Morning Blessings

[Betty]

April 23, 2022
Happy Saturday,

He Knows Me, More

Psalm 139:23-24King James Version
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Have you ever had words come out of your mouth that shocked you? I have. I have been embarrassed at things I have said. Truth is sometimes we do not know ourselves the evil that is growing in our hearts.

Matthew 15:18
New King James Version
18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

This is why we should do like David and pray often for God to search our hearts and bring to light our hidden sins so we can confess and repent. God can heal our hearts of hidden sins. God can and is willing to lead us into righteousness.

We can pick up evil thoughts and ideas from living in this world but we can always go to God and ask Him to heal our minds and hearts from evil.
Living righteousness is not easy. We need God to help us and He is willing.

The devil has filled the hearts of men and women with evil. Mankind as a whole had rejected Biblical truth and accepted evil as normal behavior. If we are not careful, we can allow the world to change our mind on what is truth.

Mankind has accepted as truth many things that would have shocked all of us just 10 years ago. Hollywood has filled movies and tv shows with sin being accepted as normal behavior until the masses have begun to believe that sin is normal behavior.

My friends, we must be careful that we do not begin to believe world views over the truth of the Bible. The Bible is the true and living Word of God. God has not changed His mind. What God declared as sin, is still sin.
We must pray that God will help us stand for the truth of God’s Word, in a world where the truth is no longer accepted nor appreciated.

May God keep us safe and our hearts and minds pure. God bless you and your family.
Betty

Sorry about the double post. I got confused
Betty

 

[Armor of Light]

Sorry about the double post. I got confused
Betty

No worries , I'm not feeling well this week and read your post yesterday, then today I read it again not realizing it was a double , when we don't feel well we are off our game, I feel like I have aged years this week and am in slow motion mode, bad stomach, brain fog and no energy, but God is still on the throne and he loves us dearly and we can PRAISE HIM that he is always the same, never changing, and nothing catches him by surprise, thank you Betty for your posts.

 

[Betty]

No worries , I'm not feeling well this week and read your post yesterday, then today I read it again not realizing it was a double , when we don't feel well we are off our game, I feel like I have aged years this week and am in slow motion mode, bad stomach, brain fog and no energy, but God is still on the throne and he loves us dearly and we can PRAISE HIM that he is always the same, never changing, and nothing catches him by surprise, thank you Betty for your posts.

Thank you. I pray you feel better soon.
Betty

 

[Betty]

April 25, 2022
Happy Monday,


Every day brings new challenges. If we watch the news, there is always something bad happening somewhere. It is easy to become depressed and stressed, but this does not have to be so.

No matter what is happening around us or across the ocean, God is still in control. Today, more than ever we are to remind ourselves that God told us how the last days would be. He did not tell us to hang our heads in despair but to look up.

Luke 21:28 King James Version
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Our day of rejoicing is drawing near. Soon we will lay down our burdens for good. Soon we will be in our glorified bodies. While we are still here, comfort one another and remind ourselves and others that victory is in sight. For now, let us serve God with a willing heart, and do not forget to live in hope and great expectations for our “redemption draweth nigh”.
Betty

****************/tIZitK6_IMQ

Hold it all together, everybody needs you strong
But life hits you out of nowhere and barely leaves you holding on

And when you're tired of fighting
Chained by your control
There's freedom in surrender
Lay it down and let it go

So when you're on your knees and answers seem so far away
You're not alone, stop holding on and just be held
Your world's not falling apart, it's falling into place
I'm on the throne, stop holding on and just be held
Just be held
Just be held

If your eyes are on the storm you'll wonder if I love you still
But if your eyes are on the cross you'll know I always have and I always will

And not a tear is wasted
In time, you'll understand
I'm painting beauty with the ashes
Your life is in My hands

So when you're on your knees and answers seem so far away
You're not alone, stop holding on and just be held
Your world's not falling apart, it's falling into place
I'm on the throne, stop holding on and just be held
Just be held
Just be held

Lift your hands, lift your eyes
In the storm is where youll find Me
And where you are, I'll hold your heart
I'll hold your heart
Come to Me, find your rest
In the arms of the God who won't let go

So when you're on your knees and answers seem so far away
You're not alone, stop holding on and just be held
Your world's not falling apart, it's falling into place
I'm on the throne, stop holding on and just be held (stop holding on)
Just be held
Just be held
Just be held
Just be held

 

[mattfivefour]

Learning to quiet ourselves and allow God to hold us is one of the hardest things for us to do. Thank you for the encouragement, Betty. Today, yes ... but also every day, through your morning blessings. They truly are diamonds of God's grace.

