Weekly Memory Verse

It's Monday again and time for our Weekly Memory Verse. Where does the week go?

So, let's see how well I did with last week's verse. I think it was a fairly easy one:

Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.....Psalm 119:11 (NASB)

This verse is precisely the reason why I started memorizing Scripture and invited all of you along on my journey. I wanted to be able to carry God's Word with me in my heart at all times, following His lead and direction for me throughout every moment of my day.

How many times did I encounter a person or a situation in my day-to-day life, and I would think to myself "I know there is a Scripture about this"--but where and what is it exactly?

To further look into this, let's examine the definition of the word

TREASURE

• To retain carefully or keep in store, as in the mind

• To regard or treat as precious, cherish

• To put away for security or future use

God's Word is the truth, and we would do well to hold it close to our hearts and minds. His Word is precious to me--guiding me through my life, moment by moment.

Let's place God's Word in our hearts and minds together.

Now, let's move on to next week's verse which is the Queen of Spades from the "Embracing the Word" cards:

I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God: I will gird you, though you have not known Me.....Isaiah 45:5 (NASB)

I invite all who stop by to join in on this journey. There is no better way to draw closer to God than placing and treasuring His Word, His truths in your hearts and minds.

If you are participating, please let me know by using Mr. Linky below, and I'll stop back and visit you when I return from work today.

Have a wonderful day IN HIM!!

Beth

WHATEVER YOUR CROSS

WELCOME!

It's time for Super Sunday! Super Sunday is still being hosted here by The Power of Your Love. Let's all join up with just a scene, a song, or a Scripture that is particularly touching to you to share & honor our Lord!!! Share your SUNDAY INSPIRATION with us!
SPECIAL NOTE:
Beth shared this email with me this morning. I just felt she would like to share it with many more if she did not have to go to work again today. So this is the best & quickest way to do this.Thanks to Paula, who past it on to her! May it minister to you wherever you are this day in your life journey, your walk or relationship.

Awesome!!!

We complain about the cross we bear but don't realize it is preparing us for the dip in the road that God can see and we cannot. 

Whatever your cross,

whatever your pain,

there will always be sunshine, after the rain....

Perhaps you may stumble, perhaps even fall;

But God's always ready, to answer your call....

He knows every heartache, sees every tear,

a word from His lips, can calm every fear...

Your sorrows may linger, throughout the night,

But suddenly vanish, by dawn's early light...

The Savior is waiting, somewhere above,

to give you His grace, and send you His love.

May God fill your day with blessings!!

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle!

~ from Beth ~ 

Heavenly Father,

How we adore You! We love You! We exalt You! We praise You! There is not enough that we can say to show our eternal gratitude and praise for You!

Forgive us for complaining of the "cross" we bear...when the most significant cross You gave to Your Son Jesus Christ to carry and bear for each of us! Thank You for loving us so much!

Lord Jesus, Thank You for carrying the cross for us, bearing our sin and shame & breaking the curse of death and sin to give us freedom, we each can have just by accepting Your sacrifice for us, believe in You, trust in You! Bring us to our knees & repentance.

Thank You for the many times You are there to help us cross through difficulties. Give me Your Grace to carry and run the race the best of my ability and with Your strength. Teach me to be more like You in how I humbly bear any "cross" in my life. Thank You for freeing me from guilt, shame and blame. Keep me from complaining. May I always seek Your face first, remembering Your walk & how You made the bridge to cross me from sin & death to victory & eternal life. Thank You! Oh how I love You & want to surrender completely everything of me and take on more of You.

Holy Spirit, Be with us throughout each day so we may lead others to the Cross! May their eyes be open to see the gifts and fruit of Your Spirit in us so that they may want to surrender & come to You! Show each and everyone Your free gift of salvation.

Glory to You, Father, Son & Holy Spirit for the power of your love & the Cross! We thank You for Your triumph as the stone of the tomb was rolled away & You rose from the dead! Give us that same victory in any battle that we cross. may we always be mindful of Who You are & ALL You do, did and will do...in Jesus Name, we pray...

Please take the time to visit Amazing Grace~Mazes, Messes, Miracles to read about "The Cross" in the post "Forty Year Journey". Thank you! 

Please join us here for SUPER SUNDAY, where we share a simple post for Sunday: a scene, a song, a scripture, that inspires us to exalt the LORD as Our Savior, King, Redeemer, and so much more. Be blessed!

Carry My Cross ~ Third Day

You Tube video by koolchristiangirl 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxZPQPOj5g8

Thankful Thursday

I'm joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey for "Thankful Thursday". Be sure and visit Sonya and see what everyone is thankful for this week. Maybe you'd like to join in--all you need to do is list 5 things you are thankful for this week.

