Buckler

Psalm 91:4 NKJV

"He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

Buckler means: "A shield surrounding the entir body". The dictionary even gives Ps 91:4 as a reference. Jesus is your shield today. Whatever you're facing, whatever needs you have- carry them to Him. Ash for protection. Ask for instruction. Ask for peace.

Show Me Your Faith

When you pray for God to show you, don't be surprised when He does. . . I pray He speaks to your hwart with these verses like He has mine the last 24 hours. . .

Isaiah 43:1-2, 4-5, 18-19 NKJV
"But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert."

Acts 14:22 NKJV
"strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

Romans 1:17 NKJV
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

In the Zone with Jesus

2 Corinthians 4:1, 8, 15-16 NKJV

"Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."

This was the scripture in my morning devotion. I've noticed the difference about how I start my days. It makes in my life. Do my prayer time & Bible reading come first, or haphazardly as I can fit it in. What about music? It sets my heart's focus on kingdom minded things. Do I seek music early to set the tone of my day, my home, my travel? Or have I become complacient? Have I decided my life is as it always will be & lost focus on my purpose. . . Have I resigned to sit down & do nothing? Have I seen the discouragement in my 5 yr old's eyes & felt the sting as she said, "It doesn't do any good to pray about it . . .". Is the delay of her blessing my fault, for some disobedience?

We do have this ministry. We have been given a job to do, a calling. We are not defeated! We cannot allow the enemy make us resign. We must fight to set our face like a flint on HIM fresh every morning. The faith of our children depends on it. We are closer now than we have ever been, to receiving our blessing, to the return coming of Christ. We matter, & our contribution to His kingdom matters.

"Get up mighty warrier!" . . . He's calling you.

Isaiah 50:4, 7 NKJV

“The Lord God has given Me
The tongue of the learned,
That I should know how to speak
A word in season to him who is weary.
He awakens Me morning by morning,
He awakens My ear
To hear as the learned. “For the Lord God will help Me;
Therefore I will not be disgraced;
Therefore I have set My face like a flint,
And I know that I will not be ashamed."

Faithfulness & Truth

Isaiah 25:1 NKJV

"O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."

I WILL exalt You, Lord. You have done wonderful things in my life. You are faithful & true.

Does God Know?

Hebrews 4:15 NKJV

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."

I asked God a really dumb question this week:" Do you really understand the agony of a "wait" for us humans here on earth? "

I meant no disrespect, thought I had all my reasoning together. I thought about how much easier a wait would be for us if we already knew the outcome & the exact time our blessing would unfold. Because you & I wait blindly. We do not know when or how or sometimes even "if". So we wait & wonder.

But God brought this verse to me. He is not a High Priest who cannot understand our waiting. He came here on earth, knowing the end of His earthly life would result in the crucifiction, and He waited 33 years to see it unfold. He knew His time would be short here & He waited 30 years for His appointed hour to begin His ministry here- He waited. That dark night as the end drew near, He prayed alone in the garden til His sweat turned to blood while everyone else fell asleep & waited for His accusers to kill Him. As He hung on a cross, He suffered ridicule & shame ,& the weight of every sin the world would ever commit, He waited to die as His Father had to turn away from Him . . . He waited. As He entered death & the grave to defeat the devil, He waited to be ressurected on that 3rd day.

Day after day, He extends His invitation for us to accept - accept His salvation, accept His companionship every morning, accept His will for our life. He waits. And He knows the outcome. He know many of us will never accept. He knows many will choose hell instead through disbelief. He waits.

God knows what lies ahead of us, the good & the bad. Some things we are better not knowing, we would loose joy of the good for dreading the bad. Our waits are easier for God because despite our misery, He designed the purpose within the wait. One day we will see that purpose too.

Anointed Snow Days!

2 Samuel 23:4 NKJV

"And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,
By clear shining after rain."

I'm amazed how wonderful & God ordained this week has been. Monday, we awoke to 8-10.5 inches of snow here in Pine Grove! ( depending on what area you live). This is the most snow I've seen since our trip to Mayo clinic inMinnesota. And the most my girls have ever seen. School was canceled, ball games were canceled, work canceled for many, even our computers were down for a day & half for scheduled upgrades. No excuse to keeping working! No excuse not to play! And play we did-all day long! The weather was perfect, no wind, snow was dry & pwder-like, not bitter cold outside. We rode 4 wheelers, had snowball fights,& built snowmen. We made a huge breakfast mid-morning- homemade sausage (from a local hog farmer&friend in our churcb), buiscuits, & I tackeled the omletts while Wayne was in charge of waffles. My farm table was full of loved ones & neighbors. Then we joined with another family from our church, made snow cream, rode golf carts, & pulled homemade sleds. We took pictures & made some of best memories. It was a joy, honor & priviledge to enjoy God's gift to us this day, without the demands of a schedule to keep. The rest of the week has been an opportunity to rest & catch up on home chores. Even our church services have been moved to home services with our family. Will be a great time to let the kids share their testimonies. He is faithful to send us exactly what we need, exactly when we need it most. We are a loved & blessed people, the children of the Most High God.

Our Africa

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 NKJV

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

It's not Africa, but it is a lifetime mission field no less, with the power to win many to the Lord & affect multiple generations-It's our children. Invest in this calling to your mission field today. And if God leads other children into your life, know He has faith in your influence in their life for His kingdom. Don't be a Jonah. Answer the call.

You Have Been Honored . . .

. . . I have loved you.

Isaiah 43:4 NKJV

Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.

Venial

I don't know about you, but the word "venial" is not common in my conversations or vocabulary. This word was listed in the dictionary when I looked up the word "breach" from our last scripture. It was listed under the thesaurus section as "venial sin". My mind was intrigued, so I looked it up. Here is the meaning:

1. Warrenting only temporal punishment
2. Easily excused or forgiven
3. Pardon, grace, favor, kindness
4. A sin which weakens but does not wholly destroy, santifying grace, as do mortal or deadly sins

I'm amazed at so many aspects of this. I was so awe struck to see how many Biblical scripture references (Chapter & verse) were listed by Webster in the various definations of "breach". We forget our entire existance is 'defined' by God & His Holy Word. Webster knew that still applies in 1913, and now in 2011.

Another point of amazement is this defination of venial. First let me say this: I never want to make light of sin. I know all too well the devastation that comes as a consequence of our sins. I've reaped both my own & those committed against me by others. Both have left scars that will always be painful reminders against my Lord. My very sins cost God His son on a cross. That's an image I can hardly bear sometimes. Regret is agonizing. . .

BUT often we forget just how easy forgiveness is. It did not come cheep, but it is free. We are easily forgiven & restored. Just for the asking with a broken & contrite spirit.

The devil would make us believe we are not worthy. That we cannot be made whole again. That we've done too much, gone too far to ever come back. These are lies. The only unforgiveable sin is unbelief. Period. All others are "venial" to Jesus- easily forgiven.

Don't let the enemy of your soul convince you otherwise. Accept the pardon, grace, favor & kindness of Jesus today.

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
~John 3:17~

“Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness
And rivers in the desert." ~Is 43:18-19~

Fill in the Gaps

Isaiah 58:12 NKJV

"Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In."

When I read this verse last week, I looked up the word 'breach'. The dictionary defines it this way:

1. Broken promises
2. A gap

Wow. . . How awesome is it that God guides us, strenghtens us, fills us & then helps us repair the broken promises & gaps the enemy left in our lives.

Abba Father, we need You. I need You to help me raise this generation if children. Repair the broken promises & gaps in their lives. Restore our dwelling to wholeness. . . I know You already are.