Archive for the ‘devotional’ Category

Faith or Fear?

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , on November 7, 2007| 3 Comments »

                     Golden Autumn

Golden Autumn

Are you stressed out?  Are you anxious and fearful?  Do you want to be at peace?  Do you realize that your finding peace has everything to do with faith? Without faith you will not become free from anxiety. I can say that with certainty. 

God has given us many promises in the Bible and we need them to live the type of victorious Christian life He wants for us.  But, in order to make those promises active in our own lives we must have faith.  It must be the right kind of faith.

First we need to believe in God.  Second believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ, His son, and third believe that the Word of God is true.  Then, we must take God at His Word.  When He says something, believe it, stand on it, and know that God will not let you down.

We need to apply our faith (in Christ) to the problem of fear and anxiety. We can do this.

We can see God’s handiwork in creation all around us.  That is a good example of something that can help us.  When we get those thoughts of fear and anxiety, we can refocus our minds by taking a good look around us.  We can see God’s handiwork and give thanks and praise to God for his creation, and in doing that we can turn off our stressful thoughts and replace them with God honoring ones.  Do you see how this can help you?

I’m not just coming up with some theory, but I’ve actually done this in my own life so I know.

Also, faith in and of itself has no value. There has to be an object to your faith.  And, that is Jesus.  It is because of Him that we can have faith.  Faith is a gift of God given to us to enable us to know Him and live our Christian lives. 

Colossians 1:4 “For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus (the leaning of our entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness) …  Amplified Bible. 

I love this Amplified version of the Bible as it brings out what is clearly said in the scripture. 

I want to challenge you today.  Do you have that kind of faith?  Is it in Christ Jesus only?  Do you have absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom and goodness? 

I also want to warn you that there are a lot of teachings out there today that are not truly Biblical.  One such false teaching is the prosperity gospel.  They declare that if you have enough faith you can be rich, and healthy, and have whatever you want.  Do you want a new car?  They say “just believe for it.”  This is a “faith in faith,” kind of thing.  It is almost like having faith in yourself, that you have enough faith to make things happen, or enough faith to make God do something.  That is not scriptural.  We cannot make God do anything, and we shouldn’t try. 

So, let’s be sure that we truly understand what God is talking about when he tells us to have faith, live by faith, and walk by faith. 

For more study on faith read Hebrews Chapter 11.

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Glory to God for His Handiwork

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , on November 7, 2007| Leave a Comment »

                    image

The natural creation brings Glory to God!

Psalm 19:1 reads:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows and proclaims His handiwork. ”  Amplified Bible 

God’s handiwork is all around us.  What a amazing sight it is to go out on a dark night and go to a place where there are no street lights. The stars all shine so brightly, it is breathtaking.  They seem to just hang there in the sky waiting for someone to come by and pick a bouquet.  You marvel at all the constellations and wonder why God placed them in that particular order.

There are so many thousands of stars it is overwhelming, and yet we know  God made them all and put them in place.  The heavens also declare his glory in the sun and moon. 

What about a rainbow?  Again…when you see something so beautiful as that you know there is a God in Heaven.  Our wonderful creator.

I love living in the country.  We can get out and see all kinds of natural beauty that God has created.  Mountains, valleys, lakes, streams, trees, flowers, animals, and the list goes on and on.  And to think God made all that for our enjoyment.  Isn’t that a marvelous thought? 

In the evening God gives us brilliant sunsets.  Oh what a joy they are. Pictured above is one that we saw on a beautiful October evening. It was taken off our deck.  To me that is God’s signature on a wondrous day.

As we take a walk and observe creation we can give God glory for all He has done.  It’s an amazing time of fellowship and is actually worship of God.

If we take a look at  Romans 1:18-20 we can see that God has revealed Himself through creation and man is without excuse.  Man can deny there is a God, but he is only deceiving himself.  The evidence of God is all around us.  Praise the Lord!

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Come Let Us Reason

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , on August 28, 2007| 5 Comments »

What does God want us to know?

Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord.  “Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…”We have all sinned.  We are naturally bent toward sin.

