It's celebration time again here in America, only this time people are gearing up for a big holiday weekend before the fourth of July actually arrives.
Although gathering with friends and family is part of our holiday (you can read about that here), having religious freedom is the main reason we love being American citizens. However, I'm not so sure that this nation that I love believes in freedom, religion or God anymore.
The American dream of being free included serving God and sharing our witness with others, yet it is becoming harder and harder with each new day. It's time to turn the clocks back and take a look at what being independent and free really means.
From the way things look right now, one would never know that Christ was a name above all names spoken in America. It's time to return to our covenant between God and nation if we are to receive His blessings and favor on our land as we have in the past.
My prayer for America and every nation on the earth ...
"May God be merciful and bless us. May His face smile with favor on us.
May Your ways be known throughout the earth, Your saving power among people everywhere.
May the nations praise You, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise You.
Let the whole world sing for joy, because You govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world.
May the nations praise You, O God, Yes, may all the nations praise You. Then the earth will yield its harvest and God, our God, will richly bless us.
Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear Him." (Psalm 67 NLT)
Read Return to Covenant for more insight and what July 4th is like in my family.
If this has touched you in any way, please share it with others and social media as you pray for all nations to fear the Lord and return to God.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
Unless noted, scripture reference in series was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. ImageCreative Common License if not specified.
Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, July 4th, Independence Day, Holidays, National Holidays
It wasn’t a typical Labor Day
Weekend knowing come Tuesday morning my husband would undergo another procedure
in the hospital. Nonetheless, we were
bound to make it a good one without labor, even though the feast for the
holiday would consist of three sticks to his side with Lovenox injections.
Added to his menu were laxatives,
magnesium citrate bottles and a half gallon of orangeade.Monday’s breakfast would be his only meal
before the operation so I wanted to prepare something scrumptious.Getting up early I set out to make a hearty
meal of ground turkey, ground beef, potatoes and wonderful herbs all simmering
in a pot.My veggie meal somehow didn’t
smell as aromatic, but we each appreciated our chow.
After eating we thoroughly enjoyed
our day reading, writing and watching old movies or baking shows on You Tube before
retiring to bed early.Up at 6 o’clock
a.m. we began the daily routine and finished our chores before leaving the
house.
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB –Armenia; Kingaroy, QLD,
Australia; Antigua and Barbuda; Belize; Bulgaria; Accra, Greater; Accra Region,
Ghana; Navan, County Meath, Ireland; Mosta, Central Region, Malta; Sagamu, Ogun
State, Nigeria; Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines; Northfleet, March &
Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom; Mazabuka, Southern Province, Zambia.
USA
–Birmingham, AL; Turlock,
CA; Alexandria, LA; Reisterstown, MD; Bock & Mounds View, MN; West
Hattiesburg, MS; Blue Ridge, NC; Millville, NJ; Northridge & Gibsonburg,
OH; Mustang, OK; Chambersburg, PA; Edinburg, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Hillsville
& Mayfair Estates, VA.
I am so happy
for your visit and hope that you come back each week to participate in the
weekly challenges.God has been faithful
and we expect His favor to abound in the lives of those who chose to be
Discipled by Jesus on Daily Favor Blog.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
We arrived at the hospital by 7:30
a.m. (September 6th, 2016) as instructed and were escorted to the
waiting room for the GI department.Five
people were already there; apparently their loved ones had been taken into
surgery.I can’t imagine how early their
day must have begun.
About five minutes later my husband was taken into another
room where behind closed doors he completed more paperwork and changed into a
surgical gown.The nurse came to inform
me that right before he was taken into surgery I could go in to see him.
In the prep room we prayed together, kissed and said I love
you to one another.Then at 8:10 a.m. I
watched my husband being wheeled down the hall and out of sight.Returning to my chair I sat impatiently as
the clock ticked on, as if staring at it would make time go by faster.
60+ Minutes
The doctor said that the
procedure would only take about thirty minutes, which didn’t seem long at the
moment.I tried to keep myself occupied
by flipping through magazines not reading a word, walking up and down the hall
or replacing the voices in my head with the conversations of those around me.
I could tell that those seated
must have known one another based on the dialog they exchanged.It was a welcome interruption from the feelings
that were trying to surface within me.
Not focusing on what was
happening down the hall in surgery, I stood and walked across the room.There was a large picture hanging on the wall
that was crooked and off center.Peeking behind the frame I looked to see if it could be moved easily
without me knocking it to the floor.
