Galatians 1:15 God Foreknew Us

Galatians 1:15 - But when it pleased God, who set me apart since I was in my mother’s womb and called me by His grace.

The Apostle Paul defensively gives his testimony to his opposers (Judiazers)  at the church of Galatia of the wonders of God that was revealed through Jesus in God's redemptive work not only at the cross but also in his life.

Paul went on to give a little background information on who he was and what his life was as a Judiazer and persecutor of God's people prior to his redemption and compares it to his current life now in Christ as an Apostle of Jesus Christ, called by God, and credits it ALL to the work of God's amazing grace that was worked in and through Him by faith in Christ alone.

Paul made it clear that he was not seeking the approval of man, but of God when he quoted these words in Galatians 1:10“For am I now seeking approval of man of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

The Apostle Paul reflects on his conversion and call to the ministry and gives all credit to God in Heaven who in His Sovereign power and free gift of grace foreknew him and set him apart while he was yet in his mother's womb.

Before I was born God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace. Wow!

Thank you Lord that I was not an after thought but that I was known by you even as a thought in your mind before you created me.

Lord, you alone are God and there is none like you!

My Lord, My God, My Savior Jesus Christ who is my Redeemer.

Thank You Lord.

Your Servant Debra

I do not own any pictures or videos on this blog site nor do I claim ownership of them.

Psalm 118:5 A Distress Call

Psalm 118:5 I called upon the Lord from my distress; the Lord answered me and set me in an open place.

Are you in distress? You do know that you can call on the Lord our God right?

The psalmist declares that in his time of distress or trouble he called upon the Lord and He answered him and set him free.

I believe that sometimes God allows us and sometimes forces us into difficult, troublesome and painful experiences and situations to grow our faith in Him and our dependency upon Him.

In God allowing trouble to come our way we are forced to cry out to God who alone is the one who can save us.  

Have you ever had to make a distress call to God? Oh, I have been there too many times to count. The good news is that lots of those time He did not come quickly but when God did showed up He was always on time.

When God shows up the sting from pain, disappointment and hurt leaves us immediately and it seems as though we were not waiting as long as we had waited and that the pain was not as bad as we thought it was when we were in it after we got out.

A distress call! Need to make one? God is available to answer you. All things are possible to them that believe.

People of God, we have a way of escape when the time of distress comes our way. We can always turn to the Lord instead of making those painful detours into the paths of distress.

Today, God still offers mercy to all who are willing to receive it.

God is our refuge and strength in the time of trouble. Why not turn to Him with hope and trust on today in offering you the help you desperately stand in need of in your time of distress.

Psalm 118:9 It is better to depend on the Lord than to trust in man.

Fear not! The Lord you God is with you.

God bless.

Debra

I do not own any pictures or videos on this blog site nor do I claim ownership of them.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Thankful Sunday

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

The call to the people of God is to be thankful “IN” all things. I am not saying everything that happens to us is good because sometimes bad and evil things happens to us, but,even in them we should be thankful.

I have learned that life could always be worse even when we think it could not get any worse.

Praising God in the midst of trials and being thankful to Him for keeping us in our right mind in the midst of them will help redirect our minds to a state of gratitude and not complaining and ungratefulness which is easy for many today especially if they are going through.

This text before us reminds us that we are to be "thankful IN everything and IN all circumstances".

When we find ourselves overwhelmed with burdens and worried about tomorrow, we can praise God for who He is and His promise to never leave us or forsake us.

I may not have all the things I want but God is able and still providing the necessary daily needs and I am grateful to Him for that.

I am grateful for who I am and who I am becoming through Christ Jesus as He daily cleanse and purify my soul.

I believe if we praise God more and be more thankful for what we do have, we can quiet the enemy of ungratefulness and discontentment that attaches itself to our minds often.

Today is thankful Sunday! Give thanks IN all things for this is the Lord’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

IN all things give the Lord Thanks!

God bless!

Debra

I do not own any pictures or videos on this blog site nor do I claim ownership of them.

Psalm 145:1-3 A CLARION CALL TO PERSONAL WORSHIP IN GOD PRESENCE

This post today is an invitation to worship God. I was not lead to have much saying on today, but to send out a clarion call to ALL of you to make the sacrifice of entering into the presence of the true and living God as a priority on today. One on one! You and God alone!

