Our Great Shepherd who Loves us and Leads us

 

lifewordslifewordslifewords Our Great Shepherd who Loves us and Leads us September 30, 2010 I pray you delight in reading this Psalm often today. It will be life and refreshing to you. I have so treasured these words this morning.   Psalm 23 regarding our great Shepherd 1 The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want.   2 He makes me lie down in green pastures ;    He leads me beside quiet waters.   3 He restores my soul ;   He guides me in the paths of righteousness   For His name's sake.   4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,   I fear no evil, for You are with me;   Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.   5 You prepare a table before me  in the presence of my enemies ;   You have anointed my head with oil ; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,  And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever .

Lifestyle of Prayer

 

lifewordslifewordslifewords 9.29.10 lifestyle of prayer It's an awesome Wednesday and it will be a great one because Christ lives in us, and we in Him.  I'm praying for you this morning.   Prayer is the greatest privilege, the most important task, the most powerful force, the most urgent assignment of every believer.  I was thinking about what I read about Martin Luther, written by one of his contemporaries who knew him well.  Here is what he said about Martin Luther's daily life of prayer and the Word.   "I cannot enough admire the extraordinary cheerfulness, consistency, faith and hope of the man in these trying and vexatious times.  He constantly feeds these gracious affections by a very diligent study of the Word of God.  Then not a day passes in which he does not employ in prayer at least three of his very best hours.  Once I happened to hear him at prayer.  Gracious God!  What spirit and what faith is there in his expressions!  He petitions God with as much reverence as if he were in the divine presence, and yet with as firm a hope and confidence as he would address a father or a friend."   I love this. Three of his very best hours every day!!!!! Much time in God's Word is the key to powerful praying. Jesus said pray in His Name.  He said we are to ask, seek, knock.  Jesus prayed often and continually. We must become desperate to take our place praying. The Holy Spirit will teach us.  Prayer is the most formidable weapon.  It is the one in which we should be the most skilled.  If there is one thing we should master on this earth, it is the habit of prayer.  You can be sure there will be every hindrance to it.  Even good activities will try to crowd out time spent in prayer. Much prayer is the secret of living a holy life, connected to the Vine.  It is the key to releasing the will of God into the earth.  It is the method our heavenly Father has established whereby we call, and He answers.  Prayer honors God and gets self off the throne of our heart.  God delights in our praying!  Prayer is the full expression of our faith.  It is the full expression of our inability to to anything apart from Him and it is our child like cry to our loving Father for help.    In prayer we receive strength, peace, joy, and grace for the journey and every trial along the way. True character is formed in prayer.  The love of God for this world consumes our hearts in prayer. In prayer we receive the wisdom of God.  Faith filled praying in Jesus name pushes back the forces of darkness. Prayer moves the kingdom of God forward.  Through prayer, the will of God is released. In prayer we come to the very throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in time of need.  The blood of our Savior has given us access in prayer. Oh in this hour, we must be people of prayer!   Oh Lord teach us to pray!

 

worship lifestyle, better version

 

lifewordslifewordslifewords   worship lifestyle, better version For some reason the lifewords I sent you this morning was not the right version, and some of words came out white.  Here is the real version. Delete the other.    Psalm 63 is so awesome today!   Oh God You are my God, Early I will seek You.   My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.   So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your Name I will lift up my hands.   Oh that we would thirst for His presence continually and learn to abide in it....seek desperately for Him in His Word..and cultivate a lifestyle of worshipping Him.     Why do we praise Him? Because His steadfast love is better than life itself. He is worthy of our honor and praise and worship as long as we live and through all eternity. Begin each day with time spent worshipping Him with all your heart. This Psalm declares, Early will I seek You!!! Fix your gaze upon Him. He is drawing His Church to a lifestyle of worship, not just a Sunday morning experience. Then throughout the day,  we can stop and lift our hands to Him and thank Him. Praise Him for who He is.  Your Savior who rescued you.  Your Redeemer who brought you out of sin and death and darkness, Your Healer, Your Provider, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Author and the Finisher of your Faith, Your Victory, Your Peace, Your Healer. Think about His Name, the Name above every Name that is named.  Jesus. When you even speak His Name on lips of faith, His presence becomes tangible. Praise will keep your faith airborne.   Above all, let's be worshippers. No matter what is going on in your life today you have a reason to praise the One who loves you with and everlasting Love.  If all is going well, Praise Him.  If all is not going well, Praise Him. If your heart is joyful praise Him.  If your heart is broken praise Him, for He has redeemed you and for all eternity you will never be separated from Him and from His magnificent love. Praise is a choice.  Worship is a decision. Make time to  look upon Him today and behold His power and glory and majesty and love. He inhabits the praise of His people.  Thanksgiving will bring you into the gates.  Praise will usher you into His courts.  Sincere Worship and adoration will intimately connect you with your Lord and the lover of your soul. And in that place He will  transform you, fill you,  and speak to you concerning His will for you. Let's determine that we will bless Him as long as we live, in His name we will lift up our hands continually today.

