Thursday Devotional...Life moves on!

Learning to Take Nothing for Granted

It has been a busy week! August has a tendency of sneaking up on me. I feel like there is plenty of summer left and boom, I turn the calendar page and only a few weeks separate me from the schedule and responsibilities of another school year.

I look forward to the routine and pattern of the fall and feel very blessed to have kids in college and high school. My middle son is leaving home for the first time. As the date approaches for him to load up his little ’94 green 4-door, I find a lump in my throat more often, and tears in the back of my eyes as I realize that we will be saying goodbye until Christmas. But if everything goes according to plan, he will come back. We will be happy to see each other and I will be relieved to see for myself that he is well.

Then I think of the shootings that happened just a few weeks ago in Aurora, CO on July 19. Parents just like you and I went to bed July 18, while their kids went off to an opening night movie. Perhaps some waited up while others (like me) went to sleep knowing their offspring would gently wake them when they had returned home safe. Those parents didn’t expect a middle of the night shooting. They didn’t expect for their son to throw himself in the line of fire to save a life. They didn’t expect their loved ones to never come home again. Those parents ended up in the middle of a nightmare. They expected life and faced death.

How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies!

 (Psalm 116:15 GNT)

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;

he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

(Psalm 34:18 NLT)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds

 [curing their pains and their sorrows].

(Psalm 147:3 AMP)

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.

Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,

neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow

—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.

(Romans 8:38 NLT)

Dear Lord, thank You for being with the families in Colorado whose grief is still raw. Please help us to accept that we can predict typical days but we can’t prevent terrible ones. The world we live in is too sinful to ever be perfectly safe. Thank You for holding our futures, our hopes and our worries, from our children to our daily needs. Thank You, Lord, that Your Son overcame death, so that when we pass from this life we will live with You forever. In Jesus name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins

Wednesday Devotional...8/8/12...Learn what God has for us.

"Press Towards The Goal"

As long as we live on this earth for the Lord, there will always be new and fresh things He wants to teach us. We don't ever want to get to that point that we know it all and get comfortable where we are at in our Christian walk. There is always so much more that God wants to show us.

In Philippians 3:14 it says

"I press toward the goal for the prize

of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." 

If we are but willing and continuously surrendered to God, the sky is the limit what He can do through us! He wants us to stretch our spiritual muscles and go beyond where we have ever gone before.

He desires us to launch out into the deep and to let Him do new things in our life as we minister to those He puts in our lifes.

Press towards the goal of the call of God, drink deeply in Him and watch Him do miraculous things in your life!

In His Love,
Sandy Billingham

Tuesday Devotional 8/7/12....Tranformation

From Fan to Follower

I heard a message by Kyle Idelman , the author of (Not a Fan)...today and it describes my transformation from Fan to Follower .......

I've been fan of Jesus's since childhood , BUT now I'm very dedicated follower .Oh I was a member of the choir , an office holder , and a faithful worker in my church .. BUT wasn't FOLLOWING !!!

How could that be??? Well God had special work for me , above what I was doing ..Let me testify to you this morning , when I surrendered to it, my life changed dramatically, instantly .... I now let my spirit lead me and am so very blessed by the new life and work My Lord and Savior has given me , simply because I choose to FOLLOW , His lead ...

My life has new purpose and direction , my life has been renewed , and I am blessed beyond measure .. because I choose to BELIEVE and FOLLOW the MASTER ......Someone wished me LUCK , in my new walk ...... my reply "I don't need luck because GOD'S got my back " .....

God bless you all today and always ....hugs and love ....

LISTEN to your Spirit God needs FOLLOWERS ... not just Pew warmers ...Praise Lord to God be the glory

 Written by Annie

Monday Devotional...Promises

Tumbling waves of indescribable joy!

And because of His glory and excellence,

he has given us great and precious promises.

 These are the promises that 

enable you to share

his divine nature and escape

the world’s corruption

 caused by human desires.

2 Peter 1:4

How can I not share? How can I hold this flood of joy inside? My mind is overwhelmed with such indescribable joy! I feel like the tiny sea creatures that live at the water’s edge. Caught up and swept into the rolling, tumbling wave after wave of pure and utter amazement at God’s Love.

I do see the pain and corruption of this world, but I know that at the end of all of this – God is here. How can I explain this to the ones who will not hear? My praise and prayers may touch their still-too-raw places and cause them to turn away, run away and stay away. So I pray silently into the void within the crowd.

