Seeking God's Guidance, Presence, Love when Life is Bad ~ Job 13

Self-defense

13 Look, my eye has seen it all;
    my ear has heard and understood it.
² Just as you know, I also know;
    I’m not inferior to you.
³ But I want to speak to the Almighty;
    I would gladly present my case to God.

Friends attacked

⁴ You, however, are plasterers of lies;
    ineffective healers, all of you.
⁵ Would that you were completely quiet;
    that would be your wisdom.
⁶ Hear my teaching
    and pay attention to the arguments of my lips.
⁷ Will you speak injustice for God,
    speak deceit on his behalf?
⁸ Will you be partial
    or contend for God?
⁹ Will it go well when he searches you,
    or can you fool him as you fool people?
¹⁰ He will certainly correct you
    if you’ve been secretly partial.
¹¹ Wouldn’t his majesty scare you
    and dread of him fall on you?
¹² Your old sayings are proverbs made of ashes,
    your sayings defenses made of clay.

Job will speak out

¹³ Be quiet and I will speak,
    come what may.
¹⁴ For what reason will I take my flesh in my teeth,
    put my life in jeopardy?
¹⁵ He will slay me; I’m without hope;
    I will surely prove my way to his face.
¹⁶ Also this will be my vindication,
    that a godless person won’t come before him.
¹⁷ Listen closely to my words
    so that my remarks will be in your ears.

Against God

¹⁸ Look, I have laid out my case;
    I know that I’m innocent.
¹⁹ Who would dare contend with me,
    for then I would be quiet and die.
²⁰ Only don’t do two things to me,
    then I won’t hide from your face.
²¹ Remove your hand far from me
    and don’t terrify me with your anger.
²² Then call and I’ll answer,
    or I’ll speak and you can reply.
²³ How many are my offenses and sins?
    Inform me about my rebellions and sins.
²⁴ Why hide your face from me
    and consider me your enemy?
²⁵ Will you cause a wind-tossed leaf to tremble, or will you pursue dry straw?
²⁶ You even write bitter things about me,
    make me inherit my youthful indiscretions.
²⁷ You tie up my feet and restrict all actions;
    you stamp marks on the bottom of my feet.

Human destiny

²⁸ Surely a person wastes away like refuse,
    like clothing that a moth eats. 

A carefully led life obeying God leaves no need to fear. We are all imperfect, though, so there will always be a little fear. 

And, isn't fear necessary? 

Don't we respect and be our earthly parents out of fear? As children don't we make our choices out of fear of disappointing our earthly parents? Don't we show respect and keep to their rules out of fear of the consequences? 

How much more so then should we do the same out of a healthy fear for our Heavenly Father?!! 

Isn't being sent to hell for all of eternity worse than being grounded to our rooms? Is our rebellion worth an eternity of gnashing teeth? 

What makes us so flippant towards God that we would even begin to think we can pledge our lives to follow and love Him then turn around and ignore the instructions He has so carefully written in His Word??! 

When the end comes and he asks for our explanation . . well, what will yours be? 

What Faith Can Do ~ Matthew 15:21-28

Canaanite woman

²¹ From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” ²³ But he didn’t respond to her at all.

His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.”

²⁴ Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.”

²⁵ But she knelt before him and said, “Lord, help me.”

²⁶ He replied, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and toss it to dogs.”

²⁷ She said, “Yes, Lord. But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall off their masters’ table.”

²⁸ Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith. It will be just as you wish.” And right then her daughter was healed. 

Faith ..  knowing who God is, what He has done for you, what He can do . . 

Believing He is an all-loving God but also remembering respect bought by a solid fear of what defying Him can bring. 

Yes, faith . 

Plain 

Simple 

Unadorned 

Sometimes faith that God will indeed do all He has promised each of us is all we have to hold onto. 

Sitting back with a prayer knowing we need to believe and be ready. 

What, then is the sense of believing if we are not preparing for what He has promised?!! 

Morning Prayers

This morning I decided to go back to a previous Bible study method. I drug out my old notebook and grabbed my Bible. Then I sat down with my coffee to talk to God. 

