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Tuesday, March 25, 2025

We Are Protected

From "A Potpourri of Likes" Facebook page.

“You, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high.” 
Psalm 3:3

I like the following words Carolyn Larsen wrote in her book, "Courage and Hope for Every Day." The devotion is titled: Firewall of Hope.

Websites are protected by firewalls. A firewall is sort of like a shield. It determines who can and can’t get through to the website based on predetermined security rules. Protection is important.

“It’s nice to know you have protection when you need it – and you do have it! If you’ve asked Jesus to be your Savior, His Holy Spirit has come into your heart, and he is with you constantly. He never leaves you. The Holy Spirit protects your heart, which is the core of your being. The condition of your heart affects your thoughts and actions. So the Bible tells you to guard your heart because it’s so important to your mental and spiritual well-being. The Holy Spirit is a holy firewall around your heart.

“More than that, God is the shield around you. He watches out for you. He protects you more times each day than you can probably even imagine. Nothing happens to you without God’s knowledge. He is your shield against the world and against Satan’s efforts to harm you or pull you away from God. Depend on God. Talk to Him. Tell Him what you need and go forward with courage knowing that He is protecting you!”

We tend to forget that God has a shield around us to protect us. He is always with us and has the ability to keep danger from us. 

In Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible he says: "The Lord is a shield unto all his people. They are kept by His power, and encompassed about with His favor, as with a shield; His veracity and His faithfulness in His promises, and His truth, are their shield and bucker."

It is a great hope to know God is our shield and protector. A firewall of hope. I think that sounds miraculous! 

By His Grace . . .




Tuesday, March 18, 2025

Down Deep

 

I love this card! I've purchased it a few times to send to encourage hearts. Dayspring sells it. The words are so true:

  "Deep inside us, God has placed a spirit that refuses to be broken -- and we call this HOPE."

Hope is one of my favorite topics of conversation and thought. It's the very thing to hold us all together as we weave our way through life. It's one of God's greatest gifts!

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."
Hebrews 6:19

This verse says it is firm and secure. and indeed, it is. So firm and secure that nothing you do can take it out of you. God has placed it inside of each of us who are in God's family and will never take it away. 

God's HOPE is miraculous. "He who breathes into our hearts the heavenly HOPE, will not deceive or fail us when we press forward to its realization." Selected, Streams in the Desert, Volume 1, March 26

HOPE to a believer brings complete calm to any and all situations. We know in our hearts that God is able to do all things, so we don't have a need to be unsure or afraid. If our heart is true to God, the calm in our heart is sufficient to make us strong and know God is with us.

Jesus is the foundation of HOPE. Live for Him. Serve Him. Witness for Him. He strengthens you and gives you peace when your HOPE is firmly placed in Him.

"HOPE, the balm and lifeblood of the soul."
John Armstrong
1709-1779



By His Grace . . .






Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Just A Few Weeks

Poetry Lovers FB Page, Angie Weiland Cresaby

"Honestly, some days you just need a few weeks to yourself."
Jonathan Edward Durham

I laughed when I read this quote on "The Mind of an Introvert" Facebook page. Being an extreme introvert, I agreed completely. Weeks!

We've heard and read similar remarks saying, "a few hours," "a few days"; not a few weeks. It did my mind good. I could stay locked up in my house for weeks and feel invigorated, satisfied and happy.

Whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, we all have those times when we just need to step back and recharge. If we don't, we know we'll fall.

That's why it is so important to give yourself space. Go away for a day or two. Turn off the phone and computer. Plan on doing nothing but recharging mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

During my working years every once in a while, I'd go away for a night or two with a friend. In my later years I went away a few times by myself. Thankfully I have a husband who accepted my need to get away.

I drove to Vermont, a state I'd always wanted to visit, and drove around taking pictures for three days. I stayed in "The Inn on Covered Bridge Green," home of Norman Rockwell for 12 years.


This is the scene right below the house. Loved going through the little red 
covered bridge each day.

A few months after my cancer treatments I drove to West Virginia, a state I love to visit, and enjoyed driving around the mountains taking pictures. I visited a longtime friend while there and will forever be grateful for the time we had together.

Came around a bend in the road and found this lovely homestead nestled
in the mountains.

Twice I drove down to Maryland to visit longtime friends after our move to Pennsylvania. I flew out to visit my sister in Oklahoma and another longtime friend in Colorado and took the trolley up to Pike's Peak. Brrrrrrr


Take a day or two, or a week, or a few weeks if you're able to, and recharge your very being. You'll be refreshed and settled from what you experience. "Honestly, some days you just need a few weeks to yourself."


By His Grace . . . 


Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Roots

"Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
Psalm 119:105

Stephen Darbishire, Louises Favourite Pictures Facebook page

Elizabeth Elliott wrote these words that her father said to her: "A Christian who is saturated with the Word is likely to have a calm, wholesome outlook on life; to be kept steady in the path of God's will in either joy or sorrow, wealth or poverty; he is likely to be a pleasant companion, not voluble in aimless talk and he will not be overly disturbed by world conditions."

The Scripture verse chosen for this devotion is the one above. Do you believe this? 

It makes all the difference in the world whether you believe this. Your life depends on what you believe, and whatever it is, it will guide you step by step. 

Scripturesavvy.com: "This scripture highlights the importance of God's Word in guiding our lives. When we think about a lamp, we see that it illuminates the way ahead, enabling us to see clearly and make choices. Similarly, God's Word provides wisdom and direction in the various circumstances we face. Just as a lamp brightens a dark path, God's teachings help us navigate our lives, shining light on our decisions and actions. This gives us a sense of comfort and assurance that we are not alone in our journey. By relying on His word, we find clarity, reassurance, and guidance."

A deep, steadfast confidence in God and His Word will sustain you through all things. I'm reminded of Jeremiah 17:7-8:

"Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. 
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. 
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries 
in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

Roots. Roots in God's Word. No matter how long my trials continue, because my roots are in God and His Word, I will always be able to carry on and not give in. Quite an assurance of God's faithfulness!

Because of what you believe you have a great opportunity to spread God's faithfulness. You have a light inside of you that doesn't dim, but shines during all circumstances of your life. You can reach others just because of this light that keeps you going.

I'm so thankful for a faith that is steadfast and true and has roots firmly planted in God's Word. 

A favorite tree I passed each day on my way to work and back. 
Full and beautiful with strong roots.

By His Grace . . .




Mysteries of Majesty

  “ As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Mak...