I often tell people how much God loves them. They hear the words, but they have this blank stare on their faces...indicating they have no idea that God can show his love in very tangible ways. He answers the questions we have that we ask no one, and he knows our hearts desires better than we know ourselves. I believe I am in a season to receive from God, and learn about His provision and love on a deeper level. Like a lover, he is pampering me with gifts from above, and he is using a variety of ways to surprise me with my own desires! So, I could say, the Lord struck again with another gift. Three days in a row!
I have been telling Jeff for three years straight that I want to attend the Annual Air Force Ball. I want to dress up in a formal gown and be a princess for the night, getting my hair and makeup done and being beautiful! This year, I told Jeff early to keep an ear out for the sale on tickets. He finally asked someone, only to find that they were SOLD OUT! They had only sold a limited number of tickets and we were too late. Besides, we have no money, as you have heard in the past few blogs. So, I quickly resigned to the fact that we would wait until next year. No money for tickets, no money for dress, shoes, hair, makeup, etc. But in the deepest parts of my heart, I still thought about what it would be like to be a beautiful, pampered woman for a night. I want to see my husband's eyes light up when he sees the ordinary turn into extraordinary. I love dressing up for my husband because I feel like he is so proud to have me as his wife.
Well, I got a call yesterday afternoon from my husband, and there was excitement in his voice. He said I was going to be very happy. Somehow, he had gotten tickets at the last moment. He asked if we could afford to go. I told him, "Not really," but something inside of me told me to just say "Yes, we will go." So we got the tickets, and to our great benefit, some very nice person paid for them to hold them for us. My husband got home last night, and I began dreaming about what dress I might wear, but I decided to just pray and ask God if he could get me a dress somehow.
At about 7 pm last night, Jeff asked if I wanted to go the BX. I said "Ok," and we were going to shop the mall and see if I could find a dress very reasonably priced to hold until payday. While at the BX, I ran into a friend whom I told about going to the ball. She offered for me to come by and see her dresses and wear one! Another friend was there as well, and said she would bring her dresses also, so I would have more to choose from. She also volunteered to fix my hair and put on my makeup for me! So, God got me the tickets, got me a dress, got me hair and makeup, and now all I need is some shoes! He will probably provide those too! And so far, I have not spent a dime. My husband wants a mess dress uniform, but I am believing God can help with that as well. I believe He is doing all this because he wants me to know how much He loves me, and that I am his beloved daughter. He is giving me the desires of my heart without putting a hole in our bank account.
You see, God is not just sitting in heaven full of wrath and anger, as some perceive. And He is not just some ominous being that is controlling the whole world, but has no personal interest in you or me. He is a loving, personal, tender, merciful, awesome God....he is my friend, my God and my Savior. He crowns me with His joy and his glory, and He makes me beautiful by His Spirit inside of me. Praise Him for everything I still do not understand about Him, but will come to know from now until eternity. I thank Him for loving me more than any human ever could, and for showing me daily how he longs to be with me. I love you Lord!
I thank God today that I am not the only one who can experience His love. His great love is big enough, for you, for me and for everyone on this earth. He longs to be with you, to know you, and to give you life everlasting. Trust in Him today and allow him to give you the desires of your own heart. Allow Him to show you who He is, and how he wants to be the Lord of your life today. I pray God that these readers would come to know you the way I have, the way You are described throughout the pages of scripture. I pray that they would know how much you love each and every one of them, and that they would submit their lives to you. I pray all these things, giving You honor and glory, in Jesus name. Amen.
The object of His affection,
Sarah
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Another Amazing Gift from God!
The scripture that God has given me this morning for this blog is:
Deuteronomy 28:12-14 (NIV):
"The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them."
I have chosen to follow the commands of the one true God, the Lord our God, the Lord God Almighty, Lord of Hosts, I Am, Jehovah-Jihre, Jehovah Rapha, Adonai, Elohim, and all of his other truly magnificent names. They all proclaim the one true King, our Lord in all His righteousness! He is my Lord, and my Savior! He is my Refuge, my Fortress, my Protector, my Shield and my Shelter. He is Everything to ME!!!! He is my God, and He loves me very much.
This outpouring of praise comes after a glorious morning of witnessing God's work in my life. It is only 8:00 am and already I have been to the King's throne, and he has blessed me. I could end my day right now and be full of joy, but there is much to accomplish for His kingdom today, and I am ready and willing to begin my day with praise unto my God!
