Psalm 91:14-16 - "Eye Of The Storm"

I woke up this morning feeling grateful for the knowledge the Lord is in control of everything going on. I love the words of Psalm 91 but especially verses fourteen through sixteen. I know when I call on Him, He will answer. I think of the words I read from Ben the other day...."Trusting God does not guarantee desired outcome. I endeavor to trust in the Lord always--not in hopes of getting "my way" but to lean on Him when I don't. Easy to say. Challenging to live out." We must trust Him, even through the unknown of Hurricane Matthew. We must trust Him, as He continues to take care of us. We must trust Him, whether we get back to our home in a few days or a few weeks. Plain and simple...we must trust Him. This morning I am grateful for...

• friends who are praying
• friends who have provided
• food we brought with us so we do not have to go out
• cell phone service to stay in touch with family and friends
• provision of another hotel available when our reservation here is over
• a bountiful breakfast even though it was only advertised as "free continental breakfast"
• people who have encouraged me through God's word
• personnel here at this hotel who are so pleasant even in times of stress..Al and the ladies at the front desk are awesome
• the ability to continue with my school work 
• opportunities to bless people with a smile and words of encouragement

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for yesterday! Thank You for today! Thank You for tomorrow! You are so awesome in the way You bless us. Father, "You alone are my Anchor, when my sail is torn...Your love surrounds me...in the eye of the storm!" Yes! Lord, use me today to encourage people. This morning as Mordecei and I walked there were some crabby people out with their dogs. I pray they will be encouraged by You through me today. Use me in this place to make a difference. Fill me to overflowing with more of You so people will see and hear You through me. Thank You Father for being My Anchor! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7 - "Eye of the Storm"

I say II Timothy 1:7...I mean II Timothy 1:7...but I believe I am realizing this verse in a whole new way with Hurricane Matthew. As I watch the weather on TV, read the updates on my phone, etc. realization that our life in South Carolina is being turned upside down is becoming quite apparent. The time of waiting on the storm to make it's way to our area are ones that produce fear. I am sure after it hits there will be time before we can get back to see if we even have a home and that time will produce fear. I must live out this verse. I must not allow fear to encompass me. I am so grateful people are praying because I am to the point where I do not know what to pray. I think of physical things such as picture albums that are in our home but those are all just things. The Lord has protected us and given us this place to stay at this point and for that I am grateful. I pray our neighbor who was going to "stick it out" left and is safe. I do pray protection over not only our home but the homes of others. I pray for police, fire/EMT, emergency personnel, etc. to be safe. I pray for wisdom for those in the track of the storm. I pray for the lady in Florida who chose to not evacuate until the roads were already closed and she was unable to leave. So many prayers...

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for this place You have given us to stay in. Thank You for the way You will provide to pay for it. Thank You for safety of many who left Lady's Island yesterday. Thank You for the way You will enable me to live out II Timothy 1:7. Father, I pray You will give me peace instead of tears. Thank You for being My Empowerment! Amen.

Hebrews 6:19-20 - "Eye of the Storm"

As I was praying this morning "Lord keep our house safe..." I asked myself if that was a selfish prayer or not. I did not want to leave it yet I knew we had to go when the governor said all within 100 miles of the coast must evacuate. It is amazing how quickly you get settled into a new place and feel like it is home. Before we left I checked on neighbors, gave hugs to Grammy and to our newest neighbor Tiffany. What a blessing to receive a text from her thanking us for welcoming them and how it has made the move more bearable. I also was blessed when she sent me "Eye of the Storm"...

In the eye of the storm, You remain in control
In the middle of the war, You guard my soul
You alone are the anchor, when my sails are torn
Your love surrounds me in the eye of the storm

Right now there are many 'storms' going on in my life but I know He is My Anchor! I know "My only hope is to trust You, I trust You, Lord." Yes! That is the only way to live life...trusting Him. Trusting Him for physical storms...trusting Him for emotional storms...plain and simple...trusting Him. He is in control of all. His will "on earth as it is in heaven" will be realized. As I look out into the parking lot there are many South Carolina license plates so I know we are not alone in this place. Perhaps the Lord has brought us here to minister to those displaced as we are. Or perhaps there is someone in this place who needs Jesus in a way we can provide. I am not sure what the plan is but I know I am ready to see His will realized! Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for our safe travels! Thank You for this place we have to stay in! Thank You for the phone call from Nazarene Bible College checking on us! Thank You for the prayers that are being sent up on our behalf. Lord, I pray for those in harm's way from Hurricane Matthew. I pray for divine protection over them. Lord, I am not trying to be selfish but would You please protect our home? I also ask that You use us in this place You have settled us into for the next few days. Open doors for us to be You to those we meet. Thank You Jesus for being My Anchor. Amen.

