Spiritual Thoughts

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React or Respond?

by Gail Rodgers

**When things heat up, it is easy to respond in anger. How do you respond?

Susan yelled at the kids. She didn’t like doing it but it seemed to be happening a lot lately. She sat down for a cup of coffee after supper. A Bible verse on the back of a magazine that was with today’s mail caught her eye.
“A soft answer turns away anger but harsh words stir it up” (Proverbs 15:1).
She thought about her own responses lately. She knew she often used the stirring sthingy of harsh words and raised voice and needed help to put a soft response in its place. She knew she needed to be firm at times but with a gentleness that God could give her.
We need to keep our focus on modeling Christian character, yet we are all dealing with daily life and its challenges too. Here is a simple exercise that can help us move from “reacting” in our own lives and circumstances to “responding” in the character of Jesus.
Grab a child’s hula-hoop, stand in the middle of it and hold it around your waist. There…that circle that surrounds you represents your area of control. It is your own thoughts, your feelings, your ideas, your passions, your decisions, your words, all that you are responsible for.
Now envision a second larger circle outside the hula hoop. This is the circle that represents other people’s thoughts, emotions, decisions, passions, ideas and words. You have no control here, only influence.
Think about what’s been happening this week inside your hula-hoop. Have you been reacting to life’s pressures with the stirring sthingy of harsh words, raised voice or angry tones? Are thoughts or emotions spiraling you down?
Invite Jesus into the areas of life where reactions are abrasive. He will give His strength where yours is weak. Then you will be less inclined to reach into the next hoola-hoop and try to control the decisions, ideas, words and feelings of others. You will be more aware of the gentle influence you can have when you “respond” with Jesus’ help rather than “react” in your own sandpaper humanness (Galatians 5:22).
Tend carefully what is happening in your hula-hoop and be less concerned about what is going on in others’. It will enable you to walk in a freshness of spirit that will impact and influence all your relationships.
~Lord God, Help me to turn my reactions into chosen responses by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Questions: Are you aware of your reactions? Do you need to invite God into your hoola hoop of life and fill your responses with His grace?

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God IS in the center of my hula hoop & in All my affairs

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Cease the Blaming Game and Live

Exodus 14:10-12: “They were terrified and cried unto the Lord. They said to Moses, “…What have you done to us…?” (vv.10-11).

As Pharoah’s army approached, the frightened Israelites blamed Moses. “Look what you’ve done! It’s all your fault we’re in this mess!”

Perhaps some of us have made similar charges –if not aloud, then silently. Confusion and anger about past or present circumstances, and fear about the future may cause us to point at another.

“He’s the reason I’m not happy or fulfilled in my work” or “She’s to blame for my perfectionistic habits.” Ellen Sue Stern, author of the book, Running On Empty, says “blame keeps us victimized…”

Blaming blocks us from acknowledging the truth about our past while it hinders our current growth.

Learning to accept responsibility for our adult choices, emotions and behavior is a step toward stopping the destructive results of blaming others. Once we believe that we can change the things about our lives over which we have control, we are on the way to decreasing our anger and helplessness. With God’s help we can cease playing this blaming game and begin to live in freedom and acceptance.

Lord, help me face my fears and cease blaming my background for my current circumstances. I trust you to avenge the injustice in my past,
to help me deal with my present, and to secure my future.

Joan C. Webb

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I Belong To God by Nancy Burr
I belong to God,
The maker of it all.
No matter how I feel,
Up to my God I’ll call.
I belong to God,
The healer of my soul.
When I asked Jesus in,
My life He made so whole.
I belong to God,
He’s my Father for always.
Such honour I do feel,
So I lift His name in praise.
I belong to God,
He sent His Son for me.
Jesus died upon the cross,
So my heart can be free.
I belong to God,
So special I do feel.
When I am down and lost,
My sad heart He does heal.
I belong to God,
He is the strength I need.
To Him I'll hold on tight
And follow where He leads.
I belong to God,
Forever and always.
I'm a child of the King,
And with me He always stays.
I belong to God,
I know I belong to Him
Jesus made it possible,
Now I belong to Him.

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Then the angel of the Lord came again and touched him and said, "Get up and eat some more, or the journey ahead will be too much for you." So he got up and ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to travel forty days and forty nights to Mount Sinai, the mountain of God. (NLT) 1 Kings 19:7-8

Replenishing our bodies for a new day cannot be stressed enough. God has given us tremendous and personalized talents but without energy to perform them, we would not be able to do our best. This can affect your work, home and spiritual growth. If you've been working hard on a long project at work or home, don't forget to schedule an extended break at the end of your project or even in the middle so that you can replenish yourself.

