God LIKES Me!

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

We are in the Facebook generation. It can be a good tool but also can be hurtful and a time waster. I like it as a way to connect with family and friends and find lost friends. My primary reason for remaining on it is to get the word of God out through my daily God's Lemonade Stand where I have a 'page' people can 'LIKE' or see it on my wall if they are my 'friend'. 

The concept of clicking the little 'thumbs up' icon found after each post on Facebook, can almost become an addiction if we allow it to. Checking back and forth to see who 'LIKED' your post could in fact hurt feelings if you got to into the whole thing. Let's say you got no response from a certain picture you posted. Then what? Do you allow that to set your value and worth? 

God loves and likes you more than any Facebook friend. He likes you and loves you no matter what picture you post or what comments you make. You are His beloved. You were made to glorify Him. Just repeat "God LIKES me!" 

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I am so thankful for your unconditional love and acceptance of me. Help me to only care that you love me and all the other Facebook 'likes' are secondary. In Jesus' name. Amen.

It Hurts So Bad!

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

There was a song in the sixties whose lyrics said "And you know that it hurts so bad to see you again"  and it was referring to a young couple who had broken up.  If you can remember back to high school days it did hurt when you broke up. It also hurts for children to be left out. It hurts when a spouse leaves. It hurts when a spouse dies. It hurts to lose a child. It hurts when you are excluded from your extended family. It hurts when you are a grandma being kept from your grandchildren. It hurts to be abused and abandoned. It hurts to be fired or laid off.  It hurts to be shunned. It hurts to be rejected. It hurts when you feel like a failure. There are many scenarios where a person can suffer excruciating emotional pain which at times they feel they can never escape from.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different stories. The one thing to remain is that God's love for you will never go away. He is there. He loves you. When you are deep in  pain you feel like your world is just falling apart and you can't possibly go on. The good news is it takes time but you can heal and even grow from whatever it is you have suffered. Our enemy Satan would love to use your pain to cripple you and keep you away from God. This is when you need Him more than ever. Cry out to Him my friend! He is listening and cares! 

PRAYER: Lord I need you oh I need you. Every hour I need you. Oh bless me now my savior, I come to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link for wonderful song of praise and worship.

http://youtu.be/6_KXsMCJgBQ

God Really Does Care

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Things in life are going to happen both good and bad. No one is immune. Just this past week I know of two families struggling with the loss of a mom and wife, one was quite before the typical age we associate with dying. Tragedy happens sometimes unexpectedly as in the death of a baby or child. Why? I do not know but I know that God is bigger than any problem. There is a given in life and that is we all will die someday.

Do you feel God has abandoned you or do scream out in anger at Him over taking your loved one away from you? God loves you my friend. He has experienced every pain we have. Satan is the one who attempts to get you to scream and curse God. Don't do it my friend. Instead thank Him for the time you were blessed with the gift of the beloved one who has gone on to be with Him.

PRAYER: Lord I know you love me. Your love knows no bounds. Forgive me if I have ever doubted your love. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click link for a song of praise to get your Sunday started.

http://youtu.be/BTi2-VIcaRw

Hated, Beaten, Rejected

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16

When watching The Passion of the Christ  and the scene where Jesus was being whipped, it struck me how awful hating is. When you hate you may not be  whipping your victim, but nevertheless the love of Christ is not in you. 

Jesus died a horrible death on the cross for you and me, all  sinners.  If you are a Christian you shouldn't be backbiting, being ugly, harboring jealously or resentment, but should be loving your fellow man, even those hard to get along with or hard to understand. The more we love the more we are transformed into the likeness of Christ.

When Jesus was tortured he said not one ugly word. How many reading this feel like telling  off a fast food worker when they can't hurry up? No one is beating us up, but our thoughts and words may not be like that of a Christian. 

Jesus was in severe pain but he only said "forgive" not call me a lawyer so I can sue! Let the love of Christ dwell in you. 

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for dying for our sins. I look forward to your kingdom some day when I leave this Earth. In the meantime help me show your love. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

THE LOVE MONTH

 The entry to 2013 is now well underway and now we are at the 4th day
of February. After a series of devotions on new starts and new
beginnings, this month the primary focus will be on love. Most people
familiar with the Bible can probably tell you the "love chapter" is 1
Corinthians 13. Read it when you have a moment.

Love is patient. It is not rude. Love thinks of others first. Love is
respectful and kind . Love does not remember wrongs suffered or hold

grudges. Love forgives. Love doesn't lash out at others with hateful
words.

