Day 273: Do Not Belong...

For all of you are children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to darkness. ~1 Thessalonians 5:5

Day 272: He Is For You...

The God Who is for me... do you see Him that way? Faith gives us better angles on God... for instance if the sun is rising and everyone's raving about it, but to you, it's behind the building, and you can't see its colors...then you need to move your perspective. You know? God is for you. He's not waiting to whop you with his lightning, or smiling when you fail. He desires you to succeed; even more, He wants you to run to Him to make your life thrive. Do you trust Him? He's for you. What do you make of that? ~Taylor J. Beisler <3 :-)

Day 271: Always...

God is always right next to us even when life is oh so hard, reminding us that He is oh so good and able to carry us through anything. Taylor J. Beisler

Day 270: Righteous...

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous; And shout for joy, all you upright in heart! ~Psalm 32:11

Day 269: I Delight...

But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.~ Jeremiah 9:24

Day 268: My Refuge...

1 He who [a] dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. 2 I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust! 3 For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. 4 [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. 8 Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10 There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. 12 They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. 14 Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation. ~Psalm 91

Day 267: My Rock...

The [uncompromisingly] righteous shall flourish like the palm tree [be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful]; they shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible]. Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God. [Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. [They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. ~Psalm 92:12-15

Day 266: Find Me...

You will look for Me and find Me, when you look for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

Day 265: No Darkness...

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ~1 John 1:5

Day 264: My Hope...

"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long." ~Psalm 25:4-5

Day 263: Perfect Love...

There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear [b]brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection] ~1 John 4:18

Day 262: Your All...

Give God your all and don't hold back! ~Joyce Meyer

Day 261: Consuming Fire...

Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe;For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.~Hebrews 12:28-29

Day 260: With Singing...

The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing. ~Zephaniah 3:17

Day 259: Deer...

As the hart pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. ~ Psalm 42:1... Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.~ Isaiah 35:6... Saw six beautiful bucks together today at my work... a pretty unusual sight. Thought of these verses :-) Sorry for no picture, computer isn't working, so I'm posting with my kindle.

Day 258: Bible Study on Ephesians 3:11-21...

 Here is a Bible Study I did with friends last week on Ephesians 3:11-21... thought you all might be blessed by it too. I also have two small devotionals by Joyce Meyer, on a few of the verses that we studied. She helped me see them a bit clearer. You don’t have to agree to any of it, if you don’t feel it’s right, I just thought you might be blessed by it. I also have the section of verses below in the AMP version if you don’t have a Bible near you. :-)
Pleas feel free to leave your own opinion on the verses. I love learning and it’s pretty awesome to share and grow in God’s word together.
Enjoy!
In His Grace~

– Be Filled!
Just imagine having your personality filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God and being a body wholly filled with God Himself (see Ephesians 3:16- 19)! The apostle Paul was a person filled with the Holy Spirit; he was also a person who forsook all to follow Jesus. Any area of our lives that we hold back from God is an area where we cannot be filled with His Spirit. I encourage you to open and surrender every room in your heart to God. Your time is His; your money is His, as are your gifts and talents, your family, your career, thoughts, attitudes, and desires. He wants to be involved in every area of your life: how you dress, the friends you choose, what you do for entertainment, what you eat, and so on.

After conversion, Jesus is our Savior, but is He our Lord? Any area we claim as our own is one we have not surrendered to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

I lived a defeated life for many years simply because I was not fully surrendered. I accepted Jesus as Savior; I had enough of Jesus to stay out of hell, but I had not accepted Him as my Lord in every area of my life; I had not accepted enough of Him to walk in victory— and there is a difference.

The blessedness of being filled with the Spirit is clearly visible in the change in the people’s lives after Pentecost. Peter, for example, who displayed great fear in not being willing to even admit that he knew Jesus, became a bold apostle who stood in the streets of Jerusalem and preached the gospel so fervently that three thousand souls were added to the church in one day (see Acts 2: 40, 41).