I wrote out my prayers and, this time, wasn't quite so surprised at what came out as I let go and let my thoughts flow onto the paper. Then I wrote what I thought His answers would be. 

On opening my Bible I used the method of placing my thumbs where He leads me then opening there . . no way I can pop to any preconceived/planned answer this way!! 

His first answer: 

Psalm 143

A psalm of David.

143 Listen to my prayer, Lord!
    Because of your faithfulness, hear my requests for mercy!
    Because of your righteousness, answer me!
² Please don’t bring your servant to judgment,
    because no living thing is righteous before you.

³ The enemy is chasing me,
    crushing my life in the dirt,
        forcing me to live in the dark
            like those who’ve been dead forever.
⁴ My spirit is weak inside me—
    inside, my mind is numb.

⁵ I remember the days long past;
    I meditate on all your deeds;
    I contemplate your handiwork.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to you;
    my whole being is like dry dirt, thirsting for you. Selah

⁷ Answer me, Lord—and quickly! My breath is fading.
    Don’t hide your face from me
        or I’ll be like those going down to the pit!
⁸ Tell me all about your faithful love come morning time,
    because I trust you.
Show me the way I should go,
    because I offer my life up to you.
⁹ Deliver me from my enemies, Lord!
    I seek protection from you.
¹⁰ Teach me to do what pleases you,
    because you are my God.
Guide me by your good spirit
        into good land.
¹¹ Make me live again, Lord, for your name’s sake.
    Bring me out of distress because of your righteousness.
¹² Wipe out my enemies because of your faithful love.
    Destroy everyone who attacks me,
        because I am your servant. 

His answer was a calming spirit and reassurance that He hears me and sees everything I am going through. He is with me and there is a plan and purpose to all of this. 

But, this time, as I was reading Psalms 143, He blew Psalm 139:19-24 open across what I had been reading!! He has a way of keeping me on track and speaking to me!! 

¹⁹ If only, God, you would kill the wicked!
    If only murderers would get away from me—
²⁰     the people who talk about you, but only for wicked schemes;
        the people who are your enemies,
        who use your name as if it were of no significance.
²¹ Don’t I hate everyone who hates you?
    Don’t I despise those who attack you?
²² Yes, I hate them—through and through!
    They’ve become my enemies too.

²³ Examine me, God! Look at my heart!
    Put me to the test! Know my anxious thoughts!
²⁴ Look to see if there is any idolatrous way in me,
    then lead me on the eternal path! 

I am so not perfect. I get my funky little attitudes like everyone else. I have good and bad days. He knows and sees all. He sees me working when I'm too tired to walk another step. He sees me pay bills and provide for my son yet have nothing for me. He sees my hopes and dreams sit dusty on a shelf while I nurture other's. 

But, He also sees my potential and how dearly I love Him. He sees the pain in my heart for the homeless children and veterans. 

Although the verses He sent me to may seem vague each speaks directly to my situation. He sees, knows and has a plan in all of this. And He will protect me. 

Ramblings as I Chug Along . . .

Good morning, all!! Hope you're doing well and your day is blessed. . . . I have been missing our rambling chats so thought I'd share today . . . I really am hoping to participate in "Stream of Conscience Saturday" #SOCS as well as simply rambling any day I feel like chatting ..  .

Hey, been praying/thinking a lot about church. It is so important to be in the right place for wholesome teaching that lines up with the Word.  . . I once had a pastor, Kevin Comfort, who carefully advised the congregation on a regular basis to never just take his word about what the Bible says or it's meaning. He heartily encouraged us to each 

🙏take notes during sermons/teaching 

🙏look up each verse at home 

🙏then read the entire chapter to make sure it wasn't taken out of context 

🙏ask God for discernment 

This remarkable pastor actually encouraged us to question his teaching!! He knew that, by doing this, he asked us to hold him accountable for leading us responsibly and he had us in the Word and praying more. He created an atmosphere of trust and further Bible study. 

