Weekly Spiritual Meditations - 8/16

[bluidkiti]

God is always speaking to us — to our hearts, to our minds, to our spirits. It is even heartening to know this and to know that what God says is always for our good. We just have to be willing to listen. Be attentive to God’s message filled with the assurances that we will receive help and that we are loved.

God is always with us.The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth. God's guidance is available for us every second of every day if we will just open my eyes and look for it. We experience God’s presence every day by noticing opportunities to help others at every turn. We can do this at home and everywhere that our day-to-day activities take us.

Christ is greater than our most debilitating sorrow. When our aspirations are crushed, he offers us the power of the resurrection, raising us up to renewed purpose, meaning, and joy.

Adoption into God’s family provides us with courage and strength for living.

When we choose God’s way rather than our way, God is pleased.

When we let God into our lives we will never be the same again.

When we need a reminder of God’s love, review how God has blessed us in the past.

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Going For It by Sally I. Kennedy
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
Shoot the Falls! The cry of the brave ones up at the top of the waterfall. They were going for it. Kayaks were poised in position to ride the rapids. It looked intimidating to me, but cool. I thought about how it’s probably like most projects we think about taking on; you’d ponder plans to ‘how to’ go about it.
You might think to (1)Prepare ahead of time. Noah didn’t build the ark overnight. (2)Wait for the right conditions. GOD opens the door; His timing is perfect - never too late, never too early, but right on time. (3)Have back-up/support - prayers, and scripture that line up in agreement with actions.
Then you would (4)Be confident, knowing God has gone before you. It is He who actually puts the desire in you, as well as helps you to accomplish it. Phil. 2:13 it is God who works in you, (both) to will and to act according to his good purpose.
And you’d (5)Go for it! God will have been with you, IS with you, will be with you.
So today if you’ve had an idea, a dream, a thought, or a plan that’s been swimming around in your head for awhile, perhaps you might start baby-stepping into it.
Whatever “it” is .... prepare, wait on God’s timing, have support, be confident, and go for it.

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The Hut Author Unknown
The only survivor of a shipwreck washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.
Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stung with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.
"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.
"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
Remember next time your little hut is burning to the ground, it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

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The Power of Little Things Author Unknown
"Calling the Twelve to him, He [Jesus] sent them out two by two" (Mark 6:7).
Bridge builder, Charles Eliet, had a contract to build a suspension bridge across the Niagara River. One of the first problems he faced was how to stretch his first cable across the wide expanse of raging waters. If a boat tried to cross the river it would be swept over the falls. Eliet thought of a simple idea. If a kite could be flown to the opposite bank using a light cord, a stronger cord could be attached and pulled across, then a stronger cord pulled across and so on until a cable could be attached and drawn across.
Eliet called for a kite flying contest and a young man named Homan Walsh succeeded on his second attempt. Charles Eliet's simple plan worked and the bridge was built.
In life some of us often feel we don't have a very important role to play. What we do seems so insignificant. It isn't so. Every Christian has an important part to play. It all adds up in the numerous "little things" we are called to do every day.
Jesus started spreading the gospel to the whole world by simply sending his disciples out two by two! So, never underestimate the importance of what God has called you to do. The important thing is to keep at it--day by day!
Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank you that you use ordinary people like me to do your work on earth. Help me to realize that my part - no matter how small - is a vital part of the whole picture. Help me always to be faithful and responsible and never let down on doing my part. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