I felt lead by the Holy Spirit to post this scripture and song today. I heard the Lord saying that He wants you to find a quite place alone today and spend some time in meditation on his word and worship. If you do, He promises to not only meet you there, but also to abide with you there.

Today is a good day to release all your hurts, pain, anxieties, fears, uncertainties, and heavy load burdens you have been carrying around. Take them with you in the presence of God, who is the only one that is able to do something about your situation.

God can and will work on your behalf, but you must seek Him, talk to Him, open up to Him and tell Him what He already knows about you, but want to hear personally from you on today concerning them.

Today can be your day of “RELEASE” if this is your heartfelt desire. The cares of the world has been weighing you down too long. It’s time to let it go and give it to God. He said for you to “CAST” (throw off) your cares upon Him for He cares for you.

Psalm 145:1-3 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

Study of God’s Word should always lead us to a place of worship to Him after we have finished reading. When you have finished reading your bible, find a quiet place alone and meditate on His goodness and His presence with you.

If you desire more of God and to know more about Him, you must enter that secret place with in and you alone. Find a quiet space and shut out all other voices and distractions that wants to take you away from this time with the Lord your God.

Seek the Lord while He may be found! Call upon Him while He is near.

God bless.

Debra

Romans 12:2 The Ever Turning Wheel

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The mind is a wheel that never stops turning, until death. We think thoughts 24/7. The mind wheel is constantly turning, even when we are not thinking on something. It is a constant, thinking and processing machine.

Thoughts are injected into our minds from just about every area of life. They originate from what we know, see, hear, taught, think, speak, believe, learn, what others tells us, our opinions and other people opinions of us, ideas, what the world tells us, what we tell ourselves, what the Bible tells us, etc.

Because the mind is a wheel that is ever turning, we must be careful what we allows to ride on the wheel of our minds. We must filter, minute by minute, what we allow the mind wheel to think, do or respond to.

The world is a noisy place and if we are not careful, it can have an affect on how the wheel of our mind turns minute by minute. The “world” references the world system in what they do and how they think. Those that chose not be be a part of God Kingdom through Christ Jesus.

The call today is to “DARE TO BE DIFFERENT!” Stand firm in your Christian faith, regardless of who likes it or not. Hold fast to that which you know is true according to the Word of God. This world is not our home, it’s only a temporary journey through earth to eternity either with God, or apart from God.

The ever turning wheel called the mind!! What’s spinning on yours, even now? What’s in your mind view? The world and all it’s temporary affairs, or the things of God that are eternal?

If the enemy of your mind is telling you that the wheel of information into your mind can not be changed because you have gone too far, it’s a lie from satan! Remember “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).

Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind!!

God bless.

Debra

Psalm 139:1-7 Always In His Presence

Psalm 139:1-7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

The Psalmist declares that God knows our every move, therefore, every where that we go, God is there too.

Sometimes the cares of life may attempt to make us believe that God is absent, but this text begs to differ. There is no place that God is not.

Today, you and I can rest assured in knowing that God is always with us in whatever situation we may find ourselves.

When we are worried, God is our confidence, when we are lonely, He is our companion, when we face danger, God is our protector. Trust Him on today!

Remember, God is always present with you!

God bless.

Debra

I do not own any pictures or videos on this blog site nor do I claim ownership of them.

Acts 5:1-10 Be Honest In What You Do For The Lord

Acts 5:1-10 Now a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 He kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet.

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to deceive the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, was it not your own? And when it was sold, was it not under your authority? Why have you conceived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to men, but to God.”

5 On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came on all those who heard these things. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for this amount?” She said, “Yes, for that much.”

9 Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

10 At once she fell down at his feet and died. Upon entering, the young men found her dead and carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear came on the entire church and on all those who heard these things.

Attempting to be deceptive in your dealings with God does not come without a price. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your path” (Prov. 3:5-6).

God bless.

Debra

James 1:22 Hearing And Doing Go Hand In Hand

James 1:22- Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Hearing plus doing! The two goes hand in hand. One can not function properly without the other.