You see....(as I always say)...my family is growing in the Lord right now. We are coming to deeper understanding of his ways, who He is, and the vast greatness of his kingdom. If you have been following my blog, you will know that we have been in a season of giving. This brought us to a place where we are "strapped" by the world's terms of finances, and some might even call us "broke." I was corrected by a sister, who reminded me that we, as children of God, are NEVER broke. So this morning, God proved that he knows our circumstances and he sees what we have been doing for his kingdom. He is full of mercy, grace, and abundance, and he wanted to show us this morning how real he can be.
After I got my kids ready for school, I was moving them out the door when my daughter hands me an envelope. I asked her where she got it. She said "On the tile." I told my husband she got it outside the house, but I really don't know where it came from. She handed it to me, and said, "Mommy, what is this?" It was a bank envelope with the holes that shows there was cash inside. It said "God told me to bless you with this." I opened it up and there was a $100 inside. Now, that may not seem like a lot to some of you, but to receive anonymously $100 from anyone is truly a gift from God. The interesting thing about it is that I have been asking God and wondering how we were going to pay for our gas this weekend and our food from the commissary. We have credit cards, but God told me recently (sternly) that if we ever want to be debt-free, we are going to have to learn to trust Him to provide rather than charging on our cards when cash gets low.
He knows every one of our needs, and he is able and willing to provide if we let him. We tend to not wait upon God (our family included) for his provision, but rather just want to "make it happen" now! God applied Deuteronomy 28:12-14 today to our lives. He wants His people to be the head and not the tail. He wants to bless us abundantly so we do not have to borrow from anyone but are free to give to others. Praise God today for once again proving His abundance, mercy, grace and power! I truly serve an awesome God! Amen?
Ephesians 1:17-21 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
May God be with you through His Son, Christ Jesus, now and for eternity!
In His glorious riches,
Sarah
Deuteronomy 28:12-14 (NIV):
"The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them."
I have chosen to follow the commands of the one true God, the Lord our God, the Lord God Almighty, Lord of Hosts, I Am, Jehovah-Jihre, Jehovah Rapha, Adonai, Elohim, and all of his other truly magnificent names. They all proclaim the one true King, our Lord in all His righteousness! He is my Lord, and my Savior! He is my Refuge, my Fortress, my Protector, my Shield and my Shelter. He is Everything to ME!!!! He is my God, and He loves me very much.
This outpouring of praise comes after a glorious morning of witnessing God's work in my life. It is only 8:00 am and already I have been to the King's throne, and he has blessed me. I could end my day right now and be full of joy, but there is much to accomplish for His kingdom today, and I am ready and willing to begin my day with praise unto my God!
You see....(as I always say)...my family is growing in the Lord right now. We are coming to deeper understanding of his ways, who He is, and the vast greatness of his kingdom. If you have been following my blog, you will know that we have been in a season of giving. This brought us to a place where we are "strapped" by the world's terms of finances, and some might even call us "broke." I was corrected by a sister, who reminded me that we, as children of God, are NEVER broke. So this morning, God proved that he knows our circumstances and he sees what we have been doing for his kingdom. He is full of mercy, grace, and abundance, and he wanted to show us this morning how real he can be.
After I got my kids ready for school, I was moving them out the door when my daughter hands me an envelope. I asked her where she got it. She said "On the tile." I told my husband she got it outside the house, but I really don't know where it came from. She handed it to me, and said, "Mommy, what is this?" It was a bank envelope with the holes that shows there was cash inside. It said "God told me to bless you with this." I opened it up and there was a $100 inside. Now, that may not seem like a lot to some of you, but to receive anonymously $100 from anyone is truly a gift from God. The interesting thing about it is that I have been asking God and wondering how we were going to pay for our gas this weekend and our food from the commissary. We have credit cards, but God told me recently (sternly) that if we ever want to be debt-free, we are going to have to learn to trust Him to provide rather than charging on our cards when cash gets low.
He knows every one of our needs, and he is able and willing to provide if we let him. We tend to not wait upon God (our family included) for his provision, but rather just want to "make it happen" now! God applied Deuteronomy 28:12-14 today to our lives. He wants His people to be the head and not the tail. He wants to bless us abundantly so we do not have to borrow from anyone but are free to give to others. Praise God today for once again proving His abundance, mercy, grace and power! I truly serve an awesome God! Amen?
