Do you want Peace in Your Life?

“Do you want Peace in Your Life?” This is what the Lord seemed to be asking me, today, as I listened to a Daily Devotional I try to hear each morning when I get up.  I put it on the computer and then listen while doing the “early morning, getting ready for my day,” type of stuff.  HERE is the link to the one I listened to today.

It talked about the belligerence that seems to be getting more and more common… road rage, etc. and what God says I can do about it to have peace in MY heart as I walk through this life.  He uses and IF – THEN statement.  This is common terminology in the computer world…  IF such and such happens, THEN this will happen.

The verses that “Our Daily Bread” gave are found in Philippians 4:4-9. (Scripture below) First, it says to Rejoice in the Lord, ALWAYS.  I thought, that means for me to keep my eyes on Him so that I can see all that He has done, and IS doing in my life… the blessings I have.  Each time I focus on those blessings, I can rejoice.

The next verse says to be gentle (that’s the only way others will see that gentleness IN me), and I CAN do that if I KNOW that He is “at hand,” and right there with me.

Then God tells me to not worry, but to be talking to Him constantly about everything… asking, and thanking Him because I know He is faithful to answer in the ways that are BEST for me.  That CAN mean “wait for HIS perfect timing…” but trust that He knows what is best better than I know what is best for me.  I am His child and like a little child that wants candy and THINKS that is BEST for him/her, the parent really knows what is best and that might be candy as a treat, but generally, it is more like vegetables or fruit. (Pout!)

IF I am constantly in communication with Him, AND trusting Him to be working everything out for my BEST, THEN the Peace of God, in times of crisis will flow over me, so that others that are watching won’t understand it.   This Peace (from a consistent relationship) will guard my heart and mind because I know Christ Jesus is with me.  After all, He loved me enough to pay for MY sins with HIS blood!

Lastly, in verse 8, God tells me that there are things I need to do to help my mind to stay healthy.  Another computer thing is GIGO.  Garbage In, Garbage Out!  I NEED to make sure what goes into my mind is NOT garbage, but things that lead to gentleness and kindness.

I need to put things that are TRUE (what God says is TRUTH), things that are noble, and just and pure into my mind.  Think about lovely, beautiful things and things that are good and happy, and virtuous… things I can Praise God for… THESE are the things I should be filling my mind with most of my day. 

When I see sad and awful things, I need to take them in through my senses, but let them go OUT again through the flow of my mouth and mind and into GOD’S hands, through prayer, because HE can handle them.  He may use me to handle some of them, but He doesn’t want ME to take on the weight of the world, just whatever tasks He gives me, and He promises that those things will be light and not terribly burdensome because He shares the load (taking most of it.)

Yep… He keeps finding ways of reminding me of these things all the time, as I walk this road with Him.  I wish I weren’t so forgetful!  :)

Philippians 4:4-9

New King James Version (NKJV)

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Meditate on These Things

  
⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Uplifting Friends and Verses…

I have a wonderful friend that has shared a devotional with me almost every day for a few years now. So many times, these verses have spoken to my heart as if God is talking directly to me, and I believe that is exactly what is happening for He DOES use others to speak His words down here. So many of you have done that for me, too.

As many of you know, I’ve had some major health issues going on continually since last October… Bronchitis, Asthma, Pneumonia, and lately, Borderline Congestive Heart Failure, which they are hopeful that they have caught in time to stop or slow way down it’s progression. Needless to say, I’ve also had some days when I’ve been fighting depression, but almost always, God has sent an angel… sometimes named Angela, Sandie, Betty, Monica, Kellie… and many others, to help bend down and lift me up with words, cartoons, jokes, prayer, etc.

This was the verse I read from my friend’s devotional today… Isn’t it wonderful when looked at through my eyes…

From SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns: You have had many opportunities through adversity to fall down and stay down. I call to you to gather your strength and get up. You are not without help; I am with you to lift you up again if you will refuse to give up. Exercise your faith and seek My help, says the Lord, for surely I will hear your cries and come to your aid. Trust Me to lift you up again.

Micah 7:8 Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.

I also read another verse from Jeremiah today. It is one that has always touched my heart:

Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

With promises like these, to remind me of God’s love for me, I have been, and will be able, to continue on the path that God has for me until He calls me home!

