Dear Family of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
We love and treasure you all!
Dear friend Karen Rowe of Hope In Today fills in for me today, we are so thankful! We always get excellent feedback whenever Karen fills in! Thank you Sister Karen! You surely will be blessed by Karen’s CUP! …………
Choosing Blessings –By Karen Rowe, January 8, 2014
What if someone told you that you could choose blessings?
What if someone told you that you could choose curses?
To some, this may sound crazy; or out of reach? Yet, the Bible tells us so! We can choose blessings and curses –Just as we have been given a choice between life and death.
God has given choices when we had none –by HIS grace! Jesus bought our souls and we have a choice to give ours to HIM.
I could give you example, after example, after example, but think about this:
God always knows the OUTCOME!
What are the “mountains” that you need God to move out of your life? In my experience, God will ask you FIRST to go THRU it WITH HIM.
In other words, I’ve learned that God isn’t teaching us to pray for our situation to change; God is pleading to us the vital IMPORTANCE of TRUSTING HIM in every situation to MOVE that mountain by our Faith –KNOWING that God won’t leave us there; and HIS plans are NOT to harm us!
If you are down on your “luck” does that mean that you are bad person, cursed and have no hope? The answer is NO –WHY? Because the Bible tells us “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you (1 Peter 4:12).”
Those are not just mere meaningless words to me –Those are God’s words to ME and also to you –if you will also believe and walk by faith; and not by sight!
In every situation, we have challenges that will test our character for us to see what God is revealing to us about what we need to change in our self / not the world … Many times we will fumble around that mountain –not wanting to admit that we need to change –too busied up seeing what others are doing wrong to see that God is giving us an opportunity to grow in the LORD.
Use these times to learn at the hand of God! Unless you are Jesus reading this, you do have some things in your mind and heart that need aligning with God’s Will –according to HIS perspective; and according to your purpose.
So here is where we can choose the curses: If we refuse to ADMIT to our self and to God, who already knows that we need to repent and turn our eyes and ears to the LORD and change, then which path are we choosing: blessings or curses?
We are either staying the same, OR, learning, walking and changing –according to the purpose that God has called us in!
It is our attitude / mind / behavior that we change. We are already wonderfully made by God who gave us a free mind to choose –and we change our behavior by changing our mind!
As John the Baptist said in Mark Chapter 1, we have to desire change to repent and we have to be truly sorry to change … Jesus did it all, but we can refuse the gifts of God!
Behavior begins with our mind, our thoughts and the things that we put in our mind and our thoughts! Look for God’s perspective in all things – God’s approval.
Leaving “old habits” is leaving a comfort zone; and walking toward change is bitter sweet –YET, somewhere along that path, there is something we have never seen before –God knows is waiting for us to find!
Do you trust HIM?
Our attitude may need some divine adjusting –mine sure does time to time, but always know that you wonderfully made by God! How can I say that? Because the Bible says so …
Psalm 139:14 New International Version (NIV)
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
But do you know you are wonderfully made by God to be you –and do you know HE is pleased with who you are made to be?
Do you know that you are also fearfully made –you are not given a spirit of fear, but rather you are divinely fearfully made!
Being fearfully made is a praise to God in itself! By God’s very making, we have been knitted together to be true to God!
The choice comes in right here!
Think of your mountain …
Are you murmuring & complaining and dancing in fear all around it?
OR, do you have your boots strapped on “15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”
Do you trust God? Do you trust that HE will NEVER leave or forsake you –or leave you where you are alone –a place that HE would not go with you?
There are times that we are faced with situations that push us to that line of choice –Please don’t give up too soon and take the temporary fix –that looks/seems to be kind of the same! What if Jesus took that way out –He was tempted heavily 3 times in a row to trade His life with God in. Jesus knew better and thank God so do we!
Just in case you needed reminding, I am here to remind someone that God has not gone anywhere / NOR has HE changed HIS mind –God still loves you! You still have a choice to choose Blessings!
God does move mountains that for no man alone would be possible!!!
But through it all –are you hanging tight with Jesus respecting, honoring & unconditionally praising God? It may not be easy, but you are fearfully made to be!
I refrain from using the word “luck” which doesn’t give the glory to God –nor does “bad luck” convict a heart to choose blessings.
Why would anyone want to choose a curse? Yet, at times, we all do –but why?
Choosing Blessings | Avoiding the Curses –are both set before us! Choosing blessings begins with reading God’s Word, which is written to you!
If you spend just a few minutes a day just praying, reading God’s Word & listening for God’s Wisdom / Perspective, you will find that God will give you all you need for the entire day –and MORE; you will be amazed at all God prepares you for!
If we don’t look too far in the future worrying, we can accomplish our good purpose for Today!
Nothing is about money … how about we start there? Everyone is all worked up about changes that DO affect us –ONE and ALL, but remember who our Almighty Provider IS!
Temptations to avoid hassle; or fear of [what “could be”] are lurking around every corner.
Paying Taxes –Choose Blessings & be honest.
Applying for insurance –Choose Blessings & be honest.
Applying for a job –Choose Blessings & be honest.
These are samples of ways that we ask God to go before us! Be honest.
God will pave the way!
Running late –Choose Blessings; trust God Don’t run ahead of God –or lag behind!
God stills | Satan rushes! God leads | Satan pushes!
IF you are already late, then you are where you are in your Today, so take time and pray; as you move –and see what God can do! Listen to HIM –you will be directed in your blessings of your Today that God has made for you!
Just this week, Rob and I can both testify!
God is Great and God is Good – That is the given! What matters to God is how much of our trusting heart we will dedicate to HIM?
Every day has a new opportunity –and with that opportunity there comes a new challenge to align our life UP with God’s perspective … nailing those challenges to the cross and building our character UP in Christ –by our most holy faith and by praying in the Holy Spirit! See Jude 1:20
God talks about pure and holy … There is no justification!
It comes down to trusting God when it hurts –Knowing God will see you through!
How long was Jesus on that Cross? To Jesus, every breath of a second was felt, but He endured to the very end; and then it was finished! The Cross didn’t last forever –BUT HIS accomplishment did! The crosses in your life –that you are called to carry are also temporary also; and they won’t last forever either!
One of the most gracious verses in the Bible is when our Jesus who endured the cross for us encourages us in the Truth for each and every day –do not let your hearts be troubled, do not be afraid –Cast your cares on to Me, Jesus; “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (John 14:1, Jeremiah 1:8 & Matthew 11:30).”
I hope this is encouragement to you. We all face similar trials, just in different packages, But God’s Word is Universal –All we have to do is read and apply!
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).”
Deuteronomy11: …13 So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— 14 then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. 15 I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.
16 Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. 17 Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you. 18 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 20 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.
22 If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him— 23 then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you. 24 Every place where you set your foot will be yours: …
I hope this was a blessing to you! Thank you for your time in reading this! This is for God’s glory that I show how much I care for you –my reflection of Jesus; I hope HIS reflection was shown through! What do you see in your reflection –If you love Jesus, then His reflection can be through you too. To God be the glory!
Love in Christ,
Karen Rowe
Hope in Today Ministries, Inc.
Thank you so much Karen for this wonderful blessing! For more news and inspiration please go to www.fggam.org ;
For God’s Glory Alone in the Love of our Lord Jesus Christ, Dewey, Sharon, Paul, Jo and families, we thank Karen Rowe! We are certainly blessed by her.
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Thank you,Dewey Moede
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