In, With, and Through

Alan and I started a new Bible Study together this morning. (I encourage you if you are not doing this daily with your spouse and praying together that it is vitally important - it will transform your spiritual walk together with the Lord and strengthen your marriage like nothing else can do.) Our Bible Study is going to concentrate on an area that I have not fully understood so I am kinda excited about it. "Putting on the Whole Armour of God" How do you do that, and what does that mean. I got some insight this morning that is helping me understand that a little better.

But there was a statement in the workbook that said look at how many times, in, with or through Christ -(or any form of reference to Christ was in the first 3 chapters of Ephesians.)Well I was intrigued and did this on my own after we finished our Bible Study and praying together. I even went so far as to underline them all. The first three chapters in Ephesians are now red in my Bible.

And to think I am IN Christ, WITH Christ, or THROUGH Christ I am getting kinda excited about Him and the liberties that I have because of HIM. Take some time and ponder on this and I hope it helps you, too.

IN, WITH, THROUGH, Christ
Joan

So Simple

Psalms 56:3
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

On Wednesday night at Calvary our youth, the really young ones at the beginning of the service go forward and say Bible Verses they have memorized and or sing Bible songs they have learned. Last night a 6 year old girl's verse was Psalms 56:3.

Wow,that really got my attention, for 1 thing yesterday I was having a fearful day when I should not have been, and I have had some fearful days lately. And there have been things over the years since I have been saved that I have been fearful of. How about you? Although I know what the scriptures say about God not giving us the spirit of fear I struggle just like you do even though my husband is a preacher/pastor. I don't have it all figured out and I have struggles and issues that I must deal with, too. There are many times in my life that I have fears, and I am sure that we all have things that we fear more than other things. What I fear you may not fear, and what you fear I may not fear. But this verse that is so simple a 6 year old can understand it and memorize it is full of truth to live everyday by. Trust God!!!

However, God used this simple verse that this 6 year old quoted last night to touch my heart and remind me that I need to be trusting HIM, and not fearing. Thank You Lord.

Until We blog Again,
Joan

"Johanna"

Oh, I long to hold you, rock you to sleep, give you a bottle, change your diapers, buy dresses for you, have princess parties, tea parties, talk endless hours about anything and everything but nothing in general. Go get ice cream cones at the store, and buy chicken nuggets, and happy meals, play with play dough, and blow bubbles together, to color at the table thousands of pictures together, to sit on the couch and read the Bernstein Bears, and watch cartoons together, and movies with Clayton and Poppa, to play with dolls, dress them up and undress them just to dress them again. WE would love to take you to the zoo, to Tweetsie, to the beach and even Disney World and anywhere else you would want to go that we could afford. My list could go on and on, and on of the things we could do together, and talk about. I would love to hear about your 1st real boyfriend and how wonderful that he was and how you would love no other but him. And to see you on your wedding day, glowing, beaming of your new life starting. But you are getting ready to start the best chapter of your life.

Poppa and I would love to take you and Clayton to church meetings with us, and to tell you about Jesus and how much He loves you. But soon and very soon you are going to get to see Jesus face to face and you are going to know more about Him than all of us do. You are made perfectly by Jesus just the way He wanted you to be. Even though our hearts break at the thought of you not being with us, we know that you are going to be with the Heavenly Father and it is you that will be waiting on us to come see you. And it is you that is going to have so much to share and tell us about when we get to our Eternal Home. And I reminded by the Lord it is about what He wants and not what I want. I must take "I" or "ME" out of the picture and let God work.

XOXOX
Gram

I purposely do not blog about Johanna often, because I feel like that is for her Mom, Nikki to do. I try to be very sensitive and careful of her feelings and needs. But there are many days that my heart is so heavy, and my eyes are filled with tears for my daughter and her daughter.

Happy Birthday Jes!!!

24 years ago this morning the Lord blest Alan and I with a wonderful gift in Jesse. Jes, you have been a true gift from God and it is such an honor to be your Mom and to have had you live in our home for a little while. Now, you make your home with your darling wife and begin a home and family of your own.

1.5 hours after the first labor twinge you where here. Your sister was oh so excited for you to finally be here but not nearly as much as we were. We had trusted God to give us another child and waited upon Him to do that in His timing and He gave us you.

As a little boy you preached on the back porch, and the extent of your sermons were Hallelujah, Amen. You preached to Nikki many times, and to her Barbie Dolls or to the neighbors that could hear you. Now, your sermons have more content and your listeners have expanded.

As a young man you were very protective of me and Nikki. You always wanted to make sure that noone was hurting us or being mean to either of us in any situation. So like your Dad but yet so different and your own person. I see a lot more of Alan in you as you have become your own man some of your characteristics, and mannerisms but yet you are Jes.

Animals that ever lived in our house got to suffer the wrath of the yellow highlighter.I wonder if you will highlight your children. Beware Amy!!! You have always loved to eat meat and you were my child that loved chocolate as much as I ever had. When you went to purchase a toy you had the money but you always needed tax money.

I could not be more humbled or proud of you as you handle Gods word to deliver to Gods people and the lost. I love you more than life itself and I am always praying for you. Happy Birthday Son.

