses (Exodus 3:5, 6), and the Israelites (Exodus 19:16-24) showed this kind of fear of the Lord.
34:9, 10 At first we may question David’s statement, because we seem to lack many good things. This is not a blanket promise that all Christians will have everything they want. Instead, this is David’s praise for God’s goodness–all those who call upon God in their need will be answered, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Remember, God knows what we need, and our deepest needs are spiritual. Even though many Christians face unbearable poverty and hardship, they still have enough spiritual nourishment to live for God. David was saying that to have God is to have all you really need. God is enough.
If you feel you don’t have everything you need, ask:
- Is this really a need?
- Is this really good for me?
- Is this the best time for me to have what I desire?
Even if you answer yes to all three questions, God may allow you to go without to help you grow more dependent on Him. He may want you to learn that you need Him more than having to achieve your immediate desires.
34:11-14 The Bible often connects the fear of the Lord (love and reverence for Him) with obedience. “Fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13); “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching” (John 14:23).
David said that a person who fears the Lord
- doesn’t lie,
- turns from evil,
- does good,
- and promotes peace.
Reverence is much more than sitting quietly in church. It includes obeying God in the way we speak and the way we treat others.
34:14 Some may think that peace should come with no effort. But David explained that we are to seek and pursue peace. Paul echoed this thought in Romans 12:18. A person who wants peace cannot be argumentative and contentious. Because peaceful relationships come from our efforts at peacemaking, work hard at living in peace with others each day.
34:18, 19 We often wish we could escape troubles–
- the pain of grief,
- loss,
- sorrow,
- and failure;
or even the small daily frustrations that constantly wear us down.
God promises to be “close to the brokenhearted,” to be our source of
- power,
- courage,
- and wisdom,
helping us through our problems.
Sometimes He chooses to deliver us from those problems. When trouble strikes, don’t get frustrated with God. Instead, admit that you need God’s help and thank Him for being by your side.
34:20 This is a prophecy about Christ when He was crucified. Although it was the Roman custom to break the legs of the victim to speed death, not one of Jesus’ bones was broken (John 19:32-37). In addition to the prophetic meaning, David was pleading for God’s protection in times of crisis.
Psalm 34
1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
His praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt His name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to Him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
He saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
and He delivers them.
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
9 Fear the Lord, you His saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and His ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 He protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems His servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.
To read this passage in the King James Version, please click on this link:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2034&version=KJV
10 Things You’ve Got to Know About Fear
I mean, that’s what they say.
That people’s “number one fear is public speaking. And number two is death.”
So some crazy comedy guy asks, “Does that seem right?
That means to the average person,
if you have to go to a funeral,
you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
And when your bags are packed and you’re 24 hours from standing with a microphone
on the Women of Faith stage, Lord willing and if the creek don’t rise,
I confess — none of that’s particularly comforting.
But that He says it about 365 times in the Bible,
Do not be Afraid — one assurance for every day —
so the women of faith believe and obey,
and the rock solid truth He won’t ever leave or forsake,
and there isn’t a thing in this world that can ever separate us from the love of Christ —
this crazy farmer’s wife putting all that in her bag.
She’s flying with that.
And these 10 Things to Know about Fear:
1. Don’t fear failing.
Fear not obeying.
2. Fear is a fraud.
Nowhere on earth is beyond the reach of God.
3. All fear is but the notion that God’s love ends.
4. Your fears don’t decide your fate — your fears destroy your faith.
5. We must do that which we know we cannot — to prove that it’s our God who cannot fail.
Our God appoints those who will disappoint — to point to a God who never disappoints.5. Everything your Father has for you — is over the fence of fear.
6. Travel in the direction of your fears — to let God direct your life.
7. Fear doesn’t stop the really bad things as much as it stops you from really living.
8. It’s impossible to simultaneously feel fear — and give thanks.
9. Fear is always the flee ahead.
God is I AM and His presence fills the present moment.
Just. Rest. in. Him. in. This. Moment.
10. Do not feed the ducks, or the bears, or the fears.
Feed your soul — on the Word that is the Bread of Life.
So this heart’s ready — relying on Him.
Bags are packed.
Fears won’t be checked. {All lying fears have been kicked to the curb.}
Flying in the morning.
And before the sun sets here on the farm,
I see it there out the kitchen window,
there off the front porch —
That the geese are flying high — straight into the sun.
sharin' His love & Prophecy Unfolding 
