Painting and Paraphrase by DiVoran Lites
Day 19
Delight
Psalm 28:6-9
Beloved,
I am with you every night when you go to bed.
I am with you every morning for the day ahead.
You feel my warm protection that stretches through the years.
I’m there in every moment of happiness or tears.
Remember, my beloved, I am always there for you
Find delight and pleasure in the grace-filled things I do.
Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
Life can turn dark in so many ways. We were heading to church and Hubby rolled down his window. As he opened his wallet, he said, “There’s a woman with a sign that says, “My kids need to eat.”
Some put up signs and some sink in self-pity for lack of funds. But many more curse their situation. The same way the Israelites did.
Remember how they grumbled when they thought God had forgotten them? They were hungry and thirsty. And they even mumbled about going back to Egypt where they were slaves! Crazy thinking, in my opinion. But we’ve done the same thing—wish we were in a different place, maybe one we knew long ago. And we murmur our misfortune.
I’m here to challenge you: Toss that grumbling out the window, cross-out those pitiful remarks from your vocabulary, and kick out negative thoughts that take away your peace.
And instead, celebrate Chanukah with me. (Please don’t tell me you know what that is…I didn’t, and feel a bit embarrassed about it.)
So I asked. And a precious Jewish friend who now loves Yeshua as her Savior and Lord explained it to me. After I read the explanation, I was so touched by the meaning and the significance that I deposited a huge amount of joy right into the bank account of my heart.
So, read on, take in the message, and ponder on the absolutely wonderful truth God is reminding you through the recount. Here it is:
Chanukah is the Jewish holiday of the festival of lights – where we celebrate when a tiny band of men called the Maccabees conquered the Greek army and recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem. The Greeks had desecrated the temple and all the Jews could find was one day’s worth of oil to light the eternal light – which must burn continually, according to the Lord’s command. It takes eight days to produce the proper oil from the olives to use in the temple. But in faith, they used the little bit of oil – and it ended up lasting the full eight days – enough time to consecrate the new oil. It was a miracle all around – and that is why we light a Menorah, called a chanukiah – each day for eight days – to honor the Lord for his faithfulness and miracles!
Okay, you know God is the same yesterday, today and forever…do you think He’ll provide what you need? When you need it? And give you the oil, though meager it might seem, to last to cover the biggest bill in the pile?
God worked a miracle long ago…and He will now too. Not enough oil, but still, they lit the candles in trusting, not doubting, not wondering, not questioning—but in faith—and why shouldn’t we do the same?
Pray with me: Lord, I place the oil of faith before you. And I count on your Word, your promise and your provision to take care of all my needs. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
What needs will you bring before the Lord today?
Janet
Source: http://www.janetperezeckles.com/blog/inspiration/help-i-have-too-much-debt.html
A Time to Live
Melody Hendrix
Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
Why does bad news come at the worst times? A while back, I sat at my computer, my fingers dancing on the keyboard when hubby walked in. “You won’t believe this…but it’s 95% certain I can’t go.”
He’s got to be kidding! We planned this vacation for a year; it was paid for in full. We looked forward to a bit of rest, a little distraction, fun times to renew our body and soul. This time away was God’s gift to us. Really, it was.
“You’ll have to find someone else to take my place,” he said.
I hate these kind of surprises. I blew out a long breath and, dropped my head on the back of my chair. Why does life have to be complicated by broken plans?
Maybe you’re going through that right now. Not something insignificant as spoiled vacations. But maybe someone let you down. Or maybe the answer you received left you numb with shock. Or even worse, what you thought would work, just ended in disaster.
But sadly we add to the disaster when we, on our own, try to swallow our pain, hold our chin up and attempt to deal with life’s disappointments.
We can’t. Rather, what we can do is look up and read the message that God writes with His love, bringing the bright side of any disappointment because each could be His new appointment. Those broken plans become His opportunity to bring new, better ones.
And here’s His reason: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
In His ways, a better path is revealed. In His path, a new direction appears. And in His way of thinking victory is in the horizon.
Pray with me: Father, I release my broken heart, my disappointment, and I welcome the solution and wait in expectation at your hand at work. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
What disappointment in your life will become God’s opportunity to do great things?
Hey friends, can you give me your feedback? Do you want me to include the prayer for you and the questions at the end? Or do you prefer shorter inspirational truths?
I delight in meeting your expectations.
Janet
Source: The bright side of disappointment. ~ Janet Perez Eckles
From the Heart
Louise Gibson
(But what you think, You are)
Now that is controversial,
and truly is confusing.
You are toying with my thinking,
But I do find it amusing.
If I think that I am coping
with the problems of old age,
And truly believe that my life
is not ruled by a calendar page,
Then I will continue on my journey-
finding meaning as I go,
Trusting God to teach me
all that He wants me to know.
It never ceases to amaze me
when I think about the past.
The trials never seemed to end-
While the good times went so fast.
Everything in life happens for a reason.
God wants to conform us to the image of His Son.
When confronted with life’s problems,
Remember, the battle has already been won.
Painting and Paraphrase by DiVoran Lites
Day 17
Always
Psalm 103
Beloved,
Don’t hesitate to ask others to pray for you.
They will be honored.