Daily Bible Devotion

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The Daily Reprieve
HOW TRULY LOVING

“The power of God goes deep!” Alcoholics Anonymous, page 114

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” Psalm 145:3

For what it's worth: How arrogant of me to think God could never reach me! In reality, He did not need to reach me. He was there the whole time, daily protecting me, especially during many near death experiences. Moreover, just at the right moment when I surrendered and was willing to accept it, He carried me to Alcoholics Anonymous. I never would have gotten here on my own. Since that day, August 8, 1974, I can not begin to keep track of all the blessings I have received from my Higher Power. Just counting the one-day-at-a-times of sobriety is staggering. That is especially true when I think of all those days I craved a drink; the days I did not believe I could make it; the times when I was severely depressed; those periods of being in a spiritual desert; and, all the just-want-to-escape days. In addition to counting all the days God grace kept me sober, when I think of all His other blessings in every other aspect of my life throughout those years, and the multitude of times when I was not even aware of God at work in my life, I realize there is no way to fathom how truly loving my Heavenly Father is, has been, and will continue to me to me!

God bless you!

Joe W.

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Character Building Part 07 - Becoming a Woman of Wisdom

by Gail Rodgers
Godly wisdom is beyond the knowledge of the world. God’s wisdom helps us know what is true and right. His wisdom keeps us growing in our character.

A wise woman grows in wisdom…
She knows that true wisdom comes from God. She will ask for it and watch for God to supply it.
Many situations require wisdom not found in textbooks. God has promised He will supply the wisdom we need as we ask Him and believe He will supply it.
A woman of wisdom has strength and dignity. She speaks carefully and with good judgment. She learns how to grow in trusting Jesus and applies the Bible to her everyday situations. She is careful about not speaking idle words or gossip. Her speech is full of truth and spoken with grace.
“If any of you lacks wisdom he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt… ” James 1: 5 & 6

To grow in wisdom ask God for His supply. Be specific in your requests in areas you need to be wise. Ask in faith, believing God will give you the wisdom you need.
prayer & reflection

Father God,
There are so many times and places that I need Your wisdom. My own has proved inadequate over and over. Help me to remember to ask You for the wisdom I need. Thank you that You promise to be generous in giving it. Father, increase my faith to believe You will help me to be wise. As I journey through life help me not to lean on my own understanding. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit as I acknowledge You and look for You to direct my path with wisdom.
In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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God's Word For Today

God’s Requirements

Read Micah 1:1 through 7:20

Justin and his brothers were walking home from a football game when he found an envelope that contained a deposit slip and three thousand dollars in cash. The next day Justin went to the bank and deposited the money into the person’s account. He then asked the teller to mail the receipt to the person.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Justin’s beliefs were seen in his actions, which honored God and displayed a right example to his brothers. God’s Word instructs us how to live on a daily basis. Let’s bring honor to God by doing right in all our ways, being compassionate and kind to others, and walking with a humble heart every day. No matter what we accomplish in life, whether great or small, remember it’s all because God has enabled us to do it. What we do is who we become.

Prayer Suggestion: Ask God to help you act justly, show compassion, and walk humbly.

Quicklook: Micah 6:3–8

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We Don’t Like to Wait
by Max Lucado

We don’t like to wait. We’re the giddy-up generation. We frown at the person who takes eleven items to the ten-item express checkout. We drum our fingers while the microwave heats our coffee. “Come on, come on.” We really don’t like to wait!

Look around you. Do you realize where we sit? This planet is God’s waiting room. The young couple? Waiting to get pregnant. The guy with the briefcase? Waiting for work. Waiting on God to give or to help. Waiting on God to come. The land of waiting. And you? Are you in God’s waiting room?

You may be infertile or inactive, in limbo, in between jobs or in search of a house, spouse, health, or help. Here’s what you need to know. While you wait, God works! God never twiddles His thumbs. He never stops. Just because you’re idle, don’t assume God is. Trust Him. In the right time, you’ll get through this.

From You’ll Get Through This

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"The LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

* It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. Psalm 118:8
* Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. Psalm 146:3
* Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Isaiah 2:22
* Look now, you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces a man's hand and wounds him if he leans on it! Isaiah 36:6
* Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be afraid and put to shame.Isaiah 20:5
* This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD. Jeremiah 17:5

I am sure you noticed how the verses got stronger and stronger as we read through the list above. It starts as a suggestion, became a command and ends in a warning.