I have had other pastors who felt we'd better accept their teaching as the final say on what's correct and never ever double-check it much less ask about contradictions. To me that's scary. 

We are all human, pastors included. 

We all make mistakes. 

If I, for example, look up a topic in my Bible it will point me to specific verses. This is all well and good, but, when taken in the context of the entire chapter it may very well have an entirely different meaning. 

Taking a verse out of context and using it to prove a point is twisting the Word of God. 

That's dangerous!! 

Then there was Pastor Frank L. Wallace who has such in-depth Bible knowledge and took us verse by verse through the Bible making sure we thoroughly understood. He also expected us to come to Bible classes with questions. He told us that if we didn't come in with questions he knew we hadn't been reading our Bibles!! It was so nice to be able to write down any questions and arrive at church anticipating thorough answers. I can truly say I learned more there than anywhere else so far. And, yes, every now and then he made a mistake and would come to Bible class, admit the error and fix it! Now, that's a man of God who can admit mistakes publicly!! 
So, where are we for church right now? 
Good question . . 
Both of those churches are in Joliet, Illinois and Matt and I now live in Toledo, Ohio . . 
Looking for a combination of Pastor Kevin Comfort and Pastor Wallace . . preferably an Apostolic or United Pentecostal Church . . 
And I've cut my hair and started wearing jeans so am starting over working on my  obedience issues . . need a church patient as we grow in Him!! 

Forbidden Tree ~ What I'm Learning

3 

Genesis 

The snake was the most intelligent of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say that you shouldn’t eat from any tree in the garden?”

² The woman said to the snake, “We may eat the fruit of the garden’s trees ³ but not the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘Don’t eat from it, and don’t touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ The snake said to the woman, “You won’t die! ⁵ God knows that on the day you eat from it, you will see clearly and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 

Yes, the woman listened to the snake and picked the fruit then handed it to her husband. We've all heard that so many times and it seems, IMHO, that most paste the blame squarely on her shoulders alone. 

But look at the end of verse 6: "..who was with her, and he ate it." 

Now, go back to Genesis 2:15-17 
¹⁵ The Lord God took the human and settled him in the garden of Eden to farm it and to take care of it. ¹⁶ The Lord God commanded the human, “Eat your fill from all of the garden’s trees; ¹⁷ but don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because on the day you eat from it, you will die!” 

God initially commanded the man not to eat from the tree of knowledge. Nowhere does it say He gave the same instructions to the woman. As He created man to lead the woman He also left Adam to instruct and lead Eve. 
He was to impart to her how imperative it was that they fully obey God. Adam failed at this. 
Adam was the one who received the message. 
Adam was to lead his wife and be a strong husband. 
Adam, instead, allowed Eve to approach the tree and pick it's fruit. 
At no point does my Bible say, "Adam grabbed Eve and tried to stop her", Adam told Eve no", "Adam grabbed the fruits from Eve and threw them into the river!" 
Adam stood there listening to the lies the serpent told without argument. 
Adam watched his wife pick the forbidden fruit and eat it. 
Adam accepted Eve's offering of the same fruit and ate it himself. 
Yeah, reading my new Bible is fun. . and eye opening!! 

Okay, so I am very slowly reading through my new Common English Bible. Something about this writing makes the words jump off the paper! It's like I'm there with them. The writing is simple, unadorned. Very clear and easy to read. Mind you, I do enjoy books where I have to look up words on every page as that grows my vocabulary immeasurably, but this Bible grows my understanding in the same way. With this Bible, as compared with my KJV and NKJV, I find myself at work longing to be home curled up reading His word. I have felt that before with the others but not the same as this. Before it was to gain wisdom  . . this is to become closer to Him. It may simply be where I am in my relationship with God right now, but I have several other versions of the Bible and don't long to curl up and read any of those.
I would highly recommend trying the Common English Bible app as well as buying a hard copy. I ordered mine from www.CommonEnglishBible.com It has references to where verses match up with the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as including, off to the side, the verses King James VIII added in. Both are extremely nice for comparison as well as authentication. 
Have you tried the Common English Bible?