Forgiveness is the key!

I was reading my devotional today, and this scripture came up talking about obedience and forgiveness. I know that we are to forgive those we have things against, and that Jesus said in his prayer example, that we should forgive so that we can be forgiven.

2 Corinthians 2:9-11 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices. 

So often I have made so many excuses about forgiving people that have hurt me, and in particular one situation where I blamed someone for changing my whole life that I’d had planned out. It took me a long time to realize that even if I didn’t FEEL like forgiving them, like in this verse, I HAD to forgive them to be obedient to God. 

It had become a habit after so many years to go over the bad things whenever the name came up in my head/heart, and I had to make it a HABIT to NOT go over the bad things, but to pray to God for help to forgive, and to pray for God’s Blessings on them, knowing only He can heal my hurting heart.

This scripture goes on to say to me that God forgives them AS I forgive them, and then it goes on further and says that it is for OUR OWN SAKES that He has forgiven them, because Satan can take advantage of us through our anger… at least that is what I believe this is talking about. 

At the time, I prayed and prayed for what I wanted to happen, but it didn't.  It wasn't that God didn't listen or answer my prayers, it was that He knew best and said, "No." In other situations, He has said "Wait."

As to that other situation, over the years, that person and I have again become friends, AND God has shown me that HE had a different plan for my life, for I wouldn’t have met and married Mike or had my wonderful kids and grandkids if things had gone according to MY plan… 

(Pic. from 1995)

A Good Scripture Passage to Keep in Mind...

While working on my Proverbs Bible Study, I remembered these scripture verses that I have hanging up on my wall.

They are said so well in the Amplified Bible, and I try to keep them in mind as I go about my daily living…

Ephesians 4:29-32 (Amplified Bible)

29 Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it. 

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).

31 Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).

32 And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.

Lord, keep these thoughts close to my mind as I walk the daily path that You have chosen for me…

Proverbs 12: 10 The Treatment of Your Animals Shows What’s Inside…

I do another blog that is a Bible Study from the book of Proverbs, and today’s verse is one that is just so close to my heart that I wanted to share it here as well. I don’t think very many of you follow both blogs, so hopefully this won’t be a re-run for you.

Today’s verse talks about the way people treat their animals as being a way to judge their character. I find this interesting because we see more and more animal abuse and neglect as the incidence of other forms of crime, abuse and neglect rise.

Proverbs 12: 10 (NKJV)

10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal,

But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

righteous: Morally upright; without guilt or sin Upright: Adhering strictly to moral principles

regards: 1. To give heed; pay attention 2. To take into account; consider. 3. Obsolete: To take care of.

         Synonyms: regard, esteem, admiration, respect

These nouns refer to a feeling based on perception of and approval for the worth of a person or thing

mercies: 1. Compassionate treatment 2. A disposition to be kind and forgiving  3. Alleviation of distress; relief 4. humane and kind, sympathetic, or forgiving treatment of or disposition toward others

wicked: 1. Evil by nature and in practice 2. Highly offensive; obnoxious

cruel: predisposed to inflict violence, pain, or hardship, or to find satisfaction in the suffering of others

By using the definitions of the main words of the Bible Text, we see that people that are morally upright, or adhere strictly to moral principles, will pay attention to the care of their animals. They feel that there is worth in living things, and that they have feelings and need love.

By contrast, those people that are evil by nature and in practice, and that are predisposed to inflict violence, pain, or hardship, or to find satisfaction in the suffering of others, just don’t seem to have the capacity within themselves to give humane and kind, sympathetic or compassionate treatment even to their animals.

This is SO SAD! I feel that one of the main ways to change people is to change their hearts, and only love, and in particular, the Love of God and His forgiveness in lives, will do that. When we ask Jesus into our lives to wash us from the sins we’ve repented of, and to become the LORD and Savior in our lives, then HE will change us from within, and when He comes again, Romans 8:21-23 tells us:

Romans 8: 21 – 23 (NKJV)

21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Flowers in My Garden…

Spring has come to Corgi Country, and so many of my flowers are blooming… This Easter Lily always blooms just about Easter time and reminds me of Christ’s pure heart that was broken for ME… to pay for my sins… AND that He rose again to give me the promise of life forever with Him.

