How Good is Our God

Did you ever ask yourself that? Did you ever wonder for a second? Or maybe ... maybe you've looked around and said, "How good is our God!" I know I do that every day. Sometimes, when I'm in my car I talk to God and just ride along telling him how very awesome I think he is and how grateful I am for his goodness.

“The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.” Psalm 145:9

I've been working on reading my Bible every morning. It is a habit I've had trouble with for years. If you're a woman and have an outside job, children, and other responsibilities it seems that there is just not enough time in a day to get everything done. Whenever I have moments I'm not working on something else I try and read. Having an app on my phone and my Kindle has made a huge difference. I still love my "real" Bible but the app can be read or listened to anywhere or anytime and I've noticed a huge increase in my reading time. But back to how good is our God.

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:5

His love endures forever? In a world for love comes cheap, that is an astounding claim, isn't it? Furthermore, he is faithful to ALL generations? Love and faithfulness are rare commodities in the 21st century and to find it anywhere is a treasure of immense value. He is always there, always listening, always loving. To know this is such a great comfort, particularly when I don't feel like anyone is there, listening, or loving me. When I feel my most unlovable and most lonely, he's still with me.

  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Psalms 46:7

How many nights have you spent in an ER with someone you loved?  Did you watch their pain and wish you could help in some way? I remember taking Sarah to the ER when she was about seven or eight and she was so sick. They had to put in an IV. As a result of countless hospitalization resulting from febrile seizures as an infant and toddler until she was 6, she has absolute terror or needles. This night, they had to threaten to strap her down to get an IV in. They brought in a huge male nurse and he sat down and talked with her so calmly. He was able to put in the IV without any problems but she was so sick and in pain and the IV was traumatic. I sat there in the dark when they left us to wait and prayed for God to touch her and help her sleep and ease her pain. I was astounded when within 5 minutes afterward, she was sleeping soundly. He does listen and is a refuge in times of stress, fear, and trouble.

Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:12

Sometimes I just want someone to listen to me. I used to vent to my husband and he was so patient and generally just let me rant with little comment. I never realized how much I needed that in my life until it was gone. To be able to release the frustrations and stresses without judgment and criticism was a relief. There were days I'd come home from work after having dealt with a boss that enjoyed making things difficult and making us work harder rather than smarter and who refused to accept responsibility when something went wrong. I had to deal with people who called me names while telling my boss I discriminated because they were black. I'd be so angry at being unable to defend myself against false accusations and having no one to stand up for me. 

When Jerry died, there was no one to absorb the deluge. Maybe you think it was cruel but I did the same for him when he was working. Once he was gone, it took me a while to realize that God is sitting in the passenger seat listening. He's across the dinner table, listening. He's sitting on the sofa next to me, listening. I can dump all the stresses, frustrations, anger, and annoyances at his feet. He can take it. And when it is over, he wraps me in his arms and calms my spirit. I have fewer such stresses these days because I no longer deal with that situation. However, life is still stressful and frustrating, and annoying. God is still here.

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:5

So, just how good is our God? There is no end to his goodness. No end to his faithfulness. No end to his love. 

For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; his truth endureth to all generations. Psalms 100:5

Blessed Beyond the Promise

Most of us will take a moment to look back over the year today. You may have already done so, perhaps during a family get together. You'll find good times and bad. Days of extreme happiness or devastating sorrow will come to mind. You notice that, in the course of 365 days, most of us will run the gamut of every emotion. Be thankful.

No matter how horrible your year, how straightened your circumstances, how great your loss, be thankful. There is no greater blessing than life and if you've lived in the desert, wandered the valley, climbed the mountain you have lived. If you survive past midnight tonight, it will have been a great year because you were blessed with 365 days of life, however hard it was or was not.

My view of things has changed much in the last year. Not because I'm well or richer or happier. Because at some point I recognized that I am blessed beyond measure and highly favored. I am a daughter of a king, a child of the most High. In the good times, in the bad times, in the darkest place imaginable, I am blessed and I'm so very thankful for the protection and provision that God has given me in 2016.

If you survive to see 2017, go forward knowing that God is able to provide whatever you need. He did not promise to do more than provide your needs. The truth is you don't need nearly as much as you have and if you have more than you need, you are blessed beyond the promise.

Imagine that... blessed beyond the promise! How can you not be happy with that knowledge! God has provided you with more than he promised!

Happy New Year to you all! May God grant you the grace to see beyond the superficial and recognize the supernatural.

Set A Watch Over Your Children

http://www.tommynelson.com/school-day-prayers/

I really love this little chart I found on Pinterest!  I often pray with Sarah before she leaves the house for school, particularly on days when she seems to be having a bad morning. I'm sorry I didn't do that with my boys. I've learned a lot since then but I did pray for them. In hindsight, maybe not enough. I've made a point to pray with Sarah before she leaves for school.

Why pray for your children before they leave for school? School, particularly in the 21st century is a hard place for children and they need a lot of help to get through it. If you are too old to remember how hard it was for you, something is wrong.  It is also no longer a place where wholesome and ethical values are likely to be taught. Rather the reverse is more likely. In fact, it is a place that your child could die.

