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» Christian Message Boards   » Miscellaneous   » General Discussion   » Enjoying nature (Page 6)

 
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Author Topic: Enjoying nature
Betty Louise
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September 15, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Saturday,

Can Affliction Be Good For Us?

No one wants to be afflicted. No one wants to suffer from disease and pain. Yet there are times that our suffering leads to spiritual growth. The writer of Psalms 119, wrote how becoming afflicted caused Him to keep the word of God, where as in the past, he was prone to stray.

Psalm 119:67 King James Version (KJV)
67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

God in His Holy wisdom knew that the writer needed something that would help him stay on the right path. Most likely the affliction limited his body in some way so that he was not prone to wander into areas of sin that had tempted him in the past. This affliction caused him to spend more time learning the Word of God and less time wandering into trouble. The writer began to see that the affliction had a good side to it, because it allowed him time to study God’s Word.

71 It was good for me to be afflicted
    so that I might learn your decrees.

We can be assured that when God allows suffering, it is for our own good. When we look at the suffering as the will of God, we can look for what God is showing us. The Apostle Paul suffered affliction. He came to the conclusion that his affliction was to keep him from becoming proud.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 King James Version (KJV)
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

When God allows our health to fail, we should pray for God to show us what He wants us to see. Sometimes it is a short illness and God is showing us that we need to take care of our bodies. We can get so busy, that we forget to eat right and get proper rest. In these times, a time of rest and learning to take care of our bodies properly, will lead to healing. Other times God allows a chronic illness to afflict us. As one who has several chronic illness, I have learned to praise God in the midst of the storm. To trust God daily. To have a since of humor about side effects that can be embarrassing. Suffering does not mean God loves us less. God allows in our lives what we need to grow spiritually. Loving God with a pure heart means trusting God, through our circumstances. When we stop asking :”why me?” and seek to trust God in spite of our circumstances, we will be at peace.
Betty
My friends are we still looking each day for the diamonds of joy? I have been blessed with several baby humming birds at the feeder. Let us remember to pray for one another. Pray for those being persecuted around the world for their stand for Christ.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 14, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Friday,

50% Relationship


A relationship takes work on both sides. I am not saying 50% work from each, all the time. There are times that one party cannot give 50%, due to health or other problems in their life. When one person gives all the time and the other does not give, the relationship suffers. Just as marriage takes two so does our relationship with God. Unlike human beings whose moods can change in a second, God is always faithful.

When our relationship with God suffers, the fault is on us. We often get too busy to spend time with God. We allow our priorities to become a skewed. Having a relationship with God does not stop the moment we get saved. God wants a daily, thriving relationship with us. We must choose to contribute our time to our relationship with God. We have to be careful who we spend most of our time with. There is nothing wrong with having non Christians friends, but if we spend all our time with non Christians, we can be influenced in a bad way. We may change our minds on what is sin. We may find ourselves doing things that are not pleasing to God. We like to think that hanging out with unsaved people will influenced them to become Christians, sadly that is rarely the case. Usually the person who changes is the Christian. We must be careful that our love for God does not become lukewarm.

We will live at peace when we make sure we are secure in our relationship with God. Of course, we will have trials and problems, but God’s presence is easer to feel if we are walking close to Him. A good marriage requires both parties to decided to work at their marriage. Good marriages do not just happen, they take work. A good working relationship with God, requires effort on our part. The question is: are we willing to work at our relationship with our Heavenly Father?
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 13, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

Hope In A Hopeless World

If we keep our eyes on the circumstances of the world we will lose hope. Violence is happening so often that we are hardened by hearing about it day after day in the news. Hearing that someone was killed for pocket change doesn’t shock us anymore. Day after day we hear politicians and entertainers threaten the life of the President and it is like old news. God does not want us to have hard hearts. At the same time, God does not want us to live in fear. God wants to give us hope.

Psalm 42:11 King James Version (KJV)
11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

As Christians, our hope should be in God. Yes, it is our duty to vote for people who are against abortion, but we should not place our hope in mankind. People fail, people lie, and our hope can be abused by others. When we put our hope in God, our hope is secure. He does not fail. He will not lie. He cannot be bought or threaten. There is security when we place our hope in God. Let us not hardened our hearts to the truth but pray for the victims of crime. When we see people embarrass themselves in the way they act when they protest, seek not to hate them, but pray for them. They have given themselves over to evil and only God can save them.

Do not lose hope, my friends, God has not lost the battle. God has not forgotten us. We can trust Him always. He will be with us even after we take our last breath on earth and awaken in Heaven. Keep working for Jesus. Our work and all our pain will be worth it all. Continue to seek God’s will for your life. Trust Him to guide you in His truths and keep looking up. We trust in God, because He is our hope. He is our reason for living. He is the reason we keep going even when we are tired and hurting. Our future is secure in Jesus, so let us live like children of hope and not despair.
Betty

Deuteronomy 33:26 There is none like the God of Jeshurun, Who rides the heavens to your help, And through the skies in His majesty.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 12, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Wednesday,

Prayer and Praise

There are times that we do not know where to start with our prayer. Our minds can draw a blank. When this happens began with praise. It is even good to start out our prayer singing a praise song to God. This is a great way to thank God. As we sing, our mind because quiet and then we can lay our petitions at the feet of Jesus.

2 Samuel 22:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Praising God is not only our responsibility but praising God lifts our spirits and minds. As we rejoice in the goodness of the Lord, we find ourselves feeling at peace and joyful. This life will bring disappointments and troubles. There will be days that we do not feel like praising God. These are the times we need to praise God the most. All our troubles will one day pass and we will be in Heaven where no troubles will be.

Let us not forget to prayer for others. Pray for those who suffer pain every day. There are so many Countries where Christians are being tortured and killed for their faith. Let us remember to pray for them daily. Pray for the soon return of Jesus when children of God around the world will be caught up to be with Jesus for ever. Pray for our President. He is not perfect but the reason he is hated is he is a Republican. The Democrats are filled with hate against anyone who does not support the killing of the unborn. Pray for this coming election. There are those who hate the Religious right so much that they would cheat to fill the government with Democrats. This would put our President in danger.

Remember we are not alone. God is still on His Throne. He has not forsaken His children. Out trust in God is not in vain. Hang on to your faith, dear ones. Victory is ahead!
Betty
See two baby humming birds, but a noise out side scared them away.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 11, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Tuesday,

In The Darkest Days, You Are With Us

Today,seventeen years ago, America was attacked on our own soil. This sent a wave of shock, throughout the Country. We will never forget what we were doing the moment we heard what was happening. For days we walked around just barely functioning. We felt hopeless and confused. Our Country saw first hand what a few people who were obsessed with hatred could do against a giant of a Country.

Hatred not only destroys the person who possess her, but people they choose to inflict their hate on to. Today the world is filled with people who hate others. People hate people because of their race, Religion, and their success. Jealously can lead to hate. As Christians we are not to hate anyone. To return hate to those who hate us, only brings bitterness. Bitterness is like cancer that eats a person from the inside. There is freedom in forgiveness. We must choose not to hate.

I believe that God allowed September 11th to happen to wake America up to her need of God. Unfortunately, America, in her pride refused to acknowledge her need of God. Her pride has led to her become weak. We have a new generation, who are willing to give up freedoms for free stuff. They are willing to give up what American stands for to become another Communist Country. People refused to see what socialism has done to Venezuela. We have an example of a Country that gave up freedom for socialism and are now in danger of disappearing as a Country. Yet we hide our eyes to the truth and listen to the rhetoric of those who are pushing socialism.

When a former President gives a speech saying America does not need a Saviour or a Messiah, we can see how low American has fallen. Jesus died for the people of this world. He wanted to reconcile Himself to mankind. When a President Obama said that, He threw the blood of Jesus, in His face. Telling God, we do not need or want You. My heart aches for America. I grew up being taught to love my Country. Now I see young people who would willingly give our Country up to a One World Government without a care, if they were given free college and free abortions. I know the Bible says in the last days there will be a One World Government but it hurts to see our grandchildren throwing our Country away for freebies. All I can say is:”Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Maranatha,
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 10, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Monday,

Safe in The Hands of God

Jude 24-25 New International Version (NIV)Doxology
24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

I talked to someone the other day that thought we had to be perfect to enter Heaven. Although, he did not say so, I imagine this dear one was living in constant fear of sinning. We cannot share the love of Christ with others if we are ourselves are living in fear. While we should avoid sin at all cost, we do so with the help of the Holy Spirit and not under our own power.

Psalm 103:10-14 King James Version (KJV)
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.

When we seek forgiveness from God and turn from our sin, we are forgiven. We can live in security, knowing that the blood of Jesus covers our sins. We do not have to live in fear, worrying that we will sin if we trust Jesus and choose to walk in His paths. We must choose to walk in the truths of God. We want to please God because we love, Him. When we are raising our children, we do not want them to live in fear that our love for them, could die at anytime. God also wants us to live for Him, secure in our faith.

Just as we trust in God to save us, we can trust God to keep us until the day He comes from. We choose not to sin out of fear, but out of our love for God. We want to please God, because we love Him. When we do sin, we seek forgiveness from God.

