Daily Inspiration: The Lord Will Always Prevail

“Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack. My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride. When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” (Psalm 56:1-4)



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Where do you go when you feel like the whole world is against you? Do you turn to God?

I know sometimes, when I am weak and my word feels like it’s falling apart; I don’t seek God’s help. Sometimes I go hide in my room, take a nap, bake or do laundry. I do anything that will take my mind off a stressful situation. I do anything I can to feel safe and secure.

David wrote this Psalm when the Philistines caught him in Gath. These Philistines hated the Israelites.

Some historians believe they never forgave David for killing Goliath.

When David wrote this Psalm I wonder if he was thinking back to the time when God gave him the power to defeat the giant (Goliath)? Remember he only had five stones and a sling. But what he had to kill Goliath didn’t matter; he could have had anything…because when he called on God to deliver him, the Lord did just that.

“Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.  So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.” (1 Samuel 17: 49-50)

So I challenge you the next time you need refuge…run to God. David is a perfect example of how much God loves us and wants to save us. All we have to do is call on Him.

-LM

Resources: Daily Wisdom for Women, Practical Biblical Insight for Today's Woman

Daily Inspiration: Jesus Loves Those Who Doubt


"Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

My Sunday school class studied this passage this weekend.



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A lot of the time we skim through parts of the bible that don’t stick out as monumental moments.

But it’s so important to remember that every word of the bible was written for a specific reason.

Personally, I never took the time to think about what Jesus was doing with Thomas in John 20.

I use to think… who would want to be recorded throughout history for doubting God?

But the way God uses Thomas is so beautiful here. Jesus uses Thomas to show that we will doubt and although we will Jesus won’t stop loving us.

Doubting Thomas is proof of this. Not once did Jesus condemn Thomas for his doubt. Jesus knew that Thomas needed to see Him to believe.

Thomas is encouragement to all of God’s people. God knows we aren’t perfect and our mind will lose faith but the Holy Spirit will always push us to know better.

When Jesus said, ““Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Can you see how truly blessed we are by our Savior? Of course, it would have been incredible to have been able to see Jesus resurrected…but what God gives us now is even greater.

He gives us the free will to show him we love him, to choose him over everything else… so that we can spend eternity with him by having true faith in his living Word.  

- LM

Daily Inspiration: Trusting God Will Never Fail

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This entire passage was written by Jeff Lawton - very inspirational.

Imagine being asked to do a job and then not being given the support you need to get the work done. In fact, instead of hearing words of encouragement, you only hear one discouraging report after another.

The Israelites longed to be free from Egyptian bondage. They had prayed for this. In fact, Scripture indicates that they had cried out to God for years, seeking freedom from Egyptian enslavement.

Moses was chose for the job of deliver, but from the beginning, things did not go well for Moses. Even before the plagues began, his approval ratings took a nosedive. After being told they would be forced to make brinks without straw, the Israelite overseers met Moses with these words,

“May the Lord look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Exodus 5:21

Pharaoh’s anger frightened the people and they turned on Moses. Even after they were released from bondage, their criticism of God’s leader continued. By the time they reached the shoreline of the Red Sea, the Israelites were furious with Moses and Aaron and shouted, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” Exodus 14:11

While the words of the Israelites may have given occasion for weariness, Moses did not give up – instead, he chose to trust God. If you are the target of someone’s criticism because of your obedience to God’s plan, take heart – you are in good company. Jesus endured the cruelty of others, too. Guard your heart and take care that you do not become critical in the process.

God Bless  - LM

Resources: Jeff Lawton

Daily Inspiration: God's Great Power, Mercy & Love

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"[God] made the wheels of their chariots wobble so that they drove them with difficulty. The Egyptians said, "Let's flee from Israel because the LORD is fighting for them and against us. Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.” Exodus 14:25, 27-28

This passage demonstrates how when believers allow God to take over and have faith in His power…He will never fail.

Pharaoh is an example of a person with a hardened heart. Pharaoh wanted to play God to his people and the nation of Egypt paid for it. The nation suffered through horrible plagues and still didn’t come to God.

As you can see from Exodus 14 the nation of Egypt was destroyed by God.

This is the reason Jesus Christ died for us. Now when we run from God and fail Him we still receive His love and mercy.  

