WITH A THANKFUL HEART

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

PUSH! GOD ANSWERS!

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room was filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man that he had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man has to Push the rock with all his might...

So, this is what the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sundown. His shoulders set squarely against the cold on a massive surface of the unmoving rock pushing with all his might! Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, Feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Since the man was showing discouragement, the adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: (He will do it every time)!

You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved." Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.
Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but instead he decided to make it into a matter of Prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to The Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"
The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed.

But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be Obedient and to push and to exercise your Faith and trust in My Wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock."

REFLECTION;
At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He Wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him. By all means, exercise the Faith that moves mountains,but know that it is still God Who moves the Mountains.

The Lord is my Shepherd = That's Relationship!

I shall not want = That's Supply! 

Patience

Patience

"If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it." -1 Corinthians 12:26

I was mindful of this verse this past weekend when I spent two days climbing a ladder to paint my house. After hours of climbing and descending and stretching under eaves to apply fresh coats of paint, I'm not sure I was fully prepared for the stiffness and soreness in my legs that was to come. For the following several days, it was all I could do to concentrate on other tasks because of the painful twinges in the muscles in my legs. Interesting how painful relationships have a similar effect. We've all had relationships strained by disagreement and circumstances, and no matter how hard we seem to try, whenever we are around those people, all our minds can think about is the pain of those strained relations. Paul speaks the truth in 1 Corinthians 12:26, that "if one part suffers, every part suffers." Is it a wonder that just four verses later, 1 Corinthians 13 begins...truly, one of the greatest definitions of love to be found in any literature: "Love is patient, love is kind, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others..." Friends, how would our relationships with others change if we were mindful to remember that, when one part suffers, every part suffers? And when one part is honored, every part rejoices. Since love is patient, as the old song says, "Why not put a little love in your heart?" You may be surprised how quickly your relationships change for the better!       *                       *                      *    PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for patience! Thank You for Your love that gives me the ability to love...anyway! No matter what comes my way or what circumstances confound me, Your love gives me the ability to love others. Thank You, Lord! In Jesus' name, Amen Who could you love more today?

Jesus You Are My Healer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFjbCA4RLJY

Arise from the Wreckage

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28 (KJV)
I'd read the book of Acts before and honestly, it fell dull and familiar as I read again. But when I came to chapter nine, something new jumped out at me. I began to see the word "rejection," although it was not in written form. Perhaps I saw what I was feeling that day—rejected.
I was reading at the part of the story where Saul, a murderer, had just been transformed into Paul, a disciple of Christ. Even though Paul was a changed person, many rejected him because of his past reputation and lifestyle.
Not only that, but as Paul became fully devoted to serving Christ—sacrificing his education, his life, and remaining single so he could better serve the Lord—he was falsely accused, thrown into prison more than once and shipwrecked on several occasions. Doesn't that seem odd for a man called of God? Wouldn't God's favor protect him from such adversity?
I thought about an illness that had lingered with me for months. It was so severe I was all but bed-ridden week after week, unable to do life and ministry. I had felt rejected by God. It didn't make sense. I was serving Him in more ways than I could count. Then, without warning, strong winds came and ushered what felt like a storm into my life. Clouds hung overhead and before I knew it, I felt "shipwrecked."
Perhaps, you've been there, too. Maybe you've been rejected by family, friends, and co-workers. Or you've been falsely accused. Maybe you're imprisoned by finances, or being blown around by the consequences of someone else's sin?
It seems so unfair. You've tried to live right. You walk in obedience the best you can. You take God at His Word and trust in His promises. Shouldn't faith like this call for smooth sailing, instead of stormy, shipwrecking seas?
If we follow Paul's journey, we find God working through the rejection, the trials, the prison time, and the shipwrecks. Paul shared the gospel with the Pharisees through his rejection and imprisonment. People saw God's power at work when Paul survived the storms, when the snake bite didn't kill him, and when the jail shook—opening doors and loosing chains.
Paul didn't let his circumstances wreck him with a sense of rejection. He didn't allow self-pity and doubt to overtake him. Instead, we see in Acts 16:22-31 that after being stripped, beaten, severely flogged, thrown in the inner cell of a prison and his feet in stocks, Paul prayed and sang hymns to God. And others around him were listening. The power of God came in such a way that the prison guard begged Paul to tell him, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" He replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus" (vs. 30b-31, NIV).
God kept His promise to work all things together for the good of this man who loved Him and was called according to His purposes. As Paul depended on God and trusted His faithfulness in the midst of his adversity, many witnessed God's power and believed.
And the same is true for us. God doesn't waste our pain, our rejection or our "shipwrecks." He uses them to bring about His plan—to position us so that others can see His transforming power at work in our lives and believe in the living God.
If that's true, and it is, then our challenge is to rise from the wreckage, like Paul, so that our lives will give testimony that draws others to the Jesus. Today I will no longer sit on the sidelines of life full of self-pity. I choose to rise, pray and praise, so that God can position me to shine for His glory, and so that others will believe.
Dear Lord, forgive me for wallowing in self-pity and rejection. I trust that You see the bigger picture. I believe there is a purpose for my pain. Strengthen me to rise from my ashes so that others will see You are my help and my salvation. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Micca Monda Campbell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gN6A13V3EI&feature=player_embedded

The Heart Of A Woman

They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up against injustice when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without new shoes so their children can have them.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a new marriage.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They have sorrow at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all sizes, in all colors and shapes.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world spin!
Women do more than just give birth.
They bring joy and hope.
They give compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have a lot to say and a lot to give.

Proverbs 31:25-31
Daniel 6:26-27
Colossians 3:12-17
Hebrews 10:24-25
Psalm 119:10

Prayer for the Day

Dear Lord, I began with the Spirit and I want to stay in step with the Spirit. Help me to rely on You and not my own effort. When I am capable, allow me to be reminded of my own inadequacy so that I would never try to do things by human effort, but always through Yours. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Identifying Insecurity

Psalm 139:13-16
Let me ask you to do what may be an uncomfortable exercise. We are going to examine statements that insecure people often make about themselves. As you read each one, ask yourself, Do I think similarly?
Insecure people make comments like:

• Why bother trying? I'll never get it right.
• Everyone is looking at me, just waiting for me to make a fool of myself.
• I'm a failure.
• I am ugly and awful to look at.
• I can never win. I'm just a loser.
• No matter how hard I work, I never get any recognition.
• I am incompetent at everything.
• Nobody could ever speak well about me.
• I have failed before; once a failure, always a failure.
• I don't see how anyone could ever like, respect, or accept me.
• I don't deserve to be treated well.
• I don't fit here or anywhere else.
• Everyone else looks so "together." I feel "out of it" compared to them.
• I am an incomplete person, and nothing can change that.
• Why would anyone care to hear what I have to say?
• No one cares about what I think or feel.
• People are nice to me only when they want something from me.

Did any of the above statements ring true for you? Prayerfully consider the ones that got your attention. Then, take those specific fears to the Lord, and allow Him to show you His truth in each area. God wants to set you free from anything hindering your spiritual development.

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you."

"God is able to make all grace abound toward you."

2 CORINTHIANS 9:8

God will not LEAD you where His grace cannot KEEP you. That is to say, when we undertake the work assigned to us by the Lord we will find the Life of the Lord is present to give us all the inner spiritual strength to see it through to completion.

I am not saying everything will go smoothly and you will never have any self-doubt or fear. Far from it. But listen to what Paul says: "We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8,9). His secret? "I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29). Not I, but Christ. This is the secret to the Christian life and it is the key to all fruitful spiritual work.