This is Christmas

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord'." 
 (Luke 2:10-11)

CHRIST Came To Bring Peace

"CHRIST CAME TO BRING PEACE AND WE CELEBRATE HIS COMING BY MAKING PEACE IMPOSSIBLE FOR SIX WEEKS OF EACH YEAR..." A.W. TOZER

THIS YEAR - CHANGE THIS.

"During December most people do not think about the Advent, the coming of Christ, as the heart of Christmas. At best, the birth of the Savior is associated with the 'holiday season' along with all the other preoccupations. Sometimes it's hard to concentrate over the sounds of office party laughter, Christmas movies, shopping ads and traffic jams. Things certainly have moved a long way from that first Christmas night, haven't they?....

Jesus brings hope and healing to our lives. Set aside those things that take you away from Him. Even as you celebrate with loved ones, kneel before Jesus, the One whom the celebrations are all about." Haven Ministries' Anchor Devotional December 3, 2016

http://www.haventoday.org/anchor/holiday-season-begins

Luke 2:13 "Suddenly a great army of Heaven's angels appeared with the angel, singing praises to God:

'Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and peace on earth to those with whom

He is pleased!' "

Thank God for You

Thank God for giving you an existence. For every breath you take. For making your heart beat non-stop from your making in the womb until you depart this world. For He controls these things. "What gives life is God's Spirit." John 6:63

Do you know how deeply you are loved?

Do you know how deeply you are loved? The Bible has countless mentions of God's "constant love" for us.

As well, "We love because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

"

To know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge..." Ephesians 3:19

Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”

The LORD Goes Before You

I lost my job  Their business just slowed down to where they couldn't keep me on payroll.  It was a temp job.   Dealing with anxiety about the future is such a challenge for me.  But this passage in Sarah Young's book Jesus Calling book really hit home with me. It is for October 17..

2) Remember the promise of My continual Presence; include Me in any imagery that comes to mind (about the future).

Wow. What an idea. And it's true. Whenever I'm worried about something about the future I'm not thinking about Jesus in the midst of it.  I'm thinking about the thing that is worrying me.   Now place Him there in it with you, Michele.

Just wanted to share this revelation, as it is for me.   Remember Jesus is with you always and there's also a Scripture about Him being head of us too in the future before we get there.  Where is it? Here it is:

Deuteronomy 31:8  "The LORD is the One who goes ahead of you; He will be with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

Isaiah 45:2 "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through the iron bars."

Deuteronomy 1:30 "The LORD your GOD who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes."

WOW!

Here is the link I found them on with more:
http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/God-Going-Before

The ONE Who Goes With You To Fight For You

Scripture of the day:  "The LORD Your GOD is the ONE who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."  (Deuteronomy 20:3-4)

David defeats the giant, Goliath

Your FAITH Can GROW!

Listen to this great story of truth of how faith can work at any level.

Kenneth Hagin tells of a time he prayed with a woman at a church before 

she was to go in for a surgery on her stomach. Though Kenneth Hagin wanted to pray that
God would heal her completely so she would not need surgery, she could not believe that. 

So he asked her what could she believe in prayer?  She said she could believe 

that God would at least see her through the surgery well.  

So Kenneth said, all right, we'll pray for that and a swift recovery,

explaining to her that when two people agree in prayer, it will be done.   

Since she could agree with him on this, they prayed.  

Well, after her surgery, the physician told Kenneth that they had operated

deeper to check for more than what they operated for. 

They found what they knew was there but found nothing else; 

but as a result, her incision was much larger.

  When the physician learned, that all day since the woman awoke from surgery,

she had been given no pain medicine, he hastened to ask her if she needed any.

He fully expected her to.  When she insisted she never had any pain at all, 

the doctor still gave her a pain killer shot; but she never got another one.

The doctor told Kenneth Hagin this was unheard of - for someone with this

great a surgery to not need pain medicine.  He said it was nothing short of a miracle.

PRAISE GOD!

I Am A Conqueror!