Each of you prays in your own way, but
You are one with Me and with each other.
Some ask me what and how to pray.
Some lay out every detail to fend off mistakes.
Some pray and walk away, leaving it all in My hands.
Some begin to thank me right away that the prayer is answered.
When two or three gather together to pray, your hearts beat in the same rhythm.
Jesus prays too.
He says to His Father,
It’s time for our family to know beyond any doubt that they are ours.
Our joy is completed in them.
Guard them from the evil one.
Make them whole.
Let them become of one heart and one mind.
Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
(March 3, 2017)
Who, me? It’s not my fault…we sometimes want to say. Blaming someone else for our sorry situation can be so tempting. When we mess up, pointing at another promises to be the easy way out.
That’s what the Israelites did.
As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!”
Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14: 10-14)
Have you ever complained like that? I have. Goodness gracious, where is Moses when we need him? Deep into our own struggles, we end up terrified like the Israelites. We grumble in the hot desert of frustration. And as we trudge through the dry land of conflict, of uncertainty and nervousness, we desperately look to be rescued.
But no one is there to do the rescuing. And when peace is gone, like those Egyptians, stress and anxiety come after us, threatening to ruin our day.
But should Moses show up in the midst of social media frenzy, He might use tweets to remind us: “The Lord will fight our battles; all we have to do is be still.”
That’s because in the still of God’s presence is when our nights know His peace. In the still of our heart is when His whisper brushes through. And in the still of the moment is when we see His promises come alive.
Can you tell me, in the midst of your hectic life, what keeps you from being still?
Janet
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Source: The secret to peace is in the still of the moment. | Janet Perez Eckles
Day 16
Deep
Luke 5: 4
Beloved,
I will give you the most careful and tender guidance,
The most thoughtful filling of your needs,
The most accurate and supernatural shaping
For your life…light, joy, anticipation.
I have filled you with My atonement.
Give up anxiety.
Give up having to understand everything.
Give up your perception of what you can do for me,
Or even what I might want to do for you.
Float in my love.
My Holy Spirit is in you.
He is deep and sweet.
Bathe in Him as in a cool fathomless sea.
Bathe and breathe.
Lose yourself and your sorrows.
Lose your helplessness in the
Calm and peace of my everlasting presence.
My holy spirit is a bright, marvelous, answer to prayer.
Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
Janet Perez Eckles
A group of friends and I chatted during lunch at an Asian restaurant last Sunday. After we finished, the usual thing happened.
A waitress approached the table with a tray. “Fortune cookies for you,” she said with a lovely accent.
Although I don’t believe in that stuff, I took one. And it read: The worst lies you hear are those you tell yourself.
Oh my, for the first time this silly cookie contained a true statement. How many times have I done that? Have you? We goof at something and what comes out, “Oh, what an idiot!” we say to ourselves.
If that becomes a habit, what happens then is those negative words we utter turn to the attitude we embrace. And that attitude turns to the course we take. And sadly, the course can take us to a not-so-pleasant destination.
But here are three secrets to change that in order to make our days shine.
Jesus said: “He the devil was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
“Set a guard over my mouth, O lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)
“My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long…” because as the psalmist says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 35:28 and Psalm 139:14)
Next time we open a fortune cookie, we might find silly nonsense. But when we open God’s Word, we’ll find His truth, powerful truth worth replacing the negative words we’re tempted to say about ourselves.
Let’s celebrate the change because when praises, edifying words and positive comments flow from our lips, the enemy is silenced, our attitude is transformed, resulting in pleasantly sweet days.
What words have you been telling yourself lately?
Janet
Source: Three secrets to make your day shine. | Janet Perez Eckles
Picture and paraphrase by DiVoran Lites
Day 15
Fear Not
Isaiah 43, Revelation 1:1-6
Beloved,
I’ll tell you how and why you’re afraid.
Then I’ll tell you how you are redeemed from fear.
You’re afraid when you don’t know what to do.
It may be difficult to admit that you are helpless and know nothing.
You start figuring. What will happen next?
How can you protect yourself and others?
This is how the world, the flesh, and the devil think and act.
Their thoughts are damaging.
You look at the past. Has anything like this happened to you or to anyone you know?
You go online to read everything that remotely applies to the problem.
You listen to the opinions of many counselors.
Some have solid ideas, but some harbor false perceptions,
You try to sort them out.
You remain in a state of the hyper alertness as though you were standing on a highway with cars whizzing by.
You fantasize about crashes, falls, accidents, hospital visits, and dying.
You invite guilt: what did you do to deserve this?
You ask if I am angry with you.
You slip in the miry clay and fall into self-pity.
Fear and worry kill your joy.
STOP
Breathe in Spirit
Be still and know that I Am God.
Thank me immediately.
That is my signal to go into action.
That is how I know you want my help.
You can do it from the start and skip all the nonsense.
It’s how I know you value kinship with me more than anything else.
I am able to make everything fresh.
I light your path, one step at a time.
It is the day of freedom, truth, and abundant life.
Watch for miracles. Give and receive love
Rejoice and be glad.
I give all the strength and wisdom you need.
I impart understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, reverence, and obedience: the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Taste and see that I am good.
Old Things R New 