"Your Very Bright Future"

DAY #59 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you." Jeremiah 29:11-12 NKJV

Our future's so bright we gotta wear shades... (I was thinking of this statement before I read the devotional this morning, but it's in there too.) How bright our future is, probably differs from how bright we see our future to be. Do we walk forth in positivity and optimism, trying to think the best; or do we dread a terrible tomorrow? Concentration Camp survivor Corrie Ten Boom had this to say, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God." Super true. God's got it all in His hands, and He knows all that we can and will face, but it depends on the choices we make, as to how it will all turn out. We need to truly trust Him with our futures, not worrying about the day and time Jesus is coming back, but we need to use our future telling people that He is coming back. We need to share the GOSPEL message -- which I hope that I do here on 'Fresh as a Daisy Devotionals & More...'. (Thanks Jer' for the reminder of how important it is)

GOSPEL MESSAGE simplicity - -
We are ALL sinners - Sin results in Death - God loved the world so much, He sent us His Son Jesus - Jesus came to earth to teach, train, equip, and mentor - Jesus did the work of the Father, praying, healing, performing miracles, teaching of His Father's love - Jesus died ONCE & FOR ALL for our sins, so that we didn't have to die - He rose again, to live with His Father in Heaven - Jesus intercedes for us to the Father - We are commissioned to do the work of the Father, trainging, teaching, equipping, praying, healing, performing miracles, but most importantly sharing His story, 'History' not fiction (the gospel) - Jesus will come back for believers - We as believers get to live eternally in Heaven with Him. (If we do not believe, then we will have eternal death, as we haven't accepted the FREE gift of Salvation).

**If you have never prayed the 'salvation prayer' before or experienced the peace that is spoken of above, then here's your chance today. The only thing you are giving up is things that aren't going to last long anyway -- which if you don't give up, will only make your own life not last as long as it could (which is eternally). --- You've already made the first step known - admit to God that you are a sinner, because after all - all of us are sinners. (Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God") After that you need to believe that God is God, and that Jesus is His Son. He sent His Son to die for us, so that we as sinners didn't need to be condemned to death. (Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, bu the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.") Then do as we did above, and Confess your sins to Him and ask for forgiveness -- and then confess aloud that JESUS IS LORD. (Romans 10:9-10 "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.") We need to daily ask for forgiveness, because we are human and we will always mess up in some way or another. God is willing and able to forgive us, and welcome YOU into His family. I don't like to write out a prayer anymore to say word for word, as this important step is something that you need to tell God in your own words. Just tell Him what's in your heart - you're a sinner, you want to believe in Him but it may be hard, you want Him to forgive you of what you've done, and you want to choose life with Him through His Son Jesus. It's as simple as that. **


"Yesterday is just experience, but tomorrow is glistening with purpose -- and today is the channel leading from one to the other." ~ Barbara Johnson (author)

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING!

"The Donut and the Hole"

Day #16 - 'A Woman of Faith' Devotional
Verse: "Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life." Proverbs 4:23

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Barbara Johnson once quoted, "A pessimist is someone who believes that when her cup runneth over she'll need a mop." Do you see the glass half-filled with water, as half-empty or half-full?

Our devotion today starts out with a cute story, "On the wall of a little donut shop, the sign said: As you travel through life, brother, whatever be your goal. Keep your eye upon the donut, and not upon the hole." ('A Woman of Faith' Devotional. Day 12. ©2007 Freeman-Smith, LLC. Nashville, TN. 37202) Do you have the bad habit of looking at the negatives in life, such as the hole in the donut? Fortunately, there are such things as 'Timbits' which turn the negative hole into a positive (which I can hear some of you saying... well timbits if you are Canadian - or someone blessed with Tim Horton's).

God wants us to look positively at things in our life... that's why He told us to be joyful, be thankful and pray in ALL circumstances. (see a devotional on that verse here) "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing, give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 KJV If you are a true Christian, then Christianity and pessimism should not mix... God should be filling you to overflowing with His joy and peace, and you should be looking on the bright side. (Well that makes me think of the funny song by Monty Python -- yes not a Biblical song, as it speaks of the crucifixions of the Jews by the Romans... but the words are super-true.) I posted the song in a little better version than the movie... at the end of this post. Sorry if I offended anyone by playing it... but I always try to look on the bright side of life... and it makes me smile. Hopefully it makes someone else smile too!

God wants us to be filled with His "joy unspeakable that won't go away" (I will post that song at the end of this message too). We will be filled with an inexpressible joy... "Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:8-9 NIV)

Our joy will be bubbling up inside of us, that we will want to share the joy and optimism with those around us. Then both you and they will feel better. When someone starts saying negative things, or even when you do... catch yourself, and think of a positive. Actually I've heard that for every negative, you need to say two positives... or something like that anyway. So try first to THINK positively, then you will act and speak positively. Your mind is a terrible thing to waste on negativity. Be glad and rejoice, even in the roughest and toughest of circumstances!

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Here's the Monty Python song, "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life"...


... and here's 'Counting on God' sung by Desperation Band which talks about the 'joy unspeakable'... except we sing the words, "MORE THAN enough strength..." instead of "just enough strength..."

