Psalm 98 - "Word of Life"

The Lord took me to Psalm 98 this morning. It is about singing a 'new song' to Him. I pondered upon what that means. What does singing a 'new song' to Him look like? Perhaps it means changing something in our lives such as how we spend time with Him, where we worship Him, how we praise Him, etc. Perhaps He is trying to open our eyes, ears and heart  to go into a different relationship with Him. Last year He gave me the words 'different, new' to apply to my life with Him. There were definitely 'different, new' things that happened throughout the year. I met new people. I found new ways to live in His presence. I found 'different, new' ways to worship Him. Change is not always a 'bad' thing. For many people change hurts or causes great anguish. The change from Ohio to South has hurt many times yet it also has been rewarding. This year's ministry retreat is definitely different from last. Over the course of the last year I have been blessed to making new friends. Therefore, I feel like I am starting to belong. It still is weird at times being in a group and not having the closeness that is seen all around the room. It is those times that I think 'now I know there is someone else in this room feeling left out' and look around to seek them out. Last night the Lord blessed me with many asking how my classes were going, how my health was doing, about the church progress, etc. That interaction is what makes me feel like I am where I am suppose to be. That is what it takes to makes one feel like they belong. Sometimes it takes singing a 'new song' to get into the center of His will. Sometimes it takes leaving family and friends and a comfortable place to find a 'new song' to sing. Sometimes it even takes moving over seven hundred miles to find the 'new song' the Lord has ready for you to sing. I look forward to growing deeper in my relationship with Him. I know He will continue to give me freshness in my spiritual being. Woo hoo! Praise His Holy Name! The desire of my heart is to be the desire of His heart. It is there that newness will be found. 

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for these words this morning that remind me of the way You give me a 'new song' to apply to my walk with You. Thank You for my friends here in South Carolina. Thank You for wrapping Your arms around me and allowing me to feel loved even when in times I don't feel like I belong somewhere. Thank You for giving me words of praise for You even in difficult times. Thank You for all of the ways You bless me. Father, today is a new day. I don't know what all You have in store for me but I know we are going to do great things together. May You cleanse me and then fill me to overflowing so I can be a beacon of light wherever You send me. Thank You for being The One to Bless Me. Amen.

Matthew 4:6 - "Hills and Valleys"

It does not surprise me that the Lord gave me the words to "Hills and Valleys" throughout the night and again this morning. Yesterday morning I had a mountain top experience with Him. He moved mountains as we traveled through heavy rain in the afternoon. Last night I went into a valley as I dealt with a situation. I refuse to give the enemy any foothold in the valley situation so I am not speaking of it, just praying for my God to be greater than it. I am praising God for my mountaintop experience. It was surreal. I tried to articulate it to Doc and struggled. I have never had such an experience. I was working on a paper for school on who Jesus is. There came a point where I stopped reading because I felt like I was on the edge of a revelation. I had a vision of God and there was a thought...yet not a complete thought flicker through my mind and then it was gone. I tried to get it back but it didn't happen. As I reflect back on it, I wonder if it happened on my day of fasting for a reason. That is definitely something to ask God. When I described it to Doc, he said, 'God was preparing me for something'. He said 'it was because of my hunger for more'. It was one of the most awesome moments in my relationship with the Lord. I can't wait for the day when He gives it to me in its fullness. These words to "Hills and Valleys" were very applicable to yesterday...

On the mountains, I will bow my life
to the one who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain aft, didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley end, no am not alone!
You're God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
and I am not alone!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the "Hills and Valleys" of yesterday. Thank You for the protection on the roads. Thank You for the way You wake me in the middle of the night to pray for people. I continue to pray for the unbeliever who was given a 'bad' diagnosis yesterday; my friends in therapy for hip and knee surgery; my sister who is in such pain and was given a February 1 surgery date; the 'valley' situation of yesterday; the events of this weekend. Father, cleanse me of anything not of You so people will see/hear You instead of me. I pray for boldness in my words today in a way that will be different, new. Lord, go before me and guide me to where You so desire. Thank You Father for being God of My Hills and My Valleys! Amen.