I have three different rose bushes…

One is this small, but frilly white rose that came back from being a dead looking branch when we didn’t have water for those 9 months last year. It reminds me of the life that can come into a person who feels all withered and dry and then turns to Jesus who gives the “Water of Life,” freely to those who come to Him and ask for it.

Another is this hardy pink rose that is still in a bud… A promise of life and beauty to come.

And the last is my “Friendship Rose.” This one is both red and white, and reminds me of Jesus friendship with me and how the red of his blood washed me white as snow in God’s eyes.

My white irises are also blooming, and I just noticed tonight, that my purple ones are opening up. The purple reminds me that the color of a King’s robe was purple, and that I have a wonderful and loving King that has chosen me to be a part of the Bride of Christ. 

There is NO WAY that I see myself as a princess or royalty of any kind, but the Bible says that’s the way He sees me... and YOU if you’ve accepted Him as your Savior and Lord! Isn’t that amazing?

Our Lilacs are in bloom as well, and their sweet perfume fills the air around the front yard with their fragrance, like the Bible talks about heaven having a sweet fragrance, and that is something I really look forward to!

These Bible Verses aren’t about flowers, but spoke to my heart this week so I thought I would share them with you…

John 16:33 In this world you shall have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Young Women of Virtue… Abigail

I have been following an amazing young teenage woman that has a LOT of Godly wisdom. Her name is Abigail, and her blog is called, “Young Women of Virtue.” This is her header...


I just finished reading a blog post of hers that I wish every young woman would get a chance to read. This would also be great for a person who teaches young women (teens) to teach to their class. The name of the post is “Role Models: Hollywood or Rebekah and Abigail." Here is an excerpt of this post, showing one of the Bible verses she uses…

Proverbs 31:30 "Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised." Today, I looked up the definition of favor in the strong's exhaustive concordance, it translates as follows: grace, charm, elegance, and strangely enough, acceptance. How interesting. So, the bible clearly tells us that seeking after "acceptance" is deceitful. That's worth saying again! Wanting to be accepted or popular is deceitful!

This young woman tells it the way God’s Word does, and I HIGHLY recommend this post!

P.S. My grand-nephew, Brady, is home from the hospital. The tests for Cystic Fibrosis and for that deep Pulmonary virus, RSV came back negative. He will have to go down to UCLA for Neurological tests to see what is causing the seizures. Praise God that the tests have all been negative, and please continue to pray that it was the fever that caused the rest of his problems. My niece is so glad to be home. We thank you all so much for your prayers for Brady and his family!


This is the second of her children that has had some serious problems. One of her daughters (6 years old) has Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, which translates to a piece of her brain isn't developed or isn't there. This is truly a MIRACLE CHILD that has been through a lot, but God's grace has brought her MUCH farther than the Doctor's ever gave hope for! She can walk and talk, and is attending regular classes at this time with just a little extra help... This is through God's touch and the unending hard work of her mother and grandmother (my sister). This is a picture of her when she was going through a LOT of pain. She was around 2 years old, and was already praying beautiful prayers!

The Center of Sin…

My husband was talking to me the other day about something that the Lord had shown him… maybe for a future sermon. He said that it had become clear to him that “I” was the center or starting place sin. You might have already thought of this, but I hadn't thought of it in exactly that way.


The very beginning of sin was when Lucifer, chose to put himself first... above God. Isaiah 14:12-14 (NKJV) tells us about it…

The Fall of Lucifer
12 “ How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations!
13 For you have said in your heart:
‘ I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation
On the farthest sides of the north;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’


He put himself above everything else… “I will…” and this is what he lead Eve to do too! He is the Father of Lies, and he told her that she would become as wise as God… She took it from there and put herself above what God had told her. “I” became the center of her focus instead of keeping her focus on God.



Isn’t this the center of ALL sin? We sin whenever we put “I” (ourselves) in front and don’t keep God in the center of our lives… I’ve been thinking about it and so far I haven’t found a sin that doesn’t come from a person putting himself ahead of God or what God asks him to do… like put others first before what we want…


I think this is something I need to think long and hard about until it becomes a part of me… It is MY job to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and HIS righteousness…”and not what "I" want...