Romans 8:37 says "Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors THROUGH HIM that loved us."  As  pointed out in Kenneth Hagin's little handbook, IN HIM.

Further quoting: 1 John 4:4 "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world."

Kenneth Hagin gives us this confession to make out loud:  "Because I am in Christ, the Greater One lives in me. He is Greater than the devil. Greater than disease. Greater than circumstances.  And He lives in Me!"

Check out the Rhema Center, this amazing man's organization.

"I, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, am with you and for you. What more could you need?"

"I, THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, am with you and for you.  What more could you need?"

I love May 21 devotion from the book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It's speaks thoroughly to me right now. It continues...

"When you feel some lack, it is because you are not connecting with Me at a deep level.  I offer abundant Life; your part is to trust Me, refusing to worry about anything.
   It is not so much adverse events that make you anxious as it is your thoughts about those events. Your mind engages in efforts to take control of a situation, to bring about the result you desire.       Your thoughts close in on the problem like ravenous wolves. Determined to make things go your way, you forget that I am in charge of your life.  The only remedy is to switch your focus from the problem to My Presence.  Stop all your striving, and watch to see what I will do.  I am the Lord!"

Referencing:
"In view of all this. what can we say? If God is for us, who can be against us? Certainly not God, Who did not even keep back His own Son, but offered Him for us all!  He gave us His Son - will He not also freely give us all things?"  Romans 8:31-32 (GNT)

"But I will watch for the Lord; I will wait confidently for God, Who will save me.  My God will hear me." Micah 7:7 (GNT)

How Much God Is In Control

Well, God has been giving me signs lately that tell me just howexact is His control over my life and the one sign today really took the cake!  I love it so much.  All these signs of late have come on the road as I was driving: either on license plates I saw on passing cars or messages on trucks.   I've been listening to The Bible Experience CD's (the whole Bible on CD - with sound effects and all - it's like listening to a movie). I started at the very beginning and am now at the book of 1 Samuel.  As I've been daily listening to these CD's, I've asked God why He ordered so many deaths and suffering over specific people (or peoples) of Israel and other nations throughout early history and the answer confirmed in my mind was what I've heard before: that before Jesus Christ was born and died for us, people had to atone for their own sins.  They had to die for their own sins then.   So back to today: as I was driving down the highway, I was pondering all this and telling God that I was, therefore, glad that I was born after Jesus came along then! And just at that very second that I thought this thought - a car drove by me with a license plate that simply said "IFOUNDU".  I found you.   Wow! I felt so loved by God, by Jesus, at that very moment.  I thanked Him profusely.

I thank Him too for the other signs He had given me: like when I was repenting a sin one day and a truck drove right by me that had "Like it never happened" written on its back.  On another occasion, I was thinking about Jesus when another truck drove by with the logo (illustrated by red paint being poured over a globe) "Covering the world".    Jesus' blood covered the world.

What tells me of God's control over my life in these instances, how much God orchestrates things, is the fact that I see these signs at the very moment that I think something that makes the signs I see have such profound meaning.   God had to get those drivers, and me, in the exact same spot on the highway at the exact time and day when I would see those messages on their vehicles at the exact moment when I had the thoughts they correlated with.  Think of how much this entails!  I will leave that to the imagination.  It's endless!  Have you ever experienced this yourself? I would love to hear about it!

I thank God for so much. He also controlled my bank account by keeping it from getting further overdrawn the other day as some information was missing to bill an online account that was supposed to charge me.  It was as though the account charge was held off  until my paycheck can clear and make my bank account in a positive balance again.  I didn't plan that.  I assumed the charge was going to go through automatically and make my bank account even more upside down.   He provided me with gift cards from my job, from parents given to us teachers during the recent "teacher appreciation week", that enabled me to by dinner when my bank account was overdrawn.  He made sure my sister had $10 to give me for gas the same day because my car's gas tank was also empty (I had no cash in addition to a negative bank account).  He's provided me with a debt consolidator that takes loans most debt consolidation companies won't take, and, with other debt relief through other circumstances He's provided me, I will now be able to put money aside when, for the past several months, my expenses have outweighed my income!

