Laced with Grace..."A Savior for us all"

Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace site entitled “A Savior for us all”.

Christmas is an exciting time of the year.  It’s my favor holiday to celebrate and as soon as the hot summer days begin to fade into cool weather and the leaves begin to change colors and fall I start getting excited about Christmas.

I just love the trees!  The snow!  The fire place burning!  Christmas songs!  The homemade cookies!  The lights!  The presents under the tree!  The Christmas dinners!  The family gatherings!

It’s so exciting buying gifts, receiving gifts, spending time with family, and making wonderful memories. 

I love this time of year, but even more than all the wonderful things at Christmas time, I don’t ever want to forget why we celebrate Christmas.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

God gave us the most precious gift anyone could ever give or receive; a Savior. 

On that day He gave to us more than we could ever need and EVERYTHING we could every hope for!  Christ was born, a Savior for us all!!

Christmas cannot be found in shopping malls or underneath the Christmas tree… it is found in our hearts!

It’s a time of GIVING and BLESSING others!!! 

Let’s not get caught up in the “things” we buy or receive, but remember it’s all about LOVE and GIVING and BLESSING others, like Christ did for us!!

Merry Christmas everyone!! J

You can also read this devotion over at Laced with Grace!!

Laced with Grace....Dare to Believe

Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace site entitled “Dare to Believe”. 

I’m sure every one of you ladies have tied an apron around your waist and grabbed all the ingredients that you need to bake a cake. 

You grab the shortening, sugar, vanilla, flour, baking powder, salt, water, eggs, etc… 

Stir it all together…

Pour into the cake pan and bake…

After 30 mins or so, you have a cake!

Gathering the ingredients to make a cake is a lot like believing and having the faith about something that hasn’t happened yet.

Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” NLT

You need all the ingredients in order to make that cake, without them, there will be no cake.  Your faith is like all the ingredients that it takes to…..

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Laced With Grace….”You can’t hide what’s inside”

Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace site entitled “You can’t hide what’s inside”.

It’s easy to claim to be a Christian because all you have to do is simply that – claim it.  Simply claiming to be something doesn’t make you what you are claiming to be.  I can claim to be the tooth fairy, but it doesn’t make me the tooth fairy….right?  I hope you would agree with me on this.  If you believe everything you hear, then you are thinking that I have a ton of teeth stashed somewhere.  Ha!  Humor me for a moment…..

If I don’t have wings, can’t fly, and don’t have a magical wand then I’m not the tooth fairy.  I can claim to be….but the fact remains that I just can’t prove it; therefore I’m NOT.

We should prove that we are Christians by the way we live our life. 

It boggles my mind that so many people say they are a Christian, but they are the meanest and ugliest people around, who murder others with their tongue and say and do whatever suites their fancy and not thinking twice about what spills from their mouth.  Their hearts are filthy and full of wickedness and nothing but darkness. 

Do they actually think that we can’t see the condition of their hearts? 

Do they really think they’ve got us fooled?

Your actions and words will reflect what’s inside your heart just like the moon reflects the light from the sun.  No matter how hard you try, you can’t hide what’s inside your heart.

Matthew 15:18 says “But the words you speak come from your heart – that’s what defiles you.” NLT

If the condition of your heart is “clean” and you are “Spirit-filled” then others will………

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Thankful Thursday – Gifts from above

I am thankful for many things this Thankful Thursday.  I am so thankful to know the Lord and have the privilege to walk and talk with Him daily.  Years ago when I gave my life to Him, He transformed my heart into a new heart with new desires and gave me a new nature.  I haven’t been the same since. 

“Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away’; behold, all things are become new.”  - 2 Cor. 5:17

I’m so thankful for the experience of regeneration (being born again).  I’ve learned that life is no life at all if you’re not living your life for Jesus Christ!  I’m thankful that lovingly and gently lead my heart to His.

I’m also thankful for the most precious gift from above, my wonderful husband Jordan.  He is not what I imagined….he’s MUCH MORE!!!! J 

I’m thankful for my family.  There is nothing else like family - that closeness that you have with your family is priceless.