 

[Betty]

April 26, 2022
Happy Tuesday,


Luke 12:22-34
New International Version

“Do Not Worry”

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

I think it would shock us if we could see all the hours we wasted worrying in our lives. Yet, worrying never solved one problem. Instead of worrying and then going to God in prayer, when we are at the end of our rope, perhaps we should call out to God at once when problems or situations arrive to overwhelm us.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Seek God first and seek to live righteously. Lay aside the little sins that corrupt our souls. Seek the approval of God over mankind. Worship God, everyday and give Him praise in all circumstances.

Do not fear the times we are living but trust in our Heavenly Father everyday, knowing that He will never leave us or forsake us. When the devil speaks fear into our ears, speak God’s Holy Word over your life.
Let us strive to lay aside worry and stand on the promises of God.
Betty

 

[Betty]

April 27, 2022
Happy Wednesday,

My Sister

Today would have been my youngest sister’s Birthday. She passed away in 1993. It's been 29 years since I have seen and talked to my sister, yet I can still feel her in my heart.

People are not like objects that we use until they no longer work and we discard them. People in our lives shape our lives and leave a lasting impression that lasts forever.

This is one of the reasons it is important to live in righteousness. We can choose to leave a good impression or a bad impression on others. Do those around us see the light of Jesus shining through us, or are we a carrier of sin and despair? Do our lives reflect hope in Jesus or doubt and fears?

Let us pray that God will help us to be an encouraged to those around us. That we choose to live in peace to the best of our abilities. God help us to live in a way that people can see Jesus in us.
Betty

--------------------
Luk 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

 

[Betty]

April 28, 2022
Happy Thursday,

We Must Live By Faith


Romans 1:17
New King James Version
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Hebrews 11:6
New King James Version
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

To live a life that is pleasing to God, we must live by faith. Faith is not hoping but it is trusting. We must trust God. When we have complete faith in God, we will be able to accept His will even when His will is different than our own.

Genesis 15:5-6
New King James Version
5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham believed God and God declared Abraham righteous. If we are to live in righteousness then we must trust God, even when there are times that we do not understand why God allows things to happen the way they do.

Hebrews is known as the faith chapter, listing many Saints of old who believed even when the answers to their prayers had not come to commission. As Christians, we believe in Heaven even though we have never seen Heaven. When God allows something bad to happen to us, remind ourselves that God sees the bigger picture while we have only a limited view. One day we will see what God saw and we will understand.
Betty

 

[athenasius]

I think it would shock us if we could see all the hours we wasted worrying in our lives. Yet, worrying never solved one problem. Instead of worrying and then going to God in prayer, when we are at the end of our rope, perhaps we should call out to God at once when problems or situations arrive to overwhelm us.

I'm a worrier, and it's hard on my health. It's an ongoing battle to give it to God in prayer. But thru it all, I've gotten stronger at leaning on Him first. Great reminder Betty!

People are not like objects that we use until they no longer work and we discard them. People in our lives shape our lives and leave a lasting impression that lasts forever.

This is one of the reasons it is important to live in righteousness. We can choose to leave a good impression or a bad impression on others. Do those around us see the light of Jesus shining through us, or are we a carrier of sin and despair? Do our lives reflect hope in Jesus or doubt and fears?

That reminds me of that wonderful hymn by Steve Green called Find Us Faithful.

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road,
And those who've gone before us
Line the way.
Cheering on the faithful,
Encouraging the weary,
Their lives a stirring testament
To god's sustaining grace.

O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion
Light their way.