I noticed a lady sitting nearby
watching which gave an opening for a somewhat humorous conversation.For the past year I’ve looked at that picture
hoping that someone would rehang it, but there it was … still as crooked as
ever.
Over the next hour the room
emptied one-by-one as the people returned from surgery.Now I was all alone … except for my thoughts.
I Called and He Heard Me
My mind was taking me to places a disciple of Jesus’ shouldn’t go, so I knew I had to get it in line with the Word of God.Although the procedures hubby was having done weren’t that difficult,
the concerns were that he was off his heart medication for almost a week.
After 30 minutes passed I grew
anxious hoping a nurse would come tell me he was in recovery.When an hour went by it was harder to control
my emotions and that’s when fellowship time with Jesus helped my faith to
overtake anxiety or fear from surfacing.
Stretching my legs I leaned over
a four foot tall side wall in the waiting room looking at the empty seats
before me.My conversation with the Lord
was hushed, almost voiceless, but an open plea for His presence to be made
known.That’s when a passage of
scripture came to mind from Psalm chapter 34.
I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly
speak His praises. I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are
helpless take heart.
Come, let us tell of the Lord’s
greatness;
let us exalt His name
together.
I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no
shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
He saved me from all
my troubles.
For the Angel of the Lord is a guard;
He surrounds and
defends all who fear Him.
Taste and see that
the Lord is
good. Oh,
the joys of those who take refuge in Him!
Fear the Lord, you His godly people, for
those who fear Him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but
those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
(Psalm 34:1-10 NLT)
Surrounded by the Godhead
With all my being I’m trying to
comprehend what the first disciples encountered with each step of their new
life with Christ.Everything that my husband
and I are experiencing I’m approaching differently, analyzing how I dealt with
things before and how I am supposed to handle things with the wisdom of God
that’s flowing through my blood bought veins.
I’m not expected to walk in the
footprints of those who have gone before me, but make my own imprint for the
Lord learning from them as God directs my path.Understanding this has driven me to study, pray and ask more questions
along my journey.
Knowing that there wouldn’t be
anyone with me that morning physically, I had already made my requests before
the Lord asking that He would send someone as an encourager as I waited.Over and over I confessed the Word and with
each phrase the Holy Spirit was my Comforter.
I prayed to the Lord, and He answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
My back was still facing the
outer hallway as I remained hunched over the side wall with my hands clasped
inside one another.Prayerfully I beckoned
to feel the Lord’s presence to help me remain steadfast and strong.With
my eyes closed, calmness overcame my anxiety as I took deep breaths and embraced
the moment.
For the Angel of the Lord is a guard;
He surrounds and
defends all who fear Him.
All of a sudden from behind I
felt warm arms wrapped around me, with radiant joyful sounds of delight
whispering in my ears.It was Chrissy,
an employee of the hospital from a different department.She didn’t know we were there, but was coming
from the cafeteria.Seeing me from a
distance, Chrissy ran to embrace me with kindness and words of encouragement …
just as I prayed!
Those who look to Him
for help will be radiant with joy; no
shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
He saved me from all
my troubles.
Healing of the Mind
If we continue to search what it means to be a disciple we cannot leave out the part where “Jesus
healed them all.”As the selection grew
to twelve disciples, each witnessed first-hand the power of healing and casting
out demons by Jesus Christ.Once their
faith fully kicked in, they were able to do the same things.
They saw people just touching
Jesus’ garment and being healed, and a key point in all of this is that they
heard with their own ears the words of Jesus telling the people, “You’re faith
has made you whole."What an opportunity
that had to be with the Master.
Fast forward to today.Is healing taught, shown or manifested in your
church or in the circles you travel?Probably
not that much; as a matter of fact most denominations shy away from the subject
of healing.
There is another area or part of
healing I’d like to address.Did you
realize that you could call on the Lord to heal and free you from fear or
anxiety as well?
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."
(Psalm 103:2 NKJV)
When we receive Christ as our
Savior our spirits are born again or “changed”, however our body and mind
remain the same.It is our faith in the
ability of Jesus that changes spirit, soul and body.Being grounded in the Word of God helps us to
understand what benefits we have as believers.Time spent reading the Bible allowed my mind
to draw on the correct passage of scripture when I needed it.
If I hadn’t known that the Lord
surrounds those who fear (are reverent to) Him, my emotions could have run wild
causing my prayers to be ineffective.Over and over believer’s witness and testify of their healing from
sickness, disease or illness, but little do we hear of people calling on the
Lord to help overcome their emotions.