Ephesians 1:17-21 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
17I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[a] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
May God be with you through His Son, Christ Jesus, now and for eternity!
In His glorious riches,
Sarah
Thursday, September 11, 2008
God's Little Princess....Me!
As I posted in yesterday's blog entry, the Lord will give us all that we need. Our problem, as I have said before (and this includes me) is that we don't ask. Yesterday, my reason for going to the new BX was to buy a new stroller for my son. He is two, but he still gets tired on longer walks and needs a little help. I was not going to buy anything extravagant, just something pretty basic, but I did not have the money to be buying a new stroller right now. We just went through a time of giving, and it has left us a little "spent." But I could hear the Lord's voice yesterday simply asking me "Why haven't you asked me for a stroller?" That thought kept lingering in my mind for the rest of the day, and then I heard God say, "You are going to have a new stroller." So, to make a long story short, Jeff asked us if we wanted to meet him at the BX last night for a quick look. Although I knew I was not going to buy anything, I agreed to meet him there. We did a quick lap through all the departments and left. We were there for about 15 minutes. My husband was not very impressed, simply stating that it was the same as before, just bigger and some different stores on base had combined. It was really nothing spectacular. However, we did not buy the stroller on credit while we were there. I trusted the Lord's voice when he told me that I would have a new stroller somehow.
Well, today, I took Krischan to a tumbling time at the Youth Center to meet some other children and play. I drove to the center, and Krischan had a wonderful time playing for two hours. We got home at about 11:00 am, and on my front porch was a new stroller. It was blue and orange, and in its simplicity, one of the most beautiful gifts I have received. My best friend, Julie, had bought it for me at the BX this morning and surprised me with it when I got home. You see, the Lord had laid on her heart to buy it for me. God proved today that he does answer our prayers, and he supplies all our needs, even the small ones.
To Krischan, it was no small deed. He climbed in and out of this stroller as if he had never seen one like it before. He climbed in it immediately, and looked at me to say "Let's go for a stroll, Mommy!" So I pushed him down the street to my friend Julie's house to show her how happy she had made him and ME, and we got a chance to enjoy each other's company! God is so good, every day, in every way! He has gifted me not only with salvation from hell, but a handsome son, beautiful daughter, amazing husband, a beautiful place to live, true friends, and all the small gifts he gives me every day because I am His daughter and He loves me very much! I am one of God's little princesses!
Thank you Father for adopting me into your family through the sacrifice of your Son and my co-heir, Jesus, in eternal riches! Thank you for the wonderful gifts you give me every day! Thank you for my friends and my family, whom I love and cherish! I pray today that you would bless these readers and hearers of this testimony with their own special gifts from you. Show each of them in unique ways how much you love them, and how you long to be in a deeper relationship with each of them. I give you all honor and glory and praise because of WHO YOU ARE! You are truly Jehovah Jihre, The Lord our Provider, and you are the lover of my soul! I pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
May God bless you richly today in the name of Jesus! May peace and grace be with you!
His Princess,
Sarah
Well, today, I took Krischan to a tumbling time at the Youth Center to meet some other children and play. I drove to the center, and Krischan had a wonderful time playing for two hours. We got home at about 11:00 am, and on my front porch was a new stroller. It was blue and orange, and in its simplicity, one of the most beautiful gifts I have received. My best friend, Julie, had bought it for me at the BX this morning and surprised me with it when I got home. You see, the Lord had laid on her heart to buy it for me. God proved today that he does answer our prayers, and he supplies all our needs, even the small ones.
To Krischan, it was no small deed. He climbed in and out of this stroller as if he had never seen one like it before. He climbed in it immediately, and looked at me to say "Let's go for a stroll, Mommy!" So I pushed him down the street to my friend Julie's house to show her how happy she had made him and ME, and we got a chance to enjoy each other's company! God is so good, every day, in every way! He has gifted me not only with salvation from hell, but a handsome son, beautiful daughter, amazing husband, a beautiful place to live, true friends, and all the small gifts he gives me every day because I am His daughter and He loves me very much! I am one of God's little princesses!