I asked God to explain "His control vs. our free will" in our lives.  I felt He was telling me that He has everything under His control but He allows us to go the directions we want.  If we go in a direction He did not plan (or did not want us to go in)  He just uses our choice to make good out of it and get us back on track, I suppose if we ask Him to? I'm only guessing from my sense of what I felt He was telling me but I've also heard that nothing can happen without God allowing it to.  The Bible says, in several different passages but here's two of them:

"We may make our plans, but God has the last word."  Proverbs 16:1 (GNT)

"People may plan all kinds of things, but the Lord's will is going to be done." Proverbs 3:6 (GNT)

I've just had so many experiences throughout life like the ones I described above that show me, time and time again, just how in control He really is (I suppose He still let's us go our merry way if we want to).  It's something to think about anyway.  And very comforting for those of us who really want God's hand in their lives.   God bless!  Good night :)

The Battle Is Not Yours, But God's

Just wanted to share this from the book He Fights For You by Max Lucado and Andrea Lucado
(Devotion 29)    because I keep forgetting this very point it makes!  My battles don't have to be mine to fight alone.  My battles are God's. We are fighting spiritual principalities in our struggles, not the people or earthly obstacles we think we are fighting.

(Scripture) "Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's'. " 2 Chronicles 20:15

(Prayer) "Dear Jesus, this is my surrender. I lay down my earthly weapons. I lay down my striving. I lay down all of my attempts to win my own battles.  I cannot win on my own. But You can, and the battle belongs to You.  I surrender all to You.  I boast only about Your Goodness, Love and Strength.  In Christ I pray, amen."

Be Still And Know That I Am God

It's so hard when pain, doubt and fear grip you.  You feel emotionally paralyzed.  Right now, it's even hard to write this.

Paul was inflicted with a physical ailment, and I think he was in prison too, when he wrote "Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked Him to take it away.  But His answer was, 'My grace is all you need, for My power is strongest when you are weak.'  I am most happy, then, to be proud of my weaknesses, in order to feel the protection of Christ's power over me.  I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for Christ's sake.  For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:8-10 GNT)

Let's look at this.  "My power is strongest when you are weak."    

I also read, "And so, consider this from generation to generation, that none who hope in Him shall fail in strength."  (1 Maccabees 2:61 NAB)

"But Judas said: 'It is easy for many to be overcome by a few; in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between deliverance by many or by few; for victory in war does not depend upon the size of the army, but on strength that comes from Heaven'." (1 Maccabees 3:18-19 NAB)

"Be still and know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10)  My Good News Translation has it "Stop fighting and know that I am God."  Either way, being still can infer not to fight with oneself.

I am making it a practice to think on this all day.  To be still and KNOW that He is God (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit).  

To KNOW that God is sovereign over everything. 

 To KNOW that God is, thus, sovereign over my life and my circumstances.  

To KNOW that nothing is stronger than God. 

To feel "Christ's power over me".    Jesus is with me.  He is in control.  If I give my life over to Him to take charge of it, He will.  And there is nothing He cannot do.

Victory in Jesus Christ!

"Victory, victory, victory in Jesus!  Sing His overcoming blood, sing the grace that frees us."  (Victory In Jesus by Eliza E. Hewitt)

This is how it began one day in another devotional book of mine, He Fights For You, by Max Lucado and Andrea Lucado.

The prayer for that day says, "....The battles I face are Yours.  The victory is already won. You are with me. You fight for me. You save me, and because of this, I do not have to fear. In Christ I pray, amen."

You may know already that when Jesus died on the cross, the last words He spoke were "It is finished." (John 19:30 any version)

Study of Scripture tells us that He was indicating that He had completely and successfully paid for all of our sins.  He had no sin.  It was our sins He paid the price for, because we cannot fully pay for all of our sins against God.  He is All Perfect.  Try being all perfect for the All Perfect!  Our victory over death is freely given to us as a gift from Jesus Christ who suffered inhumane torture and died for us.

