1 Thessalonians 5:18 - Give Thanks To The Lord In All Things

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

Giving thanks unto the Lord can be easy for some and hard for others depending on the circumstances at the time. This should "NOT" be, but it is a fact!

No, all things that happens to us are not good, but, God is calling us to give Him thanks even when we are in those places in our lives that we call not so good. 

Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

The command from God to His people on today is regardless of what may be happening in our lives, we are to give thanks in the midst of them. 

We are to be thankful "IN" ALL things, but not necessarily "FOR" all things for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you and I.

In a hard place right now? Or, let me put it this way as the saints of old would say it "do you find yourself between a rock and a hard place? Give thanks! Why? You are still yet alive and the situation or circumstances could have been worse. Thank God that it is not!

People of God, if you are alive and reading this blog, give thanks unto the Lord! Thank Him for His kindness and His mercy shown toward you even on today.

God, through the Apostle Paul COMMANDS us, without any excuses or any exceptions, to give thanks in "ALL" things.

In other words, regardless of your present lot, find a reason to give God thanks "IN " it.

People of God, give thanks unto the Lord in "ALL" things for this is the Lord's will concerning us in Christ Jesus.

God we give you thanks in all things because we know that if we are in Christ Jesus and Victory belongs to Him, we are victorious too in "ALL" things through Him!

Thank You Lord!

God bless.

Debra

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Matthew 2: 16-18 Herod Outwitted

Matthew 2:16-18 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was utterly furious and sent forth and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and the surrounding region, from two years old and under, based on the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet:

18 “In Ramah a voice was heard, grieving and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are no more.”

Having been outwitted by the divine wisdom of God, Herod now realizes that he had been tricked because the "wise men" never returned with the answer to his request of Jesus birthplace.

In his "FURY" and in his attempt to Kill Jesus, Herod order all male children in Bethlehem and surrounding areas that were 2 years old or younger, be killed.  

In Herod's order for the murder of these children, we see "evil" at it's greatest. He was the King, he thought he had all power and now he finds out that he has no power and has therefore been outwitted by the "Wise Men."

Herod and all of us are the reason why Jesus had to come to earth to die for the sins of humanity.

I am forever grateful to God for sending His Son Jesus to die for my sins that I may live again forever in eternity with Him. THANK YOU LORD for paying MY sin debt!

Spiritual warfare is real!

Herod chose to reject Christ but the good news today is that the fork in the road is before you. Which direction will you take?

My plea to you on today is please do not let yourself be outwitted by satan for he is roaming the earth, seeking whom he may devour so please do not let it be you.

JEHOVAH IS HIS NAME!! MIGHTY IN POWER, MIGHTY WARRIOR WHO IS GREAT IN BATTLE!!!

God bless.

Debra

Titus 2:11-12 Salvation Has Been Revealed To All

Titus 2:11-12  For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, righteously, and in godliness in this present world.

God's grace and mercy has not only been revealed to humanity through Christ Jesus, but it was sent and made available to all who would believe. Mark 9:23-Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Yes, the way of escape from the penalty of sin and death was made possible over 2k years ago when God Himself put on flesh in the form of Jesus Christ, came to earth as a baby born of a virgin, lived among us as an example for us, died on a wooden cross on a hill called "Golgotha", Calvary's Hill and was resurrected 3 days later all for you and I.

Salvation has come and has been revealed for all eyes to see! He came to live and then die to pay the penalty for sin which we ourselves could not pay. 

The good news on today is that none of us is beyond God's reach. I do not care how far you have laid or wallowed in sin, God is able to save you and He has made the way available for you to be saved through Christ.

In a world where all the pleasures of this world will one day be no more, God has presented the opportunity for ALL of us to be "SAVED" and set free from sin and eternal separation from Him.

My prayer in this season in which we celebrate the birth of "Christ Jesus", our Risen Savior is that you will unwrap the "GIFT OF SALVATION" that has been revealed and made available to ALL who would believe.

Thank You Lord!

God bless.

Debra

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

Isaiah 55:6-7 IT IS WITH URGENCY THAT YOU SEEK GOD NOW

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while He may be found,  call you upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

SEEK=zéteó in the greek and means I seek, search for, desire.

