Sabbatical

"For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven."

~Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

For those who are reading this blog, thank you. I want to let you know that I am leaving for Europe and will not be posting for the length of the trip. The time has come for me to take Sabbatical.

For now I am going to leave you with these words: Within your innermost being are rivers of living water, and the Holy Spirit is hovering ever present to perform the promises of God for you as you pray with the faith of the Son of God.

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said,
‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’"
~John 7:38

Holy Spirit, thank You for Your presence and for guiding us into all truth. May our rivers be full. May we bring life to all who come to the "river". May we pray with the faith of the Son of God and watch Your promises come to pass...

I'll be back by end of August.

Keep CZECHING IN!

No higher calling

 

Down at Your feet, Oh Lord
Is the most high place
In Your presence, Lord
I seek Your face, I seek your face
 

There is no higher calling no greater honor
Than to bow and kneel before Your throne
I'm amazed at Your glory, embraced by Your mercy
Oh Lord, I live to worship You

Jesus,

 

"All the earth worships you and sings praises to you;

they sing praises to your name."

~Psalm 66:4
 

"And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God,

and the song of the Lamb, saying,

“Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty!

Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!"

~Revelation 15:3

 

"Oh, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!"

~Psalm 95:6

 

Lord, may we accept the calling, the high calling. May we worship You in Spirit and in Truth as true worshippers. (John 4:23)

 

Keep CZECHING IN! 

God is love

"So we have come to know and to believe

the love that God has for us.

God is love,

and whoever abides in love abides in God,

and God abides in him."

~1 John 4:16

 

"Love is patient and kind;

love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude.
It does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrongdoing,

but rejoices with the truth.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things."

~1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 

Jesus, may we not feel like a failure every time we read these verses about love knowing that we cannot "measure up" as these are not in the Bible to do that.
 

 If God is love, He defines what love is.

 

God is patient and kind; God does not envy or boast; He is not arrogant or rude. He does not insist on His own way; He is not irritable or resentful; He does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. God bears all things, God believes all things, God hopes all things, God endures all things.

 

If we see that in God, it changes how we see that in ourselves.

If we have experienced God's love, His patience, His kindness, that He rejoices in truth, that He does not insist on His own way, that He is not irritable or resentful, it will change us.

We could give that kind of love because we have received it from God.

We experience the love of God when we place our faith in Jesus.

If we did not have continual reliance on the gospel then these verses would become a checklist. These verses are not a checklist, but a calling. And calling is empowered. Because of the nature of Love, the love we received and the love we give, there is a calling to love one another. And because of the gospel we can do that. Because the love we received can make love to give. We need the gospel.

The same gospel that saves us, is the gospel that transforms us.

 

Lord, I am so grateful for people who preach the gospel and these words I heard...

May we be transformed. May we experience and receive Your love, oh God.

Keep CZECHING IN!

Works of the Lord

"Praise the Lord!

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,

in the company of the upright, in the congregation.

Great are the works of the Lord,

studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,

and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.

He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
they are established forever and ever,

to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.

He sent redemption to his people;

he has commanded his covenant forever.

Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

all those who practice it have a good understanding.

His praise endures forever!"

~Psalm 111

 

Lord, I praise you for Your mighty works; faithful and just; gracious and merciful are You.

 

I came across the words in Matthew again, that always sadden me.

 

"And he did not do many mighty works there,

because of their unbelief."

~Matthew 13:58

Jesus, may we have faith that helps us believe You, in You, so You will do many mighty works here, because of our belief, because of the trust we put in You.

 

I also know that I cannot do it. I need You. I know it is You, as it says.

 

"For it is God who works in you,
both to will and to work for his good pleasure."
~Philippians 2:13

 

It's not about our works. We are here to know You. Great are the works of the Lord! 

Keep CZECHING IN!

Royalty

My dearest friend sent me this song after hearing about my "princess" story:

 

 

"You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,

and a royal diadem in the hand of your God."

~Isaiah 62:3

 

Need I write more?

 

Keep CZECHING IN!

Fret not yourself

"Fret not yourself—it tends only to evildoing."