Thank you Father for adopting me into your family through the sacrifice of your Son and my co-heir, Jesus, in eternal riches! Thank you for the wonderful gifts you give me every day! Thank you for my friends and my family, whom I love and cherish! I pray today that you would bless these readers and hearers of this testimony with their own special gifts from you. Show each of them in unique ways how much you love them, and how you long to be in a deeper relationship with each of them. I give you all honor and glory and praise because of WHO YOU ARE! You are truly Jehovah Jihre, The Lord our Provider, and you are the lover of my soul! I pray in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
May God bless you richly today in the name of Jesus! May peace and grace be with you!
His Princess,
Sarah
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Who is Your Master?
Matthew 6:24 (KJV):
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
Merriam-Webster definition of "mammon": material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence.
So....let's break this verse down together. God is saying that no man (person) can serve two masters, either you love serving God and hate serving money, or you love serving money and despise serving God. I cannot tell you which side of the fence you are on. However, I can tell you that I came to a very real conclusion about which master I serve this morning.
Here on Guam, we have very limited opportunities to shop for anything and most things are bought either at the BX (Exchange) here on Andersen AFB, or the NEX (Navy Exchange) on the other side of the island. We will drive 45 minutes to shop there when we really want something that is not carried in our base exchange. The main topic of conversation when I arrived on island was what we could buy, how much, where, and who else had it. People here are constantly coveting what others have, whether it be their neighbor's car, a new toy for the kids, diving equipment, or a variety of other things. In almost any conversation, buying or money will eventually come up! Well, today, there was a major event on Andersen AFB. The government built a brand new BX which has approx. 181,000 square feet of pure consumer pleasure! They have been talking up the new BX for about a year, and everyone has been talking about the opening in the past month! Well, today it opened!
As I was circling the parking lot waiting to go inside, I was praying and the Lord spoke to me about his feelings regarding this new, seemingly wonderful BX. He reminded me how many people were going to serve money today as they sold their souls to the devil for something new and amazing, and went further into debt so they could have it, making MONEY their master! He reminded me of all the times that people had mentioned the opening of the BX with such zeal and excitement, and how many times they had not mentioned the miraculous things he is doing here on Andersen AFB. He reminded me of the suffering that people face when they are strapped down in debt, and the pressure it puts on their lives, so they are forced to serve money even more...even if they were formerly serving Him! You see, Christians are not immune to the temptations of the world, the lust of the eyes, of the pride of life. Christians are tempted by Satan to commit sin just as much as those who do not know Christ, but Christians have been given power by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to overcome temptation.
1 John 2:16 (NIV):
"For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of this world."
As I circled the parking lot, the Lord presented me with a decision of obedience. He told me to pray, and not to enter the BX today along with everyone else. He asked me to exercise wisdom and self-control, and he protected me from making the same mistake many others would TODAY. He knows that I have a weakness for spending and that I might get caught up in the frenzy and begin to write checks my bank account cannot cash, or simply "charge it" on a credit card because of my lack of self-control. I have a long history of struggling with debt, and the Lord knows every second of heartache that struggle has cost me. He has spoken to me that I am going to be debt-free one day, and I was almost there, but my family made mistakes as we neared that goal. It set us back, but we are moving forward again toward being debt-free! Instead of entering the BX, I simply came home and spent time in prayer with my Lord. I prayed that others would have the strength to say no to "mammon" and yes to Jesus. I could feel the pain in my Lord's heart as he spoke about how people had waited so long for this BX to appear, but people do not even think about His own appearance soon! Do we look to the skies, anxiously awaiting our Lord's return? Do we hope with the same eagerness to see His face as we do to see the next sale on a big-screen TV? We get excited when a new SUV enters the market, but we shrug our shoulders and say "Praise the Lord" half-heartedly when we find out a sister was healed from her sickness, miraculously by her Lord!
It is evident that most of us are serving the wrong master. We are serving mammon, which means (according to the Word of God) that we are despising our master Jesus Christ. It is time to re-examine where we invest our time, our effort and our MONEY. There are starving children all over the world who need to hear the gospel message of salvation through hope in Jesus Christ, there are orphans to be adopted, widows to be helped, ministries to be supported, missions who need donations, food, shelter, school supplies, and basic necessities needed for families right here on Guam. Why aren't we thinking about them? These were the things we were told to do by our master, our Lord.
