Christmas Eve 2019

This Christmas 2019, and I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!  God is so amazing, and I am so grateful that He sent Jesus to us for our salvation.

As I sit and look at my Christmas tree I look at the stars and realize for the first time that they represent the Star of Bethlehem.  I have never thought about why we put stars on our trees before.  As I sit here this morning I have been thinking about how faithful the Three Wise Men were to follow the star.  Would we be that faithful?  Would we just get up and leave everything to follow a star, because we knew at the end of the trip we would find a king?  I started writing this post several years ago, but was not sure what God wanted in this post.  I have been waiting for Him to talk to me and lead me in the direction that He wanted.  I have needed to be patient, because I want to follow His lead, because that is what the Magi did, they followed His lead. Sometimes, we have to be really patient, because it has taken two years for this post to be finished. This was the right time for it to be published, His time.

When I was at church, one of my Pastors, Pastor Mills, spoke about the Three Wise Men.  He told us that they had been astrologers, which I had never realized before.  We do not know a lot about them, but we do know that they were not Jewish.  Yet, they saw a star that moved across the sky and they knew that they would find a king at the end of their trip.


1. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 
2. saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
3. When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And he gathered all of the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where Christ was to be born.
5. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is is written by the prophet:

6. 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.'

7. Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

8. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."

9. When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and feel down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12. Then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Matthew 2:1-12

I want to act with that kind of faith in God. The kind of faith that makes me drop everything in my life to follow Him because He sent a Savior for me.

My prayer this Christmas Eve for for all of us, you and me, is that we have that same faith, the kind of faith that makes us drop everything and follow Christ. That we also have the faith of the Magi.

Merry Christmas and God bless all of you!

Debi

Joy is a Gift

Joy is a gift from God. It is one of the gifts that we receive when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance

Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV

We are also told to count it all joy in James 1.

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of you faith (through experience) produces endurance (leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace.)  And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed (in your faith), lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom (to guide him through a decision or circumstance), he is to ask of (our benevolent) God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.  But he must ask (for wisdom) in faith, without doubting (God's willingness to help), for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind.  For such a person ought not think or expect that he will receive anything (at all from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable and restless in all his ways (in everything he thinks, feels, or decides).

James 1:2-8 AMP

I don't know about you, but sometimes I have a hard time with this one.  I have faith and I know that God had got all of my problems taken care of even before I ask, but when I don't see results right away, or maybe it even takes a year or two, I feel like it may never happen.  I still need to count it all joy, consider it nothing but joy, because this testing of my faith will lead to a spiritual maturity that I now lack.  Isn't that one of the things we are striving for in our walk with God and our faith is spiritual maturity and inner peace.

One of the reasons that I have not written much over that last year and a half is that I fell and crushed my left ankle.  It has been a true struggle.  When I broke it, I sang the song Way Maker by Sinach over and over quietly as they took me to each surgery, every test, and even in a hyperbaric chamber.  God is so good.  He placed me in the hands of an amazing trauma surgeon who was able to piece me back together,  I lost the feeling from above my ankle down.  I have neuropathy in my foot that is being taken care of pain treatment specialist,  He diagnosed me with something called Sympathetic Nerve Syndrome, which basically means that the nerves and blood vessels in my ankle and foot are confused and sending pain signals to my brain. In the meantime, I know that this struggle will result in a spiritual maturity that I did not have before.  So I am counting it all joy.  I know it sounds strange, but God is using this for something to benefit me in the end.  To bring me closer to Him, and also to benefit His Kingdom.

So as you move through life and you are dealing with difficult things in your life, remember to consider it all joy.  He doesn't promise us a tribulation free life, but He has the strength to help us move through these tough times.