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

13 If I speak in tongues of human beings and of angels but I don’t have love, I’m a clanging gong or a clashing cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and I know all the mysteries and everything else, and if I have such complete faith that I can move mountains but I don’t have love, I’m nothing. ³ If I give away everything that I have and hand over my own body to feel good about what I’ve done but I don’t have love, I receive no benefit whatsoever. 

Love 

The ability to reach out open arms sincerely despite past injustice .. 

To offer a heartfelt hug as a response to a verbal slap in the face . . 

I want my home and my life to be one of love, welcoming even those who have hurt me deeply . . maybe welcoming them more than those who are kind to me is really what it's all about. 

1 Corinthians 13:13

¹³ Now faith, hope, and love remain—these three things—and the greatest of these is love. 

Love Dare . . Yes, I am still reading this book. . yes, over and over again I will go through this process . . interspersed between projects, moving, other books I'm reading . . I will pray ceaselessly for my husband, for our marriage, for my in growth . . 

💤 No Sleep .

Okay, so 2 long nights with no sleep (not God keeping me up) .  slept most of the day today . . so glad I was off work!! Gonna get a shower, do serious Bible study and clean.
{The reason I was up cannot be shared yet, but makes no sense at this point .  other than I am going deeper with prayer and Bible study so could simply be stressing Satan . . that guy needs a vacation and a prayer life!! 🙏}
I'll be writing more in a bit, but it may not necessarily all be visible right away as I tend to schedule some things days into the future. (That gives me a cushion in case I get overly busy or sick)
TTYL 😘

Genesis 1

World’s creation in seven days

1 When God began to create the heavens and the earth— ² the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea, and God’s wind swept over the waters—³ God said, “Let there be light.” And so light appeared. ⁴ God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God named the light Day and the darkness Night.

There was evening and there was morning: the first day.

⁶ God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters to separate the waters from each other.” ⁷ God made the dome and separated the waters under the dome from the waters above the dome. And it happened in that way. ⁸ God named the dome Sky.

There was evening and there was morning: the second day.

⁹ God said, “Let the waters under the sky come together into one place so that the dry land can appear.” And that’s what happened. ¹⁰ God named the dry land Earth, and he named the gathered waters Seas. God saw how good it was. ¹¹ God said, “Let the earth grow plant life: plants yielding seeds and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind throughout the earth.” And that’s what happened. ¹² The earth produced plant life: plants yielding seeds, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was.

¹³ There was evening and there was morning: the third day.

¹⁴ God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will mark events, sacred seasons, days, and years. ¹⁵ They will be lights in the dome of the sky to shine on the earth.” And that’s what happened.¹⁶ God made the stars and two great lights: the larger light to rule over the day and the smaller light to rule over the night. ¹⁷ God put them in the dome of the sky to shine on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw how good it was.

¹⁹ There was evening and there was morning: the fourth day.

²⁰ God said, “Let the waters swarm with living things, and let birds fly above the earth up in the dome of the sky.” ²¹ God created the great sea animals and all the tiny living things that swarm in the waters, each according to its kind, and all the winged birds, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was.²² Then God blessed them: “Be fertile and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

²³ There was evening and there was morning: the fifth day.

²⁴ God said, “Let the earth produce every kind of living thing: livestock, crawling things, and wildlife.” And that’s what happened. ²⁵ God made every kind of wildlife, every kind of livestock, and every kind of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw how good it was. ²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.”

²⁷ God created humanity in God’s own image,
        in the divine image God created them,
            male and female God created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” ²⁹ Then God said, “I now give to you all the plants on the earth that yield seeds and all the trees whose fruit produces its seeds within it. These will be your food.³⁰ To all wildlife, to all the birds in the sky, and to everything crawling on the ground—to everything that breathes—I give all the green grasses for food.” And that’s what happened. ³¹ God saw everything he had made: it was supremely good.

There was evening and there was morning: the sixth day . 

