A Psalm of Praise Straight from the Heart

O’ Lord I praise you, for You alone are worthy of praise.

You made the mountains, the seas, and all that is on the earth.

You, and You alone made the morning mist and the clouds hanging over the mountains.

You put the stars out at night, and made the moon and the sun.

You caused me to walk through the darkened valley, yet You were with me and brought me out.

You darkened the clouds, then give a rainbow as a reminder of Your covenant.

You give new joy each day, for each day holds it’s own promise of Your love for me.

You give bright paths for me to walk in, and when the path grows dark, You are still there.

I am but a speck of dirt, yet You know my name and know the number of hairs on my head.

Your Word says I am fearfully and wonderfully made, even though, when I look in the mirror and wonder how that could be.

I am in awe that You know me as You do and yet You still love me.

Great and holy is Your Name. You alone are worthy of all praise.

I praise You and Love You, Most Holy God.

Jesus, I worship You and praise You, for You alone are worthy of all praise.

Blessed be the Name of The Lord, for He alone is worthy, He alone is to be Honored and Praised.

Blessed be the Name of The Lord.

I love You Jesus and Give You Praise, Honor and Glory.

Blessed be The Name of The Lord.

Note: It is always good to keep a pad of paper and pen handy for times when the Lord speaks to your heart or when a prayer or praise swells up within you.

Pulling Down Thresholds

II Corinthians 10:4-5

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

In order to "pull down the strongholds" in our lives, we MUST put on the “Whole Armor of God”

Ephesians 6: 10 - 17

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit" saith the Lord of Hosts. Zechariah 4:6.

II Corinthians 10:5 says,

"bringing every thought into captivity". Our mind is where the enemy will attack us. He puts thoughts into our minds, and then when we entertain those thoughts...they become sin and the enemy who attacks in the spirit wins the battle.

As Christians we must overcome those thoughts...realize where they are coming from and overcome those thoughts.

How do we overcome the thoughts in our mind...with prayer and praise? Just start singing songs of worship and praise to God and watch those thoughts disappear. Find a scripture in the bible and sing it. When you’re alone in the car, pray and talk to God...sing praises to Jesus...talk to Him... talk to the Lord just like you talk to your best friend, tell Him your inter most thoughts, those thoughts that you can only tell God...tell Him what you want in life, what you desire, what you want God to do in your own life.

Do you have doubts? Trust God!

Do you worry? Trust God!

Are you afraid? Trust God!

Talk to Christian friends who talk about God...talk to people who lift up His Name.

I don’t know about you, but I want God to change me into the woman HE would have me to be so He can use me to HIS glory.

Psalms 27: 4-6

One thing I have desired of the Lord,

That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the Lord

All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the Lord,

And to inquire in His temple.

For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock.

And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

We need to begin speaking with positive confession of faith because "What You Say is What You Get".

I began to cry out, to God, "Lord, Change Me"! Make me into the person You would have me to be. Teach me to see with spiritual eyes, who we are in Christ Jesus and what You have for us.

Romans 8: 14-17 says:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons (and daughters) of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs...heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Read the scriptures in God’s Word, (the bible) to see who God says you are, then walk in that knowledge and believe God. God’s Word says, "We are His child!"

Begin praying Lord teach me to boldly bring our needs and wants to You.

Hebrews 4:16

Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We don’t have to beg God. He’s our Father and just as your natural dad and mom gave you the things you ask for, so much more will Your Heavenly Father God give us our wants and needs when we ask for them...but remember...God does want you to ask, then be sure to thank Him for answering your prayer.

John 14: 12-14 says;

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

There are so many things God has for us--all we need to do is just ask.

I want God to teach us to love the “unlovable.” Those who speak against us, tell lies about us. The alcoholic, drug addict, the self-righteous person, etc. God died one time for us all, to give us a hope of salvation through Faith in God.

I never smoked, did drugs, drank alcohol, dipped or chewed snuff, or cussed, yet my sins were just as bad as those who did because my sin was “self-righteousness,” yet my sins were just as bad as the murderer on death row. If someone had not ever showed me the Love of Jesus, I probably would be hopelessly lost forever.