My 5 thankfuls for this week:

• I'm thankful that my internet seems to be finished with its "on again-off again" mode and I can sit down and post this!

• I'm thankful that my children feel that they can confide in me (even though it did cause me stress! (see warmHarte)

• I'm thankful for the Word of God and the comfort and wisdom His Word brings me.

• I am thankful that I saw two geese swimming and diving in the creek for fish today!

• I am thankful for prayer--seeking solace and understanding from God--and receiving answers in sometimes (really most of the time!) unexpected ways!
  

Beth

Hope for the unequally yoked...

Hello everyone.

It's been quite some time since I contributed, and I can't really explain that. I've been drifting.

Anyhoo...

On to the theme of this post.

I am an unequally yoked wife. It's tough sometimes. I love my husband and my family and feel very blessed to have them. My husband is a wonderful person, he is a loving husband and caring father, I couldn't ask for more....except just the one thing.

I have read "Power of the Praying Wife", "Torn between Two Loves", and various other self help books on the subject. I have gone through phases of praying unceasingly. Getting frustrated and giving up, and back to praying unceasingly again.

It's only been quite recently that I have studied my motives and asked myself what I was really praying for. Was I praying for a husband who sits next to me in the pew, like the other husbands at church? Or was I praying that when I get to heaven I want him to be there too. It's only in the past few months I have realised that I have been praying for the first reason. And I've been praying that for me. Not for him. But for me, so that I could feel I fitted in with the rest of the congregation.

There have recently been glimmers of hope. We recently watched Fireproof together and both enjoyed it and learned a lot from it. He asks me how my church meetings went and is genuinely interested in my answers. My church attendance is no longer a cause for conflict, it's accepted.

I can't presume to know my husband's heart when it comes to the Lord. He was brought up in a Christian home, he was baptised and confirmed and at the time believed in the Lord wholeheartedly. I don't know why that changed.

What I do know is that my husband is a good man. He is honest, kind, protective of his family, loving and generous.

I guess you are wondering what is my point? Well, I'm just saying that if you find yourself in this situation don't give up hope. Don't take it out on your spouse, or be tempted to nag, bribe or coerce them into coming to church with you. The best avenue is to pray, lead by example, and pray some more.

I have discovered that my husband has no problem with God. But he does have a problem with the church. He may never sit next to me in that pew, but I feel sure that he will join me in heaven....and that is what really matters.

Weekly Memory Verse

Wow!! It's hard to believe that it's Monday again already!! How did everyone do with last week's verse? I had a lot going on last week and I'll be honest--I really didn't spend a lot of time memorizing this verse. So, here we go--let's see how I did:

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick, who can understand it?.....Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)

Well, not too bad--just missed that one punctuation mark!!

When I read this verse, I knew I was going to have to look a little further into it. What is this trying to tell me? So, I read a few verses before and a few verses after our particular memory verse.

This is what the LORD says:


"Cursed are those who trust in mortals,
who depend on flesh for their strength
and whose hearts turn away from the
LORD.

They will be like a bush in the wastelands;
they will not see prosperity when it comes,
They will dwell in the parched places of the desert,
in a salt land where no one lives.

But blessed are those who trust in the LORD,
whose confidence is in Him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit."

The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

"I the LORD will search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward everyone according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve."

Jeremiah 17: 5-10 (NIV)

Hmmm....As I'm looking and studying this verse (along with the added verses), I'm coming to the conclusion that the problem is in our hearts--our very own hearts which can deceive us. We can easily deceive ourselves that "everyone sins--everyone does this or that and doesn't get caught--so shouldn't I? Can't I?"

The first few verses state what our lives will be like without the love and law of God in our lives--cursed, not prospering, lonely, joyless and hopeless.

But when we place our hopes and trust in the LORD what happens? We flourish, we are blessed, we give our worries and fears to God. He will see that we bear fruit in our lives.

Our hearts are sinful in nature, even before our birth. No wonder Jesus says we need to be reborn!

Jesus says "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3:6-7) Without Jesus our hearts are not just sinfully diseased, they are not even beating -- they are spiritually dead.

The LORD is looking at our hearts--searching them. He is examining our minds--He knows our very thoughts. And someday, we each will answer to Him for our lives here on this earth.

Where am I placing my trust and hopes?

What have I done with what the LORD has given me? Will I hear "Well done, good and faithful servant?"

Now, we'll move on to next week's verse which will be the King of Diamonds:

Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You.....Psalm 119:11 (NASB)

We're using Mr. Linky, so if you're participating (and I hope your are!), please remember to post and link up!!

