Day 223 No Way!!-----Yes Way!!!!

Matthew 19:26  NIV

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

When we look at a circumstance and say, “There is NO WAY,” God looks at that same circumstance and says, “YES WAY!”

We know that Jesus is THE WAY and He made A WAY for us by dying on the cross.  He came to destroy the works of the enemy.  So why do we look around and see all these “works” still going on??

It’s because God wants us to get on board with Him.  He says, “yes” and He wants us to agree with Him by saying the “amen.”

2 Corinthians 1:20   (NIV1984)

20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

I think the problem lies in the fact that we don’t know what His promises are and then it’s difficult to say, “amen.”  We see more of the devil’s work going on and we might even catch ourselves saying,  “This must be the way God wants it.”

Again, I encourage you as God has encouraged me:  Go back to the Word of God.  The Bible is our plumb line.  Our lives are meant to be measured by God’s Word.

As you are reading the Word, if you come across something you don’t understand, ask God a question and write that question down in your journal.  Tomorrow when you wake up, if you don’t already have an answer, ask Him again.

(By the way, let me know when the answer comes!)

Begin to formulate a list of things that you know God has promised.  If you need help, you can go to:http://www.scripturepromises.com/

If the promise seems too good to be true, then write the reference down in your journal and beside it write:  “Did you really mean it, God?”

(I want some feedback on that, too!!!)

God is like a father who promises his child something….He wants his child to believe it and be happy about it—not to look around and forumulate doubt in his heart.

EnJOY your time with God today!

GPS  (Directions From God’s Word)

• John 14:6
• II Peter 1:3-4
• Luke 1:37

Prayer Focus:

Did you really mean it, God?

Kisses From A Good God

I am reading this great book by Paul Manwaring.  It's the story of his journey through prostate cancer.  The story has a happy ending but it's the process that is so enlightening.  It's the author's journey into the love of God and it applies to anyone going through anything. 

Get ready.....God will take you by the hand (no matter what your age), and lead you and guide you and talk to you each and every day.  As you read, you will expect a "kiss" from God on a regular basis--as often as you need it.

You can purchase this book here:

http://www.paulmanwaring.com/

or here:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_18?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kisses+from+a+good+god&sprefix=Kisses+from+a+good%2Caps%2C255

Here's a quote to whet your appetite:

“A real life in relationship with a real God who is so utterly good, that He brought Paul through every one of those tests and trails and shipwrecks and disasters, and at the end of it, Paul could still write, “For I am convinced that neither death, not life….will be able to separate us from the love of God….”  (Romans 8:38-39)

EnJOY!!

Day 222  God Loves Us Lavishly

Hosea 14:4-8  The Message (MSG)

I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out.
I will make a fresh start with Israel.

God’s anger was played out the day Jesus was crucified on the cross.  The cross is the ultimate display of God’s love for us. 

Can you even imagine watching your son be crucified.  I cannot!  But God in His mercy and His love for us sent His Son to the cross to die for us—each of us!

We as Christians cut our teeth on John 3:16.  Here it is in paraphrased in The Message Bible:

John 3:16   The Message (MSG)

 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.

The entire Old Testament points us to this day.  This is the day that God’s love was poured out for us!

All we have to do is come to Him and lay the broken pieces of our life before Him and say,  “I cannot do this my way any longer.  I give my heart and my life to You, Jesus.  Do what You want with it.  I am Yours from now on.”

What joy in the courts of God when each of us comes with the broken pieces in our hands.

GPS  (Direction From God’s Word)

·         Luke 15:11-24

·         Hosea 14: 1-9

·         Luke 15:10

Prayer Focus:

Here I am, Lord, ready to accept Your love that was poured out for me….ready to live for You.

Maybe we should be like this little three year old who is expressing her thanks to God for healing her!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXGb2JNwpkc

Don't you know God just loves this!! 

Let's thank God that He has a plan....He has always had a plan....and He wants us to connect with Him so we can know the plan!!  And lets thank Him for "do- overs" so we can reconnect with His good plan!

God bless your day,

Karol

Day 221  A Divine “Do-Over”

2 Samuel 22: 25  The Message (MSG)

God  rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to His eyes.

A “do-over” is what kids proclaim when they make a mistake playing a game and they want another chance.  They say, “I want a do-over!”  I am so glad that God is the author of “do-overs,” because I certainly have needed those over the years and I will continue to need them!

My major “do-over” is explained on Day 220.  After that event, I still made mistakes….I still sinned.  I didn’t do it on purpose because I love the Lord, but now I know when I do sin, I can go to Him and ask for His forgiveness.  The Bible says that as soon as I do that He wipes my slate clean.