This is a good reason to analyze our selves if we trust in any men. How about our bosses? Husbands? Neighbors? Parents? Or even your own hands? Are we clinging on to mere men or our ability as our "source" forgetting that the ultimate Source is the Lord God Almighty? This can't be.

Today's take away is from Isaiah 26:4 which once again re insists the importance of trusting in the Lord: Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

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Waiting Doesn’t Come Easy
by Max Lucado

Waiting is easier said than done! Waiting doesn’t come easy for me. I’ve been in a hurry all my life. Pedal faster, drive quicker. I used to wear my wristhingych on the inside of my arm so I wouldn’t lose the millisecond it took to turn my wrist. What insanity!

I wonder if I could’ve obeyed God’s ancient command to keep the Sabbath holy. To slow life to a crawl for twenty-four hours? The Sabbath was created for frantic souls like me; people who need this weekly reminder: the world will not stop if you do! Isaiah 40:31 promises, “Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Fresh strength. Legs that don’t grow weary. Wait on the Lord—He will bring rest to your soul!

From You’ll Get Through This

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God’s Workmanship
by Gail Rodgers

It’s important to accept what God says about who we are. All too often we live with feelings of deep inadequacy. We may regret the past or fear the future. In life’s crazy pace it’s easy to forget to schedule in time with our Lord and to ask ourselves, “Am I growing or eroding in who I am becoming?”

A wise person grows in understanding who he is.

One who knows how God sees him is confident in his identity. He knows God made him just the way he is and for specific tasks. He does not compare the inside of himself with the outside of another.

He makes the effort to grow in his knowledge of the truth of what God says about him. One who understands who he is in God’s sight knows he is:

* Accepted (Ephesians 1:5)

* Secure (Philippians 1:6)

* Significant (John 15:16)

His identity is not bound up in what he has, how he looks or what he wears. His identity is secured in who he is as a beloved child of God.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

Read Psalm 139 and ask God to fill your heart with the knowledge of just how esteemed you are in God’s sight. Ask Him to help you grow in your understanding of who you really are!

~ Father God, Sometimes it’s hard for me to think of myself as a piece of Your artwork, created to be just who I am. Help me to embrace the knowledge of who You say I am! I know all too well the weaknesses in me. I invite You to use these very things that I dislike about myself to be the entry point of Your strength and power in my Iife. I know You have things for me to do that go beyond this “to do” list of mine. Show me who You want to touch through me. Help me to live as an accepted, secure and significant child of the Almighty God today by the power of Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

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A BEGGAR

"Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying." Romans 12:12

"We have prayed, we have begged, we have been patient." Alcoholics Anonymous, page 105

For what it's worth: Prayer and patience did not live in the same neighborhood with my alcoholism. Actually, patient prayer became part of my life only after many years of sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. I had to live the Twelve Steps daily to achieve a spiritual awakening, opening my soul to the effectiveness of praying, praying, and praying. I cannot count the times I started to believe God was not listening, but the people and the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous encouraged me to be patient and keep praying, even begging, if needed. These days I can easily beg because every time I practice this spiritual concept, it works. Every single issue prayed about has not only improved, it has turned out to be a blessing to me and others.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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Change my heart, O God…

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 (NIV)

Here is one of the many verses in the Bible where it is easy to skip the first statement and grab hold of the second statement because it’s a promise of good things! BUT if I am looking for the good things of the promise – then I need to look at the words of wisdom in the primary statement.
The big question today for me is: Do I want to delight myself in the Lord? Do I want to be obedient to what God wants in my life? Do I look for God’s way? Do I study and listen so I know what that is?
These are soul-searching personal questions. I can fool anyone, even myself, but not God. If I allow God’s Spirit to meet and examine my heart – then my relationship with God becomes clear – it becomes righteous – a right relationship. And then the desires of my heart are also the desires of the Father’s heart for me! We are on the same page. We are of the same mind.
The devotion today is shorter than usual. Take time today to read this psalm. Join me in letting the words seep into our hearts – and change our lives.

Author Unknown

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"GLORY, HONOR, AND IMMORTALITY"

"To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life." Romans 2:7

"If you persist, remarkable things will happen." Alcoholics Anonymous, page 100

For what it's worth: During my drinking years, all manner of remarkable deterioration occurred as I persistently marched to hell. The grace of God saved me from the inevitable, granting me sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous, where I learned the value of persistence. When I did not drink, no matter how severe the suffering, remarkable things did happen. I grew up emotionally and spiritually, learning to let go and let God to survive any agony, minute by minute, and day by day. After all, what was a day of pain compared to the "glory, honor and immortality" of eternal life with my Heavenly Father!

