http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kalegalloway/mystory
It is my hope that you will log onto the above site and read about a little 2 year old with a rare form of lung cancer and pray for him and his family. He is an angel and his family is precious. I was reading the story on CNN headline news a couple days ago and was touched deeply by this little boy.
Just got back into my computer. Busy days. Been to Nashville then Chattanooga and back home again. It has been a blitz since mid-May. At least 9 different trips. I am ready to slow down but so many opportunities keep rising that will keep us busy. But it has been a great summer. God is at work at every turn and Praise Him!
As I turned on the computer to download email I noted at least 8 new prayer requests. I am grateful to pray for people because I believe God answers prayer!
Time to chill and unwind after being in the car so much the past few days.
I hope while your are gearing up for school to start that you will teach the young ones to pray and that you will pray over them for God’s protection.
Blessings to all-
The word “expectedly” came to mind as I was contemplating today’s blog. So I looked it up in the online dictionary to clarify the word. So I am choosing the definitions that most describe the word…. “to anticipate” and “to look forward to.”
Some people are looking forward to cooler weather, others are looking forward to getting well and others wake up every day looking towards God with expectations. We all look forward to solutions, for greater faith, even for a belief system that allows us victory.
Once I met a elderly lady and she gained my respect and attention by the way she viewed her life. At 90+ years of age she was the most positive influence in my life. She lived life in her 90′s with great expectations! She also was a praying woman who read her Bible and lived life expectedly. She set a fine example in trusting God.
We have a choice to live expectedly and to focus on God or to look out in this world and live as the world does with a “woe is me” or “if I only had this or that I would be happy.” The happiest people sometimes are the ones who like the disciples downsized, recognized the value of taking up their cross and to follow after God.
What am I saying personally today? Live expectedly by faith and believe every word of the Bible and Pray, Pray, Pray– with great expectations! He is a Great and Mighty God!
1 Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
2 Sing the glory of his name;
make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power
that your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth bows down to you;
they sing praise to you,
they sing praise to your name.”
Selah
5 Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man’s behalf!
6 He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in him.
7 He rules forever by his power,
his eyes watch the nations—
let not the rebellious rise up against him.
Selah
8 Praise our God, O peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
9 he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
10 For you, O God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let men ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you-
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.
Selah
16 Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened
and heard my voice in prayer.
20 Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
The last few hours we have been attending a Discover Conference. God brought together 1200 people together to rally around the ideas of leading Bible studies on Sunday mornings at church. The age divisions were all equipped with energized and passionate leaders. I walked away with a great hope in Christ that our Memphis, TN church leaders cared about the city and were challenged to plan, prepare, and teach with a “God Purpose.”
Well- it is 97 degrees with the heat index of 116 today. So we praise God for a great attendance and the willingness for leadership to make a difference for the sake of sharing the word of God.
Proverbs 9:9&10
9 Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.
10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Tidbit for the day…did you know you can purchase Bible study material via facebook? I have found wonderful resources at… http://www.facebook.com/kayarthur.precept you can scroll down the page on the right side below Kay’s photos…and see a green button that says E store you can click that button then shop and buy Bible study materials or other books. I did not know that technology allows such ease in getting products for churches and small groups. Give it a try!
How’s life? We have our trials every day– don’t we? If you will call on the Mighty name of JESUS then your know the source of power that will take you through every trial. So do we have all the answers? Certainly not. Can we see the outcome? Certainly not! So do we need to walk by faith and not by sight? Yes- we certainly do.
What ever the challenge facing you- Go to God in prayer! Will He direct your path? Certainly! But you have to follow Him with faith as a tiny mustard seed. Now God is waiting for us all to say to Him….”Lord, Every Hour I Need You!” He is the source and resource to our lives. Nothing should go before Him!
Have a wonderful day. You may wonder, does Mitch and Myra have burdens and concerns? Certainly- we are right there with you- some greater concerns than you, and some less.
How can we help? How can we pray for you?
I have been reading Psalm 119 and will read if for 119 days. Have you tried reading this? God will speak deeply to your soul. click the link below and you can read the scripture.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ps119&version=HCSB
Psalm 27:10 … “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.”
You are not alone. God loves you, no matter what- how can we pray for you today?
There are a lot of lonely people- just fall into the arms of our Lord! Say this prayer;
Lord, Hold me in the palm of your great hands. Hold me close- I am alone, lonely and feeling isolated from the human nurture that each of us desire and need. Lord, stand in the gap right not and hold me. In Your Holy Name Jesus, Amen
Charles Wesley said…..”Keep us little and unknown, prized and loved by God alone.”
