dixiefiddler

Long day but a good one....
on these herbs for adrenal fatigue and it might be working!?!
taught 18 students today
worked on the black algae growing in several aquariums
rearranging my room for a new bed...nice big HUGE one!?!
spring cleaning is good any time of the year
skipped pilates at the gym tonight because I got a workout moving furniture!
now I won't have to sleep diagonally!
though I don't complain about being tall...sort of enjoy the advantage over most folks anyway! ;)
my old bed I've slept in since I was 2 years old collapsed on a Sunday afternoon while taking a nap! :(
I think my heart skipped a beat or two!?!

Anyway...missed worship team practice tonight =( but Matt didn't mind
I was just too worn out from teaching and moving furniture to move another muscle...need a HOT shower!
Got a huge day/night ahead of me Friday at the bakery with weddings, bday cakes, etc.
Sort of overwhelmed I guess and need to talk myself into the weekend stress!?! :(

Kind of lonely at the moment....
just finished some devo online....awesome Scriptures today!


what a cool verse...got it from my Spurgeon readings...a perfect description of my heart....never having had a friend such as this before now. It's the most awesome and wonderful feeling...nothing like you expect but everything your spirit and soul needs and wants! God's ideas are so much better than our own.....

"I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go."
- Song of Solomon 3:4


About ministry.....

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who
wins souls is wise.

Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the
heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like
the stars for ever and ever.

--remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error
of his way will save him from death and cover over a
multitude of sins.

Today's Reading from the New International Version taken
from Proverbs 11:30; Daniel 12:3; and James 5:20.



Sometimes the Lord has us do strange things.....like after fishing all night He tells the disciples to put their nets down again. Or when the prophet told the leper to dip in the muddy Jordan seven times.....

"Go again seven times."
-- 1 Kings 18:43


Spurgeon was good today and it encouraged my heart for my prayers and promises unfulfilled from the Lord.

Success is certain when the Lord has promised it. Although you may have
pleaded month after month without evidence of answer, it is not
possible that the Lord should be deaf when his people are earnest in a
matter which concerns his glory. The prophet on the top of Carmel
continued to wrestle with God, and never for a moment gave way to a
fear that he should be non-suited in Jehovah's courts. Six times the
servant returned, but on each occasion no word was spoken but "Go
again." We must not dream of unbelief, but hold to our faith even to
seventy times seven. Faith sends expectant hope to look from Carmel's
brow, and if nothing is beheld, she sends again and again. So far from
being crushed by repeated disappointment, faith is animated to plead
more fervently with her God. She is humbled, but not abashed: her
groans are deeper, and her sighings more vehement, but she never
relaxes her hold or stays her hand. It would be more agreeable to flesh
and blood to have a speedy answer, but believing souls have learned to
be submissive, and to find it good to wait for as well as upon the
Lord. Delayed answers often set the heart searching itself, and so lead
to contrition and spiritual reformation: deadly blows are thus struck
at our corruption, and the chambers of imagery are cleansed. The great
danger is lest men should faint, and miss the blessing. Reader, do not
fall into that sin, but continue in prayer and watching. At last the
little cloud was seen, the sure forerunner of torrents of rain, and
even so with you, the token for good shall surely be given, and you
shall rise as a prevailing prince to enjoy the mercy you have sought.
Elijah was a man of like passions with us: his power with God did not
lie in his own merits. If his believing prayer availed so much, why not
yours? Plead the precious blood with unceasing importunity, and it
shall be with you according to your desire.


sort of interesting that I wrote last night about the Lord saying "follow me" and today I read it in My Utmost for His Highest!


"Sell whatsoever thou hast . ." I must reduce myself until I am a
mere conscious man, I must fundamentally renounce possessions of all
kinds, not to save by soul (only one thing saves a man - absolute
reliance upon Jesus Christ) - but in order to follow Jesus. "Come,
and follow Me." And the road is the way He went.

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Good thoughts today....
gotta go fast and get to the conservatory early today for makeup lessons too
going to meet mom to buy a bed tonight...I hate spending that kind of money!?!
My back's been hurting though for a while and I figure it's this old bed of mine!
really hot out this morning and not feeling up to going out of doors...so humid
I'll be so happy when the smell of fall comes
going to meet wi†h Diane tonight...she's volunteered to help me with the secret sisters ministry amongst the ladies of the group.
I'm excited about this...ladies love this sort of thing and it is a real personal ministry to each other..especially prayer and supporting each other spiritually

Today's spiritual tidbits from my readings and devotions....

