Tag Archive | blessing

Wake up Americans!

Jun16

The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, as He swore to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways. — Deuteronomy 28:9

“The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me. — Deuteronomy 28:20

“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that 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 judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the Lord your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.” — Deuteronomy 30:15-20

Look at the United States of America’s history and then tell me that Jesus doesn’t make a difference in the lives of people and nations. God will get the glory! How do you want to participate in that glory?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

View Righteousness, Seek The Lord

Apr10

Sow with a view to righteousness,
Reap in accordance with  kindness;
Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. — Hosea 10:12

The wicked earns deceptive wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward. — Proverbs 11:18

‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your  offspring
And My blessing on your descendants; — Isaiah 44:3

God is willing and ready to pour out His righteousness, Spirit, blessings and reward. Seek Jesus! Do everything in righteousness and with a loyal heart to the Lord.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Are You Blessed?

Mar18

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers. — Psalm 1:1-3

Bless, Not Curse

Mar5

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. — Romans 12:14

Bless (Eulogeo: Greek): to invoke blessing upon a person.

It’s right there, in black and white, in my Bible. Bless those who persecute? Really? I must have read that wrong. No, there it is. Bless and do not curse.

I thought, how can I bless someone who is mean, evil, wrong doing, harsh and many other such words? As I thought on these Words of God I saw a different picture.

If I dwell on persecutors I get angry and my mind wants revenge, for them to suffer as they have made others suffer and pretty soon I find myself enraged and bitter. What does that do to me? That’s my selfish view although justified as I need to dwell on Jesus and “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise”. (Philippians 4:8) Which way is most effective for the Kingdom of God?

My other thought is what better way can I bless someone than to pray for them. All day long I can hear, read, see persecution everywhere — news, T.V. in general, the internet, Facebook, conversations everywhere — but I wonder how many are praying for the persecuted and especially the persecutors. Just maybe if we started praying for them and our leaders — instead of mocking them, ridiculing them, pointing out all their faults — the earnest prayers of faithful believers just might see God move in miraculous ways in others and in us.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

The Big “If”

Feb15

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. — Romans 8:14-17

Lots of blessings and assurance in these verses, but what about the “if”? “If indeed we suffer with Him”?

Lately my heart has been so burdened for the”lost”. I have shed tears for family, friends, neighbors, people living in the USA and around the world. As I watch the news, read posts on Facebook and interact with the world around me I see such a great need. There is only one answer — Jesus Christ. Are you seeking peace? Jesus is the Prince of peace. I could go on and on about all the answers to questions that can be answered in the Word of God but they ultimately all lead to Jesus.

The real issue here is are you suffering with Christ in your daily walk? Are you stepping out of your comfort zone to share the gospel with a neighbor, co-worker etc.? Are you willing to pray for your government leaders instead of posting their dirty laundry? Are you willing to stand up and be heard for the sake of Christ and His purpose in the world — to be glorified and bring salvation to all mankind? Does the Way, the Truth and the Life flow from your mouth with life saving scripture despite the ridicule that may come?

I am convicted as I write these words. Am I suffering with Him for His glory and the hope of mankind? What “if” I did?

My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!
My heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 Disaster on disaster is proclaimed,
For the whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.” — Jeremiah 4:19-22

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Give Thanks

Nov26

Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples. — 1 Chronicles 16:8

One of our Thanksgiving traditions, as many I know do, is to share what we are thankful for as we sit around the table. Most thoughts gear towards the food before us, family as we are gathered together, health — all good things — but we could be thanking God and sharing the great deeds He has done for us over the past year, not to mention the wonderful sacrifice of Jesus that gives us salvation.

As you think on the things you are thankful for this Thanksgiving, will you exalt our Lord and share His great deeds with those around you? It could make for a Thanksgiving to be remembered.

 

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Released Then Reported

Nov17

When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. — Acts 4:23

Peter and John had just been released after being arrested for speaking about Jesus. Where was their first stop? Immediately returning to other believers and telling them of the events that brought glory to God. Not only did this encounter cause those who witnessed it to praise the Lord, giving Him glory, but also brought glory to God in those who heard the testimony of Peter and John.

Testimonies bring about encouragement in the believer, salvation to nonbelievers, and glory to God. Are you sharing testimonies of Jesus’ work in your life? If not what is stopping you?

Share a testimony today and you’ll be a blessing.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Blessedness of Forgiveness

Oct3

[ Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God. ] [ A Psalm of David. A Maskil. ] How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! — Psalm 32:1

Have you experienced the pure blessedness of forgiveness? Have you called out to God and received the forgiveness of Jesus Christ that He freely gave for you on the cross? Do you realize the magnitude of having your sin covered? Freedom from shame, regret, guilt, insecurity, unworthiness.

Ask for forgiveness. Experience the blessing.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

The Bible — Word of God

Sep2

Just how important is the Bible — the Word of God? To mankind as a whole? How important is it to you? Is it a priority in your life? Do you consider it the sustenance that keeps your spiritual life alive and well? Are you well fed?

The Bible says the Word of God is:

“the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” — Romans 1:16
“faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” — Romans 10:17
“you have been born again through the living and enduring word of God.” — 1 Peter 1:23

The Word blesses those who read and obey:

“Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.” — Revelation 1:3
“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” — Joshua 1:8

The Word of God brings light to the darkness, understanding:

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” — 2 Peter 1:19
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” — Psalm 119:105
“The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.” — Psalm 119:130
“For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life” — Proverbs 6:23

The Word of God is used for convicting, discipline, teaching:

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12
“and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;” — 2 Timothy 3:15-16

The Word of God is food for growth:

“like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,” — 1 Peter 2:2
“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” — Acts 20:32

The Word of God tells of Jesus!!!:

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;” — John 5:39

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. — James 1:21-25

My hope is that you are feasting richly on God’s wonderful Word.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Lovingkindness

Jul4

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
4 To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
5 To Him who made the heavens with skill,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
6 To Him who spread out the earth above the waters,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;
7 To Him who made the great lights,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting:
8 The sun to rule by day,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting,
9 The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Psalm 136:1-9, 26

Today was an absolute day of blessing after blessing from my wonderful Lord. He knows my heart and blesses it. He knows my needs and meets them with blessing. I could ask for nothing better than my wonderful Lord for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Praise and glory to the only true God worthy of worship and praise!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon