Weekly Spiritual Meditations - December 16

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God cares about us no matter what.

Excuses are the cradle that Satan rocks men off to sleep in.

"In these days, we need Christmas more than ever. We need the hope, comfort, strength, and joy that comes from knowing Christ." - Waylon Bailey

God gave birth to hope through Jesus Christ.

Life is so much easier and richer when we live in the light of Christ. We can see where we are going and know that there is someone beside us, guiding and supporting us. Jesus is with us to guide and support us.

God exceeds all our expectations.

Jesus is faithful, and he encourages us to follow him — step-by-step — with steadfast trust. Whenever we talk to people we encounter, we can encourage acts of love. With Jesus as our model, we can always seek — through our words and deeds — to overcome evil with good.

When life leads us into rough waters and we are nervous and scared, we can remember to put our faith in Jesus. When we fully trust him, we won’t be afraid.

We can trust that God will lead use to opportunities. God has always been faithful to us, and we believe in the promise of that God cares deeply for each of us and our needs. God loves us and will provide a way for us.

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Heavenly Peace from Devotions for Christmas
Choose Peace
Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests. — Luke 2:14 NIV
Let’s face it: Christmas can be a stressful time. We get caught up in trying to create the perfect holiday for our families. We worry about family members not getting along or the mashed potatoes being too lumpy. Before we know it, we find ourselves longing for a little of the peace we hear about in Christmas carols. Can you relate?
Has your holiday season become so full of pressure that you wonder if peace is even possible?
What conflict are you dealing with this Christmas? Is there family drama, a financial struggle, or a health concern? No matter the specific circumstance, Christ has promised His peace to you. Peace is always available for those of us who love Him. Our holidays do not have to be marked by stress and conflict. We can quit holding on to old grudges. We can let go of envy, worry, and fear.
Let’s take Christmas back. This year, let’s choose peace.

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When Christmas Feels Chaotic by Lysa Terkeurst
Remember to slow down... Remember to look for God.
Remember to Look for God
We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. - Psalm 39:6
Last Christmas, I was rushing about, frustrated.
Every year I say I’m going to get better about scaling back so I can really keep my focus where it needs to be for the season. I have moments where I do this well. But I have other moments that are just plain pitiful.
Honestly, I can be an utter nincompoop.
I went to Target for wrapping paper and somehow left the store having spent ninety-seven dollars on who knows what. Then got all the way home before I realized I left the wrapping paper on that little shelf underneath the shopping cart. At checkout I didn’t remember to grab it and purchase it. So all my moments of trying to match this and that to keep up with expectations in this Pinterest-crazed world were all for nothing.
Now I’d be using recycled Happy Birthday bags — wrinkled and well past their prime — for the gifts that needed to be wrapped right this second or we were going to be late for the Christmas party. And then — oh my, glory heavens — I remembered I was supposed to bring cookies to said party.
A–M last names were supposed to bring appetizers. N–Z last names were supposed to bring desserts. Desperation found me digging in my pantry, emerging with some Easter chocolates shaped like eggs and wrapped in pastel foil. I’ll call them chocolate ornaments, I rationalized.
While all this was happening, my husband, Art, kept saying something to me about wanting to give money to one of his employees.
“We’ll have to talk about that later,” I snapped back, aggravated that he thought this moment of rushed panic was a good time to bring up giving. My brain went off on this tangent of thoughts about how I give and give and give and give and sometimes just get sick and tired of giving. So now I’m bringing Easter candy to a Christmas party I don’t even want to go to with presents wrapped in birthday-balloon-covered bags.
“Mom, why did you wrap the gifts that way?” The teenager with her hand on her hip had no clue how close I was to seriously canceling Christmas.
“Oh, you don’t even know the half of it. We’re also bringing Easter candy for our dessert. And if you say one critical comment about my obviously brilliant party-attending skills, we won’t go. Now go get in the car, and let’s pretend like we’re happy to be going to this party.”
And then my husband said something else about not being able to wait to talk about the money needed to help his employee, and I snapped back once again, “I don’t want to help.”
You know that wonderful feeling of conviction that says without a doubt you are the worst human on the planet? Like if they were handing out certificates for “worst person,” you would own the title for this moment in history? That would have been my moment.
I was so caught up in the rush of superficial things in my world that I missed hearing the cries for help in someone else’s world. God had been prompting me to listen, really listen, to my husband, to stop and focus and give him just a few minutes. But I refused. I rushed past. And I acted like I was perfectly justified in doing so.
My husband was requesting money for a precious family I hadn’t met yet. The wife had just started working at my husband’s restaurant. They were from another country and didn’t speak English. This made it difficult to let others know about their need for help. They didn’t have many friends here. And they had just been through the most tragic event of their lives. They’d had a daughter born in late spring with many complications. And just that morning she’d lost the battle for her life.
While I was stressed about leaving my wrapping paper at Target, a friend of this mom called my husband to ask for help to pay for a funeral.
When I finally clued in to what my husband was talking about, I felt so horribly convicted. It wasn’t just about being too busy, it was also about my closed-fisted reaction when I knew he wanted to talk about giving money.
Just that morning I’d been praying and asking God to show Himself to me. I asked the God of the universe to intersect my life with His revelation, then got up from my prayers and forgot to look. Forgot to seek Him. Forgot to keep my heart in tune with His voice and His invitation.
All because of the chaotic rush of my day.
Psalm 39:6 tells us that “all our busy rushing ends in nothing.”
I’m so challenged by this. It was certainly true for me that day.
When all of life feels like an urgent rush from one demand to another, we become forgetful. We forget simple things like where we put our car keys or that one crucial ingredient for dinner when we run into the grocery store. But even more disturbing, we forget God. We say with our mouths that we are trusting and relying on God, but are we really?
A quick check to see if this is true is our ability to notice what God wants us to notice and our willingness to participate when God invites us to participate.
So how about you? What is God trying to show you that your rush is causing you to miss out on this Christmas season?
Ask God to reveal Himself to you today, and then remember.
Remember to slow down and pay attention in the middle of the rush. Remember your prayer. Remember to look for God.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I don’t want to rush past the assignments You’ve given me. Help me to see Your hand in everything as I learn to fully rely on You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Your Turn: Amid the busybusybusy of this season, we must remember that it's Advent — a time of slowing down to remember Christ's first coming and look forward to His second coming!