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the
wellspring of life.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your
requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends
all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.


Today's Reading from the New International Version taken
from Colossians 3:2; Proverbs 4:23; and Philippians
4:6,7.

Kind of anxious.....watching sort of a falling away of the ladies group as we get deeper into the things of the Lord. It's amazing to watch folks actually get offended when you talk about real Christianity and the Word of God!?! I just keep thinking about the milk and the meat and even shared with Rachel tonight...and then got online to read devos tonight and read this which confirms!

Warning against Turning Away
11 Much more could be said about this subject. But it is hard to
explain, and all of you are slow to understand. 12 By now you should
have been teachers, but once again you need to be taught the simplest
things about what God has said. You need milk instead of solid food.
13 People who live on milk are like babies who don’t really know what
is right. 14 Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to
know right from wrong. Hebrews 4.14-5.14

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
-- Psalm 23:6


Lord Jesus! please bathe my heart in your goodness and reach
through me and my influence to extend your love to others.
Teach my heart to find its hope in you.

Interesting thought!
Many people don't realize the costs of being a
spiritual leader. The higher we are in
leadership, the greater our discipline. If Moses
had been an ordinary citizen of Israel, God might
not have stopped him from going into the Promised
Land. But Moses was a leader. When leaders sin,
they pay dearly for it. Let's not cause anyone
else to sin today. Be an encouragement to the
people of God.

I've used this illustration many times....I'm not sure where it came from exactly; but being artistic I identify with it intensely; and it seems like I've always just known it inside as one of the those spiritual analogies that sticks with you throughout your walk with God. And those who are not artistic can relate too, because we all remember those dot-to-dot drawings we've done in the past. There are many black dots and black spots in our lives, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them to come. But if we let The Lord's perspective of reality come into our lives through the renewing of our minds by spending time in His Word, then He will enable us to see the picture that is forming as we look back over those dots. I guarantee you that the picture is beautiful because the artist is a master at giving us "Beauty for ashes, joy for sorrow and a light heart of praise for heaviness." Why? "So that we will become great oaks of righteousness ...the planting of the Lord Jehovah; SO THAT HE MIGHT BE GLORIFIED." (Isaiah 61) This tells me that God is even more protective of His reputation than I am ...so then why do I try to help Him out? Or why do I worry and fret over the black dots? Drab, dark, unappealing, somber, depressing......black was never a favorite color of mine, but whenever I wear it, I'm told it's definitely an awesome color on me bringing out my fair complexion and blond hair. So you'll guess right....my wardrobe has quite a lot of black in it as a result. In the same way the Lord's not only got a beautiful picture in mind, but His own GLORY to bring about through the contrasts in our lives! Proverbs 31 one tells us of a woman, "who lamp doesn't go out at night." In other words, in the dark times of her life, her spirit does not succumb to the darkness around her, but her soul sparkles and shines and gives illumination to others despite the dark night of the soul. I love the song, HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW. So many times in my life I've felt like this little sparrow and I wished we sang it in our modern lives to remind of a fundamental truth of why darkness and shadows come into our lives! Listen with your heart to the words of this song:


Why should I feel discouraged?
(1) Why should I feel discouraged?
Why should the shadows come?
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for heaven and home,

CHORUS: I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He cares for me.
(2) When Jesus is my portion?
My constant Friend is He;
His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me,
(3) His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me


There is yet ANOTHER analogy of the black dots in our lives......as a musician I love this one! It connects to my heart because of the many millions of these I've looked at over my lifetime of being a violinist! There is a story that goes.....

We once saw a man draw some black dots. We looked and could make nothing of them but an irregular assemblage of black dots. Then he drew a few lines, put in a few rests, then a clef at the
beginning, and we saw these black dots were musical notes. On sounding them we were singing,

"Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise Him all creatures here below."
-C.H.P.

As a music teacher, one of the first lessons my students learn is that the black dots are the "heads" of the music note being the most important part telling us what to sing or play and the lines are just the stems. The most important parts are the darkest black spots. You know the only way that a page of these dots can become music is to let the Composer take it and adjust the dots in the proper way, drawing the lines He wants to separate this from that, and put in the rests at the proper places. Then out of the black dots and spots in our lives He will make a glorious harmony. The rearranging of the dark spots in our lives can be uncomfortable sometimes, so my dearest friend.....let's not hinder Him in this glorious endeavors of artistic and music mastery in our lives.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You
anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
-- Psalm 23:5

what an awesome thought that has carried me through many a difficult season of my life!?!