Today, I am linking up over at Thankful Thursday.  Iris is our host the month

of June; visit Grace Alone for more Thankful Thursday posts!

To Know Him

Do you ever get overwhelmed when you think of the people all over the world that don’t know Christ Jesus? 

Sometimes when I think about the millions or billions of people that know of Him, but don’t really know Him (close relationship) it scares me.  I start thinking things like…”I wonder if they will have a chance to know Him like I know Him?  What if they don’t?  What if they never get a chance and spend their lives without knowing the one that changes everything?” 

I get myself all worked up and before I know it, I’m feeling the weight of the world resting on my shoulders…Ha, like it’s my problem to take care of or something!  What am I thinking?  It’s great and all that I care about the people around me, but it’s not my problem to solve…so why am I all upset over these people that don’t know Christ Jesus? 

Then it hit me, I’m not trusting in the Lord.  I have to trust Him that He knows the needs of those who are not yet living their lives for Him.  When I realized that it’s all in His hands, I was able to relax and feel relief, the weight lifted off my shoulders. 

Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.  Everything he does is just and fair.  He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is!”

He’s on it!!  He is so amazingly powerful and all knowing!!  He’s working in our lives, each and every one of us, gently guiding us towards a place close to Him.  Even though there are so many that haven’t reached that point yet, we must patiently wait for the Lord.  He’s working in their lives.  He knows the hearts that will accept Him and the ones that will not, but the Word of God says that He will give ALL a change to receive His free gift….the gift of salvation. 

Laced With Grace...."Jehovah"

Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace site entitled “Jehovah”. 

Some claim that Jesus Christ was fabricated by the human mind; simply produced by the imagination and nothing more.  If, in fact He was invented by man then why has man not been able to improve on Christ over the years?  Improvements have been made continuously over the years on everything that man has made.  No one can deny that we don’t continuously improve on everything that we can get our hands on.  

It’s nothing out of the ordinary to see improvement at every turn.

On television we see commercials advertising the newest improved gadget that is better, faster, smoother, lighter, and more convenient than ever before.   

“The Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power Razor is Gillette’s most advanced blade ever.  Thinner, finer blades with a low-resistance coating glide effortlessly through hair for less tug and pull, providing incredible comfort, even if you shave every day.”

Gillette’s website advertisement clearly makes my point; this product is one of the many products that are continually being improved and I doubt the production of ideas will stop flowing.  In the 18^th century the first razor invented was a “straight razor”, years later you can see substantial improvement.

Years ago…

Now…

Compare the automobiles produced in the 20^th century to the 21^st century; you are bound to see a major improvement.  The progress that man has made on the appearance, assembly, versatility and the wide ranges of makes, models and color options are vast improvements from where automobiles first began.

Years ago…

Now…

Architectural structures began to mature and flourish hundreds of years before Christ was born.  Buildings were sturdier and more permanent than before.   Structures in the 21^st century have dramatically improved with endurance, stability, beauty, design and manufacture.

Years ago…



Now…

Jesus Christ claimed deity; He applied to Himself the
statement of Jehovah, “I am”.  

John 8:24 “That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:24 “That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said “I am the light of the world.  If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

John 10:9 “Yes, I am the gate.  Those who come in through me will be saved.  They will come and go freely and will find good pastures.”

John 11:25 Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”

John 14:6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No on e can come to the Father except through me.”

This truth of the revelation of Jesus Christ is revealed in Scripture and proves that Jesus Christ is deity and not man-made. 

We are merely humans and are unable to…..

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Prayer

Have you been doing all the talking?

The Artist At Work

Today I want to share my heart with you, something that the Lord has been tugging on my heart to change.  The past few months I have been convicted of something that I have never been convicted of before and it all started when I opened up my mouth and uttered a phrase that I haven’t forgotten since. 

Like any other morning, I was driving to work and turned into the parking lot to park my car and noticed this person who wasn’t very attractive and like most people’s reaction I said to myself “ugh, that person is so ugly.”  As the words left my lips Jesus spoke into my heart and said, “That is my creation you are talking about; my work of art”, and I felt so terrible that I had said something so awful and basically criticized God’s creativity and capabilities.