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An Unaccepting Heart by Walking with Women through the Word
“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Psalm 32:2 (NIV 1984)
I spent many years regretting sins from my past; sins that had hurt others and myself. Day after day I would replay my decisions. Two decades later, the sting of past sin still had a hold on me.
Yet I knew God had forgiven me; I’d asked Him to. So why couldn’t I accept the freedom of His forgiveness?
I wanted so badly to believe I was the person David mentions in Psalm 32:2, “Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Yet I struggled with accepting that God’s grace could erase my sin, wiping it away as if it never happened.
I think for many of us, this is hard to do. It sounds all well and good, but in reality we are still carrying the weight of sin we can’t seem to forget or forgive ourselves for.
Yet, His Word assures us that God does not count our sin against us. So how can we live in this truth?
I’ve discovered through our key verse that the first step is acknowledging our sins: to ourselves and to God. Confession reconciles our heart with God’s heart.
The next thing is to begin filling our heart and mind with truth. Throughout the Bible, God teaches how an unaccepting heart can be changed and softened to accept His forgiveness. The following verses are truths from a loving God who longs to transform our lives through the grace of His forgiveness.
My God doesn’t condemn. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1 (NIV)
My master is grace not sin. “For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” Romans 6:14 (NIV 1984)
My Savior Jesus has set me free, therefore I am free. “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 (NIV)
My old is gone; because of Jesus Christ I am new. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV 1984)
Are you lugging a load of sin that God has already forgiven and forgotten? Are you ready to stop living in shame, shackled by regret? Life is too short to exchange the freedom of grace for the bondage of our unbelief.
Today, let’s allow God to wash the hurt and regret from past sins away with the transforming power of His truth. And let’s pray for an accepting heart that lives in the freedom of God’s grace and forgiveness.

