May God lift you Higher .... and .... Higher

Matthew 17:20 (NIV)

²⁰ He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it, by starting at some point and doing it on a regular basis you begin to rise higher.  In the beginning it is baby steps and then you progress to little bigger steps and before you realise it you have giant steps.

The thing is start now, the year is still ahead of you and with the help of the Holy Spirit you are able to attain your goal.  Praise God for His faithfulness and also that He gave you faith, now use it.

Prayer Abba Father nothing is impossible with You by my side, I feel excited and look forward to each new day.  Thank You for raising me higher and higher, in the name of Jesus.  Amen

Generosity, is it part of who you are?

My thinking is this as I read Matthew 25 from 14 through to 30 I am reminded that God is in the position to make each one of us wealthy.  The parable is told of 3 people who have been entrusted with an amount of talents.  The first person is entrusted with 5 talents, the second person was entrusted with 2 talents and the third person was entrusted with 1 talent.

As I read these passages I see that each person did as he felt was the best and it was clear the one with the 5 talents worked at creating another 5 talents, the second chap did his best and also accumulated another 2 talents.  What amazed me was the third chap, he took the 1 talent and buried it.  He felt it would be safe in the ground and didn’t worry about it anymore.

Now to my mind I believe the two other chaps were probably working hard and had the ability to think ahead, I also believe they must have cared about their master and wanted to impress him.  I think they also may have been people that were generous and would probably help other people in need.

The third chap made me think he was someone that didn’t take chances and he didn’t give freely to others and was tight fisted.  He also said to the master that he knew the master as a hard man, harvesting where he didn’t sow and gathering where he didn’t scatter seeds.  I think this guy was selfish and thought to himself “the master has so much why; must I give him anymore?”

I think being generous is something we should practice and with the little that we have we should bless people around us each and every day.  You have heard one day when I am rich I will give to this charity and that charity.  Ha ha, that’s just not going to happen, you aren’t giving now why then?

To my mind giving freely God will make you wealthy.  Trust in God He knows best!

Heavenly Father, Lord teach each one of us to give freely, we aren’t able to take what we have accumulated on earth with us into heaven.  Let us not be attached to our worldly belongings but be concerned and worried about our friends, neighbours and people in need.

Thank YOU Lord for blessing me with a job, I am so grateful that I am able to start work again.  Thank YOU LORD Jesus.  Amen

With God all things are possible

http://bible.com/1/mat.19.26.KJV

do not lose your 'mojo'

Today it felt like I lost my mojo.  Everything was just in slow motion, I just couldn’t do things the way I normally do and it was a drag.

My husband reminds me that I am not as young as I think I am and it drives me nuts.  I have so much to do and so little time to do it.  I think my day didn’t work out as well as it would have if I done what I always do. 

Spending time in God’s presence, I thought let me just do this, that and the other and before I know it the day is over.  So what went wrong?  Well I think its because I didn’t spend time with God today, I wanted to quickly do the washing, clean the house and then go to the shops and then sit down and relax with the LORD.  Guess that didn’t happen, yip your right I was too busy.

So its late and I want to spend time in God’s presence and I hope it not too late for me.

Oh LORD, forgive me for not being the person I am supposed to be, I keep on losing myself in not important things.  Forgive me LORD, in Jesus Name. 

Pray for Mercy

Isaiah 63 : 15 ~ 19

'Look down from heaven and see from your lofty throne, holy and glorious.  where are your zeal and your might?  Your tenderness and compassion are withheld from us.  But you are our Father, through Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; You, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.  Why, O LORD, do you make us wander from your ways and harden our hearts so we do not revere you?  Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes that are your inheritance.  For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled down your sanctuary.  We are yours from of old; but you have not ruled over them, they have not been called by your name.'

How to change my thoughts?

Psalm 139: 14 ‘I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’ (NIV)

I struggle with negative thought patterns and it really brings me low, I would be doing something all of a sudden a really bad thought would pop up.  Something like ‘ag, you are just no good, who would like you?  Look at you!’  Before I have complete my task at hand I would really think that I am just not good enough and yes ~ I must be all bad.