As I look at this scripture, I see what's commanded in order to find God and a personal relationship with Him.

(1) Seek God while He may be found, (2) call (cry out) to Him while He is near, (3) the wicked man must forsake his or her ways, (4) the unrighteous must for sake his thoughts, (5) return to the Lord. 

When we have done these 5 things listed above, God's promise today is to not only show you mercy, but to pardon you in an abundance.

NOW is the time to make seeking God a priority in our lives. Seeking God must become a daily assignment, just like your job is to you, like your pursuit in search of something precious and of great value that you have lost is how you need to seek God also. You must pursue God with passion like a dear that panteth after water.

The problem with many people is the fact that they only seek God when trouble comes and then they want God to hurry up and work on their behalf right now. We should seek Him before we need Him and that means seeking Him daily in all circumstances, good or bad.

This chaotic and evil world in which we live is our sign that seeking God with urgency is needed more now than ever.

IT IS WITH URGENCY THAT I MAKE THIS PLEA TO YOU ON TODAY TO SEEK GOD NOW WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND!

God bless.

Debra

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

Psalm 27:1-14 Put On Faith And Not Fear In The Process

Psalm 27:1- The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom will I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom will I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me to eat my flesh—my enemies and my foes—they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army should encamp against me, my heart will not fear; though war should rise against me,in this will I be confident.

4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that will I seek after—for me to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to see the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. 5 For in the time of trouble He will hide me in His pavilion; in the shelter of His tabernacle He will hide me; He will set me up on a rock.

6 Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies encircling me;
therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Be gracious to me and answer me. 8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”9 Do not hide Your face far from me; do not thrust Your servant away in anger; You have been my help. Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. 

10 If my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me in. 11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in an upright path,
because of my enemies. 12 Do not deliver me to the will of my enemies; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.

13 I believe I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 

14 Wait on the Lord; be strong, and may your heart be stout; wait on the Lord.

God bless.

Debra

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

Psalm 100:2 Serve The Lord Your God With Gladness

Psalm 100:2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

The command is to "serve the Lord with gladness and singing." WHY? Because of who He is. He good! He is the Lord our God who has made us. We serve Him with gladness because He commands us to do just that.

The kind of worship we are to give unto the Lord our God is one with gladness and cheerful adoration to the Lord our God.

People of God, what is your attitude when it comes to worshipping Almighty God? Are you preparing yourselves this morning to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise when you enter His house on this morning?  

Does a glad and grateful heart describes you when you think of the Lord your God?

Not only are we told what to do in this text concerning our worship to the Lord, we are also told how to do it. We are told to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. 

Psalm 150:2-5 Praise Him for His mighty acts; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lyre and harp! 4 Praise Him with the tambourine and dancing; praise Him with stringed instruments and flute!
5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; praise Him with the clanging cymbals!

Singing and making a joyful noise to the Lord is a great way to serve Him with gladness.

Serving the Lord with gladness is our reasonable service when we consider ALL that He has done, is doing and continues to do on our behalf.

Psalm 104:33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

Psalm 147:1 Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

People of God, the Lord our God is calling us to serve Him with gladness and with a song of praise. Not with a murmuring and grumbling heart but with one of joyfulness. 

It is in the spirit of joyfulness, beauty and holiness with thanksgiving is where the Lord is truly praised and worshipped by you and I.

God bless.

Debra

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

Psalm 119:1-11 Staying On The Path Of Purity

Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

PURITY=adiaphthoria in the greek and mean incorruptibility, soundness, integrity, purity.

This scripture starts off with what is known as a rhetorical question. The author is not looking for an answer because he already knows it. He is really trying to drive home a point about maintaining purity.

David, in this text gives us some specifics on how to maintain purity through the Word of God. Let's listen to what he says. (1) Application of the Word daily into our lives, (2) seek God with our whole heart, (3) do not wander or stray away from God's commandments and (4) treasure God's Word and let our heart (mind) be the storage place where the Word of God resides within us.

David Himself declared to the Lord His God that "thy word have I hid in my heart so that I may not sin against you." Is this your declaration to the Lord your God on today?

Staying on the path of purity! Are you struggling? God has given you the remedy in His Word on how to get back on track.

