WORTHY THOUGHT: Listening to God is the way of wisdom.
Wisdom is made available to everyone who is willing to hear God and obey.
For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk up rightly. Proverbs 2:6-7 NKJV
~ Angela Lipe-Pattengill
Wow! It is hard to believe that today is our 2 year blogging anniversary.
I can’t believe we have over 1,000 followers.
Thank you all for your support. We appreciate you very much!
~XXOO Michelle Bollom
Dwelling in the ends of the earth, I find my heart in awe of His presence. I wait patiently for the return of the Lord. He will come as a radiant glory, turning mourning into laughter, division into unity, and give comfort in sorrowful places.
I will stand in an obedient reverence, trusting, living, and learning, as I worship the Almighty One; the same one who speaks into all of the creation, who waters life like a garden, and who turns former things into new things.
He fills my soul with an abundant overflow of His mercy, where words can not be defined, and satisfaction is created out of His goodness.
Just as He tells the dawn to rise from the darkness of night, He also makes them shout out for joy. And I too will rejoice and dance before the Lord, in all that He has done, all that He will do, and for the promised words spoken from his voice.
Psalm 65:8 NASB
They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of your signs; you make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.
~Baring His Beauty,
Tiffany Thomas
Every Tuesday Tiffany Thomas of Redemptive Beauty brings us an amazing blog post.
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I have been thinking lately about all the hate, violence, offense, and just plain ole craziness in the world. We see it reported everywhere. Just look at Social Media or the new…
Source: Love 101
Did you know each week on Sunday we feature a song on our blog?
Click Here to listen and read all the Song Sunday blogs you have missed.
~XXOO Michelle Bollom
Are you drowning in a massive “To-Do” list?
Are you finding yourself tired and worn out with not enough hours in the day?
Has your mind been wracked with fear and worry?
God will give you the grace and strength you need for each moment surrendered unto Him.
Stop fighting the currents and working against the tides. Surrender each moment of doubt, worry, fear, and control to God, and allow Him to carry you safely where He needs you to go.
Things are never forced with God.
~ XXOO Michelle Bollom
I give the moments of my life over to You, Eternal One. Rescue me….~Psalm 31:15 The VOICE
My dad was an artist. He was self-taught and started late in life after being diagnosed with health issues and told he had 6 months at most to live.
Well, he went on to live another 14 more years before he passed in 2008.
My dad had started out painting buildings and historic homes and sites from my home town of Rockport, TX. It is a small fishing village town with a big artist community. It is North of Corpus Christi and South of Victoria, TX.
If you still don’t know- from Houston, TX you travel south for about 4 hours and there you will run into it off Hwy 35 S.
Most people are aware or have heard of it now. It has really grown in popularity in the last ten years.
My dad specialized in watercolor and coastal images like fish, boats, nature, fishing lures, light houses, birds etc.
One of his prints that he did was “The Lighthouses Of Texas” in 2005.
Last weekend I gave away some of the prints at The Power Encounter event that Restored Ministries was sponsoring for Ashford Community Church in Houston, TX.
I told the crowd:
We are all Texas Lighthouses. We are all carrying and shining the light of Christ to guide and help others be able to find Him.
So I want to encourage you.
Whatever state, whatever country you reside in- even if there are not any historic or known lighthouses where you are-
You are a lighthouse shining the light of Christ to guide and help others find Him.
Take a moment and add a comment and let us know where your lighthouse is located.
~XXOO Shine Bright! Shine On!
Michelle Bollom
Are you losing the battle with the clock?
Does it seem that there are not enough hours in the day?
Are you so overwhelmed that instead of doing what you know you should, you simply keep putting off things until tomorrow?
And maybe you have procrastinated so long you now find tomorrow was yesterday, last week, last month or even last year?
God doesn’t want us to keep putting things off.
He will give us the grace and strength we need for every moment surrendered unto Him.
We are to obey and act on what He has called us to do.
God calls us to live in the “Now”
Because that is how the battle of time is won!
NOW = WON!
So dust off those dreams, those projects, make that doctors appointment, make that call, write that letter, write that book, start that journey to better health, clean out those closets and junk drawers, both physically and spiritually.
Today is a new day with New Mercies!
Seize the day!
~XXOO Michelle Bollom
Bonus today is this great quote by Krystal Lynne!
Jesus said, ‘No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.’” (Luke 9:62 MSG)
My dear friend, Kelley, wrote a great blog last Friday on “Identity Theft” so I wanted to follow up with my own story of how my identity was stolen.
I’m sure you can probably relate to just how your identity may have been stolen as well, or if not you, then someone very close to you.
The theft took place so long ago, that I can barely remember when it happened.
