Author: Bill

From Bill— The Great Reset? Have you heard of it? I am not going to spend much time trying to discern or explain what it fully means. But one aspect for sure we will look at today. When everything is stripped away, we focus on our only hope – our God. When reading about the Israelites in Kings and Chronicles we see so many examples of bad behavior and misplaced focus. Of course this is true of us also. But when they were good, they were GOOD. it’s like the only thing they cared about was the Tabernacle, the Temple, and the presence of the Lord. The stories of David dancing, Solomon dedicating the temple, Hezekiah leading the people in worship, Josiah doing a massive Passover, Ezra reading the whole law while the people stood and listened, etc.  As I was lamenting certain unanswered prayer, the Lord spoke to my heart and asked “if it means so much to you why did you not fast and agonize over this?” A fair question, isn’t it? How much does God really mean to us? How important is He in our everyday lives? I know I have much to improve. —As do we all! Love Mel

1 Sam 16:7 (ESV)The Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. —This is why it is so important for us to guard the heart! — Prov 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. — You know that we store His words within our heart, that we may be willing & prepared to follow after him! It is so important to guard the heart & plant His words & ways deep within, for it is here that we find the abundant life! Love Mel

Where is your safe place? —Psalm 46:1 (KJV)God is our refuge & strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 9:9 (KJV)The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 145:18 (ESV)The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. Prov 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. — We need to remember that His very Name is a strong tower that provides us safety when we run to Him! Love Mel

From Bill— How well did “cramming” for tests work in school. Sometimes we got by but rarely did we excel or truly learn. —Prob 12:24 tells us “The diligent hand will rule, but laziness will lead to forced labor.” —Often we “cram” in our prayer lives, usually when there is a crisis. Sometimes it works & sometimes it doesn’t. It is best to be prayed up in advance of a crisis. Best to stay close to God & pray diligently according to His heart. —Psalm 37:4 tells us “Delight thyself also in the LORD; & He shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” —This means God will put His desires into our hearts. That is a sure way to answered prayer. Also,it is wise to pray for protection, favor, health, etc each & do it every day – before the crisis. May I suggest the Aaronic blessing in Num 6 and Psalm 91 each & pray it every day over your family, cares & concerns. In the Armed Forces this is called prepping the battlefield.  It is always a good idea to pray in advance. Love Mel

Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) Woe unto them that call evil good, & good evil; that put darkness for light, & light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter! Luke 11:35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness Psalm 94:20- 21 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who framed injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous & condemn the innocent to death. Prov 17:15 (ESV) He who justifies the wicked & he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD. —That means don’t do them! Not sure if people read the Bible anymore. The older I get, the more I understand, that when God says He doesn’t like something, He really means it. We tend to find it out way too late in the game, when we refuse to listen! LISTEN! If He says NO, then NO is what we need to hear & obey! For our own good! Love Mel