Have a blessed week

Debi

Help Me Lord

Have you heard the Natalie Grant song More Then Anything?  I was in the shower this morning, and the song was playing over and over in my head, but what was I was really focusing on was Help Me Lord.  Some of the words in the song are; "Help me want the Healer, more then the Healing, Help me want the Savior more then the Saving, Help me want the Giver more then the Giving, Help me want you Jesus more then anything."1.  I've posted the video below, so that you can hear it.  It's so beautiful.

I have't been able to get this song out of my head recently.  As I was singing it this morning, what God shared with me was Help Me Lord.  Jesus is all of the things she sings about: the Healer, the Savior, the Giver, and we always ask Him for what we need.  Isn't that what we are supposed to do?  Yes, He could wave his hand and take all of our pain and suffering away, but want would we have learned.  Would we have learned to give Him our troubles, without trying to take them back and solve them ourselves?  Not if He just waved His hand and made it to easy.  What I heard Him say this morning was that we need to make sure we want Him in our lives (all of the way in), not just what He can do for us.  Without Him wholly in our lives, He can't accomplish what we are asking Him to do.  What I mean by this is that, if we haven't invited Him into our hearts, and turn our problems over to Him to take care of He can't do it, because our faith will not be strong enough.  If we don't turn healing over to Him, He can't heal us.  If we don't accept Him as our Savior, He can't save us, and if we don't ask Him to be our Giver, He can give us nothing.

So this morning as I was singing this beautiful song, the phrase "Help me Lord" became part of what I was singing, even thought it isn't part of the song.  "Help me Lord to let You into my life, to release You and Your power into my life, so that You can be all of these things to me."

What will it take for you to let Him into you life, your heart, your soul?  Maybe you already have, but maybe you need that extra bit of conviction and faith to totally surrender to Him.  Whatever it is that you need from Him, I am praying for you to let Him help you.  For through Christ all things are possible.

Today, I am asking you if you need prayer?  If you do please contact me and I will be happy to pray with you.  Remember to make sure that you are not a no-reply comment blogger.  You will need to change that or send me your email address, so that I can reach you.

Have a blessed day.
Debi

1. Songwriters: Becca Mizell / Samuel Mizell
More Then Anything Lyrics Copyright BMG Management

Who Do You Say I AM

"Who do you say I AM?"   That is what I heard on October 22, 2018, on the way to Bible Study.  God was pretty insistent that night.  He asked again, "Who do you say I AM?"  This is the conversation that I had with God that night, and I wrote it down, because I knew I was supposed to share it with you.

My answer, "God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit."
"Do you recognize the signs?"

"Did  they recognize the signs, the people of that time?"

"What  were the signs?"  

"Did  the Apostles know?" 

"What  are the signs now?  Because we know He is coming again."

"Are  we ready, are you ready?"

God's questions were so insistent that night.  Insistent that I remember and share this with all of you.  He is coming and there are signs that are being fulfilled all of the time, and we must know what they are so that we can be ready.  

The next part of the conversation went like this.  "Who do you say I am?"  Me not Him.  

"You know me.

Every hair on my head.

My name before I was born.

You sent Jesus for my salvation.

You say I am a Child of God.

You say I am loved." I answered.

Our job, yours and mine is to know the signs.  How do we do that?  We must know the Word, we must read the Bible.  It is so important, because we do not want to be asleep at the wheel.  God loves us all and does not want anyone left behind.

Have a blessed day.

Debi

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Matthew 16:15-16

Pray

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We had a very lovely, warm, and quiet one here in Fort Lauderdale.

I saw a sign that said "Pray" near my home a few weeks ago.  I often see different scripture on this sign, but it felt like Pray was flashing at me.  It wasn't, but God certainly wanted me to notice it on that day.  I have seen so many bad things happen recently, and I just keep praying, because that is all that I have I can do, but this was like a call to action.  This was different, I knew that this sign was a "sign" from God for me to write about.  Then, last week, on our morning prayer line my pastor was talking about some of the things happening in the world, and what came to my mind were these verses in Job 2.

Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.  And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?”

Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

Job 2:1-2 NKJV

We don't often think about verses like this, but this is really important!  The sons of God are the fallen angels who followed Satan and were kicked out of Heaven, never to live with God again.  They are wandering the earth, going to and fro, back and forth.  They create chaos, and their mission is to turn as many people away from God as possible.  Not just turn away, but not allow them the chance to find God, to reach Him.  Their job is to steal, kill, and destroy anyone they can reach.  Our mission is to PRAY!  To pray for our people, our communities, our country, and our world.  We are the line of defense!  We are the Warriors!  We can't allow the enemy to cross the line. Our strategy is to Pray!  Pray unceasingly!  Please join me in praying during your prayer time, whenever that may be, to pray for people, not just people who know God, but people who don't.  Please pray for the lost, the lonely, the sad and disheartened, the happy, the healthy, the wealthy, all of the people who don't know God.  Please join me in prayer that they find Him and welcome Him into their lives.

Now, this was one of  the few occasions of being outside  of my house over that last few months.  You see on August 3rd, I fell and crushed my ankle.  I have started to write about it several times, but have never had the right words, to share this very humbling experience with all of you.  I have had several surgeries and I am on the mend.  Today I took my first steps in my boot without a crutch.  Yeah!!!  Walking never felt so good, I will never take it for granted again.  I have been praying like crazy, and God is answering each and every prayer.  I am so grateful.  

Thank you for reading this today.  I am so grateful that you are here.

Have a blessed week!

Debi

Forgive

Do you forgive others?  Are you able to forgive?  Is it difficult for you or is it something that comes easy?  In Luke 6:37, Jesus tells us, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged.  Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

As I was doing my Bible reading, I read Luke 6:37 and was thinking about what it means to me.  None of us want to be judged, right?  We certainly don't want to be condemned, and I think we all want to be forgiven.  So where does that leave us when we feel we have been wronged?  Where do we turn?  What do we do?  How do we act?  Don't we all want to be forgiven when we have done something wrong?  I think we do.  I know that I do.

Maybe we need to start with the first sentence, "Judge not, and you shall not be judged."  Do you judge others?  I try very hard not to.  One of the things that I often say if someone says, "you never judge me", is that "I live in a glass house, I don't throw stones."  I have to be very honest with myself though.  I don't normally judge people that I know, but I have found, especially as I was watching the news the other day that I judge our president often.  I get angry when I hear what he is doing, that so many people could have been without health insurance, or that my rates could go up even more.  So I am judging, I'm just not judging someone that I know personally.  I'm judging him each time I get angry with what I feel is his lack of compassion for people. Especially, people with less.  Aren't we called to help others?  Aren't we called to treat the least of us as we would Jesus?  When did that get lost in the grand scheme of things.

And the King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, You did it to Me."
Matthew 25:40

Then He will answer them, saying, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you do not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me."
Matthew 25:45

So He says, if we do something for the least, then it's as if we do it to Him, and if we don't then it's as if we haven't done it to him.  Back to judging,  I am not supposed to judge, so I need to pray, and ask God to help me not judge. Our president could not have been placed in office without God, so let's pray for this man.  Let's pray that he receive compassion for all of the citizens whom he is responsible for in our country.  Do you judge?  Do you need to ask God for help in this area of your life?  He will help you, you just need to ask him.

Next, "condemn not, and you shall not be condemned." Here are some definitions that I found for condemn.

Condemn: express complete disapproval of or to express an unfavorable or adverse judgement
Synonyms:  censure, criticize, denounce, blame, revile, chastise, berate, reprimand, rebuke

As I read the definition, I realized that I do this.  I do it when I talk about our president, but I also do it with my family.  I didn't even understand that criticizing or chastising was condemnation.  Last weeks post was Bridle My Thoughts Bridle My Tongue, well when I criticize I am condemning.  Check, this is now on my list of prayers.  Do you need help with this in your life?  Again, all you need to do is ask God for help.  Add it to your list of prayers, He is there to help, and He wants you to succeed.

