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» Christian Message Boards   » Miscellaneous   » General Discussion   » Enjoying nature (Page 20)

 
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Author Topic: Enjoying nature
Betty Louise
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Good Morning and Happy Thursday

As we are starting to get settled in our new place, it is becoming more clear to me how gracious God was in allowing us to live here. There were bumpy roads and times of confusion and unease, but God was with every step.

Living in the world today we can easily feel confused and uneasy, but the more we trust God, the less fearful we will be. God wants us to live in trust in Him and not with fear. As you go about your day today, ask God what areas you need to improve in yourself. Are you impatient and quick to anger? Are you quick to blame others for your own mistakes? Are you quick to fear the worse instead of trusting God? Ask God to examine your heart and to teach you how to improve in areas that you help in.
Betty
Psalm 139:23&24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:23-24‬ ‭KJV‬‬
http://bible.com/1/psa.139.23-24.kjv

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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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Endure2TheEnd
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Hope you make it back soon. God bless in your move- hope it's not much stress.

Congrats to your son!

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Betty Louise
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Moving tomorrow. Do not know when we will have Internet again.
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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Good Morning and Happy Friday,

For someone who doesn't like change, I have moved a lot since we got married. Tomorrow, hubby and I move again. This time it is for a good reason. Our son is getting married in December and we are moving out of his place so he can get his place fixed up for his bride. Jesus told the disciples that He was going back to Heaven to prepare a place for them. Someday we will have a moving day, but we will not have to pack or call and make arrangements. The day we became a child of God, our reservations were made. A home that we cannot even imagine awaits us in Glory. For now we are strangers in a world that is becoming more and more hostile to Christians, but one day we will be singing with the Angels, around the throne of God. Praise God.

John 14:2 | In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

For now we are on a journey through life on earth. Let us live in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father. In hard times, remind yourself of your future in Heaven where no evil is found. Have a blessed day and rejoice knowing that Jesus is with you every step of the way.
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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Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

Exodus 20:7. Do not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Monday, I came across on a Christian page on Facebook, a person who stated that He was a Christ Follower but hated, Christianity. He then proceeded to curse God several times in His post. My first reaction was anger but as the week went by, my anger turned to deep sadness. Sadness that digs deep in your heart and produces intense sadness. This man thinks he is going to Heaven and hates God. Does he not realize that Jesus is apart of the Godhead? Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit are all in all one God. You cannot hate apart of the Godhead and love another part. I have read, when people said that loved Jesus but rejected the teaching of Paul, because of His stand on homosexuality. This may be the case with this man, because the Old Testament also said that homosexuality is a sin.

During President Clinton's term that did a skit on Saturday Night Live, that showed the President using a black maker to mark out the Ten Commandments, that he did not agree with. I admit I laughed, but mankind cannot be a Christ follower and delete from the Bible what they do not like. Hubby and I no longer watch SNL. For years we would watch the first sketch, because it was usually political, but this year they profaned God in a sketch and we stop watching the show.

As we get closer and closer to the rapture we will see the devil work in all kinds of ways to convince people that they can profane God in any way they choose and make Heaven. The Bible warns us that Jesus will not step down on earth until the end of the tribulation. When the rapture happens, we will meet Jesus in the air. I believe this is a serious warning for those who get saved during the tribulation. The anti-Christ will produce someone who will claim to be Jesus, who will worship the anti-Christ. He will lead millions into worshipping the anti-Christ, but he will not be the real Jesus. He will do miracles not under the power of the God of Heaven, but through the power of Satan.

As time grows short, keep your eyes on the God of Heaven and use the Holy Bible for your source for your beliefs. If a teacher or Pastor's teaching does not measure up with God's Word, run, do not walk away from this teaching. This teaching is from the pits of hell.

Pray for those who get caught up in that kind of teaching that their eyes may be open to the truth of God before it is too late.
Betty
Birds and squirrels this morning. I had a family of doves at the living room window with their two babies yesterday evening. They did not fly away when they saw me, which made me happy.

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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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Good Morning and Happy Wednesday,

Yesterday afternoon, I got what was left of the tooth pulled, that was broken during the procedure I had done at the hospital. The shots to deadened the tooth were horrible and my colitis had my stomach tied up in knots. The pain pills helped with the pain but as they usually do, they kept me awake. I fell asleep about 7:30 and woke up before 10:30. Ready to face the world? I think not! It would have been dangerous not to get that piece pulled because it can cause infection.

God allows opposition and trials in our lives to clean up our soul and make us shine for His glory. These procedure just like dental procedures are painful and scary. Just like it is not good physically to leave a bad tooth in our mouths, it is not good for our souls to have selfishness, bitterness, and envy growing in our spirits. When we begin to see the battles we face as tools to make us better Christians we can bear the pain. Sometimes God has to discipline us or we will still keep going down the wrong path. Whether we are going through turmoil, stress, or depression, we must remind ourselves that is for our own good and we are not alone. Yesterday, the shots were so painful that the assistant held my hand during them. When we go through spiritual pain, God is with us and He is holding our hands.

I do not know what trial you are going through but I know from years of experience that you can call out to God. There will be times that He will not change our circumstances. This is always for our own good, but He will be with us every step of the way. Refuse to believe the devil's lies that will tell you that God has forgotten you or He doesn't care about you as much as He does other Christians. Everything we go through for Christ will be worth it when we enter Heaven's Gates. God bless you today and may He watch over you and your family.
Betty

I saw a tiny squirrel this morning and some doves.

https://youtu.be/tIZitK6_IMQ

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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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Good Morning and Happy Tuesday,

Walking around the yard, this morning the weather is hot and muggy.
It doesn't take long to feel sticky and uncomfortable. I found myself longing for fall temperatures. But, with the fall, the trees will shed their beautiful flowers and soon look weathered and dead. To enjoy the beauty, we have to endure the heat.

This is the same spiritually. To have beautiful spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit, we have to endure times of storms and times of droughts. God wants us to do more then grit our teeth and endure while we complain and whine about it. He wants us to praise His Name in the midst of the storms and times of droughts. He wants our faith to shine in the dark dreary and stormy nights. It is when we are able to praise God through the storms and through the times that we feel so far from God, that our souls grow and mature spiritually.

Just has nature has seasons so does our spiritual life. There will be times that we are shouting on the mountain top and other times when we walk quietly through the valley with only our small voice praising God. Let us be faithful in every area that God has us walk through. Let our love for Christ be consistent, strong and faithful in all circumstances. We do not want to be known as only sunny weather Christians. When we remind ourselves that we are not walking though the storms or the dark valleys alone, we can let go of fear and allow our trust in God to soar. Be a beacon of hope where ever God has you walking today. Do not run to be a replica of anyone but Jesus.
Betty

https://youtu.be/F0M0NALW7EM

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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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Thank you so much. About two years ago, God laid it on my heart to do this. I do not feel smart enough, but every day as I walk my yard I pray that God will give me the words to say to be a blessing for others.
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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Endure2TheEnd
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Happy Labor Day! God bless you Betty- It's wonderful that you are so dilligent in keeping this online journal to benefit all who need some inspiration.
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Betty Louise
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Good Morning and Happy Labor Day,

Today we celebrate those who labor in the world to make life better for all of us. From the men and women who keep our home lights burning to the ones making sure there is water coming through the faucets. To those who teach School to the business men who keep companies going. To the first responders who tend to people affected by crime and accidents. To those who keep merchandise coming to our towns by trains and trucks.

One day there will be a great celebration in Heaven for those who work for God. Those who stand in front of the congregation and those who work in the background will be honored in front of fellow Christians, Angels, and God. What a marvelous Labor Day celebration that will be!