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

  Do you agree with God’s Word that says you are a sinner?
   What does sin earn us?

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is
eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Because God is Holy and without sin He cannot accept us the way we
are.  That is why He sent is only Son, Jesus Christ, to take our place
and die on the cross for our sins. He paid the price for us. (John 3:16)
  
   Who is the Lord Jesus Christ?

He is God’s Son. He is Lord. He is fully man and He is fully God.

John 10:30, “…I and the Father are one.”
  
   What must we do to be saved?

Acts 3:19 “Repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped
out…” 
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…”

What do we need to believe?

The Gospel (good news) message.
I Corinthians 15: 3-4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which
I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the
scriptures.  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third
day according to the scriptures.”
  
   Will you respond to God?

Romans 10: 9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified,
and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

   We must confess (agree with God in prayer) with our mouth, Jesus is
who God says He is, and believe in our hearts (not just head knowledge)
that He was raised from the dead.  Then we can have assurance that after
our life ends here on this earth we will continue to live on in Heaven
forever.
  
   Will you pray this prayer?

   “Dear God, I realize that I am a lost sinner. I’m sorry for the
sinful things I have done in my life and want to get right with you. 
Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the
payment of my sin.  I know that after He died He was buried and on the
third day He rose from the grave.  I know He is now alive and with you
in Heaven.  I want to make Jesus Christ Lord of my life, and turn the
reins over to Him.   I  ask you, God, to accept me right now just as I
am.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

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God Controls Nature!

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Scripture on July 19, 2007| 1 Comment »

 Lake Erie
A windy day at Lake Erie, Pa, Presque Isle Park

Today we hear so many references to “Mother Nature,” regarding the extreme weather conditions. But, is it truly Mother Nature who controls these things? A look at the book of Job may just convince you otherwise.

(Job 37:1-13)

Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him; The number of His years is unsearchable. “For He draws up the drops of water, They distill rain from the mist, Which the clouds pour down, They drip upon man abundantly. “Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, The thundering of His pavilion? “Behold, He spreads His lightning about Him, And He covers the depths of the sea. “For by these He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance. “He covers His hands with the lightning, And commands it to strike the mark. “Its noise declares His presence; The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.

(Job 37:1-133)

“At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place. “Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth. “Under the whole heaven He lets it loose, And His lightning to the ends of the earth. “After it, a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard. “God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things which we cannot comprehend. “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’ “He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. “Then the beast goes into its lair And remains in its den. “Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. “From the breath of God ice is made, And the expanse of the waters is frozen. “Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. “It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, That it may do whatever He commands it On the face of the inhabited earth. “Whether for correction, or for His world, Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.

Does your heart tremble when you hear the awsome power of God? You see, God is Sovereign, and He can do whatever He chooses. Sometimes He causes storms, tornados, hurricanes, drought, floods and other disasters in order to get our attention and correct our behavior.  This country has gone so far astray from the Word of God that I believe He is using nature to make us realize how powerful He is.  When even a nations leaders have turned their backs on God and live in ways that are deceitful and dishonest then God may have to bring judgement on all.   He made the universe and still controls it.  As it says above He causes the storms for His purposes. What an wonderful, awesome God we have.  The one and only, all powerful; yet loving and kind full of mercy and grace.  The next time you see the lightening and hear the thunder know God is in full control.  Marvel at His power and majesty!

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The Gift of Hope

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Scripture on July 18, 2007| Leave a Comment »

Blue Bird
An Eastern Bluebird Visits Me – Thank You Lord!

 

Are you tired of the way things are going in your life? Do you have problems in your relationships? Do you feel like you are under the heap instead of on top of it?

I’ve been corresponding with people on the internet for several years now, and if there is one thing I try to leave my readers with it is HOPE. When things get really bad and everything seems out of control sometimes a little thread of hope is all we have to hang onto. But, it is this thread of hope that keeps us going.

So, what is hope anyway? The dictionary says hope is: “belief that something good may happen.“ Yes, we need to have hope, but it needs to be more sure than just a belief. It needs to be something that we can depend on. That’s the kind of hope I want.