I love the last sentence in this verse, "Forgive, and you will be forgiven."  It sounds so simple doesn't it?  Forgiveness can be tough when we feel we have been wronged.  We hold on to things that we perceive as wrongs, then we say we have forgiven, but we really haven't.  Holding onto all of that sadness, anger, frustration, and disappointment only hurts us.  When you don't let go of all of those terrible feeling, you can't heal.  The forgiveness is not just for the other person, it's also for you.  Do you remember how you felt when you really let go of your anger and forgave someone?  Didn't you feel better.

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."
Mark 11:25

But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:15

God wants to forgive all of us, but we need to do our part, also.  It doesn't just happen, but with His help we can do anything.  Prayer is so important.  It doesn't need to be a formal prayer.  I wake up in the morning and start talking to God.  I have conversations with Him all day long.  I ask His advice, but I have realized that I also need to ask for help in more areas of my life.  Do you need His help?  Reach out to Him today,  He is waiting for you, He is always there, He is listening, and He wants to help you.  When you forgive someone, you are also forgiven.  Isn't that what we all want?  We don't want to be judged or condemned, we want to be forgiven.

I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.
1 John 2:12

Have a blessed week.

Bridle My Thoughts Bridle My Tongue

Do you have a tendency to criticize or have a sharp tongue? I don't know about you, but I do, so I ask God to bridle my thoughts and bridle my tongue every morning.  This is something that I have found I need a lot of help with. Especially with the people closest to me.

You see, I tend to be a perfectionist, and that can make me difficult to live with.  Most people who know me think I'm a super nice, easy going person, but my family knows the real me.  I am a nice person, it's not that I'm not, but I tend to be hardest on those that I love.  My poor husband says that I have a certain view of the world and that I expect those whom I love to live up to that view.  I am probably not very reasonable at times, and short on patience when I think that I am doing it all.  I'm sure that some of you are like that also, you know who you are.  We clean, cook, work, take care of the kids, do the laundry, even pack all of the suitcases and try to do it without complaining, until we feel like we are being taken advantage of.  We haven't asked for help, so how can those around us, know that we needed it to take advantage of us.  Maybe just by watching all that we are doing?   Come on that's not fair to them!  They can't read our minds even though we think that they should.   We walk around with a laundry list in our heads of what needs to be done, but they don't have the same list, so how are they supposed to know.

Then Satan rears his ugly head!  (I have now reached my limit, but how would my family know what needed to be done if I didn't tell them.)  I lash out in anger and frustration!  Not fair right!  No, not fair at all. Do you recognize this person, are you like me?  I need to learn how to talk, ask for help. So each morning I ask God to bridle my thoughts and bridle my tongue, so that I don't say something mean to those that I love.  They are the ones I should have the most patience with, not the least.

Each morning I pray, "God, bridle my thoughts and bridle my tongue today, in the name of Jesus Christ.  Don't let me say anything mean, angry, or unkind to anyone today. Thank you Lord."  I know that when I am praying in the name of Jesus that it is done.  It is such a simple prayer, but so powerful.  It has helped me to so very much.  I want my thoughts and tongue to be in agreement with God's will, not mine.  The Lord's prayer says "Thy will be done."  Let it be.


I like this verse in Psalms, and I'm giving you several different versions. I think it is helpful to see different transliterations.

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the doors of my lips.
Psalms 141:3 (NKJV)

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips (to keep me from speaking thoughtlessly).
Psalms 141:3 (amplified)

Guard my mouth, O Eternal One;
control what I say.
Keep a careful watch on every word I speak.
Psalm 141:3 (The VOICE)

I especially liked The VOICE's version, "Guard my mouth..., control what I say, Keep careful watch on every word I speak".

If this speaks to you, I hope it helps.  Have a blessed week.

Rest in the Lord

Are you tired, weary, feel the weight of the world on your shoulders?  Rest in the Lord, he will carry you. You weren't meant to carry life's troubles all by yourself.  Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  Jesus and God are so much bigger then us, and they will gladly carry our load, all you have to do is ask.  