II Peter 2; Exodus 14:14 - "God Shaped Hole"

My mind is going all over the place this morning. The night was spent waking up many times and praying for different ones going through tough times. I prayed for:

• the two pastors waiting for God to reveal the next step for them
• the lady finally getting her cast off today
• the lady having an appointment tomorrow to get test results
• two ladies awaiting hip surgery
• the lady having a biopsy today
• the husband/father seeking employment
• the young father seeking God's will for his family
• two wives dealing with blatant sin in their husbands
• the father and family who are separated due to his job
• the father separated from his children due to divorce

I kept having a reoccurring dream about a big ole lion walking around in our home. It was so strange because as long as we didn't do anything he didn't like he was OK but if we moved in a way he didn't like or said something he didn't like he would growl and let his displeasure be known. As I thought of the dream, I wondered if it had meaning to me. This morning when I opened up II Peter 2 I realized there is meaning behind it. At first I thought it represented the enemy as I Peter 5:8 says that "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." But then the Lord revealed to me that the lion represented Him. If it would have been the enemy in my dream, people would have been destroyed. Instead the lion would just let His displeasure be known but not hurt. In my dream when the lion would go toward Ben (as a child), I would tell him to 'stand still.' In Exodus 14:14 we are reminded to 'be still' and allow the Lord to fight against the enemy. In II Peter 2 Peter is talking about false teachers we sometimes deal with while on this earth. Part of verse nine reads, "... if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials..." Yes! He has the power to do anything in His will. Therefore, when we are going through trials He has the power to stop them. Sometimes His will is to take them through us to grow our faith. He will never, never, never allow the enemy to win as long as we are living in His will. Ben said something yesterday that was really strong. "Trusting God does not guarantee desired outcome. I endeavor to trust in the Lord always--not in hopes of getting "my way" but to lean on Him when I don't. Easy to say. Challenging to live out." We must trust Him no matter what our circumstances. As Ben said, this is easier said than done. Praise God for His peace as we allow Him to work in and through us.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for all the ways You reveal Yourself to me. Thank You for the opportunities to pray for many during the night. Thank You for the revelation from the night. Lord, I pray for stillness in myself and others as we go through trials. I pray for Your will to be revealed to all I prayed for during the night. I pray for more of You to ooze out of me wherever You take me today. Father, I pray for people to come into relationship with You today in a whole new way. Put people who will make a difference for You in the paths of those who need to make a decision for You today. Thank You Father for being My Lion! Amen.

II Peter 1:19 - "Ancient of Days"

In his second book, Peter speaks about the need to stay focused on the Lord while we wait on His return. This morning the Lord woke me up singing "Ancient of Days" and I was blessed in the words..

Blessing and honor, glory and power
Be unto the Ancient of Days
From every nation, all of creation
Bow before the Ancient of Days

It is amazing how the Nazarene Church is growing in abundance outside of the United States. It is a blessing knowing people all over the world are coming into the knowledge of living a life of holiness. All nations! Woo hoo! It is also exciting to know the Lord brought us here to South Carolina to share the message of holiness. As we continue to seek His will on what that looks like, we will stay focused on Him. I love the word picture in II Peter 1:19. "It's the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak..." Jesus is the One Light we have as we wait on His direction. He is the One we must stay focused on. He is our Lighthouse in this endeavor. His light shines brightly and we will follow the direction He takes us. We have already followed Him this far and we are not going to give up now. He will open doors that need opened and He will shut doors that need shut. Why? Because He wants to see heaven on earth here in Beaufort, South Carolina. He wants to see...

Every tongue in heaven and earth, shall declare your glory
Every knee, shall bow at your throne, my Lord, in worship 
You will be exalted Oh God, and your kingdom, shall not pass away, 
Oh Ancient of Days

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for these words of encouragement from Your Word and this song. Lord, I pray You will continue to open doors that need opened and close doors that need closed. I pray for more of You to ooze out of me so people will see and hear You in me. I pray for Your attitude in my spirit. I pray for ones I come in contact with to have the desire in their heart to know You in a deeper way. Father, direct my steps today into the opportunities You have for me. Thank You Jesus for being My Morning Star. Amen.