I’ve discovered there are two kinds of hope. There is the kind we find in our natural world, which is false hope, and the kind that God gives us which is true hope.

Here are some examples of the worldly kind of hope:

“I guess I’ll buy a lottery ticket and maybe I’ll win and become a millionaire. Then all my troubles will be over.” Lots of people buy into this false hope. Yes, it is possible to win, but not probable. The odds are against us.

“I hope to get that great job.” “I hope to make lots of money and retire early.” “I sure hope the weather is good tomorrow.” “I hope my husband gets that raise.” “I wish things would get better around here.” “I wish I could be a model.” “I hope Danny Boy wins in the 7th race, I’ve put my savings on him.” “I hope I can quit smoking.” None of these hopes or wishes have any guarantees with them. They may or may not come true. They are like a shot in the dark.

Have you ever had someone break a promise to you? We all have and it’s no fun. This happens to children a lot. Maybe a child has been promised a trip to the zoo next weekend, but dad unexpectedly has to work and the family can’t go. That child is heartbroken and feels like a his folks have broken their word to him. It wasn’t intentional on their part, but to the child it seemed like it was. Other times the adults in a family are so self-centered that they really don’t care if they make and break promises to anyone. What about all the broken promises given in wedding vows?

When I was growing up I was disappointed by adults many times. They didn’t live up to my expectations. Every time it hurt me and I evidentially got so I didn’t trust anyone. Has that happened to you?

Later in life I found out there was someone I could trust and that was God. He has given me another kind of hope for today and also or the future. I know he does not lie and He does not break His Word. That gives me a lot of confidence.

My definition of Christian hope: “Hope is the essence of God’s promises.” God has given us many precious promises in His Word. These promises are to help us live our lives full of hope. He never breaks His Word, as He cannot lie. So, if you want hope that is guaranteed then go to the Bible and you will find hundreds of promises just waiting for you to mine them.

(2 Peter 1:4 NASB) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

God wants us to look to Him for hope.

(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

(Psalms 71:5 KJV) For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.No matter how we feel, we can and must still praise God for He is our help and hope.

(Psalms 42:11 NASB) Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

God promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. Can we say that about people we know?(Hebrews 13:5 NIV) “…Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.”

There are so many wonderful promises in scripture I could fill a book with them. God promises us eternal life, peace, love, grace, wisdom, joy, victory, strength, guidance, that he will meet all our needs, power, knowledge, wisdom, mercy, truth, forgiveness, a personal relationship with God, discernment, counsel from the Word and much, much more.

As you read your Bible you might want to highlight the precious promises that you discover. They are like gold nuggets to be treasured and stored in your heart.

God’s promises restored me as I struggled with fear and anxiety for many years. I learned to claim His promises and that He is dependable and can be trusted to keep His Word.

God has also promised us hope for the future. We have Heaven to look forward to. And, in the meantime, we have the blessed hope, the waiting for his arrival.

(Titus 2:13 NASB) “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,”

Thank you God for the wonderful gift of HOPE!

“Hope…like the gleaming taper’s light,

Adorns and cheers our way;

And still, as darker grows the night,

Emits a brighter ray.” Oliver Goldsmith

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Softly and Tenderly Jesus is Calling

Posted in Christian, devotional, Faith, Hymns, inspirational, Praise, Worship on June 21, 2007| 3 Comments »

Will L. Thomp­son, in Spark­ling Gems, Nos. 1 and 2, by bio J. Cal­vin Bush­ey (Chi­ca­go, Ill­i­nois: Will L. Thomp­son & Com­pa­ny, 1880)  (MI­DI, score).