It was slow and subtle and just seemed to sneak up on me, but my first memory was when I was just a little girl in first grade I think, maybe even kindergarten. One day I was getting ready for school and when I looked in the mirror, I noticed that my hair was not long and pretty like my two best friends, they were twins and had long beautiful wavy brown hair. Mine was short and straight and blonde. I remember thinking that I wished I had long hair like theirs, and I was mad at my mom for making me cut it for the new school year. That day, I decided that I am not as pretty as other girls, maybe even ugly!
A few years later, I noticed that my thighs were not as long and thin as other girls in my gym class. I was short and a little on the chunky side; I decided that I was chubby and maybe even fat!
Then one day at school, I believe I was in the fourth grade, my teacher asked a question, and I was so sure I had the right answer so I waved my arm high, back and forth so proud, and when she called on me, I was completely wrong — I felt like such a fool and all the other students laughed at me.
That day, I decided that I wasn’t that smart, maybe even stupid, and I better just be quiet so I don’t get embarrassed!
I’m sure there were many more incidents over the years, but I think you get the picture. So by the time I went to Junior High, my identity was that I am ugly, fat and stupid! I’m sure it only got worse as time went on.
Sure, I smiled and seemed happy on the outside, but inside I felt inadequate and unworthy. I didn’t try out for any sports or the drill team. I always wanted to be a cheer leader, but I didn’t think I was good enough, so why bother.
Why did I believe the lies that the enemy kept telling me? Why did I fall for the trap of negative self-talk that always played in my head?
I can look back now and see it so clearly, but at the time, I really didn’t even know that I had this belief, this self doubt and negative self image.
It was buried deep inside and it just became who I was, I didn’t realize that my identity had been stolen and that my own mindset was holding me back.
Most of the time I was happy and enjoyed life, no one would have ever known, not even me, it just became who I was, and I lived with it because I didn’t know the truth. I believed the lies and accepted it as truth.
Because I didn’t have Jesus in my life, I had no idea how much He loved me!
I didn’t read the bible that I got when I went to church with my neighbor in the 6th grade.
It was right there all the time, in the top drawer of my night stand. If only I had opened it and learned the truth, that Jesus loves me with an everlasting love, that He knit me in my mother’s womb, and I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
That His plans for me are good, to prosper and have hope for the future!
If only I had known the truth, God’s word, it would have set me free from the bondage that the enemy created in my own mind and reclaimed my stolen identity much sooner!
Father, I am so thankful that you didn’t give up on me, you waited patiently for me to seek the truth and when I finally knocked, you opened the door and showed me that I am loved and I am worthy, not from anything I did, but because you paid the price for my sin and died on the cross to save me and give me eternal life with you. There is nothing I could have done to set myself free, it is only by trusting and believing in you and being covered by your blood that I am saved. Your word is the way the truth and the life! Please forgive me for believing the lies of the enemy, and thank you for loving me and showing me the way to love myself and be grateful for everything that you have given me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Deb Hicks
BowlofSplendor.com
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Psalm 139:13-14
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:“I have loved you with an everlasting love;I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
Jeremiah 31:3
WORTHY THOUGHT: Late obedience is still disobedience.
When I heard those words “Late obedience is still disobedience” from a wise friend I met on a mission trip in Guatemala. I had a sense of conviction and God’s spirit spoke to my heart to write about it. The question I had even as a Christian, when have I disobeyed God?’
Maybe God wants to remind me and others as Christians it is easy to delay obedience. Sometimes we know the right thing to do but we don’t want to do it or Satan will always put things in our paths to distract us from doing God’s important work or we will get to it as soon as we are done with our daily tasks.
Then it came to my mind and I started to remember. God has asked me to read and study my Bible on book of Matthew for my ministry but instead my husband and I went out to the movies. When I came back home from the movies I will read up on the book of Mathew before my bedtime a sentence or two later, I fall asleep . Next day I will be on Facebook for two hours checking to see who liked my picture’s instead of reading my Bible. Yep! Convicted!! It grieves me now that I am aware of this.
Delayed obedience it is still disobedience.
I do ministry work to disciple others and again we must value obedience. I have read book of Mathew before but that week I disobeyed, since I have not read the book of Mathew like God asked me too.
I could not give out His message to my ministry, I panicked, I couldn’t speak, it was like empty words coming out of my mouth. I’m so thankful for my Christian co-leader who did read the Book of Matthew and she was able to give a great message what God was speaking in Book of Matthew. My co-leader valued obedience and by obeying God, He blessed her. By her example my co-leader obeyed Jesus and taught others to obey Jesus.
I knew after I repented to the Lord I had learned my lesson. God gives us His grace and mercy and loves and forgives each of us. He is still willing to use me and you to obey His commandments and we will be blessed.
Jesus replied,” Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” – John 14:23
“Whoever heeds discipline shows way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray. ” -Proverbs 10:17
If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. – Deuteronomy 5:33
Keep this Book of the law on your lips; meditate on it day or night, so that you may be careful to do everything in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful . -Joshua 1:8
~ Angela Lipe-Pattengill
Restored People Community 