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The Pearl Author Unknown
David Morse, American missionary to India, became great friends there with the pearl-diver, Rambhau. Many an evening he spent in Rambhau's cabin reading to him from the Bible, and explaining to him God's way of salvation.
Rambhau enjoyed listening to the Word of God, but whenever the missionary tried to get Rambhau to accept Christ as his Savior, he would shake his head and reply, "Your Christian way to heaven is too easy for me! I cannot accept it. If ever I should find admittance to heaven in that manner... I would feel like a pauper there... like a beggar who has been let in out of pity. I may be proud, but I want to deserve, I want to earn my place in heaven... and so I am going to work for it."
Nothing the missionary could say seemed to have any effect on Rambhau's decision, and so quite a few years slipped by. One evening, however, the missionary heard a knock on his door, and on going to open it he found Rambhau there. "Come in, dear friend," said Morse.
"No," said the pearl-diver. "I want you to come with me to my house, Sahib. I have something to show you. Please do not say 'No'."
"Of course I'll come," replied the missionary. As they neared his house, Rambhau said: "In a week's time, I start working for my place in heaven; I am leaving for Delhi... and I am going there on my knees."
"Man, you are crazy! It's nine hundred miles to Delhi, and the skin will break on your knees, and you will have blood-poisoning or leprosy before you get to Bombay."
"No, I must get to Delhi," affirmed Rambhau, "and the immortals will reward me for it! The suffering will be sweet... for it will purchase heaven for me!"
"Rambhau, my friend... you can't. How can I bear you to do it... when Jesus Christ has suffered and died to purchase heaven for you!"
But the old man could not be moved. "You are my dearest friend on earth, Sahib Morse. Through all these years you have stood by me in sickness, in want... you have been sometimes my only friend. But even you cannot turn me from my desire to purchase eternal bliss... I must go to Delhi!"
Inside the hut, Morse was seated in the very chair Rambhau had specially built for him... where on so many occasions he had read to him the Bible.
Rambhau left the room to return soon with a small but heavy English strongbox. "I have had this box for years," said he, "and I keep only one thing in it. Now I will tell you about it, Sahib Morse. I once had a son..."
"A son! Why, Rambhau, you have never before said a word about him!"
"No, Sahib, I couldn't." Even as he spoke the diver's eyes were moistened. "Now I must tell you, for soon I will leave, and who knows whether I shall ever return? My son was a diver too. He was the best pearl diver on the coasts of India. He had the swiftest dive, the keenest eye, the strongest arm, the longest breath of any man who ever sought for pearls.
What joy he brought to me! Most pearls, as you know, have some defect or blemish only the expert can discern, but my boy always dreamed of finding the 'perfect' pearl... one beyond all that was ever found. One day he found it! But even when he saw it... he had been under water too long... That pearl cost him his life, for he died soon after."
The old pearl diver bowed his head. For a moment his whole body shook, but there was no sound. "All these years," he continued, "I have kept this pearl... but now I am going, not to return, and to you, my best friend... I am giving my pearl."
The old man worked the combination on the strongbox and drew from it a carefully wrapped package. Gently opening the cotton, he picked up a mammoth pearl and placed it in the hand of the missionary.
It was one of the largest pearls ever found off the coast of India, and glowed with a luster and brilliance never seen in cultured pearls. It would have brought a fabulous sum in any market. For a moment, the missionary was speechless and gazed with awe. "Rambhau! What a pearl!"
"That pearl, Sahib, is perfect," replied the Indian quietly. The missionary looked up quickly with a new thought: Was not this the very opportunity and occasion he had prayed for... to make Rambhau understand the value of Christ's sacrifice? So he said, designedly, "Rambhau, this is a wonderful pearl, an amazing pearl. Let me buy it. I would give you ten thousand dollars for it."
"Sahib! What do you mean?"
"Well, I will give you fifteen thousand dollars for it, or if it takes more... I will work for it."
"Sahib," said Rambhau, stiffening his whole body, "this pearl is beyond price. No man in all the world has money enough to pay what this pearl is worth to me. On the market a million dollars could not buy it. I will not sell it to you. You may only have it as a gift."
"No, Rambhau, I cannot accept that. As much as I want the pearl, I cannot accept it that way. Perhaps I am proud, but that is too easy. I must pay for it, or work for it..."
The old pearl-diver was stunned. "You don't understand at all, Sahib. Don't you see. My only son gave his life to get this pearl, and I wouldn't sell it for any money. Its worth is in the life-blood of my son. I cannot sell this... but I can give it to you. Just accept it in token of the love I bear you."
The missionary was choked, and for a moment could not speak. Then he gripped the hand of the old man. "Rambhau," he said in a low voice, "don't you see? My words are just what you have been saying to God all the time."
The diver looked long and searchingly at the missionary, and slowly, slowly he began to understand. "God is offering you salvation as a free gift," said the missionary. "It is so great and priceless that no man on earth can buy it. Millions of dollars are too little. No man on earth could earn it. His life would be millions of years too short. No man is good enough to deserve it. It cost God the life-blood of His only Son to make the entrance for you into heaven. In a million years, in a hundred pilgrimages, you could not earn that entrance. All you can do is to accept it as a token of God's love for you... a sinner.
"Rambhau, of course I will accept the pearl in deep humility, praying to God that I may be worthy of your love. Rambhau, won't you accept God's great gift of heaven, too, in deep humility, knowing it cost Him the death of His Son to offer it to you?"
Great tears were now rolling down the cheeks of the old man. The veil was beginning to lift. "Sahib, I see it now. I have believed so many things about Jesus for the last two years, but I could not believe that His salvation was free. Now I understand. Some things are too priceless to be bought or earned. Sahib, I will accept His salvation!"