Matt. 22: 37-40

Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

I John 4: 20

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

“I asked God to teach me to keep my focus on God, and not on "me, me, me, me, me!" I can’t say it like Joyce Meyer can, but we need to keep our focus on God and not on ourselves, our surroundings, our families, friends, work, or money, money, money. Money is a good thing. We need money, but we cannot love it to the point it rules our lives. We must keep our focus on God.

I Corinthians 2:9-12

But as it is written:

"Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man

The things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

When we keep our focus on God, everything else just comes together and works out for our good. Driving to work one day, I was praying and singing to the Lord. I suddenly realized I was lost and had no idea where I was, except I was between some big warehouses near the water. I allowed terror to fill my heart and began crying, and called my daughter, Debbie. She told me how to get back on the right road and I made it to work. When I put my sight of where I was the old enemy had a field day with me. When I realized what happened, I was so angry with myself for allowing fear to grip me so tightly.

We need to pray for God to teach us to see with our spiritual eyes, and know without a doubt that God will lead us and help us to have faith, and grow daily in our walk with Him.

Hebrews 11:1, 6

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

May 7, 1995 God spoke to me and I wrote the words He spoke:

"Don’t Doubt"!

Don’t doubt! When I speak.......act! Don’t give doubt a chance to enter in. Don’t doubt! Trust me completely. Don’t doubt. When you wait even one second after I have spoken, you let doubt in. Doubt is from the enemy. Don’t doubt. Learn to trust. Increase your faith, grow in power. Don’t doubt. Doubt is unbelief. When you allow doubt, you are saying “I believe Satan over any trust I have in Jesus.” Think about it. I speak, you wait, let doubt in, listen to the master of lies himself, and you Don’t act because the devil told you not to do what I told you earlier to do. You listen to the lie and not Me, the One who Saved you. Don’t doubt. Don’t let doubt in. Don’t believe the lie. Listen to Me. My Words have life and power over the enemy. Don’t doubt. Listen to Me. I have the Words of life. I can never lead you in the wrong direction. You are My child. I will never lead you wrong. I love you. Trust Me and never doubt. You will be amazed at the faith and power you will have when you no longer doubt. Trust Me completely. I will never fail. Just Don’t doubt. I hate doubt. Don’t doubt. Trust Me. Trust Me completely. Forget doubt. There is no life in doubt. There is life in Me. Don’t doubt. I your Lord have spoken.

How many times have we said, "Oh, I’m coming down with the flu", or , "Oh I just know I’m going to have a bad day tomorrow at work!" or, "I know I’m going to mess up this new dress"!

Well, guess what? You probably will get the flu and you definitely will have a bad day at work and most likely you’ll ruin your new dress, if that is what you’re confessing.

My mother and a younger sister died with complications from diabetes. My brother is diabetic, my two sisters are diabetic. I am confessing I will NOT be a diabetic.

We must remember "Faith speaks with positive words of faith!"

We need to ask God to show us the many things God has for us.

Jeremiah 33:3

“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

God wants to show you and I the many things and He has for us. All we have to do is ask in faith believing.

I used to play "what if" games with my kids and grandkids on the way to and from Church, for instance, I would say:

--What if someone you did not know asked you to help him (or her) find their little kitten?

-- What if someone touches you where your bathing suit covers you?

--What if someone says "your mom called. She was in an accident and wants me to take you to the hospital."

-- What if someone you Don’t know wants you to get in their car?

Each instance, we all yelled "No!"

Well, what if--when we get to heaven--Jesus shows us a room full of blessings that we did not have while here because we did not ask and believe for them.

Jesus loves us, and every day we should learn something new about life itself and about God, our creator.

It took me quite a while to learn to forgive, but once I did, I learned it real good. Forgiveness is one of the hardest thing for most people to do.

Your heart is not right with God if you cannot forgive. A rat will begin gnawing at the smallest hole until the wall has his hole large enough to walk through. That is exactly what hurt feelings will do if you do not forgive.

Matthew 6:14-15

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Luke 23: 34

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

If Jesus while on the cross, suffering such terrible pain, brutally beaten, spit on, slapped, had a crown of thorns pushed into His head, pierced with a spear and hung by nails to a cross, can say, "Father, forgive them." Can’t we forgive those who wrong us.