II Peter 1:19-21 - "Word of God Speak"

The last part of II Peter 1 holds great wisdom. We have the Bible to be inspired by as we live out a life of faith. It is there to direct us and to give us wisdom. Every word of the Bible was inspired by God. Many may have physically penned it but the Holy Spirit was the One to initiate it. I like what Matthew Henry writes about these verses in II Peter:

As the Scripture is the revelation of the mind and will of God, every man ought to search it, to understand the sense and meaning. The Christian knows that book to be the word of God, in which he tastes a sweetness, and feels a power, and sees a glory, truly divine. And the prophecies already fulfilled in the person and salvation of Christ, and in the great concerns of the church and the world, form an unanswerable proof of the truth of Christianity. The Holy Ghost inspired holy men to speak and write. He so assisted and directed them in delivering what they had received from him, that they clearly expressed what they made known. So that the Scriptures are to be accounted the words of the Holy Ghost, and all the plainness and simplicity, all the power and all the propriety of the words and expressions, come from God. Mix faith with what you find in the Scriptures, and esteem and reverence the Bible as a book written by holy men, taught by the Holy Ghost.

The Lord has given us a gift in the Bible. He has blessed us with the capability to read the stories from years ago at the same time we are blessed with having revelation for today. He is the One who speaks to us through His Word. He is the One who opens up our minds to new things through His Word. He is the One to encourage and comfort us through His Word. It is a shame many people only open their Bibles up on Sundays, if even then. This precious gift needs to be opened each and every day.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for Your Word! Thank You for the desire You put in my heart to be in Your Word. Father, I have a 'strange' prayer in my heart this morning. I am praying for Your Word to be preached in churches today. When You brought that prayer to my mind, I thought it was stupid because all churches preach from Your Word. Then You reminded me there are some preachers who are saying what the people want to hear. There are some preachers who 'preach' about topics and leave the Bible completely out of the 'sermon.' Oh Father, open their eyes to what they are doing. Open people's eyes to the glory found in being in Your Word. Father, I pray for more of You to ooze out of me in such a way that there is no doubt You are living in and through me. Thank You for being My Word. Amen.

II Peter 1:10-11 - "What If I Stumble, What If I Fall"

As I read II Peter chapter 1 this morning, the Lord stopped me to ponder on verses ten and eleven. "make every effort" are some strong words. The promise that follows is also strong. "you will never stumble...will receive a rich welcome..." We are God's chosen people. He loves us so much that He sacrificed His son for us. We cannot just accept Him into our heart and think that is all it takes. A spiritual life goes beyond salvation. There is another aspect of a spiritual life that many do not follow and then wonder why life is so tough for them. Once the step is taken for living a holy life as God has called us to do, the trials of life are lived through with His peace. The idea of "never stumbling" is possible when we live in His will. I was in a conversation yesterday about leaders in the church who stumble and fall away from the Lord. The question was asked how that can happen if they are living a holy life. Plain and simple. It can't. Some people live behind masks. They pretend to be living one way but unfortunately they are living the opposite. The result of this kind of living will be going before the Lord on Judgment Day and be cast away from Him. I fear there will be many people in this situation. They do not have to be cast away but they are choosing themselves over God. They are choosing the ways of the world over His way. I am choosing His way. I am choosing eternity with Him. I am choosing to be one who as Matthew Henry says, "...growing in grace, and abounding in the work of the Lord, shall have an abundant entrance into the joy of their Lord, even that everlasting kingdom where Christ reigns, and they shall reign with him for ever and ever." Woo hoo! YES! I praise His Holy Name for the desire He put on my heart to live a holy life. If I were not where I am today in my relationship with Him, I would be fretting over many things we are dealing with in our new place. But there is no need to fret. Everything in His will will happen in His time. The things not in His will are not going to happen. We must never manipulate situations to get them to be how we think they should be. Instead we need to wait on Him. I didn't get to hear last week's sermon but as I read what Carol wrote about it I was blessed in knowing we are in "God's Waiting Room" waiting on the Holy Spirit to guide us. There is no better place to be. Yes, waiting is hard in the human aspect but in the spiritual aspect our faith and trust will grow so much deeper.

Dear Jesus,
Thank You yesterday! The time Doc and I had to be together to explore more of our area, rest and relax, etc. was just what I needed. Thank You for the day that is ahead! Thank You for being with him as he ministers to this family today during there time of grief. I pray for them to love on one another in a new way today. I pray as salvation is preached they will accept You. Thank You for tomorrow! I pray for those who are 'thinking' of coming to church to do so. I pray for all the Sunday School teachers to be prepared for their class. I pray for pastors everywhere who will be going into the pulpit to preach Your Word in a way people will come to know You in a personal way. Father, most of all I thank You for the doctrine of holiness. I thank You for leading me deeper into relationship with You. Lord, we are in Your waiting room. The desire of our hearts is for You to be glorified in all that we do and say. May You fill us to overflowing with more of You so everything that comes out of our mouth glorifies You. May You be in our attitude and actions in a mighty way today. Oh Father, we need an abundance of You today. Thank You Father for being My Holiness! Amen.