When we go to church services and hear the word of God, or when you come to this blog site and hear the word of God, it should motivate you to not only enjoy what you heard, (Gospel truth) but also motivate you to believe what you heard to the point of action upon that which the word of God spoke to us in the ear of our hearts.

The call in this text is to every believer to not only be hearers of the word of God, but also doers of what it is telling you to do.

When we put the word of God to action in our lives, our hearts and minds are transformed into the likeness of Christ, and we begin to bear much fruit for God’s Kingdom.

Hearers and doers will forever reap the promise of God’s everlasting presence with them, regardless of what life may throw at us. God’s promise is to never leave or forsake us, but to be with us always, even unto the end.

“The 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. (Jas. 1:24-25)

When we learn to become “hearers and doers” of the word of God, we begin, and continues to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as we walk in maturity of the faith in spirit and in truth, which is turn causes us to bring forth good works of righteousness, which God not only planned for us before time, but is also pleasing in His sight .

When we hear the word of God and do not apply it, we are only deceiving ourselves!

Be not only hearers of the Word of God, but also doers of what it says to us!

Remember, Hearing plus going goes hand in hand!

Speak to our hearts Lord!

God bless.

Proverbs 2:1-22 Treasures Are Found In Godly Wisdom

IF THERE EVER WAS A TIME WHEN THE WISDOM OF GOD WAS NEEDED IN OUR LIVES, IT IS NOW!

Proverbs 2:1-22 My son, if you will receive my words, and hide my commandments within you, 2 so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; 3 yes, if you cry out for knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding, 4 if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; out of His mouth come knowledge and understanding. 7 He lays up sound wisdom for the righteous; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly. 8 He keeps the paths of justice, and preserves the way of His saints.

9 Then you will understand righteousness and judgment and equity, and every good path. 10 When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul 11 discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, 12 to deliver you from the way of the evil man, from the man who speaks perverse things, 13 from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; 14 who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked 15 whose ways are crooked, and who are devious in their paths; 16 to deliver you from the immoral woman, even from the seductress who flatters with her words, 17 who forsakes the guide of her youth,  and forgets the covenant of her God. 18 For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the departed spirits; 19 none who go to her return again, nor do they take hold of the paths of life.

20 So you may walk in the way of good men and keep the paths of the righteous. 21 For the upright will dwell in the land, and the innocent will remain in it; 22 but the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors will be rooted out of it.

Ponder the scripture below and you will understand the necessity of Godly wisdom.

“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul” (Matt. 16:26).

Regardless of how much people tells us that they love us, no one loves you more than your Creator, God. He proved it to you and I at the “Cross of Christ.”

We ALL are in desperate need of hearing from God, regardless if we want to admit it or not! Godly wisdom lets us know this!

IT IS GOD’S WILL THAT NONE SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL WOULD COME TO REPENTANCE! This can only happen when we seek the wisdom of God! Apart from Him, we will perish!

Right now, you can start a new chapter in your life! You can start over right now!

Speak to our hearts Lord!

God bless.

Debra

I do not own any pictures or videos on this blog site nor do I claim ownership of them.

Psalm 91:1-2 God Is That Secret Place Where You Can Hide

Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High  shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

This Psalm says “he who dwells, shall abide.” He who keeps his or her mind stayed on Jesus by faith!

This dwelling place is not a place where you would make a pit stop on your journeys of trouble in life, but a place of His continual presence and spiritual rest that is avilable to you and I regardless of our circumstances in life. A place where we can find love, mental shelter, assurance, comfort, peace and hope in God, regardless.

Are you in need of a hiding place on today? Do you need Shelter in God? Are you weary and wounded in mind and spirit from the cares of this world? If we could be honest for a moment, we all are at times! But even in weariness, God is calling us to find shelter in Him on today!

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28, NIV).

Believe it or not, but true rest and safety is found in the presence of the Lord your God alone. No one can fill that empty void you have inside, but God.

RUN TO JESUS! He is calling you to Him even now. He wants to shelter, comfort, heal your wounds, and give rest to your weary soul on today.

Speak to yourself, God is my hiding place! To Him will I run to find shelter!

God bless.