Looking forward to seeing how everyone did with last week's verse!

Beth

Super Sunday

It's time for Super Sunday! Peggy is still on her blogging hiatus, so I'm filling in for her. Let's all join up with just a song, a Scripture or a scene that is particularly touching to you to share and honor our Lord with on this day of Sabbath rest!!

Ben Steed--Heartlight.Org

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day,

I thank You for my being able to see

and to hear this morning.

I'm blessed because You are

a forgiving God and

an understanding God.

You have done so much for me

and You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything

I have done, said or thought

that was not pleasing to you.

I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe

from all danger and harm.

Help me to start this day

with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.

Let me make the best of each and every day

to clear my mind so that I can hear from You..

Please broaden my mind

that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper

over things I have no control over.

And give me the best response

when I'm pushed beyond my limits.

I know that when I can't pray,

You listen to my heart.

Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be

a blessing to others.

Keep me strong that I may help the weak...

Keep me uplifted that I may have

words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost

and can't find their way.

I pray for those that are misjudged

and misunderstood.

I pray for those who

don't know You intimately.

I pray for those that don't believe.

But I thank You that I believe

that God changes people and

God changes things..

I pray for all my sisters and brothers.

For each and every family member

in their households.

I pray for peace, love and joy

in their homes; that they are out of debt

and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this

knows there is no problem, circumstance,

or situation greater than God.

Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

I pray that these words be received

into the hearts of every eye that sees it

in Jesus' name. Amen!

Weekly Memory Verse

It is Monday, and time again for our weekly memory verse. I'm anxiously awaiting to see how everyone else did last week!!

So, let's see how I did:

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High...Psalm 92:1

Well, I did it!! I was a little questionable on this week having been ill for most of last week, but my brain came through!!

Yes, it is good to give thanks to the LORD and to sing praises to His Name!!

I was just sitting outside, drinking my cup of coffee and talking with God before I start my day. I was going over this verse in my mind, actually praying over this verse.

How easy it is to give praise to God for the good times, the wonders we see around us every day of our lives.

But, I know that God wants us to give Him praise at ALL TIMES--not just praise for the good that comes our way.

As I thought about this--giving praise to God for troubles that may come my way--I realized that these are the times that I am drawn closer to God, the times that I feel closest to Him, and shouldn't I praise Him for that fact alone? Praise Him for using these difficult situations in my life as a means to make me more dependent upon Him, bringing me closer and closer to complete surrender and dependence in him?

And I was filled with God's presence--sitting there on the deck in the dark--holding a cup of coffee--and the words "I LOVE YOU" filled my soul.

Yes, praise You, God, in all things, for YOUR LOVE is AMAZING!!

Are you ready to move on to next week's verse? I am, so here we go!! Let me look at the "Embracing the Words' deck of cards and see what's next!!

Oh, here it is!! The King of Hearts:

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?.....Jeremiah 17:9 (NASB)

Remember, you can use whatever Bible version you are most familiar and comfortable with. Make sure to link up, and I'll be back after work to see how everyone did with last week's verse!

Beth

Super Sunday

While Peggy at Amazing Grace is on a blogging hiatus, I am hosting Super Sunday for her!! Please join in--it's easy!! Just post a Scripture, a scene or a song that has touched you this past week (or anytime!). Then come back and link up!!

Let's surprise Peggy when she comes back and sees all who have joined in!!

Let's worship our LORD and God this Sunday and every day of our lives by coming back to

THE HEART OF WORSHIP



Yes, it's all about YOU, JESUS!!

Less of me, more of you!!

Beth

Saturday Steps of Faith

Here I was trying to catch up on my "Thankful Thursday" visits--so far behind due to being ill--when I came upon Lisa at My Passionate Pursuit.

She is starting something new this Saturday, and I have decided to join her. Lisa has started "Saturday Steps of Faith--What Are You Believing God For?"

Please visit Lisa here and read about believing God's promises for you. Are you believing that God will do for you what He says He will?

Lisa asks us to consider the question:

What are you believing God for right now?

Anyone who has followed me along or knows me is aware of the fact that my 3 adult children are nonbelievers. They have not accepted Christ as their Savior, and it is my daily prayer that they come to Jesus and experience the fullness of love, hope and joy that He has in store for them.

And so the question remains:

Am I firm in my belief that God can do this? Does God have the power, the strength, the might, the love for my 3 children--who wholeheartedly deny Him--to bring them to Him?

YES, I AM!!

I know and firmly believe that God will do this for each of my children, in His time, in His good planning and purposes. I stand on this belief.

Beth

Thankful Thursday

I'm joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday. Please stop by and visit Sonya and all the participants of Thankful Thursday!! Would you like to join in this week?