May the footprints that we leave,
Lead them to believe,
And the lives we live
Inspire them to obey.
O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful.

Surrounded by so great
A cloud of witnesses,
Let us run the race
Not only for the prize,
But as those who've gone before us.
Let us leave to those behind us,
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on thru godly lives.

After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone,
And our children sift thru all
We've left behind,
May the clues that they discover,
And the mem'ries they uncover,
Become the light that leads them,
To the road we each must find.

Thanks again dear Betty, and I'm so sorry for the losses you've suffered, your sister, your son, and your health. In your pain, and in your suffering you minister such loving truth.

 

[mattfivefour]

Faith is not hoping but it is trusting.

Exactly! Trusting that God is who He says He is and does what He says He does. Utterly leaning on Him ... in every circumstance.

 

[Betty]

I'm a worrier, and it's hard on my health. It's an ongoing battle to give it to God in prayer. But thru it all, I've gotten stronger at leaning on Him first. Great reminder Betty!


That reminds me of that wonderful hymn by Steve Green called Find Us Faithful.

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road,
And those who've gone before us
Line the way.
Cheering on the faithful,
Encouraging the weary,
Their lives a stirring testament
To god's sustaining grace.

O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful,
May the fire of our devotion
Light their way.

May the footprints that we leave,
Lead them to believe,
And the lives we live
Inspire them to obey.
O may all who come behind us
Find us faithful.

Surrounded by so great
A cloud of witnesses,
Let us run the race
Not only for the prize,
But as those who've gone before us.
Let us leave to those behind us,
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on thru godly lives.

After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone,
And our children sift thru all
We've left behind,
May the clues that they discover,
And the mem'ries they uncover,
Become the light that leads them,
To the road we each must find.

Thanks again dear Betty, and I'm so sorry for the losses you've suffered, your sister, your son, and your health. In your pain, and in your suffering you minister such loving truth.

Thank you for posting this song. My never heard before and I like the words.
Betty

 

[Betty]

April 29, 2022
Happy Friday,

“Living Hope”

1 Peter 1:3-7
New International Version
Praise to God for a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

God gives us a living hope. It is not an imaginary hope. This hope is as real as our bodies. We have an inheritance in Heaven that is real. We hope for a future in Heaven because we have not seen it with our eyes, but Heaven is also as real as our own bodies.

Peter reminds us that the trials we go through are not in vain. We go through the fire so that our faith is tested so that our faith is refined and becomes more precious than gold, for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.

Our sacrifices are not in vain and we will be rewarded in Heaven for anything we give up on earth for God and His Kingdom. Where we suffer loss on earth will result in great gain in Heaven. Our suffering is only for a little while compared to the reward of Heaven which will be eternal. Jesus, is indeed our living hope.
Betty

 

[Betty]

April 30, 2022
Happy Thursday,

Dreams

We have no control over our dreams. We cannot opt-out or choose to dream something else. I am very upset over a dream I had before I woke up, today.

I believe the devil and his demons sometimes cause us to have dreams that upset us. This is when we need to remind ourselves that a dream can not affect reality.

When we wake up from a bad dream seek God for comfort. Ask Him to wrap us up in His love and take away our distress and pain. God will give us peace and comfort when we seek Him.

The devil seeks to cause confusion and doubt in our hearts when we reach out to God, our faith grows stronger and we are no longer confused.

1 Corinthians 14:33
King James Version
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Though this Scripture is written to Churches, I believe it is true for individuals that God does not sow in our heart's confusion. Confusion is a tool of the devil. Resist the devil’s lies and seek truth from God.
Betty

 

[Betty]

May 1, 2022
Blessed Sunday,

Trust In God

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

We live in stressful times. Inflation is rising. The cost of everything is much higher. Food shortages are on the rise and crime is up. It is easy to become anxious, but Jesus tells us not to be anxious. He reminds us that God knows what we need and He will provide.

Jesus also reminds us that God values us. In a society that sees Christians as weak and mentally deficient, we can begin to believe the world’s lies. What the world sees us as weakness, God sees as strength.
When we stand for the truth of the Gospel, the world sees us as mentally challenged.