Did you know that the three most difficult things for humans to say are : I love you, I’m sorry, and I need help.

We need to have balance in our life.

Luke 10: 38 - 42

Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much a time to study, a time to read, a time to eat.

In order to balance our lives properly must include a time for God. Family time is great but do you include God? David and I have a devotional time together each morning. My time alone with God is before David gets up.

Your life can never be properly balanced without having a time alone each day with God. God’s gift to us is HIS SON. Quality time with loved ones is very important, and God blesses that time together, however your gift to God is YOU!

We give our kids "time out" for misbehaving. Why not have a "time out" with God to gain spiritual strength, increase your faith, and stay strong and close to God.

I have a little blue knitted sign that says, "Shhhhh I’m talking to God".

II Peter 1: 21

...but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. How can we be “moved by God” if we Don’t know Him or spend time with Him?

We need to see with spiritual eyes, that we need God in our lives and a local church with spiritual brothers and sisters praying for us, interceding for us and our families.

We need a pastor to shepherd us and our family and lead us in a closer walk with Jesus, as the pastor watches over our souls.

Help us to see that we need the deacons in the church praying and working with the pastor, as they guide and meet the needs of the church.

Help us to see the need of a Woman’s Ministry working with women built up in the faith. We need the older women, leading and guiding us, teaching us to guide other women in their walk with God.

I need my husband as someone to submit to (whether I want to or not). The husband is the head of the home and I am to submit to him as he submits to Christ Jesus.

Let us see the joy in giving and receiving. We need to give of our time, our money and ourselves.

Giving is very easy for me. I love to give to others. I give tithes (now when I can), give offerings, gifts, send notes of encouragement, or just call someone and talk for a few minutes. I love giving.

But it was very hard for me to be on the receiving end. Whenever someone did something for me or give me something, I always let them know I appreciated it very much, but deep down, I felt unworthy to receive anything.

In the last recent months, I had to receive from others because I could not do at all for myself. I had to learn to appreciate it in the spirit it was given and be thankful. Period.

We Don’t have to feel unworthy, because "the Blood of Jesus" makes us worthy. I am an heir to the throne of God. His precious blood washed me and made me white as snow and now HIS BLOOD FLOWS THROUGH MY VEINS.

God had to humble me completely down to actually see the joy in receiving.

Revelations says "I would that you are hot or cold, but if you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth".

We cannot live our lives in an "on again off again" religion. We cannot live for God on Sunday, and the rest of the week live for the world. Frustrations, difficulties, and injustice are three good reasons for throwing up your hands and quitting, BUT God’s Word is your "sword of the spirit" to keep you on the right road so you can live every day for Jesus.

Prayer for Inner Growth

As we enter 2006, many of us will begin to make New Year resolutions. We resolve to: lose weight, read more, join a gym, do more with the kids, pray more, read the bible more, etc., etc. My own is always the same from year to year….. yep, You guessed it…lose weight! However this year, instead of making a resolution, I am going to make a "commitment" to myself to eat healthy, exercise, join a water aerobics class for senior citizens with arthritis at the YMCA, and leave the chocolates alone.

My doctors have diagnosed me with osteo-arthritis. I claim healing through the Blood of Jesus.

Yes, it’s that time of year to dream, make plans, and pray for a better year for us all.

Today while reading my bible, I came across Ephesians 3:14 – 20:

"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."

God wants to grant us our wishes, answer our prayers and meet our fondest hopes, desires and dreams.

We are His children, and as His children God has much for us if we will just ask and believe in faith for them.

Let us examine these verses:

In verse 14, Paul said: "I bow my knees". God wants us to recognize who He is. He wants us to worship and praise Him, our Heavenly Father.

Verse 15: The "whole Christian family", are Christians alive here on planet Earth and those gone on into heaven. Read your bible for increased faith, strength, and courage. God’s WORD is truth! Hebrews 11 is known as the "Faith Chapter".

In verse 16: Paul says he wants us to "be strengthened with might by HIS Spirit" (the spirit of God), in order for us to live a spiritual life.