1 John 3:17-18 (NIV):
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
I encourage each of you to think about how you spend your time, effort and money in your daily life. If you believe God, you need to believe in His Word. His Word is clear on what we should do. We should forsake our love of mammon, and encourage sharing the love of God with one another. The Lord exhorts us this way:
Luke 9:23 (NIV):
"Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
If you do not yet trust the Lord to provide for your needs, please accept this scripture as encouragment:
Matthew 6:27-29 (NIV):
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Lord, today I pray that this word helps others to learn to deny those things which give their flesh pleasure and feed their spirit with you Lord, and the Word of God. I pray that they would replace a desire for possessions with a passionate desire to seek your face, and know their true Lord, Jesus Christ. I pray that you would fill them with your joy and peace, replacing any need for items which cannot satisfy. I pray that you would give them what they need today, and help them to be content with that which they are given. I pray for myself today that you would help me also to always serve You alone, and not mammon. I pray that you give me and others the wisdom, strength and courage to stand on the Word of God, and hold fast to faith in your ways. I thank you for your abundance in mercy and grace, and your sweet presence in my life. I thank you for your precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, so that my sins could be forgiven through the shedding of his blood on the cross. I thank you for the new life and freedom you have given me in knowing you, and the strength to live out each day before you. Bless the readers with the hearing of your Word, and give them faith enough to accept your sacrifice for salvation of their souls. I pray in Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.
May the Lord's blessing of peace rest upon you today.
His Alone,
Sarah
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
Merriam-Webster definition of "mammon": material wealth or possessions especially as having a debasing influence.
So....let's break this verse down together. God is saying that no man (person) can serve two masters, either you love serving God and hate serving money, or you love serving money and despise serving God. I cannot tell you which side of the fence you are on. However, I can tell you that I came to a very real conclusion about which master I serve this morning.
Here on Guam, we have very limited opportunities to shop for anything and most things are bought either at the BX (Exchange) here on Andersen AFB, or the NEX (Navy Exchange) on the other side of the island. We will drive 45 minutes to shop there when we really want something that is not carried in our base exchange. The main topic of conversation when I arrived on island was what we could buy, how much, where, and who else had it. People here are constantly coveting what others have, whether it be their neighbor's car, a new toy for the kids, diving equipment, or a variety of other things. In almost any conversation, buying or money will eventually come up! Well, today, there was a major event on Andersen AFB. The government built a brand new BX which has approx. 181,000 square feet of pure consumer pleasure! They have been talking up the new BX for about a year, and everyone has been talking about the opening in the past month! Well, today it opened!
As I was circling the parking lot waiting to go inside, I was praying and the Lord spoke to me about his feelings regarding this new, seemingly wonderful BX. He reminded me how many people were going to serve money today as they sold their souls to the devil for something new and amazing, and went further into debt so they could have it, making MONEY their master! He reminded me of all the times that people had mentioned the opening of the BX with such zeal and excitement, and how many times they had not mentioned the miraculous things he is doing here on Andersen AFB. He reminded me of the suffering that people face when they are strapped down in debt, and the pressure it puts on their lives, so they are forced to serve money even more...even if they were formerly serving Him! You see, Christians are not immune to the temptations of the world, the lust of the eyes, of the pride of life. Christians are tempted by Satan to commit sin just as much as those who do not know Christ, but Christians have been given power by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to overcome temptation.
1 John 2:16 (NIV):
"For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of this world."
As I circled the parking lot, the Lord presented me with a decision of obedience. He told me to pray, and not to enter the BX today along with everyone else. He asked me to exercise wisdom and self-control, and he protected me from making the same mistake many others would TODAY. He knows that I have a weakness for spending and that I might get caught up in the frenzy and begin to write checks my bank account cannot cash, or simply "charge it" on a credit card because of my lack of self-control. I have a long history of struggling with debt, and the Lord knows every second of heartache that struggle has cost me. He has spoken to me that I am going to be debt-free one day, and I was almost there, but my family made mistakes as we neared that goal. It set us back, but we are moving forward again toward being debt-free! Instead of entering the BX, I simply came home and spent time in prayer with my Lord. I prayed that others would have the strength to say no to "mammon" and yes to Jesus. I could feel the pain in my Lord's heart as he spoke about how people had waited so long for this BX to appear, but people do not even think about His own appearance soon! Do we look to the skies, anxiously awaiting our Lord's return? Do we hope with the same eagerness to see His face as we do to see the next sale on a big-screen TV? We get excited when a new SUV enters the market, but we shrug our shoulders and say "Praise the Lord" half-heartedly when we find out a sister was healed from her sickness, miraculously by her Lord!