From that moment on I decided to never speak of God’s creation in a negative way ever again.  That person shouldn’t be judged or criticized by us; all that matters is that God thinks they are beautiful because He created them.  We are all uniquely made inside and out, and we are His pride and joy…His work of art.

Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands.”

This scripture says the heavens are proudly announcing and showing their appreciation of His marvelous art work (His creation) and the skies are giving their approval and making it known.  He is our Artist and we are all His work of art.  He loves us.  He’s proud of what He has created and we should be too.

God is our Creator; He is The Artist!!! 

We should have an appreciation of His art and beauty; not just the mountains, waterfalls, sunsets, stars in the night sky, Grand Canyon, but the people He created too.  We are His work of art!!

Laced with Grace....I Don’t Buy That Lie

Today I shared a devotion over at Laced with Grace entitled “I Don’t Buy That Lie”.

Satan doesn’t just temp us on the obvious things like to tell a lie, smoke cigarettes, talk bad about someone, or cheat on a test.  He tempts us with less obvious things like when you are facing difficulty in life and everything seems to be falling apart.  He comes along and whispers lies into your ear to lure you out onto his slippery pathways with one objective in mind…..for you to fall.  Yes, he plays dirty.  He kicks you while you’re down. 

In those moments in life, that is when Satan runs as fast as he can to get to your ear and fill it with lies and deception.  He tries to convince you that God has abandon you and no longer loves you.  He tries to convince you that your situation is hopeless and will never change and never get better.  He tries to discourage you when you need encouragement the most.  He pushes you down, right at that moment you need a helping hand.  He tries his best to drag you down as low as he can drag you so you are discouraged and hopeless of your situation. 

Satan will drag you as far as you let him!

Yes trials are hard, no doubt, but the Lord has shown me something different in this scripture today.  I’ve never thought about it like this before, but the reason we feel so weak, hopeless, fearful, discouraged and faithless........

Click here for the rest of the devotion!

Safe and Sound

The record breaking storms have passed and the sun is shining.  We have made it through the storms this week.  Our town was blessed.  We are all safe and sound right?

Yes we are safe, but what about sound? 

Throughout the Mid-South area we experienced severe thunderstorms and twisters with minor damage compared to other cities in the U.S. leaving us safe, but maybe not so sound. 

The enemy can torment your mind leaving you with fear.  He can get you worrying and imaging the worse-case scenarios and all the “what if’s” you can thing of….  But remember what 2 Timothy 1:7 says….

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

Not worry, but peace!!  Not fear, but power!! 

Dear Lord,

Please help us to not listen to the enemy’s lies and focus our minds on You. Give our hearts peace and a sound mind.  Amen!

My Painted Heart

I have faced a lot of difficulty, pain, and heartache in my 26 years.  The pain I have suffered has made me who I am today and I wouldn’t take that back for the world.  God can turn any bad situation into beauty.  I was completely broken up inside with nothing left.  God knows exactly what he is doing and has allowed everything that has happened to me with a great purpose in mind.  Just think, we are his pride and joy…the apple of this eye…the most precious thing that belongs to him…he proved that when he sent His one and only son to die on the cross for payment of our sins in order to purchase us!!

We are so precious to Him!

What is the MOST PRECIOUS thing that belongs to you?  Something you have purchased?  Something that has been given to you?  Let’s say a small glass vase has been passed down in your family for many generations and it now belongs to you.  It’s precious to you…your whole entire family line for generations has owned and cherished this small glass vase which tells a story that runs all of the way back to the latest your family were able to trace on your family tree.  It is now in your hands to take care of, watch over and protect.  It is precious to you and you are in charge of it…it’s YOURS!!  I’m sure you would make sure that you knew exactly where it was at all times and if you decide to take it into another room and place it another spot in your house you would make sure that it would be safe there in that new spot.  Whatever you decide to do with it or wherever you decide to place it, you will have its best interest in mind ALWAYS.