1 John 4:18 King James Version (KJV)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

John 17:23 King James Version (KJV)
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

God has saved our souls and we now live for Him through guidance of the Holy Spirit. We seek to please God, because we love Him. We want to walk in His truths and shun false Gospels who have wandered from the truth of the Gospel.
Be blessed my friends and keep looking up for the return of Jesus.
Betty
The tiny humming bird comes daily and I saw a dove at my window yesterday. Lots of tiny birds at the feeder making me smile. Do not forget to look for the diamonds of joy God puts in your life daily.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 9, 2018
Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

Hatred Running Amuck

Facebook brought back up the blog from September 9,2016. I wrote how hostile the world was getting to Christians. In the last two years it has gotten much worse. We had no idea how much hate the Democrats had in them, until they lost the 2016 election. Several celebrities and a Congresswoman from Houston has placed most of their hate on white senior citizens. Saying that America will not be great again until we are dead.

Abortion changed America and not for the better. When it become acceptable to kill unborn babies because they were an inconvenience, the value of human lives was lowered. We now have Countries in the world that are killing babies because they are born handicapped. Killing elderly parents because they are becoming inconvenient to their children. De-valuing life has led to hearts filled with hate. Politicians who run on the platform of abortions have allowed the devil to take over their hearts. They spew hate out of their mouths as if they were processed by demons and maybe they are.

Congress has become so weak that they allowed one another at a session to be overwhelmed with people screaming hate. People screaming such hate that Mr. Kavanaugh’s parents were crying and his young children traumatized. People who acted like wild animals. These people were not fighting for freedom or life, they were fighting for the right to kill. Men and women who humiliated themselves in the fight for the right to kill the unborn.

As I watched this, my heart could only pray for the soon return of Jesus. I believe we are so close to the gates of Heaven being opened and Jesus calling us home. We are only see a small portion of the evil that mankind is capable of. When the Church is gone, the word will indeed look like Hell has taken over earth. My dear friends, it is time now to make sure we are right with God. Make sure we are saved and if not ask Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour , before it is to late. If we have any hidden sins, seek forgiveness today. Do not fear but keep your trust in Jesus and your eyes looking up for His return.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 8, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Saturday,

Will I Ever Arrive?

I drove to the bank and on the way home, I seem to be stuck around clueless drivers. A man pulled up for me to let out of the parking lot, but the guy behind Him was too busy playing with his phone to notice he could pull up and let me out. The next person sped up when the light changed to keep me from getting out. I was just a fussing in my car. The only one who could hear me was God, thankfully. Yet I wondered will I ever get to the place, that little things like that do not frustrate me? The answer is probably not.

We are still living in a sinful body. We will not reach perfection in this world This does not mean we should not seek forgives from God when we lose our temper or commit other sins. As God’s children, we seek to not commit sins, but at the same time we remember that God wants to and will forgive us when we seek forgiveness. God’s love does not give us a license to sin, but is a safety net when we do sin.

We all have our triggers to anger or other sins. The devils knows us well enough to know what they are. Do not be surprised when, out of no where, he hits us in the face with one. On the other hand, we should know God so well, that we can stop and seek forgiveness. When we are in the habit of talking to God regularly each day, it is an easy step to seek His face when we find ourself sinning.
Betty
I have been blessed with several humming birds this week. One appears to be a baby, very small. I am thankful for these moments of diamonds in my life.


1 John 2:1 King James Version (KJV)
2 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Romans 6 King James Version (KJV)
6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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Jdu,
Thank you.
Betty


September 7, 2017
Happy Thursday and Good Afternoon

Fruits of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 King James Version (KJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

When we walk out in an orchard during harvest time, it is easy to recognize what tree we are looking at. An apple tree will be filled with apples. Are we allowing the Holy Spirit to work the fruits of the Spirit through us. Are we know by others by the fruit of the Spirit, or are we known for our temper? Do people have to walk on egg shells around us, because we are known for having a short fuse?

Our lack of patience in the workforce can destroy our testimony. When troubles come into our lives, does our faith shine forth or does our lack of faith come sneaking out? We lose our testimony to our own family, when they see us fall apart at the first sign of trouble. Have we become so busy that our prayer life has suffered. Have the fruits of the Spirit been pushed to the back ground and doubts and fears been allowed to grow in our hearts? We cannot choose our coworkers, but we must be careful that we do not allow them to fill our hearts with worldly ideas.

Matthew 7:16 King James Version (KJV)
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Living for Jesus is not trying to be better then others. The world is filled with people stepping on one another trying to prove their own self worth. We as Christians, should not be trying to prove our self worth or our own righteousness. Any righteousness we have is Jesus living in us. Take no pride in living a Holy life. We strife to live a Holy life because we love God and not to show off to others. When we seek to prove that we are better then others,by a list of rules, we have added works to salvation. Salvation is a gift from God. Our works are to be done out of love for God and not to impress others.

We seek to filled with the Holy Spirit. We stay close to God so that He fills us daily with the Holy Spirit so our faith does not become weaken and the fruits of the Spirit are hidden behind sins of entitlement and pride. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us we will indeed be known, by our fruits of the Spirit.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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jdu4510
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Amen Betty [Smile]
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Betty Louise
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September 6, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

How Much Do We Want To Please God?

This question would have different answers, depending on our present circumstances. Truth is, we can get caught up in live’s situations and before you know it, God is last on our to do list. Sometimes even just a quick prayer before we fall asleep is all the time we give God that day. It’s not always because our love for Him has cooled. It is just there are some days that it seems we get out of bed running and fall asleep too exhausted to say more then a child’s prayer.

God does understand. Our situations are not lost on Him. Yet, when we stop a few minutes in all our rushing around and talk to God, He will give us strength to carry on and peace of heart and mind. We bless God when we take time to communicate with God and He in turn blesses us. It is a win-win deal, all around. We need to take time to study His Word, because this world has done just like God warned us about for the last days. People use pleasant words for murder. “Freedom of choice” for the murder of unborn. In some Countries, they are not murdering children born with Down syndrome. Children who can be taught to take care of themselves. Elderly are being put to sleep when they are considered a burden to their families. Parents teaching children there are more then one genders, even though Science proofs that teaching wrong.

We need to know God’s Word so that we are not influenced to believe evil by the world’s low standards. The world’s view should never take priority over what God has said. His Word is firm and true and holds fast to the truth and not influenced by changes in the ideas of mankind. We do not have to live as we do, and not know the truth. God has made His truths known to mankind through His Holy Word.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 5, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Wednesday,

Seek the Lord, Daily

When I woke up and started walking around feeding the animals, the pain was so bad that I am back in bed. I was reminded of this verse:

Psalm 34:4 King James Version (KJV)4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Whether we are in pain or fears, we can call upon the name of God. We never have to wonder if He hears our prayers. He is our Heavenly Father and He always hears our prayers. He gives us strength. He eases our pains and gives us rest. Yesterday we talked about praises to God. As children of God, we should praise God even in the valley of tears. Just as God doesn’t leave us just because we sin, we should not forsake Him because of our circumstances. We do wonder why God allows us to suffer, why is it some people are healed and others not. I do not believe it is a lack of faith. God has different paths for us to take. Our job is not to compare our situation with others.

John 21:20-22 King James Version (KJV)
20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

Jesus told Peter not to worry about what will happened to John but to mind his own business. It is not our job to question why some Christians have more money then us. Nor wonder why some are healed on earth and some in Heaven. Our job is to trust God through our own circumstances. We are called to walk the path God gives us with grace and love for one another. We are not to envy one another nor judge fellow Christians about why there path is different from ours. God is a perfect and His reasons are perfect. God will judge us on our works and not the works or others. We will be blessed on how we reacted and acted during our time on earth and not others. When we seek to trust God no matter our circumstances we will be at peace. When we are willing to accept the will of God in our lives we will live in peace.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 4, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Tuesday,

“Praise The Lord”

Come all who love the Lord, and come together as one.
Let us together raise our heads and hands, to our Almighty God
Let us praise Him for His gifts and answered prayer.
For God is always faithful to us, and our hearts should be filled with praise.

Bring our needs both big and small and lay them at His feet.
And praise Him for answered prayers and answers on the way.
Lay aside our frustrations and complaints and honor our God with praise.
For God alone is worthy of all praise.

These words came to me as I fixed my coffee today. Praising God not only honors our Heavenly Father, but it fills our hearts with joy. If we are praising God from our heart then our eyes are not focused on problems, but on our Savior and Lord. When we lift our hearts and hands we are submitting ourselves to God, a Holy Sacrifice to Him. We need to remind ourselves, often of the greatness of our God. Too often we are so focused on our troubles that in our own eyes the troubles are bigger then God. If we focus on God we realize that there is no trouble that is bigger or outside the reach of God.

