True Strength

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 23:14-35:9
Matthew 24:29-27:31
Psalm 30:1-33:22
Proverbs 7:24-9:6

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 35:10-Leviticus 9:6

Matthew 27:32-Mark 4:25

Psalm 34:1-37:29

Proverbs 9:7-10:5

Focus Verse(s): Psalm 31:4
"For You are my strength and my refuge, And for Your name's sake You will guide me and sustain me."

So often in my daily life I forget to lean on God and draw my strength from Him. It is then that I feel weak, overwhelmed and incapable...but when I open my heart, and realize I am drifting, I turn to our Father in prayer and He draws me to Himself and grants me the comfort and refuge I need. God wants to guide us and wants us to rely on His strength to sustain ourselves. If only we could completely let go of our egos which want to "do it all by ourselves" and take all the credit then we could remember this Psalm. Consequently, as we give credit to God for our strength He will continue to build His house through us and will be able to use us more and more to do His will. God has a perfect plan for our lives but sometimes He has to lead us through trials to refine us to be more like Him and through these trying times we can learn more and more to let Him be our true strength. But we have to be willing to humble ourselves to relying fully on God for all things, especially our strength! St. John Chrysostom said, "The Scriptures were not given to us only that we might have them in books, but that we might engrave them on our hearts." I urge you to engrave the above verse on your heart and cling to it in the face of any and all trials which God may be leading you through currently or in the future! Will you please pray with me:

Dear Lord,
I want to be able to truly say as David did, "You are my strength." Please soften my heart that Your spirit may dwell within me that I may let You guide me and sustain me and be my one and only strength and refuge. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Mark & Lynn, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff, Mamie's family and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki

Spiritual Endurance

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 10:1-23:13
Matthew 20:1-24:28
Psalm 25:1-29:11
Proverbs 6:6-7:23

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 23:14-35:9
Matthew 24:29-27:31
Psalm 30:1-33:22
Proverbs 7:24-9:6

Hello to one and all!! Thanks for your continued patience with me getting back on my feet and back on time! I will try my best to get back to Saturday morning emails instead of these sporadic any day messages! I know God will help me get on track and share His love with you!

Focus Verse(s): Matthew 24:12-13
"And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved."

Last week, talking about the state of the economy and things in general, got me thinking about fear. This week, reading this verse and still contemplating the world around us, I am thinking about love and optimism. I see so many emails, news stories, and daily conversations that have people growing more and more negative. I read and hear complaints over various situations and leaders, tales of destruction and war, and overall pessimistic tones to almost everything being circulated... When I read this passage in Matthew it occurred to me that this is exactly what the evil one wants! The devil has planted his seeds and is sitting back watching us destroy ourselves and the world around us. He is laughing as people are growing cold! But God wants us to endure! We can't let ourselves get sucked into the lawlessness and the hopelessness that encompasses the world around us. We need to grasp onto our brothers and sisters in Christ and help each other endure through faith and His Spirit. We need to approach all things with love and with an optimistic attitude. God does not wish to see us perish, He sacrificed His only Son to see us saved! Through prayer, worship, meditation and fellowship I believe we can endure together and we will not grow cold if we cling to God. Will you please pray with me:

Holy Father,
I am torn daily to grow cold as those around me are disheartened by the state of the world today. Please help me to cling to You and endure in love, faith and hope. I want to be a beacon of Your light in this world that is growing dim and I pray that Your Spirit keeps me from growing cold myself. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Mark & Lynn, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff, Mamie and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki

Impossible Fears?

This Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Genesis 46-Exodus 9:35
Matthew 15:1-19:30
Psalm 19:1-24:10
Proverbs 4:14-6:5

Next Week's Combined Readings
from "The One Year Devotional Guide":
Exodus 10:1-23:13
Matthew 20:1-24:28
Psalm 25:1-29:11
Proverbs 6:6-7:23

Hello to one and all!!
I've missed these emails and typing to you each week! Baby and I are doing great and I am starting to feel more normal energy-wise...most days! Please update me on any prayer requests you would like for us to include in our prayers and also if you no lonoger wish to receive these weekly emails. Thanks for your patience with me getting back on my feet!

Focus Verse(s): Exodus 3:4 - 4:17
The One Year Devotional Guide asks this week, "How did Moses respond when God told him to go lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" Well, he totally freaked out!! Moses was positivley scared out of his mind! First, when God starts to speak to him in chapter 3 verse 6 Moses hid his face. Then, in the rest of this passage I believe I count 5 times where he tries to talk God out of using him. So, I started asking myself, 'Why does God take this man, who seems to be such a chicken, and turn him into one of the great men of the Old Testament?' Well, I believe I found my answer in Matthew 19:26b: "with God all things are possible." Moses and his entire story exemplify this truth! In today's turbulent times, with the state of the economy, the warring nations abroad, and the increasing violence here in the States, it is easy to become scared ourselves. Moses plight seemed impossible to him and our fears may seem impossible to overcome today... However, in II Timothy 1:7 Paul teaches, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." So, I believe we need to lean heavily on the sound mind we've been given by our loving God, with whom all things are possible, and conquer our fears through His power. We can remember Moses and how God used him in spite of all his fears and doubts...likewise I think God will use each of us in great ways too! Please join me in prayer:

Father God,
I have had my fearful moments when I have not fully trusted You and leaned on Your power. However, Your Word teaches me that You did not give me a spirit of fear. Please help me to cling to this knowledge every time the evil one tries to spring that fear on me and help me to lean on Your power to overcome the impossible. Lord, I want to thank You for all of Your leaders in Your world, Your countries and most especially in Your churches. Please continue to bless all of them and continue to grant them Your wisdom so that they may lead us, Your people, in the right direction. We also thank You for all of Your soldiers, young and old, present and past and we pray that You please bless and protect them as well as Your families which You surround them with today and always. Father, You alone can heal us, no matter what ails us. Please grant You extraordinary healing, be it spiritual, emotional, physical or mental, to all those in need but especially to Lee, Pam, Jeff, Helen, Larry, George, Karen, Mark & Lynn, Gary, Tim, Jeff, Joy, Ward, Jeff and all those we each name to You now. God we know that Your will is perfect and therefore we ask that all these things be done according to Your wishes and not our own. We pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Have a blessed and awesome weekend and week ahead!!!

Love through Christ,
Niki