Giving Thanks!

I just wanted to take a moment and give God thanks for His many blessings.
Psalms 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Praise the Lord, he watches over me and takes super care of me.
What he does for me, he will do for you if you let Him.
God Bless

Fishing for Men!

Dear all,
It is a rainy morning here. Now I won't have to water my flowers, God did it for me.
Saturday the 23rd, I was at the coast with some of my brothers and sisters. We were window gazing in Depoe Bay when my brother Chuck saw a t-shirt and said "Here's one Joy could use in her daily devotional" or something similar to that effect. After pondering on it and looking at it, I decided to use it this morning.
Luke 5:4
Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
You need to realize Simon (Peter) as most of the Disciples were fishermen. It was their means of income. They had fished all night and didn't catch anything. Here comes Jesus in the morning and uses Peter's ship to teach the crowd of people. When Jesus is finished using it he tells Peter to launch out. The key here is that Peter obeyed and did what Jesus asked him to do. If he had stayed in the shallow water, he wouldn't have caught the fish.
In verse 10 the latter part Jesus told Peter, James and John "from this time forth you will catch men".
In Matthew 4:19 Jesus said
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
I dearly love to fish, but as much as I love to fish; it is more important for me to be trying to witness to people, and help them find Jesus.
Sometimes as the saying on the t-shirt I get busy taking care of the things at home or even helping others, including doing things for the Lord that I forget Jesus wants me first and foremost to be a soul winner for Him.
Have a great day fishing!
Joy

Seek Ye First!

Good morning,
It is a special day for me as it's my oldest grandson's 21st birthday. Happy birthday Brad.
Yesterday I was looking at a list of goals I had made sometime toward the end of January. Some of them I have been doing just fine with reaching; however, others that should be easy to reach I have been slack in accomplishing. Like walking, loosing weight, writing at least one hour a day, you get the idea. The two I believe are the most important are reading my Bible every day and praying every day.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33
"But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides".
I find if I don't read my bible and pray first thing in the morning, the day gets away from me before I know it and I'm too tired to pray or read.
When I put that as a top priority then my day goes better and when someone calls me to pray about something I am ready to ask God on their behalf.
How about you, did you set goals for 2007? Have you looked at them lately so see how you are measuring up? I can't believe the year is half over. There are some goals I set that I have to get busy on. At least this year I set some, and am working on them. Let me tell you, it feels good.
Take care and God Bless you above and beyond what you can conceive or imagine.
Joy

Believing When We Pray!

Good rainy morning,

Mark 11:23-24
23 Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him.
24 For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].
It is raining this morning. Yesterday I went to the coast with some of my family. It was supposed to be cloudy and a chance of rain. I asked God to let the rains hold off and for sunshine. It was a beautiful sunshiny day at the beach for which I give God praise. When I pray I expect God to do that which I've asked for, do you?
If His Word is true, which I believe it is, then when I go to Him in prayer, believing He will answer, then why do I get surprised when the answer comes?
I do have to remember that just like my earthly parents did, sometimes God says no to my prayer, sometimes He says wait a while and sometimes He answers YES and very quickly.
Take care and have a wonderful day!
Joy

Pleasant Places!

Greetings from sunny Dallas,
It is supposed to be raining here, however all I see is sunshine.
Yesterday my brother, sister and I went to silver Creek Falls. I marveled at the beauty and force of the water going over the cliff.
I kept praising the Lord who made the beauty for me to enjoy.
Psalms 16:6 says:
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.

I am so grateful that my loving Father gave me beautiful scenes to enjoy. He has given me a goodly and Godly heritage and I praise Him for his many blessings to me daily.
He is our God and worthy of all praise.
Have a super day!
Joy

Come and Hear!

Good morning all you great people,
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my Soul. Psalms 66:16
I got up this morning with a song in my heart and joyful praise on my lips. The more I seek Him, the more I get to know Him, the more I want to share the love and peace only God can give. He is concerned about everything that happens to me or you. I am excited about His plans for my life. He is my everything, he is my all.
I pray he leads you and guides you and gives you a super day!
God Bless you!
Joy

Make His Praise Glorious!

Good morning,
Yesterday I had the privilege of going to the beach with two of my brothers and a sister. As far as I can remember this was the first time the four of us had ever done anything with it being just the 4 of us. I felt very special to go with them.
The Lord blessed us with a perfect day, sunshine, laughter, fun, good food, lots of reminiscing. What more could anyone ask for?

Psalms 66:2
Sing forth the honor and glory of His name; make His praise glorious!
Psalms 69:30
I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify Him with thanksgiving,

I just kept walking around yesterday, offering praise to the Lord. It was a very special day sent from the Father to add to our already wonderful memories.
When I looked out across the ocean, listened to the birds giving praise, saw all the beautiful scenery, my heart was overflowing with praise to the Creator who made all things for our enjoyment.
May you have a wonderful, praise filled day in the Lord.
Joy

Fountain of Life!