 
ENJOY!

Day 12: October 12th, 2009 - - Deuteronomy 32:46-47

“POINTS TO PONDER” Written by M. HallPlease feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)
“He said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.’"Deuteronomy 32:46-47 NIV

Idle words - - - we are all guilty of using idle words. We will be judged for each idle word that we use. God’s Word is not full of idle words, as it says in the Scripture. God’s Words are life, and give life. If we are to follow Christ’s example, our words need to be filled with life too. In a previous devotion, we discussed using words of life. But this is an important issue that God wants us to seriously pursue and understand. This Scripture in Deuteronomy says, ‘Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you… so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.’ Children here, does not just mean children as we know it. It refers to the next generation, which in some cases is the children, yes, but also the next generation of believers. New believers, and others ‘behind’ us, need to recognize the truths found in the Word of God. They need to start declaring the promises found in the Word, and they need to start declaring words of life. We do too!

Jesus said, ‘I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE’ and He meant it. He is the way to get to God, the only truth in this world, and He gave us eternal life. We need to speak words of life, success & positive thinking, not words of death, failure and negativity. God is so amazing that He has shown us time and again that we need to take Him at His Word.

A funny yet, God moment, happened this weekend for me and my family. This Thanksgiving we sat down to play a family game, Phase 10 (the new version, Phase 10 Twist). My Dad was tired of runs of 7 and runs of 8, and he was now on runs of 9, and he was complaining about having to get another run. I told him that we have to be positive, and speak words of life (as I am trying to practice since one of my last devotionals). My husband told him, “hey, maybe you can get 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and then you can say, ‘In your face Mark’.” Well, we only have 10 cards, so we said we couldn’t get 12, just 10. So I proceeded to shuffle, and deal 10 cards to each player (or so I thought). The game began again - - my Dad was to the left of me, so he got to start the round. He picked up a card, and then proceeded to lay down, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12 and then he discarded and went out to end the round We all stopped and laughed, but then thanked the Lord for his example of speaking Words of Life. We even took a picture of his cards and a video of him saying ‘In your face Mark’. I still say that I didn’t deal him 12 cards, but we all know that God can work in mysterious ways. We are all trying to speak words of life now, and know that God will prove faithful if we are obedient and faithful as well.

The Bible says in another scripture, “From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:20 & 21 NIV) We need to control our tongue. Again, from the Scripture, God’s Word of truth states, “My brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all make many mistakes. If people never said anything wrong, they would be perfect and able to control their entire selves, too. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can control their whole bodies. Also a ship is very big, and it is pushed by strong winds. But a very small rudder controls that big ship, making it go wherever the pilot wants. It is the same with the tongue. It is a small part of the body, but it brags about great things. A big forest fire can be started with only a little flame. And the tongue is like a fire. It is a whole world of evil among the parts of our bodies. The tongue spreads its evil through the whole body. The tongue is set on fire by hell, and it starts a fire that influences all of life. People can tame every kind of wild animal, bird, reptile, and fish, and they have tamed them, but no one can tame the tongue. It is wild and evil and full of deadly poison. We use our tongues to praise our Lord and Father, but then we curse people, whom God made like himself. Praises and curses come from the same mouth! My brothers and sisters, this should not happen. Do good and bad water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree make olives, or can a grapevine make figs? No! And a well full of salty water cannot give good water." James 3:1-12 NCV Another scripture says, ‘Out of the heart the mouth speaks’, (Luke 6:44-45) – “Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” The old saying, GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) comes into play here. What you put into your mind, goes into your heart, and eventually comes back out your mouth. EEEEK!

The tongue is a deadly weapon. The Bible again says in Jeremiah, “Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit. With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.” (Jerm 9:8) WOW! Makes you think before you speak doesn’t it? We all (including myself) need to do a lot more of that. Thinking before we speak, and we also need to be real. There is a saying that goes around, “I may have to love you, but I don’t have to like you”. It makes me think of the last part of this verse, when it is used negatively. People can pretend to be your friend, and to talk nicely to you, but then go and deceive you behind your back, trying to trick you into talking bad about other people, which they go in turn and tell what you've said, looking like the 'good guy'. I know a lot of this goes on in the world today, and it needs to stop. I know that I have gotten caught in many a trap, but no more. Jesus has the victory, I have Jesus, so therefore I have the victory! Say that twice aloud so that you engrave it in your mind and your heart! What power there is in positive thinking... but what power there is in our Lord and Saviour & His Holy Spirit!

Walk in the freedom, and the victory that you have received. Praise you Lord!

PRAYER: Father God, we pray to You now in the name of Jesus to help us with our tongues. You have given them to us, to speak words of positivity, life and encouragement. Help us by the power of Your Spirit to change our minds, hearts, and our tongues consciously and sub-consciously to thoughts of You and Your Words and truth. Thank you Lord for setting us free. Thank you Lord that we have the victory through Your Son, and we no longer have to conform to this world, but that we can be transformed by Your power and Your power alone. Guide us in the steps we should take, and the words we should say. Let us speak Your words of truth to the hurting people of this world. Let us be Your ambassadors, and speak the Words of the King. In Jesus’ Name I pray, AMEN!