Faith --> Blessings

And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. Luke 1:45 KJV

There is something so delicately marvelous about this verse. Let's break it down and look at it, "Blessed is she that believed", simple truth for our belief and trust in God, we are blessed. The woman this verse referred to was Mary. Her faith and her youthful, perfect trust in God by the Word of the Lord that came to her. In all sincerity she believed with her whole heart the fascinating truth that she, a virgin, would become pregnant supernaturally and bear a child - not just any child - the Son of God. Whoa!!! Could you imagine?! Mary's faith in God was not perturbed by logic, practicality or reasoning. She did not stop the angel and say, this is physically impossible! She gracefully accepted what the Lord was saying to her, and for it the Bible calls her blessed.

Blessed 

1. consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified: the Blessed Sacrament.

2. worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity.

3. divinely or supremely favored; fortunate: to be blessed with a strong, healthy body; blessed with an ability to find friends.

4. blissfully happy or contented.

Our whole identity in Christ is based on our faith in Him, in God our Father and in His Holy Spirit. Faith is the root of our foundation and keeping the faith and passing it on to others is our mission on this earth. Abraham's faith in God rewarded him favor.
"Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness"  Gal 3:6. Here we see how much God values faith. I think there is something really beautiful to the fact that we have to believe in Christ to be saved. Amid a world where science reigns and human knowledge is the standard, God asks us to believe in the unseen and hold fast to what we can not touch. But the realization and the knowing we have in our heart when we accept Christ is beyond any scientific proof. It's a sweet and satisfying knowledge in our hearts that what we are believing is true and right.
Blessed are we, for what we hope God for will surely be given to us.


Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you so much for faith. Thank you that you have all called us Children of God, despite our race, nationality or heritage. Thank you for giving us freedom from a life of death and destruction and thank you that we can receive that freedom by just believing. Help us to trust you Lord and help our faith to grow strong Holy Spirit so that all the good things you have in store for me will be realized. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

The Morning Watch

The Morning Watch


And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,

Exodus 14:24 ESV

Picture taken during my vacation with loved ones in New Hampshire 

God is ever vigilant, ever watchfully of you. In this verse the Israelites are fleeing from the Egyptians and God has parted the Red Sea to make for their escape. During this time as the children of Israel were leaving Egypt, God had a visible pillar of fire and cloud in front and behind the people constantly, day and night. This was a visual comfort for the Israelites to reassure them of God's presence. The verse says in the morning watch, God looked down. The morning watch as you may know is when someone is posted to guard others in the early morning time, to be observant and to be on the look-out. And when God saw the Egyptians pursuing His people, He sent them in a fury of confusion, sabotaging their efforts to recapture the Israelites. This is the same Lord God who looks over you and fights for your freedom, safety and health. Sometimes these old Bible stories are so familiar to us we loose the real truths nestled between the lines. God in His almighty power looked down from His throne and saw His people in trouble and rescued them. My God, He is a more than a Superhero, He is the epitome of power, love and strength. "The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore" Psalms 121:7,8
He protects us because He knows we need protecting, He considers you to be His child, we are not left alone to fend for ourselves in this wicked world and what a comfort it is to know that! The daily news reports are saturated with crime and natural disasters that strip the world and leave us feeling vulnerable and alone. "If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent" Psalm 91:9, 10 Those with small children worry about the world that they are exposed to BUT we have God!! God who has redeemed you is a very present guardian, watching over you by His Holy Spirit. Trust in God, cast your cares on Him for He is listening and watching, eager to hear from you. He will protect you from your enemies and shelter you from anyone who wishes you harm. He is our protector and Saviour. In Him we have everything we need.

Dear Jesus, we come to you in a time of turmoil. Our world is full of wars, riots and crime. People do ill to one another and wickedness overflows. But we know that you reign oh Lord and that you see everything and you dispense justice and protection. Protect us as we sleep, protect our loved ones and the precious children. We call upon the Word of God which shows your promise of shelter and we hold true to it. Thank you Lord for looking over us and gracing us with your presence.