Have a blessed day to day and remember what ever you do either in the work force or in Church do your work unto God. May your work be pleasing to God and may others see God in your attitude and commitment to your job. Most of all let others see Jesus in you.
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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Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

Any one in a relationship for a length time, soon discovers the you can not control the other person. Whether it is a romantic relationship, family member or friends and coworkers, there actions are their own. All we can do is control our reactions. Are we reacting in a loving Christian manner or are we reacting tit-for-tat? The world's view is that you yell at me, and I will be yelling at me. You mistreat me and I am mistreating you. This is not God's way. We are to act and react in love and kindness. Do I always do that? No! What do we do when are actions or reactions are unChristian? We apologize to God and to the person we hurt. How to do we control our actions? We pray through out the day, especially when we know we are going to be around someone who seems to take pleasure in annoying us. As Christians let us be pleasing to other and show God's love to others. When we are tempted to think that they don't deserve it, remember we did not deserve salvation either.
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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Good Morning and Happy Friday,

This morning I have small birds at the feeders in the back and small birds and small squirrels at the feeders out in front. Nature gives no thought to where the food comes from and most likely takes for granted that there will be food put in the feeders twice a day. We as children of our Heavenly Father can be guilty of taking for granted God's protection and His supply of mercy towards us. It is only when there is a problem that we appreciate things. For a couple of years the water department had issues because of all the new homes. Several times we turned in the water to find it was turned off. Those times we really appreciated running water. It is the same when electricity is turned off due to a power failure. We are the same way with spiritual matters. We expect God to provide protection and our needs but do we thank Him for them. We have a little fender bender and sadly our first thought is not always: " Thank God, we are not hurt", but where was God? When trials come are first reaction is not to wonder what God is trying to teach us but to wonder if He fell down on His job. The Bible says to praise God in all circumstances and the truth is, that is hard. It is hard to praise God when you have a disease that there is no cure. We can begin to look at the rest of our lives dealing with pain and unpleasant circumstances. The last two and half years has taught me to not to dwell on the circumstances so much and trust God. When we trust God through our circumstances, we find we are more at peace. Let us try not to take God for granted but to thank Him in all things and be grateful when we turn the faucet on, that water comes out. Let us be grateful for the time that God takes with us, to mold us into the beauty He sees in us, that we cannot see. The wood does not fight against the carver. Let us be willing vessels that God can mold info beautiful beings for His glory.
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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Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

Looking out the window at a couple of squirrels, eating this morning. One is awfully skinny. Hopefully I can fill him out a bit. There is a peace that comes with heartache and years of living. Watching a bug crawling on the outside of the kitchen window or a lizard, I would have really never gave a though to in the past. Now it brings a smile to my face, watching nature. I wonder if when God sees us doing His will if He too, smiles? God sees more then our outside appearance, He sees into our hearts. He knows when we are struggling, whether it is physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Knowing He knows us so well, should bring us peace of heart and mind. We all have burdens that we do not share with others and it is comforting to know that not only does God know them but He cares about our private concerns. God is available, any time to hear our concerns and needs. He doesn't turn us aside, nor does He ignore our cries. We can seek His face anytime day or night. Let us not just call on Him for our needs but remember to offer up praises to Him, also. Remind yourselves of the victories of the past and thank God for His mercy and grace that He bestows on us. Our Heavenly Father is indeed, merciful and loving to us.
Betty
A gnat flew around my coffee cup, as I waved it away, I remembered some of nature is best enjoyed through the window. 😄💙💛😍

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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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Good Morning and Happy Wednesday,

This morning I fed the birds and squirrels as my usual thing to do when I first get up. Walking around the yard, my mind wondered to why we struggle in our spiritual lives. Why does God take us down dark paths where we suffer loss? It is not because God is entertained by our struggles and pain. Nor is it because, He has thrown us out on the chess board of life and forgotten us. Struggles bring spiritual growth. While people who pay for physical trainers, may tease the trainer of being a sadist, the reality the person knows that the trainer is strengthens their muscles and helping them in building body strength. God allows us to go through spiritual struggles, so that our spiritual muscles will grow in size and in strength. Struggles hurt whether they be physical or spiritual, but the outcome is worth it. Of course it would be easier if God would tell us where He is going with the path we are own and the what the outcome will be. But where is the faith in that? Part of our spiritual growth is the building up of our faith. The more we trust God, the stronger our faith grows. In the midst of our trials we can know that God is with us and that He has an Heavenly purpose for allowing us to suffer for a time. Our struggles will cease and there is victory ahead, but during the struggles, praise your Heavenly Father and know that all will work out for the good to them that are called by God for His purpose. Be a willing vessel and struggle not against the bit in our mouths but be obedient to the calling of God and His Holy 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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Betty Louise
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Good Morning and Happy Tuesday,

I put out the seed and washed and refilled the bird bath this morning.
The bird bath gets nasty quickly and needs to be washed. As beautiful as the world is, we too can get dirty and pick up attitudes and ideas that are not pleasing to God. We can work with people who's language is better suited for a bar then the work environment. Just a trip to the store and we can be in line with a person who has a stinky attitude and is spreading this around like dust. Sometimes we have to just stop and pray and ask God to forgive us when we take on their attitudes and even their language. We can silently pray that God will give them inner peace and calm their spirit that is in turmoil. Of course, pray that God will also give us a sweet and calm spirit. When it is our turn at the register show a kind and sweet attitude to the worker who has had to do their work silently while customers have taken their bad attitude on them. When we have been the one who has treated a worker badly, apologize to them. Let us be a light shining in the world of sinners. A light of love and peace and joy. We may be one of only a few that has shown kindness to the person who is working. At work show kindness and love even when others are angry and nasty. It is easy to take on their attitude but pray and ask God to help you rise above the ugliness and shine God's love on others. With God's help, we can be a beacon of hope and peace in the mist of turmoil and stress.
Pray that God will fill your heart with joy and peace that is overflowing so that others who come in contact with you will see the love of God. Do not be quick to judge others but instead pray for them. Have a blessed day, my friends. Remind yourself often that Jesus is coming soon.
Betty
Squirrels and birds are starting to gather for the food and this makes me joyful

John 10:27-28King James Version (KJV)27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

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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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Good Morning and Happy Monday,

Ephesians 2:8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

As Christians, we should be so grateful that our salvation was not bought by our works. We would live our life to the day we died, wondering if we had done enough to earn our way to Heaven. There would be no peace of mind and heart, that we were secure in the arms of God. I have met people who thought that our good works and sins where weighed out and the heavier side would win. How could we possibly do enough works for our God to save us? Our works, in them selves, mean nothing to God. It is our heart motives. Do we work for God because we love Him? Do we work for God to call attention to ourselves? Our works will never save our soul, but works for God will earn our rewards in Heaven, if they are done out of the right motivations. Works done to earn the praise of man will do that, but there will be no reward in Heaven for them. Works done our of love for our Heavenly Father is what counts in Heaven. It is not the greatness of the work. The man and woman whom quietly share their faith to their fellow worker and poor strangers are just as important as the man who preaches on Sunday in a megaChurch. There are many people who do their work for Christ quietly and going unnoticed my others, but their .works are recorded in Heaven for eternity. Let us as God's children work for God out of a heart of love and may we have a heart of compassion for the lost. We cannot save anyone but we can live an example of the love of Christ in the spot God has us in. As an old Hymn says "Work for the night is coming". There will come a day that our works will end, either by the rapture our own death. Work for Jesus until our last breath on earth. For many of us we are very limited in the physical work we can do, but we can always pray. Prayer is never wasted my friends, pray through out the day for lost souls. Do not allow the devil to convince you that you must work your way to Heaven. Jesus is our ticket to Heaven and He finished His work for our salvation, but at the same time, pray that God will use you for His glory.
Betty
It is hot and muggy this morning but still blessed by a few squirrels and 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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Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

I woke up this morning feeling like my brain was in a cloud. I seemed to be struggling against myself with every chore I tried to accomplish. It is wonderful to know that God is always on His game. There will never be a time when we call to Him, that He has to get the cob webs out of His head before He can function. God is always in control and we can trust Him with the very breath we breathe. It is when we stop looking at God the Author and Finisher of our faith and look at our circumstances that we become fearful. God has not forgotten you, my friend. He loves you and He cares about what you are going through. Do not let the devil's lies discourage you. Seek God with all your heart. Trust in Him and not on your own understanding for our thoughts can cause fear and with complete trust in God, there is no fear. Never be ashamed of needing a brother or sister in the Lord to pray for you. We all have weak days. Have a blessed day.
Betty
A squirrel at one of the feeders.