That’s the way I like to think of it.  God’s ALWAYS aware of where we are and what is happening in our lives.  If something will help us build character or help us grow stronger in him, then he will allow the stormy winds to swirl in our lives.  He is there and never leaves during the storm, but is smiling inside seeing the end results which is his ultimate plan.  Of course at the same time he is hurting that we have to go through such pain but is very understanding and has compassion as we face that storm.

I have deep scars from past wounds (experiences) but that is what keeps me desperate for Jesus!!  Never a day goes by that I am not constantly reminded that I NEED him desperately EVERYDAY!!!

James 1:2-3 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

There was a time in my life that God wasn’t apart of it like he is now, only because I didn’t allow him.  Those were lonely, dark days that you couldn’t pay me enough money to relive.  If it weren’t for those experiences in my life I wouldn’t be who I am today. 

That’s what we are…God’s creation!!  We are like a painting that he is working on. 

He has got all his paint colors out, jar of water, paper towels, brushes and the grand idea of what picture he wants to paint. 

He has got this apron on and is all ready to go!!  With excitement he takes his first stroke on the blank solid white canvas and thinks to himself “This is going to be a good one!” 

Time passed and the canvas now has beautiful shades of color.  When he begins to mark the color black into the picture we start to wonder what is going on and why is this happening?  I don’t like the color black!!!  Who likes the color black??  It’s ugly!!  I don’t want that in my life!!!  It’s not even a pretty color!!! 

We must have the color black painted in our hearts.

 No it’s not a pretty color, but it is necessary…all together it makes the picture!!  Adding black to the painting is what makes it become beautiful.  What would the Mona Lisa be without black?  It wouldn’t be the beautiful famous painting as we know it…that’s for sure!

When I look at my past hurts I see pain, but when I look at the whole picture I see Gods fingerprints all over this beautiful story he is writing in my life. 

What a beautiful story God has written!!  He is not finished yet!!

This song “Before the Morning” by Josh Wilson says it all….click here to listen!

Dear Lord,

Thank you for all that you have done in my life and are still doing today. You are the reason my heart sings!!  Once there was only brokenness in my life, but you have mended me back whole.  I am now healed and even better than before.  I am thankful for the scares I have in my life because they are simply reminders of what you can make into beauty.  I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for the painful experiences that I have faced.  I look forward to more beauty that you bring into my life each and every day. Amen!

Laced with Grace...Choose Joy

Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace entitled “Choose Joy”.

Don’t forget to Choose Joy during the difficult times in life. 

It’s so easy to forget that we have a place to go and gather peace, strength, and everlasting joy during the trials of this life.  It’s so easy to sit and sulk over all that has gone wrong and walk around with your head down. 

Nehemiah 8:10 says, “…Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”  Choose joy.

When everything seems to come crashing down all at once and you don’t think it could get worse.  Everything seems to be going all wrong and all your plans fall through.......

Click here for the rest of the devotion!

Thankful Thursday - Refreshed

Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Sin is a lot like a match. 

When we participate in sin it’s like striking a match!

Once it is lit in your life it starts a fire that spreads and destroys everything.  Just that little tiny spark can be more destructive than you think. 

God is like a firefighter.  He comes in and cleans up the damage the fire caused.  But unlike any firefighter we know, this firefighter miraculously rebuilds and restores what was lost during the fire and makes everything new and whole again! 

Now that’s POWER!!  That’s OUR GOD!!

This Thankful Thursday I’m so thankful that we serve a God that rebuilds us and restores us after we sin.  Sometimes we can mess up so bad and wonder where do I go from here?  He repairs our heart from the pain and renews our souls from the damage.  Praise the Lord for His mighty and powerful miraculous touch!!

To join in or read more Thankful Thursday posts Click Here

Laced with Grace….Get Moving

Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace entitled “Get Moving”.

Hospitals are for the sick to come and get well.  Once they are well, they leave.  Wouldn’t it be so silly once you got well, if you just stayed there?  It’s not a resort; it’s place to help the sick get well. 

I think churches are a lot like hospitals for the lost.  Churches are established all over the world so the sick (lost) can come and get well (saved).  For those that are not well, can come and learn the life changing truth of Jesus Christ and no longer be lost, but found!!