While the enemy of the righteous may flourish for a season, God
will lavish his love and show his favor on the righteous. As the
apostle Paul reminded his dear friends in Philippi, their prayers
and the work of the Holy Spirit guaranteed his deliverance: he
would either be delivered from prison and death to serve them, or
he would be delivered from prison through death to go be with the
Father (Phil. 3:19-23). Either way, God's righteous will get a
banquet, a place of honor, and a royal welcome that will vindicate
their faithfulness before those who oppose them.


WOW! What a promise....O dearest Jesus make me righteous before you. Teach me how and the way you want me to walk. I don't want to lose out on your goodness....please grant my heart's desires!!! Lord you know the deisre of my heart!?!

What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous
desire will be granted.
-- Proverbs 10:24 (Sept 24)

This was good too!

Sometimes an unanswered prayer is the best thing
for us. The psalmist says, "And He gave them
their request, but sent leanness into their soul"
(v. 15). The Israelites had prayed selfishly. God
was feeding them with manna from heaven, angel's
food, but they wanted meat. All they had to do
every morning was step out of their tents, stoop
down and pick up the precious, clean, sweet,
life-giving manna. But after a while their old
appetites came back. They said, "Oh, if somebody
would give us some meat to eat." So God sent them
meat, but while they were eating it, many of them
died (Num. 11:31-33).

We can learn from this experience. First, selfish
prayers are dangerous. How dangerous it is to
say, "Oh, God, I simply have to have this." Such
prayers are never beneficial. "You ask and do not
receive, because you ask amiss, that you may
spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:3).

Second, prayer must change our character. The
Israelites got their request, but it didn't help
their character. In fact, they were in worse
shape spiritually after they got what they
wanted. The prodigal son said, "Father, give me."
He got what he asked for, and it almost ruined
him. Then he came home and said, "Father, make
me"--and his character changed. He began to be a
real son (Luke 15:19). Selfish praying erodes our
character, but praying in the will of God builds
our character.

Third, we must always pray for God's will. The
purpose of prayer, it has well been said, is not
to get man's will done in heaven but to get God's
will done on earth. Never be afraid to say, "Thy
will be done."

The hand of our God is
upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his
wrath is against all them that forsake him."
-- Ezra 8:22

sort of wondering the feelings of my heart....new to me!
"I sleep, but my heart waketh."
-- Song of Solomon 5:2

Paradoxes abound in Christian experience, and here is one-the spouse
was asleep, and yet she was awake....Even wise virgins sometimes slumber, but it is high time for all to shake off the bands of sloth. It is to be feared that
many believers lose their strength as Samson lost his locks, while
sleeping on the lap of carnal security......O that we may leave for ever the
couch of fleshly ease, and go forth with flaming torches to meet the
coming Bridegroom! My heart waketh. This is a happy sign......CHS



12 My friends, watch out! Don’t let evil thoughts or doubts make any
of you turn from the living God. 13 You must encourage one another
each day.


16 Who were those people that heard God’s voice and rebelled? Weren’t
they the same ones that came out of Egypt with Moses? 17 Who were the
people that made God angry for forty years? Weren’t they the ones
that sinned and died in the desert? 18 And who did God say would
never enter his place of rest? Weren’t they the ones that disobeyed
him? 19 We see that those people did not enter the place of rest
because they did not have faith.

Heb 3


Revival: It Requires Obedience

But why do you call Me "Lord, Lord," and not do the things which I
say?
--Luke 6:46

How cool is this....I used Livejournal over the past few years...so here I am girls! I love blogging and do so almost daily on Xanga. I'm excited about Girlfriends and am looking forward to the Journey to the Heart of God together!!! Psalms 55:14 TLB describes it best...."beautiful fellowship and wonderful discussions as we walk together." Well, I'm off to celebrating my sister's big 30 bday tonight at Zaes downtown (awesome place by the way) and then home to watch Sahara and eat hot Krispy Kreme donuts!?! Why is it that the intake of calories is so easy and fun? grrrrrrrrr

Okay my funeral.....I've actually given this thought before so my answers come easier than if I was thinking about it for the first time.