Hi there! I've gotten a new Bible, a Common English Bible, and am now rereading. 
The reason for switching Bibles? I had heard from several sources that the KJV Bible was inaccurate. King James VIII added 14 verses primarily to uplift the status of Kings and bishops as well as to downgrade women's rights. I would seriously suggest you each Google it and read any articles you can find on the matter (there are plenty to choose from). It is so important to know for sure that your Bible study resources are accurate. Having an accurate unaltered "not one tittle" changed Bible is so critical to understanding God's true will and plan for our lives!! 📖 
Okay, so I am switching to this Bible and really really finally enjoying just sitting and reading . . Yea!!! 🙌  
Chapter 1 ..  our beginning . . His desire to create a planet, creatures .  then to create.us.in.His.image!! 
Like when we get married and desire a houseful of children that look like ourselves and our spouse. 
          💗We are His beloved children . . 
                 and always have been!! 💗 


www.CommonEnglishBible.com

Joy Dare March 8-18, 2019

8th~ 3 gifts loud ..
     🍀decorating
      🍀 laughter
       🍀thoughts
-🍀-

9th~ 3 gifts carved .. .
           ⛵future
          ✝️hope
          💞love
~💝~

10th~ 3 gifts in Christ . .
            🙏discerment
             ✝️salvation
              😊agape love
_⛪_

11th~ 3 gifts read . .
            💏Love Dare
          📖Bible
           📄instructions
¡🤔!

12th~ a gift in wind, in water, in white . .
           🍃spring in the air
          ⛵hope
         🚿sins washed clean
~🚣~

13th~ 3 gifts round . . .
           ☕dainty tea cup
          👀big eyes
         💍hope in the eternity of the commitment
=💞=

14th~ 3 gifts found in silence.. .
           🕊️renewed peace
          💭clear thoughts
         🤗need a hug
@😶@

15th~ 3 gifts given away. . 
             😍kindness
              👫my love for him
               ⌛⌛time
*💮*
               
16th~ 3 hard eucharisteo. . 
         🏢away from home
        👨Matt at a sleepover
          🔏privacy
°🙄°

17th~ a gift turned, folded, hung. .
         👀eyes towards heaven
      👚laundry
         📖His plan on my heart
:🕯️:

18th~ 3 gifts red. . .
       👂ear infection
      💵account error
        🍹cranberry juice 

Wander or Obey

KJVA Bible. Jeremiah 17:9

[9]The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? 

It is so easy to simply wander wherever our hearts lead us . . and it will lead us . . here and there . . down random roads . . through romances that seem promising..

But, our hearts are truly deceitful and will lead us away from God's will for sure! It can lead us to look for greener pastures vs staying put, sticking it out and fighting to keep our families together . . 

Why wander lost in the woods when we can simply obey God and have peace?!! 

Our Spouse's Needs Over Ours

KJVA Bible. Hebrews 10:24

[24]And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 

Still praying through the Love Dare . . it is amazing how this process has made me grow! 

Yes, it is a Dare to love our spouse/ex-spouse unconditionally and to pray for them in an unceasing manner . . and many go into this process hoping to change their spouse, I know I did . . 

But, really, this process changes the reader. 

Going through each chapter/day and looking up each Bible verse as we prayerfully consider the day's lesson can't help but force us to grow. We may not be looking for personal change but reading and rereading what God is asking of us has a way of backing us into a corner where we absolutely must face our attitudes/behaviors good and bad then change appropriately. 

And so . . 

It is much better to look lovingly on our spouses and think of their needs than our own. 

While I Wait . . and Wait . .

While I wait . . and wait . . yes, it does sometimes seem like forever .. and He used to show me visions of what life would be like once my marriage was restored . . and He hasn't shown me any for a while . . maybe because I need to stand on what He showed me and have a little faith . . LOL 

But, seriously, the waiting can be hard and get so so discouraging .. and not everyone is going to be all, "yippee, you're praying for your ex-husband!"  So all the Debbie-downers are going to want to have their say/offer unsolicited advice and therapy to help you move on. . . and then there's his new gf who calls you up to tell you off and call you so many 'interesting' names because you are praying  .  . . . 