Praising God is a great reminder of what awaits us in Heaven. We do not have to wait to we arrive in Heaven to be joyful. Praising God fills our heart with joy now. Many of us are suffering. This suffering will not last forever. Either God will heal this body on earth or we will receive a new body at the rapture. Either way, there is no suffering in Heaven. If we go to Heaven before the rapture we will leave our diseased bodies behind. We can live in joy now, rejoicing in what awaits us. We are not children with out hope. Jesus is coming for His children, and I believe we are so close, that we can almost hear the trumpet.
Betty

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 King James Version (KJV)
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 3, 2018

Confused

With brain fog from Fibro and breathing issue, I am sometimes confused. I put the wrong date yesterday. I am not feeling sorry for myself, just embarrassed. A lot of us, who are getting older have health issues. Health issues do not mean that God has forsaken us. Sometimes it is God’s way of slowing us down. Sometimes health issues force us to dwell more on God’s Will and less on our own will.

What we do not want to be confused about is our standing with God. This is why we pray daily for God to search our hearts. We want God to point out what sin we need to seek forgiveness for. We want God to point out to us if our priorities are out of place. Is God first on our list or last? Having God do a checkup up of our spiritual health keeps us from losing our way.

Psalm 139:23-24 King James Version (KJV)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

When we seek the Lord daily, we can live at peace that our souls is secure in His hands. No Christians should ever have to worry about whether we are going to Heaven. We stay close to God and we commune with Him daily then we can live our lives with assurance that are future is indeed in Heaven with our Heavenly Father.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 3, 2018
Good Afternoon and Blessed Sunday,

“Praise The Lord”


Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
  Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
  Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
  And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.

I was singing this chorus today while getting dressed. It is a privilege to Praise God. How much of a privilege it is will not be known to us until we see Jesus face to face and are surrounded by the Glory of God, Heaven. Even now, when we sing praises to God from our heart, our spirit and souls rejoices.

God’s love for His children is perfect love. His love for us does not depend upon our behavior. His love is not fickle, changing with the wind. If we are honest, we cannot say the same. Our love can cool with problems that occur in our lives. When we need God the most, we seek Him less. We need to run to God when we are under attack from the devil. Do not listen to the devil when he tells us that God has forsaken us. Troubles happen to every one in this world, Christians and non Christians. The difference is, we have a God that walks through the dark shadows with us. So let us grateful children, praise God everyday, no matter the circumstances.
Betty

To God be the glory, great things He hath done
Audio Player


00:00


Text
Piano
Guitar
1 To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life our redemption to win,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
  Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
  Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
  And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.
2 Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
3 Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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September 1, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Saturday,

“Beulah Land”


There is a song called “Beulah Land” that talks about the longing of a city we have never seen. This longing in our heart was placed there by God. God has placed in every man and woman the desire to know God. Sadly most of mankind fills the longing with other things and rejects God. Some people are influenced by Satan to serve a false God. Some attempt to recreate God in their own image with their own beliefs. Then there are those who have replaced God with the religion of atheism.

God created this space in the human heart for Himself. Before mankind was even made by God, God wanted a relationship with mankind. Mankind was created to communion with God and He with us. The sin of Adam and Eve broke the connection between God and mankind. God in His great love sent His Son to die for our sins so that through Christ, mankind could be reconciled with God. He also gave us a choice to choose to be saved or not to be saved.

As the Age of the Gentles comes closer to the end, the children of God should have a deeper longing to see Beulah Land, know as Heaven. Our desire to walk the streets of God with Jesus, should grow with wonderful expectation of the glorious time we will have. Heaven is more beautiful and glorious then the human brain can fathom, but the most beautiful part of Heaven will be God, Himself.

When troubles come let us remind ourselves of our future in Heaven, where there will be no sickness, sin, nor death. We can only see in our minds a little of what Heaven will be, but one day we will walk the streets of gold. One day we will be able to talk to the Prophets of old and the Disciples. When life gets hard, comfort ourselves with the knowledge of the future that awaits us. Life on earth is just a vapor but we have an eternity to look forward to with God.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 31, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Friday,

Is God Late In His Coming?


2 Peter 3:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

The Bible says men would scoff at the idea of the return of Jesus. Sadly, even some Christians reject the event that we call the rapture. This is the work of Satan. The rapture will not depend on the beliefs of mankind, but on the promise of God. Knowing that the rapture will happen without warning, should remind the children of God to stay ready and prepare our hearts. When Jesus comes for us, will He find us in a place we should not be in? Will we be participating in an activity that we should not be taking part in?

We know we are in the season of the rapture, so as children of God we have no excuse for not being spiritually prepared. Heaven forbid that we are neglecting God’s Word and not making time for God in our lives when He calls us home. If we hear the trumpet sound today, would our heart rejoice in glorious praise to God or would we be like Adam and Eve seeking something to cover ourselves? Are we asking God to search our hearts for hidden sin so that we can seek forgiveness before the trumpet sounds?

Remember my friends, the rapture is our Blessed Hope. The rapture is not a punishment for believers. God is not acting like a parent who sneaks into a room to catch a child doing wrong. He knows what we do every day. The rapture is not a sneak attack on the children of God. It is a gift of God sparing His children from the His wrath.

Luke 21:36 “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

It is God’s will that all would come to repentance, but the day will come when Jesus calls His children home. Do not allow the devil to convince you the rapture is not true. As a Bride longs with great anticipation for her Wedding Day, let our hearts burn with anticipation of the day Jesus will step out on the clouds and call us up to Heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:52 King James Version (KJV)
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

Betty

https://youtu.be/_41wCblfibA

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 30, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

The Days We Are Living In

Yesterday, I wrote that the day was Monday. For some reason my mind thought it was Monday. We do that sometimes. We are convinced that the day is a different day then it actually is. We laugh about our mistake and we move on. It is a more serious situation today that Christians are blinded to the days we are living in. So many do not recognize that we are living in the last days.

While it is true sin has always been rapport in the world, today people are proud of sins that were once done in secret. This is not just in America, it is all the world. Oprah is promoting “Shout out your abortion” movement where women who have had an abortion high five each other. Women celebrating and taking pride in the killing of their unborn babies. Women marching, some half necked for the right to kill the unborn is not just an American sin. It is happening all over the world. People marching in many countries for gay pride and other sexual sins. Yet, there are still some Christians who bury their head in the sand and refuse to believe that we are in the days Jesus warned us about the days like Noah.

The times we are living in are troubling and we can become discouraged. Jesus did not tell us to fear these days. He told us to look up for redemption is coming soon. We are instructed to know the times we are living in.

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11 King James Version (KJV)
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.
8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

These are exciting days we are living in. We are living in the days of the soon coming of Jesus to take His children home. Knowing the days we are living should not lead us to fear but give us hope in a world where what once was good is considered bad. We are not the children of darkness, we are children of hope and we should live like it. Why should we live in fear, when God has prepared us for these days?

1 John 4:18 King James Version (KJV)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Take our fears to God. Proclaim our love to our Heavenly Father and put our trust in Him. Look not at the circumstances around us in fear and trembling but put on the whole armor of God and stand firm in our faith in God. Read the Bible and pray everyday so that our faith will grow and our fears fall by the wayside.
God has already won the battle. We are secure in His hands and heart. We need not fear when we trust in Almighty God. Yes, sin is exploding around the globe but the God of Heaven has won this battle, so rest in Him.
Betty
So thankful for the humming birds.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 29,2018
Good Afternoon andHappy Wednesday

Love

Jeremiah 31:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

With people, love can fade away. We can have friends that we are close to then our own relationship and circumstances can change, they move on, or we have a falling out, and love dies. Sadly married couples can lose their love for each other. One love we can depend on, is the love that God has for us. God’s love is not depended on what we have or doing for Him at the moment. Our heart is secure in His hands.

We, on the other hand can be fickle. Our love for God can diminish, simply because we become too busy to think about God. Bill Cosby did an album with a joke about Noah. Noah gets frustrating with the mockers. He gets frustrated with God and he starts grumbling about God and he wonders out loud why he is even building the ark. Then God roars from Heaven “Noah! Can you tread water?” Noah then tells God that it is him and God and he was always on God’s side. I remember laughing at that every time I heard it. Sadly, the truth is our love can cool under good times and bad. Some times we get so content that we forget who provides us with needs and extras. Other times when we are in the valley of troubles we begin to believe that God has forgotten us.

What ever our circumstances we can trust God to be with us and to provide our needs. His love is eternal and divine. As His children let us walk more steadily with God and seek not to wander off at the first thing that catches our attention. Listen to Teachers and Preachers with discernment so we are not led astray by false teaching. Test every word by the Bible. If it is not Bible based it is not true. Let us be like Paul and be content in our circumstances.
Betty
Mostly wasps and bees at the humming bird feeder this morning. I refilled the bird feeders today.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 28, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Tuesday,

“Come to Jesus, and Live”

For most of us leaning on anyone is a sign of weakness. Especially us baby boomers who were taught to stand on our own two feet and do everything ourselves. This is why we will often hurt ourselves picking up and carrying things that are too heavy for us. Only seeking help after we injury ourselves. We are the generation that honors the self-made man. The man and woman who often stomps on others as they climbs the ladder of success, leaves wounded and injured people behind.

As we age, we lose the strength we once had and that is humbling and embarrassing. This is why some older individuals become bitter and angry. We feel like we are failures because we cannot do what we once could do with ease.
Age slows us down and gives us more time to think about spiritual matters. Unfortunately, self pride can still keep us from admitting we need help. Asking for help is humbling and we often cringe at the thought of admitting we are not the same person we once were.