I want lots of MUSIC!
Chris Rice's: Smile (Just to be with you)
How far are you, how close am I I know your words are true and I don't feel them inside Still I believe you'll never leave So where are you now You're all I have, You're all I know Your breath is breathing in my soul Still I am gasping, aching, asking Where are you now Cause I just wanna be with You I just want this waiting to be over I just want to be with You And it helps to know the Day is getting closer Every minute takes an hour Every inch feels like a mile Til I won't have to imagine And I finally get to see You smile My journey's here, but my heart is There So I dream and wait, and keep the faith, while You prepare Our destiny, til You come back for me Oh, please make it soon! Cause I just wanna be with You I just want this waiting to be over I just want to be with You And it helps to know the Day is getting closer Every minute takes an hour Every inch feels like a mile Til I won't have to imagine And I finally get to see You smile I just wanna be with You I just want this waiting to be over I just want to be with You And it helps to know the Day is getting closer I just wanna be with You I just want this waiting to be over I just want to be with You And it helps to know the Day is getting closer Every minute takes an hour Every inch feel like a mile Til I won't have to imagine And I finally get to see You Every minute takes an hour Every inch feel like a mile Til I won't have to imagine And I finally get to see You smile


Salvador Song Title: Heaven Save me from this prison Lord help me get away ‘Cause only You can save me now From this misery Now I’ve been lost in my own place And I’m getting weary How far is heaven And I know I need to change My ways of livin’ How far is heaven, Lord can you tell me I’ve been locked up way too long In this crazy world, how far is heaven Now I just keep on prayin’ Lord Just keep on livin’, how far is heaven Lord can You tell me, how far is heaven (You that’s in a higher place send me down a blessing) ‘Cause I know there’s a better place Than this place I’m livin’, how far is heaven And I just got to have some faith And just keep on giving, how far is heaven I just wanna know how far

Maybe bagpipes too!?! lol

What I want them to say....
My parents.....how I honored and obeyed them (God promises a good long life!)
My sisters....how I took the time to be best friends with them first
My students.....how I was more than a music teacher but also a spiritual mentor
My church....how I lived what I believed
My girlfriends.....that I reflected the real beauty and love of Jesus
My bestfriend....that I loved Jesus more than anyone else he knew in this life

Changes I need to make in my life now....
not running on my emotional energy and falling apart when stress hits me hard
taking captive every thought ...all the fears and wishes and hope and dreams
focussing on inner beauty more than thinking of outward "adornment" (I'm a clothes horse!?!)
memorizing the Word more....not just reading and meditating but "hiding it inside"
controlling and disciplining my sarcasm with my family members and closest friends
not saying whatever pops into my blonde brain!?!
getting more rest and recuperation times
getting up earlier before the day begins so I can get a full hour of devo before my day starts
spending less money on "things" and more on people (eternal investments)
not worrying about relationships and the future
resting in the faith that God will do ALL that He has promised me and that He doesnt' need my help
Being a Martha less and a Mary more....not encumbered with serving but rejoicing in rest
saying NO to the good in order to make more time for the BEST things God has for me to do
not being a people pleaser in doing everything I'm asked ministry-wise
loving the "sheep" God has placed in my life and not looking for greener "ministry pastures"

Party for MB tonight....it was great!
I chose a hippie theme and it was such fun and reminded us of life in Tennessee in the 70's growing up! LOL Well, here are todays gleanings from the word and reading.....really tired tonight. There are still girls here talking and it's 2am!

"I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things
which thou knowest not."
-- Jeremiah 33:3

There are different translations of these words. One version renders
it, "I will shew thee great and fortified things." Another, "Great and
reserved things."

"His left hand is under my
head, and his right hand doth embrace me."

The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked
paths will be found out.
-- Proverbs 10:9


When thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

John 1:48

Worship
aright in your private relationships, then when God sets you free you
will be ready, because in the unseen life which no one saw but God
you have become perfectly fit, and when the strain comes you can be
relied upon by God.

We imagine we would be all right if a big crisis arose; but the big
crisis will only reveal the stuff we are made of, it will not put
anything into us. "If God gives the call, of course I will rise to
the occasion." You will not unless you have risen to the occasion in
the workshop, unless you have been the real thing before God there.
If you are not doing the thing that lies nearest, because God has
engineered it; when the crisis comes instead of being revealed as
fit, you will be revealed as unfit. Crises always reveal character.



=================================

Often we forget what God has
done for us. Charles Spurgeon said, "We write our
blessings in the sand, and we engrave our
complaints in the marble." Memory becomes
impressed with burdens. The word remember is used
14 times in Deuteronomy, and 9 of those warn of
forgetting.


hmmmmm....