Zechariah 4:5,6, says; Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" And I said, "No, my lord." So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the Lord: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts" .

Read the Word of God for strength in the Lord, then believe what you read and trust God…it is HIS WORD, and you can believe HE will live up to HIS WORD. God will NEVER fail you.

Verse 17: "That Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith" God wants us to be "rooted and grounded" in His love for us and in the ‘WORD of God’. He wants us to be as a tree planted by the river with its root running deep, so that when the trials of life come, we will be able to stand.

Matthew 7: 24,27, "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

Verse 18: That we "may be able to comprehend" God’s love for us. God wants us "to know" that "we know", that "we know" the love He has for us is unconditional. His love is wider then the entire Universe, taller than the highest mountain, deeper than the deepest ocean and goes beyond the highest stars in the sky. God’s love for us cannot be measured and is unconditional. How many times have we heard of a mother or father who became so disgusted with their child that they kicked them out on the street? God’s love for us will NEVER, EVER fail us. We may fail God, but HE will never fail us. Hallelujah!

Verse 19: "Filled with all the fullness of God". God wants the life, character, and virtues of Himself fully developed and living in our lives.

Philippians 2:5, Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, We cannot have the mind of Christ, if we don’t know HIM. However, when we begin to study, pray, and talk with God, we can learn more about God, the Father, and His Son, Jesus, then we can begin to have the mind of Christ Jesus.

Verse 20: "According to the power that works in us". This is where I get really excited. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think…"According to the power that works in us". I don’t know about you, but I have to ask the Lord from time to time, "Lord, please examine me and see if there be anything in my heart that should not be there."

David prayed in Psalms 139:23 & 24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." If my heart, mind and soul are right with God, then I can pray, knowing my prayers will be heard. This is faith in action. Pray then believe that your prayer was heard and is already in your possession. Sound crazy? 1 Corinthians 1:27, But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame (confound) the wise, .

His Word says HE will do "above all that we ask or think". Have you ever thought about something you would like to have and suddenly found it in your possession? Coincidence? If you believe that then you don’t believe the scripture. God really does answer prayer. The Psalmist David, was a man after God’s own heart because he was quick to ask forgiveness and was always praying and praising God for His blessings and protection. He prayed in Psalms 26: 1-2, "I have walked in my integrity.

I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.

Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my

heart".

The church is the same today as it was back then. Why, then we ask, don’t we see prayers answered today, as they were in bible days and back in the old "brush-arbor days?"

It is not God. It is us, you and me. We don’t ask, and if we do ask, do we really believe our prayer will be answered?

I heard a minister some three years ago, say from the pulpit, that God does not answer prayers today as back then. I asked him after church if he really believed that God does not answer prayer today. He said God might answer some prayers but we have to take care of most of them ourselves.

NO! NO! and NO!

God cares about every aspect of our lives. When I asked, God removed a mole on my neck about 35 years ago. He showed me which store to purchase my sons Easter suit in 1978. In the winter when there is snow on the ground, He tells me which road to take to the store, to church or to Portland. He told me when I was working and got lost in Portland, which way to turn to get back to the office. He tells me when and to whom to send a card of encouragement.

When my washer quit running, I anointed it with oil and prayed over it and it worked for another 3 years. It was still working when I bought a new washed and gave my old one to a family who needed a washer.

When our car would not start, God told me to walk around it 7 times and it would start. So me, and my children, Debbie and Junior walked around it seven times, then I told them to "get in". We all got in and arrived to our appointment on time and returned home with no problems. Thanks be to God.

Once I stood at my kitchen window and was wondering how I was going to get the kids some school clothes. That same day a lady came over with a huge bag of clothes for the kids. I had not told anyone except for God, that the kids needed clothes for the new school year.

I could go on and on but I think you get the picture.

God cares about every each one of us in every aspect of our lives. How can we grow spiritually? We must believe ALL of God’s Word.

I believe Jesus died for me and rose again so I can live with HIM. I believe the same power that is in Jesus, is the same power we can have when we are filled fully with HIM.

Truly He must increase and we must decrease to receive the spiritual "inner growth" of God in our lives.