Complete surrender to God brings good change into our lives. Surrendering to Him actually opens the door to the things we desire, and yet we waste our own energy trying to obtain access to them our own way. I encourage you today to surrender every area of your life to God so you may be filled to overflowing with His Spirit in every way.

– Believe BIG...
In the natural, many things are impossible. But in the supernatural realm with God, nothing is impossible. God wants us to believe for great things, make big plans and expect Him to do things so great that we are left with our mouths hanging open in awe. James 4:2 tells us we have not because we ask not! We can be bold in our asking, and Ephesians 3:20 challenges us to ask for big things.

When our desires seem overwhelmingly big and we do not see the way to accomplish them, we should remember that even though we do not know the way, we know the Waymaker!

God has a way for us to do everything He places in our hearts. He does not put dreams and visions in us to frustrate us. We must keep our confidence in God all the way through to the end, not just for a little bit and then give up when it looks as though the mountain is too big!

It is untold what people can do— even people who do not appear to be able to do anything. God does not usually call people what are capable; if He did, He would not get the glory. He frequently chooses those who, in the natural, feel as if they are in completely over their heads but who are ready to stand up on the inside and take bold steps of faith as they receive direction from God.

We usually want to wait until we “feel ready” before we step out, but if we feel ready, then we tend to lean on ourselves instead of on God.

Know your weaknesses and know God; know His strength and faithfulness. Remember that He is able to do “superabundantly, far over and above” everything you could ever dare to ask or think!

Ephesians 3:11-21
This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear).

13 So I ask you not to lose heart [not to faint or become despondent through fear] at what I am suffering in your behalf. [Rather glory in it] for it is an honor to you.

14 For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name].

16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

20 Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—

21 To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).

Day 257: In Our Character...

I know many of our lives may not be the ones we have longed for, but the greatest testimony is not how we started but how we finish. It isn’t getting what we want; it’s giving what we have. It isn’t getting our way; it’s doing God’s will no matter what anyone else we love does. The legacy is not in our comfort; it is in our character.
~Sheri Rose Shepherd

Day 256: I Surrender...

I ♥ this song and will name a chapter in book two(perhaps three) of my series after it... fits too well ;-) What songs inspire your writing? Enjoy~

Here I am/ Down on my knees again/ Surrendering all

Find me here/ Lord as You draw me near/ Desperate for You

Drench my soul/ As mercy and grace unfold/ I hunger and thirst

I surrender/ I want to know You more

Like a mighty storm/ Stir within my soul/ Lord have Your way/ Lord have Your way in me

 (Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

Day 255: Your Will...

Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. ~Romans 12:2

Day 254: By This...

By this we come to know (progressively to recognize, to perceive, to understand) the [essential] love: that He laid down His [own] life for us; and we ought to lay [our] lives down for [those who are our] brothers [in Him].
But if anyone has this world’s goods (resources for sustaining life) and sees his brother and fellow believer in need, yet closes his heart of compassion against him, how can the love of God live and remain in him?
Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity). ~ 1st John 3:16-18 ♥

Day 253: Scars...

So praise God we don't have to hide scars
Yeah we know his are covering ours
Praise God we don't have to hide scars
They just strengthen our wounds and they soften our hearts
They remind us of who we have been, but not who we are
So Praise God we don't have to hide scars. 

 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. 

~ Isaiah 53:5

(Remember to pause my purple music box, located on the right sidebar.... below My Blog Archive. The bottom middle button will pause it)

Day 252: Power of Love...

In my squalor of sin I reach for the hem of your garment expecting............deserving.................reproach and disgust..............and I receive mercy, love and Grace.

That is how great our God is!!!! He makes people want to be better and that is beautiful. That is the power of love. ♥ ~ Debbie

Day 251: Times...

One of my favorite songs...

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Day 250: Reflecting...

May our lives be a reflection of God's love in all we say and do, that others would be drawn unto His glorious presence, and know His peace.

