…..at the edge of the “Promised Land”

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16

There are many, today, who are facing  life changing situations…whether it has to do with a job...living conditions...relationships…sickness…or even having to make life and death decisions…one of our greatest challenges is to refuse and to ignore the lies that our enemy, Satan, is likely to tell us. He loves to deceive and many have bought into the lies he speaks…. he declares to us to give up and retreat… and then we begin to second guess everything that we've been taught…and for some even the very Word of God!

Yes there are many who doubt knowing God and  believe the lies of the enemy...Don’t look shocked by this statement!

The lessons we can learn from Moses and the Israelite's can be powerful and life-changing.

When we  say to God we trust you to fight for us when  in our situation, it enables us to bypass what often accompanies conflict…panic….fear….. AND hopelessness.

There are those times when we can’t see absolutely no way around a situation, just like the children of Israel…when they were confronted with a wall of Sea there’s no way around this nor can we cross it and I'm certain it was quite feasible not one of the Israelite's ever imagined that the massive sea was going to split down the middle, providing their way of escape.

Let me remind you of the importance of having courage and trusting God….even at the edge of the “Promised Land”.... and the battles God had fought for them …”all along the way”.

You and I may not see any way out of our suffering, but our God always sees a way, and He will show us the way if we will ask Him in faith. James 1:5  tells us “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

Wow…how amazing is this verse…”If any of you lacks wisdom….JUST ASK…When we believe God’s Word we learn that no battle or circumstance is too difficult or massive for our God to handle.

When it seems a situation is hopeless or is too overwhelming, we may be tempted to doubt God. We must remember that no problem is beyond the scope of God’s sovereign care for His children.

He has promised to take care of us….JUST ASK!!

So don’t fall into a trap the enemy has set…..don’t dare to entertain it… God will fight our battles and that means…. we do not have to anguish….be anxious…..or be discouraged when bad things happen in our lives.

Let us put our trust in Him and counter the enemy's lies with the truth of His Word for He’s the only one that can save us from the onslaught of the enemy.

Father, forgive me for the times I put more faith in the devil's lies than in Your Word. Help me to renew my mind to Your truth, and to act on it in times of trouble, instead of acting on my feelings. Thank You that as I make a quality decision to trust You in dark and difficult times, You will deliver me and prove Your faithfulness to Your promises once again...and lead me to that..."Promised Land!

Thanks for stopping by “Today’s Word of Purpose"

In His service,  Debbie

What Is This Thing Called Love?

"Love each other like the members of your family. Be the best at showing honor to each other." Romans 12:10 

I’m glad you could stop by  for a minute or two to join me as I talk about  “Love”. Today Rod and I celebrate 44 years of marriage and my thoughts go back to when we were dating there wasn’t anything that either one of us would do for one another. However, it wasn’t always about showing our love by purchasing gifts it was the many times spent together examining the truths in God’s word  regarding love towards us, not only through examining His Word it strengthened our relationship as a couple and taught us how important it was to honor our family and ultimately, God.

Love is a subject of vital importance, not only because of our uncertain ideas about what love really is, but because love is a matter of highest priority: “But now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” 1 Corinthians 13: For a number of reasons, Paul regards love as greater even than faith and hope.

 “Love” is one of the most common, yet misused and misunderstood words in the English language. On the bookshelf or Television “love” is synonymous with “romance” and seldom used with some kind of connotation or even condition.

Paul prayed that the believers in Ephesus would be able to grasp the length, width, depth, and height of God's love. He desired that they know the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, so that they would be filled with the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19. The wide expanse of God's love has been the theme of the gospel throughout the ages, oh how I love this...for to have His love is to know His love.

In Paul’s own words found in Romans 12:10 “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;”  here we read Paul saying  to give honor to others in that we must seek the best interests of others, in love, unconditional love and without expectations.  

Paul expects us to exercise warm affection, family love, and brotherly love toward not only believers but leading the way in that honor by doing so it may win over those who may not know Christ.

This Sunday is Valentine’s Day the second most celebrated holiday other than Christmas. It’s a day for many to reflect on one another’s love whether it’s a husband and wife…your children....grandchildren....family and friends and as you do take time to reflect on the "Father’s love" first and the many ways He has shown you.