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Do You Realize How Much God Loves You? Author Unknown
If you saw the film The Hiding Place you saw Jeanette Clift George playing the role of Corrie ten Boom. She was on a short flight from Tucson to Phoenix, seated near a young mother with her baby girl. Both of them were dressed in white pinafores; the baby had a little pink bow where there would eventually be hair. Mom was smiling, and the baby kept saying “Dada, Dada,” every time someone walked down the aisle. The mother explained to those seated nearby that Daddy was waiting for them after they had been gone for a few days.
There was a lot of turbulence, which was hard on the baby. Mom was prepared, though, with some fruit and a small Thermos bottle with orange juice. Every time the baby cried, the mother would give her a little more orange juice and a little more fruit. And that’s right: the inevitable happened. Eventually, all that fruit and orange juice that had gone down came right back up.
But there seemed to be a lot more of it! Not only were the mother and the baby covered in it, but so were several of their neighbors, including Jeanette George. Fortunately, all of the passengers were gracious and tried to help the mother and reassure her that everything was okay. Here’s the scene: the baby was crying, and she looked awful. The fellow passengers looked—and smelled—pretty awful.
As soon as they landed, the baby was fine, and once again began calling: “Dada, Dada.” Waiting for the plane was a young man who had to be “Dada.” He was wearing white slacks, a white shirt, and he carried white flowers. Guess what that clean Daddy, all dressed in white, did when he saw his baby who had that sticky, smelly stuff all over her clothes and her face and her hair?
He ran to the young mother, who handed the baby over pretty quickly so she could go get cleaned up. Then Daddy picked up that baby, and he hugged her and he kissed her and he stroked her hair. As he held her close, he said, “Daddy’s baby’s come home. Daddy’s baby’s come home.” All the way to the luggage claim area, he never stopped kissing that baby and welcoming her back home.
Ms. George thought, “Where did I ever get the idea that my Father God is less loving than a young daddy in white slacks and white shirt with white flowers in his hand?”
Do you have any idea how much God loves you?

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The Jello Lesson Author Unknown
Carla stirred Jello into boiling water, added cold water and put the bowl with the watery mixture in the refrigerator to set.
"Didn't Dana ask you to come over to play this afternoon?" asked Mother after Carla had finished washing the dishes.
Carla shrugged. "Yeah," she said, "but I don't feel like playing with her. I'm beginning to think she's hopeless. She always wants her own way, and she says mean things about other kids--stuff like that."
"Hm-m-m-m. That's too bad," said Mother. "Well, maybe it's time to check your Jello."
Carla went to the refrigerator. "It's getting there," she said. "It's ready for the fruit." She added apples and bananas to the Jello while she continued to complain about Dana.
"Tell me something," said Mother. "Dana became a Christian just recently. Has she improved at all since then?"
"Oh, sure." Carla nodded. "She used to be just awful--nobody liked her. Now, she's not as bad, but she still has a long way to go."
"Like the Jello," said Mother.
"The Jello?" repeated Carla. "What do you mean?"
"The Jello has improved since you started it, but it has a long way to go, too," explained Mother. "It isn't hopeless, though. In time it will be set and ready to eat. It reminds me that Christians don't usually 'set' all at once, either. It takes time. As Christians grow in the Lord, they improve in outward behavior. We need to be patient with them."
"Maybe we can add some 'fruit' to help them." Carla was enjoying the comparison. "Like... we can pray for them, and we can be friendly."
"Good," approved Mother, "and let's remember that you and I aren't finished yet, either. Let's grow together."
HOW ABOUT YOU? Do you know someone who needs a lot of improvement? Are you praying for them? Are you helping them by being friendly and encouraging them to attend church and study God's Word? Do you set a good example for them? God finishes what He starts. He'll finish what He has begun in them - and in you.

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
Be especially diligent to be aware of opportunities that arise to cause you to be insecure or feel powerless. Any place of unworthiness in you will cause you to vacillate between My acceptance and condemnation. I have not rejected nor abandoned you. You are Mine, and I am your place of strength and security, says the Lord. Yield to My mercy and grace, which is sufficient for any situation. 2 Corinthians 12:9a And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Be attentive to your attitudes and motivations with regard to those around you. I would have you love one another and not use or abuse or take advantage of any relationship. Ask, and I will instill in you a generous heart that will be merciful and will extend favor and blessings instead of criticism and judgment, says the Lord. Be honorable. Proverbs 24:17-18 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.