Your Body is a Temple

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in  you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought  at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

This is such a lovely verse that speaks to our hearts and souls about the sanctity of our bodies by the Holy Spirit. It is phenomenal that God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, allows His Spirit to reside in us and become a part of our mind, body and heart to ensure we live in love and guidance. Just consider that verse a minute, you have the Spirit of the Living God residing in you. You have the ability and power of the Holy Spirit in you, this is not a gift you have to achieve or earn. This is a blessed gift of love that you receive from believing. "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit" Ephesians 1:13. The power of the Holy Spirit is immeasurable favor poured out on to you from God. The fruits of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Gal 5:23 And these gifts are all available to us through Him.
"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you". Romans 8:11. We are sealed by God, for God. This verse is reminding us of that saving power, that against all odds you are bound to Christ and are a part of Him. Therefore honor God with your body, respect it and take care of yourself. Your body is the vessel of which you live in on earth, and we only have one - that is reason enough to take care of it the best that you can and to not abuse it. You are purified in your body, mind and heart by Jesus, so remember that and treat it as such. No matter what you have done you are made perfectly clean and whole by Jesus. Give thanks to God for His abiding presence in our lives and thank Him for the power and grace that is available to us through His Holy Spirit.

Dear Jesus, we thank you for your amazing sacrifice that led us back to God's presence. It is through you we are healed and you made the way for us to have the Holy Spirit. The cross you embraced was the bridge made to reinstate us to God and we thank you that we belong to you for you are a good God and a great Father. Help us to honor our body and to not pollute it with abuse, immoral sex and bad health. Teach us how to love and honor your presence in our lives.

Let Him Bind Your Wounds

 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 

Photo source: Passion of the Christ Movie

Depicting Jesus reaching out to a woman who was about to be stoned for adultery 

Behold this amazing love from God. The God who created the heavens and the earth sent His only Son to die for you. He died for every sin, for every wicked, evil thing you have ever done or will do. First off, when you commit sin, you commit it against God. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit and unleashed sin into the lives of every man after that, God immediately initiate a redemption plan to bring us back to Him. The Bible is a epic story of reconciliation. Jesus suffered a horrible, torturous death so that we might have everlasting life with Him, but also that we might have freedom from the bondage of sin in this life as well. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corin 5:21. God paid the ultimate price for you, for all of us, even His enemies so that we may all have the chance to be reconciled with Him in eternity. We don’t deserve it, we could never thank Him for it, but we can do our part and live our lives in honor and glory of Him. God gives and gives, He holds nothing back for us, in fact He encourages us to seek Him for anything we need. (read Matthew 7: 7) God is a gracious God, do you not see He will go to the ends of the earth for you. You are cherished and beloved, honor God's love with your life. 


Prayer:
Heavenly Father you have shown me so much love. You raised my life from the pit and set my feet on solid ground. You have saved me from a life of misery, loneliness and sin and have given my freedom, grace and abounding love. Help me to know you more, to know the great I Am. As I draw nearer to you, I know by your Word, you will draw nearer to me. I need you every day of my life Lord. Without you I am
aimless in a lost world. You lift me up and call me beloved and treasured. Teach me how to show that love to others in honor of you.

Receiving Strength

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 
 

My Lord, My Father. My vindicator, my fortress, I come to you in my weakness. Shower me with your strength, purge my fear with faith in you. As the world closes in around me and my fear breeds more fear I will trust in you. Although things seem to be overwhelming and I might be at the end of my rope, help me to always see your light, for you are ever before me. “For the LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard” Isaiah 52:12. In you alone I can rest, you lead me to stillness and tell me to look at all you have done for me. My past with you is filled with miracles and hope. You have encouraged me through this trial with kinds words from people and the sweet peace of Jesus that passes understanding. I will get through this! This is a temporary issue and my victory will be in your hands today and I believe in you for a good, healthy and happy future. Are you not the God who rose Jesus from the dead?! Are you not the God who healed many sick, blind, lame and desperate people? You are that same God, you are the same generation to generation. 

Silencing Worry

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phili 4:6-7

  

Sometimes fear grips us, fear of the unknown. Waiting for test results, wondering if someone is going to pull through a sickness, wondering if someone is going to come home safe, worrying if you’re going to get that job, worrying how you’re going to provide for your family, how you’re going to keep above the water with bills weighing you down. You sit down and try to figure out everything, calculate your bills over and over and you’re still coming up short. You are not suppose to take care of yourself alone! It was such a release for me when I learned how much God cared for me, while I was a sinner. I don’t mean after I was “good” or after I did something “good” I mean before I became a committed Christian. He cared for me, protected me and provided for me.