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

After asking you then need to actually give your troubles to God.  You can't give them to Him and then take them back, You just need to leave them at His feet, and He will take control.  The Casting Crowns song Just Be Held says:

And when you're tired of fighting

Chained by your control

There's freedom in surrender

Lay it down and let it go.

Refrain

So when you're on your knees and answers seem so far away

You're not alone, stop holding on and just be held

Your worlds not falling apart, its falling into place

I'm on the throne, stop holding and just be held

Just be held, just be held
Casting Crowns Just Be Held

God has told us that He will take all of our "stuff".  He is strong enough to do it all.  We just have to trust in Him.  You just have to give it to Him and leave it with Him, lay it at His feet, because don't you feel lost trying to do it all by yourself?  Things may seem tough, and without Him, they are tough, but you can find rest in Him.  He can do it all.  He will take it from you, He will carry your load, you just have to let Him.

The Matthew West Song Strong Enough says so much in just a few short verses.

I know I'm not strong enough to be everything that I'm supposed to be

I give up

I'm not strong enough

Hands of mercy won't you cover me

Lord right now I'm asking you to be

Strong enough

Strong enough

For both of us

I'm not strong enough, but He is.  Rely on His strength and you will find peace.

Have a blessed week.

The Cross

Have you ever wondered why people wear a cross? Have you thought about why you wear a cross?  What is your motivation?  My motivation is simple.  It opens a door for conversation.  It allows people to know that I am a Christian, and to ask me questions.  It allows me to reach people whom I may not have been able to reach otherwise. 

I want to tell you a story, it's just a short one, and it never would have happened had I not been wearing a cross.  I was in Alexandria, Egypt.  I was in the spice market searching in every little shop for ground saffron.  It's an Egyptian saffron that's delicious in rice, and anything else that you can think of.  It is kind of hard to find because most people just carry the saffron threads, and this is a mix of ground saffron and other spices.  The Egyptians were very kind to us, and there was one young man running all over trying to find it in any of the stalls, of which there were probably a hundred or more.  David and I kept walking to different stalls, and we finally came to a very small enclosed store.  Now, let me remind you we are in Egypt, in a very Muslim area, most of the women were wearing burkas.  I on the other hand had on a dress with short sleeves, and the dress only came to my knees.  I saw a woman come out of the store, and she was not wearing a burka, which to an American is not a big deal, the burka, is what I was noticing, not someone not wearing a burka.  Anyway, to go on with the story this woman comes out of the store in regular clothes with a scarf over her hair.  That should have been my first clue, that something was different here.  She was the store owners wife.

I entered the store, and this store had the ground saffron that I was looking for.  This was the only store in the whole spice market with ground saffron.  I was very excited.  The gentleman who owned the store was helping me, and he was very sweet and kind.  After a while he saw the cross around my neck, and he asked if I was a Christian, and I answered "yes".  He got very excited and said that he was a Christian also.  I thanked God for taking me to this little shop.  For allowing me to share with this man that he was not all alone.  That God was with him bringing people to his little spice shop.  It also signaled to me that God was leading me to where He wanted me to be.  I just needed to follow.  That the only Christian in the area shopping, found the only Christian store owner in the area, with the product that I was looking for.  God is good.  Now, I was a baby Christian back then, and not very bold, so I did not ask if he wanted me to pray with him, but I did praise God aloud for bringing me into his store.  To this day, I still say thank you God, thank you Jesus.  Now, when that kind of thing happens I do ask people if they want me to pray with them.

I am rarely in Muslim countries, but my cross opens up dialogs everywhere.  It gives people the freedom to ask me questions about Christianity, to tell me that they are sick, have cancer, back pain, that they are alcoholics or drug addicts, and it gives me the opportunity to pray with them and for them.  I want God to help me to be bold in sharing His word, and wearing a cross allows me to reach people I would not normally be able to reach.  I praise God daily that I am being put into the lives of so many different people and to make a difference.  He told us to take up our cross and follow Him.  I am trying to do that daily.