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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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https://youtu.be/Wo-rGzx2OZk

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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
Betty Louise
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Good Morning and Saturday,

Abraham and Sarah are great examples or why we should wait on God's timing. The Jewish people have suffered ever since they decided to help God out, but before we judge them, we to can be guilty of the same sin. When we wait a length of time and it seems God is not working, the temptation is to step in a fix things ourselves. In most circumstances, when we take over, we need God to fix what we broke. A popular saying is attributed to the Bible: "God helps those who help themselves". This is not in the Bible. The truth is, God helps those who cannot help themselves. Those who think they have under control or less likely to ask God for help. Many of us are not patient. We want God to work now! His timing often feels like He has forgotten our request. This does not mean there are not things we can be doing as we wait, but we seek guidance as we take steps to accomplish our course of action. God has a reason for His delay and when it seems He worked at the last moment, there are reasons for this. We are not able to see the actions that God worked out behind the scenes. The more we trust Him the more we can be at peace while God is working things out. Be blessed my friends.
Betty
When we are overwhelm, it is okay to ask others to pray for us. Yesterday I sought prayer for depression. We should not be ashamed of needing help.

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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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Good Afternoon and Happy Friday,


Romans 6:22-23King James Version (KJV)

22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.



Sometimes we need to be reminded that this is not our forever home. We have a home as the old song says, will never be corrupted or decay. There are no critters in Heaven to destroy our eternal home. Our home is not made by human hands so we will not have to worry if there are any hidden flaws. The first home we bought was built during a construction strike and the builder depended upon illegals to the job. Hubby found empty beer cans in the attic and many of the homes had major construction problems, simply because they were built by people who were not qualified. Our home in Heaven was built by God, who spoke the world into existence. Today more then ever we need to remind ourselves of our future home. As Christians we are often shocked by what is considered normal behavior today and we fear things will get worse. Some Schools are making it against the rules to use the pronouns he and she. Could one day it be illegal to dress your baby daughter in girls clothes? Will unisex clothes be required? Truth is we have no idea what the immediate future holds for this world, but we as Christians do know what eternity holds for us, (a home with Jesus). It is easy to be overcome with fear when we think of the possibilities of the election and the reaction people will have, no matter who wins. This is when we remind ourselves that no matter who wins God is in control. Even if we lose our freedoms and even our lives, we know where our eternity will be, safe in the arms of Jesus. We will have bad days. I had a bad day myself, yesterday and allowed fears to overwhelm me. Then I was reminded that God has not forsaken me. We do not know what tomorrow holds and that is scary but when we remind ourselves that we serve a God that does know, we can lay our fears and confusions at His feet. Those my age and older often deal with physical issues that wear us down physically and emotionally. It is during these times that the devil is there to offer words of discouragement and fear in our ears. We have to be careful not to listen to him and dwell on those thoughts he puts in our heads. We have to remind the devil and ourselves that we have read the last book of the Bible and we know who will win in the end. We will struggle and there will be bad days but we can always go to God for encouragement. May God fill your day with encouraging thoughts and work in your life to being peace of mind.

Betty

A couple of male cardinals and a couple of blue jays are enjoying the feeders at the moment.

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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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Good Morning and Happy Tuesday,


Isaiah 26:3King James Version (KJV)3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.


Philippians 1:6King James Version (KJV)6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

As human beings, we will deal with frustrations, that is a given. Being a Christian does not protect you from frustrations. Sometimes the frustration is your own and sometimes you will deal with the aftermath of other's frustrations. Usually when you are least able to deal with frustrations, is when they hit you square in the face. What are we to learn from them? We are to learn to turn them over to Jesus and seek His guidance. The older I get the less patience I have dealing with my own frustration much less someone else's, but it is a great reminder that I can not react in a loving Christian way with out the help of God. The devil loves it when we lose our temper and fight back against what we consider a attack against ourselves. God wants us to stay calm and silently pray even in the midst of turmoil. When we do, He will bring peace to our hearts, even when things are going on around us that are out of our control, we can be at peace. Knowing that frustration is one of the weapons of the devil, we can easily see the need to reach out to God in those times. When we do, He will bring peace to our hearts and minds.
There will be times that we will allow frustration to get the best of us, when that happens, apologize to those that you offended and apologize to God, for not seeking His help and reacting instead of acting. We need to remember that we are in a spiritual battle. Satan wants to cause us to stumble and to lose our temper. When we do it gives him a weapon to throw in the face of God, but what Satan does not realize is that God loves in-spite of our imperfections and not because we are perfect. When God looks at us, He sees the covering of Jesus precious blood and not our own righteousness. We strive to live better not so we can be perfect Christians, but to obedient Christians. Have a blessed day.
Betty
A few squirrels this morning. I took some seed to the from yard and close to the road was a baby squirrel. When he or she saw me it laid as flat to the ground as it could, thinking I could not see it. So sweet!

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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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https://youtu.be/OEpoHO_Ox6A

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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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Good Afternoon and Happy Wednesday,



Jude 24-25King James Version (KJV)

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

_________________________________________


One of the many tools in the devil's arsenal is discouragement. I have seen strong Christian have to fight discouragement. This is tool is used mostly over a period of time so that discouragement sneaks into heart like a rabbit in a vegetable garden. Strife in the home, at work, or even in the world can weaken our faith. Chronic illness can wear us down emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Often it is when we feel we have a handle on our situation that discouragement sneaks in and takes us by surprise. Simply because when "we" think we have a handle on our circumstances. It is when we are trusting in ourselves to be strong and not leaning on God and His Word. It is when we think we are secure in our own strength, that we fall. Sometimes it takes a fall to make us get rid of self pride and remember that there is nothing we can do to secure our salvation. When we are right with God we want to work for Him but we do not work our way into Heaven. We can not buy our way into Heaven. Only by faith in Jesus Christ that we can enter into Heaven.

Hebrews 11:6 [Full Chapter]

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.



Isaiah 55:6-7King James Version (KJV)

6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.


Be blessed my friend, and trust in your Heavenly Father. Seek to walk with every day and talk to Him through out the day. Remember our friends and family may tire of us repenting the same problem and fears over and over but God is long suffering and patient. Trust in Him to walk with you. Invite Him in your heart and life.

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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Good Morning and Happy Monday,

It is muggy and damp outside, with the promise of rain. Sometimes we feel spiritually that we have gone through a long dessert. Other times we feel muggy, with a hint of spiritual life but waiting on showers of blessings to flow over us. Let ever be, our desire be for spiritual rain. Never be content with just a sprinkle now and then, but seek spiritual showers to flow over you. If our cups our are empty, how can we flow over into others? If our heart has gone lukewarm, how can we be a beacon shining the light of God's plan of salvation to others? To feed others, we must have been fed ourselves. You cannot share from a empty cup. We must sit at our Savior's feet daily so that we constantly have a full cup to share with those we come across in the world, whether family, friend, or stranger. It is never greedy to want more of God. We please God when we want to be overflowing with His love and truths. Give God praise even if it is just little nuggets of praise through our day. Serve Him with love and gladness and give out of love and cheerfulness. May our Heavenly Father bring you extra blessings today.
Betty
The rain has started and even in the rain the squirrels are enjoying their breakfast.

