Daily Archives: November 13, 2018

Do you feel overwhelmed?

 

I sure do!  There are many days that I feel like I am running all day. It starts the minute I sat my feet on the floor each morning. I don’t know about you, but I feel tired and exhausted many days. Are you feeling weary and run down?

I think that we try to fit too much in our day. At the end of the day, I reflect on everything that I accomplished, but I never seem to get everything done.  My husband reminds me that we all have the same 24 hours a day. At which time I sigh and mutter to myself “he doesn’t understand.” Have you ever felt the same? Does all of this stuff matter to God?

At the end of each day, we should not be reflecting on the business of life but instead of asking ourselves, “What have I done for others today?” Each day we should say a prayer and ask God, “is there someone you want us to help today?” The Bible says, “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness” (Titus 2:7). Matthew 7:20 says, “Thus, by their fruit, you will recognize them.”

It is so easy to have the leaves but not the fruit. By that I mean listening to our Christian music, going to church, and having our Christian bumper sticker but not exemplifying the fruits such as peace, love, and joy. The nicer we are to others, the happier we will be.

Lift up your head!

 

Christmas is my favorite time of the year.  I get excited when I see the advertisements of the new Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel; however, one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is The Preacher’s Wife. If you have not seen The Preacher’s Wife, Denzel Washington plays the part of the angel (Dudley) who comes to earth to help a pastor save his church and family. Whitney Houston plays the part of the pastor’s wife, and Courtney Vance plays the role of the pastor. The music is just fantastic. One of my favorite quotes from the movie includes, “Just because you can’t see the air, doesn’t keep you from breathing. And just because you can’t see God, doesn’t keep you from believing.” I think the same applies to angels. Just because we can’t see the angels doesn’t mean they aren’t real.

When my youngest son was around five years old, he had a dream about a very nice man who came to his room while he was sleeping. The man wanted to see Cameron’s pets. The man then picked Cameron up, and they went to a creek to fish together. After spending some time fishing at the creek, the man brought Cameron back to the house and tucked him in bed. Cameron had this dream at the same time our grandmother passed away. The ironic thing about the dream was our grandmother lived on a farm with a creek. Cameron knew about this creek but never got to fish there. Could this man have been an angel sent to Cameron to comfort him during this time of grief?

Did you know that the word angel is mentioned in the Bible 296 times? The Scriptures provide an understanding of the role of angels in our lives such as to guide, empower, and to comfort us. Isaiah provided an understanding of the appearance of angels. “Above him were seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying” (Isaiah 6:2). Another Scripture in Revelations provides even more of an understanding of angels. For example, Revelations 5:11-12 states, “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice, they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

 

God sends His angel to work on our behalf, but they must never take the place of God. I love the song by Francesca Battistelli, and I hope that you will take a few minutes to listen. I think it will bless your heart.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to read my blog. I appreciate all of you. Have a blessed week!

 

 

What do you have to lose?

Have you ever lost something? I spend a lot of time looking for things and end up not finding what I am looking for. I get frustrated, upset, and sometimes angry. I am not going to lie, I have spent hours looking for things that I have lost.

A month ago, I lost a necklace. I looked everywhere and just could not find it. My mom and I were going out, so I stopped looking for the necklace. While I was out, I was reminded of the scripture, Matthew 18:12, “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?” When we lose something, do we not stop what we are doing to look for it? When we don’t find it right away, do we give up or keep looking?

The man in the Scripture did not give up until he found the lost sheep. He had faith as well as hope. I had hope that I would find the necklace, but my hope soon diminished after an hour of searching.

Before I left the house, I took two minutes to say a prayer that I would find the necklace.  After dropping off my mom, I went into my house and deep down in my spirit I could almost hear the voice of God whisper in my ear to check the cabinet. This was the last place that I would have ever looked for the necklace. I opened the cabinet, and I found my necklace. Thank you, Jesus!

I think if I had stopped and prayed, I would have found it a lot sooner. I would like to say that since then I have learned my lesson and I stop and pray every time I lose something. I cannot! I can say that I rejoice at these times that I hear the voice of God.

My husband changed jobs a month ago. A week before that happened, I heard the voice of God clearly whisper in my ear, “do not worry” as I lay in bed one-night praying. I spent some time thinking about what I had been worrying about, but I never could have guessed that my husband would lose his job. God provides what we need when we need it. During the time that my husband was looking for a job, God gave me peace and a hope that He would provide.

You are valuable to God, and there is no one like you. Take time to pray today about the little things that are weighing on your mind. God cares and loves us so much. “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2). Praise the Lord for he is good!

https://youtu.be/boI2VdQBdA4