My prayer is to help me to look for ways to honor other believers before they honor me.  Help me to recognize other believers’ accomplishments before they honor mine.  Show me ways to defer to other believers before they defer to me. What can I provide in a relationship rather than what can I receive from it. 

Forgive me for not honoring when honoring was required of me as Jesus gave Himself away many times throughout His ministry. Thank you that I recognize the length, width, depth, and height of Your love, let me be reminded daily. Ephesians 3:16~19

Have a sweet weekend and don’t forget to honor someone….you never know what ripple effect that may start!

Love Deb

…and he was named Jesus. Luke 2:21

Merry Christmas to you and your families and thank you for stopping by for a moment for the conclusion but not the end to “What is in a name.” I’m sure you’re already comfy and cozy  so grab your favorite Christmas morning beverage and enjoy the savoring presence of Jesus; there is no other name. 

Often times when we hear a name there’s always an association or picture we form in our minds. Especially a famous name; for instance when you see or hear the name Walt Disney what do you picture? Of course, Disneyland and all the wonderful moments you spent riding every theme ride in the park.  And how about Tom Cruise, of course I think of all the Mission Impossible movies.

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not comparing these people to Jesus, but you see how quick your thoughts and images come to mind when you speak a name.

We concluded yesterday with the first two names; Wonderful and Counselor and now for the remaining three. My prayer is that each name as you speak them out loud will bring a sense of hope and empowerment that as you do speak His name you have a greater understanding of why His name is called, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace.

So here we go; that name Mighty God means that Jesus has unlimited power for us. What does Mighty mean to you?

As we encounter the demands of life it can seem overwhelming and we at times feel defeat and weakened by the days end, but when we know He resides within us when we call upon His name as Mighty God His power for us is just that; unlimited!

I think it is impossible to be a Christian apart from the help of the Holy Spirit. I am so thankful that the name Mighty God is there for us to give us strength to do what He wants us to. Next, He is called the Everlasting Father. Christ came to die on the cross and pay for our sins He rose again from the dead, in that, means we have an Everlasting Father, One who will be with us forever. He will never forget about us and He will always be there to guide and help us in every aspect of life. We then must allow Him to do so. Yes we must give Him permission to do so because He’s not going to override or overrule our will.

Oh how I love this particular name. This name gives me such great comfort when I’m in need of harmony and the next name Isaiah called Him is the Prince of Peace. Certainly we live in frightening times and how we all are in need of peace in our lives.

 If you look at the unsettledness of these times our minds can lead us to fear quite the opposite of peace. John 14:27 encourages us “My Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” God will bring peace to the mind of all those who call on His name. What a powerful name “Prince of Peace!”

What's in a name? That all depends on whose name it is. Jesus can be your Prince of Peace. He can be your Counselor. He can be your Mighty God. He can be your Everlasting Father. You can experience life to the fullest because His name is Wonderful.

If it had not been for the manger there certainly would not have been the need of the cross. This Jesus who was born in a manger, who walked this earth, who was crucified, and who rose again, is not some mere historical figure, although He was that. He is alive, and He is still changing lives, today. That’s the reason He came: to put us in touch with God and to give our lives purpose and meaning. 

God’s riches blessings to you on this sweet day and remember you don’t have to wait till next year to speak His name for every day is the greatest opportunity to speak His name!!

Merry Christmas

Love Debbie

What is in a name?

I love the smell and the sweet savoring scents of Christmas. I know many of you will be scurrying around getting those last minute gifts or even Stocking Stuffers, so thank you for taking a moment out of your busy schedule to join me. Let us take a look into the character of a name. 

When we as women become pregnant, usually the very first thing we, and everybody else, want to know is what the gender is. The excitement sometimes is more than we can contain, although back in my day, that was not an option. Isn’t today’s technology amazing? The ability to find out whether we’re having a boy or girl is so available and for the most part when we do find out, we start the hunt for a name. Yet, for some, they want to wait and see the baby before they pronounce their given name.