I have been thinking about this and decided I am not allowing these thoughts to pester me anymore.  I speak words of faith in my life and I want to change my thoughts to positive and create thoughts.  I say to myself out load “Lord I praise You because I (Yvette) am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  Even if it is all I say for the whole day, I stay focused on the fact that God is perfect and I am made wonderfully.

Then I also think that because I am wonderfully made I deserve the very best and on the very best is coming to me now, because I am wonderfully made.

I now make a point of shielding my head with my God, by asking that the Lord will give me mercy and would shield my head in the day of battle and not grant the enemy their desires.

I plead the blood of Jesus over my life and know that I am safe.  Keeping this up until I have won the battle I believe I am changing my future.  To a big bright future God has for me.  Amen

Daily reading

http://bible.com/1/eph.1.17.KJV

Today I put it all in God’s hands

I have come to the point in my life that I realise that I keep on asking the Lord to take care of this, that and the other.  Before long I go and collect it back from the Lord and see if I can just fix it.  The harder I try to fix it the bigger the mess.

I was talking to one of my friends and she said, “I see you sitting with your hands in your hair, you feel that you are worthless and that no one really cares about you.”  She also said “that is a lie from the devil, you are worthy and most of all you are loved.  God said that He has called you by your name and that you are His. Isaiah 43:1”  I burst out in tears.

So today I have committed so much into the LORD’s Hands because I just cannot do it on my own any more, I keep on messing things up.

In the meantime I need to relax and learn to take care of myself. 

Father, Abba Father, give me the grace to allow the oil I pour on others, to be poured on me.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen

Pleasure

            Colossians 4: 2 (TLB)

            ² Don’t be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for God’s answer, and remember to be thankful when they come.

I think of my own three beautiful adult children and two beautiful little granddaughters and two stepchildren.  God has blessed my life with beautiful children and they are truly a blessing to me.  It pleases me when I see them; the children have turned out to be God fearing children. 

I treasure the thoughts and I devote my time in prayer and I am watchful and I am always thankful for the grace God has put into my life.

I keep praying for my family, friends and loved ones – never forgetting that the Lord Jesus loves me first.

Prayer

Abba Father as I pray and thank you for the pleasure of being a mom and grandma, thank You for the blessings You bestow on me with my children.  Thank You for answered prayers, they are blessed and You are keeping them safe.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Teach me how to live

Psalm 27: 11 ‘Teach me your way, O LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.’

I was thinking that each person’s live is almost like a garden.  In the beginning when we are born its clear and there aren’t many plants in this garden.  As babies we are nurtured and we learn about love, comfort, happiness, kindness, compassion, a sense of being important and cared for.  As we grow up we start learning and in the learning we become the people we are today.  Some of us are positive as we were taught to stay positive and look on the bright side of live and some of us are negative because that is how we were taught. 

As I view life right now I need the LORD to teach me to live.  I want to follow in HIS ways, I want to become more like Jesus and less like me.

People can be disappointing but God knows that and that is why He instructs us to lean on HIM, follow HIM, and trust in HIM.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, please will You teach me to live and help me to follow You in a straight path, my life isn’t as simple as I thought.  I ask this in Jesus Name.  Amen

God has not given us a spirit of fear.

2 Timothy 1: 7 (NLV)

⁷ For God did not give us a spirit of fear.  He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind.

Many people do suffer with ‘fear’ and it is created out of an experience or a feeling.  Today I want to encourage you, do not fear.  Something I have learned over the years is to face my fears.  I will stand up and be scared inside of me but I won’t let other people see that I am fearful.

The minute I face my fears, I believe God is faithful and will be there with you, His spirit of power is with you and me and that gives way to love and a good mind. 

We all experience difficult times and because we do not understand or know the outcome we sometimes give into fear.  May the Lord God touch your live and lift the spirit of fear off of you. 

Prayer:  Dear Father God, please will you teach each one of us that we do not have to fear, because You have given us a spirit of power and of love and of a good mind.  We are your children and we can call on you in our hour of need.  In the name of Jesus, Amen