We must remember that as Christians we are to be about the Father’s business and our objective is to please God and not mankind. The morale of mankind changes with the winds. God’s Holy Word is constant from the beginning to the end.

Trusting in God is a choice. Believing in God’s Holy Word is a choice. We must each choose for ourselves whether we desire to please God our man. We cannot do both. There will come a time when we are forced to choose.
Betty

 

[Betty]

April 30, 2022
Happy Saturday,

Dreams

We have no control over our dreams. We cannot opt-out or choose to dream something else. I am very upset over a dream I had before I woke up, today.

I believe the devil and his demons sometimes cause us to have dreams that upset us. This is when we need to remind ourselves that a dream can not affect reality.

When we wake up from a bad dream seek God for comfort. Ask Him to wrap us up in His love and take away our distress and pain. God will give us peace and comfort when we seek Him.

The devil seeks to cause confusion and doubt in our hearts when we reach out to God, our faith grows stronger and we are no longer confused.

1 Corinthians 14:33
King James Version
33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Though this Scripture is written to Churches, I believe it is true for individuals that God does not sow in our heart's confusion. Confusion is a tool of the devil. Resist the devil’s lies and seek truth from God.
Betty

 

[Betty]

May 2, 2022
Happy Thursday,


Content in All Circumstances

Philippians 4:11
New King James Version
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:


Paul learned to be content in all circumstances. As Christians, this should be what we strive for. Yet, sometimes it is hard. On my blog Saturday I put the day as Thursday. The note app I use on my tablet has the date and day and yet I still wrote the wrong day. The demntia is affecting me more and without God giving me peace I would be strung out about it.

Have you ever wondered how Paul was able to be content in all circumstances? He was beaten, abused, and often starved. God had prepared him beforehand.

Galatians 1:15-20
New King James Version
15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
Contacts at Jerusalem
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see [a]Peter, and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)

Jesus, Himself spent 3 years teaching and preparing Paul for His ministry. God often prepares us in advance for what we go through and during our times of trouble we can cry out to God and He will sustain us.

I do not know what the future holds for me concerning my dementia, for God has not called me to walk in the future. He has called me to walk with Him today.

There are a lot of rumors and talk about things that are going to happen shortly. There is a new COVID variant that is supposed to be more contingent. There are rumors of war with Russia and China.

If we are not careful we can slip into a depression, yet we do not need to do so. Whatever happens, God will be with us. We are living in uncertain times. We need to be closer to God more than ever. Let us not worry about what could happen in the coming months but trust God for each day.
Betty

 

[Lastcall]

China.

If we are not careful we can slip into a depression, yet we do not need to do so. Whatever happens, God will be with us. We are living in uncertain times. We need to be closer to God more than ever. Let us not worry about what could happen in the coming months but trust God for each day.
Betty

Amen sister, keeping you in my prayers.

 

[Betty]

May 6, 2022
Happy Thursday,

Choose to Stay Close to God

Yesterday, morning I had a skin cancer removed from my face. I had been given about a half dozen shots of local anesthesia because the area wasn't small and the Doctor had to dig deep to get all the cancer. I felt pretty good until last night when the anesthesia wore out and then I was in a lot of pain.

This is how sin can be. We step into sin, like a pool, in the shadow end, but slowly over time sin overtakes us. A drug addict does not plan on becoming so addicted that they lose their job and end up living on the street.

As Christians, we can get so caught up in making money that we move further and further away from God. We can become like the people of the Laodicea Church. We become lukewarm and unacceptable to God.

We must choose to live close to God. God is not going to force us to. We must choose to walk in righteousness and truth. We must choose to walk in faith. When we do these things, we will be rewarded. We will not be easily led astray by false teachers and their false doctrine.

Pray that God helps us to live in a way that is pleasing to Him and that we avoid the pitfalls of sin.
Betty

 

[Betty]

Oops today is the 5th

 

[Armor of Light]

Oops today is the 5th

Didn't notice, migraine today, 2nd day, for your pain and heal quickly