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HOW TO MAKE YOUR WHOLE HOUSE A HOUSE OF PRAYER By Rosalind Jukic
From the time I was a child I’ve enjoyed reading and learning new things. I would spend hours pouring over encyclopedias, watching documentaries, and reading biographies. And I still do today.
Often while cleaning my house I’ll find an instructional video or documentary on YouTube to listen to, because doing those menial tasks can get really boring.
But, one day as I started to clean house, I began doing something new. I began making my entire house a house of prayer. Rather than grabbing my cell phone, I began to pray prayers over every room in the house. I had prayed over my entire family and home in a way I never had before and it not only revolutionized my prayer life, it completely changed how I viewed housework.
1. The Bedrooms: As you make the beds, lay your hand on each pillow and pray for each member of your family.
Heavenly Father, I pray that You will bless and keep __________. Make Your face to shine upon them and be gracious to them. Fill them with Your grace and love so that wherever they go, their actions will be a good testimony. Guard and keep them as they are with their friends, that they will stand strong and never compromise their values. Bless them as they sleep tonight; as Your word says that You give to Your beloved even in their sleep.
2. The Living Room: As you dust the furniture and pick up odds and ends laying around pray over your family time and entertainment.
Heavenly Father, I pray that our entertainment will glorify you. May we never fill our home with those things that grieve your Holy Spirit. Give us discernment to know when to turn off the TV or computer. Guard our hearts against immorality and protect our lives from the destruction of pornography. Help us to raise our children with godly values and discernment, that they will have the strength to stand alone and walk away, even when all their friends choose to entertain themselves with the world.
3. The Dining Room: As you wipe down the table and chairs, pray over your family conversation.
Heavenly Father, bless the time we spend together as a family. May it we encourage one another and not criticize. Fill our home with joy and laughter and fill our hearts with love, grace and understanding for one another. Even in our disagreement, may we disagree gracefully and with love.
4. The Kitchen: As you wipe down the counters and appliances.
Heavenly Father, Your Word says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I pray that as we eat our meals together, that we will also taste Your goodness. May we always be grateful for all You’ve given us. May our hearts never forget – even in the hard times – that You have blessed us beyond what we deserve. Thank You for our home, thank You for a loving family, thank You for everything You have given us. You have been good!
5. The Bathroom: As you wipe down the sink and mirror.
Heavenly Father, Ephesians tells us how to prepare our Spirits to go to war. I pray that as we get ready each day that we will not forget to get ready spiritually go out into world where we will face temptation and compromise. As we wash our face, brush our teeth, do our hair and makeup, may we remember to also clothe ourselves in salvation, righteousness, truth, the gospel of peace, faith and Your Word, which is on our heart. May we be spiritually ready to leave our home, even as we are physically ready.
6. The Front Door: As you wipe down your front door.
Heavenly Father, I pray for everyone who walks through this door that they will feel Your love, joy and peace in our home. Fill our home with the warmth of hospitality so that our guests feel at home with us. May our conversations be encouraging and may we find ways to build up and edify everyone who visits our home. When they leave, I pray that they will be richer for having been in our home.

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God's Chosen Few by Os Hillman
But those who suffer He delivers in their suffering; He speaks to them in their affliction. - Job 36:15
He was born with cerebral palsy in South Africa. He barely survived his birth. He did not walk until he was four years old. One leg was longer than the other and he could not speak well. For most of his life, his hands shook and he had little control over them. Feelings of rejection and bitterness at his plight were common occurrences during his growing-up years. During his school years, he was chastised by kids and generally rejected by society.
At age 17, his father felt led to take his son to a healing service. That night, the young boy's leg divinely grew two inches. He no longer walked with a limp. Bradley met the Savior and began to grow in his intimacy with Him. God began to speak to him and show him things. Prayer became his source of comfort and strength. God gave him insights about people and situations, bringing blessing to all who encountered him. Today, this young man travels around the world as an internationally known intercessor and founder of a school of intercessory prayer. Literally hundreds of hours of knowledge about the way God speaks to His children have been birthed in and through this young man.
One evening Bradley walked forward in a meeting of about 40 workplace believers and handed a note to the leader during a Christian business conference. The note was for someone in the room, but Bradley did not know whom it was for. It was the last day of a 40-day fast for this writer. The message gave a specific description of what I had been experiencing the two years leading up to that night. Nobody would have known such details. I knew it was for me. It was a miraculous "telegram from God" that provided confirmation and encouragement of where God was taking me. God used one broken man to speak to another broken man.
God's ways are not our ways. His ways are much higher than ours. Trust the God of the universe that He can orchestrate the events of your life when they seem the darkest.

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Our Greatest Need Author Unknown
If our greatest need had been information,
...God would have sent us an educator;
If our greatest need had been technology,
...God would have sent us a scientist;
If our greatest need had been money,
...God would have sent us an economist;
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
...God would have sent us an entertainer;
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
...So God sent us a Savior.

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
There are those who follow and those who lead. Do not follow someone who can't lead. But, I call you to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in all things. You can rely on Him to take you in the right direction and to show and teach exactly what you need to find and know. You cannot put your faith in humanity, but you can certainly trust My Spirit to bring you by the way of destiny, says the Lord. Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."

It may seem that what you have built spiritually is tenuous--that you may be hanging by a thread. This is because you must be tried and tested from time to time as to your true nature and character. What matters the most is the strength of your foundation in Me, says the Lord. Make sure that your relationship with Me is firm and strong. Luke 6:47-48 "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock."

Set yourself apart during these busy days to rest and to be grateful. Gratitude is a strengthening spiritual force that is vital to your well-being. Don't forget who you are in Me or your purpose and destiny. Take the time to regroup and settle yourself in peace and quiet as you reconnect with Me, says the Lord. Job 22:21 "Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you."

Although things have not worked out exactly as you had envisioned or hoped, there are valuable lessons in the process. There are adjustments to be made in your actions and expectations that will be necessary to re-establish yourself in divine order, says the Lord. Be flexible and wait for My wisdom before you forge ahead. Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.