"And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he
would: and they came unto him."
-- Mark 3:13


Spurgeon was soooo good!

Here was sovereignty. Impatient spirits may fret and fume, because they
are not called to the highest places in the ministry; but reader be it
thine to rejoice that Jesus calleth whom he wills. If he shall leave me
to be a doorkeeper in his house, I will cheerfully bless him for his
grace in permitting me to do anything in his service.


Eph 6
18 Never stop praying, especially for others. Always pray by the
power of the Spirit. Stay alert and keep praying for God’s people. 1





For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows
favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from
those whose walk is blameless.

"I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will
bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from
all the nations and places where I have banished you,"
declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place
from which I carried you into exile."
Psalm 84:11; and Jeremiah 29:14.

THinking about transferring to xanga...sorry ya'll!?!? We'll try it for a little while and see if it's cool. =) I like trying new things...bigger and better!?!? I'm filled with a strange sense of excitement at what the Lord is doing in me this year...check it out at http://www.xanga.com/item.aspx?tab=weblogs&user=dixiefiddler&uid=195347805

My Utmost spoke to "where I was" today!


Take no thought for your life. Matthew 6:25

"Take no thought for your life." "Be careful about one thing only,"
says our Lord - "your relationship to Me." Common sense shouts loud
and says - "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, I
must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must
not. Beware of allowing the thought that this statement is made by
One Who does not understand our particular circumstances. Jesus
Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must
not think about these things so as to make them the one concern of
our life. Whenever there is competition, be sure that you put your
relationship to God first.

"Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." How much evil has
begun to threaten you to-day? What kind of mean little imps have been
looking in and saying - Now what are you going to do next month -
this summer? "Be anxious for nothing," Jesus says. Look again and
think. Keep your mind on the "much more" of your heavenly Father.
-MUFHH


For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be
our guide even to the end. Psalm 48:14

The Lord has been ministering to me each day verses from Psalm 1!?! How beautiful it is! I want my mind and my heart more in tune with you, your Word, your will, and your way.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he
meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2


O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your
name...You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for
the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and
a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is
like a storm driving against a wall...In that day they
will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him,
and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." Isaiah 25:1a,4,9.


"After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great
reward." (Genesis 15:1)


"God's children see the most of Hell on this
earth with their reward in Heaven; the unchosen see the most glimpse
of Heaven on this earth, and that's it."

If I had to choose (and I do - we all do), I choose to see the most of
hell on this earth, knowing that heaven is far more perfect and
wonderful and long-lasting than the small bit of "heaven" that this
earthly life may have to offer. I realize that in so doing I am far
better off than the person who is indulging in sinful pleasures right
now, but then will have absolutely no pleasure for all eternity.
It can be used in reference to a child refusing to
accept one piece of candy that can be eaten now, in deference to
waiting for two pieces of candy that he can have if he waits another
hour. It's a principle that is applied to investing: we can either
spend a certain amount of money now, or invest it so we have more to
spend in the future.

"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the
son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." (Hebrews
11:25-27)

"Behold the fowls of the air" - their main aim is to obey the
principle of life that is in them and God looks after them. Jesus
says that if you are rightly related to Him and obey His Spirit that
is in you, God will look after your 'feathers.' "Consider the lilies of
the field" - they grow where they are put. Many of us refuse to grow
where we are put, consequently we take root nowhere. -Oswald Chambers

The Elijah Complex

Read Psalm 12:1-8

Whenever you get the idea that you are the only
one left who is godly, beware. That's how David
was praying in Psalm 12. He said, "The godly man
ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the

sons of men" (v. 1). I call this the Elijah
complex. You will remember that Elijah had this
problem (I Kings 19). He left his place of
ministry, went out into the wilderness and sat
down, pouting. God asked, "What are you doing
here?" Elijah replied, "I'm the only godly one
left, and they are trying to kill me." God said,
"I have 7000 people waiting in line. I can pick
any one of them to get My work done."

When you begin to think you're the only godly
person, it quickly leads to pride. In this
passage David refers to the sin of flattery (v.
2). Our world is filled with flattery. Sometimes
it's called advertising or promotion, but it's
still flattery. God doesn't flatter people. He
tells the truth. Flattery is manipulation, not
communication. It comes from a double heart, from
mixed motives. David said, "Unite my heart to
fear Your name" (Ps. 86:11). Don't fall for
flattery or flatter yourself into thinking you
are the only godly one left.