When the world-re­nowned lay preach­er, Dwight Ly­man Moody, lay on his death bed in his North­field, Mass­a­chu­setts, home, Will Thomp­son made a spe­cial vi­sit to in­quire as to his con­di­tion. The at­tend­ing phy­si­cian re­fused to ad­mit him to the sick­room, and Moody heard them talk­ing just out­side the bed­room door. Re­cog­niz­ing Thomp­son’s voice, he called for him to come to his bed­side. Tak­ing the Ohio po­et-com­pos­er by the hand, the dy­ing evan­gel­ist said, “Will, I would ra­ther have writ­ten “Soft­ly and Ten­der­ly Je­sus is Call­ing” than an­y­thing I have been able to do in my whole life.”

cite Emurian, p. 109

This hymn was sung in the 1985 Acad­e­my Award win­ning mo­vie, “Trip to Boun­ti­ful,” and at a me­mor­i­al ser­vice for Amer­i­can ci­vil rights lead­er Mar­tin Lu­ther King, at the Eb­e­ne­zer Bap­tist Church, At­lan­ta, Georg­ia, Ap­ril 8, 1968.

Dear Friend, 
Have you turned your back on Jesus? Were you close to Him at one time, but somehow slipped away? Do you know deep down in your heart that you need to return home? If so, listen closely, His still small voice is calling you right now.  He is patiently waiting for you to come back to Him so He can be merciful and bless you.  

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Refrain

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

Refrain

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

Refrain

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Refrain

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When the Roll is Called up Yonder

Posted in Christian, devotional, Hymns, inspirational, Worship on June 4, 2007| 3 Comments »

Words & Music: bio James M. Black, 1893 (MI­DI, score). Black, a Meth­od­ist Sun­day school teach­er in Wil­liams­port, Penn­syl­van­ia, was call­ing roll one day for a youth meet­ing. Young Bes­sie, daugh­ter of a drunk­ard, did not show up, and he was dis­ap­point­ed at her fail­ure to ap­pear. Black made a com­ment to the ef­fect, “Well, I trust when the roll is called up yon­der, she’ll be there.” He tried to re­spond with an ap­prop­ri­ate song, but could not find one in his song book:

This lack of a fit­ting song caused me both sor­row and dis­ap­point­ment. An in­ner voice seemed to say, “Why don’t you write one?” I put away the thought. As I opened the gate on my way home, the same thought came again so strong­ly that tears filled my eyes. I en­tered the house and sat down at the pi­a­no. The words came to me ef­fort­less­ly…The tune came the same way—I dared not change a sin­gle note or word.

This song was sung in the 1941 Aca­de­my award win­ning mo­vie “Ser­geant York.”

When the Roll is Called up Yonder 

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

When the roll, is called up yon-der,
When the roll, is called up yon-der,
When the roll, is called up yon-der,
When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.

On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Refrain

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Shamanism

Posted in Agoraphobia, American culture, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Praise, Scripture on May 14, 2007| 6 Comments »

Phylox
Creeping Phlox – Spring is here!

 Some people promote shamanism as a viable treatment for panic attacks and agoraphobia.  Because of this I feel I must post this warning. I had panic attacks and agoraphobia for twenty years.  I’ve been free from fear and panic for over 14 years now.  During my illness I discovered the Lord and turned my life over to him.  I studied the Bible and as I put the Word in practice in my life I became well again.  I owe everything to the Lord and his wonderful grace.

 Shamanism is an occult practice.  Let me quote from one who knows.

“Shaman…is a word from the…Tungus people of Siberia, and has been adopted widely by anthropologists to refer to persons…previously known by such terns as ‘witch,’ ‘witch doctor,’ medicine man,’ sorcerer,’ wizard….’  A shaman…enters an altered state of consiousness–at will…to aquire knowledge, power, and to help other persons.  The shaman has at least one, and usually more, ‘spirits’ in his personal service.  To perform his work, the shaman depends on special, personal power, which is usually supplied by his guardian and helping spirits.”  –Michael Harner, anthropologist and shaman.

 Now lets see what the Bible has this to say about such practices:

(Deuteronomy 18:10 KJV) There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,

(Deuteronomy 18:11 KJV) Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

(Deuteronomy 18:12 KJV) For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

God hates these kind of practices and we need to be careful that we do not get involved in them.  Why?  Because God wants us to come to him with our problems and he will show us the answers.  He wants us to depend totally on him and not on ourselves or other people.  He loves us and wants to care for us.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

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