Romans 15:4 For whatever things were written...

For whatever things were written

before were written for our learning,

that we through the patience and 

comfort of the Scriptures might have hope

                                      Romans 15:4



written for learning ~ learning is for growth ~ we grow sometimes by looking within ourselves

through the patience ~ scriptures are written to be read with patience in our heart 

if you feel no patience while reading ~ do you believe you will able to read and hear with patience?

if we do not start reading with patience ~ keep in mind & keep reading until you find patience within in and start listening ~ what do the scriptures say to you then?

Lord, help me always to realize i need to read the scriptures with patience. help me seek comfort and hope when i am reading so as find words and hear words full of comfort and hope.  for then i am reading; with my heart in the right place, being guided to hear what the light wants me to hear and understand and find the comfort and hope that only your words can bring.  Amen

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore comfort each other

and edify one another, 

just as you also are doing.

                    1 Thessalonians 5:11


learn to always try to find a way to encourage & build up each other

try to always see the positive in others & help praise & encourage more positive thoughts, words, & actions

always strive to help someone, assist & gather around others who are striving for the same

Lord, help me to always strive to help and assist my family, friends & my community.  please help me surround myself with family, friends & members of my community that are of the same nature.  surround me with individuals that find it within their hearts to help & assist others with joy, love, and peace in their hearts.  Amen

2 Peter 1:6 to knowledge self-control

to knowledge self-control, 

to self-control perseverance, 

to perseverance godliness,

                      2 Peter 1:6

knowledge; seeking knowledge; seeking God leads to self control

self control to perseverance to patience & endurance

i ask for patience to always seek knowledge

i ask for patience & knowledge to always be able to handle situations accordingly 

Lord, help me to always respond accordingly & appropriately to situations . help me be your instrument to help versus an instrument to cause confusion or despair.  help me develop appropriate thoughts, words, and actions that follow your light and are helpful and caring.  Amen

Psalm 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

Your word is a lamp to my feet
         And a light to my path.

                              Psalm 119:105

your word is a lamp ~ it is what guides me 

when i am not certain of with path to take ~ i am certain of your words & they guide me

when i am certain of a path i still fall back on your words to guide me

Lord, always be my light & my  lamp to guide me. may your light always shine within me & may i always have the strength to know your light is full of love, joy, & peace.  may i always find myself in your light & choose my path according to & based on your light, love, joy, & peace. 

Eccleisastes 9:10 Whatever your hands find to do..

Whatever your hand finds to do, 

do it with your might; 

for there is no work or device or knowledge

or wisdom in the grave where you are going

Ecclesiastes 9:10 

always do the best that you can always do with what you

have at the moment

learn to accept times when you are not at your best; but even when you are not at your best ~ give your very best in that moment with exactly what you can at that moment

Lord, help me do well in whatever i am doing at the moment.  help me to always do my best with what i have & with what is available to me at the moment.  Let me know & accept my best while still always striving to learn to do better and greater than before; therefore i will always continue to keep growing.  Amen 

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers

Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God. 

                                         Matthew 5:9


do you go out of your way to make peace?

do you enjoy the feeling of peace?

do you allow peace to come into your life?

Lord, help me always to find the way to find the peace and keep the peace that i have known to love and care for.  let it always be in my heart, my soul, my spirit, and around me.  for others Lord, may peaceful ways find you, may peaceful ways fulfill your heart and your spirit and embrace your soul. Amen 

Joshua 1:9 .... be strong...

Have I not commanded you? 