We know what this means then for our Eternal Life. But what does it mean, I think, for our very lives we live now?   That Jesus has victory over our lives and anything we give to Him.  Any trouble, any problem, any challenge too great for us to handle. Whatever we give Him (I give Him everything - even what to eat for lunch), He has already won the victory over.

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)

So I prayed this prayer, "May God shine His Glory upon my life!"   Repeat after me, "God will shine His Glory upon my life!"  That's what you say to anyone who discourages you.  

"God is shining His Glory upon my life."

And I'm already receiving His Blessings!  Thank you, Jesus!  Thank you, God.  I admire the woman in the movie War Room who always prayed with such conviction, as she teaches the younger woman to do. Watch the power in a prayer of conviction:

The Unforgiveable Sin

I just want to quickly share this blog I found about the unforgiveable sin, which I myself had worried about committing for anyone else who may have wondered about it.  In short, if you're worried about it, it's a good indication you haven't committed it.

https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2012/10/what-is-the-unforgivable-sin/


Also want to share this great resource of devotional to receive by email.  I signed up for two.
https://www.biblegateway.com/newsletters/


I'm also going to look more into Lee Strobel's newsletter.  He is amazing!  A Chicago newspaper journalist who sought to disprove the existence of God by interviewing scientists - became the biggest believer ever!  His books and films give such great insight and deep thinking perceptions of Scripture I ever found.   Watch the film "The Case for the Creator" and  "The Case for Christ"!  Wow! An investigative look at why They do exist from a scientific pursuit.
Here is his website: http://leestrobel.com/

Tomorrow!  VICTORY THROUGH CHRIST!   "May God shine His glory on my life"!

Between A Rock and Hard Place

It's like being stuck between a rock and hard place: when you know you need to move forward but you want to move back. When it hurts to go forward but it hurts to go backward, you don't want to move. When you don't know what to do, you feel frozen in place.

For today,  Feb. 3, Jesus Calling by Sarah Young begins with "I AM WITH YOU AND FOR YOU (ref. Romans 8:31 GNT) "If God is for us, who can be against us?").  This is a very powerful statement!  I'm about to whiz on but I need to really stop and ponder this!

"IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?" (Romans 8:31 GNT)  What, then, is there to fear?

She goes to write, as Jesus' point of view, that feeling anxious and alone means we're focusing on the world and our circumstances and "leaving ME out of the picture".  Advising "Fix your eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen."  (ref. 2 Corinthians 4:18)

Couple this with Feb. 3, 2016 in the Anchor Devotional (Haven Today),  in which Dan McKee writes, "On my own, I get tangled up in the dangers that could easily have been avoided had I been holding tightly to His hand. I often find myself asking God to help me see.  But I need to trust that He can see just fine and will lead me through."

Poor Nigel.  Forgive the image from the news but it fully depicts what I feel I'm doing!  Forgive me, Jesus.  Make me turn around and see You!

Featured help: Haven Ministries: Hope through Shelter, Clothing & Food

Step By Step With Jesus

I am off on a rough road in my move back home with no money, a nice debt and no job, in an unfamiliar area but with help from family and with the Grace of God. What is keeping me going is His Grace.  Everything I'm reading is telling me to stay with Jesus, taking one step at a time.

Sarah Young in Jesus Calling (February 1) starts with "FOLLOW ME ONE STEP AT A TIME" and explains:

"You see huge mountains looming, and you start wondering how you're going to scale those heights...But you don't know what will happen today, much less tomorrow.  Our path may take an abrupt turn, leading you away from those mountains.  There may be an easier way up the mountains than is visible from this distance."

Haven Ministries' Anchor Devotional for Feb. 1, 2016 says "...the key to breaking the power of sin in our lives is not found in the abundance of our efforts, but in walking constantly alongside Him in the abundance of His Grace. When I walk in step with God, I find His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).  And when I wander away, He pursues me and welcomes me back to walk with Him once more."

What a great image that fills me with comfort and strength to take on today!  Thank you, Jesus, for patiently walking alongside me.   When I can, I sing the song "You're Grace Is Enough"  (featured below) to remind me Jesus' Grace is enough!