Since we still live in our
earthly flesh bodies, at times we may experience bouts of fear, anxiety or
depression.It is our responsibility to take captive all
those thoughts so that they don’t cause us to sin by giving in to them.
“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 …”
(2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJV)
As true followers of Jesus we
have to believe that He is with us at all times, standing by us at work, home
or even in a hospital waiting room.He
is always available, because just like the early disciples, our journey and
calling relies on His presence.
This Week’s Challenge:
Call on the Real God Squad
As we learn to be the kind of disciple Jesus needs us to
be in this age, each lesson should churn the desire to be more like
Christ.I have no doubt that every
believer comes to a turning point in life where their faith is tested concerning
what God can really do.If we are to be
like our Master, we have to believe He can do all things pertaining to our spirit,
soul and body.
Our challenge this week requires modern day disciples to
call on the God squad – Father, Son and Holy Spirit to meet emotional needs.The undisciplined mind is a playing field for
the devil, and when he gains access to the court he will try whatever it takes
to cause us to surrender our thought life to negative things that don’t breed
life.
Whenever your mind starts to wander onto the unguarded fear
or anxiety road, be mindful of Who guards, surrounds and defends you at that
very moment.
For the Angel of the Lord (Jesus) is a guard;
He surrounds and
defends all who fear Him.
Remember that God has promised that those who turn to Him
for their help in times of crisis or difficulty will be favored with inner joy
that will change the outward appearance.When we pray He listens and saves us from our situation the way we need
to be saved (not the way we think He should handle things).
Those who look to Him
for help will be radiant with joy; no
shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
He saved me from all
my troubles.
The surgery on my husband did run a little longer than
expected, but I didn’t find out why I had to wait well over an hour until
yesterday (Sept 15th).Upon
returning to the step-down unit for recovery, hubby asked to use the rest room.After
being escorted to the facility by the nurses, he closed the door and immediately
fell asleep for fifteen minutes!I guess
it’s only fair since he just found out who showed up in the waiting room when
he read this post.
I didn’t know who would show up that day or even if
anyone would in the natural.However, I
did know that God the Father heard my prayer and I exalted Him over any
emotion. His Son Jesus was present and
the Holy Spirit gave my soul comfort.
You don’t have to “go it” alone.Joyfully glorify, bless and exalt the Lord as
He makes His presence known.Jesus is on
the journey with you and is always ready for action.He is willing to heal and save you from ALL
your troubles … all you need to do is have faith in His ability to do it.
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified. Image: Meat in PotSurgery Waiting RoomClockMind of ChristWhat God DoesJesus Heals A Cripple ManFYI Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief. Mind Get in Line, Discipled by Jesus, Discipleship, Disciples of Jesus, Daily Favor Blog, Favored1, God's Favor, Christian Living, Dealing with Feelings of Anxiety, Fear, Fear of the Lord, The God Squad, Psalm 34, hospital, Joyce Meyer, Shane & Shane, Taste and See; Living Beyond Your Feelings: Controlling Emotions So They Don't Control You; Battlefield of the Mind.
Have you ever
prayed and then did something thinking ... “Oh,
great, now I blew my prayer request.There’s no way God will answer that one.”?
Well, that’s
what the devil wants you to think. As a matter of fact, he
wants you to believe all those godly seeds you’ve been continually planting
morning and night (like I mentioned in last week’s part 1) are destroyed.
Let me assure you, they are not.God’s mercy allows us to step right back into
His gracious favor.
New on DFB – Algeria; Bahrain; Barbados; Belarus; China; Egypt; Fiji;
Kenya; Germany; Indonesia; Syria; Marina Islands; Mozambique;
Rwanda; Lagos, Nigeria; Islamabad, Pakistan; Pokhara, Nepal; Mumbai,
Maharashtra, India; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Hanover,
Niedersachsen, Germany; Lebanon; Switzerland.
USA – Gibbstown, Marlton, NJ; Greeneville, TN.
Thank you for your continued support and sharing
Believing Our Belief on Daily Favor.(DFB - Daily Favor Blog)
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below.All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life.Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Continuing on our journey, believing what we believe, this
one may cause your radar to sound, and I hope it does.When the Bible talks to us about having a
“fear of the Lord” it doesn’t mean we are to be afraid of God.When we see this phrase in scripture it
refers to the children of the Lord having a reverence and awe for who Jehovah
is – GOD.
People use the word “awesome” so much these days that
they have destroyed the value of the meaning and to whom it belongs.I never use that word for anyone or anything
except when referring to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.There is no one like Him, so how can we use
words that describe His greatness on anything or anyone but Him.