Don't worry, pray and give thanks

 

lifewordslifewordslifewords 9.25.10 . don't worry, pray and give thanks    I'm meditating on Phil. 4:6,7 as I pray for you today.  Don't be anxious for anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication,  with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.    And the peace of God which passes understanding,  will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."   The Holy Spirit is saying, through the apostle  Paul, Don't be anxious.  In other words, don't fret.  Don't get nervous.  Don't be afraid.  Don't get tense.  Don't stress out.  Don't act undone.  Don't have the come aparts.  About what?  About anything!!!  What do we do instead?  We pray.  We call on the NAME of the Lord.  We  bring our requests before God in Jesus' name.  And while we are praying, we are thanking God the whole time in advance, because He is faithful and we trust Him.  We take our place in prayer, before the throne of our God.  We come because the blood of Jesus made a way for us to come boldly to find grace to help in time of need.  We come in faith believing.  Through prayer we bring God's plan and purposes into our situation. We acknowledge our complete reliance upon Him, and take our place as His sons and daughters.  The powers of darkness are pushed back, the forces of the enemy paralyzed and  the supernatural peace of God begins to saturate our very being.   So don't be afraid today.   Pray and thank God. Remember so many times our Jesus said not to be anxious, not to be afraid. Remember so many times He said ask , He said pray. He is with us always, to the end of the age.  He will never leave or forsake us. He is the Lord.  All is well.    Through the Gospels, Psalms and Proverbs Sept. - Dec. Today's awesome reading is   Psalms 25    Proverbs 51,52    Matthew 22,23

Worshipping Him

 

lifewords 9.24.10 Worshipping Him It's  so awesome to remember, every day, the most important commandment our Lord Jesus has given us....."To love the Lord our God with all our heart, will all our soul, with all our mind."   ( Matt 22:37)He  Himself said this was the greatest commandment! Oh that we would love Him well! It's all about our love relationship with Him.  I was so delighting in Psalm 84 this morning. "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!  My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.  Oh how He loves to meet us in worship! Giving thanks for His love and faithfulness.....praising Him for who He is.........worshipping, adoring, loving Him...., singing songs to Him.  Becoming true worshippers should be our desperate pursuit.    Jesus  came to redeem us, and also to make a new and living way for us to have fellowship with our God.  The veil has been rent in two, we have access to His presence! Our Creator, Redeemer and Lover of our Souls who has shown us   the depths of His love over and over again is  worthy of our worship.  And as we draw near to Him in worship, He draws near to us.  As we lift up hearts of praise and adoration, He begins to inhabit our praises.  As we choose to praise instead of complain, it causes the spiritual forces of darkness to flee. As we begin to meditate with a thankful heart on WHO HE IS and worship Him with a heart of love instead of rehearsing in our minds everything that is troubling us.........we enter into the realm of Faith which brings His grace into our circumstance. To Him be all  praise and glory and honor forever.  Let's worship Him now with our hearts, with our voice, with our life. Through the Gospels Proverbs and Psalms Sept. - Dec.  Today's awesome reading  Proverbs 24  Psalms 49 50  Matthew 20,21   .

Abiding . . . Rest is a great thing!

 

lifewordslifewordslifewords    9.23.10  I love this very short sentence Jesus said to his disciples in Mark 6:31. Then Jesus said,  "Let's get away from the crowds for a while and rest." Our King understands the necessity of rest. I pray that each day day you will be able to come away from the business, the clamour, the people, and find refreshing in Him. Remember Jesus' exhortation to us to Come unto Him all who labor and are heavy laden and He will give us rest? We can do nothing apart from Him. He wants us to learn the lesson of John 15 the branch abiding in the vine. Today spend time with the Lover of Your soul who will refresh you, His Word will build you up on the inside. And ask Him to fill you afresh with His love and presence. As you rest in Him, I'm praying for strength and wisdom and encouragement for you. Rest is a great thing. Our Master recognized the importance of it. Rest, laugh, have fun, worship, enjoy a beautiful place in God's creation, do something you love with those who are close to you, or do nothing at all and just enjoy His presence and love....and enjoy resting. It's not a waste of time, it is a great investment that will help you refocus and be strengthened in Him.  As you rest, give all your anxiety, stress, worry, heaviness to our Lord and allow Him to exchange your yoke for His, which is light! All is well, because He is the Lord over our lives, our children, our families......every situation and circumstance. People who "get away from the crowds a while and rest" will have joy, energy, passion and longevity for the journey.  Do it. And when you do, be completely in the moment....don't worry about everything else you should be doing! Enjoy resting and know that the Master is pleased.  God's Word is so powerful. His love amazing. His faithfulness endures forever.  Praying for you, amy Through the Gospels, Psalms and Proverbs Sept.-Dec. Today's chapters to delight in:  Proverbs 23,   Psalms 47,48   Matthew 18,19