Salvation is hard for people who take pride in being self sufficient. We must humble ourselves to be saved. We can not obtain salvation when we do not admit that we are sinners and in need of salvation. Salvation is not something we can order off of Amazon or EBay. Our loved ones cannot buy salvation, for us. In fact salvation cannot be purchased or earned by good works. We must seek God, humble ourselves before God, and ask for salvation. God sent His Son to die for mankind, but He will not force salvation on anyone. Salvation is not shaking the Pastor’s hand. We cannot ask to be saved and then continue on living in sin. Salvation is admitting we are sinners, seeking the gift of salvation, and then turning away from sin and living differently. We can live Holy lives if we study God’s Word and allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. We must choose to refrain from sin. Our actions are our own. We cannot blame others when we commit a sin. God is willing to forgive us of our sins if we will humble ourselves at His feet. One who approaches God with self pride will leave still being a sinner.

Jesus is still calling lost sinners to come to Him. The door is still open to be saved. One day that door will close. The rapture will happen and then those who are left behind will be allowed to fall under the spell of Satan. A great delusion will cover this world and people will accept the devil and come to worship him. Those whose pride kept them from bowing down to the true God, will find themselves worshipping Satan. He will not come as a red evil man with horns. He will show himself as a handsome and loving being, but he will lead millions and millions of souls to hell. The world will believe him to be loving and caring but he will love only himself. Every person who he deceives will just be another number on his chain of sinners that wind up in the lake of fire. Seek salvation while you can. Humble yourself while you are still able to seek the face of God. Tomorrow may be too late.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 27, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Monday,

We joined our son and daughter-in-law at a local Church to hear the group Triumphant. It was more then listening, but worshipping with the group. We could feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in that place. Worshipping together with others not only revives our soul but it is a gift that we give God. A chance for us to give back to our Heavenly Father, who does so much for His children. We, ourselves are then blessed by God.

We serve God in our service, Church attendance, and singing praises to Him. It is a honor to serve the One who has done so many things for us. We serve God when we do for others, in the Name of Jesus. There is a lot of negativity in this world. We cannot hide from the evil that is going on today, but we can be refreshed when we worship God.

John 4:24 King James Version (KJV)
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God doesn’t want empty words. He wants us to worship Him with our hearts and our minds. I love you, doesn’t mean anything if there is no truth in it. This is why God does not honor prayers of repetitions.

Matthew 6:7 King James Version (KJV)
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

This is where the Catholics err. Repeating the Lord’s Prayer over and over does not bring about forgiveness of sin. A simple prayer from the heart seeking forgiveness, pleases God more then just repeating words over and over. A heartfelt prayer of simple words from a genuine broken heart does much more then a prayer said with elegant words. It is nice to ask people to pray for ourselves, but the sinners prayer of salvation must come from their heart. I cannot pray any one into salvation. A sinner must seek salvation on their own.
Spiritual growth will only happen in my life, if I personally seek it.

When we take the time to speak to God from our heart, we will not only become closer to God, but our soul and spirit will be revived by being in the presence of God.
Betty

Thank you, Jeff and Sarah for inviting us to the concert.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 26, 2018
Good Afternoon and Blessed Sunday,

Revivals

I miss the good old days when revival would fill the Church and the alters would be filled with people worshipping and praising God. When people did not worry about rushing home. What changed? It was not God. We have become a rushed people, rushing here and there, with no time for prayer. God is still the same, we have changed.

You rarely hear about a Church having a revival anymore. I remember an Evangelist coming to our Church for a week and when He did another revival at another Church in town, mom took us kids to that one, too. Us kids did not complain, we thought that was normal. I remember mom taking us to tent revivals, where sand covered the ground and a tent above. We all had paper fans because it was hot but no one complained.

Sadly we have become a people, who complain. It’s either too hot or cold. The Pastor needs to finish the sermon on time because we need to get home for lunch. We set a time table for God to do His work and bye bye. This generation is living in a time when we need prayer more then ever and it is often to busy for effective prayer. Too often we are guilty of quick prayers and then we are on to something else. We wonder where revival is in our Country, when the truth is we do not make time for revival.

What can we do? Make time for God. We can have a revival in our own home when we take time to pray. Take time for prayer and give time for God to talk to us. Too often it is asking for things and then amen. I know I am guilty of that. Are we spiritually weak? Do we feel God has moved further away? Let us seek God with all our hearts. Take time to meditate on His Word. Studying God’s Word is not about seeing how fast we can read a chapter. Better to read less and concentrate on what we read then to read a long passage but not comprehend any of it.

Jesus wants communion with us. He wants quality time with us. Are we willing to give Him the time? We we make time for God, He will be there. This week, let us seek to spend time with the One who died for our sins.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 26, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Saturday,

Coffee and God


Sitting and talking to God in the morning, is a great way to start your day. Taking the time to spend time with our Heavenly Father will strengthen our soul and spirit. Opening our ears and hearts to listen to what He has to say to us, will give us a chance to be overflowing with God’s love and joy. Even if we are in physical pain, take the time to sit in the presence of God. Seek His comfort and love not only for ourselves but seek to be overflowing so that we can share the love of God. Pray for healing for ourselves and others. Pray for understanding of God’s Holy Word, not only for ourselves but loved ones and friends.

Matthew 6:33 King James Version (KJV) 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We will be blessed when our strongest desire is to be a willing vessel for God to use for His Kingdom. When we lay aside selfish desires and seek God’s will, we will be blessed.

James 1:5 King James Version (KJV)5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Seek wisdom from God, not so we can be puffed up and feel we are better then others. Seek wisdom so we can be a vessel for the glory of God, our Father. The world is changing just like God said it was. What was considered wise in the past, is consider ignorance today. Do not seek to be wise in the ways of the world but seek Godly wisdom.

The world now considers what was evil to be good. Let us not seek to be good in the eyes of the world but good in the eyes of God. We seek to please Him and not people of this world. Remember, this world is not our home. One day we will walk and talk with Jesus on streets of gold. The troubles of this world would have disappeared.

Take time, my dear friends to refresh your souls and your bodies this weekend. Allow yourself to rest in the presence of the Lord and then have fun with your family. Hubby and I will be watching the Texans for our fun today. God bless and keep you and your family safe.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 25, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Friday,

“Tell It To Jesus”

There are many songs about talking to Jesus about our troubles. This is just not an mental exercise. When we talk to Jesus about our problems, He listens and He will answer our prayers. Some times our troubles are a path God chose for us. A path that will lead us into the valley so that we can grow spiritually. It is not a waste of time to talk to God when we are overwhelmed with problems. He will comfort us and lead us out of the valley.

We talk to Jesus when our hearts our burdened by lost loved ones. It is right to pray for lost souls. We have no idea how many prayers have been said over our lifetime, on our behalf. We should consider it an honor to pray for others. When we hear on the news about someone dying, pray for comfort for that family. We do not have to know them, God does.

Talking to Jesus is not a chore we do before we fall asleep at night. It should be a privilege to talk to Jesus throughout our day. People brag about having the ear of the President. My dear friends, we have the ear of our Heavenly Father, the God who spoke the existence of our world. Praying is not just for Church. We pray when we wake up, throughout the day, and before we go to sleep at night.

We can tell Jesus everything; little and big. Pray for ourselves and others. Praise God throughout the day for little blessings and big blessings. Pray that our lives will bring honor to God.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 23, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Thursday,

How Well, Do I Know God?

How well, do I know God? Should the question be: How much of an effort do I make to know God? Is knowing God first or last on my list? Do I look at Bible Study as a chore or as a blessing? Each of us must answer the question for ourselves. The truth is there are times when we are physically ill and exhausted. When we take time for God, it is a personal sacrifice and God will reward us. Sadly, there are too many times that we just get so busy that we end up just throwing a prayer at God before we go to bed. When we do this we are showing contempt on our relationship with God. A quick prayer with no heart in it is like when your mom made your sibling apologize and they mumbled “I’m Sorry” with no feeling and no love behind it.

We decide what kind of relationship we will have with God. God will not force a relationship with us. We must want a relationship with God, with our whole heart. We do not want to become a person who only prays when they are scared and in trouble. When we are physically challenged, lean on Jesus. Do not avoid Him, but spend more quality time with God. In our weakness, God does great work. We take our whole selves: sickness, frustration, depression, and tiredness to God and lay them at His feet, He will meet us there. He will refresh us. He will calm our fears. He will ease our pains.

How well do I know God? Let us seek to know God intimately. Just as the more time you spend with your mate, the more you know them, so does spending time with God, helps us to know Him. Seek His face when we first awake, talk to Him through our the day, and playfully lay your petitions at His feet when we go to bed.
Betty

Psalm 25:4 King James Version (KJV)
4 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 22, 2018

“Wonderful Words Of Live”

Where do we go when need words of encouragement, truth, and salvation? If we are wise, we go to the Bible. The Bible lets us know that we are born into sin and deserving of death, but it does not leave us there. The Bible shows us how God in His great love for us, has provided a way of salvation and how to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father. The Bible gives us faith, for faith comes from hearing the Words of God.