Verse 6 tells us where to turn: "The words of the
Lord are pure." Listening to your own words may
lead to discouragement or pride. And the words of
others may be flattery, lying or vanity. So
listen to the Word of God and test everything you
hear by it.

The godly person has not completely vanished from
the earth. We'd be surprised to find where God
has His people, waiting to accomplish His will.
Others are waiting to stand with you and
help you. Lay hold of God's Word. It has been
tested and proved. You can trust it.

The remedy for discouragement is the Word of God.
When you feed your heart and mind with its truth,
you regain your perspective and find renewed
strength. Feeling discouraged? Encourage yourself
with the Word of God. ~Warren Weirsbe

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of
mockers.
-- Psalm 1:1

Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will
take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And
earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my
heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and
my portion forever. But as for me, it is good to be
near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I
will tell of all your deeds. Psalm 73:23-26,28.

But when it pleased God...- Galatians 1:15

Keep your life so constant in its contact with God that His
surprising power may break out on the right hand and on the left.
Always be in a state of expectancy, and see that you leave room for
God to come in as He likes.

Thanks Lord for the reminder....

       "Martha was cumbered about much serving." 
              -- Luke 10:40

Her fault was not that she served: the condition of a servant well
becomes every Christian. "I serve," should be the motto of all the
princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she
had "much serving." We cannot do too much. Let us do all that we
possibly can; let head, and heart, and hands, be engaged in the
Master's service. It was no fault of hers that she was busy preparing a
feast for the Master. Happy Martha, to have an opportunity of
entertaining so blessed a guest; and happy, too, to have the spirit to
throw her whole soul so heartily into the engagement. Her fault was
that she grew "cumbered with much serving," so that she forgot him, and
only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion,
and so presented one duty stained with the blood of another. We ought
to be Martha and Mary in one: we should do much service, and have much
communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier
to serve than to commune. Joshua never grew weary in fighting with the
Amalekites; but Moses, on the top of the mountain in prayer, needed two
helpers to sustain his hands. The more spiritual the exercise, the
sooner we tire in it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to rear: the
most heavenly graces are the most difficult to cultivate. Beloved,
while we do not neglect external things, which are good enough in
themselves, we ought also to see to it that we enjoy living, personal
fellowship with Jesus. See to it that sitting at the Saviour's feet is
not neglected, even though it be under the specious pretext of doing
him service. The first thing for our soul's health, the first thing for
his glory, and the first thing for our own usefulness, is to keep
ourselves in perpetual communion with the Lord Jesus, and to see that
the vital spirituality of our religion is maintained over and above
everything else in the world. Charles Spurgeon

Matt 17
19 Later the disciples went to Jesus in private and asked him, "Why
couldn't we force out the demon?" 20-21 Jesus replied: It is because
you don't have enough faith! But I can promise you this. If you had
faith no larger than a mustard seed, you could tell this mountain to
move from here to there. And it would. Everything would be possible
for you.
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with
all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to
heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your
holy Servant Jesus. 
--Acts 4:29-30

"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler." 
-- Psalms 91:3

I feel the freedom again in my heart and soul....it is amazing how "our way"
entangles and ensnares us and then we feel like we have to remain there
in order to pay the consequences. But like Much Afraid in Hinds Feet on High
Places....all I have to do is cry "JESUS" and He's there to rescue me. What
an amazing love...it reminds me of the hymn "And Can it Be?" I love the chorus
"Amazing Love ...how can it be? That you my God would die for me?"

Spurgeon said this morning.....
"He shall deliver thee from the snare." How? Trouble is often the means
whereby God delivers us. God knows that our backsliding will soon end
in our destruction, and he in mercy sends the rod. We say, "Lord, why
is this?" not knowing that our trouble has been the means of delivering
us from far greater evil. Many have been thus saved from ruin by their
sorrows and their crosses; these have frightened the birds from the
net. At other times, God keeps his people from the snare of the fowler
by giving them great spiritual strength, so that when they are tempted
to do evil they say, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin
against God?" But what a blessed thing it is that if the believer
shall, in an evil hour, come into the net, yet God will bring him out
of it!..... Then listen to the promise-"Surely he shall
deliver thee out of the snare of the fowler." Thou shalt yet be brought
out of all evil into which thou hast fallen, and though thou shalt
never cease to repent of thy ways, yet he that hath loved thee will not
cast thee away; he will receive thee, and give thee joy and gladness,
that the bones which he has broken may rejoice.

