Preparation to receive the Promise

I have loved our reading in Deuteronomy so far, and want to post about a few things that have jumped out to me over the past few days. Our God never ceases to amaze me! He knows exactly what we need and takes good care of us, even when we are distracted by our suffering and pain and can't see Him working. If we take a minute to look back prayerfully, we can see His fingerprints touching each moment of our experiences. He was there the whole time carrying us. Now, to Deuteronomy...
*I love 2:7, "For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing."
*I need to trust and obey God, and not fear any giants.
*God will give territory to whoever he wants. Our territories have bounds we're supposed to stay in. Sometimes God may use someone else to finish fulfilling the vision He gave us. It's all for His glory!
*I must not forget all God has done for me.
*I must have no idols! If I mess up, I must quickly run to Jesus, repent, and seek Him with all of my heart and soul. He will forgive me. He is merciful. He will not abandon or destroy me. :)
*God is God and there is no other! He will let us see Him and hear Him because He loves us! He has rescued us from slavery, and now we must obey Him and stay on the path He has commanded us to follow.
*I must listen carefully to God and obey Him as long as I live- I wanna live loving Jesus! - and He will bless me.
*If God blesses us with prosperity or success, we must not forget Him. I can't do anything of value on my own. If any good comes from my life it is because God did it! I must never allow pride to inflate my ego. I must be humble and grateful for every time God chooses to use me or bless me.
*I've gotta quit complaining! It doesn't honor God. I need to remember God's goodness to me, and teach it to my children. We were slaves to sin, but Jesus set us free! Hallelujah! He made me holy. I belong to Him. I am His special treasure and He loves me! He has rescued me from slavery and oppression! I don't need to be afraid anymore! Hallelujah!
*So, why am I having to go through this wilderness? It is to humble me and test me to prove my character, and to find out if I'll obey God. (Unfortunately, it ain't always been pretty.) I have to learn to depend on God and trust Him. He disciplines me for my good because He loves me. :) And I love Him so much! I really want to please Him and not mess up so much.
*I need to walk with Jesus and praise Him for every blessing. I must be very careful to stay near Him and take no blessing for granted. When He empowers me to be successful, I must give Him all of the glory, honor and praise! Ya'll, my life is so messed up, if anything good comes from it it is surely the hand of God!
*I also need to remember that if I turn away from God and turn to idols, it'll destroy me. I don't want to be destroyed, but more than that I don't want to be far from my God who loves me.
Oh Father, please never let me wander from you. Hold my hand tight and help me walk with You. I love You so much! Hallelujah! Amen.

Blessed and not cursed

Ya'll, I've been seriously struggling lately with why God doesn't seem to be helping me much when I am so obviously overwhelmed by stress. I was feeling forgotten or abandoned, even though I knew that wasn't true. God has shown me lately that I need to quit focusing on all of the obstacles and problems, and trust in Jesus anyway. I need to be thankful for all He has done, and all He has given me. I need to praise Him because He is worthy! Just because I can't see what God is doing right now doesn't mean that He isn't doing anything.
So today we read about Balaam and how Balak tried to hire him to curse God's people. But every time Balak would take Balaam to a place to look out over Israel, God would tell him to bless them. He talked about how they were beautiful and victorious. God was looking on them with great love and proclaiming blessings over them! But, all the while, the Israelites were still in the wilderness, totally oblivious to any of that.
How foolish of me to ever think that my God, who gave His One and only Son for me, might abandon me! He loves me more than I could ever comprehend! And nobody can take His blessing away from me. I am forever His, forever loved, forever blessed. Hallelujah! I still don't know why He is allowing some things to continue to press in on me, but I know He has good plans for me and will bring me into His promised land. :)

Answered

Thank-you everyone ,,,Our Lord answered our prayers...we have a  healthy baby girl!!!
The doctor said she is perfect in every way !!
   Thank-you  my sweet Jesus

Prayer

I am asking for prayer today for my kids, they are going to Louisville today for more testing on their unborn baby girl. They have asked us not to tell anyone just yet so, I am asking my sweet sisters to help me lift them up. She is due July 31 st.  Appt. today at 12:00
She has a cyst on her brain that is larger than normal.

Lord, thank-you,  I feel so blessed that you have givin me so many sisters that I do not have to feel like I am the only one praying. I believe in prayer so much. Lord I come to you today and lift them up to you...I put them in your hands..YOU ARE ALL MIGHTY AND POWERFUL... and you know exactly what we need before we even ask. Lord give them comfort and strength today. We could not get through a day without you. IT IS WELL.....  AMEN AND AMEN

Complaining

When reading about the Israelites I hate to say it, but I would have probably acted the same way that they did. Enough manna already, let's get some real food - meat. How interesting it is that God had delivered them out of slavery and provided them with everything that they needed. He asked them to build a tent of meeting and He provided all the resources to do it. He asked them to make offerings to Him and He provided everything necessary for that to be done. He was carrying them through an unknown land, and they began to complain. I probably would have done it too.

Today I have realized that I need to be grateful for the manna that God has continued to provide in my life. Why should I think that I deserve better - the meat? God has given me every tool necessary to love and serve Him. He has provided me with so much.

Lord, please forgive me when I complain when I really have nothing to complain about. Thank you for meeting my needs and loving me enough to forgive me when I become selfish. I pray that I will trust you when you lead me into unknown areas. You are with me always and I am so thankful.

Open my eyes Lord

Ya'll, Leviticus and Numbers have not been the easiest things to read for me. That's why I haven't been blogging so much. I do usually get something out of it though, and am thankful for God's Word. Today's lesson has me longing to see the manifest presence of God.

God made His presence visibly clear to the Israelites so they could easily follow Him. He made it clear when it was time to stay, and when it was time to move on. They had to be watching Him, and ready to follow everyday. Hmmm...

Father, open my eyes to see You. Please guide my life and order my steps. I just want to walk with You. Please make Yourself more evident to me so I can follow You and walk with You. I love You. Amen.

I also love Moses's prayer when moving forward. Getting out of our comfort zones can be scary. So, "Arise, O Lord, and let Your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before You!" And when it's time to stop moving, Lord return to us and settle down with us to watch over us and protect us. Thank You. Amen.