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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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Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

I often talk about how important Church attendance is and I wondered this morning if people think that I do not understand that it can be a struggle making yourself attend. I do understand. Although my COPD is mild, and I am grateful, when I first wake up my chest hurts because of all the gunk that accumulates while I sleep. It is tempting to turn over and go back to sleep. When I do get up and start moving the colits kicks into affect and my belly hurts more as I walk around getting dressed. I hurt if my belly is empty but fear eating anything , because despite 12 different pills, Doctors have tried, I am still not in remission and afraid to eat before Church so I drink alittle coffee so I am more alert and take a pill that helps with my stomach spasms. Then I get hubby up for Church and if he as been able to sleep some he goes with me. He suffers from chronic insomnia. I say all this because I know it is hard sometimes to go to Church. I know it is often a struggle. This I can tell you, I do not remember attending Church and then regretting it afterwards. I always feel better and blessed to be in God's House. There are times I cannot make it. When I have been ill all night just as there are times that you cannot go, but when we do go, we will be blessed. Years ago there was a song sung regularly about bringing the sacrifice of praise to God. There are days for all of us that singing songs through physical or mental pain is indeed a sacrifice, remember, my friends, Jesus sacrificed His own life to save us. Let us attend Church when we are able and offer up our praise to God who loved us enough to send His Son to die 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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Good Morning and Happy Saturday,

Song of Solomon 2:15
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
Whether it is someone you live with or work with, it is often the little annoying habits of others drive us crazy. Being annoyed is not a sin, but these little things if dwelled upon can feed and grow into bitterness. This leads to sinful outcomes, if we are not careful. There comes a time in marriage that your realize that habit that your mate has that drives you crazy is not going away. There is a point you realize that he or she is not going to stop doing it. At this point you can either accept it or you can make you and your mate miserable. Love is accepting things about others that drives us crazy. The way to start is to make a joke about it, in your head. Making sarcastic remarks to your mate will only start an argument that leads from annoyance to a fight. Of course no one reading this has annoying habits, but our families and coworkers could easily find a few. Accepting one another in love is not pretending we don't have annoying habits, it is accepting them in love. You might say but I don't love my coworkers. Did not Jesus tell us to love one another? There are even times that we have to keep our mouth shut about sin. When God holds us back from speaking, it is often because that person is not prepared to see that what they are doing is sin. At those occasions we do the best thing possible, we pray for them. We pray that God will open their eyes to the truth. When we jump in and confront them, we can cause them to close their minds to God. Only God can open a closed mind. There will be times that God does open a door for us to speak to a person, then we must be very careful to do so in a very loving way. Confrontation is not the answer but speak in a loving and kind way. Even then, there is a big chance that you will be rejected, but we do not know if there will be a time when our loving and kind reprove may open their eyes to accept the truth. Let us as children of our Heavenly Father seek to walk and speak in love. There will be times that we will speak harshly. Swallow your pride and apologize. Allow God to use you for His glory and in His ways.Betty This morning as I fed the birds and squirrels, I was walking around the yard, talking to them. I wondered if the neighbor's think I am taking to myself. This made me smile.

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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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Good Afternoon and Happy Friday,

" Our business today is to be New Testament Christians, proclaim New Testament Christianity, and build New Testament churches. That seems simple enough … but just try it in dead-earnest and see what happens!" Vance Havner

A character on "Downton" said that it was okay for people to have religion, just not okay for them to take it out in public. Sadly, there are only a few times that people in the world today want to hear about religion: their illness, their kids illness, and a world tragedy. They do not want to hear about salvation, just that God is going to fix things. What they do not understand, all though God does answer our prayers about our needs on earth, He is more about preparing folks for Heaven. Christians know that this is not our home. We are preparing through our daily walk with Jesus for our real home in Heaven. The devil is working on bringing about a "One World Government" where he himself, will reign. The UN doesn't realize that they are putting together satan's plans. The Pope is working on uniting Religions into a "World Religion". Whether he knows it or not, the Pope is putting together Satan's plans for a "One World Religion". For non Christians a "One World Religion" makes sense. It is just a matter of taking out of each Religion what people of other faiths have an issue with. Take out Jesus and just pray to God and many people will be happy. They can put under the umbrella of "God" anyone they choose. Everyone is happy and no losers, right? The truth is all will be losers. Jesus said that He is the only way to Heaven. Hiding the fact that you are praying to Jesus is not going to cut it. Jesus said if we are ashamed of Him on earth, he will be ashamed of us in Heaven.


Mark 8:38
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”
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If we deny Jesus, we will not enter Heaven's Gates. Each day we see even in America our Religious freedom slipping away. Hillary wants to "influence" people into no longer believing in the truths of the Gospel. She wants Christians to abandon the beliefs that the world has abandoned: abortion and gay marriage. If she wins she will be into place what several countries have done and put to "sleep" those who are a drain on health care and no longer consider valuable to the world. To many this sounds good until it is their parents are grandparents. When we look around at the way things are falling into place, remind yourself that these are signs that Jesus is coming back. The more things fall into place the more we need to be preparing our hearts to see Jesus face to face. It is no longer the time to hide what we consider our petty sins but repent and make yourself ready as the Bride of Christ. He is coming soon!
Betty

I have been blessed this week to have a female cardinal, feeding right outside my window. She watches me unafraid and that makes me happy.

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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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Good Afternoon and Happy Thursday,


James 5:8-11King James Version (KJV)

8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.


Watching the Olympics it easy to tell that the one who starts out ahead in a race doesn't always win. It is not the one who jumps out strong in the beginning that wins the prize but the one who endures till the end and comes in first that wins. Sadly, it is the same in our walk with salvation. We often see those who seem to have become saved and begin the race on fire ready to take on the world for Christ, who lose their way. Could it be that they never really got saved but under conviction that decided to earn their way to Heaven? Salvation cannot be earned and when one seeks to enter Heaven by works that become discouraged and fall by the wayside. Even Christians can become discouraged and fall out of love with Jesus.

Rev. 2:1 To the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

How do we stay in love with Jesus? It is about continuing a relationship with Him. The more we walk with Him, the stronger our love grows. Yes, it is true that tribulations, heartaches, and trials can cause our love to grow cold. This happens because we take our eyes off Jesus, and focus only on the difficulties, that we are dealing with. The stronger and harder the difficulties in our lives, the closer we need to walk with God. Often it is only when we reach the end of our rope that we call out to God. This is because we are trying to accomplish our spiritual walk on our own. There are going to be times that God will allow us to reach the end of our rope so that we will call out to Him. We should have called out to God in the beginning but we allowed self pride to make us think we were strong enough on our own. Sometimes we have to hit bottom to make us look up to Heaven. As time grows short let us strife to walk closer and closer to Jesus. Remind ourselves of our need for God and seek Him daily.