Here are my 5 thankfuls for this week:

• After spending almost 5 days in bed with a fever which reached a high of 104, I am finally feeling somewhat semi-human today!

• I am thankful for everyone who prayed for me and had me in their thoughts during this illness. What a comfort this is knowing that others were praying for my healing.

• I am thankful that Miles (my kitty) healed herself with no complications after her surgery because I surely wasn't up to dealing with any problems regarding this.

• I am thankful that my son and daughter were both caring and loving during this time--going to the store for me, driving me to the doctor, and my son even vacuumed the entire house (without my asking him) while I slept through it! (Yes, he even vacuumed my bedroom and I slept through the entire process!).

• I am thankful that my daughter Cara's boyfriend is a follower of Christ. Another person in her life who is subtly planting seeds. I think I see a few sprouting here and there!

There is so much more to be thankful for this week, even through the ups and downs of my illness. I thank God for watching over me always, keeping me safe from harm and allowing me over 24 hours of nonstop sleep to help along my healing process.

Beth

Make sure to stop by warmHarte for the ABC's of the Word!

Weekly Memory Verse

It's Monday, so today is Weekly Memory Verse day!! I have to say that last week's verse is very apt for me today. I have been busy moving, and I'm tired, weary and on top of that I am sick!!

How did you do with last week's verse? Remember to post on your own blog and then link up with Mr. Linky and leave a comment!!

So, let's see how well I did with last week's verse:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable.....Isaiah 40:28

Wow!! I have to say that this verse has often brought me great comfort. As I typed it this morning, I'm feeling ill and Oh so weary (last night I was wondering how I was even going to sit here and do the Weekly Memory Verse!).

But, God, our Everlasting LORD and Creator--He never tires, never becomes weary. He understands every thought and feeling going through us at all times. And today, when I am tired and weary and ill, I'm going to lean heavily on Him to see me through.

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord--today our LORD is calling me to rest, get well and wait for my strength to rise.

Now, we'll move on to week 6 of the Embracing the Word Cards--the King of Clubs:

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High......Psalm 92:1 (NASB)

Remember to link up with Mr. Linky if you're participating, and pass on the word about our Weekly Memory Verse. It's easy--one verse a week and a good way to hold each other accountable!!

Have a wonderful, God-filled Monday!! I'm going to stay home, rest and hopefully feel better tomorrow!



Beth

Super Sunday

Peggy at Amazing Grace~~Mazes, Messes, Miracles usually hosts Super Sunday. She is on a blogging hiatus, and I'm filling in for her.

Please join in below--it's really simple!! A scene, a song, a Scripture--anything that has touched your heart this week (or this very moment!).

Courtesy of Phil Ware, Heartlight.Org


Amazing Love by Chris Tomlin

Please be sure to link up with Mr. Linky and leave a comment!! I'll be back after church to check out everyone's post!





Have a wonderful, God-filled Super Sunday!

Then Sings My Soul Saturday--God's Promises

I'm joining Amy at Signs, Miracles, Wonders for Then Sings My Soul Saturday. Please stop by and visit Amy to see which song each participant has chosen for this week. Maybe you'd like to join in this week!!

If you have been following along with me, you'll know that I've been studying "The Power of Praying Through the Bible" by Stormie Omartian. If you have missed the first few weeks of this, you can read this here (The Breath of Prayer), here (Walking in the Garden with God), and here (Listen and Obey).

This week we'll be moving on to God's Promises. The portion of the Bible we are to "read and consider" is Genesis 9:8-17. The specific verse that we are concentrating on is:

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth....Genesis 9:16

A rainbow--only one of God's beautiful creations!! I don't see rainbows too often, but when I do (and I know others do this also), I call others to see its wonder and amazement. I've taken pictures of them!! They are glorious sights and bring joy to my heart.

And a rainbow brings us back to Noah--Noah who listened and obeyed God without question--to the point of being an object of ridicule to others. But, still he listened and obeyed, and he was blessed with God's promise to him.

A rainbow is a visual sign that God will always keep His promises to us. There are many, many promises of God throughout the Bible. I know that if we started to read the Bible and make a list of each and every promise that God has made the list would be overwhelming to us.

So, what do rainbows and promises have to do with prayer? EVERYTHING!! Through prayer, we are reaffirming our faith in God's promises. We are proclaiming His truth--knowing that He will stand for us and not against us.

I've been having a "not so good" week, and I've been focusing on the negatives. By doing this, I've been reaffirming what the enemy is feeding me--the lies, the negative feelings, the sadness. What has this done? It has sapped my joy--my joy that is in Christ alone--and these thoughts become stronger and stronger.