It is evident that most of us are serving the wrong master. We are serving mammon, which means (according to the Word of God) that we are despising our master Jesus Christ. It is time to re-examine where we invest our time, our effort and our MONEY. There are starving children all over the world who need to hear the gospel message of salvation through hope in Jesus Christ, there are orphans to be adopted, widows to be helped, ministries to be supported, missions who need donations, food, shelter, school supplies, and basic necessities needed for families right here on Guam. Why aren't we thinking about them? These were the things we were told to do by our master, our Lord.
1 John 3:17-18 (NIV):
"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth."
I encourage each of you to think about how you spend your time, effort and money in your daily life. If you believe God, you need to believe in His Word. His Word is clear on what we should do. We should forsake our love of mammon, and encourage sharing the love of God with one another. The Lord exhorts us this way:
Luke 9:23 (NIV):
"Then he said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
If you do not yet trust the Lord to provide for your needs, please accept this scripture as encouragment:
Matthew 6:27-29 (NIV):
"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Lord, today I pray that this word helps others to learn to deny those things which give their flesh pleasure and feed their spirit with you Lord, and the Word of God. I pray that they would replace a desire for possessions with a passionate desire to seek your face, and know their true Lord, Jesus Christ. I pray that you would fill them with your joy and peace, replacing any need for items which cannot satisfy. I pray that you would give them what they need today, and help them to be content with that which they are given. I pray for myself today that you would help me also to always serve You alone, and not mammon. I pray that you give me and others the wisdom, strength and courage to stand on the Word of God, and hold fast to faith in your ways. I thank you for your abundance in mercy and grace, and your sweet presence in my life. I thank you for your precious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, so that my sins could be forgiven through the shedding of his blood on the cross. I thank you for the new life and freedom you have given me in knowing you, and the strength to live out each day before you. Bless the readers with the hearing of your Word, and give them faith enough to accept your sacrifice for salvation of their souls. I pray in Jesus precious and holy name, Amen.
May the Lord's blessing of peace rest upon you today.
His Alone,
Sarah
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Delight Yourself in the Lord!
Psalm 37:3-4 (NKJV):
"Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart."
As I was talking to my husband this morning, this scripture was laid upon my heart. It came to mind suddenly, and I had such joy when I thought about it. You see, God is asking us to "delight yourself in the Lord." When we make Christ our main focus in life, and delight ourselves in his character and goodness, we can dwell in the land, feed on his righteousness and he will give us the desires of our hearts! I have been told this by other Christians early in my walk with Jesus, but today it is becoming a reality. After talking to my dad this morning, it hit me that the desires of my heart used to be getting educated, finding a good career, and having a family. These are pretty typical American goals for any person, and many of us spend time, money and effort trying to gain these things. We believe that if we have the right degree, right career and a happy family, that we will be satisfied and secure all the days of our lives. This couldn't be further from the truth. Many people have degrees, money and families, but they cannot find a job that is satisfying, the money is constantly a concern (even if there is an abundance) and they become unhappy with their families. This leads to depression, a feeling of hopelessness, failure, depression, divorce and suicide (in some cases). The Lord gives us a much easier option. Trust in Him, trust in His Word, and DELIGHT ourselves in Him. Then he will give us the satisfaction and the desires that we have always wanted deep in our hearts. The interesting thing though is that we often do not know the desires of our own hearts until we begin to seek God and surrender to His will.
A perfect example...when I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor so I could help people and heal people. I dreamed for many years about being a doctor, but was told by the world many times that I was not good at math and science, therefore, my dreams of being a doctor faded away. I was suddenly left looking for another dream. So...I decided I wanted to be a journalist and writer. I had a skill and a passion for writing. So I went to college to get a degree in journalism, but along the way, I realized that journalists were often hypocrites and they told you to always tell the truth...but not the real truth, the truth that agreed with them. It disgusted me, and I did not want to spend time, effort and energy away from my family to seek a truth that was not real. So, I switched degrees to communication and decided to just graduate and find a job to support myself and my daughter. I did this, but no "job" was ever satisfying. I no longer had a dream, except to have a family that I could love and support. I sought this in all the wrong places as well, dating guys that were no good, and allowing myself and my daughter to be hurt in the process. I was far away from any dream, looking only to survive this wretched world. I was hurt, lonely, in debt, and my degree was not helping me to find a satisfying career...so I just settled for whatever I could get. I worked sales because I had the gift of gab, but often felt as though I had to be dishonest to make a profit. This internally made me upset, but I kept going because I had to survive. Sound familiar?