Certainly, today our children need a prayer covering more than any generation ever has before. The spiritual attack on them is designed to corrupt every area of their lives: mental, emotional, spiritual. They face stress, anger, low self-esteem, resentment, jealousy, hatred, malice, and even sexual attacks both physical and mental. Bullying is clearly spiritual in nature for both the bully and the person bullied. Every area of their life is under attack in a school environment, particularly if they are attempting to live as a Christian. They are a target.

It is your responsibility to protect your children from any attack on them from any source. So, if you aren't praying for your children before they walk out that door, remember you are sending them into the lion's den. You are leaving them defenseless against attacks from all areas of their life. The stress will affect performance. Sometimes, the stress kills them.

The above chart is a really good guide to what kind of things to pray about and really, you don't have to have an hour-long prayer to cover these things. Read it with your child, let them know why you're going to pray about these things for them and follow the KISS method. Keep it simple, silly. Every point can be prayed for in a few words before they go out the door. You can add any points that you think need to be added.

Also, let them know that you will be praying for them during the day. Later, when you have prayer time you can expand on it but the important thing at this point is to let your children know that you are sending them out with a prayer covering and that you will continue to pray for them while they are at school. I promise you, the benefits to your children are enormous. The faith of children is legendary and if you've raised them to believe in prayer, the comfort they get from knowing you've prayed for them is huge.

Here is the link to School Day Prayer  blog where you can print this chart off for yourself and read the blog post about it. The site has other great items you might be interested in.

The Broken Covenant

Courtesy Pixabay.com

I'm grieved a lot lately. There is so much craziness going on in this country. Never mind the rest of the world. America has become a byword, as my Mama used to say. With all the chaos and hatred being fostered and fed in this country by the inmates of this American Insane Asylum I now find myself trapped in, I've been asking where we're headed.

I've lived through some amazing times when the country was divided but eventually came together and reunified, slowly to be sure, but progress was being made. I've watched certain parties slowly apply wedges in that joint and pry it apart, chipping away at all that had been accomplished by dedicated, intelligent men and women, some of whom died. I've watched the 21 Century MLK wannabes make fools of themselves and those who follow them.

I've also heard the voice of the watchmen crying loudly from the walls of the City on a Hill that was once a shining beacon to the world for peace, prosperity, and hope to the tired, downtrodden, and destitute but which is now a guttering candle struggling to light the darkness spreading across this land of zombies and dead men walking. Because darkness is spreading. We have turned a corner and are about to watch the greatest downfall since the Roman Empire. I believe this because all the signs are there.

So it was with a shock when I read today the outcome expressed in these words to a nation hell-bent on following its own way with no thought to the warning signs. It speaks about the Jerusalem but as we all know, any nation that blatantly transgresses has condemned itself to judgment and is subject to the wrath of God. Here is the outcome for a nation warned and unheeding of the warning. I've deleted some text to shorten it. You can look up the original if you choose.

2 Chronicles 36:13-16 -- He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord.......all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the Lord, ....The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy.

This nation has been blessed beyond measure. People who had nothing came here and became unbelievably prosperous. To come to America meant you could live well. Millions did it. It became known as the land of promise to any who stepped on her shores. Did you even notice when that changed? You can blame it on politicians, but did you not see that they had no control over it? In fact, did you notice that the counselor to our leaders helped them make decisions that have destroyed the economy and the culture of this nation?

Look back in time to when the prosperity began to fail. As of today, we are a nation near destruction. No longer can anyone succeed in this country. No longer is there freedom to the oppressed and dejected. No longer is there peace in our borders. No longer is there the rule of law. The law is now twisted and contorted to suit the demands of the few and lawless. The flames of hatred are fanned by malicious and violent people. For the first time in history, the nation is at risk of terrorist from outside and inside. Why?

Because what you are witnessing is the removal of a blessing that was originally placed on this nation. A covenant was made by the founding fathers of America. But we have defiled the land and broken the covenant that was made by the founders.

I don't care what you think. Each of those men believed in a higher power and dedicated this nation to that power, and they signed a pact to that effect.

The final line of the Declaration of Independence says:  "We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

With the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the founders of this nation made a signed contract where they state they are appealing to the Supreme Judge for the morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness of their intentions and that they firmly rely on the protection of divine Providence. They pledged their lives, fortunes and honor to one another. This pact is a covenant. With the signing of this document, the founders, not only notified the King of our independence from Britain, they made a signed Covenant with God for his direction and protection.

American has rejected and revoked that covenant. We no longer are under the protection or direction of God. We have rejected both. When you break a covenant, the rules and promises made by that covenant are no longer binding. America no longer resides under the protection of the Supreme Judge because we rejected the morally correct thinking agreed upon by the men who signed the covenant and we've rejected the righteousness and morally right thinking.

I know I stand in a ridiculed and marked minority. Those who have rejected the counsel of God and the warnings of the watchmen now seek to silence the voices that would still cry out a warning. We love our nation. We love our people. We plead for their restoration.