I'm so glad that God led me to pick this book up again late last night and reread this chapter. The very same thing happens when I focus on God's promises--His positives. When I read them, say them out loud, pray them--they become stronger and stronger in my mind and defuse the enemy's hold on me.

I'm not ever going to deny the fact that we have real struggles and problems in our lives, because we do--each and every one of us. But, the way we interpret them and deal with them need to be God's way because His ways are always true and faithful.

Satan wants us to believe that God has forgotten us, forgotten His promises to us. And we, in our very limited human minds tend to feed into this--not remembering that God's ways are so much higher than our own.

By praying our beliefs in God's promises, we are putting ourselves in the position to see much more from God's perspective and a lot less of the enemy's.

I know that the next time I see a rainbow, all of this will be called to my mind. And I'm going to offer God a prayer of thanks that He is always faithful to His promises.

My Father,

I come today to thank You for Your faithfulness to me. You have always kept Your promises to me, and I know that I should never doubt You. Help me to keep Your promises close to my heart and mind so that I can recall them easily and quickly and push the enemy from me.

Help me to focus on Your positives in my life and keep the enemy's negative thoughts from my mind.

You have already fulfilled Your greatest promise to me, Jesus, the ultimate proof of Your love and Your faithfulness.

Amen

Thankful Thursday

I am joining Sonya at Truth 4 the Journey for Thankful Thursday!! Please stop by and visit Sonya and see what everyone is thankful for this week!! Maybe you'd like to join in!! It's easy--just list 5 things for which you are thankful.

Here's my 5 "thankfuls" for this week:

• A safe, incident free move to my new home!

• My son, Andrew, for going back with me to our former apartment and helping me clean. He really pitched in and helped with this, and I am so grateful because I was exhausted!

• Sitting on my deck and watching the sunrise over the creek and then later in the same day seeing 5 ducks swimming upstream (I'm still wondering where they were going and why they just didn't float along instead of struggling against the current!).

• Sleep--Having spent a few weeks getting ready for this move--packing, moving, unpacking--I was absolutely exhausted. Being an early riser of usually 4 a.m. (sometimes earlier!), I was shocked to discover that I slept straight through an evening until 11:30 the next morning!

• My daughter, Cara, for coming to my new home, bringing all the ingredients and cooking dinner for us and then cleaning it all up, too!!

And there you have it!! I have much more to be thankful for this week and every day of my life. But, these are the 5 "standouts" for this week!!

Beth

Weekly Memory Verse

It's Monday, and that means it's time for our Weekly Memory Verse!! Let's see how well I did with last week's verse:

If my people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear them from Heaven, will forgive their sins and will heal their land......2 Chronicles 7:14

Well, it looks like I did alright!!

As I read this verse, I remember that this is what God said to Solomon after the dedication of the Holy Temple which Solomon had built in Jerusalem many, many years ago. This goes on to further say that God's eyes will be open and His ears attentive to prayers offered in the temple. His eyes and His heart will always be there.

But then, we read a little further that God tells Solomon that if he turns away and forsakes God and His laws, serves other gods and worships them, that He will make the temple an object of ridicule and a heap of ruble.

"All who pass by will be appalled and say, 'Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?' People will answer, 'Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them--that is why He brought all this disaster on them.' "......2 Chronicles 7:21-22 NIV

Don't these very verses still apply today? There are a lot of people who have turned from God-seeking to self-seeking--looking and searching for other "things" in their lives to replace the love and joy that only God can bring us.

We can just look around us--our economy, our environment, our country--are we turning into this heap of rubble?

Now just to be sure, I looked up the meaning of the word humble, and here is what I came up with:

1. to lower in condition, importance or dignity

2. to destroy the independence, power or will of

3. to make meek
Please, let us humble ourselves and pray and seek God in all things, even the smallest of decisions. He is Our Father, the Creator of not only us but of this entire universe. We need to lower ourselves in our own importance and seek God's will, not our own. If we do this and turn from our sinful ways, God will hear us, forgive us and answer our prayers--prayers to heal our land--which in case you haven't noticed--is in great need of healing.

Luckily, I packed the "Embracing the Word" cards safely away in a dresser drawer and was able to easily find them!! Today we move on to the King of Spades:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable....Isaiah 40:28 (NASB)

Please join in on our Weekly Memory Verse. It's very helpful for me and others to be held accountable in this!! Post on your own blog, linking back to The Power of Your Love.



Remember after you post to come back and join in with Mr. Linky and leave a comment. I'll be back after work to see how everyone did this week.

And, I'm glad to be back on schedule!!

Beth