Yesterday, during the morning devotion i have with my sisters, we went over Psalm 23. It was awesome to see my sisters getting so excited and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to be able to go over this chapter with them. They were so cute.... they wanted me to read it to them from their Bible and wow...how intently they listened and wow... how amazing it was to see them at such a young age learning such incredible truths.... Oh how i praise God for the opportunity to have such times with my sisters. Here is the chapter...i get so excited when i read it.... not only is it God's AMAZING Word, i also picture my sweets sisters's faces lighting up. : ) Whether it be by ourselves in our rooms, with siblings right before they start school, or as a family studying together in family devotions... i want to encourage you to take time out of your busy schedules and just sit down and spend time reading what our Creator has to say in His Word. And i pray that God would give us the grace to not only be hearers of His Word, but doers as well. OH, that we would honor our Lord by seeking to get to know Him through His incredible Scriptures and not just go about our lives thinking we know all... because we do not. How sweet is His Word. I pray that He would give us a GREATER appetite for it. and i pray that we would, by His grace, "as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, (3) if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious." -1 Peter 2:2-3 and i pray also that we would by His strength do as God has said in Deuteronomy 6:6-9 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. (7) You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. (9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Press on, my friends!!! I pray God would enable us to not get so caught up in our lives that we don't reserve time to spend with our Father.  ok...here is the chapter...really... : )

"The LORD is my shepherd;
         I shall not want.
 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
         He leads me beside the still waters.
 3 He restores my soul;
         He leads me in the paths of righteousness
         For His name’s sake.
         
 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
         I will fear no evil;
         For You are with me;
         Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
         
 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
         You anoint my head with oil;
         My cup runs over.
 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
         All the days of my life;
         And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
         Forever." -Psalm 23

praying*...

We must fight to believe what is true...
cling to His promises...
run this race that is set before us to HIS glory and only by HIS grace....
seek first the Kingdom of God...
rely upon Him and not ourselves...
lay everything down at HIS feet....
trust Him...
not give up....

He will sustain us...
give us the grace we need...
give us the strength to get through hard times...
never leave us nor forsake us...
work all things out for our good and His glory...
love us no matter what...
use these trials to bring us back to Himself...

HE IS trustworthy...

"We must keep our eyes fixed on the precious and very great promises of God. Take up the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit for help, lay the promises up in our hearts, and fight the good fight--to live by future grace." - John Piper

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all" Psalm 34:19

"And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; (4) and perseverance, character; and character, hope. (5) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." -Rom 5:3-5

"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -2 Cor 12:9-10

"Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. (23) They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

"Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls— (18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. (19) The LORD God  is my strength; He will make my feet like deer’s feet, and He will make me walk on my high hills." -Habakkuk 3:17-19

and again this awesome verse... i think it should be on my site more than once. : )

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10


i love this analogy...

"Suppose you are in a car race and your enemy, who doesn't want you to finish the race, throws mud on your windshield. The fact that you temporarily lose sight of your goal, and start to swerve, does not mean that you are going to quit the race. And it certainly doesn't mean that you are on the wrong race track. Otherwise the enemy wouldn't bother you at all. What it means is that you should turn on your windshield wipers and use your windshield washer. When anxiety strikes and blurs our vision of God's glory and the greatness of the future that He plans for us, this does not mean that we are faithless, or that we will not make it to heaven. It means our faith is being attacked. At the first blow, our belief in God's promises may sputtter and swerve. But whether we stay on track and make it to the finish line depends on whether, by grace, we set in motion a process of resistance--whether we fight back against unbelief of anxiety. Will we turn on the windshield wipers and will we use our windshield washer?" -John Piper in Battling Unbelief

PRESS ON, my friends....
DON'T EVER lose sight of the glorious cross on which our Savior died...
REMEMBER that these hard times are for our good. He is working out His perfect plan for our lives and is in control of every single step. 

Oh, i pray Christ, our Lord and Savior, will become more and more precious to us. May we, by His grace, lay these promises up in our hearts, and by His grace, fight that good fight of faith. I pray we would turn our windshield wipers and use our windshield washer, and fight back against unbelief...

...there really aren't any words to describe what an awesome God we serve...
and how thankful i am for all He has done for a wretch like me...

wow...i could just keep going on talking about my Lord and His truth forever. but i must bid you all a farwell for now...

have a blessed evening, everyone...




keep fighting to believe....

This verse has been an awesome promise that God has reminded me of so much lately. i want to share it with you now...

"Fear not, for I am with you; 
      Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
      I will strengthen you,
      Yes, I will help you,
      I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

There is no reason to fear, or fret, or be anxious for anything... i pray that God would give us the grace to fight against anxiety which is unbelief, and be reminded of His future grace.... this is something that has hit home with me and been a major ouch... more to come on this incredible subject of fighting anxiety and unbelief soon... Lord willing of course. : )