Betty

This morning as I filled the bird and squirrel feeders, a squirrel was walking across the fence. I wondered if the squirrel realized that I was bringing more feed or did he run away from fear? Do we realize how many blessings God bestows on us each day? Do we take God for granted.? Think about this as you go about your day

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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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Good Morning and Happy Wednesday,

"God knows the way, He holds the key, / He guides us with unerring hand; / Some time with tearless eyes we’ll see; / Yes, there, up there, we’ll understand."
Maxwell Cornelius, from the hymn “Sometime We’ll Understand”

In this life, there are things we go through and will go through, that we do not understand. There will be battles we will fight that seem to have no rhyme or reason. We must remind ourselves that God has a design for our lives. We do no suffer for nothing. He did not throw us out into the world with out reasons and plans. Yes, there are times we are affected by the sins and growing pains of others, yet even through those times God will use these for His glory and for our good. No tear, no sleepless night goes by without the eyes of God not knowing. There will be days that we are overwhelmed by physical and emotional pain. These are the days that we should cry out to God and NOT run from God. Contrary to the lies of
Satan, there is nothing that we go through that God is not with us. We often have to cry out and ask God to sustain us and feed His with His heavenly manna and He is willing to do so. Remind yourself that is during these times that we grow in strength and might. A tree has deep roots that keeps it standing through storms. We need deep roots into God's Word. Sunday only Christians will fall in a storm and lose their way. It is by being with God every day that our spiritual roots grow. God is preparing His Bride for His return. He is polishing us just as a jeweler polishes gold. God wants us to strive to be more like Him and to be serving Him every day with a willing heart. Whatever we suffer here on earth will be forgotten, when we look into the face of Jesus.
1 Cor. NLV. 13:12. Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

One day everything we went through in this live will make sense and we will understand why. For now we must live in faith for the Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. How do we obtain faith? By listening to the Word of God. Be of good courage my friend, for you are not fighting battles alone, for our Heavenly Father walks with you daily. Call out to Him just as Peter did, when he began to fall into the sea.
Betty

I have had a female red bird eating at the feeder close to the kitchen window. She watches me and if I do not walk towards the window she does not fly 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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Good Morning and Happy Tuesday,


Philippians 3:10King James Version (KJV)10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering

In 1970, Spanky and the Gang, had a hit song called: "I'd like to Get to Know You". I remember this song, because it was playing on the radio the first time, my future hubby had come to my house. I remember telling him that the song was how I felt about Him. In the 90's, Bette Midler had a song called "From a distance". In this song it talks about how God is far away and just watching us from a distance. This was a huge hit and I admit when I first heard the song, I liked it. Yet, the more I heard it, the less I liked it. The God in this song is not our Heavenly Father. This God doesn't really take an interest in the world and her affairs. He doesn't really get involved in people's lives and doesn't really care what the people on earth do, whether it be good or evil. Christians and non Christians can be guilty of wanting a God like that. A God that will answer our prayers but for the most part stays out of our business. This is not having a relationship with God, this is more like a Santa, who gives us good things and then disappears for a year. Our Heavenly Father wants us to desire to know Him. He wants us to desire a personal relationship with Him. Another song comes to mind,that says : "the more I see you, the more I love you". This is how our relationship should be with Jesus. The more we seek Him, the more we know Him, and the more we know Him, the more we grow to love Him. God does not want us to love Him from a distance. He wants to walk and talk with us every day. God is not a statue that we hide in the closet, when we want to act in ways that is displeasing to Him, so that He does not see. God knows all. This may be scary at first, until you realize that there is nothing you can confess to God that is going to shock Him or make Him run away from you. As you go through your day remind yourself that God is not an uncaring being that is watching you from far away. If you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior, He is with you every day. His Holy Spirit lives within your heart. If you have not accepted Salvation, I challenge you to accept the greatest gift you can ever receive, Salvation. God is waiting to forgive your sins and He wants to be your daily companion. He wants to guide you as you go through the challenges of this world. Being a Christian, does not mean you will never have problem, never have sickness, or never go through storms. The difference is your will never have to go through them alone, again. Let us have a desire in our heart to know God better every day and not try to push God off into the distance from our lives and heart.

Betty

Another rainy day in the Houston area, but we need the rain. I saw a few birds this morning .

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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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Good Morning and Happy Monday,


Psalm 51:10-12New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
10 God, create a pure heart in me.
Give me a new spirit that is faithful to you.
11 Don’t send me away from you.
Don’t take your Holy Spirit away from me.
12 Give me back the joy that comes from being saved by you.
Give me a spirit that obeys you so that I will keep going.

As I was reading my morning devotional this morning I focused on verse 10 where David asked God to give him a spirit that was faithful to God. I realize that God must wish many times that I was more faithful to Him. Like many Christians, there are times that I am on fire for God and others that I am lukewarm. My devotion to God can vary with my circumstances. We all get caught up in life and there are times that are devotion to God varies in strength and commitment. None of us seek to be less devoted and less committed to God. Yet, life has a way of causing our focus to be on other people and other things. I don't believe it is a case of losing our way but of losing our focus.
This is not the way God wants us to live. He knows that there are things that we have to do, yet even in our work we can be focused on God. We can do our work in a way that will shine a light on God. Those at work who know that we are saved are sure to noticed when we halfway do our job. This is a bad reflection on our Heavenly Father, when we only do enough work to keep our job but our attitude shows we could care less about our work. When we do our work with a cheerful heart then others can see God in us.
When we are out in public do others see an angry person who is just waiting for an excuse to bite someone's head off? Or do we act and react in the love of Christ? We will come across angry people, that is a given. It is how we react that either shows God's love or just shows another angry bitter person in this world. Let us not be an angry and bitter person. Bitterness is a weed that can pop up in our garden, but we need to pull that out as soon as we see it. We need to ask God to heal our bitterness and replace anger and bitterness with the fruits of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23King 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.



May God help us every day to shine His love on others and be a living example of the grace of God. There will be times that instead of the gifts of the Spirit pouring out of our lives, there will be anger and unpleasantness that flows out of us. Seek forgiveness from God if possible seek forgiveness from the person we hurt. In these dark days we need to pray more then ever that God can use us for His glory.

Betty


The ground is saturated from all the rain but there is still three little squirrels in the back yard.

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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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Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

When I was a child, my mom would have us at Church, twenty minutes before the Service started. I decided that I would not do that when I grew up. Now I am married to a man that drags so much in the mornings that we are lucky to get to Church two Minutes after Church starts. I guess it is the old saying "be-careful what you wish for.
Spiritually, we can do the same thing. We want the spiritual growth that we see in someone we admire, but when we have to go through the fire that they went to, to get where they are, we want to run the other way. Salvation is a free gift. We can never earn or add to it. Spiritual growth costs us something. We have to be willing to walk through dark valleys to grow spiritually. It is easy to see the results in people's life's of trusting God through suffering and want the same thing in our lives. Living through the valleys and walking through the thorny paths is a whole different cup of tea. It is like the old saying "give me patience, and give it to me yesterday". Patience and joy in the Lord does not come instantly and it does not come with out a cost. Yet, when we see the results in our lives, we can look back with grateful hearts that God not only allowed us to go through storms but He walked with us all the way to the other side. Let us not run from the will of the Father. He has a great reason for what He allows us to go through. He wants us to be over comers. We can not rejoice in victories until we go through the battles.
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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https://youtu.be/cwJpoksTasY

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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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Good Morning and Happy Saturday,

Last night I had one of those nights I haven't in awhile. Hurting to much to sleep and the pain pill keeps me awake. So I had less then four hours sleep. This morning my hands are alittle shaky and I am not all that alert. I often talk about our spiritual health. We can and often do, neglect our spiritual needs. If we admit it to ourselves there are days that we rush through our devotional, our brain only comprehend a partial of what we read. We can even be arrogant enough at times, to think that at least we read it. Devotionals are not for God's benefit. He knows everything. Devotionals, Preaching, and Prayer are for our benefit. It is through these that our spirit is fed and we are given the tools to stand strong. We live in a world where being a Christian is considered a weakness. People will say it is nice that we have our faith, but they do not want to hear about it or experience it for themselves. There are those who will even look down on you in pity that you need a crutch, of Religion. They do not understand there is a difference between the Christian Faith and other Religions. No other Religion promises a relationship with God. No other Religion gives you assurance of salvation, in this life. Many Religion promise a Heaven if we live good enough and you only know after death. The Bible tells us no one is good enough. Jesus is the only one who walked this earth and never sinned. No!, my friend our hope of salvation is in the precious blood of Jesus. We cannot work our way to Heaven. We cannot buy our way into Heaven. When we realize that we cannot add one thing to the plan of salvation, we can relax and stop trying to be good enough. This does not give us a license to sin. The closer we walk with God, the more sin in our lives, should convict us. The more we love God, the more we should seek to please Him. There is a song I like that says"Wise Men Still Seek Him".
Everyday we should seek His will in our lives and in the lives of our family.
Praying often for lost souls. I can catch up with sleep with a nap and we can catch up on feeding our soul by seeking Jesus everyday.
Betty
A few squirrels this morning. Remember to pray for Christians who are being persecuted and killed around the world for their faith. Muslims are still beheading Christians and other Muslims. Women and young children
are killed. Pray for the Church in these Countries that God will cause them to prosper and supply their needs.

