Tag Archive | mercy

The Promise of His Promises

Jun24

For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. — 2 Peter 1:4

God’s promises come with a promise. God is so awesome! By His precious and magnificent promises we may become partakers of the divine nature. The likeness of God created in righteousness and holiness of the truth is in the new self we put on with the trusting acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior in our lives. We share His holiness. Isn’t that reason enough to trust in His promises? We are blessed beyond comprehension by the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s time to trust in those promises of God. His promises.

Let our trusting faith in His promises help us to grow in our faith until the day He calls us home. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. — 1 John 3:2

What a glorious day that will be. In the meantime seek the Lord and His strength while He can be found.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. — Ephesians 4:24

For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. — Hebrews 12:10

Know

Jun19

“Cease striving and know that I am God; — Psalm 46:10

Know: experience, understand
Cease striving, relax, wait upon the Lord and know. Know that He is our refuge: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.*It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.^ my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my Savior — from violent people you save me.~

*Psalm 46:1
^Psalm 118:8
~2 Samuel 22:3

Know that we find rest in Him when we spend time in prayer with Him. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;* He bids us “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.^

*Psalm 37:7a
^Matthew 11:28

As we seek refuge and rest in Him we know forgiveness as we confess our sins. But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.* And experience His grace: But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.^ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.~

*Psalm 130:4
^Psalm 86:15
~Hebrews 4:16

Being still and focusing on Jesus we find peace, love and wonderful fellowship. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.* For He Himself is our peace.^ He has given us peace: Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.~ For He is the Prince of Peace+

*Philippians 4:6-7
^Ephesians 2:14a
~John 14:27
+Isaiah 9:6

We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. And There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.* In this abiding we have fellowship with Him: that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;^

*1 John 4:16,18
^Philippians 3:10

We will know joy with time spent with Jesus in prayer and fellowship: Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, That he may see His face with joy, And He may restore His righteousness to man.* For I will turn their mourning into joy And will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow.^

*Job 33:26
^Jeremiah 31:13b

That time you take to be still you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”* Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.^ Sitting with Jesus builds our confidence to follow Him without wavering. For the Lord will be your confidence And will keep your foot from being caught.~

*John 8:32
^John 14:6
~Proverbs 3:26

So in closing we can see that being still in the presence of God is essential to our lives. Jesus is our Refuge, Rest, and because of His grace and mercy we know forgiveness, His awesome love, and we have fellowship with Him as God planned. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.* Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We need Him everyday. He bids us come.

*1 Corinthians 1:9

“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. — Deuteronomy 32:4    

KNOW HIM!!!!!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Wisdom

Jun10

Wisdom have I none, Lord
But what comes from Thee
It’s mine for the asking
Your wisdom bestow on me.

As I daily seek Thee
May I lean on Thee
In Your wisdom basking
For eternity.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. — James 1:5

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. James 3:17

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Writer’s Block

Jun4
having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. — Colossians 2:7

Sometimes scripture just jumps off the page and you have such a testimony to tell. Other times scripture just seems to sit on the page and do nothing. Let me tell you that scripture is always good and has something to say but it is the one who reads it that is closed to it. It could be that the person has not received the Holy Spirit, through salvation, to interpret the scripture. It could be that sin in the life of a person is blocking understanding. It could be that it is just a dry time in the life of a person. Today I am experiencing a dry time.

Dry times are those times when we need to rely upon the Word of God that is firmly rooted in our hearts that establish our faith. When I have a dry time I always seem to look to who God is, all the blessings He has bestowed upon me, and how He has transformed me and continues to do so. I can’t help but be filled with joy and gratitude when I focus on Him. Psalm is usually the book I look to. Today Colossians spoke to me.

I overflow with gratefulness when I examine my life and realize the work of transformation the Lord has done in me. It is not anything I have done but what He has done. When I am reminded of His great mercy, grace and love I can’t help but be grateful and write of the joy that comes from focusing on the One true God.  Again He has come through with something to write about. To God be the glory!

Thank You Jesus.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Throne of Grace

May22

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. — Hebrews 4:16

“Draw near with confidence to the throne of grace”. We can approach the throne of grace boldly with confidence, not because of us but because of Jesus Christ Himself, the High Priest who can “sympathize with our weakness, One who has been tempted in all things” just like we have except that He is “without sin”.

Jesus understands every moment of our lives, whatever we are experiencing. He has experienced the human pit falls of life, the challenges, the temptations, the sorrows, the pain. But He also experienced the joy, the friendships, the relationships of family. He is our wonderful Counselor. One who can truly counsel from experience. There is nothing that we could go through that Jesus does not relate to.

In His presence we find grace to carry on in our time of need. He gives all we need to continue on because He is our strength, our grace, our endurance. Without Jesus we face difficulties in life with despair and failure. With Jesus we face difficulties in life with hope and victory.