The greatest example of love ever was Jesus dying a painful torturous
death on a cross for us and what does He do? He forgives his accusers
and the men who nailed Him up there. Imagine that? We humans have a
hard time forgiving some things but imagine this ultimate test of
letting the hurt go. What good does it do anyway?

Is there someone in your life that has hurt you and maybe never even
knew it that you need to let go of the emotional pain before you can
move on? Some have been rejected by peers, friends, parents, spouses,
children,employers, and yes even those in their own church! Dwelling
on the pain and the injustice done will achieve nothing. Part of love
and being loving is being willing to let go. Get Christian counseling
if necessary but do not keep harboring a hurt.

The Bible sums it up pretty good when it says in Mark 12:30-31 (NIV)
'Love The Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and all
your strength.The second is this, Love your neighbor as yourself. This
is the second and greatest commandment.'

PRAYER: Father give me the ability to let go of hurts and dwell on
showing love to those you have placed in my life. In Jesus' name.
Amen.

Click link and worship the Lord in song:
http://youtu.be/3nUl0vcXrHw

LOVE IS SPECIAL

Yesterday would have been the 65th wedding anniversary for my mom and
dad had he not passed away at a way too young age of 71 in 1992. Now
that is a long lasting marriage! Love is special. The feeling for some
may not always be there but love is commitment, honor, respect, and
much more. Too many do not hang in there and give up on love. That was
never God's plan for married love.

Love is mentioned over and over in God's word, the Bible. Love is more

than the mushy sentimental feeling of young lovers Love, as it says
in 1 Corinthians 13, is patient, kind, unselfish, does not keep record
of wrongs, and much more.

God's love for us is 100 percent unconditional. Oh if only we humans
could love 100 percent of the time like Jesus. No holding grudges. No
bitterness. No jealousy. No hatred. Unconditional. He loves us even
when we do not seemingly deserve it.

We who call ourselves believers are supposed to display that kind of
love for those around us. In 1 John 4:20(NIV) it says 'If anyone says
"I love God" but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone whom does
not love his brother who he has seen,cannot love God, whom he has not
seen?' John 13:35 (NIV) also says ' By this all men will know that
you are my disciples if you have love me for another.'

At Christmas everyone seems to be nice and show love. Why not let that
Christmas feeling continue throughout the entire year?

PRAYER: For you so loved the world that you gave us your only
begotten son that whoever believes in you will have eternal life.
Thank you for that ultimate gift of love. Help me Lord learn your type
of love for all tho people in my daily path whether I agree with them
or not. In Jesus' name. Amen.

THE LANGUAGE OF FEAR

What type of reaction do the words Y2K, laid off, fiscal cliff, bankruptcy, global warming, communism, Armageddon, lawsuit, and cancer stir inside of you? Probably most readers would initially respond 'fear'. Those are not words that bring joy and happiness. The thing a person needs to do is to dwell on good thoughts. Sure, who would not be frightened by looming tragedies? You can overcome this fear by trusting that God in fact is going to take care of you.

To needlessly just worry over something you have no control over only makes you tense, stressed, and sick. The Bible has said in 1 Peter 5:7(NIV) to 'cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.' Picture a fisherman casting his fishing line into a body of water. He or she tries to get the line out as far as possible. This is what God wants you to do with your cares. Throw them out onto Him, so to speak.

2 Timothy 2:7(NIV) says 'For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.' Today stop, take a deep breath,and tell God He can have your fears. Then go relax.

PRAYER: Lord I need you to take the controls of my life. There are so many things that tend to frighten me as I dwell on them. I trust you are in control and have a plan. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click link below to help get you in the right frame of mind for joy and the Christmas season.

http://youtu.be/tC3SwhJsLqU

FOOTBALL COACHES COME AND GO BUT....

 Many people all over America are football fans or fanatics. I am not one of them so may be considered an oddity. During college and professional football season one thing I take note of is how fickle the fans and school can be. If a coach loses one or two games and can not get the team to a bowl game his multi million dollar contract is in jeopardy. It is like the world is revolving around the almighty "pigskin". Quarterback Tim Tebow brought the Christian emphasis to the game in the past couple years but now you hardly hear anything about him since going from the Denver Broncos to New York Jets. So whether a player or a coach, watch out if you aren't doing everything right.