I heard the LORD say: I am opening up new vistas—new vantage points and new ways of seeing and dealing with life’s challenges. If you will only believe, I will cause you to have revelation that will bring about accelerated spiritual growth. But, you must focus your attention on spiritual aspects of living instead of natural attributes. You have been wondering how you fit and where you belong in the grand scheme of all things. Let me show you. Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

There are still things in your life that are out of sync with the flow of My Spirit, but I will give you wisdom and direction that will bring these things into complete order. You must, however, be obedient to My leading and not resist change. Change is the order of this season, both small and great, before you can move into the perfection of the next phase. Keep your heart and your spiritual ears open and ready to yield, says the Lord. Proverbs 4:12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble.

Many of you, My people, are still puffed up in the knowledge of My Word, and your religiosity causes you to be cold and unapproachable. But, the essence of My kingdom is love, which edifies. When you begin to establish yourself in true relationship with Me in the Spirit, you will no longer be focused on what you know and what you can do, but you will become a servant of all, says the Lord, which is pleasing in My sight. 1 Corinthians 8:1a-3 Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.

Come into My presence and rest; no more stress or striving. Just rest. Let Me relieve you of your burdens. Trust Me to lead you into peace, says the Lord, when everything around you is chaotic. I am your place of safety, your refuge in times of trouble. Trust Me to do what you cannot do. I am well able to bring you through. Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of Your power; Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning; for You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
Come on up, My people; come higher, says the Lord. Many of you are coming up to the mountain top where you can have vision that is beyond anything that you have had before--where you can hear more clearly, where things have been set in the proper order. The prophetic word will become stepping stones that you can walk on in this new season. Where you can walk over the troubled waters and see the shining light of My word as it takes form within your heart and within your spirit. Out of the substance of that word you will speak. And, those words will be powerful and creative, and they will bring forth that which I am bringing to you. The inspiration of it will become a shining light to you that will shine on the path before you and it will not diminish. It will be there for the days that are ahead so that you can know that I not only brought the light and established the path, but it is no longer going to be hidden from you. You are going to walk on that path and find yourself in My flow.

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KEEP BELIEVING IN GOD by Anne R. C. Neale
God is with you to help you, you see .
To handle anything that comes to you and to me,
God always is there to be with you,
To help you through the things that you go through.
God can do anything that we all know,
You need to Trust God always, that is so,
God does help you through all your "trying times,"
So Keep your Belief and Love in God, and Trust God and you will be fine.

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Reaching Out To You by Nancy Burr
When the days feel dark and cold,
when sadness fills my life.
When my heart is filled with pain
and all I face is strife.
I'll turn to You my precious Lord,
I'll reach up to the sky.
For I know You really care.
when all I do is cry.
My heart is reaching out to You,
I know You understand.
I know You want to get me through,
so guide me by Your hand.
I know You stay with me each day,
You catch me when I fall.
O Lord to You I'm reaching out,
and I give to You my all.
I give to You my scrapes and scars,
my sorrows and my strife.
I give You all my worries Lord.
The problems in my life.
My heart is heavy but I know,
this pain You'll take away.
So Lord I'm reaching out to You
and I know I'll be okay.
My heart is reaching to You Lord,
I long to trust You more.
I long to feel You close to me,
and feel Your blessings pour.
You always have and always will
be all I'll ever need.
So Lord I'll keep on reaching out,
and follow where You lead.

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Concerning Spiritual Gifts
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121

Imitating Christ’s Humility
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 1 Philippians 2:1-11

Be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us. Ephesians 5:1-2

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30

"You, dear children, are from God and have overcome because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." 1 John 4:4