Churches aren’t for the ones that know the truth, to go and sit on the pews for the rest of their lives.  That’s not our calling.  That’s not the instructions the Bible gives us.  If you know the truth you have a responsibility to take your place in the body of Christ and make a difference in the kingdom of God.  In Mark 16:15 you will find specific instructions from Christ telling us what He wants us to do with this life changing truth.

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Laced with Grace....All about love

Today I shared a devotion over at the Laced with Grace entitled “All about love”.

I’ve been thinking about Valentine’s Day and how it’s all about red roses, candy hearts, chocolate goodies, heartfelt cards, and celebrating your love with that special someone.  The whole day is painted in RED and all about LOVE!!  On that day you give your all, your very best of expressing your love to that special someone in your life.  You present them with the best gift to show your love, the sweetest card that brings a tear to their eyes, and you shower them with lots of chocolate goodies and lots of LOVE all day long!!  That special one day a year celebration is the one day that the love of your life will show you the most love all year long.

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Laced with Grace....Turn to clear vision

Today I shared a devotion over at Laced with Grace entitled "Turn to clear vision"

Proverbs 2:9-12 NIV “The you will understand what is right and just and fair – every good path.  For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.  Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.  Wisdom will save you from the ways of the wicked men, from men whose words are perverse.” 

Wisdom and knowledge are like the lookouts in the crow’s nest in a ship. 

The crow’s nest is positioned in the upper part of the mainmast of a ship and used as a lookout point.  Its position provides the best view for the lookout to see into the distance to scout for danger that may lie ahead. 

If you are a ship sailing without a lookout keeping a close watch for hazards to avoid, then you are in a whole lot of trouble.  There would be no way of knowing what is ahead waiting to crash into your life. 

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His Creation

I look around at the beautiful creation that God made with his creative and powerful hands; I can’t help but notice that everything is so orderly, precise, perfect and lacking nothing.  How everything has a purpose and how everything just goes together some way and somehow.  The million details that make up each animal and plant.  Each specific detail is so specific and is only there if needed.

What a perfect creation.  So specific and precise, He didn’t leave anything out and there certainly isn’t anything missing. 

It’s creative! It’s magnificent!  It’s marvelous!  It’s orderly!

 It’s perfect!

Last Sunday Jordan (my wonderful husband) taught the children’s church about creation.  He used an example to help them understand that this world we live in didn’t just happen by chance; it was created by the only one true God!  He gave each child a sponge which was numbered one through ten.  At the count of three…each child had to toss their sponge in the air and when all the sponges landed on the floor they needed to land in perfect order, side by side in numerical order. 

“That’s impossible” said the children before they tossed their sponges into the air.  That’s right!!  That’s impossible!!  That’s exactly what Jordan wanted to prove to them.  It is impossible for something so small like tossing sponges into the air and them all landing right next to each other, side by side in perfect order.  What about creation?  Think about it… It’s impossible for it to just happen.  Everything is created with such creativity, beauty and perfection that can’t be mistaken by coincidence or chance.  Something so perfect, creative, beautiful, orderly and marvelous can only be made by God.  

You can tell by His work that He is a God of specific order and perfection.  Everything here on earth that He created has a specific purpose and is in perfect order.  That really got me to thinking…that means if He is a God of specific order and perfection, then the things that happen to us aren’t coincidence or chance either.  

As a perfect God, I refuse to believe that He doesn’t choose what I go through and what I face each and every day. 

I would like to think that if it doesn’t serve a purpose to help me grow, mature, develop or change me for the better then it just won’t happen to me and I just won’t go through it.  I can’t look at His creation and still think that the hard waves that come crashing into my life are just because this is life.  That’s just it…it’s my life and His hands are holding me.  He created me and is in control of my life…that includes every little detail.

The next time you are asking yourself “why is this happening to me”?  Just remember, God is trying to teach you something to help grow, mature, develop, or change you!!  So starting viewing those hardships of live with new eyes and a new perspective!!  It’s a good thing; you just can’t see it yet!!