In life if we are not 'winning' Jesus does not look for a replacement. He does not sit there with a statistics card in hand evaluating your performance and then saying 'next'. No Jesus is loving, gracious, and kind and loves us no matter what. Our sins sadden him but he gives us a second chance. If we accept Him and ask Him to be Lord of our life we will then have eternal life in heaven once our time on earth is over.

For instance, in the story found in the book of John Chapter 8 verse 11 concerning the woman caught in the act of adultery who the Pharisees wanted to stone this verse says 'go and sin no more.' He forgave her and set her on her way to have another chance. In 2 Peter 3:9(ESV) it says 'The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.'

Aren't you glad our God is not going to discard us for making a mistake? Unlike fickle fans and those in charge of hiring and firing, Jesus alone is waiting at the door of your heart. He is knocking. Want you let Him come in today?

Revelation 3:20(KJV) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

PRAYER: Father thank you for accepting me with all my problems and mistakes I have made in life. Your love for me is unconditional. Forgive me Lord when I have ignored you. I know I need you in my life and need to make you first priority. Help me Lord resist the temptation to make other things more important. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Once again I have included a link below to an awesome and appropriate song. Hope you have time to listen and worship God.

http://youtu.be/J-hHW5SYMXc

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

What in life has you feeling you just want to check out,give up,or quit? The pain of something is way too great and you just do not think you can endure and hold on any longer. You maybe feel you just wish you could go home and be with the Lord. The passing of time takes care of most pain. The death of someone close is probably the hardest thing to endure or understand or perhaps the ripping apart feeling of a divorce.

Friend, God is here for you and He has a reason to keep you around. He knows what pain is like.After all he endured the cross. He loves you. Often when people are in pain they get mad at God instead of running to Him. The keyword here is to run and endure whatever is going on. Do not throw in the towel. Hang on to God. Jesus loves you this I know for my Bible tells me so.

James 1:2-4 says "Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance and and perseverance must finish its' work so you may be mature and complete not lacking anything." Do not go up to someone who is suffering loss and quote this to them. Just listen and give them a hug. All of us will go through bad things in life. Being a Christian does not mean we are problem free. Hang on to Jesus and know he has a plan and you will be okay.

PRAYER: Lord God I do not know why bad things happen but I know you are our redeemer and you love us and feel our pain. Lord God help me to run to you and not let Satan drag me into a pit of despair. I know the enemy wants me to be crushed by pain but you want me to be victorious, I want to learn to praise you no matter what.In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link to be blessed by an awesome praise song.

http://youtu.be/tZIMDcgrF-Q

FOLLOWING GOD BUT STILL IN PAIN

Struggles, problems, heartaches. Just because we are a believer does not mean we are not going to ever have a problem or feel any hurt or pain. We will be better able to cope with it but it will not necessarily be absent from our lives. Yesterdays devotion dealt with this somewhat and today I wanted to mention it again. Things will happen in life and they are not always caused by God. He allows some things in life to shape us. Sometimes we make wrong choices that cause us to end up in bad situations. It is not always God's doing. Most the time it is not. Free will, you know.

You want to forget the past and you feel like God can not forgive you so you continue to  lead a life away from God. Perhaps addicted to porn, watching X rated movies, doing drugs, becoming an alcoholic, having sex before marriage, or looking on someone lustfully. Maybe 'lighter sins' such as gossip, judging, bitterness, and unforgiving spirit plagues you. Whatever it is you have done or are doing God can help you be set free. He can forgive. He can heal. He can mend your broken heart. He can set you free from the pain you are living in if only you will call on Him. Nothing shocks God. And news flash, all sin is sin, period! And we are all sinners!

Jeremiah 33:3 is affectionately known as 'God's phone number' and it says "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." God is not mad at you. As a matter of fact, he loves you. So why not call out to him in prayer today? Psalm 50:15 says "and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

John 8:36 says "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." Isaiah 43:18 says "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past."

We do not always understand the whys of things. Job 37:5 says "God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding." We do not always have to 'get it' but trust God in your situation. He is waiting to hear from you. Job 5:9 says "He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."