“And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He
chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and
your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to
fear (reverence) the LORD your God always (continually so it becomes
habit).”(Deuteronomy 14:23 NKJV)
Having a fear of the Lord comes with wisdom in knowing who He is,
and recognizing that all blessings come from Him alone.Revering God above everything else with your
praise, blessings, offering and life will cause Him to dwell with you.
When God’s in your house, He doesn’t come
empty handed!
“…that all the people of the earth may know the Hand of the LORD,
that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” (Joshua 4:24 NKJV)
Blessings in Continual Prayer
Throughout the Bible we read how people prayed and the
Lord delivered them out of all their distresses.How often do you pray?Most people only pray when they are in a jam
and need God to pull them out of their predicament.They never even think to talk to Him daily
let alone be in a continual conversation with Him, and then they wonder why God
doesn’t swoop down like Superman to save them.
Our need to stay in a state of prayer isn’t because we
are always afraid something is going to happen.We are encouraged to be in communion with God so that when things do
arise, we already have answers and we believe the Lord will do as He promised.
Continual prayer boosts our belief life, because we are
reminded of the goodness, grace and mercy of God even when we didn’t deserve
it. What it really means is maintaining preparedness for our journey.
“He saved them from the hand of him who hated them, and redeemed them from the
hand of the enemy.”
(Psalm 106:10 NKJV)
“Many times He regarded their affliction, but they rebelled in their
counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, when He heard their cry;
and for their sake He remembered His covenant,
and relented according to the
multitude of His mercies.” (Psalm 106:43-45 NKJV)
This
is one of my husband’s favorite verses; it reminds us of how good our God is. It is so powerful that the psalmist mentions it four times in Psalm 107:
“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered
them out of (ALL) their distresses.” (Psalm 107 NKJV)
How
many distresses?Not some, but all of
them.
Blessings
in Continual Rejoicing
Have
you ever been in a store where you see a “joy sucker” you want to avoid, so you
slip into another aisle hoping they didn’t see you?I know I’ve done it and so has my
husband.We scurry around the premises
gasping so we don’t have that encounter with that “brother or sister” in Christ
who wants to tell us about every bad thing that is happening in their life.You don’t want to seem uncaring, but there
are only twenty-four hours in a day!I
hope I’m never that person people are trying to avoid.
What
a downer to see a Christian in a bad mood over something that shows they have
no faith.How in the world can the Lord
bless such a sour puss?If we really
believe what we say we believe about God’s Word, our outlook on things would
dramatically change.
Instead
of seeing our up and down moods, people would notice that when they see us we
are in a continual joyful state.Our
situations would change and people would view us differently. They would
actually want to be around us!Wouldn’t
that be nice?
“As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich;
as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."
(2 Corinthians 6:10 NKJV)
“Rejoice in the Lord always.
Again (continually) I will say,
rejoice!”
(Philippians 4:4 NKJV)
Saints
should be continually joyful even when we are sorrowful, not because we ignore
the pain, but we know the outcome is in God’s hands.
If
we truly believed we walk in the favor of God, our circumstances would be continually
changing as our praise enters Heaven's gates.Our habit of praising, sowing, praying and rejoicing would be a goal we
strive to achieve as we reverence the Lord our Creator.
“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, therefore is not an
act but a habit.”
Aristotle
This Week’s Challenge:
Continual Rejoicing
Consistency is vital for any successful venture, especially in pursuing Christ. It's not something you can do once in a while, but has to become a lifestyle if we are to live what we say we actually believe.
To help us remember that our believing God is key to His
blessings, we are going to learn to rejoice always, again and again and again.
For seven days we are going to sing scripture blessings
unto the Lord as He has instructed.God
tells us to remind Him of His Word not because He needs to remember what He
said, but so we remember what He has promised.
I’m sure you know many songs that contain passages of the
Bible, but this week’s challenge is to memorize Philippines 4:4 through singing
it to God in prayer (using the video's below).In doing so,
we will fulfill the last three items needed to walk in continual favor.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.”
(Philippines 4:4 NKJV)
When you are feeling
discouraged or disheartened, remind yourself of what you believe and that continual
favor from God comes through:
Maybe you don’t know the Living God that I
know, but would like to have this kind of favor in your life also.Click on the above tab “Tell Me About Jesus” for more
information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy.
Scripture
reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provided by Bible Gateway. Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified. Image: ConsistencyFear of the LordWisdomJohn Wesley QuoteRejoice Always Disclaimer Notes: Results may vary due to lack of belief.
