Have you ever had a weather report sound something like this: “National Weather report for our area; "An outbreak of severe thunderstorms is expected across the area tonight. Widespread damaging winds and large hail... as well as isolated tornadoes will be possible."?
Life can throw us many different types of storms. There are thunderstorms, financial storms, health storms, relationship storms and more. What do you do when you hear that a storm is coming? Do you panic, loose hope, fall apart or give up? It’s totally understandable to be concerned. What if you turned to the Lord? When the storm is coming, you can go to His promises for comfort, reassurance, security and confidence.
Psalm 116:6 “The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and He saved me.”
Psalm 121:8 “The LORD keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”
When bad news comes, trust the One who is steering the ship through the rough waters.
Psalm 112:7 “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the LORD to care for them.”
Even if we leave this earth, we are better off. (If we are living in God's will.)
John 14:3 “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am.” (J.C.)
So why let fear overcome you? God is always with us.
Psalm 56:4 “I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?”
Isaiah 41:13 “For I hold you by your right hand—I, the LORD your God. And I say to you, 'Don't be afraid. I am here to help you.”
Lord thank you that you love us and watch over us. Thank you that you hold us by the hand and are with us to help. You are worthy of all Praise.
The Good Shepherd
In Ezekiel 34, the Lord was upset because the leaders of Israel were only concerned about themselves instead of taking care of the weak, hungry and those that were lost. These rulers had used force and cruelty making those under them easy prey to the world. So God Himself said He would search and find His sheep. His plan is to search for the lost, those that have gone astray, bringing them into safety. He wants to heal and strengthen them.
Psalm 23 KJV
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Isaiah 40:11a
"He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart." :-)
Ezekiel 18:30-32
"Therefore, I will judge each of you, … says the Sovereign LORD. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don't let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. ….I don't want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live!”
John 10:10-11
“The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep."
I thank God for He is justice, love and mercy. Each day, turn to Him and He will meet you where you are at with love, forgiveness & open arms to hold you close to His heart. May our lives be about following Jesus, helping to feed the hungry and show the lost the hope we all have in Christ.
Psalm 23 KJV
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Isaiah 40:11a
"He will feed His flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in His arms, holding them close to His heart." :-)
Ezekiel 18:30-32
"Therefore, I will judge each of you, … says the Sovereign LORD. Repent, and turn from your sins. Don't let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. ….I don't want you to die, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn back and live!”
John 10:10-11
“The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep."
I thank God for He is justice, love and mercy. Each day, turn to Him and He will meet you where you are at with love, forgiveness & open arms to hold you close to His heart. May our lives be about following Jesus, helping to feed the hungry and show the lost the hope we all have in Christ.
Satan's Tactic
Last week, the kids and I were reading in Ezekiel 28 about the city of Tyre. It was a beautiful city and did much trading. But Ezekiel prophesied against this city because of it's pride. In the commentary, it mentioned Satan becomes whom the proud are really following. That was a wake up call for me. Think about it, Satan didn't want to follow God but do things his own way. He didn't want to submit or be a follower of Christ. Christ gave up His rights and came to serve and save the lost.
This got me thinking about the times we can be wrong as parents. There are days when we can loose patience. We don't want to admit we were wrong to our kids because we don't want to loose the respect of our kids or disappoint them. Then I thought about how sometimes kids can make up excuses for what they do wrong so they don't disappoint us parents. The kids and I both realized we had been deceived by Satan and weren't in true submission to Christ, if we can't humble ourselves by living in pride. It was an eye opener and helped us both understand each other a little better. Pride has no place in a believers life. It also made us realize that we should just say; "Sorry, I was wrong". Its quick, easy and keeps the truth being lived out with no cover-up.
Also, as followers of Christ we are to forgive, just as He forgives us. We both agreed that we actually think higher of each other and we keep a respect for each other more when we admit where we are wrong. Interesting tactic Satan was trying to use on us with pride. He would love to rob, steal and destroy many of our relationship in our life. But the truth set us free. :-)
Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.
This got me thinking about the times we can be wrong as parents. There are days when we can loose patience. We don't want to admit we were wrong to our kids because we don't want to loose the respect of our kids or disappoint them. Then I thought about how sometimes kids can make up excuses for what they do wrong so they don't disappoint us parents. The kids and I both realized we had been deceived by Satan and weren't in true submission to Christ, if we can't humble ourselves by living in pride. It was an eye opener and helped us both understand each other a little better. Pride has no place in a believers life. It also made us realize that we should just say; "Sorry, I was wrong". Its quick, easy and keeps the truth being lived out with no cover-up.
Also, as followers of Christ we are to forgive, just as He forgives us. We both agreed that we actually think higher of each other and we keep a respect for each other more when we admit where we are wrong. Interesting tactic Satan was trying to use on us with pride. He would love to rob, steal and destroy many of our relationship in our life. But the truth set us free. :-)
Mat 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me.
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