God bless you.
Joe W.

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Quote:
I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves.
Otherwise it is almost like setting up ourselves as a
higher tribunal than Him. ~ Letters of C.S. Lewis,
19 April 1951 {submitted by Fran}

Luke 6:36
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Prayer:
O God,
Help me to forgive my own self of my failures and short fallings.
May I put aside all thoughts of self-condemnation. Help me to
be at peace. Amen.

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MY BEST DECISION

"Priests and prophets stagger from beer and are befuddled with wine; they reel from beer, they stagger when seeing visions, they stumble when rendering decisions." Isaiah 28:7

"In fact, the effectiveness of the whole A.A. program will rest upon how well and earnestly we have tried to come to 'a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.'" Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 34

For what it's worth: No decent decision was ever made when I was drinking. It may have seemed right at the time, but alcohol always deceived me. Only after being free from alcohol in Alcoholics Anonymous was I able to make healthy decisions. Fortunately for me, guidance was available by listening to members share and watching the example of their lives. This was the action that brought me to the best decision of my life, surrendering my will and my life to my Heavenly Father. Now, I make that same decision every day.

God bless you.
Joe W.

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New Version Of Footprints Author Unknown

Imagine you and the Lord Jesus are walking down the road together. For
much of the way, the Lord's footprints go along steadily,
consistently,rarely varying the pace. But your footprints are a
disorganized stream of zigzags, starts, stops, turnarounds,circles,
departures, and returns.

For much of the way, it seems to go like this, but gradually your
footprints come more in line with the Lord's, soon paralleling His
consistently. You and Jesus are walking as true friends! This seems
perfect, but then an interesting thing happens: Your footprints that
once
etched the sand next to Jesus' are now walking precisely in His steps.
Inside His larger footprints are your smaller ones, you and Jesus are
becoming one.

This goes on for many miles, but gradually you notice another change.The
footprints inside the large footprints seem to grow larger.Eventually
they disappear altogether. There is only one set of footprints they have
become one.

This goes on for a long time, but suddenly the second set of footprints

is back. This time it seems even worse! Zigzags all over the place.
Stops. Starts. Gashes in the sand. A variable mess of prints. You are
amazed and shocked. Your dream ends.

Now you pray: "Lord, I understand the first scene with zigzags and
fits. I was a new Christian; I was just learning. But you walked on
through the storm and helped me learn to walk with you." "That is
correct." "..And when the smaller footprints were inside of Yours, I
was actually learning to walk in Your steps; followed you very
closely." "Very good. You have understood everything so far."
"...When the smaller footprints grew and filled in Yours, I suppose
that I was becoming like you in every way." "Precisely." "So, Lord,
was there a regression or something? The footprints separated, and this
time it was worse than at first."

There is a pause as the Lord answers with a smile in his voice. "You
didn't know? That was when we danced. " To Everything there is a
season, a time for every purpose under heaven: A time to weep, a time
to laugh, A time to mourn, and a time to dance. Ecclesiastes 3:1,4.
__________________

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Quote:
Never deliberate what is clearly wrong, and try to
persuade yourself that it is not. ~ Frederick Temple

1 Corinthians 16:13 ESV
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men,
be strong.

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If I Had Only Known byJulie Pendergast
If I had only known
the road would be so long
I would have danced a little slower
I would have sang a different song
If I had only known
when I was young and free
I would have made so many different choices
Taken better care of me
If I had only known
the road would be so long
I would have stood in the rain longer
Moved far away from here
Walked on a beach in the moonlight
Watched the sun set into night
It is not for me to know how long the road will be
I need to thank God for the blessings
He has indeed bestowed on me
I will dance a little slower
And sing a different song
For God is traveling by my side
He has been there all along

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A Step of Faith

A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure. —Proverbs 16:9

There are times in life when you must take a step in order to find out, one way or the other, what you should do. Some doors will never open unless you move toward them. At other times you may take a step and find that God will not open the door. If you trust Him for guidance and the door opens easily, you can trust that He is leading you to enter into the opportunity before you.

Sometimes the only way to discover God’s will is to practice “stepping out and finding out.” If you have prayed about a situation and still don’t know what you should do, take a step of faith. We can stand before an automatic door at a supermarket and look at it all day, but it won’t open until we step forward to trigger the mechanism.

Trust God, take a step, and see if the door opens!

From the book Ending Your Day Right by Joyce Meyer.