Remember those little clipboard-type thing we had with the piece of flexible mylar on them.  We could draw something on the clear mylar and then when we lifted the mylar up, it wiped away every mark that we had made.

That’s all it takes with God.  He wants us to come to Him with a repentant heart and ask Him to forgive you.  He is the One who will remove every sin from our hearts.

In this day and age, we do not want to say that three letter word---SIN.  We think if we say it, it will become more real.  Yes, it will!!  And when it becomes a reality to each of us, our hearts will be saddened and we can go quickly to God and it is there that we experience His love and His mercy and His forgiveness.

God wants to rewrite the text of our lives.  He wants to take us on a journey into wholeness with Him.  That’s our wonderful God!!

GPS  (Directions from God’s Word)

• I John 1: 8-9
• Psalms 103:12
• II Corinthians 5:17

Prayer Focus:

Please forgive me for…..

Day 220  A Fresh Start

2 Samuel 22:21-25   The Message (MSG)

God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him.When I cleaned up my act, He gave me a fresh start.

Who doesn’t need a “fresh start” from time to time.  Sometimes it’s just to have a better attitude, but maybe it’s even to have a better life!

Everyone comes to a cross roads where we have a choice to make.  For me it was at age 33 when I took a look at how I was living and knew that that was not going to work.  I was so dissatisfied and frustrated.  I was trying to move ahead but I just couldn’t.  I was spinning my wheels in my frustration and making everyone around me miserable. On that day, I stopped to listen to myself and I knew I could not go on this way.

That’s when I turned to my face towards God and said, “If there is anything You can use of my life, You can have it.”  Peace (the peace that I so longed for) rushed over my life that day.  I was totally amazed that He found anything in my life that was worth saving.
He made each one of us and we are all precious to Him, so when we turn to Him, He is there for us with arms open wide.

When the scripture says “when I cleaned up my act…”  You would think that means that we have to do things right in order to receive His “fresh start.”  No, Jesus did everything right for us so all we have to do is turn towards God and say, “Here’s my life.  I give it to You.”

If at some point in your life, you have done that, you know exactly what I am talking about.  If you haven’t done that, you can.  God is waiting for you!

And oh by the way, God is the author of “do-overs.”  In fact out of His amazing love for you, He sent Jesus to the cross so you can have a fresh start---a “do-over!”

Today could be your day for your fresh start!!!

GPS  (Direction from God’s Word)

• Psalms 139
• Romans 5:19  MSG
• I Corinthians 6: 9-11

Prayer Focus:

Here I am, God.  If there is anything in my life worth saving, You can have it right here and right now.

Day 219    Co-laboring With God      

2 Samuel 22:21-25  The Message (MSG)

²¹God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before Him.

What a powerful truth!  And when did it happen??  “….when I placed all the pieces before Him.”

As I continue to get to know God better, I am seeing that we have a part to play in what we are asking God to do for us.  I call it “co-laboring” with God.  I am learning to hear His voice and to do my part in bringing about the answer.

In this verse He is asking us to place all our pieces before Him.  No hiding, no shame, no guilt, no fear—just lay the pieces of our lives out there.

Our lives are like a jigsaw puzzle.  The pieces are all over the place and it seems like a monumental task.  If you say to yourself, “Where do I start,” let me offer this suggestion.

Two things:

1.      Choose a place--in your home, your office, your car, at the coffee shop…where you will not be interrupted…

 

2.      And choose a meeting time—when you will have the least amount of interruptions.

There now—you have framed in your puzzle.  All of a sudden it does not seem so overwhelming.  Your framework is complete.

Next, get yourself a Bible that you can understand and a new notebook where you can write your insights.  When you have done that, go to your place at the time you have set aside and begin by saying, “God, what do you want me to know today?”

Your answer will be in the Bible.  Now that may seem a little overwhelming too, so here’s how to get started:

Find a good devotional.  Open to the first day and read the scripture. Find it in your Bible and keep reading until certain words jump off the page concerning your personal life.  Write those words down on your journal page.  God just showed you what He wants you to know for today.

Isn’t that amazing??

Tomorrow repeat the same thing….and the day after that and the day after that.  When you reach Day 7 of your week, STOP---go back and read what you have written in your journal.  This is important because you will see how God’s words tie together.  Your puzzle is coming together.  God is making your “life complete.”

GPS (Direction from God’s Word) *

·         Matthew 11: 28-30  The Message (MSG)

·         Isaiah 49:16

·         Jeremiah 29:11

Prayer Focus:

God, what do you want me to know today?

*If you do not have The Message (MSG) Bible, you can find it online at www.biblegateway.com  or on the YOU VERSION app on for your phone or iPad.