Scripture declares this concerning God's Word in Psalm 119:105-Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 

The call today to HUMANITY today is to "stay clean" by the washing of our minds with the Word of God so that we may not sin against God with the dirt of immorality that is plentiful and prevalent in this world in which we live.

God has given ALL OF US a way of escape from the world's filth! No more excuses! It's time to act on the Word of God!

God bless.

Debra

1 King 17: 1-16 God Will Provide

1 King 17:1-16 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord God of Israel lives before whom I stand, there will not be dew or rain these years except by my word.”

2 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Go from here and turn eastward and hide by the Kerith brook, which is east of the Jordan. 4 You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

5 So he went and did according to the word of the Lord, for he went and lived by the Kerith brook, which is east of the Jordan. 6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.

7 After some time, the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. 8 The word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there. I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 10 So he got up and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please get a small cup of water for me to drink.” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

12 She said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, but only a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a jar. I am gathering two sticks, that I can go in and make it for me and my son, so we may eat it and die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make a little cake for me first, and bring it to me, and afterward, make some for your son and you, 14 for thus says the Lord God of Israel: The barrel of meal will not run out, nor will the jar of oil empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.”

15 She went and did what Elijah told her to do, and she, he, and her household ate many days. 16 The barrel of meal did not run out, nor did the jar of oil empty, according to the word of the Lord, which He spoke by Elijah.

GOD WILL PROVIDE! Yes, He will make a way for you. God has done it before and He will do it again. 

As God told Elijah, I speak the same over everyone that is struggling to make it, God is preparing the heart of someone right now to help you too.

God is the same God yesterday, today and forever. He did it then, He can do it again. Trust Him on today to provide what is needed.

We can't, but God can!

Thank You Lord for making a way for your people.

Your Servant Debra

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

1 Peter 4:12 Think It Not Strange

1 Peter 4:12 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you.

STRANGE="atopos" in the greek and means out of place, strange. Improper, unrighteous, perverse.

In Peter's day the Christians could not understand why they were suffering.  Does this question still rings true with us today as the people of God? Of course!

Are you suffering for the sake of Christ? Peter said "think it not strange" but rejoice. In other words, count it all joy, for we are reminded in James 1:13- When our faith is tested, our patience has a chance to grow

Believe it or not but suffering is a very painful part of life that none of us want to experience. The reality of life is that NONE of us can escape suffering and the pain that it brings along  with it, therefore we must press our way though in prayer and the Word of God, knowing that God is at work and we will get through it with His help.

Jesus suffered and you and I too will suffer

Jesus reminds us that even in suffering, we can rejoice. We rejoice because we know that God is still with us by means of His Holy Spirit who will leads and guide us into truth and righteousness even in the midst of suffering.

1 Corinthians 10:13-No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Suffering for the sake of Christ?  Count it not strange for “GOD” is able to keep us in it.

God bless.

Debra

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

Psalm 147:3 Jesus Came To Heal You

Psalm 147:3 He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.

BROKEN=shabar and is defined as a primitive root; to burst (literally or figuratively):--break (down, off, in pieces, up), broken((-hearted).

To preach the good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to those spiritually imprisoned, to recover sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to heal the broken hearts, to bind up their wounds and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor is why Jesus came. 

Are you hurting and wounded in heart? Does it feel as though your heart has been shattered into pieces? Do you need healing of the heart? Allow Jesus to do just that for you on today. He is able if you are willing to surrender to Him and allow Him to heal you from the inside out.

Has your broken heart paralyzed you? Has it caused you to be stuck at your place of hurt? God wants to heal you through Christ Jesus so you can move beyond hurt and pain avenue to the road of deliverance and victory in Him.

There is no need to continue on in life in your state of being hurt and wounded for healing and comfort of your broken heart is what Christ promises to do for you on today.

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

People of God, we too have been broken, wounded and in need of healing from our past hurts and wounds and Jesus did that just for us.

It is now time for the people of God to help others heal. Because of what we have gone through, we can now help others.

Wounded and broken hearted? Seek God as your healer on today! Tell Him all about it for He alone can help you.

John 6:37 All whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and he who comes to Me I will never cast out.

Looking for the right ointment to heal your wounded heart? Jesus is it!

God bless.

Debra

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