No matter the turmoil that seems to prevail around you, I would have you find the peace that is only found by being one with Me, says the Lord. Refuse to allow chaos to define your life, but rather be defined by your relationship with Me. And, establish yourself in quiet resolve. Isaiah 30:15 For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength."

Your struggle to stay in the flow of My Spirit is the result of a divided mind and heart. There are too many things that compete with your sense of loyalty and kingdom focus. It will take a supreme effort on your part to prioritize expenditures of thought and energy and to pay attention to matters of greater importance, says the Lord. 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
Listen, My people. Listen. I am shouting from the roof tops; this is the season of great joy. And, great joy I will release to you, which will bring strength of victory and power within you. I know what is coming and I know the outcome of everything. Receive that which I am doing right now. Let me deposit My joy in your heart, and despair will go. Come into your rightful position of allowing Me to lead you into all joy, says the Lord.

The time of the eagle has come. I am raising up true prophets who will have eagle vision, and they will see and speak of that which I show them. No longer will My Church want for true prophetic voices. No longer will they listen to false words. My people will become supernatural and will not be deceived by the voices of compromise. Rise up, My eagles, and take flight and soar above the calamity of this world, says the Lord. Psalm 103:2-5 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

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TELL SOMEONE by Larry Belt
Have you ever wondered
Why the angels came that day
And told the shepherds in the field
About this new born Babe
This news of a new born Saviour
Was much to great to hide
I believe they got excited
And just couldn't keep it inside
They had to tell someone who had to tell someone
From the seed of David a King was born that day
He would be crucified and by all the world denied
And from a cross on Calvary He'll take our sins away
Spreading like a wildfire
That burns throughout the land
The news just keeps on growing
Of His Salvation Plan
This news of a Risen Saviour
Is much to great to hide
And when we feel Him in our souls
We just can't keep it inside

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"Today Is The Day To Live"
So many times we put off till tomorrow
What we can do today
We say some other time
Some other day
But today is the day to live
The day to do the many things left undone
The day that we give what we have to give
The day to play and have some fun
Life is for the living
Today reach out to someone who is in need
Touch a hand, change a life
Give gifts that keep on giving
Call family, call friends
Tell someone how much you love them
Today spread joy, cheer and happiness
Let your light shine its brightest
Today give the gift of love
Share the many blessings and gifts
God has given you
Today live and dare to be you
Written by: Tammy Boyle 7/9/01

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God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us. Ephesians 3:20

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. - 1 Peter 4:11

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. - Mark 12:30

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, . . . fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:1-2

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. - Hebrews 10:23-24

A person’s steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way? - Proverbs 20:24

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Our Never-Changing Lord Author Unknown
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (NIV) Hebrews 13:8
A friend shared with me that two days this week were consecutively one of the best and one of the worst days in his life. The first day he spent gliding down a pristine river in a nature reserve on an inner tube. He soaked in the sights of a river empty of people, litter or noise, yet filled with the natural beauty of clear water, natural springs and various wildlife. As he floated along, the full impact of God's creative power astounded him and the experience drew him closer to God than he had ever been in his life. The next day was spent at the doctors undergoing a grueling series of tests literally designed to make him sick in order to determine the source of some neurological problems that have plagued him for a year.
As he shared his experiences, it became clear to both of us that the same God that was with him on the river, was with him in the doctors office. God never changes, He is the same every day. His wisdom, love, power and promises never change. The only thing that changes is our circumstances and how we let them affect our relationship with God.
Is God the same in your yesterday, today and tomorrow? Does your trust, love and worship of Him change with your circumstances? Are your songs of praise to Him the same in good times as well as bad?
Don't look to your circumstances, look to God.

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Prayer to Start Your Day
Heavenly Father, Thank you for this beautiful day that You have made. I thank you Father, that I slept last night and woke up this morning. I understand Lord, that I have not woken up by my power, nor my might or by my alarm clock. But that it is by Your Grace that I’ve been given another day in this world. I ask Lord that You order my steps today; I ask that the Holy Spirit guide my thoughts, words and deeds. As I go into the world today Lord, I pray that my light shall shine before others, may they see my good works and glorify You, Father. May I be filled with the fruits of the spirit as I interact with people and let everything I do today be done with love. As much as depends on me, I will live peaceably with all today; I will acknowledge You in all my ways and You will direct my paths. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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Read Through The Bible
Psalm 45
1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. 5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. 6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. 9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. 10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house; 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. 12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour. 13 The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. 15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace. 16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. 17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

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Good morning, God.
What are You up to today?
I want to be a part of it.
May I?
Thank You, God.
Amen.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130 .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.