God knows we too can become like the nation of Egypt. At times we also choose other Gods and/or Idols over our true Lord.

Because of our fallen nature we have to constantly trust in the Lord with all of our heart. We must not allow Satan to shift our focus off God and on to the fleshly desires of man.

Man will always fail. God never will.

As followers of God, every day we must set aside want we want  so we can be of service to God.

When we leave ourselves available for God to minister to…we can and will experience His power, mercy and love.

God Bless - LM

Resources: biblegateway.com, Jeff Lawton

Daily inspiration: Colossians 3

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”Colossians 3:12-14

I had a small bible study with my boyfriend this weekend on these verses and I truly felt encouraged by God after reading them.



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We are all called by God to love and obey His commands because of what He has done for us. He loved us so much that He sent His one and only son – Jesus Christ-- to this earth so we could all have the chance to follow Him and spend eternity with Him.

This verse proves that we must die to our fleshly desires and clothe ourselves in all things good “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Sometimes it is so hard to love your neighbor or to pray for your enemies. But this passage shows that because God loves and forgave us for everything (with Christ as the ultimate sacrifice) we must see that we are just as guilty as anyone else.

Showing the world love through grace and forgiveness will free us from any strongholds that Satan puts in our lives.

If we allow the Holy Spirit to consume us, shown by the way we live our lives, we will allow God to use us in ways we never imagined. 

If we strive to put Christ at the center of our daily thoughts we will be more apt to follow Gods will for our lives because the Holy Spirit will be directing us.

So I challenge you to take off whatever clothes might be preventing you from furthering your relationship with God and clothe yourself in the fruits of the spirit “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control….” Galatians 5:22.

God Bless - LM


Resources: Pinterest, Intothyword.org,

NEW STUDY: Lip Gloss Not So Poppin’ Thee Days

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Ladies you might want to pass on the lipstick and lip gloss...and stick to plain old ChapStick.

Researchers tested 32 commonly sold lip glosses and lipsticks for toxic metals.

Three quarters of the ones tested had a lead concentration lower than acceptable daily in-take levels.

Researchers say for an average user this shouldn't be an issue.

But for anyone who is a heavy on the lip products...You may want to cut back.

 - LM

Resources: medicalnewstoday.com

Daily Inspiration: An Open Invitation

  One of the books I'm reading right now is  Captivating by John Eldredge.

       Yesterday I got through Chapter 12 and this struck me as something I needed to share.  At least to the women who read my blog!

       I have always been in love with fairytales - especially having grown up with Disney World in my backyard!

       In Chapter 12 of Captivating the author uses Cinderella, my all-time favorite Disney princess, to help readers understand the irreplaceable role of a woman.   

      I promise it makes a lot of sense.

      The story of Cinderella is one we all know and love. But what does the fate of Cinderella’s life rest on?

      An invitation to a ball.

      Here’s what John Eldredge had to say on this idea:

      Then, word from the Prince arrives – an invitation to a ball. It is at that point that all hell breaks loose. Her longings are awakened. Her enemies become enraged. And her life is never the same. As a woman, you don’t need to strive or arrange; you don’t need to make it happen. You only need to respond. Cinderella wanted to go. But it took courage not to abandon all hope even after she danced with the Prince. But she became the woman she was born to be, and the kingdom was never the same. It is a beautiful parable.

 

      The same holds true for Mary, the mother of Jesus – only it’s far, far more weighty. The angel came as the courier of the King. But still, she needed to say yes. He would not force the whole thing upon her. Her heart needed to be willing. She would need her heart through all that followed. Mary needed a steadfastness of heart to keep saying “Yes” to God. But she became the woman she was born to be, and the Kingdom was never the same. It all started with an invitation.

 

            How beautiful is that? Could you imagine if Mary would have said no to God?  Or if Cinderella would have said no to the ball?

            All of these questions made me think about the times I have said “No God. Not right now.” 

             I urge those reading this to think about the invitations God has presented to you.

             Have you said no to any of them? If so, think about why and open your heart to God.

             Pray that the next invitation that comes from Him you will open in pure joy!

             I think once we see how God is using us to further His kingdom – we will run to Him with a willing and grateful heart.

- LM

Resources: Captivating by John Eldredge