What does your life depend on?

Does your life depend on your home?

Your job?

Your money?

Hopefully not, because those things are like sand.

They can be washed away in 1 storm, one closed business,

one fire, one stay in the hospital.

You don’t want 1 major event to wash away your life.

We can only depend on God.

Only God has the power.

Only God has the mercy.

Only God is always there with you.

You have free will, so you can turn from Him,

but it will be at your peril.

Call on the LORD.

He will strengthen you.

He will help you.

He will uphold you with His righteous right hand.

–>(Isaiah 41:10)

Many people lost their homes this fall due to hurricanes.

Sea walls were broken apart by waves. They did not hold.

The waves washed the sandy ground away.

The homes fell apart.

Please pray for the people who lost their home.

Pray for them to find a place to live.

Pray for them to get the financial help they need.

Pray that they know God and call on Him for help.

Pray that they take this tragedy as a wake-up call,

and turn to Him.

May we also learn from this tragedy.

before the next one hits.

Make kids a priority

Many kids and teachers are going back to school soon.

This is a good time to focus on kids.

Let’s make sure that every child has what they need.

Donate school supplies or a bookbag.

Volunteer to help in a classroom, or to be a tutor.

Pray for kids and teachers going back to school.

If you don’t have kids in school, pick a nearby school to pray for.

We need to keep kids safe —

If you work in a school, follow all safety rules.

Make sure doors are kept locked that need to be locked for security.

Go in and out the school’s main doors, even if it means walking further.

Drive extra slow near schools.

Stop at all crosswalks when children are present.

If you own a gun, keep it locked up so no one else can get to it.

Support efforts to ban assault weapons.

On July 29, the U.S. House passed the Assault Weapons Ban.

Now it should head to the Senate.

You can call your Senator and tell them you want assault weapons banned!

The Senate switchboard phone is 202-224-3121.

If you don’t know who your Senator is, find out at —

–>www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

What Conquers Fear?

For all my life, I have struggled with fear.

I always thought I needed more courage and more knowledge.

At times I thought I needed more faith, or

for the Holy Spirit to fill me with courage.

I would pray for these things. I would pray for God to remove the fear.

Still I have fear.

Yesterday, I was once again listening to a Christian speaker talk about fear.

She said that God repeatedly in Scripture tells us “Do not be afraid”.

In Isaiah 41:10, God says, “Do not fear for I am with you.”

“Do not fear for I am with you.”

She repeated that several times, and I felt peace. I relaxed.

All of a sudden I realized that the opposite of fear is not courage,

It is PEACE.

When we are at peace, there is no fear.

In John 14:27, Jesus the Christ says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled

and do not be afraid.”

You see, He says that His peace is not like worldly peace.

His peace allows us to not worry nor be afraid,

like the woman in the photo seems. She is peaceful. Not worried. Not anxious.

How is this possible to not fear?

In Philippians 4:7, Paul teaches, “And the peace of God,

which surpasses all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We do not have to understand it, just have faith, and believe that it is true.

Further, Paul gives us something else to do (in verse 8), when we do not fear–

“Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think on these things.…”

I love this!

Without fear, without worry, there is time

to think about so many better things!

Nothing I haven’t heard before, but putting this all together,

helps me to see a way out of fear.

Now I shall see if I can follow through with this in my life going forward.

I hope this helps you deal with fear.

May God cover you and I in His peace tonight,

so we awaken peaceful and unafraid.

When You Don’t Know What to Say

Today, I don’t know what to say.

So many people are suffering. So many are afraid.

What are you dealing with today?

Here is what I say to you —

I don’t know what I can do, but I can pray.

I know that God knows what you need.

Dear Lord,

I know that you care. I know that you are aware of the circumstances.

Please come and provide what is needed.

Bring healing to sickness. Bring comfort to sadness.

We will rest, knowing that you will provide.

We will hope in your love and mercy.

We know that you will answer our prayers the way You know is best.

Thank you for being with us every minute of every day.

We know you never leave us alone, so we are encouraged.

Help us feel your presence so we may have peace.

Your love is of greater worth than anything else in this world.

We come to you with our needs, and you provide, and we thank you.

Amen

God’s promise to us —

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

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

Tree of Hope

Today’s #bloganuary prompt —

— Describe yourself as a tree. —

I am not a tree!

However, I heard of a tree that was cut down and made into a cross.

That cross was used to kill Jesus Christ.

We were saved by the blood of Christ shed on that cross.

Thus the tree used was a “tree of hope”!

That is why I sometimes wear a necklace with a small cross on it.

The cross reminds me that my only hope is in Jesus Christ.

Without Jesus Christ, the world would be lost in darkness.

Isaiah 11:1 “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
    from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.”

Can We Change the World?

My 1st reaction to today’s #bloganuary prompt, was “WHAT?!”

— How are you changing the world? —

My answer is —

No 1 person can change the world.

Working together with a large group of people,

we can make some changes in specific places,

or with certain people.

But I do not believe 1 person can change the world.

So, how am I changing the world? —

Through prayer,

I connect with the only being who can truly change the world,

GOD!

My tip to have a better year this year than last year —

Do not expect to change other people.

Instead, work on changing yourself.

Are You Strong Today?

The #bloganuary prompt today —

— what makes you feel strong? —

There is only 1 thing that makes me feel strong.

It’s something I do every morning.

I put on the Armor of God!

(The book of Ephesians Chapter 6: verses 10-11) “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”

This is some very good advice from the Apostle Paul.

Mysterious

The #bloganuary prompt —

— Write about something mysterious.

— What is more mysterious than God?

Where does God live?

How does God hear us pray?

What does God’s voice sound like?

Who does God see?

When will God end time?

The mysteriousness of God does not keep me from believing in Him.

It does not stop me from praying to God.

It does not keep me from worshiping God.

My tip for a better year —

— Spend time with God, and let Him fill you with good things,

like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and more such things.

Spending time with God will change you for the better.

I often ask God for patience.

A bit more patience makes such a difference in relationships.

Give Children a Better Life

Today’s #bloganuary prompt —

— What is a cause you’re passionate about and why? —

— Children growing up hungry, or homeless, or abused, tore at my heart.

So I asked myself, how can we help them?

I was given the opportunity to sponsor a child in Haiti.

I didn’t see how we could afford the monthly sponsorship.

I prayed, telling God if He wanted us to sponsor a child,

He would need to provide the money to do it.

Two days later, we got a check in the mail from our mortgage bank!

It was money left over in escrow at the end of the year.

It was enough to sponsor a child for about 9 months.

We said “Yes” to God, and were determined to continue sponsoring.

We sponsored that child for 10 years, until she turned 18 and left the orphanage!

In the meantime we added other sponsorships.

Right now we sponsor 4 children and 1 missionary couple.

It gives us joy to help poor children get food, an education, and medical care.

My tip for having a better year in 2022 —

— Find a way to share your time or money with someone who needs help.

If you pray about it, God just may show you the way to help.

1 place you can sponsor a child –>Watoto.com (choose your home country)

Be Careful Who You Choose

I realize the title of this post may sound ominous.

But this post is about a very serious topic.

It concerns a decision that will affect the rest of your life,

and the lives of any children you may have now or in the future.

Today’s #bloganuary prompt —

— What is a life lesson you feel everyone can benefit from learning?

–Marriage is not about falling in love and having sex.

**Marriage is about love, respect, and commitment.

**Be careful who you choose as your spouse.

–Who you choose for your spouse, will affect the rest of your life!

Please make that decision carefully, preferably with prayer.