A Lamp Unto My Feet~

Greetings in the name of our Mighty Lord,

My son, Hormone, has a way of making me feel slightly disorganized because every once in a while he will make certain comments like, "Yah yah...I know you have a picture of me as a kid with my best friend dressed in camouflage at his spend the night party when we were 10, but I haven't seen that picture in 15 years..."

Hormone can shut it because I recently started organizing all the pictures I took before the digital age! Not only did I find that precious picture and text it to him IMMEDIATELY, but I also came across the first picture I ever took of me and my family's feet -- just our feet.  Miss Rayray was two months old, and Hormone was three.  Who doesn't love little baby stinky feet?  And the very first thing I thought of when I saw this pic was not that I should have found the time for a pedicure even if was the frazzled mother of two, but rather a verse in the Bible that has proven true in the 25+ years since that picture was taken.

Psalm 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path."

God's Word shines brightly into our lives when we let it.  When we open its pages and avail ourselves of all it has to offer, we will head in the right direction.  When we pray it over our children they will get back on the right track. When we guard it in our hearts it helps us make wise decisions.  Reading it will lift our spirits and nourish our souls. 

When I opened the dark dank closet where all my pictures were stored in boxes, I dared not do so without a flashlight.  Last time I did that a nice dead humongous three-inch Godzilla lizard was waiting for me in the shadows.  LESSON LEARNED.  

Likewise, we all need a good light to see where to direct our feet.   

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for Your Word that guides us, teaches us, keeps us on blessed paths, and revitalizes us when we are weary.  Give us a hunger and thirst for Your Word so that we will always travel a well-lit path. In Jesus' name, AMEN

Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet...

Hormone all the way on the right...

Mighty Man of God~

Tuesday greetings,

On February 10th Ingrid Williams, 44 year-old wife of Monty Williams, who is the associate head coach of the Oklahoma Thunder basketball team, died after a car crash the previous day.  She left behind five children and an adoring husband who is also a MIGHTY MAN of God. His seven and a half minute eulogy will profoundly bless your life.  Take the time to listen to it today by clicking on the link below, and then thank God for the glorious future that awaits us all.

Blessings to you and yours,

http://youtu.be/SXIz14VuQik

God's Telephone Number

Howdylujah!

When I was a little whippersnapper living in Georgia, a white school bus with green lettering that said, “Forest Hills Baptist Church” picked me up every weekend to take me to Sunday School.  Those were carefree, joyous times, and I fondly recall several important lessons I learned about God.  One lesson always stands out in my 40 years later; it's called, “God’s telephone number.”

“Children, God has a telephone number, and you can call Him right up.  His line is never ever busy, and you can use it anytime anywhere.  It's found in Jeremiah 33:3. You don’t have to even dial.  Just call on Him out loud!”

Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.”

That verse has always appealed to me because it's mind blowing to think that the Maker of heaven and earth is willing to share marvelous and wondrous info that we would otherwise never be able to figure out.

This verse doesn’t say He will tell us everything, but we can have faith that if we need to know it, then He will tell us. He will speak into our lives,our messes, and our problems.  

All we have to do is CALL!

PRAYER: I call upon You today, and the first things I say is, thank You, Lord, that I am your beloved child, and You are my Dad.  Nothing and no one can stop, delay, or alter Your plan for my life and the lives of those I love. I have purpose, and I have promise.  I am important, and I am loved.  I am more than a conqueror through Christ, and I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me.  I am beautiful – inside and out – and no weapon formed against me will prosper.  I am shrouded in peace and joy, and no harm can come near my dwelling.  You have given me the authority to command any mountain in my life to go jump in the lake.  Because You are for me, nothing can come against me.  You are also above me, beneath me, beside me, and around me.  I am completely and totally covered by Your goodness, and I am happy! Tell me marvelous things today that will bless me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

No Shilly-Shallying

Mark 11:22 "Embrace this God-life. Really embrace it, and nothing will be too much for you. This mountain, for instance: Just say, 'Go jump in the lake' - no shuffling or shilly-shallying - and it's as good as done." (The Message Version)

“This mountain...”

What, dear one, is blocking your path to joy and peace? What larger-than-life situation has you freaking out.  It could be a mountain of bills, a mountain of sadness, a mountain of medical issues, loneliness, fear, rebellious children, a heartless husband…

Jesus never said mountains don’t exist, but He did say that when we embrace God and the way He wants us to live, we can speak to that mountain, and it will move.  This brings up an interesting point.  I was talking to a friend yesterday about this very same verse and she said, “Yenise, the mountains have ears.”

That’s a great way of saying the mountains are equipped to hear whatever we tell them, so let's talk to them the way Christ invites us to.  It's not, “Please move.” Or, “I know you are big, but I need you to move aside now, please.”  Nope! He wants us to be confident, firm and to the point.  Authoritative.  Resolute. No shilly-shallying, which means no hesitation and no stalling.  

PRAYER: Dear Lord, No shilly-shallying from me today.  In the name of Jesus I speak to this particular situation (Fill in the blank:_______________): GO JUMP IN THE LAKE! Thank You that “It’s as good as done!” Amen.