Here are some verses that I found and I wanted to share them with all of you.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Matthew 16:24

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, "Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:34

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

Luke 9:23

Have a blessed week.

Fighting in Prayer

How do you fight your battles? If you are not fighting in prayer then you need to learn how to fight better.  We received all of the tools to battle the enemy when we were filled with the Holy Spirit.  A friend from church posted this line post on Facebook a few weeks ago, "If we're just praying and not praying and fighting, we're losing... #prayerwarrior".  As I was asking God what to share with all of you next, he told me "fighting in prayer".  So here are some verses to help you fight in prayer, with prayer. Through the Holy Spirit you have the AUTHORITY!  Be a prayer warrior.

And He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every affliction.

Matthew 10:1

And He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them the authority over unclean spirits.

Mark 6:7

Behold I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Luke 10:19

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

Matthew 10:6-8

Declare these things: and exhort and rebuke with all authority.  Let no one disregard you.

Titus 2:15

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, to the end of the earth.

Acts 1:8

For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.

1 Cor 4:20

These scriptures tell us that we have the power, the authority to fight for our families, our friends, ourselves, even our country, our president, the world.  When we pray in the name of Jesus Christ we are using the power of the Holy Spirit.  I urge you to use the tools we were given, our weapon is  prayer, to defeat the enemy.  We can defeat him, it is written that in the end he loses.  Don't let him have one more soul.  Fight in prayer, fight with prayer, be a prayer warrior.

Have a blessed week.

A Battle For Souls

There is an unseen, invisible battle going on around us, a battle for souls, for yours, and mine, and everyone that we know. The battle between good and evil has been going on since the beginning of time.

By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; 
And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.
Ezekiel 28:16

Spiritual warfare has been part of this world since before Adam and Eve were evicted from the Garden.  It continues to this day.  You can't see it, but it's happening, everywhere, and all of the time.

1  Now the serpent was more cunning then any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?
2  And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3  but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said, "You shall not eat it, nor touch it, lest you die."
4  Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.  
5  For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave it her husband with her and he ate.
7.  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Genesis 3:2-7

The snake wanted Adam and Eve to fall, so he convinced them that God wasn't being truthful.  He was a deceitful witness and he still is. He uses deception to blind our minds and hearts.  He doesn't want us knowing the Bible because God's word keeps us from being deceived by him.

A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies
Proverbs 14:25

He tries to convince people that God is not real, that Jesus wasn't the son of God, that He didn't die for our sins, that He wasn't resurrected, that we are not saved through the grace of God.  He tries to convince people that they are worthless, unloved, that there is no need for God, and no need for Jesus our savior.  Satan continues to try to convince humanity that there is no salvation.

God has given us freewill, and Jesus was a true witness who delivers souls to his Father, our Father.

17  Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
18   And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.
19   Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20   Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
Luke 10:17-20

We have authority over the spiritual realm when we pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  God has given us the weapons to fight for our souls, the souls of our family, for the president, the country, and the world.  In Ephesians 6:10 - 18 we are told to put on the whole armor of God.

10  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13  Therefor take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints-
Ephesians 6:10-18

You actually have the power in this age old battle for souls. You are in control, but you need to know His word, hide it in your heart, keep it with you at all times.

9   Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10  No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11  For he shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
12  In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your food against a stone.
14  You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Psalm 91:9-14

God is on one side of this battle and the devil is on the other side and we already know the outcome.  The outcome has already been written.  The battle has been won, but it is a battle to save more souls, to not allow the devil to lead even one more person away from God.  So fight for your family, friends, country, and the world, because if we are not fighting in prayer who will be?  This is a battle we win, but we wont have won the battle if we haven't won souls over for the Kingdom of God.  That's what this battle is for, souls.