Psalm 50:1 - "Moment Made for Worshiping"

The Lord took me to Psalm 50 this morning as I prayed for people to have their hearts and eyes opened up to having a full relationship with Him. That includes those who already have accepted Him into their heart along with those who never have. It also includes those who say they are in full relationship yet their words and actions show otherwise. This Psalm is full of instruction. The first six verses are about the second coming of Christ and the day of judgement. All will be accountable for their actions on that day. Verses seven through fifteen are full of 'good stuff' on how we are to live. It is not enough to just 'do' for the Lord. One must be in prayer seeking His will and walking in obedience. When one lives in such a manner, they are blessed in abundance with His love, mercy and grace. Verses sixteen through twenty-three is written specifically to those not living such a life. When I first read verse sixteen, I thought it was written to the unbeliever. But then I realized there are believers who are living hypocritical lives. They go to church on Sunday but then forget God the rest of the week. Or they are faithful in church attendance, reading their Bible, etc. yet they refuse to walk in obedience. They live in a 'self world' instead of a 'God world' which is sad. Matthew Henry writes of such people:

"Hypocrisy is wickedness, which God will judge. And it is too common, for those who declare the Lord's statutes to others, to live in disobedience to them themselves. This delusion arises from the abuse of God's long-suffering, and a wilful mistake of his character and the intention of his gospel. The sins of sinners will be fully proved on them in the judgment of the great day. The day is coming when God will set their sins in order, sins of childhood and youth, of riper age and old age, to their everlasting shame and terror. Let those hitherto forgetful of God, given up to wickedness, or in any way negligent of salvation, consider their urgent danger. The patience of the Lord is very great. It is the more wonderful, because sinners make such ill use of it; but if they turn not, they shall be made to see their error when it is too late. Those that forget God, forget themselves; and it will never be right with them till they consider. Man's chief end is to glorify God: whoso offers praise, glorifies him, and his spiritual sacrifices shall be accepted. We must praise God, sacrifice praise, put it into the hands of the Priest, our Lord Jesus, who is also the altar: we must be fervent in spirit, praising the Lord. Let us thankfully accept God's mercy, and endeavour to glorify him in word and deed."

This morning I am praying for open ears, eyes, and hearts for all to walk in obedience to His will. Is it possible for that to happen? Yes! Anything is possible through the Lord!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your love, mercy, and grace! Thank You for accepting my faults, cleansing me of anything between the two of us, and filling me with Your Holy Spirit so I can walk in full relationship with You. Oh how I pray for more people to find such a relationship. Lord, today is a crazy day but I don't want to miss anything You have for me. I pray for a clear focus so I don't miss any opportunities You put before me. Thank You Jesus for being My Everything. Amen.

Matthew 17:20 - "Witness"

The Lord woke me up this morning with the words to "Witness" going through my head. I was amazed at the energy it gave me as I was singing it. These 6am days have been tough and I must say I am glad this is Doc's last early day to go into work.

Your love is like a fountain 
It'll never run dry...It'll never run dry 
Your love is moving mountains 
Everyday of my life...Everyday of my life 
Can I get a witness 

Yes! We need to proclaim His love every day. Yesterday was a tough morning yet He knew what I needed. I had problems with the IRS website; found out an insurance company I thought we had cancelled six months ago was not cancelled; and received an email from Doc's new insurance company that they cancelled the order for his medication because the doctor's office had not responded with additional information even though when I checked with the doctor's office on Monday they said they had. I decided I needed to go into the doctor's office instead of calling so I go dressed and went. I sat in the parking lot and prayed. I cried out, "Lord go before me because I need this resolved. My brain is on overload and it isn't even 10 o'clock. I need You in a mighty way as I go with this issue and also with this bill we weren't expecting." Within ten to fifteen minutes after walking in I walked out with the medication issue resolved as far as I could get it resolved AND the $181 bill cleared off the account. I was praising Jesus with tears! The rest of the day went by so much easier because of my attitude. When asked how my day was by different store clerks, I praised the Lord for the day. I gave a witness. He showed His love to me and He moved mountains. His love also showed through last night as we had nineteen children/teens and five adults for activities or as the kids say 'church'! What a blessing! I'm not sure how we are going to expand this house much more but I know He already has it in the plan. Perhaps the weather is going to break so we can be back outside...now there's a nice thought! I was thinking last night if we had another six foot table that would add six additional seats. It was funny last night as something was said about houses and I said ours was small and Gavin piped up "oh no Miss Sheila, look at this room!" I laughed and told him the only reason why the room looked big was because I moved all the furniture up against the way to make room for the tables to eat at. He just smiled. Tuesday night children and teens encourage my heart so much. God knows I need them. I told Doc this morning I thought it was cool how God provided more plastic plates for Rhonda to buy a couple weeks ago because He knew we would need them. He continues to bless us over and over again. I continue to stand in faith in believing He will see great things from bringing us here to Beaufort. They may not be revealed as soon as we would like but they will be revealed in His time. We just have to keep believing and standing firm in our faith. He told the disciples they couldn't heal a little boy because of their lack of faith in Matthew 17. I don't want to not see miracles happen because of a lack of faith. My desire is to live out His will and the only way to do that is to stand deep in my faith. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for all of the blessings You give us every day. Thank You for the mountains You moved yesterday. Father, my mind is going a hundred miles an hour this morning. I need You to center my focus on You so I don't miss any opportunity You put before me today. I ask for a cleansing in my spirit of anything that would keep me from You. I pray for You to fill me to overflowing so people will see/hear You instead of me. Be my words, actions and attitude completely today. I pray for Miss Katelyn as she gets her braces on today and I pray for Mr Thomas with the anger he is feeling. Thank You Jesus for being My Mountain Mover. Amen.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - ''Nothing Left To Lose"