But the person of faith who can go alone into the wilderness and get
on his or her knees and command heaven--God is in that. The preacher
who will dare to stand and let his preaching cost him something--God
is in that. The Christian who is willing to put herself in a place
where she must get the answer from God and God alone--the Lord is in
that!  Faith Beyond Reason, 33-34. ~AW Tozer

"Lord, forgive me for so often trying to box up my plans and organize
Your work so it can all be controlled and explained. Take over, Lord,
and do Your thing, not mine, today. You are marvelous and magnificent
beyond my description and understanding. Thank you for sustaining me
and those I love. Accomplish your purposes in due time. Help me to fully
commit myself to you and place my confidence in Him (Ps. 37:5).

My Utmost ministered deeply to my heart today.....

I have appeared unto thee for this purpose.

     Acts 26:16
     http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=ac+26:16&sr=1

The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was no passing emotion,
but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him, and
he says, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." Our Lord
said, in effect, to Paul - Your whole life is to be overmastered by
Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose but Mine. "I have
chosen him."

When we are born again we all have visions, if we are spiritual at
all, of what Jesus wants us to he, and the great thing is to learn
not to be disobedient to the vision, not to say that it cannot be
attained. It is not sufficient to know that God has redeemed the
world, and to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did
effectual in me; I must have the basis of a personal relationship to
Him. Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim, he was
brought into a vivid, personal, overmastering relationship to Jesus
Christ. Verse 16 is immensely commanding - "to make thee a minister
and a witness." There is nothing there apart from the personal
relationship. Paul was devoted to a Person not to a cause. He was
absolutely Jesus Christ's, he saw nothing else, he lived for nothing
else. "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus
Christ, and Him crucified."

This is so amzing really b/c I had talked on Thursday night with Chris about Elijah and how much I loved his life and learned so much from him. I hadn't read this until Sunday...and it was exactly what I refered to in regards to my work and the Lord "drying up the brook" that had previously fed me. Lord you are SOOOOO WONDERFUL! Help me Love you with my life!


Dependence on God

Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever
state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how
to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be
full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
--Philippians 4:11-12

We can learn important lessons by considering God's disciplines in
dealing with Elijah. As Elijah fled to the wilderness following his
first confrontation with King Ahab, God said to him, "Elijah, go to
the brook Cherith, and I will feed you there." God sent big, black
buzzards--ravens, scavenger birds--each morning and evening with
Elijah's meals. What humiliation! All his life Elijah had been
self-sufficient. Now he waited on scavenger birds to deliver him
his daily bread....

Elijah was like so many faithful preachers of the Word who are too
true and too uncompromising for their congregations.

"We don't have to take that," the people protest. And they stop
contributing to the church. More than one pastor knows the meaning
of economic strangulation. Preach the truth, and the brook dries
up! But the Lord knows how to deal with each of us in our
humiliations. He takes us from truth to truth. Men Who Met God,
96.

"Lord, I commit myself anew today to never compromise the truth,
even if it costs me my job. Amen."

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"Get up and don't be afraid!" Matt 17:7

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more
gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

-- 2 Corinthians 12:9

Let's be careful today about
examining and determining the ministry-worth of someone based on
his or her resume. Instead, let's look for people in whom God's
grace has triumphed. -heartlight

Dearest Jesus! thank you for sustaining and
enabling me to serve you in ways I would never have dreamed of
doing. Please help me serve you faithfully as I depend upon your
grace. In Jesus' name

Read Psalm 10:1-13

"Why?" is the easiest question to ask but the
hardest to answer. David asks why three times in
this psalm.

Rest in the promises
of the Word of God.


The outstanding characteristic of a Christian is this unveiled
frankness before God so that the life becomes a mirror for other
lives. By being filled with the Spirit we are transformed, and by
beholding we become mirrors.

You always know when a man has been
beholding the glory of the Lord, you feel in your inner spirit that
he is the mirror of the Lord's own character.

Beware of anything
which would sully that mirror in you; it is nearly always a good
thing, the good that is not the best.