Love is a Verb~

Three days to go and then it's Valentine's Day.  Some of you think that V-day is just another excuse for commercialism,  but I say that anytime someone makes an effort to SHOW their love for someone else is a good time -- even if it's scheduled!

Why all the bold, italicized, underlined emphasis on the word show above? Because love is a verb; it always does something. For God so loved the world that He GAVE us His only son Jesus...

I must tell Jorge a couple dozen times a day, “I love you.” But once in a while I better cook his favorite dinner, I better control my temper, I better put down the book I have been dying to read to binge watch Downton Abbey, I better cheer him up when he’s had a rough day at work and keep my critical comments to myself etc…In  other words, I better prove it.  How else would Jorge know he is the love of my life?  

Likewise, how else would we have known that God loves us if He had not sent Christ?  How would the father of the sick child felt if Christ had walked by and ignored his desperate pleas for healing? How would have the disciples felt if Christ would have ignored their cries for help when their boat was in the middle of a storm?  What if Jesus had never fed the hungry crowds and left them to fend for themselves? What if He hadn't put a stop to the self-righteous, sinful crowd who wanted to stone that woman who was no more guilty then they? 

Christ came, healed, saved, fed, and intervened because love gives, love acts, and love never looks the other way, I love it!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for loving us.  Thank You that Jesus is a Savior of action.  Every day we need Him to powerfully invade our lives and help us. In His name we pray, AMEN~

God's Idea~

Greetings,

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and already the street vendors are out in full force hoping to sell roses, stuffed animals, and heart-shaped balloons.  Plus, go into any grocery store and the first item you'll run into is chocolate of some sort.  Of course, all this is fine and dandy, and Jorge and I are planning on joining the thousands of others who go out to eat and catch a movie.  We'll make sure and hold hands the entire time too!  And it's all because we are celebrating love.

Love, in case you didn't know, was God’s idea, and it’s the best one He ever had.  

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

It is because of Love that we have the promise of a perfectly perfect eternal life!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for loving us so passionately and so fiercely that You sent Christ to secure eternal life for us.  We accept His gift.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

An Adrenaline Shot!

As humans we face struggles, and they can be small or big.  The point is they are real, and they cause upheaval in our lives.  It is not very practical to disengage from life, retreat to a room, cover our head with a lavender-scented pillow, snuggle under a blanket, and wait until the glory either.  So how we to cope?         

The Bible provides an excellent answer:

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was headed  -  that exhilarating finish in and with God  -  He could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now He’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"  Hebrews 12:23

We keep our eyes on Him by studying how He lived, and the most important aspect of His life was prayer.  He prayed when He was alone, when He was with others, before He ate, before healing others, at His own baptism, in the morning, before walking on the water, and at the Lord’s supper.  He prayed over the little children, in the Garden before the betrayal, and once pulled an all -nighter before choosing the 12 disciples.  While being nailed onto the cross He prayed, while suffering on the cross He prayed, and in His dying breath He prayed, “Father, into Your hands I entrust my spirit.”  In fact, He is still praying – right now – for you and for me.  Romans 8:34 “Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.”

In other words, it’s always a good time to pray – to have a little conversation with our Lord.  This is one surefire way to “shoot adrenaline into our souls!” 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We are excited to pray today.  By following Christ’s example, we are strengthening our faith.  We could all use a shot of adrenaline!  Help us plow through.  In His blessed and risen name we pray, AMEN~

Saddling Up~

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." Proverbs 21:31

Tuesday greetings, brothers and sisters ,

We were made to contribute.  We were created to put forth an effort. Way back at the beginning of time God had Adam hard at work naming all the animals He created. (See Genesis 2:20.)  God could have just as easily done this Himself, but He decided that our lives would be more meaningful if we had something to do.  This makes sense to me.  I can not imagine lying around all day and doing nothing because I enjoy feeling productive – I like knowing that what I have done has made a difference.

And yet I have met all sorts of folks who are all about placing too much responsibility on God and not nearly enough on themselves.    

“I don’t wear a seat belt because God will protect me.”

“I don’t need health insurance because God is my doctor.”

“I know God has a soul mate for me, and He will send the right one my way.”

God does heal, protect, and provide, but let's embrace our role: A human contribution must also take place.  Adam named the animals, Noah built the ark, Moses lifted the staff to part the Red Sea, David yanked back on that slingshot and let the stones fly straight into Goliath’s forehead, Hannah had to make love to her husband to get pregnant with the child God promised, and Christ Himself became human to save our souls.

Even so, after all the preparing, planning, battles, and prayer, the victory is still God’s domain.  This is why Proverbs 21:31 is the theme verse for www.speedypalomino.com.   It is a constant reminder that I have a job to do and so does God.  I am responsible for saddling up my horse, and He is responsible for bringing the win.

Amazing things happen when we partner our measly selves to God.  Giants tumble and children of promise are born.   Obstacles that block our path move out of the way and entire families are saved!

What victory does God have for us today?  Better yet, what do we need to be preparing, planning, and praying over so God can bring the victory?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We want to be ready, and the first step in any good battle plan is to pray.  Give us the wisdom to saddle up our “horses” to be effective in battle.  And thank You that victory is in Your hands!  In Jesus’ name, AMEN~