I pray for the wrinkled brow and injured eyes of the woman who is longing to be held, but afraid to be touched. I pray for the man who sits with his eyes closed tight, trying to ignore anyone who might ask him to carry just one more burden that is not his. I pray for the children who may not have anyone look them in the eye and smile. I smile at those who may have forgotten that it really is a beautiful day.

Even when the sky that we see is dark, the sun, moon and stars are still there, full of created and reflected light. The light is never gone. The light will always shine. The light is a promise that I hold onto every day. It floods me with joy.

This promise of joy and light in eternity is there for each one of us.

I love my life, my place in this world. I love the new blessings that I receive each day.

And knowing that this is just a hint of what is to come brings another rolling, tumbling wave of indescribable joy!

 Written by Lynda Kinnard

FAMOUS

Devotional for Sunday 8/4/12

Most of us, while striving to be humble, want to be important in some way to other people.  For some that means being important to our family or friends.  But sometimes we may think it would be nice to be remembered forever to a larger crowd.  We may wish to  "make a mark" on history that will live on beyond our earthly years, perhaps through innovations, inventions or even politics.  Some dream of being a famous star that will live on in movies that will be watched for decades to come.  There even are companies that charge you to name an astrological star after yourself or a loved one, thereby leaving behind a permanent spot in the universe that bears your name.  This week many have been watching the Olympics, and have seen athletes reaching great heights in fame, setting records that may stand for many years to come.  There are many ways to be important enough to be remembered forever, but very few people ever achieve that status.

There are times in our lives when we realize how unimportant we really are to the world as a whole.  We see that we are nothing but a speck of dust in the vast universe.  Most of us will never fall into the category of being famous.  But there is a different type of fame that we have that is worth so much more.

We are of ultimate importance to the Lord, our God.  It does not matter what we have or have not done, or have or have not been in this life.  If we are faithful believers, our names are written in God's book for eternity.  Every single life on this earth is important to him, and he knows every single one of us inside and out, and he loves each and everyone of us equally.  We are worth everything to him.  He even knows exactly how many hairs are on our heads.  In that respect, we are famous in God's eyes!

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.  Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.  Luke 12:6-7 NIV

written by Jan Andersen  

devotional for 8/3&4/12...Listen to what God is asking us to do

I need to apologize for not posting this first thing on Friday morning. Life happens inspite of all of our plans. This is an interesting story by Glenna Williamson that illustrates how we need to listen to what God leads us to.
God bless from Corinne Mustafa
_________________________________________________________ 

Be Sensitive To God’s Leading

I have experienced in my walk with God….the many times the Lord has lead me to be sensitive to his calling or sensitive to His Spirit to do something right at that moment that He was bidding me to do. Sometimes I have obeyed and sometimes I have been slack in His calling.

This one instance I remember many years ago, I was already in my thirty’s raising children by myself I was awakened out of a dead sleep one night with the thought of a neighbor girl that I used to know years and years ago growing up in Livermore. Her name was Dolly. I lived down the street from Dolly and her family when I was a teenager and didn’t really know them much other than by sight. Dolly was probably four or five years older than me, so I actually didn’t have much contact with her in school other than to acknowledge her if we’d pass in the hall way. I didn’t have any idea through these passing years where Dolly may now live or anything about her life….but I knew what I was feeling from the Lord.

This particular night that I was awaken out of sleep, I actually got up out of bed and stood by my bedroom window looking out into the deep dark of night….and I felt a heaviness, a burden in my heart for Dolly. I could envision what she then looked like in high school, but this was years and years later and I now lived in Tracy. I hadn’t even thought of Dolly in probably over twenty-five years….so why was I awoken in the middle of the cold night with this urgent pressing feeling that I needed to intercede for Dolly?

I went with my inner feelings and recognized that this burden that I was feeling so urgently and deeply must be from the Lord, and so I stood there by my window and began to pray. I no more hardly began to pray when intercessory prayer came into my spirit with words that can not be uttered with tears and moanings and groanings beyond my understanding. I prayed in the Holy Ghost and felt the heaviness on my chest praying for I don’t remember how long until finally this burden of prayer lifted and I went back to bed.