I do not know when or what form destruction will come. I believe it is coming. I only know that there is always a point beyond which you must not go. If you elect to step outside the wall, the watchmen can't save you. When you break your covenant with the Supreme Judge, there is no power that can save you. As the Chronicler noted, there is no remedy.

Isaiah 24:1-6 (NIV)

See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth

    and devastate it;

he will ruin its face

    and scatter its inhabitants—

2 it will be the same

    for priest as for people,

    for the master as for his servant,

    for the mistress as for her servant,

    for seller as for buyer,

    for borrower as for lender,

    for debtor as for creditor.

3 The earth will be completely laid waste

    and totally plundered.

The Lord has spoken this word.

4 The earth dries up and withers,

    the world languishes and withers,

    the heavens languish with the earth.

5 The earth is defiled by its people;

    they have disobeyed the laws,

violated the statutes

    and broken the everlasting covenant.

6 Therefore a curse consumes the earth;

    its people must bear their guilt.

Pass the Salt

I've been reading this book, Keepers of Salt by Debby L. Davis. It is answering so many questions, some that I didn't even know were questions for me. It's about things that confused me for years. There are so many references to salt that makes so much more sense now! 

Ah, that's a good thing.

It is! And there are stories she tells that hit so close to home for me. I never heard anyone really talk about covenants. Well, I've heard about them but not how intertwined they are into our lives. I never really considered the impact or importance of them in just the way she explains it. I never realized how they affect not only those in covenant, but those connected to them. I didn't know their importance.

You're not unique in that.

I know. I wonder when we stopped teaching about covenants? Why did we stop? Because we have, you know. No one keeps their word any more. Broken promises are the norm rather than the exception. How does this happen? Why is no one teaching this?

Men... and women, no longer value integrity and promises mean nothing to the vast majority of people, whether Christian or not. Keeping promises requires recognition of a system of honor and integrity... of values. The current intellectual stance is there is no fixed set of values, that everything is relative to one's feelings and desires and it isn't necessary to honor anything. "The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant."  Isaiah 24:5

My laws are out of fashion. Covenants are too much like rules for the average person. Once a person's word was all you needed to transact any business. Then, legal documents came about to insure a person kept a bargain so that integrity of character was no longer a factor. They were designed to keep dishonest people honest under the law. It didn't work. Now, even legal documents are suspect and require a team of lawyers to interpret. 

Covenants have to be honored by both parties. The person who breaks a covenant actually brings curses on themselves! So a broken covenant could be responsible for so much that is wrong in our lives. Covenant keeping and breaking are profound and powerful mechanism that would bring balance to the world. If people began to keep the covenants they make the world would immediately feel the effects.

I know.

When I realized the impact of this... the truth of it... my heart broke.

Mine, too.

I haven't even finished the book and I feel so .....

Guilty.

...........

There is a solution.

Broken covenants can't be fixed. I can only make new ones.

.............  "But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them." Psalms 103: 17-18. 

What if I mess up? You know, break the new ones. I mean, the consequences....

Are no worse than what you've been living with and the understanding you are gaining now will help you do better. If you do not try, then what?

I don't want to contemplate that. 

Would that everyone felt that way.

I am so thankful you put this book in my hands. Oh... I just realized... my banner verse: 
"Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God; I will render praises to You, For You have delivered my soul from death." Psalm 56:12-13  It's a covenant!

It is.

#ConversationsWithHim

Blessings, Curses, & Wars

I am reading a book called Blessing or Curse: You can Chose. It was written by Derek Prince. I have read this book three times. The first time was about seven years ago. I was in great distress and contemplating suicide. What I learned about blessings and curses truly saved my life. I won't go into detail but let me just say he teaches that some of the problems we have in life may be the result of curses that have descended through our families, thorough our actions or words, or through inactions.

Now I know there are those who will immediately say this is not scriptural, that grace has cured everything. However, since this book uses scripture to support the premise, I will respectfully disagree. Besides, I know what I have experienced. I was dying.

I had personal problems and my life was going down the tubes pretty quickly. I was in my late 30's, had graduated college only about three years before but we had both lost our jobs and had been unemployed for about 2 years. I was so depressed and so I just started looking for a way out that would be painless. I even began to plan it.

I reached a point where I sat down in my bedroom, crying and told God I felt
cursed and I needed help because I didn't believe Christians could be cursed. And less than a month later I found this book. I followed the instructions carefully. Within six month we were both employed and I was getting well spiritually, mentally and physically. Life actually became pretty good. And after two years, things were great.

So why am I reading it again? Because sometimes we forget things. Sometimes things happen to drag us down. Either way, we sometimes go back to self destructive habits, thoughts, and behaviors. I think I have been doing that and that for some time have over extended myself. I also think I have allowed things to happen that should not have happened, not obviously, just the "little foxes".

I guess I have just not been paying attention. And God is always so patient with me. But at some point I have to say I am responsible for what happens to me. It is not always someone else's fault. Life doesn't just happen. We make it.

So, I am rereading this book again. And I expect something good to happen. Maybe that is what it is all about. Being vigilant, watching for trouble spots, and once the enemy is identified, become agressive in attacking it. We are at war.

"12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,[a] against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.