-MUFHH

"I have exalted one chosen out of the people."
-- Psalms 89:19

I received this yesterday but didn't read it until today....I remember my days of climbing and hiking in Tennessee..the ravines and mountainside of SIgnal and Lookout mountains. Studying Hinds Feet on High Places has also driven home the importance of not stopping but pressing onward to the top...the High Places in Jesus! Lord forgive me if and when I have stopped and pitched my tent in the pleasures of Egypt...or the City of Vanity Fair (like Christian in Pilgrims Progress). Help me Lord


Life: It May Not Be Convenient

But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I
have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
--1 Corinthians 9:27

What must our Lord think of us if His work and His witness depend
upon the convenience of His people? The truth is that every advance
that we make for God and for His cause must be made at our
inconvenience. If it does not inconvenience us at all, there is no
cross in it! If we have been able to reduce spirituality to a
smooth pattern and it costs us nothing--no disturbance, no bother
and no element of sacrifice in it--we are not getting anywhere with
God. We have stopped and pitched our unworthy tent halfway between
the swamp and the peak.

We are mediocre Christians!

Was there ever a cross that was convenient? Was there ever a
convenient way to die? I have never heard of any, and judgment is
not going to be a matter of convenience, either! Yet we look around
for convenience, thinking we can reach the mountain peak
conveniently and without trouble or danger to ourselves.

Actually, mountain climbers are always in peril and they are always
advancing at their inconvenience. I Talk Back to the Devil, 48.

"Lord, I don't know what You have in store for me today, in Your
sovereign plan for my life. Help me to serve You faithfully, with
full discipline, whether it's convenient or not. Amen."

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If we take the scepter out of God's hand, we make
a mess of things. God runs this universe, and He
has ordained us to be under His authority. -Tozer

I rejoice that I'm just a frail person. I need
God. I can come to Him and say, "O Lord, give me
the strength I need to glorify Your name today."

Guard jealously your relationship to God. Jesus prayed "that they may
be one, even as we are one" - nothing between. Keep all the life
perennially open to Jesus Christ, don't pretend with Him. Are you
drawing your life from any other source than God Himself? If you are
depending upon anything but Him, you will never know when He is gone. -Oswald Chambers

"Abel was a keeper of sheep."
-- Genesis 4:2

As we see Abel, a shepherd and yet a
priest, offering a sacrifice of sweet smell unto God -CHS

"Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou
me in thy way."
-- Psalms 119:37



And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way
of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will
be for those who walk in that Way...But only the redeemed
will walk there...
Isaiah 35:8a,9b

That's a good lesson for us to learn. Don't base
your judgments only on your feelings. Build your
life on faith. Faith says, "I'm going to trust
God no matter what I see, no matter what I think
and no matter how I feel." Faith does not mean we
are ignorant. It means we are walking in the will
of God because we know the Word of God.

after a great victory Samson was wiped out.....how true it is in my life and ministry!?! Just like Elijah after mount carmel he wanted God to strike him dead!

"He was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, thou
hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy
servant: and now shall I die for thirst?"
-- Judges 15:18

Matt 13 A Hidden Treasure
44 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds
treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. A person like that is
happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.

New and Old Treasures
51 Jesus asked his disciples if they understood all these things.
They said, "Yes, we do." 52 So he told them, "Every student of the
Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like
someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom."


In His Time

Read Psalm 9:13-16

Have you ever looked at a beautiful rose and
watched it slowly blossom day after day? Have you
ever tried to help it open? If you try, you might
kill it. God makes everything beautiful in His
time. He causes everything to straighten out and
line up according to His schedule. If you have a
problem in your life with a person or a
circumstance, rely on God to resolve it.
"....

____________________________________________________________

Whenever God gives a vision to a saint, He puts him, as it were, in
the shadow of His hand, and the saint's duty is to be still and
listen. There is a darkness which comes from excess of light, and
then is the time to listen. Genesis 16 is an illustration of
listening to good advice when it is dark instead of waiting for God
to send the light. When God gives a vision and darkness follows,
wait. God will make you in accordance with the vision He has given if
you will wait His time. Never try and help God fulfil His word.
Abraham went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years
all self-sufficiency was destroyed; there was no possibility left of
relying on common-sense ways. Those years of silence were a time of
discipline, not of displeasure. Never pump up joy and confidence, but
stay upon God (cf. Isaiah 1:10,11).

Have I any confidence in the flesh? Or have I got beyond all
confidence in myself and in men and women of God; in books and
prayers and ecstasies; and is my confidence placed now in God
Himself, not in His blessings? "I am the Almighty God" - El-Shaddai,
the All-Powerful God. The one thing for which we are all being
disciplined is to know that God is real. As soon as God becomes real,
other people become shadows. Nothing that other saints do or say can
ever perturb the one who is built on God. MUFHH