The Bible lets us know that we do not get saved, only to be abandoned by God. God formed us in our Mother’s womb and He is with as we grow up. As we age, God beings to work on our heart leading us to His plan of salvation. From the day we invite Jesus into our heart to the day we take our last breath, God is with us. As we begin to read His Word and prayer our relationship with God grows sweeter every day.

Psalm 4:8 New King James Version (NKJV)

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

The Lord gives us peace of heart and mind so that we can rest and sleep, without fear. We know that while we slummer, He is alert and watching over us.
We bring our concerns and our prayer request to Him and then in faith we sleep.
God’s Holy Words are indeed Words of life. It is through faith in Jesus that we are saved from Hell and can trust that one day we will walk the streets of good.

His Holy Words are not just for eternity, all though that would be enough of a gift, but His Words show us how to live righteously. His Words guide us into making wise decisions. His Holy Words teaches us how to have a healthy marriage, how to be wise parents, and how to relate to one another. His Word provides what we need to know how to live today and hope for tomorrow.

There are a lot of self help books around, but we do not need self help. We cannot safe ourselves. We need God’s help. Our relationship with God, is not about us trying to be a better person. We try, but we fail. Self made man is flawed and sinful.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 New King James Version (NKJV)
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not [a]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

True change comes in us when we seek change from God. When we allow Him to work through us and in us. When we remember He is the Potter and we are the clay.
Betty

1 Sing them over again to me,
wonderful words of life;
let me more of their beauty see,
wonderful words of life;
words of life and beauty,
teach me faith and duty:
Refrain:
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
wonderful words of life.
2 Christ, the blessed One, gives to all
wonderful words of life;
sinner, list to the laving call,
wonderful words of life;
all so freely given,
wooing us to heaven: [Refrain]
3 Sweetly echo the gospel call,
wonderful words of life;
offer pardon and peace to all,
wonderful words of life;
Jesus, only Savior,
sanctify forever, [Refrain]

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 21, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Tuesday,

Our Redemption Is Just In Sight

It is almost August and we here in South Texas are happy to see fall coming. We who have issues with our lungs dread those heat advisory days. Knowing that fall is so close makes it easier. We can see as Christians that it is getting harder to be a Christian. Television and the media seems to think we are all radical, ignorant, and intolerant people. Yet, my friends we need not become depressed or fearful about the days we are living in. We are living in the last days and the soon coming Judgement is closer then it has ever been. This also means we are closer to the rapture then we have ever been.

Jesus told us when we see these days to look up. Of course we need to know what is going on around us, but remember this world is not our home. If we look to Jesus we see hope and peace. Do we put on the armor of God when we awaken? If you are like me, you stumble to the bathroom and then to the coffee pot, forgetting sometimes to pray. This morning I poured my coffee, put some sugar in it and then spilled the whole cup on the counter top. My first reaction was not anger, but amusement, and then I thanked God that He is helping me to not jump to an anger reaction.

The more we begin our days with conversations with God, the less upset we are going to get over spilt coffee, lost keys and other things that stop our morning routine. God helps us see that spilled coffee is nothing but a moment issue. We can say a prayer and move on with our day.

When we remind ourselves of the times, that we are living in, we can get our priorities right. What is important is whether we are living each day for God. Do we make ourselves available to God. Are we willing to be a vessel used by God for His Kingdom. Our suffering will come to an end soon. Soon we will be in the presence of our Heavenly Father. The more we remind ourselves of this, the less our situation will drag us down. Yes, many of are suffering with illness and depression, but we are not suffering alone and the more we reach out to God the less we focus on our situations and the more we can feel the love of a God surrounding us.

Luke 21:28 King James Version (KJV)
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

In the midst of our suffering, God will put a song in our heart. When we praise God we can stop looking down and begin to look up.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 20, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Monday,

Depression

There is two kinds of depression. There is the depression that comes from seeing or hearing something sad. There is the other kind that is an illness. This type of depression comes and goes but when it does come back, it can knock you off of your feet. As a Christian it is hard to deal with the illness of depression. There is the shame of admitting that there is something that you have not over come. So we tend to close ourselves off and hide our depression from others. This often leads to withdrawing from Church, friends, and family. The more we hide from others the worse our depression gets.

Why am I talking about depression? I am suffering from an attack of depression. I have ignored it and pretended it is not there. I have tried to hide it from others. Today, I am speaking to you my friends, to share this part of me, with you. How can I encourage you in your walk with Christ, if I hide my own struggle? We have been on a journey together for a couple of years. I have shared many things with you so that together we can grow in the Lord.

I can tell you this, God has used my son and my Preacher’s wife to reach out to me this weekend. When we are in despair and our world seems to be covered by darkness, God will not only be there for us but He will send someone to reach out to us in love. As you can see it is like I always say, God does not call perfect people but people who are willing. He uses the weak, the feeble and even older people for His Glory.

Friends, do not carry your load alone. God gave us A Church family and friends so that we can walk the Christian walk together. We too often allow the devil to shame us into hiding our pain. Let us continue to grow in faith and in the joy of the Lord.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 19, 2018
Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

How Marvelous Are Thy Works


Psalm 104:24 King James Version (KJV)24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.

Many have rejected the idea of a Creator. They think that those who believe the Genesis story are ignorant or naive, but the story of evolution takes much more faith. To believe that organism just came together in a Big Bang and produce the earth and all of its creatures is absurd. If evolution was true how come mankind have not evolved to no longer get cancer and other diseases? How come mankind not evolved into a different form by now?

Evolution is not believing in a better way it is just rejecting the Creator. If we reject the notion that a Creator gave us life for a reason then we would have to seek what His plan for our lives. We would have to realize realize our life is more than living our appointed time for any reason besides self interest. We would have to admit that we were meant to live for the glory of God and not for our own selfish desires.

The teaching of the theory of evolution has taken away the value of human lives. Teaching children that we are an accident devalues the lives of babies and allowed abortion to become the normal and not a sick act done in hiding. Women and men say abortion is necessary to keep women from doing it themselves. If children were taught that every life is precious then we would have less abortion. Abortion should be called what it is murder of unborn children. As of now, we have not glorified murder except sadly the murder of the most innocent among us: unborn children.

The devalue of life has also increased murder. Road rage, sadly has taken lives simply because we no longer value the lives of others. Someone accidentally cuts someone off on the freeway and quickly escalates into someone killing someone they do not even know.

How can people look at the beauty in nature and think that it was created by accident? If mankind evolved from fish, why are there still fish who do not leave the oceans to walk on land? Should not all fish have evolved by now? We reject the idea that a loving God created us so that He could commune with us and embrace the idea that we are just an accident. How sad it is for us! Truth is we were created for a purpose. God has a purpose for every person. We could all make a difference if we sought the God who made us for His Will, in our lives. Instead, we choose to live selfish lives intent on getting everything we think we deserve. This kind of life is meaningless. Money does not bring happiness. Having all the toys and to best of everything doesn’t make us happy. Living the opposite, a life of sacrifice is meaningless if we are not doing it for the glory of God.

Take joyful pleasure in the works of nature that God has created. When you see a gorgeous sunset, thank the Creator for His handiwork. When you watch nature and the birds dance and sing to impress a mate, you can see that God has a sense of humor. How marvelous indeed is the work of God! He put so much effort in the flowers and birds and yet you are more important to God. Praise His Name and seek His will for your life. Let us not live like life is meaningless for God has a plan for each of us.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Carol Swenson
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Betty!

[thumbsup2]

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Betty Louise
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August 18, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Saturday,

God Given Talent For God

Let us, when we work for God neither belittle our work or become puffed up, because of it. All talents are God given. We might say in our heart that we work hard to develop our talents, as we should, but the gift was God given. My sister and I both took piano lessons for over ten years. My sister could make the piano keys sound like bird singing. My playing was never that good and when I played in front of people I had panic attacks. Beverly has a God given talent.

We use our talents not to preform for people and applaud us, but for the glory of God. When we do so God will increase our talents for the work of His Kingdom. Have we prayed for God to reveal our talent to us? Usually it is something we enjoy doing. God puts the nugget in our DNA and we prayerful seek to grow that talent. Often it is the struggles and dark valleys that causes our talent to blossom. Everyone can sing praises to God. Of course all of us are not able to sing in front of people but we can sing as we drive in the car and work around the house. God is not impressed by how well we sing but how much of our heart is in the song.

When we accept the truth, that our talent is God given then we can humbly ask God to enrich our talent for His glory. I pray for God’s wisdom to write His truths. Each day as I sit down to write, I do so without an agenda. I open my heart and mind and allow God to speak. I have heard a singer say that had another song planned but God laid a different song on their heart that morning.
That song that they sang touched more then one person that morning. God knew what we needed and provided. When we are open to the calling of God we can allow God to use us to be the answer to other’s prayers. When we use our talent for the Glory of God then we become a willing vessel for the Kingdom of God.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 17, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Friday,

Faith

Hebrews 11:6 King James Version (KJV)6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Romans 12:3 King James Version (KJV)3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Every man and woman has been given a measure of faith. Why does many say that they just can’t believe there is a God? They have allowed self pride to smother their faith. If you go to gym and you build up muscles and then you stop going and stop exercising, your muscles will grow weak and turn into fat. When you refuse to listen to the Word of God and refuse to feed the faith you have,it will die. There comes a time when a person over and over rejects God, that they will no longer hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit. There will come a time that they have rejected the call of God in their lives so many times that God will no longer call out for them.