So, here is the second part of the true story of my life. I gave up one day, as I have said in former posts about my testimony. I surrendered my life, my heart and my will to Jesus Christ on June 10, 2007. I gave him my life, and I asked him to clean up the mess I had made. He forgave me for all the wrong things I had done in my own will and strength. He gave me a new life and wiped the slate clean. A completely fresh start...so then I had to live by His rules, His ways, and learn just to be satisfied with Him alone. He gave me an instruction manual on how to live my new life called the Bible. It has wisdom for living, wisdom that completely contradicts the ways of this world. When people see my living by my instruction manual, I am sure they are wondering when this crazy way of living is going to make me fall flat on my face. Although I cannot predict the future, I can say that every day since that first day have been better than any other day of the rest of my life. And since God has been faithful to his Word for the past year, I know he will be faithful for the rest of my life, and beyond. You see, since I started trusting God, I am satisfied to be doing His work every day. I am qualified to do His work because I am covered by the blood of Jesus and instructed in His Word, taught by the Holy Spirit Himself. I no longer need a degree to teach other's the way to abundant life, which is now my "career." I have been financially secure with my family since that first day, and although we do not always have a lot of money, I do not find myself wanting more. I am full of joy because I delight myself in the Lord, even when my bank account says "0." I trust the Lord will provide, I pray to Him, and he provides. Finally, the last dreams I had that are now being fulfilled were to be a doctor. Well, I am not an M.D. and have no credentials, but God has given me the spiritual gift of healing. I lay hands on people, anoint them with oil, and their ailments are healed. What an amazing job to have!
Just recently, I had the great privilege of laying a hand on my pastor's wife who had a bone spur in her tailbone and was refused surgery, and after praying, her back no longer hurts at all. She is completely pain free, healed by the power of God! So God DID give me the desire of my heart to help and heal people. He also gave me a wonderful family with two beautiful children. He gave me a non-drinking, loving husband who treats me and my children with respect, and is also a Christian. This was always a desire of my heart, even when I was not walking with God. I wanted a good man and beautiful children. God gave them to me. Now, as my family moves into a new chapter in our lives, we are awaiting what God has next. We are facing career changes for my husband, a new home, new friends, new church, and many other changes within the next year. Instead of being anxious, I can trust that the Lord has gone before me, and already has it worked out for us. It is going to be awesome no matter where we go. It will be the desire of our hearts because we no longer seek our own will, but His alone. And in the center of his will, we are always satisfied.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowlege Him,
And he shall direct your paths."
This is my testimony for today. God will make your paths straight if you stop trusting yourself and put your trust in Him and his Word.
I pray that God blesses you today with the hearing of his Word. I pray that he brings you to place of understanding that his ways are better than our own, and that by trusting in Him, we can have the desires of our heart! I pray that you would have peace and joy, delighting yourself every day in the joy of the Lord. Lord, bless these readers, and fill their day with your righteousness, help them to be satisfied with only you, and save their souls from eternal desperation of hell. I pray this in Jesus name, and I thank you God for your grace. Amen.
Delighting myself in Him,
Sarah
"Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart."
As I was talking to my husband this morning, this scripture was laid upon my heart. It came to mind suddenly, and I had such joy when I thought about it. You see, God is asking us to "delight yourself in the Lord." When we make Christ our main focus in life, and delight ourselves in his character and goodness, we can dwell in the land, feed on his righteousness and he will give us the desires of our hearts! I have been told this by other Christians early in my walk with Jesus, but today it is becoming a reality. After talking to my dad this morning, it hit me that the desires of my heart used to be getting educated, finding a good career, and having a family. These are pretty typical American goals for any person, and many of us spend time, money and effort trying to gain these things. We believe that if we have the right degree, right career and a happy family, that we will be satisfied and secure all the days of our lives. This couldn't be further from the truth. Many people have degrees, money and families, but they cannot find a job that is satisfying, the money is constantly a concern (even if there is an abundance) and they become unhappy with their families. This leads to depression, a feeling of hopelessness, failure, depression, divorce and suicide (in some cases). The Lord gives us a much easier option. Trust in Him, trust in His Word, and DELIGHT ourselves in Him. Then he will give us the satisfaction and the desires that we have always wanted deep in our hearts. The interesting thing though is that we often do not know the desires of our own hearts until we begin to seek God and surrender to His will.