The devil who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.  And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Revelation 20:10

Have a blessed week.

God Provides

I was trying to come up with a topic for today (on my own, never a good thing), and I finally turned to God and asked Him for a topic.  (Which I should have done from the start.)  I, of course, was provided with one while I was washing my hair, it always seems to happen that way.  He told me "I will provide", which He did.  On this day He provided the topic for me, other days He provides inspiration for my designs, or recipes, whatever I may need that day.  He provides.

  

He is our constant, our healer, our deliverer.  He is dependable, reliable, loving, and kind.  He is all seeing, all knowing, available.  He is our Father.  He is our Provider.

I love the stories about Abraham's life.  He was such a faithful servant to God.  He finally received Isaac, that child that God had promised.  Then God asked him to do the unimaginable, He wanted Abraham to sacrifice his cherished son to God.  I can not even imagine how hard that would have been, but he was willing to do it for God.  He took Isaac to the mountain and was prepared to sacrifice Isaac, but God sent and angel at the last minute and said not to sacrifice his son and provided a ram for the burnt offering instead.  You can read the entire story in Genesis 22.  God provided.

So Abraham called the name of that place, "The Lord will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided."
Genesis 22:14

God will provide, you need to trust Him, you need to believe in Him, you need to ask Him. Spend time with God in prayer.  Get to know Him.  He is waiting to spend time with you.

I love Matthew 7:7.  Jesus told us exactly what to do when we need something.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7

Have a blessed week.

God's Small Miracles

God's small miracles happen everyday, in every way, and everywhere. Most people don't believe that miracles happen any longer.  They think that they are just Bible stories, but I am here to tell you that the miracles are in front of us every moment of every day.  We just have to believe.  We have to look to God, have a relationship with Him, have faith in Him.

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1

As a whole, we even take for granted waking up each morning.  We take for granted each breath that we take.  When a baby is born, the excitement in the room is almost palpable when a baby takes its first breath.  People do not attribute this to God any longer, but God is who gave us breath.  Adam was given life by God.  God actually breathed life into Adam and God's breath of life continues in each of us to this day.  That is a miracle

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

You just need to look at the world around you to see these miracles.  Some are small and some are big, but they do exist.  As I sat down to write this post I looked out my window to see a dove sitting on a branch in front of me.  A miracle, a sign that He is here with me while I am writing about Him.  While I am sharing His story.

Have a blessed day.

John 3:16 Meme

John 3:16 Meme

I have been practicing working with memes a little bit and sharing them on twitter, but I wanted to share some of them here also.  Since Christmas is coming up, this is the time of year that people are thinking about Jesus more often,  I wanted to share John 3:16.  I have shared it in the past, but I thought it would be good to share again.

Have a blessed week.

Debi

English Toffee Creamer Sugar Free

I just made this Sugar Free English Toffee Creamer and it came out delicious.  I was so excited I couldn't wait to share the recipe with all of you.  I love sweet, flavored creamers in my coffee, and I have been on a mission the last few weeks to make my own creamers. My first experiment was a peppermint mocha and it bombed.  I drank it, because I wouldn't waste it, but the recipe was a fail, not something I would share with all of you.  I ordered some good extracts last week and a different sweetener.  The english toffee extract came first, so I decided to give a new recipe a try this afternoon and it was a winner!  Yeah!

I have been using cream and either liquid flavored stevia or a powdered caramel stevia FOREVER!!! At least that is what it feels like, and even though stevia is OK, I have been looking for a different sweetener that just tastes better.  I have tried erythritol,(Swerve), which is OK also, but it is still not as good as real sugar in certain recipes.  I just tried this new sweetener from Trim Healthy Mama called Gentle Sweet and it is delicious in this creamer recipe.  I added the Gentle Sweet to cream first and it tasted delicious all on its own.  It didn't need the extract to taste like a great creamer, so you could just use it in your coffee all on its own, kind of like a Sweet Italian Cream Creamer.