So where you are at today? God can heal, deliver and set you free if you sincerely want to be. Maybe you have never accepted Christ as your savior. You can do that right now by praying "Lord Jesus come into my heart. I want to live for you and serve you." If you are already a believer but have strayed he can forgive you and get you back on the right path again.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Let him clean up your life and set you free today.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus thank you for being just a prayer away. I do not want to let the cares of this world or things I have done stand in the way of getting to know you better and serving you. Thank you for loving me unconditionally. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Click on link for an 'amazing' song:
http://youtu.be/Jbe7OruLk8I

FALL IN LOVE WITH JESUS

The Bible says  in Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' How many of us really do love Him this much? When you love your boyfriend, girlfriend, spouse or fiancee you want to be with them and spend time with them. You want to get to know them better. You can not stay away from them. You feel joy in their presence. Do you feel this way about the Lord? This same command is called the 11th commandment and is repeated in Deuteronomy 6:5.

Is Jesus first place in your life or just an afterthought or something you barely squeeze in? Do you want to get to know Him better through his word and fellowship? Did you love Him once but something happened and that love grew cold? Perhaps life got too busy and you decided you did not have time anymore to fit Him in your schedule. There were things you would rather do than sit down and read a devotion book or make time for worship on Saturday or Sunday. Even if you can not go to church there are good teachings on line or on a CD you can get.

Maybe 2012 is the time you need to make Jesus a priority in your life once again. He is waiting knocking on the door of your heart. Why not let Him come in? Revelation 3:20 says "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."

PRAYER: Father I am sorry I have not shown love to you and wanted to read your word. I know I need to spend time with you to ward off the attacks of the enemy. I know you love me even when I ignore you like I have been. I want to make you my number one priority in 2012. Help any roadblocks keeping me from doing that move out of the way. In Jesus Name. Amen. 

Click on link to worship the Lord in song.
http://youtu.be/Da9zUx6VRdg

GOD LOVES YOU, NO MATTER WHAT

No matter  how much you reject God he is waiting for you with arms wide open and calling you back. Today too many people seem to fit God into their little box and some even change scriptures to fit the things they are doing to make it seem that God is okay with their particular sin. God does not like to see us rejecting him or following a lifestyle that shuts him out or erases part of the Bible but He is patiently knocking on your  hearts door waiting for you to let him back in. (See Revelation 3:20).

A few years ago someone came up with the acronym WWJD(what would Jesus do) and really it is a good reminder to use when we are in a situation where we wonder if God would approve or not. Now there are those whose hearts have been seared and deluded and as it says in Romans 1 God gave them over to a reprobate mind.Read Romans Chapter 1 when you have a moment. You can either believe the truth of God or follow Satan. There is no in between. In Revelation 3:16 it says "Because you are lukewarm I will spit you out of my mouth."  Satan can send a strong delusional spirit to blind the minds of people that is why it is so important to follow the truth of God's word.

The Bible does say that "All we like sheep have gone astray." (See Isaiah 53:6). Satan loves it when we go astray and his goal is to keep us captive away from the truth. In Psalm 12:8 it says "The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men." Sounds a bit like our world today. Even well meaning Christians can be tricked and taken off God's path.

1 Peter 5:8 says "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." And that he will. Satan will get you to believe a lie as truth and may even turn some against those who love them. Satan is the master deceiver. John 10:10 says "The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

In Moms in Touch prayer ministry we often pray scriptures personalizing them with our childrens' names. Let's say there is a girl named Suzy Q so we pray Colossians 1:9-10 for her. It says "For this reason, since the day we heard about Suzy Q, we have not stopped praying for Suzy Q. We continually ask God to fill Suzy Q with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that Suzy Q may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God." It is powerful when you add a name to pray for in the verses. Try it with your own children's names.

God is waiting for you to come to Him with your whole heart. Turn from your wicked ways and run back to Him. He will not say "I gave you a chance. Get out of my sight!!" Lots of people may do that but not God. Matthew 11:28 says "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." No matter what you have done God is not going to be shocked. Isaiah 64:6 says "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

Come back to Jesus now. 1 Peter 2:25 says "For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." Return to Jesus now. He is waiting for you to repent and He is waiting to forgive. He loves you so let Him have your heart and be Lord of your life. Stop being sucked into Satans' scheme to tear you down. Call out for Jesus now. He is ready to hear and heal and forgive.

PRAYER: Lord I need you in my life 24/7. I thank you that no matter what has happened you do not care. You are patient not wishing anyone to perish. Father help me resist the enemies lies so he has to flee. Father  I pray this for any family members as well who need to come back to you. Open their ears to hear your truth. Block Satan's lies. In Jesus Name. Amen.



Worship the Lord by listening to this wonderful song by Chris Tomlin..Amazing Grace My Chains Are Gone .Click on link.
http://youtu.be/p8YRapsaRfE