Day 249: Brighter Days...

Lord, I'm weary after a long day. I lift my chin and look to You. I offer You the cares from the day, the concerns of my heart, and the things that keep me up at night. Take my sincere yet imperfect offerings and miraculously multiply them to meet the needs around me. When I crawl under the covers tonight, help me to remember that I'm not under my circumstances. I'm safe under the shadow of Your wing. Cover me with sweet, nourishing sleep tonight. Oh, how I love You. Amen. (And for those of you just waking, I pray that you walk with your head held high, remembering who you are in Him and that You are chosen, wonderfully and fearfully made and His princess...)
~Susie Larson

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
~Ecclesiastes 3:11

It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.
~Lamentations 3:22-23

Day 248: In it's time...

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 
~Ecclesiastes 3:11

Fear robs you of your peace, joy, dreams, relationships, witness and opportunities. Faith enables you to reach higher, go further, and accomplish more than you ever imagined. I choose faith!
~Micca Campbell

Day 247: Jesus Loves Me...

This is really sweet... :-)

Dear Friend,

I just had to write to tell you how much I love you and care for you.

Yesterday, I saw you walking and laughing with your friends; I hoped that soon you'd want Me to walk along with you, too. So, I painted you a sunset to c

lose your day and whispered a cool breeze to refresh you. I waited; you never called. I just kept on loving you.

As I watched you fall asleep last night, I wanted so much to touch you. I spilled moonlight onto your face trickling down your cheeks as so many tears have. You didn't even think of me; I wanted so much to comfort you.

The next day I exploded a brilliant sunrise into a glorious morning for you. But you woke up late and rushed off to work-you didn't even notice.

My sky became cloudy and My tears were the rain.

I love you! Oh, if you'd only listen. I really love you! I try to say it in the quiet of the green meadow and in the blue sky. The wind whispers My love throughout the treetops and spills it into the vibrant colors of the flowers.

I shout it to you in the thunder of the great waterfalls and composed love songs for birds to sing for you. I warm you with the clothing of My sunshine and perfume the air with nature's sweet scent.

My love for you is deeper than the ocean and greater than any need in your heart. If you'd only realize how I care. I died just for you. My Dad sends His love. I want you to meet Him. He cares, too. Fathers are just that way.

So please call Me soon. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait because I love you.

Your Friend,
Jesus
‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ 

- Jeremiah 33:3

~Author Unknown

Day 246: To Stand...

My mom shared this with me yesterday and it blessed me, so I though it might bless someone else.

I believe if your heavenly Father wrote you a personal personal letter about standing, it would read like this

My Beloved daughter . . .
You need never be afraid to stand up and do what is right, My child. I will always go ahead of you and prepare the way. I rescued Daniel from the mouth of the lions and delivered David from the hands of his enemies. Can you

trust that I am strong enough to handle any situation? I truly want what is best for you. Take courage and walk in My strength, not your own. Face every situation head-on—armed with the sword of the Spirit, the belt of truth, the armor of righteousness, and the shield of faith. You never need to turn your back and run—I will empower you and protect you. Just stand firm and pray and you
Will find the strength and passion to Stand!

Sheri Rose Shepherd

Day 245:Comfort Zone...

Some of us reluctantly leave our comfort zones and others of us are forced out of our comfort zones. If we are to see true, productive changes in our lives we're going to have to do things we've never done before to get results we've never gotten before. You have an idea that will revolutionize a product, or an industry. You've done all the ground work, now all that's left for you to do is present

it before those who have the means to make it work, but that's not your style. You're to shy. NONSENSE! Time to step out of your comfort zone. Commit your ideas, works, suggestions to God and then you will have good success. You do all you can do then trust Him to do the rest. Joshua and the army of Israel marched around the walls of Jericho blowing a trumpet and shouting, but God brought down the wall. ~Felicia~ Blessings Box Ministry