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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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Good Morning and Happy Friday,

How was your spiritual temperature when you open your eyes this morning? Was the first words out of your mouth, praises to God? It would be a no for me this morning. I woke up hurting and had to talk myself into getting up because I knew colitis would raise its ugly head when I stood up. I say all this to say that there are days when being grateful and thankful to God for our many blessings, is far from our thoughts. We can become so caught up in our circumstances that we miss the big picture.
God has a plan for our lives and sometimes His plan is woven in to our suffering. Everyone suffers and I do not think that my suffering is any worse than yours. I know a Christian lady who has a boss that is so critical. He never gives her credit for the extra work she does on her free time, but he is sure to pounce on her when she makes a mistake. My daughter is struggling with car issues. Every Christian I know is dealing with something at this time. In our hearts we realize that Jesus is coming soon and the devil is working over time to steal our joy and our testimony.
The devil is quick to whisper thoughts that we are the only one that is going through troubles. He can send thoughts of loneliness and make us wonder why our healing has not happened yet. This is when we remember Jesus words in the garden:
Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Jesus bore our sins for our salvation. His precious blood bought our redemption. He deserves our praise thorough out everything we go through. Whether it is His desire to heal us in Heaven and not on this earth or His desire for us to stay at a job where we are unappreciated, we are to praise Him, daily. Who knows we may be the only Christian that angry boss knows. Our sickness may help produce spiritual growth. We will have those days when we have to step our of ourselves and remind ourselves that God is in control and the cross that Jesus chose for us to bear is not too heavy if we stay in communication with God our Father.
Yes there will be morning when we want to pull the cover over our heads and hide from the world. Instead, let us rise up and give God the glory due Him and the pray for opportunities to share God's love with a hurting world.
Betty
I see a blue jay in the tree and I am thankful for my chance to enjoy the beauty of nature.

https://youtu.be/LeHo3yIp1Ac

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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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Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

This morning as I took our pills out from the monthly pill holder, I noticed that I was missing the pill for my kidneys. I found I had put it in Ronnie's and not mine. It got me thinking, how many times have we listened to a Sermon or a Teaching and though: "I know someone who needs to hear this". Are there times that God wants to knock us in the head and tell us this was for us? Are we quick to see sinful ways in others and blind to our own? It is easy for us to excuse ourselves, when sin is pointed out in our lives. Yet we are often quick to judge others. We wonder why our brothers and sisters in the Lord are not working more for the cause of Christ, but excuse lack of activity on our part. Sometimes we do have legitimate excuses by the world's standards. Many people wake up in pain every morning just like me, but we have learned that staying in bed doesn't take away the pain, we just become depressed. People who work often feel that they do not have the hours in a day to work for Christ. Yet, opportunities arise a work. When your coworker tells you that there at a loss of what to do with one of their kids, offer to pray for them and their child. When coworkers open up about something is causing stress in their life, take advantage of that opportunity to express hope and love in their lives. We come in contact with hurting people every day. Many times I have allowed opportunities to fall on the floor like rose petals. Sometimes I have been given a second opportunity with that person, but many times I have not. How do we prepare for opportunities? When we do our morning devotions, we pray for God to open our eyes and hearts to see when He wants us to speak. There may be times we feel in our spirit that God does not want us to say anything. Then we say a silent prayer that God will open their heart to accept the truth and send the right person to share God's love with them. We can never go wrong praying for someone. This does not mean everyone we pray for will get saved. The Bible says wide is the gate to hell and narrow the gate to Heaven, but always pray. Only God knows who will accept and who will not. The more we pray, the closer our relationship will be with God. The closer we walk with God the less fear we will have in our hearts and minds. Remember in the months ahead, when the devil whispers into your ears, that God has lost control of the earth and you are just on your own, that God has NOT lost control. There is a judgment coming to America and Europe, because of the governments legalizing sins. How much longer will the blood of unborn babies, cry out for justice? How much longer will men and women spit in the face of God by doing what is unnatural? Knowing that judgment is coming is not to grow fearful and hide out in a cave from the world. We should pray for our Country, our family, and our world. We should look up for the blessed hope and pray that the Father will send Jesus to get His Bride soon!
Betty
A little woodpecker is enjoying the seed in the back yard. In the front yard are squirrels.

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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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https://youtu.be/OGIhAvq2ipA

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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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Good Morning and Happy Wednesday,

Walking around the yard, feeding the birds and squirrels, gives me a time of reflection and prayer. Praising God for the beauty of nature, seeking forgiveness of my sins and praying for guidance. I enjoy this quiet time with the Lord Jesus. I am grateful for this time with God and grateful for the beauty of nature. Spending time in the morning does not guarantee that you will have a perfect day. What it does do is fill your heart and your minds with peace, comfort, and joy. Then when those annoying things happen, trust me they will, you already have an open conversation with God. You are less likely to react in an unChristian way when you have began your day with time alone with God. Those who walk in the morning, that is a great time to pray for yourself, your family, and our Country.
Communication with God is more important now then ever. If you have young children instill into them the importance of a relationship with Christ. Sadly many Schools are teaching things that are contrary to God's Word, so we need to teach them the truth. Let them know that God wants to have a relationship with them. There will be many temptations out in the world, teach them that with the help of God they can be overcomers. Remind yourself that no matter what the world says, God has not changed His mind about His truths. Do not embrace the sins of the world. The old saying: "The world is going to hell, in a basket" is sadly true. Rather then admit their sins and repent they tell Christians that the Bible is no longer relevant and those who are enlightened embrace sin as normal behavior.
The temptation to deny God's Word is strong, when we are more concerned about what friends and family thinks of us instead of God. Remember it is only trusting in God and accepting His truths that will open the gate for you to enter Heaven. This is so important because our eternity rides on this. The Bible says we cannot serve two Masters.
Luke 16:3. No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

We cannot have one foot in the world and one in God. We have to commit to one. Choose which is the most important to you. Is it man or God?
Betty
Are you looking for the little diamonds of joy, God brings to your day? Are you praising Him throughout the day?

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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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Good Morning and Happy Tuesday,

Genesis 1:27. God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.


Satan is not content just to corrupt marriage by turning a sexual union that God created between man and woman into man and man and female and female. He has now encouraged mankind to reject the terms male and female. Many today are offended by the terms male and female, as if the use of them is an insult to them personally. The government, Schools, and Employers are twisting themselves in knots to fine pronouns that do not define a person by a gender. It as if being called a male or a female is a high offense.
This world does not see that the devil hates God and wants to do everything the opposite God's desires. Mankind thinks that they have evolved into a developed person by rejecting anything that God has created. The reality is that they have created nothing and are only listening to the whispering of Satan in their ears.

Motherhood which used to be a highly respected position is not looked down on with distain. A popular singer of today stated that she found fulfillment in motherhood. The feminist, liberals came down hard on her for saying this. Women brag about their abortions as if that was an accomplishment and look down on Motherhood as being for weaker less ambitious women.

The world is taking the good things that God created and stomping them under their feet. In their attempts to be above the things of God they are digging deeper and deeper into sin.
They do not see how they are becoming more hard headed and closing their ears to the message or salvation. What they see as enlightened and self glory is really a life that is devoid of God and a life that is devoted to the things of the devil. We cannot change their minds. We can pray for them but sometimes we have to accept that they have gone beyond redemption.

