I AM HIS

"But when the Holy  Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control."                                                                       Galatians 5:22-23
I was speaking to my 'little' brother the other day and he stated, "Long ago, I gave my life to God."  I was thrilled to hear that. 

Later, when I got off the phone from talking with him, I began to think….

Yes, we may have given our lives to  God, but have we allowed God to give HIS LIFE  to  us?

Think about it a minute….

Have our lives changed over the years since we gave our lives to Him?  Have we allowed Him to indwell our spirits by His Holy Spirit and infuse us with His characteristics?  (See the scripture above.)

Whereas we once worried, were anxious and troubled about so much, have we allowed Him to flood us with His peace as we learn to trust in His goodness and sovereignty?

Instead of a lack of forgiveness and a blazing bitterness toward others, have we allowed Him to instill a heart of forgiveness and mercy in us?

Are we hungering to get to better know the God to whom we have given our lives?  Do we read His instructions, encouragement, praise and love toward us in His Word?

Instead of going our own way, do we seek God and the way He wants us to go?

Do we love houses, and possessions more than we love and place Him first in our lives?

Giving our lives to God only becomes lip service unless we welcome God, by His Holy Spirit, to become part of us, all of us.

May we give heart service instead of only lip service to God if we truly intend on being and becoming more of His.

DISCOURAGED?

                  Why art thou cast down, O my soul and why are you disquieted within me? 
                                                          Psalm 42:5

Think about it - sometimes we do get discouraged.  Sometimes with good reasons:
You didn't get the job  you wanted….or the promotion….or the pay raise.
Your pregnancy test comes back negative….again.
The cancer has returned and decisions must be made as to treatment options.
Old age is creeping in and you feel it in your joints.  You are in pain.
The car, washing machine and computer all decided to quit at the same time.

No matter what the reason for your discouragement, it is real.  We are human…
                    For He knows our frame, He remembers we are dust.  Psalm 103:14

What we should NOT do:  We should not be giving a stern lecture to ourselves, condemning ourselves for FEELING like we do.  We are human.  We WILL feel various emotions, including discouragement. 

What CAN we do to cope with discouragement ?
1.  Admit that you feel discouraged by what has been happening.  

2.  Trust God and His goodness -  He will only allow circumstances to come to  you which first pass through His loving hand.  Even though difficult, He wants you to depend on Him while He changes the circumstances or carries you through.

        "It is the Lord who goes before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you or 
                  forsake you;  do not fear or be discouraged."  Deuteronomy 31:8

By God's grace as we learn to view things from God's perspective, our eyesight becomes clearer and we find discouragement lifting.

Then we will be able to say with the Psalmist: 
                Why art thou cast down, O my soul and why are you disquieted within me?
                Hope in God for I shall again praise Him, my help and my God.  Psalm 42:5

'Reflections of God's Glory' copyright 2014 Dawn Ulmer deu49097@yahoo.com
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GOD'S HELP

  

                                                                

                                                                   GOD'S HELP

                                  I cry to You for help for my heart is overwhelmed.  Psalm 61:2

                                                                O God, be not far from me;

                                           Oh my God,  make haste to help  me.  Psalm 71:12

Have you ever struggled, kicked, screamed and struggled some more?  Maybe it was a physical problem, an emotional problem, a family problem, an on-the-job problem that you were tackling with all your might.  Yet, the problem did not get better, all it did was wear you out. 

Recently I suffered from a gum infection.  I know that my body is designed by the Creator to call the white blood cells to fight infections and to heal.  I waited, rested, ate well, kept  hydrated, kept going to work, doing my daily tasks.    This particular infection, however, would NOT go away.  The battle was wearing me out.  My entire body could feel the toxins spreading.  Finally, I gave up.  A call to the dentist resulted in some help in the form of an antibiotic (which I never like to take unless nothing else works).  Within hours, my body felt at rest.  Help was finally here.  I didn't have to exert so much energy just to move and breathe.   A power greater than myself was fighting the battle.

God - a very present help in time of need.  That is who He loves to be.  When we call upon Him, He answers as only He can in His unique, mighty way.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.  

                                                                                                                              Psalm 107:  3, 19, 28

I don't know about you,  but I'm so thankful that I can cry out to the Lord  and help is always readily available.

Heavenly Father, when I cry out to You for help, thank You that  I can hear you saying, " When you call to Me, I will answer you, I will be with you in trouble, I will rescue you.  Psalm 91:15.  Thank You for Your help!  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

PAST PRESENT FUTURE

Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on  
                 toward the goal for the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
                                                         Philippians 3:13

Have you ever felt stuck between the past and the future?  The past can be full of good memories but it also can include regrets, sorrow and grief….  To get stuck in the past is dangerous….the JOY of today is gone.

Are you afraid of what the future holds?  Those fears, also, sap the energy and the joy of NOW and what God has for us.