I love coffee, I mean I really love my morning coffee.  I love the whole morning ritual of making my coffee, putting my sweetener and flavoring in my coffee, getting it just right.  I even have specific mugs that hold the right amount of coffee, they have the right handle size, they fit in my hands perfectly, and they even have scripture on them.  One says "Trust in The Lord" Proverbs 3:5, and the other says "This Girl runs on Jesus and Coffee".  I even have one in the trailer that says "This is the day the Lord Made".  

Can you relate?  We all have our little morning rituals that help us start our day out right.  This is how I start mine.  Next up, is my prayer time and Bible Reading along with my coffee.  I have been using BibleGateway for their study guides, and I really enjoy the app.  Anyhoo, that is how I start my day.  How do you start yours?  I would love to hear from you.  

So, onto the recipe.  I hope you enjoy it.  I'll be sharing more in the next few weeks.

Print Recipe

Sugar Free English Toffee Creamer

Ingredients:

16 oz heavy whipping cream

5 TB Trim Healthy Mama Gentle Sweet

1 1/2 Tsp English Toffee Extract

Directions:

Pour the heavy whipping cream into a bowl and add the 5 TB of Gentle Sweet.  Whisk until will blended.  Just a few minutes.  Not too long, you don't want to make whipped cream.

Next, whisk in the 1 1/2 teaspoons of English Toffee extract.

Pour into a jar.

It is ready to use.

Makes 16 oz creamer.

Enjoy.

Debi

Let Them See You In Me - Bible Study

Do you ever get a song stuck in your head?  Let Them See You by JJ Weeks Band has been playing in my head all day.  I am a Big Bang Theory fan and they called a song playing in your head an EarWorm, but I think it is more then that today.  Today I am hearing God.  The song is beautiful, but it also reflects what I want people to see when they see me.  I want them to see Him, Jesus.  I want to be a reflection of Him, Jesus.  

Prayer for the day

"God help me to be a reflection of you to this world, help me to be a reflection of our living Lord. Jesus Christ"

Amen

 Here are the words and I'll also share the YouTube video.  Maybe it will touch a nerve with you also.  If it even touches one of you then He has done His job and I have done mine.

Have a blessed day.

Debi

Let Them See You

JJ Weeks Band

Does the man I am today

Say the words you need to say

Let them see You 

in me

Let them hear You 

when I speak

Let them feel You 

when I sing

Let them see You

Let them see You

 in me

Psalm 150

Blood Moon - 09/27/15

I read Psalm 150 last week and thought is was really beautiful and wanted to share it with all of you.  I love all of the different ways of praising God in these verses.  I hope you love it as much as I did.

Let All Things Praise The Lord

 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 

Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. 

Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 

Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 

Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. 

Beautitudes for Married Couples

I read these Beautitudes for Married Couples on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah last month. I thought that it was so beautiful. I wanted to share it with all of you. 

I hope you like them. Have a blessed week. 

Debi

Blessed are the husband and wife who continue to be affectionate, considerate, and loving after the wedding bells have stopped ringing.

Blessed are the husband and wife who are as polite and courteous to one another as they are to their friends.

Blessed are they who have a sense of humor; their marriage shall be much brighter.

Blessed are they who are faithful to each other and mutually helpful. God will surely guide them.

Blessed are the husband and wife who thank God for good things which come to them. They shall receive both good things and thankful children.

Blessed are the parents who recognize their children as gifts from God; their home shall be filled with love.

Blessed are those mates who make their home a place "where seldom is heard a discouraging word." They shall inspire others to do likewise.

Blessed are the parents who attend and support their church. Their children shall develop a strong faith.

Blessed is the couple who are good stewards of all God's gifts; their children will bless them and follow their example.

Blessed are those whose lives are a testimony of faith in God; they shall be the channels through which God's kingdom will come on earth.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow them all the days of their lives and they shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

—Author Unknown