Romans 1:28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Everyday we can see how the world has embraced evil and rejected the truth of the Gospel. Seek God and ask Him to cover you with His Holy Spirit. Ignore any teaching that is contrary to the Bible. God does not need to become enlightened to the ways of the world. The world needs to humble themselves and seek the truths of God. Anytime a Preacher or teacher tells you that God has changed His mind about His truths, run don't walk away from that person.

Numbers 23:19. God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Betty

This morning as I walked the yard feeding the squirrels and birds, I noticed how beautiful blue the sky was and the white clouds like big fluffy marshmallows.

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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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Good Morning and Happy Monday,

While reading my morning Devotional, I managed to spill my coffee not once, but three times. There are times as humans we feel like we have three thumbs. Everything we touch goes opposite of what we intended. This morning I took it in stride, but there times, I lose my temper. Losing my temper most always makes it worse. Yet we as Christians, can find ourselves in that position. Take a bad night sleep and a morning when things are not going right and the next thing we know, we have yelled at someone and show that nasty thing, known as a temper. Everyone has a temper. There are somethings we should be angry about. We should be angry when we hear of the many babies killed in abortion every day. We should be angry when we hear about a Pastor preaching "Universal Salvation" and we should be angry when we hear of someone killing innocent people. The Bible does not say do not be angry. The Bible says:

Ephesians 4:26King James Version (KJV)

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:



It is how we react in our anger that determines whether we have sinned or not. There is such a thing as righteous anger. It is righteous anger to be anger at abortions, false preaching, and murder. Our reaction is NOT to to call women out side the abortion clinic bad names. Our reaction to false preaching should not be to attend the Church and make a scene during the service. We should not hate killers and be so filled with hate that we cannot wait to see the executed. Our reaction is to pray. If we get a change to talk graciously and kindly to a woman who wants an abortion then do so. Yelling hatful things outside an abortion clinic will not stop abortion. Disturbing a Church service will not stop a false preacher and a killer is not going to stop until God either takes them out of this life or they accept Jesus as their Savior. Realize that in many situations, you can make a difference by praying. Praying that young women will choose life. Vote for people who support life. Pray for false preachers to be convicted. When you hear of a killing on the news, pray for the victims family and pray that the killer will be caught. Never feel like that praying is all you can do. Praying is the best thing you can do. Of course go the extra mile, support if you can places that offer alternative plans instead of abortion. Get out and vote for life and pray for those in prison to seek forgiveness from Jesus. Be angry but have a righteous anger. Be angry at the devil who has filled souls with evil. Listening to the news now days is hard. Many have stopped doing it. Yet, listening to the news can open opportunities for you to pray for specific people that you have never met. When the devil seeks to destroy your faith and confidence because of bad news. Remind your heart that the devil loses in the end. God will win and His children will one day walk on streets of God where no evil thought can enter in.

Betty

Blessed to be in God's House yesterday and to worship with fellow believers. Seen birds gathering in the trees this morning awaiting their breakfast.

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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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Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

Growing up as children, it doesn't take long to learn that there is an action and then a reaction. We act and there is a consequence . We accomplish something good and there is a good reaction. As me grow up we realize that somethings we do for the good of others does not have a good outcome. People judge us on our motivation, even if they do not know our motives. There is a saying that says: "no good deed goes unpunished". I admit I have used that saying myself. It does seem like at times what we did out of pure motives brings back pain for ourselves.
The big problem comes when we treat spiritual issues the same way. Growing spiritually often requires us to accept in love that what we did for Christ may not be accepted by those we had sought to bless. Even when we work for God, we do always get the outcome we expected. You can go to Church every time the door opens, support your Church financially, and give to Missionaries across the ocean, and yet you will still have troubles.
The dryer breaks, you get a flat, or you have a wreck. No where in the Bible, does God say serve me and you will never have troubles again. Love me and the world will love you. In fact the Bible says that because we love God, the world will hate us. We do not serve God so that we can walk through this world unaffected by troubles and this sinful world. We serve God because He lived and died for our sins. We are reminded in God's Word, that this is not our home. We are accumulating prizes in Heaven and not working to gain the affection of the world.
This said, God has not left us alone and unprotected. The Holy Spirit is in us and has been since the day we got saved. Yes, we will have problems, but we are not alone. In everything you go through remind your brain and heart that God is with you. Rejoice in the knowledge that nothing you go through on earth, can keep you from the love of Jesus. Sing praises to the Lord in the midst of your trials and pain.
Be blessed my friends, knowing that He that spoke the universe in to existences wants to guide your steps every day.
Betty
A few squirrels this morning.

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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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Good Afternoon and Happy Saturday,

I hope that God has a sense of humor. When I sing praises to Him, I forget the words. So I usually sing one song made of many partial songs.
It's wonderful to know that God inhabits our praise.

Psalm 22:3. 3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

It is not about the talent of our singing or lack of talent. God sees into our hearts and our praise to Him is sweet smelling and in His love for us, He graciously receives our gift to Him. The Bible says to praise God in the mist of the good and the bad. We can rejoice with the Lord. Praise God in your weaknesses and in your strength. Praise God with all your heart and soul. May God hasten the day when His Church shall stand in unison before His Throne. Let us be grateful and respectful children and honor our Heavenly Father in the way that honors Him. It is easy to get caught up in our day to day work and forget to give praises to God. We should work on reminding ourselves of the blessings God has given unto us.
Betty


https://youtu.be/BAo2iZ9vWHg

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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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Good Morning and Happy Friday,

Matthew 24: 37-46. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39
And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43
But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47


As Christians, we can study God's Word and see that Jesus is coming for His children soon. While we still live in this world we need to take care of our physical needs and we need to prayerfully vote, but our hearts should be attune to the whispering of the Holy Spirit as He calls us to prepare our hearts for the soon coming rapture. Just as we feed our bodies, we need to be seeking in prayer and in God's Word for the feeding of our souls. Seek God to help you have a healthy soul and a heart that is listening for the calling of God upon our lives. We must not expect the winner of the election no matter what party wins to fix the world. Our world has listened to the voice of Satan for so long, that sadly most would not recognize the voice of God. If Jesus would appear on TV, the world would not embrace Him and His teaching. Instead the world would be trying to teach Jesus how to be "politically correct". People would be insisting that God to remove from the Bible the parts that they feel do not measure to the "world's standard". What God says is sin, is sin. God is not going to change His standards to please the world. Christians, neither should we. This is not about judging people. This is about speaking the truth in love.
I have found myself arguing with people many times over sin issues. This is not how God wants me to act. We need to be honest about what the Bible says and then if the person does not want to accept the truth, remind them that you love them and then CLOSE your (MY) mouth and walk way. Always pray for those who are living in sin but walk away from the argument. We will never argue a person into accepting salvation. Yet never stop praying for lost souls.
Take comfort my friends in the soon coming of Jesus, for His children. Seek ways to do His works until the day Jesus calls for us.
Prayers and hugs,
Betty
This morning a handful of squirrels and and little birds.


1Thess. 4:13. 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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Good Morning and Happy Thursday,

My biopsy results are back. The collageous colitis has spread from the colon to my esophagus and both are inflamed . Happy about getting the results because the Doctor seems to be taking my situation seriously now and has a plan for medication. As Christians we can be convinced that God is not taking our needs seriously. There is a part of us that wants to cry out to God: "Do you even see what is going on in my life? Do you even care?" Then we have to remind ourselves that God is well aware what is going on in our lives.

The best plan of action for us is to offer up the sacrifice of praise to God. I understand it is hard. It is hard to think of praise when we are physically in pain. It is hard when circumstance are so hard that we feel like we are drowning. Yet when we offer up praises to God, we feel blessings come down like a comforting shower. Sometimes our situation changes. Other times our situation doesn't change but God gives us a new outlook that adds a song to our heart and a spring to our steps. Remind yourselves, that nothing we go through on earth, that will not be worth an eternity in Heaven. When you are suffering, reach out to fellow Christians. Resist the compulsion to draw into your self and hide your pain. You don't have to go into the gritty details if you are not comfortable. Just ask someone you know who prays to pray for you. There is no shame in seeking others to pray for you and your family.
I find listening to praise and worship songs uplifting on my bad days. My friends we are not alone. God is with us and there are other Christians that care about us.
May you be blessed today. May God fill your day with His perfect peace.
Betty

Happy to see squirrels.

https://youtu.be/L5bLvVjJ4MA

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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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Good Morning and Happy Wednesday,

Psalm 126:5-6King James Version (KJV)5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh inthe morning.