~Psalm 37:8b AMP

 

Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself, are words that I read today, that got my attention. 

These are that followed by O. Chambers:

 Fussing always ends in sin. We imagine that a little anxiety and worry are an indication of how really wise we are; it is much more an indication of how really wicked we are. Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not "out" to realize His own ideas; He was "out" to realize God's ideas. Fretting is wicked if you are a child of God.

 

All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.

 

Lord, we hear that we are not suppose to worry. Thank You for pointing this truth to me to know why actually. If worry springs from a determination to get my own way and is caused by calculating without You, then I do not want to worry anymore. Ever! My circumstances are not too much for You. I can rest in You, because I am not dependent on my external circumstances, but on my relationship to You. I know I can trust You, for You care for me...

 

Keep CZECHING IN!

HBA

Happy Birthday, America!

It's Independence day! Independence is defined as freedom from the control, influence, support, aid, or the like, of others. (Dictionary.com)

Christ has set us free. Let's celebrate and live in that freedom.

"For freedom Christ has set us free;
stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

~Galatians 5:1

May we live independent of our fears, our insecurities, opinions of others...

One of the definitions of independent is not influenced or controlled by others in matter of opinion, conduct; not influenced by the thought or action of others.

So, most of all may we not be influenced and controlled by the enemy.

Jesus, help us to stand firm and do not submit to a yoke of slavery which we once put off.

Lord, thank You for the costly freedom we experience. Thank You for America. Bless her and guide her.

Keep CZECHING IN!

Your Word

"Remember your word to your servant,

in which you have made me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction,

that your promise gives me life."

~Psalm 119:49,50

It's cute. I like how it says "in which you have made me hope." Yes, we hope in You, Lord. We shall not be disappointed for the hope we put in You. Remember Your word. And how true, that your promises gives us life, they are our comfort in our affliction. Thank You, Jesus.

"Your word have I laid up in my heart that I might not sin against you."

~Psalm 119:11

"Give me life according to your word!" ~Psalm 119:25b

 

"Strengthen me according to your word!" ~Psalm 119:28b

 

"For I trust in your word." ~Psalm 119:42b

 

"I hope in your word." ~Psalm 119:81b

 

"Your word is firmly fixed in the heavens." ~Psalm 119:89b

 

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

~Psalm 119:105

 

"The sum of your word is truth,

and every one of your righteous rules endures forever."

~Psalm 119:160

 

"Give me understanding according to your word!" ~Psalm 119:169b

 

"Deliver me according to your word." ~Psalm 119:170b

"My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right."

~Psalm 119:172

Father, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Jesus.

Keep CZECHING IN!

What do you say...

What do you say to someone who agrees with the devil, who has them convinced that they are worthless?

They feel they failed and were rejected so many times it's easy to believe him.

They say that nobody told them to do this or that, but even if somebody did tell them, would they listen, would they do it?

What if they were told that they have worth, that they have value, that they have been bought with a price. Would they hear? Would they listen? Would they believe?

"Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.

Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."

~Luke 12:7

 

It seems they have their mind made up and they want to believe only what makes sense to them. They enthrone common sense and lean on their own understanding instead of trusting God while the enemy feeds them lies.

Would they listen to the voice of TRUTH that tells a different story?

What if they were asked, why don't you believe that you have value? What would they say?

Lord, let Your healing come! May eyes be opened for seeing and ears for hearing the voice of truth... Your voice, Jesus.
 

Keep CZECHING IN!

Another month

Another month has past, faster than the latter it seems.

I do so much better with a routine, than the lack of. I am often finding myself failing, disliking my actions and not liking that I cannot keep up what I set to do while the time is just passing by.

My friend once wrote me that God is unconditional love. Sometimes that is what a feeling of failure teaches you (and sometimes that is just the reassurance you need until you grasp who He is).

I feel like Paul as he wrote:
"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin."
~Romans 7:14-25

Lord, that's why we need You. We cannot do it. I cannot do it. Oh Lord, have mercy. Thank You for Your unconditional love. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Keep CZECHING IN!