Ephesians 4:18 King James Version (KJV)
18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

This is why God says today is the day of salvation


2 Corinthians 6:2 New King James Version (NKJV)
2 For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

We do not what tomorrow holds. We do not when it is our time to die. We can be assured that if over and over we reject the call of the Holy Spirit to salvation, that the day will come when salvation will no longer be an option for us.

Romans 10:17 New King James Version (NKJV)17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Faith is like a muscle and the more we use it the more it grows. As Christians we should seek to grow our faith in God. The more we study His Word and listen to someone else teach His Word, the stronger our faith will grow. The closer we are to God, the more we will want to please Him. As we grow closer to God we will be more at peace in our lives. No! I am not saying we will never be under attack by the devil. In fact, the closer we get to God the more the devil will seek to sidelines us. When we are under attack go to God first and not as a last result.
Dear friends, how many times have we added to our suffering because we tried to fight spiritual battles on our own? We must remember though we are mortal our battles are often spiritual.

Colossians 1:10-12 New English Translation (NET Bible)
10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects—bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display of all patience and steadfastness, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.

Faith! Let us take the faith we have and seek to enable it to grow. The more we trust in God the more our faith and trust grows. Do not listen to those who say God is not interested in His children’s lives. God does care about things that upset us. We go to God and we seek His help. We praise God for the measure of faith that He has given us and then we pray that our faith may be strengthen in the grace of our Lord Jesus.
Betty

https://youtu.be/M-zrj-pRoV0

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 16, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

Love Story

The most beautiful love story ever told is not between a man a woman. It is a story of love between God and man. God knew before He created Adam, that he would sin. Yet, God chose not to make man a robot. He chose to give mankind the freedom of choice. Love is not true love it is not freely given. Mankind gives love but if the other party cheats on us, we have a tendency to move on to another person. God in His perfect love, gives us more and more chances. When we put money or personal happiness above God, He doesn’t give up on us. God still call us back to Himself. When we choose to be reconciled to God, we have the sweetest family reunion, ever.

One day we will join God in Heaven. Our feeble love we have known, now will have grown into perfection. No more will we have to fear sinning. We will be in our glorified bodies and sin will just be a memory. We will no longer need to have to have faith in Jesus because we will know Him face to face. We will know Him just as we know our own hands. This will be greater then walking on streets of gold. This gift will more glorious then then beauties of Heaven. To walk and talk physically with Jesus, what a true glorious miracle!

For now, we see God through faith, but still God makes Himself known to us. We feel Him in our hearts. He talks to us through our minds. When someone ask how we know God is real, it is because He walks and talks with us daily. God gives us the faith that allows us to know Him, but one day we will not need faith. Faith will cross over into perfect knowledge when we see Him face to face.

There is no other love like the love of God. He loves us with a perfect love. He never withholds His love from His children. His love feels us with perfection. Because of God’s love for us, we can wake up with peace and go to bed with peace. As the song says “What marvelous love!”

My heart longs for the soon return. Just as a Bride years for her wedding day, so should the Church yearn for the rapture. Never allow your heart to venture into not caring if Jesus comes today or 10 years from today. Do not allow your love to grow lukewarm. Let us year for the return of Jesus just as John did.

Revelation 22:20-21 King James Version (KJV)
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 15, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Wednesday,

“Scoffers”

Those of who watch what is happening in the world and search the Scripture, can see it is close to the end of the Age of the Gentiles. Do not be surprised that there are those even Christians who disbelieve that this is true.
Sometimes it is because that they are so content in their standing in the world that do not long for Heaven. Often people are walking so far from God that their souls do not long to be in His Heavenly presence. Christians are sadly become lukewarm in their relationship with God. A very dangerous place to be.

2 Peter 3 King James Version (KJV)
3 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

People who refuse to judge the times, are not a surprise to God. He warns us of that in Book of Peter. I watched a video today that shows the 7 signs that we are living in the last days. A person who posted rejected the idea and then cursed the person who reached out to them in love. It does not matter what the world thinks about the rapture. Nor does the fact that some Christians, reject the pre-trib rapture. What we believe or do not believe will not change God’s mind.

Why did God warn us of the times? So that by knowing the times, we would make sure we walked close to God and pray daily that we will be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit so that our cup over flows and touches others with the love of God. Seek Godly wisdom so that we react with others in a Godly fashion. Let others see Jesus in us.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 14, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Tuesday,


There will be times that we feel empty. Empty: physically and mentally. We can become overwhelmed by too much work and not enough rest. We can be weakened by sickness and disease. In those times we do feel week, we need to refuel in the Word of God and through prayer. Weakness is not punishment from God, but a reminder we cannot keep giving out when we fail to put in. We boldly go to the God and seek to be filled by the Holy Spirit.

We pray for God to fill us with His love and joy so that we can then share God’s love for others. We pray that God will give us a righteous love for all people. We are to never hate others. We are to be offended by sin, but not the sinner. It is hard sometimes to divide the anger. We tend to be angry at people and the sin. When we see those who brag about killing their unborn child it is so easy to be filled with hate towards them. We need to take a step back and realize that person has given themselves over to the devil and the devil’s lies. Those who commit the worse crimes, need the most prayers.

Let us stay as close to God every day as we can. Pray every day for God to fill us with His love and righteousness. Pray that God will give us a heart of compassion for sinners. As we grow closer to God, let us seek to be all that God wants us to be. The devil is fighting harder as time grows to a close for the Church age. This means the Church needs to be prayed up, fired up, and grounded in the Word of God. Test everything you hear with the Gospel. The devil puts just enough truth in his lies so that he can deceive us. Test every teacher and Preacher against the Word of God. Pray that God will fill our hearts over flowing with His love for Him and others.
Betty
Bird feeders are empty. Got work to do.😀

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 13, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Monday,

I have fed more red wasp with the humming bird feeder then humming birds. That is okay. Red wasp are still part of nature. God sometimes changes are plans. We start to leave for work and the car doesn’t start. We get ready to leave and we cannot find our keys. These little inconveniences can give us a sour mood. If we are not careful we will pass this sour mood on to others. Do we ever just stop and talk to God? Do we trust Him to have a reason for why things happen the way they do?

For years I have reacted to issues in a panic or anger. God has been working on me. Have I arrived where this will not happen again? Of course not. As the children’s song said: “God is still working on me”. When we seek God to show us our faults, He will do so. God wants us to trust Him to work in our lives. We do not want to stay baby Christians. We want to grow in grace and rejoice in the work God is doing in our lives. Let us take no pride in our work but pride in Our Heavenly Father, who is willing to work through us for His Glory.

A new week to work for God. A new week to seek spiritual growth. A new week to sing praises to the Lord. Be blessed my friends and keep looking up for Jesus’ return.
Betty


Psalm 33:1
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright.

And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation.

Psalm 40:16
Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 12, 2018
Good Afternoon and Blessed Sunday,

Storms of Life

It is storming here and the thunder is loud. Ironically, before I woke up I was dreaming I was caught up in a tornado and woke up when I heard a very loud thunder clap. It was kinda creepy to say the least. We have physical storms and mental storms in our lives. There are times that storms come with a warning: gathering clouds and storms that seem to come out of no where. One thing we can be sure of there will be no storm that God does not know about in advance. He is never sidelined by events. He is all knowing.

When we put our complete trust in God we can live in peace. Of course there are times we will be throw off guard. There will be times our faith is weak. When we have been ill for awhile in our bodies we may grow weak in faith. When we feel doubts entering our hearts run to Jesus. He knows our weakness and He understands when we doubt. We can choose to allow the doubt to grow or we can grow to God and read His Holy Word so our faith can be renewed.

Until we take our last breath of earth we need to be aware that the devil will fight to weaken our faith and to seek to lead us into sin. Knowing this is not a cause to fear, if we know that God will be with us through it all. Remember we are in a battle with the devil but remember God has already defeated the devil.
Put on the armor of God everyday.

Ephesians 6:10-18 New International Version (NIV)
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Rejoice my friends in knowing that the God of Heaven loves you and He cares about your fears and tears. He rejoices when you are able to overcome sin with the help of the Holy Spirit, who lives in your heart.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 11, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Saturday,

Peace

We live in a world where people are searching for peace. Peace between Countries, races, and even in families. The devil likes to sow discord. Even political parties at times sow discord among the people to make them hate their current leader. We see this with the Democratic Party and their attempt to get rid of Trump. In the Middle East, leaders for years have taught their children to hate America and Israel, so they will not see that their leaders are robbing the people and keeping them in poverty.