But the peace from following Him and learning to lean into Him and trust His plan . . that makes the waiting time a blessing! 😇 

This morning I stopped by the BTG YouTube to get some encouragement from Sheila . . watching and seeing how her walk and her waiting looked blesses me. This was my comment on her video: [see above]  

We each are solely responsible for listening for His voice and following His lead in our lives. For me this is learning to be more trusting of God  . . I will continue to pray as I wait for God to heal what is still hurting and place more of a burden for obedience to the Bible in both our hearts while He continues to soften our hearts towards each other . . 

                                   🙏

"If God is for you, who can be against you .. " 

                    

❣️🙌❣️#whatif Prompt for 2.16.19

Today's prompt:

     Ways I could thank God 

   

Feel free to respond in your favorite way whether it be a poem, short story, photo, video . . however you best relate to the prompt. Simply post your ideas, create a ping-back and use the hashtag #whatif.

*How to link* 

Copy url from this post. 

Paste it on your post. 

*Easy-Beasy*

Finding the Way Home

Where are we?!! 

What has happened? 

Without any normal landmarks even remotely visible how will we find our way home? 

Fortunately

We have Jesus 

We simply need to 

Pray 

Ask Him into our hearts 

🙏

KJVA Bible. Habakkuk 3:1-19

[1]A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
[2]O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
[3]God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
[4]And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.
[5]Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.
[6]He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.
[7]I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
[8]Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?
[9]Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.
[10]The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.
[11]The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
[12]Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.
[13]Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.
[14]Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.
[15]Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.
[16]When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
[17]Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
[18]Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
[19]The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

            Remember what I said to you.
                All that still stands true . .
                        I keep My word.
Don't focus on the bad around you as part of your future. You are here to help relieve it but not to live it.

KJVA Bible. Habakkuk 3:1-19

[1]A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
[2]O LORD, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
[3]God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.
[4]And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power.
[5]Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.
[6]He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting.
[7]I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble.
[8]Was the LORD displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation?
[9]Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers.
[10]The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.
[11]The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear.
[12]Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.
[13]Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.
[14]Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.
[15]Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters.
[16]When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
[17]Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
[18]Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
[19]The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.

            Remember what I said to you.
                All that still stands true . .
                        I keep My word.
Don't focus on the bad around you as part of your future. You are here to help relieve it but not to live it.

❤️whatif Prompt for 1.23.19🌾

Today's prompt:

    Ruth and Boaz

Feel free to respond in your favorite way whether it be a poem, short story, photo, video . . however you best relate to the prompt. Simply post your ideas, create a ping-back and use the hashtag #whatif.

Tonight's Bible Study

KJVA Bible. Psalms 148:5-6
[5]Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
[6]He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.

I don't normally share my private Bible study notes on here . . mainly because it's part of my private conversation/relationship with God. But, tonight was special . . and really hit me.
I had turned on a YouTube video from  Melody Joy, one of my most favorite Christian singers as I started my study. On the screen at the beginning was Psalm 148:5-6 and I felt God wanted to say something to me through it so I wrote it at the top of the page intending to look it up later.
I opened my notebook and Bible, wrote out my prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for the time of prayer and fasting today. W/out You none of this would be possible~ and yet that can't begin to explain it. So much You do for me~ and I am so undeserving. Thank You!
                                              Love, Karen
and what I felt His answer would be
You are my child.
Then I opened my Bible the way I always do in this sort of study . . I pick it up with both thumbs on the pages and use my thumbs to blindly open it to whatever page God chooses. At first my right thumb tried to move further back in the Bible but I stopped it and opened where directed. As I looked down I thought, "that's odd it's Psalms". . then realized I was looking at the exact verses from the song!
This is what He gave me
Praise Him . . Follow, love, obey and He will lead you.

Wedding Quilt

  Praying and stitching toward the future!!
                         ❣️ 🙏💖🙏❣️