Here is a great video where Steve Hartman teaches us the value of having GRATITUDE. I love how he involves his kids in these videos. I hope he enjoys them while they are young…kids have a tendency to grow up. I am thankful for this video… Hope you enjoy it…..
By Ed Traut
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Prayer: Lord I do want to pray according to Your will for my life and Your purposes. Holy Spirit I pray that You will guide me and show me His will that I will pray correctly. Amen.
Ed Traut
Prophetic Life
By Ann Farabee
There will come a day you will notice. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself that you can fight it off, it shows up anyway.
We are all getting older.
I consider myself an expert on getting older because I have had a lot of experience.
For me, getting older has been characterized by a weak knee, a weak hip, weak lungs, high cholesterol, memory problems, wrinkles and being tired.
That’s about it, unless I forgot something — which I probably did.
Good news, I exercise. Bad news, I do not eat properly.
Good news, I eat ice cream every day. Bad news, I should not eat ice cream every day.
When I finally get to the bed each evening, it feels as if it is where I belong. It is as if my bed had been waiting on me all day. Pillows propped up perfectly. Ahhh — I made it another day. Time to rest!
Joshua 13:1 says that the Lord was speaking to Joshua, who was old and stricken in years.
The word “stricken” isn’t actually in our vocabulary, but I think we get the idea.
And, the verse could be read with my name in it instead of Joshua’s name. “Ann was old and stricken in years.” It sounds a bit offensive to me, but it is in the Bible, so I chose to keep looking at it.
The word “stricken” can mean:
I specifically identify with No. 3, although Joshua at this time was between 85-100 years old — and I am way younger than that!
In the next part of the verse, the Lord pointed it out again, “You are old and stricken in years.” Then the verse says, “Take a break. You have done enough.” Oh, so sorry! I accidentally misquoted that!
The Lord actually said, “There remains very much land to be possessed.”
Not only did Joshua have work left to do — but he had very much work left to do.
I believe we should all, no matter our age, take the Lord’s words to heart: Not only does there remain much land to be possessed, but we still have very much land to be possessed.
Where is our land that needs to be possessed that the Lord is reminding us of? It could be a child on the other side of the world that through our small monthly donation is able to be fed physically and spiritually. It could be someone in our neighborhood. It could be someone in our church. It could be in our workplace. It could be in our home.
The Lord is nudging us to remember that we all — no matter our age — still have land that needs to be possessed. Even if we feel old and stricken in years, there is much work to be done on that land that we have been given to possess. Very much work!
You know what? I am thankful for that — God can still use each and every one of us!
Ann Farabee is a teacher, writer and speaker. Contact her at annfarabee@gmail.com or annfarabee.com.
By Lynna Clark
Yesterday we noticed in Nehemiah 8:9 that as the people heard the Word of God they were weeping. It seems that as the Word was read and explained, they understood God’s desires toward them. Maybe they understood His love. Maybe they realized their sinfulness. Maybe they were overwhelmed by His provision and care, especially in light of all He had just accomplished through them.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” WOW. God’s Word is so powerful! It will reveal to us exactly what God wants us to know and do and feel. It will show us the junk we need to be rid of, and the stuff we need to hang onto to use for His glory. Then we can have a Psalm 32 experience:
“Oh, what joy for those whose rebellion is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of sin, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! Verse 8: “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
Do you ever struggle with knowing the will of God? What to do, what to do? These verses offer a key to understanding. Give it up. Confess and get rid of whatever the Word reveals is blocking your friendship with your beloved Father. Draw so near that it is not a strain to call Him “Abba,” Daddy. There is nothing worth hanging onto at the expense of losing your closeness with Him. He longs to bless you. But sometimes we are just too far away to hear His voice, His sweet invitation to dinner, His gentle reminder that He loves us like the son or daughter we are.
We were invited to our former pastor’s home for the week-end. They had moved to another state and we had kinda lost touch with these once very close friends. I really didn’t want to go. Don’t tell anyone, but I snore like a freight train. It’s so loud that I am afraid that those people they interview after a tornado that say with that deep hick accent, “It sounded jes like a frate trane!!!” actually did not experience a tornado. They probably just live within a two mile radius of me. Aannnyyyyway… we went for our visit. We had been going through so many trials, I had just about shut down emotionally; stuff too hard to recount here. Our beloved friends got us talking. They comforted us and listened without judgment or advice. They just took care of us and fed us some really good food. We came away wondering why we had ever lost touch. Why had I dreaded the trip? Why did I wait so long? They helped bear this awful load and lifted us back to the land of the living. My joy was restored!
The Lord is looking forward to lightening your load, and restoring your joy, if you let Him. James 4:8 reminds me to draw close to Him & He will draw close to me! Why in the world would I put it off?
Prayer for today: Dear sweet Abba Father, strengthen us to look daily in Your Word, so we can clearly see Your BEST pathway for our lives. Point out anything that is blocking our friendship with You. Draw us so close that we experience the deepest love we have ever known. We want to be the best we can be for You.
More: Psalm 32; Hebrews 4:12-16; Romans 12:1,2; Romans 8:15