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But joy . . .
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May 22, 2006 3:55 pm
944 Views
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Recently the Lord gave me Psalm 30:5 – it says “Weeping may endure for the night – but joy comes in the morning.” I like the way the Message Bible states it “The nights of crying your eyes out give way to days of laughter.” Isn’t that good? Maybe certain circumstances in your life are causing you some trouble or sadness for a time – but the Word of God says joy and laughter is not far off – so do you believe the Word of God or do you believe what the enemy whispers in your ear about those lousy circumstances – I don’t know about you – but I CHOOSE to believe the Word of God. How about you? Joy is great delight, gladness of heart, lively emotion and rejoicing. The joy of the Lord isn’t dependant on circumstances or things or even people - it’s dependant on you being a child of the Most High God and that you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. So instead of sorrow, misery, agony and despair – choose exultation and gladness of heart and rejoicing. Choose to stand on the Word of God and what He says about you and He says you are His “masterpiece” and you are “the apple of His eye” and you are “made in His image”. That is something to praise God about!! Hallelujah!! Hallelujah!!
How can you not praise Him - Marilyn
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Eagles in a Storm
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May 21, 2006 1:46 pm
955 Views
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Did you know that an eagle knows when a storm is approching long before it breaks? The eagle will fly to some high spot and wait for the winds to come. When the storm hits, it sets its wings so that the wind will pick it up and lift it above the storm. While the storm rages below, the eagle is soaring above it. The eagle does not escape the storm. It simply uses the storm to lift it higher, it rises on the winds that bring the storm. When the storms of life come upon us - and all of us will experience them - we can rise above them by setting our minds and our belief toward God. The storms do not have to overcome us. We can allow God's power to lift us above them. God enables us to ride the winds of the storm that bring sickness, tragedy, failure and disappointment in our lives. We can soar above the storm. Remember, it is not the burdens of life that weigh us down, it is how we handle them. The Bible says, "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles." Isaiah 40:31
Author Unknown
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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The Butterfly
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May 20, 2006 11:32 am
1004 Views
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A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the buterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaing bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract with time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of it's life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into it's wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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Cherokee wisdom
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May 20, 2006 10:47 am
1001 Views
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An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on in you - and inside every other person too." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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Do it anyway . . .
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May 19, 2006 12:05 pm
1004 Views
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If you are kind,
People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful,
You will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank,
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building,
Someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness,
They may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today,
People will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have,
And it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis,
It is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway.
Author Unknown
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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When God Whispers Your Name
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May 19, 2006 11:48 am
1061 Views
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When God Whispers Your Name
It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day's demands. It is now that I must make a choice. Because of Calvary, I'm free to choose. And so I do:
I choose love...No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. Today I will love God and what God loves.
I choose joy... I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical... the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.
I choose peace... I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.
I choose patience... I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.
I choose kindness... I will be kind to the poor for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me. I choose goodness...I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess
before I will accuse.
I choose goodness... I choose faithfulness... Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My spouse will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their parent will not come home.
I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.
I choose self-control... I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give
thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will rest my head on my pillow and listen... for the whisper of my name.
Unknown Author
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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Allow God's love to find you ...
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May 18, 2006 2:46 pm
1002 Views
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I want to talk to you a little about salvation today. The Lord showed me that salvation is when you allow God’s love to find you!! Looking back – can you see that? The textbook definition says to save, deliver, make whole, preserve safe from danger. To save is to give eternal life through Christ – to bring someone safely into His Kingdom. Save also means to be found. I don’t know about you but that touched my heart – you know like in the parable of the sheep in Luke 15:1-24 where the shepherd boy went out to find the one lost, forgotten lamb – that is how Jesus looks for you and me – really!! I would like you to see that salvation is a process and that your altar experience when you accepted the Lord into your heart as savior is just the beginning of that process.
Sozo is the Greek word for salvation. The basic meaning of this Greek word is to rescue from peril, to protect, to keep alive – it involves the preservation of life both physical and spiritual – and this includes healing and deliverance and rescue from impending peril or death. Here are some scriptures to back this up. Healing is shown in Matt 9:21-22 – where Jesus heals the woman with the issue of blood and in Mark 10:51-52 where Jesus restores sight to the blind man. Deliverance is shown in Luke 8:26-39 where Jesus sends a legion of demons into a herd of pigs out of a mad man from Gadarenes. Rescue from peril and death is shown in Matt 14:29-31 when Jesus saves Peter while walking on the water and in Matt 8:23-37 where Jesus calms the storm and saves the ship carrying the apostles. Matt 1:21 says “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins.” The Word speaks for itself!
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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The Lord is my light and salvation ...
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May 18, 2006 2:39 pm
1027 Views
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Psalm 27:1-9 (NLT): “The Lord is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from danger--so why should I tremble? When evil people come to destroy me, when my enemies and foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. . . . The one thing I ask of the Lord--the thing I seek most--is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord's perfections and meditating in His Temple. For He will conceal me there when troubles come; He will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Then I will hold my head high, above my enemies who surround me. At His Tabernacle I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, singing and praising the Lord with music . . . Don't leave me now; don't abandon me, O God of my salvation!” What an awesome promise to stand on!!
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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Refiner of Silver
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May 17, 2006 9:32 am
1101 Views
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I ran across this today and thought I would share it with you all:
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy - when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.
Author Unknown
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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A few nuggets . . .
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May 16, 2006 11:27 am
1018 Views
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A few nuggets from "Journey of Desire" by John Eldredge:
Page 206 - "Simply unplug from all the clamor, and make room for eternity in your life."
Page 208 - "God is speaking to us more often than we imagine. These are the treasures we must hide in our own hearts . . . for the dark hours that may come."
Page 177 - "All the other desires find their place as we give God his place. That is why the psalmist urges us, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Ps 37:4). Only as we truly delight in God is it safe to give us our desires, for then they are not likely to become idols. And by our delighting in God, he heals our false desires as our souls come true in the light of their Maker."
How can we not praise Him - Marilyn
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- "is a place to come to when you've been damaged or beaten by the storms of life - it's a place of rest, refuge, and restoration - for a time - to receive healing or repair damages, and rest - in the Father's arms - no camping out here indefinitely - it will soon be time to get back out there and be about the Father's business. Yes, you can minister broken but how much more and better can you serve if you are restored and whole?" 