Be strong and of good courage; 

do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD 

your God is with you wherever you go

                               Joshua 1:9

be strong and of good courage ~have no fear, give your fears to God

do not be afraid, nor dismayed....God is with you wherever you go ~ do not ever be afraid that you are alone... for you are not.

wherever you are, wherever you may be God is always with you ~ therefore you are not alone

if you feel alone ~ let God in your heart, your spirit, your soul ~ you are not alone for God is with you

Lord, thank you for always being with me.  as i walk i know Lord, you walk with me.  Lord, let me walk always with your love, heart, and spirit within me.  let me walk with your guidance in a path that is full of joy, peace, and tranquility.  let me walk without fear for as i walk your path, i also know there are others out there walking with me on the same path; guided by you Lord.  i am not alone, we are not alone, through you Lord, and through Christ we walk together.  Amen

Job 22:23 ... you will be restored

If you return to the Almighty, 

you will be restored:
   If you remove wickedness

far from your tent

                        Job 22:23

restored; become whole; healed; rejuvenated; complete

remove wickedness; stay away from wickedness; stay away from

deception; stay away from deceit; is that possible in this day an age?

to be restored one must forgive; it is part of becoming whole again

Lord,  i pray for those who have turned away from you to return to you.  let me always turn to you; and no other.  thank you for your healing, your forgiveness and for helping me find the guidance and the path that i must walk in order to be complete and whole again.  through forgiveness of myself and forgiveness to others; the ways of the wicked even always around will not take hook; instead let your light, your love, and your ways take hook on those that are lost and follow the wicked.  Amen  

Psalms 147:3 He Heals The Brokenhearted

He heals the brokenhearted
         And binds up their wounds

                                Psalms 147:3 

he heals the brokenhearted

he heals... even if things can not be changed at times for what is done is done ~ he heals 

by accepting what is done, accepting what is around, accepting what is within.. one heals

binds up their wounds ~ makes the holes whole again

Lord, thank you for healing our broken hearts.  thank you for helping us accept what can be changed, accept what can not be changed.  thank you for

making us whole, no matter what has happened, no matter what is happening, and no matter what will happen.  thank you for accepting us, healing us, making us whole, and giving us the inner peace and inner quietness that comes from you.  in the name of Christ,  Amen.

Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently

I waited patiently for the LORD;
         And He inclined to me,
         And heard my cry.

                                   Psalm 40:1

 i waited patiently for the Lord

heard my cry

he always hears us, even though we may not

realize it at the moment

Lord, hear me as my heart cries to you.  cries that only you will hear.  hear my voice please, hear my heart, my spirit, my soul. help me Lord, come to you always.  if i fail to have a voice Lord, hear me anyways and hear me.  hear my quiet cries, my quiet thoughts, my quiet heart, my quiet spirit, my quiet soul, for it cries out to you Lord. in the name of Christ.  Amen.

Romans 5:1 .. we have peace with God .....

Therefore, having been justified by faith, 

we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

                                     Romans 5:1 

i am grateful for times i feel and experience peace

i am aware that through Christ peace is within our reach,

an inner peace filled with much love, joy, and light

peaceful moments can be so refreshing, rejuvenating, and filled with much tranquility

it is a tranquility that lights up everything around you, the sounds, the movements, nature, and other people

Lord, with much faith and love i give thanks for the peace you have given me.  i am grateful for the blessings filled with joy, love, and peace given to us by you.  i know that by believing and having faith in you and through Christ anything is possible.  i ask for the peace that can only be filled by your love Lord.  Amen

1 Chronicles 29:17 I know also, my God, that you test the heart.

I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.
                                                       1 Chronicles 29:17 

how does God examine our hearts?

is it by the tribulations that we endure in our daily lives?

our actions speak stronger than what are voices say.

Lord, help my actions reflect my true feelings of my heart.  let my heart be guided by you and your ways.  let me spirit and soul be filled with your joy, your love, and your guidance.  with my heart filled with your light, my spirit has but only one path to follow.  let that path always be yours Lord.  Amen

Fear not, for I am with you

Fear not, for I am with you;
      Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
      I will strengthen you,
      Yes, I will help you,
      I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

                                                                 Isaiah 41:10

God is with us.  

He is there for us.

He is there to help us.

Lord, i am grateful that you are always with me.  if i am afraid, Lord, i know you are with me.  knowing you are with me helps me get through, and gives me strength to carry on.  thank you for always being with me.  Amen

Do everything in love.