If you will read some of the Christian classics or great revivals of the past you will see a notable increase of prayer and Bible preaching. From EM Bounds teaching us to pray to the Revival Greats who preached nothing less than the exact word of God created the balancing act of spiritual growth.
Spurgeon once proclaimed…..”The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.”—Isaiah 52:10.
Spurgeon was exactly correct and we must once again proclaim the above verse with great conviction as we pray. We must ask God first to help us to pray and read His word to balance our spiritual lives. The outpour of these two disciplines is that the power of God will direct our paths and we will not help ourselves as we share the love and hope of Christ through salvation
Sometimes I believe God leads me to certain scriptures. His Spirit led me to read Psalm 119 for 119 days. And for now that is where God has me bathe in His word. I do not even know why He has me read this so many days; but I will walk in that obedience. The Chronological Bible has been a treasure as I have read it through and desire to do so at least once again.
We must acknowledge that not one other person reflects the exact same Bible study routines or need- and in fact true about praying. Thus God’s Spirit will direct our paths. But the word of the day is to do both- Read the Word and Pray- or vice versa- You will recognize God’s power and voice that directs your path.
So many times this summer I have been off schedule from prayer times and Bible reading because of human need to travel or to support others such as family crisis or illness- Regardless on those long journeys in the car my mind was set on things above and I had many a talk with God in the car- I also meditated on scripture. There have been tired times and unexpected crisis but God has been faithful- He answer prayer because He said to “come.”
How’s it going with you? If there is an interruption of routines and balancing acts spiritually then re-group and get going. God is at work at all times and we must not miss a moment with Him. God is at work and I do not desire to miss a moment He intends I share in His glory and will. For this- I am grateful.
A warning to those who do not obey God’s commands to walk with Him:
Jeremiah 7:23b-24……. ”I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.”
Which way are you going with God? Backward or Forward?
In all things- thank God. Eventually we will see God’s plans in the things our eyes cannot see nor our thoughts comprehend. We arrived home yesterday from Oklahoma after a very draining emotional reported truths about the one who committed suicide. The father our our niece and nephews. In fact the usual events did happen according to the status of one who is indeed desiring to end what they think is a “a life not worth living.”
Indeed he made his phone calls to his ex- wife, to his teen daughter. He told his ex-wife not to forget his wishes for his funeral songs, a strange call with unsolicited timing. He told his daughter that he had nothing– and she said, “dad, you have us but you never come see us.” The word to listen to is the word “never.” Her father never invested a moment of time nor an ounce of support. It was always about him being a victim of despair.
I titled this blog, “God is in Control- Anyway” because at the funeral on Saturday morning God- had ordained a healing time for the three kids. During a service with a soft-spoken minister he asked no one to judge nor be angry- then after scripture reading and a couple songs that were played- this was handed to the children which changed their horrified view of their dad’s dying alone somewhere in a place which their minds had visited. The minister said, “I want all of you to know, my nieces daughter called me a couple days ago, she said, that they had heard a noise on their property and they went outside and saw a truck and a man walking around. They went up to the man and of course it was Troy. They said that they knew Troy and to the very end of Troy’s life he husband held Troy in his arms and talked to him and prayed with him.” That was a gift from God for those kids. Now a burdened image in their minds was lifted and it eased their tormented thinking of a horrible death-alone.. Because you see, even if the kids had not been a priority in the life of an earthly father – The Heavenly Father cared- He cared for them enough to send someone to help their earthly father.
Oh Beloved- How are you doing? Do you trust God or entrust Him in all things? Certainly there is a wall of hurt- unanswered questions- and a life without an earthly father in this situation. But there is Eternal life with a Holy Father- if you just call on His name and ask Him to forgive your sins as you confess your sins, He forgives you and then say, “I receive You Lord as my personal Savior and Lord.”
His compassions and mercies fail not!
As I end this blog today – John 3:16 is the verse which I am asking God to help you comprehend the eternal meaning….
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Sometimes we receive prayer requests from people who simply ask for assurance or reassurance. I wanted to share this word for those who need help- or are seeking God. It all began in Genesis- with God and if you will read your Bible you will be so excited because His word guides and directs us in how we all should live. It is quiet a journey! Believe it-
Psalm 121
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
Zephaniah 3:17 ”The LORD your God wins victory after victory and is always with you. He celebrates and sings because of you, and he will refresh your life with his love.”
Beloved, today is a day to call on The Lord your God to help you win victory. Take time today to meditate on this verse and seek the profound love that only He gives. Focus on God, seek Him with your whole heart. Ask Him today to direct your path– then trust in Him.
E.M. Bounds once said…..”The men (people) who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees. He who fritters away the early morning, its opportunity and freshness, in other pursuits than seeking God will make poor headway seeking Him the rest of the day. If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in the last place the remainder of the day.”