Jesus is sufficient.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Great is Thy Faithfulness

May5

Prayer has been the subject of my devotionals the past three days  and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share this old hymn that supports prayer so well. If not for God’s faithfulness we would not know compassion, mercy, provision, love, peace, guidance, strength, hope, salvation, contentment, joy and blessings. All this from a God who is, was and forever will be. The more we talk with Him the more we enjoy His presence and experience His faithfulness.

 

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Refrain

 

The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord;
Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the holy ones.
For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord?
Who among the sons of the mighty is like the Lord, — Psalm 89:5-6

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Prayer of Supplication

May4

What is a prayer of supplication? A humble prayer spoken with earnest entreaty and petition.

God desires us to pray (He also commands it) for our benefit. What is our need, desire, anxious way in us? Don’t hold on to it and fret about it. Go humbly to the Father. He does not want us to “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”.*

Why take it all to the Lord? For peace. We don’t need to carry fear, uncertainty, pain, difficulties, burdens, worry, etc. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful”.«

Some don’t pray because of pride. We won’t ask God for the things we need or want because we believe it is up to us to supply those things or we think prayer is for others who really “need” it. Our faith is dependent on trust in Jesus. Prayer is showing Him our dependence on Him. Humble prayer is a surrender of our will to His. Surrender and dependence go hand in hand.

So let loose and pray. Pray for your everyday needs, “Give us this day our daily bread”.» Pray for deliverance, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil”.< Our need is daily so our prayers need to be daily.

The great thing about praying to Jesus is that He knows what we go through on a daily basis. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”.> “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted”.~

Prayer brings us into a close relationship with our Lord and Savior. So close that He abides in us and “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”.#

Our prayer life is evident in our daily walk. We walk in peace, and how we live shows fruit. “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you”.’

So we pray asking for what we need to bring us to a point to ask for what will glorify the Father through His Son. “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son”. — John 14:13

Please don’t neglect prayer for yourself. It is necessary to glorify God.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

*Philippians 4:6-7
«John 14:27
»Matthew 6:11
Hebrews 4:15-16
~Hebrews 2:18
#John 15:7
‘John 15:16

Shine Jesus Shine Pt. 4

Mar13

Shine Jesus shine
Fill this land with the Father’s glory
Blaze, Spirit blaze,
Set our hearts on fire
Flow, river flow
Flood the nations with grace and mercy
Send forth Your word
Lord and let there be light.

— Cliff Richard —

 [Glory of the Lord] Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. — Exodus 40:34

but indeed, as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord. — Numbers 14:31

The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. — Exodus 3:2

And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. — Exodus 24:17

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” — John 7:38

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. — Romans 5:5

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. — Romans 15:13

You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. –Acts 10:38

And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Acts 5:32

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, — Matthew 28:19

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” — Acts 1:8

And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. — Acts 11:15

for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord. — Acts 11:24

And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. — Acts 4:31  

He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. — Psalm 147:15

He sends forth His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow. — Psalm 147:18

Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. — Psalm 51:11

For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite. — Isaiah 57:15

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. — Matthew 13:43

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Shine Jesus Shine Pt. 2

Mar11

Lord I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance,
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness,
Shine on me. Shine on me.

— Cliff Richard —

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. — Hebrews 4:16

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, — Jude 24

‘You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’ — Acts 2:28

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, — Hebrews 1:3

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. — John 6:53-56

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts — Psalm 139:23

Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart. — Psalm 26:2

For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness. — Psalm 18:28

to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’ — Acts 26:18

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. — 1 John 1:5-7

Praise Jesus! My all! My everything!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Seek While You Can Find

Feb27

 Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously. — Isaiah 55:6-7

Now is “the day of salvation”. Seek the Lord while He can be found. One day in your life the time will come when the decision whether to have a relationship with Jesus Christ will be made for you. What could have been your freewill acceptance of Jesus will actually be your freewill rejection of Him.

So turn to Him now, seek Him while He can be found. He is calling to everyone from one end of the earth to the other. Know that He is God and there is no other. Call to Him and He will hear you, cry to Him and He will say, ‘Here I am.’. Jesus will help us when we decide to wash ourselves, make ourselves clean; remove the evil of our deeds from His sight and cease to do evil.

Then, O glorious day, our Lord God will wipe out our transgressions and remember our sins no more. For some of us that day has already been realized. We now walk in the brilliant light and trust of the Lord Jesus, standing firm with endurance even if the mountains may be removed and the hills shake knowing His lovingkindness will not be removed from us and His covenant of peace will not be shaken because the Lord has compassion on us. Hallelujah!!!

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— 2 Corinthians 6:2

Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. — Isaiah 45:22

“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, — Isaiah 58:9

Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, — Isaiah 1:16

“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. –Isaiah 43:25

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,” Says the Lord who has compassion on you. — Isaiah 54:10