Do everything in love.

1 Corinthians 16:14 

do everything in love

breathe, sleep, think, pray, eat, live, laugh but do it with love in your heart ~ i am not talking about lust

peaceful kind of love, the love from one human being to another

Dear Lord, help me do everything in love.  help me breathe in love, sleep in love, think in love, pray in love, eat in love, live in love, and laugh in love.  help me remember to do everything in love, help me be aware of doing everything in love.  allow me to see that love is kind, love is gentle, love is comforting, love is truth, love is peaceful, and love is joyful.  Amen

...Delivered Me From All My Fears

I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
         And delivered me from all my fears.

                                      Psalm 34:4



i sought the Lord, and he heard me.  i do not know anyone else to go to but the Lord, and his son Christ for somethings.

having something deliver you from your fears does not mean the situation has changed.  

being without out fear, to me is being in a place of compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, and tenderness.

Lord, help me always be in a place where in my heart it is filled with compassion, forgiveness, acceptance, and tenderness.  help me understand that by being achieving this state of mind it will help me make the right choices.  choices that are from the heart and choices that are filled with the Holy Spirit for guidance.  help me be aware when i am making choices in fear  versus guided choices by your hand.  forgive me Lord, when i have failed in the past to do so.  help me learn from my past experiences and use them as opportunities to grow and learn.  Amen

Yet you, LORD, are our Father.

  Yet you, LORD, are our Father.
   We are the clay, you are the potter;
   we are all the work of your hand. 

                                    Isaiah 64:8

we are the clay, you are the potter

 

are daily actions mold us, does our environment have a hand in molding us also?

i believe we learn to adapt to survive, and at what point do we become complacent and learn to adapt too much?; if there is such a thing

Lord, you are our father.  let us be your clay at all times.  let us adapt to your ways Lord.  yours and only yours.  let us be aware of our environment, helps us live with our environment and coexist with our environment in a way it is beneficial to us both.  Amen

 

A Perverse Heart

A perverse heart shall depart from me;
         I will not know wickedness. 

                                Psalms 101:4
                                  


i had a day when a while back, about a year ago when i had
started asking the Lord, to show me what i had missed.


show me what i thought was kindness and was not


i no longer ask to see; i do not want to know 


i have found peace knowing God takes care of me


for i realized after a while; while i was not seeing
God was taking care of me and seeing for me;




Lord, thank you for the strength you have given me to realize once again that life is about looking for the beauty, love, joy, and peace.  help me see the love in all even if they wish to spread what a call deception, deceit, entrapment, and doubt. i realize now Lord the intense feeling of safe came from you Lord and only you.  i am grateful Lord that you are always with me when i am aware that i need you and even when i am not aware i need you.  Amen

For If You Forgive

For if you forgive men 

their trespasses, 

your heavenly Father 

will also forgive you.

                         Matthew 6:14



for if you forgive .. Father will also forgive you....

forgiving is a beautiful thing

sometimes we forgive more for ourselves than for them

it is a path of healing

forgiving does not mean you have to continue to tolerate their presence if they continue with their ways

Lord, help me to always find the strength to forgive, and to continue to forgive.  help me realize that forgiveness does not mean continuing with a relationship that is not healthy.  give me the strength and courage to know that i can forgive and also walk away.  one can forgive and is in no way obligated to continue to be subjected to ways that one finds hurtful. Amen
 

.....Shut The Door Behind....

He went in therefore, 

shut the door behind 

the two of them, 

and prayed to the LORD.

                       2 Kings 4:33 

i have felt the need to shut the door behind before

and just go and pray.

sometimes when there is nothing else that can be done; i remember; i can always pray

praying is something, so there is always something that can be done

Lord, when things are at there hardest.  let me not forget that i can always pray.  if i ever feel that there is no hope, no joy, no peace, let me not forget that i can always pray.  through prayer i am not alone, through prayer i can find the joy, hope, peace, and light that only can come from you, through Christ.

let me know when it is time to shut the door behind me and just pray.  Amen

 


 
 

In The Multitude Of My Anxieties

In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
         Your comforts delight my soul. 

                                      Psalms 94:19

there has been times when my anxieties where great.  at times i though they would overcome me.

i am grateful that it is in those moments that i remember the most, the comfort of the Lord.

i believe, there is no such greater comfort in this world that can exist than the comfort of our heavenly father. 

i know that in times of my worst fears, anxieties i have also felt the most comfort from the Lord. 

Lord, i am grateful and thankful for the comfort you bring me.  i am joyful for the peace that you hold in my heart no matter what is happening around.  Lord, i ask for your eternal love, protection, safety, and guidance.  i marvel at the peace you give me, even when the tears fall, and most important when the moments are so fierce, that they are frozen and no tears falls.  thank you  for being there for me when my souls needs to speak and most of all, thank you for being there for me when my souls has no voice to speak at all.  Amen

When You said, “Seek My face,”

When You said, “Seek My face,”
         My heart said to You, 

“Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

                                Psalms 27:8

when things are at there worst i seek your face Lord

when things are at there best i seek your face Lord

when things are quite all right i seek your face Lord

when i close my eyes you are what my heart seeks

when i open my eyes you are what my heart seeks

Lord, i try to start everyday looking your love.  help me find your love, starting from the inside of my heart.  help me find your love in everything around me.  in the beauty of others.  in the quietness, in the crowds, in nature; everywhere i go.  let me see your love, feel your love, and breathe your love.  Amen 

 

Come To Me, All You Who Labor

come to me, all you who labor

and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

           

                   Matthew 11:28 

come to me, all you who labor.  are you tired?  i feel tired. i am surprised at how quickly sometimes the tired and weary feeling can hit me.  my heart feels joyful but it calls for rest.  

what do you do to your heart to let it rest?  how does one heart rest?  

Lord, my heart is weary and needs rest.  i give my heart to you Lord.  for i ask for the strength that only you can give.  i ask for joy for my heart and i ask for peace and rest.  i ask for me, i ask for them, i ask for us, i ask for we.  Lord, show us the rest, joy, and peace that only your love, guidance, and light can give.  let your rest, joy, and peace be prosperous throughout the earth this day and everyday.  let us find the wisdom and knowledge in knowing you Lord and letting you into our hearts.  Amen.

Having Your Conduct Honorable

having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles,

that when they speak against you as evildoers,

they may, by your good works which they observe,

glorify God in the day of visitation.

                                   1 Peters 2:12

 in another words, stand strong, and do not fall prey to their actions in the sense of starting to mimic their behaviors.

i am very well aware of the "easier said than done".

i do not know why, it seems for some curiosity is so intense that

they set out to test you.  how far will you go before you break.  they know very well when they test you they are testing your faith.  it never occurred to me that it is because in their hearts they are non believers. 

Lord, forgive me.  for i did not realize that people who test my faith are testing because they do not believe.  forgive me for they are lost and are possibly in need of someone showing them the way to your path, your light, my Lord.  help me find the strength to endure any tribulations that may come along my path.  help me stay on strong in your ways and not fall into a path that brings question or doubt to your ways.  Lord, help me, help them,  for i may not know what to say or what to do, but with your help Lord and your guidance may they finally find the faith and love in their hearts that they long and seek.  The kind of faith and love that can come from only you Lord.  Amen.

...Let Every Man ...