A perfect example...when I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor so I could help people and heal people. I dreamed for many years about being a doctor, but was told by the world many times that I was not good at math and science, therefore, my dreams of being a doctor faded away. I was suddenly left looking for another dream. So...I decided I wanted to be a journalist and writer. I had a skill and a passion for writing. So I went to college to get a degree in journalism, but along the way, I realized that journalists were often hypocrites and they told you to always tell the truth...but not the real truth, the truth that agreed with them. It disgusted me, and I did not want to spend time, effort and energy away from my family to seek a truth that was not real. So, I switched degrees to communication and decided to just graduate and find a job to support myself and my daughter. I did this, but no "job" was ever satisfying. I no longer had a dream, except to have a family that I could love and support. I sought this in all the wrong places as well, dating guys that were no good, and allowing myself and my daughter to be hurt in the process. I was far away from any dream, looking only to survive this wretched world. I was hurt, lonely, in debt, and my degree was not helping me to find a satisfying career...so I just settled for whatever I could get. I worked sales because I had the gift of gab, but often felt as though I had to be dishonest to make a profit. This internally made me upset, but I kept going because I had to survive. Sound familiar?
So, here is the second part of the true story of my life. I gave up one day, as I have said in former posts about my testimony. I surrendered my life, my heart and my will to Jesus Christ on June 10, 2007. I gave him my life, and I asked him to clean up the mess I had made. He forgave me for all the wrong things I had done in my own will and strength. He gave me a new life and wiped the slate clean. A completely fresh start...so then I had to live by His rules, His ways, and learn just to be satisfied with Him alone. He gave me an instruction manual on how to live my new life called the Bible. It has wisdom for living, wisdom that completely contradicts the ways of this world. When people see my living by my instruction manual, I am sure they are wondering when this crazy way of living is going to make me fall flat on my face. Although I cannot predict the future, I can say that every day since that first day have been better than any other day of the rest of my life. And since God has been faithful to his Word for the past year, I know he will be faithful for the rest of my life, and beyond. You see, since I started trusting God, I am satisfied to be doing His work every day. I am qualified to do His work because I am covered by the blood of Jesus and instructed in His Word, taught by the Holy Spirit Himself. I no longer need a degree to teach other's the way to abundant life, which is now my "career." I have been financially secure with my family since that first day, and although we do not always have a lot of money, I do not find myself wanting more. I am full of joy because I delight myself in the Lord, even when my bank account says "0." I trust the Lord will provide, I pray to Him, and he provides. Finally, the last dreams I had that are now being fulfilled were to be a doctor. Well, I am not an M.D. and have no credentials, but God has given me the spiritual gift of healing. I lay hands on people, anoint them with oil, and their ailments are healed. What an amazing job to have!
Just recently, I had the great privilege of laying a hand on my pastor's wife who had a bone spur in her tailbone and was refused surgery, and after praying, her back no longer hurts at all. She is completely pain free, healed by the power of God! So God DID give me the desire of my heart to help and heal people. He also gave me a wonderful family with two beautiful children. He gave me a non-drinking, loving husband who treats me and my children with respect, and is also a Christian. This was always a desire of my heart, even when I was not walking with God. I wanted a good man and beautiful children. God gave them to me. Now, as my family moves into a new chapter in our lives, we are awaiting what God has next. We are facing career changes for my husband, a new home, new friends, new church, and many other changes within the next year. Instead of being anxious, I can trust that the Lord has gone before me, and already has it worked out for us. It is going to be awesome no matter where we go. It will be the desire of our hearts because we no longer seek our own will, but His alone. And in the center of his will, we are always satisfied.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowlege Him,
And he shall direct your paths."
This is my testimony for today. God will make your paths straight if you stop trusting yourself and put your trust in Him and his Word.
I pray that God blesses you today with the hearing of his Word. I pray that he brings you to place of understanding that his ways are better than our own, and that by trusting in Him, we can have the desires of our heart! I pray that you would have peace and joy, delighting yourself every day in the joy of the Lord. Lord, bless these readers, and fill their day with your righteousness, help them to be satisfied with only you, and save their souls from eternal desperation of hell. I pray this in Jesus name, and I thank you God for your grace. Amen.
Delighting myself in Him,
Sarah
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