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)

A Cup of Promises

Thankful for God's Promises

This morning a spectrum shined in my coffee cup while I read my devotionals.  It made me recall how God used the rainbow as a promise sign to Noah, after the flood, that He would never flood the earth again. Today's scriptures I read were about God's love for us! They say it all!

"God has always been your defense; His eternal arms are your support."  Deuteronomy 33:27 (GNT)

"For I am certain that nothing can separate us from His love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers or powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below - there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the Love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:38-39 (GNT)

I thank God for His eternal Love and I thank Jesus Christ for giving that Love to us all.

The World Is Perfect!

The world is perfect! All God created is perfect because He is perfect. It is only what God has given us to create that is not perfect, including our own nature He gave us free reign over. Wiithout Him, there is no perfection in our life. So, should we not, as Jesus said, 'Put God first! And everything else will follow.' ... Why rely on ourselves, the imperfect, when we can rely on Him - the Perfect?

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33 NAS)

"In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success." (Proverbs 3:6 TLB)

Glacier National Park in Montana

When voting for your President...

When voting for your PRESIDENT please primarily consider:

Above and beyond all other counselors they may consult while in office, does the candidate honor, serve and worship God? Do they know His Word and Know His Son: the Way, the Truth and the Life? Is HE the candidate's TOP ADVISER whom is consulted first and foremost on every matter?

If they don't, how can they perfectly honor, serve, protect and lead YOU? (Then you just have one human being, on their own strength and wisdom, leading another human being: the blind leading the blind.)