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BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR Author Unknown
"And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years" Acts 13:21
One of my friends said it yesterday. I had heard it before. I have said it before. "You had better be careful what you ask for (in prayer), you might get it."
Indeed, that is exactly what happened to Israel. All the other nations had kings. Israel had an old prophet. All the other countries had national leaders. Israel had a high priest. Israel asked the aging prophet for a king. They wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a figure they could look to for protection. They wanted a king. (If you remember, Moses said this time would come. He prophesied that they would want a king. He also said that king would lead them in wrong paths.)
So God gave them a king. Saul. He reigned for forty years. He was an imposing figure, head and shoulders taller than his countrymen. He was strong. He was promoted to king of all Israel -- and he was a failure.
As time passed, Israel began to see that their king was just a man with all of man's weaknesses. He may have been strong as an ox, but he was as weak as a hollow tree in spirit. He lacked the mental strength to be a powerful leader. He became overwhelmed with his own authority -- his own ambition. And he fell. And he almost took Israel with him.
We have all been in Israel's position. We want what we want and we want it now! Not only do we want it, but we demand that God provide it. We don't want to wait for it. We don't want to pay the price for it. We don't want to save for it. We want it -- NOW! And God had better come through because if He doesn't we will do it ourselves.
And we pay the price. And that price is much higher than the cost of the thing we want. It is a spiritual price that goes far beyond a few dollars. It saps the soul of strength. It drains the spirit of energy. It taps the resources we have reserved for God's mission, and we suffer for it. We are in pain. We are weakened. Because of our weakness, others begin to suffer with us. We no longer have the spiritual fortitude to help our brother or our sister. Instead we are pulling from them the strength they need for their own battles.
A downward spiral has begun. The trail of smoke can be seen for miles around. Doom and defeat seem eminent. But wait. Inside that hulk of a dying body is a pilot -- no, The Pilot. He has not bailed out yet. He has not given up the ship. He is pulling. He is fighting the battle for us. And He has the strength to pull us out of that fatal nosedive we have forced upon ourselves. At the last moment, the flaming hulk of our life is saved and set on a path to recovery. Not because of our strength, but because of the authority of the One who knows how to save the dying.
Jesus saves a dying soul. Behold, your redemption draws near. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.

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Lord, I pray for contentment within my life. Let me maintain calmness and strength in my faith – regardless of the stress and tribulation that may try to crack the shell of my faith. God is all I need, He is the answer, the way and the reason. God is Enough. Amen

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Read Through The Bible
1 Chronicles 12
Warriors Join David
1 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the warriors who helped him in battle; 2 they were armed with bows and were able to shoot arrows or to sling stones right-handed or left-handed; they were relatives of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin): 3 Ahiezer their chief and Joash the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the Thirty, who was a leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite, 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer and Jashobeam the Korahites; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham from Gedor. 8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the wilderness. They were brave warriors, ready for battle and able to handle the shield and spear. Their faces were the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles in the mountains. 9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth and Makbannai the eleventh. 14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand. 15 It was they who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight everyone living in the valleys, to the east and to the west. 16 Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold. 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, I am ready for you to join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free from violence, may the God of our ancestors see it and judge you.” 18 Then the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his raiding bands. 19 Some of the tribe of Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (He and his men did not help the Philistines because, after consultation, their rulers sent him away. They said, “It will cost us our heads if he deserts to his master Saul.”) 20 When David went to Ziklag, these were the men of Manasseh who defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu and Zillethai, leaders of units of a thousand in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against raiding bands, for all of them were brave warriors, and they were commanders in his army. 22 Day after day men came to help David, until he had a great army, like the army of God.
Others Join David at Hebron
23 These are the numbers of the men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had said: 24 from Judah, carrying shield and spear—6,800 armed for battle; 25 from Simeon, warriors ready for battle—7,100; 26 from Levi—4,600, 27 including Jehoiada, leader of the family of Aaron, with 3,700 men, 28 and Zadok, a brave young warrior, with 22 officers from his family; 29 from Benjamin, Saul’s tribe—3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to Saul’s house until then; 30 from Ephraim, brave warriors, famous in their own clans—20,800; 31 from half the tribe of Manasseh, designated by name to come and make David king—18,000; 32 from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do—200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command; 33 from Zebulun, experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every type of weapon, to help David with undivided loyalty—50,000; 34 from Naphtali—1,000 officers, together with 37,000 men carrying shields and spears; 35 from Dan, ready for battle—28,600; 36 from Asher, experienced soldiers prepared for battle—40,000; 37 and from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, armed with every type of weapon—120,000. 38 All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king. 39 The men spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, for their families had supplied provisions for them. 40 Also, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules and oxen. There were plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, olive oil, cattle and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

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THANK YOU FATHER
Dear God: I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards, I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better, I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me, I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears, I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I am thanking you right now.
I am thanking you because I am alive.
I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties.
I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.
I'm thanking you because Father, you haven't given up on me.
"In every thing give thanks; for this is will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

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Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.