Many Christians are suffering today for the Gospel of Christ. In many Countries, precious people are locked up and killed for sharing their faith. In America it has not come to this yet, but people are still suffering for their faith. There are people who are not promoted because of their faith. Generals in the military have been forced to retire because of their faith. God has warned us in His Word it will get worse. What God does not tell us is to hide your faith so no one will know. Depending on who wins the election it may become a crime to share any part of the Bible that is not considered politically correct. As children of God we look forward to an eternity in Heaven, but are we sharing this with the lost, so they too can be saved? At a protest some gay women held up signs that said: "Going to hell and proud of it". Another event women wore T-shirts that said: "I am proud of having an abortion". When we see these people is our first reaction disgust? What should be our reaction? Our hearts should be pierced with grief as we look on souls who have been overtaken by evil. Unless these souls be changed for the Lord, they will spend an eternity in hell. Let's face it sometimes we hear about such evil committed by a person and there is a little bit of satisfaction in our hearts, knowing they will spend eternity in hell. My dear friends this is not what God wants us to feel. He wants us to grieve over those who have given themselves up to the devil and his ways. As human beings we are not capable of understanding the length of eternity because it is never ending. We come into this world and we leave this world. Our very lives are enveloped into a 24 hour day and a 365 years. The concept of never ending is not something we can understand completely, but we know deep in our hearts that hell is not where any of us want to be. Even those who brag about hell, deep in their heart is a dread of going to hell. Why do they embrace the idea of hell? Pride. It is pride that makes them take pleasure in not allowing themselves to be told what to do. They do not realize that they have listened to the devil's lies and are in fact doing his will.
We as children of God must keep on praying and using every opportunity to share the love of God with others. We must see past the depravity of the lost and see the soul deep inside them that needs Jesus. While it is true that may never accept Jesus, you will be able to stand before God, knowing you did all you could to reach lost souls . May we be praying for lost souls until our final breath on earth. Be a willing vessel for our Heavenly Father. As the only songs says "Work till Jesus comes".
Betty
The back yard is quiet and no sign of birds, yet.

https://youtu.be/ggUZU4-dA2Q

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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
Solidrock
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This great to read your thoughts.
God is leading you
God Bless You

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God is Love

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Betty Louise
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Good Morning and Happy Tuesday,

As I got dressed this morning, preparing for my primary care appointment, I realized that I have been going to the Doctor for two years. So much time, money and discomfort, and yet I am worse off physically then the first day I saw her. No it is not her fault but yet is discouraging to spend so much money and to have tried countless different medication and no improvement. While I am waiting on the last biopsy report hoping for a diagnosis that will show what medication, I should be on, my frustration grows. We as Christians, can often feel that way. It seems that we have spent countless hours down in the valley and yet our souls do not seem to have improved as much as we would have thought they should. It can seem that we have wasted so much time and still not be where we think we should be, spiritually. Living in our bodies we cannot see the journey of our lives, as God sees it. We often cannot see the growth that has taken place. When our children were small we often did not really notice the growth in statue, until we noticed that the clothes that fit so well in September, in June are tight and too short. Just like that, we often cannot see the spiritual growth in our lives, but that does not mean it does not exist. We must step back from ourselves and rejoice not in our spiritual growth, but in the journey God has taken us on. Realizing as we look back that the pain that we went through though hard and depressing at the time, has brought us to a new wonderful place in the Lord. This is why God has told us through Paul, to rejoice in all things. It is not about thanking God that you had a blow out or thanking God that you are going through physical challenges. It is thanking God that He has you on a path of spiritual growth and reminding yourself, that through all of it God is with you. If you feel that you have made no spiritual growth in a while, ask God to show you where you were and where you are today. If there is truly no growth, then ask God for forgiveness and ask Him to begin a new work in you. We can grow stagnant and disobedience can cause our growth to come to a stop. Seek the face of God and ask for ways that you can be open to His leading. Do not be come complacent in these last hours of the Church Age. Jesus is coming back soon. Are you ready? Do you need to seek forgives from God for hidden sins? Do you need to seek forgives from others? Let us feel our oil bottles and be like the wise virgins and be ready and waiting for His return.
Betty
Saw tiny squirrels in the yard. Already getting warm. I look forward to fall weather. The change of Seasons show us that contrary to what the world thinks, God is still involved in our world.

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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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Good Morning and Happy Monday,

Today is August first. Today parents of young children are starting to get excited about School restarting. Teachers are saddened to see their vacation coming to the end. Those of us in the South, are looking forward to the fall and cooler weather. There are many times of the year that we look forward too. Those who have a party and a big celebration look forward to Halloween. Americans look forward to Thanksgiving, the biggest travel day, when family gets together around the Thanksgiving table. Most of us look forward to Christmas. Young children look forward to presents and parents to the decorations that brighten the cold dark winter.
Christians and non Christians look forward to the New Year. Around the world, the New Year, the time that gives people hope of a new beginning and a "start over", if you will. Yet as hard as we try most New Year resolutions are broken and just a memory by March.
There is only one who can promise a new beginning, a new birth, and that is Jesus. We do not have to wait until January first, to begin again in the Name of Jesus. He wants us to be born again in Him, and we can do that any day or night.

John 3:16King James Version (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 10: 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.


To God's children, God calls us to come to Him for forgiveness, refreshing, and guidance. God does not save our souls and walk away. He doesn't send us in our way with a platitude of "have a great life, see you in Heaven". God wants to walk with us everyday. He wants us to trust in Him and seek His truths. Is it possible to get saved and never seek the face of God? I honestly do not know, but if we did, we would remain a baby Christian till the day we died. We would have no rewards in Heaven for we would have lived a selfish life. Doing good deeds only to receive the praise of man. Let us walk with Jesus daily. Seek to grow into a mature Christian. Seek His ways in all things. Let us as children who love our Heavenly Father, live out our lives until the end so that we may face our death with the words of Paul.

2 Timothy 4: 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

As Christians we are now looking forward to another prophecy to take place, the rapture. As we look with hopeful eyes for His return, let us strife to work for Jesus and allow Him to work through us. Be blessed my friends, even in this days of turmoil and distrust, for God has not gone on vacation, neither is He sleeping. Things are falling into place just as Jesus said they would. This is the time to seek his face more then we have ever done.
Betty
The humming birds have almost emptied their feeders. It is emptying quickly. We too as God's children are being empty by living in this world. Go to Jesus daily for a renewal and a refilling.

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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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https://youtu.be/3rdxkpYemfo

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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
Betty Louise
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Good Morning and Blessed Sunday,

Psalm 36:7-9. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

When we have suffered for a length of time, whether emotional, physically, or both, we tend to run away from what we need most. Humans have a tendency to want to crawl into themselves when they suffer. What we really need is God and to be among the people of God. While it is great for us to sing praises to God every day, on our own, there is a extra bonus if you will, from praising God together with a group of believers. As we magnify the Name of our Lord and Savior, even in our troubles we are revived by group worship. The more time that passes from our last night in Church, the easier it gets to stay home. Yet, when we go we wonder why we did not choose to attend sooner. There is a reason Paul said that in the last days do not neglect the gathering of yourselves with fellow Christians. Not only do we need the fellowship but we need to be hearing the Word of God spoken to us. I often listen to preaching on the radio but there is a specialness about being fed in the house of God. The call on our hearts should be: "Come let us worship together".

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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