These words were going through my mind yesterday and then again this morning. I tried to figure out the song but just couldn't get it. I finally found it this morning.

Come on and we'll sing...like we were free...
Push the pedal down watch the world around fly by us ...
And here we go there's nothing left to choose
And here we go there's nothing left to lose

Mat Kearney wrote about this song: 

"When I wrote that song it was about the unknown, and this road I've set my sights on and have no idea where it's going. If anything that's become more true every day. So in some ways it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy."

The 'unknown' can be a scary place, especially for someone who wants to be in control of every aspect of their life. It also can be an exciting place if one knows the Lord is in control. He takes us places we would never imagine going. Some of those places are 'hard' but it is in those places our faith is stretched and we go deeper in our relationship with Him. When we have no idea how things are going to work out, He does. There are no surprises to Him. Dealing with some issues that make the future look bleak can be very hard but we must never quit trusting Him. I think of the hymn that goes...

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

We cannot allow circumstances or people to take away our hope in Christ. Instead we need to "Push the pedal down" full speed ahead in His will. It may not make sense and it may not be an easy road to take but when we live in His will we will find His peace. We also will find freedom from worry. We will no longer need to figure things out but instead pray and listen for His direction. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for these encouraging words to "Push the pedal down" on this road You have us on. Thank You for the hope You give when we trust You. Father, not our way but Yours. That is what we want. I pray for a cleansing in my spirit of anything that may be between You and I. I pray for forgiveness for times I've tried to figure things out instead of waiting on You. Lord, these are some tough days for not only us but for many others. I am praying for my sister Linda and Wanda as they await hip surgeries; Mike as he recuperates from knee replacement and I am praising You for the improvement in the Taylor children. Lord, I also am praying for lives to be changed through the Children/Teen activities tonight. Use us as beacons of light in their world. I also pray for more of You to overflow from us as we love on people with Your love. Thank You Jesus for being The One I Trust. Amen.

Ephesians 6:10-17 - "Our God"

There are times where one knows God is stretching them through trials and then there are times they know it is the enemy giving opposition to what they are doing. Yesterday was definitely a day the enemy was working. But I have found the way to combat the enemy is by proclaiming praises to the Lord. As I speak the truth about how great my God is the enemy gets madder. Usually he will strike back harder until he finally gives up for awhile. When one praises the Lord, the enemy gets mad because he desires them to fall to his antics. He desires to crush and sometimes wins for a short time. When he wins, it takes him off his guard and quiets him. But the Lord does not want to see the enemy win. At any point in time He could stop the enemy from bothering people. But He doesn't because He knows opposition grows people. He knows people's faith will grow stronger as they put on His armor and stand up against the enemy. Yesterday as I felt attacked by the enemy I prayed over and over again for the Lord to knock Him down through our words and actions. When I stood up to give announcements and lead worship, the Spirit overtook me and I soon realized I was 'preaching' and that was not my 'job' for the day. I apologized but then took it back because I was not sorry for speaking what the Spirit gave me. I believe and proclaimed, "My God is greater!" over and over again. The things the enemy put in our path yesterday were minimal compared to what the Lord gave us. That is how it is every day. 'My God is greater' than the 'junk' of this world. Woo hoo! Are the issues gone from our life? No but God is in control. God knows the future. We just have to be walking in obedience so His will shows through in our lives. When that happens, He will be glorified! Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus, 
Thank You for strengthening my faith in the process of the devil's schemes yesterday. Thank You for encouraging me to pray repeatedly for Doc as one thing after another flew his way. Thank You for the words given to me by the Spirit that encouraged all of us to realize You are greater than the enemy. Father, we need You in a mighty way as it seems we are seeing the enemy win in some situations in the church. We, as a corporate body, need to put on the full armor You give us and fight this battle with Your strength. I pray for more people to wake this morning, ask for forgiveness of anything between You and them, and then walk in obedience to Your will throughout this day. That is exactly what I pray for myself. Cleanse me. Fill me. Be glorified through my words, actions and attitude throughout this day. I also thank You for the 'angel from Virginia' who was visiting. Her words of encouragement after the service were such a blessing. Thank You for being My Full Armor. Amen.