We can find ourselves inundated with so much information about a name. We can buy books; we can Google a name and even search for the meaning and the origin of where and how that name came about. More and more we are discovering new names from those who like to make up names; and there are those who still love those good old-fashion names.

There are traditional names that have been passed down from generation to generation and what a treasure that little one is that carries such a precious name.

No matter what your name may be, it has been chosen especially for you! Yes, there is something about your name that identifies who you are. Now if you were to call me by a different name, you would get no response. Why? Well, the answer is simple: because you didn’t call me by my given name. When you mention a person’s name, don’t you think of them and their personality? Their name depicts who they are and how you know them!! Your name describes…just that… who you are!

There is a name that is above all names, the name of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah tells us some important things, not only about the name of the Messiah that was to come, but also about His character:

For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Each of these descriptions gives us a different aspect of the work that God wants to do in our lives. His name is Wonderful, which means “a sense of awe,” and He wants to bring a sense of awe and wonder to our lives.  Next is Counselor; He wants to give us His personal counsel and direction.  Psalm 73:24.  No longer do we have to be perplexed by our problems because with Jesus as our counselor we can know He will reveal His will to us.

Oh, how awesome are these two names given to Him that we might find peace in them.

I’m not going to leave you hanging with just these two names! Join me tomorrow on this special day for the remaining names of Jesus: Mighty God, Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace.

Continue to make His name personal this Christmas and remember, keep Him close to your heart!

His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Love Debbie

In that that we might be qualified to carry out His love

Nevertheless…. above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:12-16  

We’re definitely into the Christmas season...lights everywhere you look…songs being played... even the smell of Christmas penetrates many stores of cinnamon and spices.

And certainly we can get enveloped in all the events and occasions that are taking place.

The traffic always seems to be heavier....I can’t understand where all these people come from and where they hide all year long… it can be a bit nerve-racking….well in all honestly it’s crazy out there. We often find ourselves in such a hurry traveling from one store to the next to get the best deals…waving people to get out of our way… yes….a bit extreme I know,  but you get my point.

 During the Christmas Season far too many are searching, needing someone or something to fulfill them…. many feel very lonely….. and broken…. they turn to many devices that fill their void.

This brings me to my point of not just celebrating Christmas just on Christmas Day but to be the example of Christ in Christmas, every day!

I'd like to leave you a small gift about His great love and how it can be activated through you in the days ahead. My hope is that it will be encouraging and remind us to take our eyes off ourselves for that one brief moment and speak a word of;

                                  Love    Hope    Joy    Peace

And in this alone knowing that our opportunities are vast to the many we will come in contact with today and in the days ahead.

God always provides the grace and empowerment so that we might be enabled to carry out His love to others regardless of where they've been or who they are. He looks beyond those barriers that many of us put into place. With God’s wisdom present in this way the ethical and moral demands of Christian love can be lived out in every part of our lives, even during the Christmas season.

Let Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord and to the many He leads your way!!

So I leave you with a token from my heart to yours in that you and I might be qualified to carry out His love that as a person who acts in the ways of Christ imitating  Him and allowing His unconditional love to permeate my attitude, that this should invade my motives….my thoughts…. my words and  my actions.  So my gift to you is as shown in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8. 

"Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Thanks for stopping by "Today's Word of Purpose" 

Love Debbie

The abundance of "Thanks"giving

“rooted and build up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:7

Just a few short hours I will be thinking of the many families that will gather together and the countless hours spent in the kitchen preparing that perfect "Thanks"giving dinner finishing up the last minute assembling of each special dish. 

The table will be set in slender and with name tags where each person is to sit in anticipation of their "Thanks”giving dinner. Good Morning and thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to join me for a brief moment on this  "Thanks" giving Day, I so appreciate our time spent together and I’m confidence that your Thanksgiving is going to be wonderful. 

It brings me great joy to see my family embracing the aroma as they step into the kitchen peeking in a pan or peering into the oven with anticipating tummies. Seeing the joyfulness of my children and grandchildren who helped to prepare it brings such satisfaction to a mother’s heart.  A fire will be built, games will be played and a time of sweet reflection of our Thankful hearts and yes with full bellies will be told throughout the day.