So, then my beloved brethren,

let every man be swift to hear,

slow to speak, slow to wrath;

                    

                              James 1:19


 swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath

to me this means be eager to listen, am i always eager to listen?
i can not say that i have always been eager to listen 100%, much less slow to speak.  let us just say that i suffer sometimes from
footinthemouth itis... :) 

as a matter of fact, some friends and family enjoy my footinthemouth itis.  some have actually gotten upset that i am trying to be careful of what i say.  they insist.. do not think, just say.  

does trying to be careful about what you say in anyway diminish what you are saying?  i do not believe it does, nor does it mean it is not from the heart.  but what do i know? 

slow to wrath, that is a big one for me.  i have been around individuals who are quick to anger who i know are those most caring individuals that i know.  i have seen slow angered people that do not care about anything other than themselves.  i have seen quick who also do not care about others, and slow angered people that are some of the most caring individuals that i know. 

we come in all different sizes, shapes, forms and temperaments.
what does it mean? it means to me, that we are all different and handle situations differently.  at what point does handling one situation becomes better than the other. sometimes we are not at our best, sometimes we excel, sometimes we just barely get by.  

Lord, help us learn the difference of knowing when we need to respond, and learn to know how to respond appropriately. let us be quickly when we need to be and slow when we need to be, guide us in our everyday actions.  may we all grow in wisdom and knowledge.  Amen

A Good Man Obtains

A good man obtains favor from the Lord, 

But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn

                                         Proverbs 12:2 

a good man obtains favor from the Lord.  it never really occurred to me that this was a necessary statement.  i do not say that in a presumptuous way. I say it in a gentle way, in the form that i always assumed it was a goal in all of us to be good. i believed that we all want to do good.  i am not so sure now.

a man of wicked intentions He will condemn. i looked up the word wicked at the http://www.thefreedictionary.com/wicked it has left me with much to think about.  you can look it up if you want to.  i am grateful for i know that people deep down, want to do good.  i will not choose to believe anything else.  it is a choice. 

Lord, help me always to see the good in others.  help me see through their anger, fear, and attempts at wickedness.  sometimes we can only see good things in ourselves when others bring it to our attention.  once brought to our attention; with much care and awareness it grows.  let me be someone who allows others to grow goodness around me, around themselves, and around others.  let me find ways through your kindness and your love,  to plant seeds of goodness that grow, flourish, prosper, and spread.  Amen

Blessed Are The Peacemakers:

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they 

shall be called the children of God.

                                   Matthew 5:9

i ask myself, " am i a peacemaker?"  i have been thinking about that all morning.  

i also ask myself, "in what ways or what forms do we make peace?"   "have i done everything that i possibly could to make peace with others?"  and most important that i ask myself , "have i made peace with myself?" 

i always find that unless i make peace with myself, i will never be able to make peace with others.  sometimes, we start making peace with others even though we are not ready because they are ready.  i do believe that is okay also.  

we do not always have to be the first one to throw the olive branch.   sometimes it is gently handed over to us.  other times it is thrown at us with such force that it throws us off guard. 

Lord, help me be ready always to make peace.  let my heart be able to see it, feel it, recognize it, let my heart know peace when it is there. if by some chance i come across the path of peace and i am not ready for it, please let me recognize it and be able to join in and walk in the path of peace.  sometimes by walking the path of peace and recognizing it from the outside first, our heart finally  feel and truly allow the peace inside.  may i find examples of peace to learn from when i can not see or feel it.  may i be an example of peace for others to learn from when they can not see or feel it.  for we are all in this together.  Amen

A Fool Has No Delight......

A fool has no delight in understanding,

But in expressing his own heart. 

                                     Proverbs 18:2

i smiled when I read this verse.  i asked myself how many times have a experienced that spontaneous delight when one reaches an understanding of something that had previously felt obscure?  i also asked myself how many times i longed to be able to express my own heart?  

expressing ones own heart is not forbidden, nor is it wrong.

expressing ourselves is a right and even a need that we have as individuals.  

we have to keep in mind is to keep a balance.  

it is when we are so focused in the moment that we consciously or even unconsciously forget to also try to understand what the other person is hoping to express to us.  

let us not be so hastily trying to express ourselves that we forget to listen.

Lord, help me to find my voice and find true friends that will really listen to what i have to say.   also, please let me also allow others to find their voice and let me listen with much love and joy in my heart so that we both may find true understanding.  Amen