                 I was young and  now am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken…
                                                             Psalm 37:25

Isn't it time to trust the God we know and put aside the fears?

What does God want us to do TODAY?  He told us! 

                SEE YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS 
                       AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.  
                                                          Matthew 6:33

Yes, we have read these scriptures (above) and believe them in our hearts and head but are we DOING the Word?  Are we forgetting what lies behind?  Are we taking no thought for tomorrow, trusting Him to care for us?  Are we seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness NOW, today?

Heavenly Father, please teach us to DO those things you instruct us to do…. In Jesus'  name.  Amen.

THIRSTING

         

                           …thirst for God, the living God.  Psalm 42:2

Do you know what it is like to be really thirsty, parched,  in desperate need of water?  Our experiences seem nothing compared to those who live in lands with little or no available drinking water.  Yet, sometimes we can truly thirst and we know how that feels.

Recently I had a medical emergency and was not allowed to have water until a certain test was performed the next day.  I was so thirsty, finding myself to be so desperate that I was actually begging for a swab to just wet my lips.  The nurse felt so sorry for me - wanting to give me what I craved - water - but was unable to because of the doctor's strict orders.

I will always remember that night, in torment, tossing and turning, trying to accept the thirst, patiently (or not so patiently) waiting.

I wonder if I thirst for God in the same way?  Is there a craving for Him?  A sense of desperation?  A desire for Him above all else?

The entire experience has opened my eyes to understand a bit more about what thirsting for God means.  It also opens my eyes to realize what Jesus must have felt when, on the cross, He cried out, "I thirst".

May we say with the  psalmist, "As the deer pants for streams of water so I long for You, O God."  Psalm 42:1

SEEING RIGHT SIDE UP

And He (Jesus) caught the blind man by the  hand and led him out of the village, and when He has spit on his eyes and put His hands upon him, He asked him, Do you see anything?

And he looked up and said, I see people, but they look like trees walking.

Then He put His hands on his eyes again, and the man looked intently and he was restored, and saw everything distinctly - even what was in a distance.
                                    Mark 8:23-25

Are we looking at things right side up?  Are we looking at things from God's perspective?  In this world, sometimes it is difficult to see things clearly.  We allow our fears, hopes, anxieties and dreams to shape what we think we see. 

Because our thoughts can mislead us, we need to take those thoughts to God so we can SEE right side up, so we can think His thoughts about a matter.

What helps us think right side up?
Be still before God.
Take our thoughts and emotions to the Throne of God.
Listen to His still small voice which will speak into our hearts and give us peace.
Read His Word for instructions and comfort and…all we need to know.
Obey what He gives us to do.
Trust Him implicitly.

Jesus may need to touch our eyes many times to keep us seeing right side up, but let's go to Him as many times as needed for seeing aright.

Heavenly  Father, Please heal my 'sight' so I can see with Your eyes, think Your thoughts and act accordingly.  In Jesus'  name.  Amen.

'Reflections of God's Glory' copyright 2013 Dawn Ulmer   deu49097@yahoo.com

BE DOERS OF THE WORD

And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to.  If you don't obey, you are only fooling yourself.  For if you listen and don't obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance.  You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.  But if you keep looking steadily into God's perfect law - the law that set you free - and you do what it says and don't forget what you have heard, then God will bless you for doing it.  James 1:22-23

Recently, at my place of employment in a business banking customer care center,  some training was required for a group of us which would increase our skill sets.  In-depth training was provided.  The manual was full of details to be able to do the tasks to meet the customer's  needs.  We were to use our computers to practice what we read in the manual.   Well, that was great for everyone else who had access to the program.  Due to some glitch, I did not have access.  So, while waiting for the access, I studied that manual, underlined, highlighted and added tabs all week.

When it was time to start taking live calls, I just then received access  to the system.  I found that no matter how hard I'd studied that manual, it was rough navigating since I'd never had the hands-on practice.  After four weeks, I am just now feeling more comfortable at 'doing'.

Through this experience, I was able to catch a glimpse of one of the ways God works in our lives.  He has given me the scriptures to see what is expected.  I can read, underline, study and tab and try to make them a part of my mind and heart - yet without DOING in order to practice what He tells me, learning is incomplete.  I need to hear and DO to be able to make the skills mine.

For example, God tells  us in His Word that we are to forgive those who hurt us.  Just reading that, I can nod my head in agreement.  Yet it isn't until He sends someone along who REALLY hurts me that I must take that nodding of the head in agreement and turn into real, honest hands-on DOING.  It is only in the DOING that a particular quality is added to my life.

How about you?  About what has the Word been speaking to you?  What lies in your pathway which needs the DOING to make it yours?  Let's do it! 

Heavenly Father, please help  me to HEAR what You are telling me and then empower me to DO it.  In Jesus'  name.  Amen.

'Reflections of God's Glory' copyright 2013 by Dawn Ulmer deu49097@yahoo.com