James 4:7-10 - "Great Are You Lord"

What an encouraging way to wake up...having the song "Great Are You Lord" going through your mind!

You give life, You are love
You bring light to the darkness
You give hope, You restore
Every heart that is broken
Great are You, Lord


Yes! My Lord gives me life! He lavishes me with His love! He is the Light in the midst of darkness! The hope He gives me in times of travel can be overwhelming at times. He has restored me from a life of death. He is indescribable over and over again. I cannot imagine life without Him. I do not know how people survive this fallen world without Him as their Anchor. If I even try to begin my day without spending one-on-one time with Him first, life is not right. Praying and knowing He is listening is a gift He gives me every day. Speaking and then hearing Him speak back to me is another gift He gives me. I remember days in the past where I felt so alone and like everything was going wrong. I do not miss those days at all. Things still do not go as I think they should or desire at times yet the peace He gives me in the understanding that everything happens in His way and in His time is priceless. Frustration still comes into play if I allow human emotions to kick in over spiritual readiness. For times like that, I am thankful My Creator understands and forgives. The trust I have in Him becomes greater every day. I know He is always with me and always ready to guide me down the road He desires of me. Last night before going to sleep I prayed for ...

• believers to have such a relationship with Him. I prayed people who have been slack in their relationship with Him to realize the importance of being in corporate worship today. I prayed for those who have been upset with the pastor, worship leader/music, others in a church, etc. to realize church is not about them but they need to put their focus on God. He will direct them to His ways when they allow it.
• pastors to preach boldly from the pulpit so people will hear what the Lord has laid on their hearts.
• the children's pastor who is resigning this morning.
• the children's pastor who is to start her first Sunday today yet has the flu.
• the pastor preaching on sin in the church. I pray people will have their eyes opened to what it means to repent, forgive, and move on so this church can heal.
• people who are contemplating going back to church today to get up and go. I also prayed for people there to give a loving welcome to them.
• people who are allowing human emotions to make decisions about their relationship with God instead of walking in obedience.
• protection over pastors from the words, actions, and attitudes of those in their flock.
• open ears to the Holy Spirit and closed ears to the enemy by all.
• the pastor who is questioning their call to where they are today. I prayed for God to encourage them to realize He is with them.
• the pastor who has had multiple funerals over the last few months and feeling weary. I prayed for a filling in their spirit.
• the church body whose pastor left unexpectedly for a period of rest and renewal. I prayed for this pastor to get what they need so they could come back with a renewed spirit. I prayed against gossip in that body as the pastor is away.

So many prayers for so many people. I continue to be amazed at how my prayers seem to have increased for believers. The enemy is out to destroy pastors, their families, and their churches. All must remember God is greater than the enemy. He did not bring anyone to the place they are today to fail. He created everyone with a purpose and when that purpose is lived out He will be glorified. Giving up is not an option. Digging deeper into faith and trust is the only option for Him to be glorified.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the privilege to pray for believers. Thank You for loving me so greatly that You never give up on me nor do You leave me. Father, I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. I pray the same for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray for churches to be filled with people who are hungry for more of You. I pray for pastors to be encouraged not discouraged. Lord, You are the Only One to know individual needs. I pray You will meet each person exactly where they need met today. Thank You Jesus for being My Anchor of Hope. Amen.