I know my heart will sing…Praise God from whom all blessings flow… so many things to be thankful for today and as you join your family whether big or just a few;  take time for a  hug and tell each other how “Thankful” you are for them and then give the reason why you’re “thankful!”

Make it a great day….as I know ours will be filled with lots of Turkey….naps and football.. oh yes and we’ll leave some room for Pumpkin Pie! 

See the abundance of His great love in each other and let thankfulness pour out of your  heart as you share with a “Thank~ful Note” of gratitude to one another. 

SO much to be thankful for... take nothing for granted!!!

And thank you to each one of you that has poured into my life...have a sweet savoring Thanksgiving from my thankful heart to yours.

Love, Debbie

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4

Imperfect, weak and needy...really?

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. 2 Samuel 22:31

Aren’t you glad that God certainly has our steps ordered and established; and our only part in this is to learn to walk it out,  learn to listen before we move. So often don’t we move before we hear? The wise hear them and grow in wisdom; those with understanding gain guidance. Proverbs 1:5

There are days when discouragement rears its ugly head, days when all I want to do is pull the covers up over my head and enter back into peaceful sleep, days when I’m not sure my brain will last until afternoon, let alone the end of the day! And today was one of those days. Discouragement reared its ugly head. As my feet hit the floor, the immediacy of my need for supernatural strength became overwhelmingly clear. “Lord, I need you!”

You may be asking yourself “where on earth is she going with this?”  Well...we’ve had  inquires as of late regarding the process of our daughter and how’s she’s doing. I know this one thing that had we listened to the doctors a long time ago, discouragement and our faith would have been immersed by the enemy.  So I thought I’d answer by way of faith today, if you don’t mind; so stay with me!

The Hall of faith is certainly an arena I love to visit often.

While walking in that Hall of Faith we cannot let discouragement be in control, yet "in ourselves" when faced with circumstances, discouragement can certainly walk pretty loud!

Many times we act upon our reaction of the circumstances we see in our flesh and of course that can be a natural response especially for any parent, or for that matter, anyone who may be suffering or dealing with unexpected pain of life.

Yes, our faith can be stirred, moved and questioned and at times be discouraging, yet when faced with these challenges, my heart will always be moved to the “Hall of Faith ”Hebrews 11.  What an encouraging passage of scriptures to go to where one can truly experience reassurance...inspiration and reinforcement of God's promises to us.

These believers of the Old Testament were imperfect, weak and needy, wow did you see that...imperfect, weak and needy. Yet God, in His great mercy, revealed Himself and His strength despite their imperfectness...weaknesses and neediness in order to demonstrate His power at a time in their greatest need of Him.
In the same way, God does not require our strength in order to work, why? because we have no strength in ourselves. He delights in us just being that pot of clay in order to mold us for our own good, for His purpose and His glory. He is a God of mercy, grace and compassion.

Although her diagnosis has not changed, in fact, her recent test revealed further damage to both her legs Yes each day brings incredible pain to our daughter and times she suffers with great difficulties and challenges. BUT God, He definitely has used her pain coupled with all our faith to reach the lives of so many to evoke hope when life seemed hopeless, to trust when no one else trusted and to have faith when faced with discouraging news when all else failed, yes, even when man has failed.

He is perpetual in His word; He is the same “Yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 
His promises are everlasting, never fail or cause discouragement.  She knows there’s no denying He loves her like no other!! 

Yes, we are going to have those days of discouragement and days we feel our faith is weak but we have this great confidence…

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness…For when I am weak, then I am strong". 2 Corinthians 12:9-11  

So, today whatever you maybe experience or walking through I pray that you will exchange your discouragement for encouragement.  Just as those who had to also walk out their faith in their greatest time of discouragement;  in that let your faith be released to know your faith will let you face your tomorrows.
Let me leave you with a song we sang many years ago it still rings an anthem of praise for our today's and yes even for our tomorrows;

 "Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone, because I know He holds my future and life is worth the living just because HE lives."  What a promising hope!!

Make it a purposeful weekend and remember...keep Him close to your heart!!

Love Debbie