The world rejects the one who is Peace: Jesus. Jesus is true peace. In arrogance the world rejects God and His salvation. Self pride and pride in their own selves have caused people to live in a world where people are hated because of their nationality and their race. God in His love for mankind would love it if the world would come to Him for peace and joy. Instead people of this world puts their trust in themselves, material goods, man made theology. People have rejected truth for a lie.

Even Christians have lost their way. Many seeking riches over faith. Seeking self happiness over God’s plans for their lives. Preferring cotton candy sermons over truth of the Bible. Prosperity Gospel offers short time happiness, but when reality hits, faith is lost. God did tell the Church to go and seek wealth and happiness the world gives. God calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. God gives us lasting joy. We cannot serve self and God at the same time. When we live to please ourselves, we have knocked God of His Throne in our hearts and replaced Him with self.

When the rapture happens will we be serving God or our own self interest? This is the question we must ask ourselves. Is God on the throne of my heart or is self? The time to correct this is now before the rapture. Come back to Jesus. Seek forgiveness of our sins and allow God to lead and guide us. Lay down self pride and take pride only in the work of God. Give God the glory and rejoice in walking closely by His side in His path.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 10, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Friday,

We had a water issue a couple of days ago and that guy finally got out here to get the water out of the carpet and padding. The smell is so bad my eyes are burning and my head hurts. Puppy accidents and spills that had sank to the mat are now out and open. We too can have hidden sins and spiritual issues that we do not notice. This is why we ask God to search our hearts.
It may seem like it is better not to know but just as the carpet seemed clean to us and it wasn’t, so sometimes we think our soul is just right when it isn’t. It is better to get right with God now rather then when we face God in person.

Spiritual growth happens when we are willing to allow God to search our hearts and seek forgives for hidden sins. We not only feel better, but we will see spiritual growth from accepting responsibility for our actions. I have found in my life that God will often bring things to the light a few at a time. He doesn’t beat us up with everything at once. God treat His children with kindness and mercy.

We have so much to be grateful for. God in His great love for us, sent His Son to take our sins upon Himself so that not only will be reconciled with God but spend eternity with Him. We need to remind ourselves of that when we grow weary of working for God. Of course we need to rest and take care of our bodies. Let us strife to work for God out of a cheerful and grateful spirit. We will be rewarded in Heaven, for work we did for God because of our love for Him.
Betty

Have a tiny squirrel today.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 9, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Thursday,

Counting My Blessings

When we are going through a fiery trial, the last thing we want do is count our blessings. Yet, this is the perfect time to do so. We count our blessings to remind ourselves that God has answered our prayers in the past. He will see us through this trial just like He did in the past. Remember in days of the prophets of old, people made memorials to remind themselves that God was there for them.

The devil will tell you that God is not with us. That is a lie. God doesn’t leave us or forsake us.

Daniel 3:24-25 King James Version (KJV)
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

In the midst of the trial God is there. We have to stop looking at our circumstances and look to God. Praise Him for all the times before that He was with you. Rejoice knowing that God is with you and will see you through your present circumstances.

Psalm 22:3 King James Version (KJV)
3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

Counting my blessings encourages me and reminds me that God is in control. Let our faith grow through a situation and pray for God to remove our doubts. Praying for others while we are suffering also will renew our faith. We need to remind ourselves that we are not the only one who are going through trials. Praying for others is a privilege and not a chore.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 8, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Wednesday,

Our Lost Loved Ones

The closer we get to the rapture, the more we should pray for our lost loved ones. If you ever have done a study on The Book of the Revelations, you know what is coming for those who miss the rapture. Knowing this, if our hearts do not burn with longing to see these we love, saved, we should ask God to search our hearts to see if we have grown lukewarm in our relationship with God. I am not saying we should become over whelmed with depression. We cannot save anyone. I have learned the hard way that you cannot shame anyone into Heaven. Yet still, our hearts should pray everyday for our lost loved ones.

Let others say we are obsessed with the rapture. The people of Noah’s day thought he was crazy, but he did not stop building the ark. Jesus is coming soon and the doubts of Christians and sinners will not change this. The closer we get in our relationship with God, the more longing we should have in our hearts to be in Heaven. We should talk to God and seek ways to share the Gospel with others. Let us not become angry over the little things of life. We can, out of anger put our family in turmoil over something that we will be forgotten in a week or so. My dear friends, let us focus on what is important. Ask God to heal the hurts in our hearts and give us a loving heart towards others. In these last days, may God help us to be gentle and kind in the way we deal with family and strangers.

The world is becoming more evil and while this should concern us because for now this world is our home, we should remember that these days were prophesied by Jesus, the Prophets of old, and Paul. We cannot change this sinful world. Yes, we should pray for the world and their governments, but remember everything is playing out just as God said it would. Invest your future and hope not in the things of this world but in our eternal home, in Heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 7, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Tuesday,

I filled the feeders and the humming bird feeder. I did not see any birds or squirrels around, but I have no doubt they are out there. In life sometimes, we do not feel God’s presence. We go through dry spells spiritually, sometimes. Just as I fed the birds and squirrels without seeing them, God, too, is working in our lives behind the scene. These are the times are faith is tested. Testing is for our benefit. If we find our faith lacking, what to we do?

Romans 10:17 New King James Version (NKJV)
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We go back to God’s Word. Do not be dismayed when you fail the faith test, but take corrected action. Studying God’s Word, is a privilege and not a punishment. As we see evil abound all around us, it is easy to become discouraged. The devil would like to tell us that evil is winning and God is withdrawal His concerns about what is happening. Did Jesus not tell us that in the last days things would be like Noah? Can we not see that we are in the last days. Women stripping off their clothes and screaming for the right to kill unborn babies. Parents raising their young to reject any kind of gender.

2 Timothy 3 New King James Version (NKJV)
Perilous Times and Perilous Men
3 But know this, that in the last days [a]perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

What do we do? We serve God every day. We pray that the Holy Spirit will protect us from the false Preachers, Prophets, and Teachers. The devil is working hard to get Children of God off track. Test every one who shares the Word of God with the Bible. If someone comes up with something new and quotes one verse that seems to back their teaching, go and read the whole text. Make sure they are not twisting the Word of God to go with their teaching. Teaching should be backed up by the Word of God. I believe it is a sin to twist God’s Word to teach something that is not Biblical. Remember, my friends there are Doctors who preform abortions who claim they are doing the work of God.
A true teacher is never insulted when you test what they say with the Bible.
Let us do as Paul said:

Ephesians 5:

Walk in Wisdom
15 See then that you walk [e]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of [f]God.

Victory is ahead. Fear not for God is with us.
Betty

https://youtu.be/W8cJQMU9Q-U

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 6, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Monday,

Sing To God A New Song

Psalm 96:1 King James Version (KJV)96 O sing unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth.

Many times I take that verse literally. I sing a song to God, a song from my heart. Words made up as I express my love and appreciation to God, my Heavenly Father. Sometimes I can sing out loud, but many times I have to sing in a whisper or even in my head, depending on how strong my voice is at the moment.

Our Heavenly Father is a loving and gracious Father. Never does He critique our gifts from the heart. When we give our best and give it to God, we bless God out of our love for Him. He then in turn, blesses us,for our gift to Him. A song from the shower to God from the heart is a greater gift to God then a song with a 100 piece orchestra, if the singer is more concerned about impressing people. Let our songs to God, come from our heart. Let us seek to praise God and not to impress others.

When we rejoice in the goodness and greatness of our Lord and Savior, our song is indeed a sacrifice of praise. Let us open our hearts and rejoice in our salvation. For indeed the joy of the Lord is our strength.

Nehemiah 8:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.


1 Thessalonians 1:6
And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.

1 Thessalonians 2:19
For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?

My friends, let us rejoice everyday knowing our redemption is coming soon. We will be singing soon, in Heaven with the Heavenly Choir. I believe all of us will have beautiful voices in Heaven.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 5, 2018
Good Afternoon and Blessed Sunday,

The Finish Line is Near

My dear friends, we can almost taste the victory, we are so close. The fact that we are so close is why the devil is fighting so hard to discourage us.
The storm rages around us and at times, it is hard to hear the voice of God. Instead of allowing the devil to lead us down wrong paths. Let us, be more then determined then ever to walk closely to God. When we cannot see or hear Him, go to the Holy Bible.

John 1 King James Version (KJV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.

God is the Word. We can always find God in His Holy Word. Take our doubts and fears to God’s Word and look for Scripture that deals with those issues. Talk to God in prayer. Do no minimize the fight and struggles we are in. Pretending that things are not as bad as they are, does not diminish them. Be honest with God. When we are fearful, tell Him. When we have doubts tell it to God.

Ask God for wisdom. Ask God for His Holy Spirit, to wash us in His Holiness. Seek daily for guidance from our Heavenly Father. Ask God to show us a light even a tiny light can help calm our fears. Run not from God but to His loving arms. I cannot stress how important it is to sing praises to God in the midst of storms. As we praise God, we will find our fears shrinking and our faith increasing. Do not be come discourage in this late hour, cling tighter and tighter to God.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 4, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Saturday,

Exiting The Valley

Yesterday, I talked about our times in the valleys. Coming out of the valley, is a process. Rarely are we in the valley one day and the next day on the mountain top. With the strength given to us by God we crawl our way out of the valley. Just as the valley itself is a spiritual process so is the exiting process. As God moves us out of the valley, we can grow spiritually.