Love You
Mom

Lovest Thou Me

Alan preached a message Wednesday night out of Revelation about leaving your first love and the church that Jesus was talking to when he made this statement. I have not been able to get that message off my mind. I want to have a compassionate, tender, fervent love for Christ. I want to love Him more today that ever before. So I have been diligently praying about this this week. Yesterday a preacher was preaching in the morning service and made a reference to John 21:15 ...lovest thou me more than these... Jesus asks Peter this 3 times in the following scriptures.

I have not been able to get this off my mind and it just goes right along with what Alan preached the other night at Calvary about loving God. Do you think He is trying to do a work in me about my love for HIM. I am asking Him to help me love HIM, show me how to love Him, show me how to have a tender teachable heart. I want all that I do be because I love HIM and not out of duty or obligation.

With Him
Joan

This is What I'm Praying

The bible is full of many wonderful insights that are fitting to every situation you or I might face or ever possibly face. Knowing this is God's letter to us and it is He that is speaking to us why do we falter so much. WE have the perfect roadmap, a love letter from God on how to live, act and walk, but yet we still go our own way many times.

I have come across this scripture and am trying to pray this for myself and for others close to my heart.
Psalms 19:13-14
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

Redeemed By His Son,

Forsake Me Not, O Lord....

In times of trouble or difficulties we seem to cry out to the Lord and ask and even need his help. I was reading Psalms 38 today, and was pondering on it. I ran across this Psalm in a reference to something else I was reading.

I know the chapter is about when we sin and there is really no pleasure to our sin. Sin takes us farther than we want to go and does more damage to us than we intended, and many times we did not mean for sin of any kind to take a hold of us the way it did. It is kinda like a slippery slop into a pit and before we know it we are in the midst of the pit all dirty and grimy and don't know our way out. I know this Psalm is talking about our GUILT and how we feel about ourselves when we sin and about our restoration with God.

But the verse that stood out to me was in verse 21
Forsake me not, O Lord: O my God, be not far from me.

I don't know about you but I don't want God far from me, I want to have short accounts with Him, and I want Him near me and I want to feel His presence all round me always. When tough days come my way and they do and will, Job tells us that, I don't want to have to clean up before I can go to God. I want and need direct access to Him instantly to pour out my heart to HIM.

Until We Post Again,

Get Out Of The Pit

I am going to begin a new book today(in a few minutes)entitled "Get Out of the Pit" by Beth Moore. According to the back cover of the book it is based on Psalm 40. To begin preparing to read the book I have been reading Psalm 40 for a couple of days. I found this book recently at a local bookstore for $4. I thought is might be a good read for me and to loan out to some of the ladies at church.

Psalm 40:2-3 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.And he hath put a new song in my mouth...

Psalm 40:5
Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

I don't know about you but I was in a pit of sin and dead religion. According this this worlds standards I was not to bad, but it was Gods standards that I was judged by and my sins were insurmountable and anything good within me was as filthy rags. I was as bad as the worst murderer, robber, or sinner that you can imagine. But God brought me out of that horrible pit of miry clay and muck where I was sinking more and more as the days went by. He has set me upon the ROCK and put a new song in my heart and established my ways.

I still struggle with many things in my life and have to go to God daily to help me fight against the flesh and to walk daily close to HIM.

Praise His Name, He is a Good and Righteous Patience God. He has done so many good and wonderful things for me and in my life that they can not be numbered. I shared with you my heart today so what is on your heart.

Redeemed By HIS SON

Freedom

As today is the 4th of July and what we as Americans know as Independence Day I was pondering on what this day actually meant for Christians. I went to the internet and was reading different accounts and stories about our Declaration of Independence, and our founding forefathers.

I ran across an article that had this scripture in it and I began to think about true FREEDOM.

John 8:36
If the son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

I am thankful, oh so thankful that Christ has made me free indeed.Free from an eternity in HELL, Free from the grip of sin and its destruction. Free to live a Life for HIM.

I do not want to forget to thank those in our military, past and present that serve so we can be free, and the sacrifices that they and their families have made. And I am thankful for our forefathers and all they did to establish our country. I hope you have a wonderful day in the Lord today.

Let Freedom Ring

Fear

We ran across this Bible Scripture in our Bible studies this morning and it was exactly what I needed for the day and I wanted to share it with you.

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of wisdom."
II Timothy 1:7

What is fear, well according to the dictionary it is - To be uneasy or apprehensive about...

We can have many fears as we walk through this life. But the above scripture reminds me that any fears I may have are not from God. So why do we struggle with this 4 letter word. You may be afraid of a parent dying, a spouse dying, a child dying, or getting cancer, or someone in your family or you having a major terminal disease, or financial difficulties, losing your job, house, car, or it may be the fear of letting your children grow up and become adults and not be in your home. Or fear for our Nation.

The list could go on and on and there are many things that I could list but we all know what our greatest fears are. I know what mine is today, and it may change tomorrow[for you see I am a woman(HaHa)]. But if I will love the Lord My God with all my heart, might and soul I will have the power, love, wisdom of God and not be concerned about fears. After all nothing can come my way or effect me that God has not already ordered and ordained for my good.

Lord, help me to lean on you in all things because dwelling on fears in not pleasing to you and is not of you.

Redeemed By Your Son
Joan