Greetings in the Name of Our Lord
Psalms 36:9
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
People search for ways to look younger all the time. Jesus is the fountain of life; find Him and you find life.
He is our light and when we walk in Him, we will no longer be in the dark but walk in the fullness of His light.
Praise the Lord.

Magnify Him with Thanksgiving!

Psalms 69:30
30 I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify Him with thanksgiving,
It is my choice on how my day will go. I can praise the Lord with songs of praise and a thankful heart; or I can grumble and gripe.
I know in my heart that when I offer the sacrifice of praise to Him and magnify Him with thanksgiving I feel a whole lot better and my day goes better.
I am so blessed of the Lord that it is really hard for me not to give Him praise all day long.
Praise the Lord, for in Him is your strength, health and love!

I Will Confess and Praise the Lord!

Greeting on this the Lord's Day and Dad's Day,
Psalms 138:1-3
1 I WILL confess and praise You [O God] with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praises to You.
2 I will worship toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for Your loving-kindness and for Your truth and faithfulness; for You have exalted above all else Your name and Your word and You have magnified Your word above all Your name!
3 In the day when I called, You answered me; and You strengthened me with strength (might and inflexibility to temptation) in my inner self.
I will give praise and honor to my Heavenly Father this wonderful Father's Day. He is worthy of all praise, honor and glory.
I praise him for his loving me, his faithfulness to me in good times and bad. I am glad God doesn't measure his faithfulness to me by my faithfulness to him. When I call to him, he answers me, he gives me strength.
He sends others to bless me and to physically uplift me. God is indeed a loving Father.
May God keep his hand on each of you and have a most blessed day.
Joy

The word is near you!

The word is near you!
Deuteronomy 30:14-16
14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it.
15 See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil.
16 [If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which] I command you today, to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land into which you go to possess.
I find myself going through the day thinking on the scriptures I've learned. They are a help to me when I start thinking about all the things that seems to rob me of my joy in the Lord. I ponder the words of the Lord. He has set before me life and good, death and evil. I choose which one I will dwell on and live. I choose life and good. I am so thankful I can not only read the word, but have it dwell in my heart and mind.
I praise the Lord for his love and grace. He is my strength and my joy.
Praise His Holy Name.

Early Will I Seek Thee!

I am finding if I don't take time first thing in the morning to do my devotionals, I get busy and forget to do them.
I find that true with seeking the Lord, if I don't seek him early, it seems like I get busy and by the time I get ready to seek him it's bedtime and I'm tired.
How much better to seek him when I am fresh and ready to start the day.
His word says in Psalms 63:1
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
Psalms 5:33 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.
When I pray to my Father early in the morning and bring my requests to him, then I can go about my day with expectation that my prayers will be answered.
Praise the Lord.

Jesus our Anchor!

Greetings from sunny Dallas,
It is indeed a beautiful day here today. The SON is shinning down on me.
Yesterday in church my pastor's wife Sis. Bristow sang a special about "The Anchor Holds", I got to thinking about boats, and ships, the size of them determines what size of anchor will be used to keep the ship in a certain spot when it stops.
Hebrews 6:19 says
[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it--a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil (AMP)
Acts 27:29
29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day. KJV
In this verse they cast out 4 anchors. I am so thankful Jesus is my anchor. It doesn't matter what I am going through or how severe the storm, Jesus is able to deliver me. He gives me peace and joy even when I am hurting or afraid. I am so thankful I know him well enough that I can ask Him to take away all fear. I can live an abundant life, full of peace, joy, love and hope. Whatever God does for me He will willingly do for you.
May you have a wonderful day.
Joy

God's Deliverance!

Psalms 34:19 Many evils confront the [consistently] righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. (AMP)
The KJV says Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
I am so thankful that regardless of what I am going through the Lord is right there with me. He delivers me from all affliction or evil. God is a God of love and compassion. He loves you as much as He loves me. He is not willing that any perish, but by His saving grace all can come to Him and be saved forever. I don't know how people survive without the Lord. I would be absolutely lost without Him.
Have a blessed day!

His Name Shall Endure Forever!

Good morning,
It is indeed a day to offer praise unto our Father. It doesn't matter what we are going through, God does care about us and will help us get through any situation if we allow him to be there for us.
Psalms 72:17-19
17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun [indeed, His name continues before the sun]. And men shall be blessed and bless themselves by Him; all nations shall call Him blessed!
18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things!
19 Blessed be His glorious name forever; let the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen!
May you have a blessed day in the Lord. May you feel the Lord in your life in a wonderful way. May he lead you and guide you and may you be filled with his glory so your whole body radiates his love for all the world to see.
God bless you!

Tearing Down Building Up

Greetings,
On June 6th I sent a devotional with the scriptures from Hosea 6:1-3. It was about God tearing down and building up. Returning unto the Lord. God binding up those that are torn and healing us.
I received the following email on that devotional, but feels it fits on an every day occasion so I asked my friend Ronda, if I could use it and got permission to share it with you today.

I wanted to share a word the Lord gave me a couple of years ago. The Lord has reminded me of this word many times when He has provided my needs or answered my prayers.

A couple of years ago, when Steve was out of town I had hurt my back so badly and I could barely move myself let along lift Colby. God provided help for me so readily and easily that I did not have to be anxious or worry how I would manage. During a devotion time, I was thanking God for providing for my needs so quickly that I didn't have to worry or be anxious. He spoke back and said something that has changed my view of answered prayer or His meeting my needs. He said" When I provide for you, meet your needs or answer your prayers, rejoice not only in what I have done for you but that I have revealed Myself to you. I desire to reveal Myself in these ways so that you may be strengthened in Me, not just have your needs met. Look beyond what I did to who I AM.

This word caused me to see that the greater thing was not the answered prayer or the need met, but rather that My Father God had revealed Himself to me, and He does it again and again through answered prayer or met needs and it strengthens us. The ways you mention in your devotion are also Him revealing Himself to us - without revelation of the knowledge of God, we perish.
Have a blessed day,
Joy

The Lord Takes Pleasure In His People!

Psalms 149:4-5
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation and adorn the wretched with victory.
5 Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty [which God confers upon them]; let them sing for joy upon their beds.
I am so thankful that my God takes care of me. He takes pleasure in my life. God loves me and gives me victory.
Praise His Name.

Faith and Laughter!

Tears and self pity and sorrow will never release faith.

Release your faith in laughter with the confession of your faith

When fear comes keep your mouth shut.

A friend gave me these sayings last Saturday, I thought they were very wise.

We need to be reminded occasionally that "Life and death are in the power of the tongue."

Have a blessed day in the Lord.

JOY!

Greetings to all of you this beauteous Sunday morning,
I was thinking early this morning about laughter and joy, it just seems that when things are rough if you can remember to laugh you feel better. Not only do you feel better, but those around you feel better also.
I would like to give you some scriptures on joy.
Isaiah 35:10
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Isaiah 51:11
Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Isaiah 55:12
For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.Isaiah 61:3
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
John 15:11
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Proverbs 15:13
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

The other day while listening to a lady pray, I could feel such joy radiating from her that I opened my eyes and looked at her, she was giving praise to the Lord. She was so happy she was trying really hard not to overflow with laughter as she was praying. I could feel the laughter bubbling up in my soul. It just started spilling out. As I started to laugh, the lady began to laugh as well; there were four of us praying with hands joined together in a circle. Soon all of us was laughing in the joy of the Lord. It was a tremendous moment in time. One of the ladies had never experienced that before while praying. I am so thankful that when things get rough, God created in each of us the ability to laugh.
Prov 17:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

Have a joyful day!
Joy

God's Words Give Light!

Psalms 119:135
129 Your testimonies are wonderful [far exceeding anything conceived by man]; therefore my [penitent] self keeps them [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them].
130The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.
131 I opened my mouth and panted [with eager desire], for I longed for Your commandments.
132 Look upon me, be merciful unto me, and show me favor, as is Your way to those who love Your name.
133 Establish my steps and direct them by [means of] Your word; let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
134 Deliver me from the oppression of man; so will I keep Your precepts [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying them].
135 Make Your face shine [with pleasure] upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes.
This is my prayer this morning to know God's testimonies, to keep His commandments. To pray for understanding. That He order my steps to be in His word. He delivers me from the oppression of man. He makes His face to shine on me. I will praise the Lord. Praise to Him will be the order of my day.
Bless you O Lord.
May God lead y0u and guide you today and every day.

Fear Not!

Isaiah 43:1-5
1 BUT NOW [in spite of past judgments for Israel's sins], thus says the Lord, He Who created you, O Jacob, and He Who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ransomed you by paying a price instead of leaving you captives]; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt [to the Babylonians] for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba [a province of Ethiopia] in exchange [for your release].
4 Because you are precious in My sight and honored, and because I love you, I will give men in return for you and peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east [where they are dispersed] and gather you from the west.
He has called me by name. I am His. He will take care of me no matter what I am going through. Thank goodness I am only going through it, I don't have to stay in the hardships of life. I believe I only stay in it as long as I want to. I don't think God wants us to dwell in the trials and hard places in our life. He wants to deliver us out of it quickly. It is ourselves that stay in it longer. He said "this to will pass". I am learning to lean on Him more and expecting to be delivered out of the trials in a timely manner. I believe each trial I go through, God can show me something to help me grow, as well as use it to help someone else if I let Him.
I am so glad I serve a risen Lord. He is alive and cares about everything that pertains to me.
God Bless you!