Our spiritual growth is determined by our trust in God. Do we allow Him to work in our lives? If we do not, we will face that same trial again. Just as when you fail a course in School, you have to retake it, we will go through the same trial again. If you do not learn 5th grad math, you will never learn 6th grade match. Growing spiritually is a process and each step we learn, moves us on to the next. There are times we have to go through the same trial over and over because we become angry at God and refuse to learn.

It is out of God’s love for us that He is willing to work on us. His work is for our benefit. Yes, my friend, there are times the trials are hard. There will be times we cry and we will get mad at God sometimes. It is not a sin to be angry at God, it is how we react to our anger. When we humbly go to God and talk to Him about our anger, He will comfort us and refresh us. Let us make it our heart’s desire to grow spiritually and to allow God to work in us and through us. We will be so much better for that.
Betty
A red wasp at the humming feeder. I scrubbed the bird bath and refilled it. I am ready for nature.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 3, 2018
Good Morning and Happy Friday,


Come to the Lord with your mouth full of praise, for He is worthy of all praise. Submit your life to Him, so that He can mold your brokenness into beauty. Come to Him with a willing heart, so that you can accept His will for your life. Humble yourself before God, so that He can build you up. Is this a step program to change your life? No my friend, it is way more then that. This should be the way we live our lives.

Our praises should come from a heart of gratefulness and not done as an obligation. Have you ever given a child a gift and they only said thank you after being pushed by their parents? This thank you, meant nothing and that is what you got from it; nothing. If we do not have a humble heart before God, our kneeling is for naught. If we are not willing to allow God to do His work in our lives, our prayers to be a better person are wasted.

My friend, are you going through a trial that you do not understand? Has your peace been replaced by confusion? Do you feel like you are walking through a desert with only tumble weeds for company? Is your faith being tested? If you are, you are not alone. I, too am walking the same pathway. Let us remind ourselves that we may feel lonely, but that is a lie from the devil. God is with us through these days of depression, confusion, and pain. Even as we struggle to keep our heads up, let us bring the sacrifice of praise to God. For truly in our dark times, praising God with all our hearts is indeed a sacrifice.

Our love for God is most tested when we walk through the fire, but our faith grows the most when we like Job, decide in our hearts that we will praise God, even if He would take our lives. It is easy to praise God on the mountain top where the birds are singing and the sun is shinning. Our true love for God is proven when we are in a dark valley where even the birds refuse to sing. Let us shine even in the valley. Let our hearts overflow with praise to God, even if we cannot see the sun. When we sing praises to God, here in the valley, we will begin to see God’s love for us, is here in the valley with us. The truth of our relationship with God comes out down here in the valley.

We will not always be in this valley. When we worship God in the valley we begin to see that God is working to transport us out if the darkness and into His light. Sing praises unto God, despite your circumstances. We will soon be going home. Until then let us worship the Lord God, wherever we are. Do not wait for the victory to come but praise a God as we wait with longing hearts for the victory.
Betty

1 John 5:4 New King James Version (NKJV)4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—[a]our faith.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 2, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Thursday,

What Do I Treasure?

Matthew 6:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

What is important to us? Where does our heart seek joy? Seems simple enough and yet, sometimes we do not know the answer. We say that God is first in our lives, but is He? Just as we need to seek God to search us for hidden sins, we need God to show us where our heart is. We go to the Doctor for an annual physical to see if there is any issues with our bodies. We need to seek God to search us to see if there is anything impure in us. Have our motives become selfish? Has the goal of making money replaced God in our hearts? Have we shifted into coasting instead of working for God with a cheerful heart?

Although we tend to roam away from God slowly, at the same time, we are not always aware of our position in regards to God. Likewise our hearts can grow cool towards the things of God. Remember that God hates it,when His children grow lukewarm in their feelings toward God.

Revelation 3:15-16 King James Version (KJV)
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Now is the time to seek God to search our hearts. It is so much better for us to go to God now and seek His help in correcting the sins in our lives before He has to rebuke and chasten us. We do not want to be lukewarm when He comes for us. We joyfully wait with anticipation for Jesus to come for us. Let us also strive to be where we need to be spiritually when He comes. When we know someone is coming to visit, we get the house clean and ready for company. Let us seek to be living clean and righteous lives when Jesus calls His children home.
Betty
I have a humming bird at the feeder and two tiny birds at the bird feeder. I am blessed.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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August 1, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Wednesday,

A new month and one month closer to fall. Like a lot of places, it is hot in Texas. Watching a breeze move the flags in the front yard is refreshing mentally. Knowing that fall weather is coming soon is encouraging. We can have that same encouragement, knowing that Jesus is coming soon. We can make it up one more mountain, knowing our work on earth will soon it. We can resist the devil, knowing our times of trials and temptations, will soon be over.

We are not climbing that mountain alone and if we seek the help of God, He will helps us resist the devil. Knowing that the devil uses our weakness against us, let us seek God every day to help us in our weak areas. Our trouble comes when we do not seek God and when we try to out wit the devil in our own strength. The devil has been fighting mankind for 4,000 years. He has known us since we were born. He knows what buttons to push to make us angry. We can resist the devil when we cry out to Jesus instead of allowing the devil to lead us into sin.

If you are like me, you live in anticipation for the soon return of Jesus. As Paul tells us, take comfort in knowing that Jesus is coming but also in knowing Jesus is with us here on earth. No matter what the devil throws our way we can go to Jesus for help. As we wait, let us not become complacent. Let us pray more, not only for ourselves, but for lost souls and for persecuted Christians. Let Jesus find us working for Him as we wait eagerly for His return.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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July 31, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Tuesday,

Hope in a Hopeless World

It’s seems we do not go very long until we hear about a celebrity committing or attempting suicide. Whether they are a movie star a well know musician they had ended up losing hope. The dream that they chased for so many years did not bring happiness. All the sacrifices they made to achieve fame did not, bring joy and contentment. So many times they ran from the one thing that would have brought them the joy they craved and that is a relationship with Jesus.

We were created to worship God. We were made to follow Him. We can not replace the hole in our heart with fame, power, or fortune. God made us to be His companion. He loves us and He wants what is best for us. When we reject Jesus we leave a hole that we find ourselves attempting to fill.

When Christians attempt to walk to faraway from God, we too will experience that emptiness, that feeling of desperation. Jesus calls us to come to Him. Come to Him for hope and joy. The joy that God gives us, cannot be stolen by the devil. The closer we walk with God the stronger the hope and joy. At the same times, the further we walk from God, the weaker our joy and hope gets.

Psalm 119:81 King James Version (KJV) 81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word.

Psalms 71:5 “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth.”

Psalm 43:5 King James Version (KJV)5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

As children of the God of Heaven there is no need for us to live in a state of hopelessness. We know the truth. We know the God of all things. Let us choose to step out of our hopeless state and into the presence of God. Let us rejoice in the God of our salvation and our Hope of Glory.


Romans 5:2 King James Version (KJV) 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Ephesians 1:18 King James Version (KJV)18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

Colossians 1:27 King James Version (KJV)
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Betty
We got some much needed rain. Let us not forget to pray for those who live in areas where there are fires.

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

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Betty Louise
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July 30, 2018
Good Afternoon and Happy Monday,

My Idol

It is not uncommon to hear an entertainer name a person and say that they are their idol. I have seen entertainers bow when someone goes on stage and accepts an award. I am not saying they are worshipping that person, but they have put that person in a position that only God should hold. While it is nice to admire a person, we do not put them above God. Most Christians admire Apostle Paul, but we do not worship him or put him on a throne.

Sometimes we as Christians put self above God. We worship God only when He gives us what we want. If we do not get the thing we want our love for God grows a little cooler. If we are not careful, bitterness will take root in our hearts.
We forget that life is just a breath compared to eternity. The truth is salvation is so precious that if missing hell was all we got from God it would still be worth allowing Him to have His Will in our lives. But it is not all !

God wants to bless us in this life. He wants to walk with and talk with us daily. He wants to encourage us. He wants to guide us out of pitfalls. There are times that thing we what want so badly can cause us misery if we get it. It is God’s love for us, that says no to our request at times. Sure, it would be nice if God would explain why we can’t have it. Sadly even if we knew the truth we would still try to convince God that knowing the pitfalls we could get what we wanted and miss the mistakes.

We need to be careful about begging God for things, after He says no.
We may get something that can cause us to backslide. We need to go back to trusting God to not only save our souls from Hell, but to know what is best for us, here on earth. We should fear the Lord and honor His position as God of the universe.

Proverbs 9:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.


We do not worship an idol made by human hands or people. We worship our Heavenly Father. In these last days, let us strife to be close to God seeking God’s Will in everything we do. When we seek the face of God and His greatness we will be able to walk in His Will and live with peace of mind and heart.
Betty

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Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Posts: 5051 | From: Houston, Texas | Registered: May 2008  |  IP: Logged | Report this post to a Moderator



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