Abiding . . . The Holy Spirit

 

lifewordslifewordslifewords   wednesday, 9.22.10  It's a great Wednesday and I'm praying for you now while it is still dark outside. It is such a privilege to bring your name and your family before our Father knowing how much He loves you and cares for you. Don't you just love Psalm 46 this morning.... "God is our refuge and strength, a very present Help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear. " I pray this will anchor us today and cause our hearts to rejoice continually.  Thanks for reading lifewords. I'm asking the  Lord to  encourage you and strengthen you and fortify you for the journey, for His purposes today, as you read them. I pray the living Word of God will be like waters of refreshing for you, renewing your mind to His Truth. You are His beloved.  Keep abiding in Him,    amy.         I'm so continually overwhelmed by the abiding presence of the precious Holy Spirit, who is our constant Companion, Helper and Teacher. I pray that He would illuminate our understanding of Him in these next days so that we can be filled afresh with His presence, and learn to follow His leading moment by moment, day by day.   Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit often. Amazingly, He told His disciples in John 16:7 that it was advantageous that He go away; for when He left them He would be sending the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to be with them and abide with them forever.  Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth would would guide us into all Truth. He spoke of the Holy Spirit as the Helper (Jn. 14:16), Who would abide with us forever, to dwell in us and be with us forever. The Holy Spirit is God. He is the third person of the Trinity. When Jesus' ministry on Earth was complete He departed, and when He did He sent the Holy Spirit to live in every believer. Remember he told His disciples right before He ascended to heaven to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father and that they would be endued with power from on high?  He did sent the Holy Spirit to that group of disciples waiting in the upper room  on the day of Pentecost and that day was the beginning of the Church!  He has been here ever since, in inside every person who is born again. Jesus is still in heaven with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives in us, dwells in us, we are the temple of the living God.  How awesome!    And every day the Holy Spirit  desires to fill us afresh with Himself. He wants to completely guide us into the will of God.  He will reveal the Word of God to us. He is our continual Teacher. Oh that our relationship with the precious Holy Spirit would be intimate and continual..that His still small voice would resound over the clamour of the business of our lives. He is the One who sheds abroad in our hearts the love of God. The Holy Spirit enables us to love people with His love.  The Holy Spirit shows us things to come.  The Holy Spirit reveals the Word of God to us.  The Holy Spirit gives us power to be a witness. God's whole plan of redemption was for the purpose of redeeming man back to Himself, then coming to live inside of us in the person of the Holy Spirit. It's so awesome.   Today, the Holy Spirit wants to so fill us, lead us, guide us, help us, transform us, live through us to touch this world. To the degree we are willing to decrease, He will increase. Lord thank you for the blood of Jesus. I repent of all sin and receive your forgiveness and cleansing.  Precious Holy Spirit, fill me afresh with Your presence. I honor You, and welcome You and invite You to have complete control over my life today.  Teach me how to live in continual fellowship with You and follow Your leading. I love you Lord. Through the Gospels, Proverbs and Psalms September-December Today's chapters to delight in reading: Proverbs 22    Psalms 44,45,46   Matthew 16,17 By humility and the fear of the Lord, are riches, honor and life.  Pr. 22:4

Prayer that God hears part 2

 

lifewordslifewordslifewords Tuesday, 9.21.10 It's an awesome Tuesday and praying for you today was such a privilege. As you recall, yesterday we looked at if we regard iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear us in prayer.  Today is an equally important command from our Savior concerning not only receiving forgiveness when praying, but releasing forgivness to others. You are so loved by God today it's amazing. All is well, because He is Lord.  Jesus said Pray! He said pray to the Father in His Name. He said to pray for His will to be done on Earth. He said we are to ask, to seek to knock and in doing so we would receive, find and the door would be opened. The Holy Spirit will teach us how to pray and every one of us can learn to pray well. Prayer is worship, prayer is by faith, prayer is according to the Word, prayer is the method God has set up in which we co-labor with Him to release His will into the Earth.  Our Jesus drew away continually to pray. He remained in a continual prayer relationship with the Father. Oh that we would be a people of prayer now!   Just as repenting and receiving forgiveness is  a condition of prayer, our releasing forgiveness is paramount.  Jesus speaks these words concerning our praying.  "When you  pray, forgive, that your Father in heaven will forgive you."   Remember in Matt 6:12 when He told His disciples how to pray?  He said we were to ask the Father to "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." and in v. 14 "For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."  So  let's cultivate a habit of daily forgiveness!  Powerful! Forgive those who have hurt you, forsaken you, misjudged you, betrayed you, wronged you, lied about you or persecuted you. You may not feel like it, but do it by faith, in obedience to your Lord. Forgiveness is one of the most powerful keys to answered prayer and to the free flow of God's grace in our lives. We have been forgiven so much, we can forgive freely! It's all about obeying Him. Reading Through the Gospels, Proverbs and Psalms  Sept-Dec 2010  Todays' Reading to Delight in:  Proverbs 21,   Psalms  42,43      Matthew 14,15