I did think of this from time to time, but through the rush of daily hectic living had kind of forgot about that night of prayer. One Saturday morning some months later I went to our local Save Mart grocery store. I got a basket and made my way through the isles toward the back of the store. When I looked at a lady standing by the meat section with her grocery basket…my eye caught her frail figure. This woman looked pale, tired and very weak and I couldn’t help but stare at her….when it dawned on me “Is that Dolly?” I tried not to be too conspicuous, but I kept pretending that I was looking at the meat counter, but I was inching my way closer to this poor frail lady. The closer I got I actually could see the familiarity of features that I had remembered about Dolly as a teenager. I kind of held my breath as the remembrance of prayer came back to mind. I got close enough to her basket and I said “Is you name Dolly?” She looked at me and her eyes were void of spark she only had a questionable look as her forhead wrinkled with a question ….and she said “Yes, I’m Dolly?”

I said, I don’t know if you remember me or not, my name is Glenna Mort, my family used to live down the street from you and your parents when we were teenagers in Livermore. Dolly’s eyes did perk up and she with a soft fragile voice said “of course I remember you Glenna, how are you? My goodness it’s been a long time, do you live here in Tracy now?” and I told her “Yes, I was living in Tracy now with my three children as my folks also moved here years ago”. She said “Well it’s so good to see you, I’m surprised you recognized me”. I kind of half heartily smiled and said “Oh Dolly, none of us really ever change!”

My heart was pounding inside my chest, because I knew this was no coincidence of us coming across each other like this. I knew the Lord had directed our paths….and I needed to get enough courage to touch her shoulder and tell her that recently she’d been on my heart and I had an experience with the Lord and with intercedings prayed for her. (although I wasn’t even sure she’d know what I was talking about). And so I got those words out….and Dolly stood right there and began to weep uncontrollably. Her eyes were red, not from crying, but I could see that she was sick, her skin was pasty. I then broke down my account of how the Lord had awoken me in the middle of the night some time back and how I got up out of bed and prayed much for her even though I’d not seen her for years and years.

Dolly began her story, as customers in the store had to walk around our baskets, but my focus was on her and I don’t think I paid any attention to anyone else around us.

Dolly unburdened her heart to me through tears running down her face, that her life has been hard. She has cancer and has been very ill, she and her husband now live in Tracy and have one son that they just moved off to College and it was about to crush her sole to see him go off miles and miles away from her with her facing the fear of cancer in her body that was taking her life. I tried being strong and looking her straight in her eyes talked of the Lord’s understanding in her life and that we’re never alone as God will wake someone up even in the middle of the night to intercede in prayer for her needs. Dolly shakily stood there now looking at me with partly disbelief and partly a hope of the miracle that just happened.

I told Dolly that I would continue to pray and she said so sweetly “Thank You Glenna,” We rolled our grocery baskets down different isles and although my eyes were filled with tears, I had a peace and an understanding of what God had done. The midnight intercessory prayer, our paths connecting from all these many years….and I saw the hand of God, “The Big Picture.” I myself was amazed, but I had peace. Godly Peace.

I never came across Dolly ever again. I have wondered to this day how her life unfolded. I may never know, but this one thing I do know….It was a visitation from the Lord to shake me to prayer for someone in my past needed help. In this remembrance I can identify to the scripture that says in

1Samuel 15:22

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight

in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD?

 Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Written by Glenna Williamson

Thursday Devotional...Already a Winner!!

Million Dollar Winner

What would it be like to win a million dollars? I imagine that almost every fear would disappear from our minds. Is your car limping along from home to work? No problem, just order a new car next week. Electric bills, broken appliances, worn out clothes, doctor bills, past due credit cards, healthy food, and school supplies for kids, everything that concerns us would simply become something that needs to be handled. Every time a new need occurs to us, we would make a note instead of worrying about what might happen if we are not able to take care of it.

If we don’t win a million dollars, is there any other cure for the fear, worries, concerns, and anxiety of this life?

Matthew 6:25 NIV

“Therefore I tell you,

do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink;

or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more important than food,

and the body more important than clothes?

God tells us not to worry because He is going to take care of us. He sees and knows everything and we can trust Him. Yes, that’s the challenge, how do we do it? How do we walk in trust and patience?

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 MSG

Be cheerful no matter what;
pray all the time; t

thank God no matter what happens.

This is the way God wants you who

belong to Christ Jesus to live.

Dear Lord, thank You for giving me what I have, when I have it. Please forgive me for being so easily caught up in the cares of this world. There is no way I can be cheerful all the time in my own strength, I am too fearful and negative; but I can choose to talk to You in my head all the time. Please give me a new heart that I will know I am already a winner in Christ Jesus, in Your Son’s name, amen.

Written by Mary M. Wilkins