I Am With You Always

"When My Presence is the focal point of your consciousness, all the pieces of your life fall into place."  (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, January 28)

So true! I am experiencing this as I adjust to my move back east.  I've only been back 3 days now and I have continued to say my prayers and read the Word  whether I am feeling distressed and defeated or happy and hopeful.   Jesus said, "I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS" (Jesus Calling referencing Matthew 28:20)

"A few people center their lives around this glorious promise and find themselves blessed beyond all expectations."  (Jesus Calling)

I too want to be among those who do and pray that a few becomes many!  Already I am receiving good news and feeling blessed by God during this transition in my life.  And I praise Him for it!

"The fact that I Am with you makes every moment of your life meaningful."  (Jesus Calling)

Ever so true as I think back on even the little moments growing up here with my mother, who is now with Jesus, and with all my family and friends.

So I close in praying Psalm 143:8  "Remind me each morning of Your Constant Love, for I put my trust in You.  My prayers go up to You; show me the way I should go."

My God Shall Supply All of Your Needs

19 And with all His abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs. (Philippians 4:19 GNT)

This is the scripture I was looking for but couldn't find! And God found it for me in a way that truly showed me how much in control He really is over my life.

I am now 2 days back home in Maryland after living 18 years years in Los Angeles pursuing a life-long dream of acting and film making, feeling like I once did caught in a cross current in the ocean twirling around and around "like a cat in a tumble dryer",  not knowing which way is up.  Before I moved home, in the morning service at church, a very devout teenage boy showed me this scripture to give me hope and comfort. Though I remembered the message, I forgot the scripture and did my best to try to find him in our network to ask him what that scripture was again.  It brought me such hope and comfort! 

Just this morning, I get an email from a dear friend of mine, from the same church, telling me that yesterday she prayed this scripture over me...and there it was! The exact scripture I had been looking for but couldn't found. It found me, thanks to God who used this whole scenario to show me just how much I am cared for by Him and that everything is in His hands. So, relax, Michele! Thank you, Jesus!

As We Lie Dormant, God Is Planting Seeds

The other day a friend and I were discussing the growth of Isis and the complacency it seems that America has taken in its position and a thought came to me:  (Please forgive me for getting political, but it's the idea that came to me that I want to get across)  that God is using this dormant time to plant seeds.

I had been told before that people living in the middle east are coming to Christ in droves! They are tired of their suffering inflicted there and tired of hiding, living in rooms with other families, and have lost faith in what they've been taught.  They are now seeking out Christ.   Bibles are in demand there.  God is planting seeds there!  He is using the opportunity brought by the suffering that mankind has caused, by use of our own free will, to bring people to Him.  Praise God!  

At a time when the super powers of the world appear dormant and evil runs rampant, seeds are being planted.  They are fermenting and growing.    

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place."  John 18:36 (NIV)

Is Jesus' Kingdom not the Kingdom of Heaven that God wants to grow? Yes, of course!  So perhaps while He is allowing free will, He is also planting seeds.  But we also can be rest assured that God will always heed the cry of help from anyone who seeks Him.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."  Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Letting God Lighten Your Path

Two thoughts in Scripture and devotions that stood out to me this morning:

"God you are my rock and refuge. When I experience highs and lows, You are steady and constant" (He Fights For You by Max Lucado and Andrew Lucado)

"Instead of running away from these challenges, embrace them, eager to gain all the blessings I have hidden in the difficulties.  If you believe that I am sovereign over aspect of your life, it is possible to trust Me in all situations.,,,search for My way..."  (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, for day January 22)

This I'm applying to my own life and struggles now as I prepare to move back home, penniless and unemployed.  The photo is where I live now on church property having rented from my pastors.

Sarah Young goes on to write  "Trust is like a staff you can lean on, as you journey uphill with Me (Jesus). If your trusting in Me consistently, the staff will bea as much of your weight as needed.  Lean on, trust, and be confident in Me with all your heart and mind." (referencing Proverbs 3:5-6)