If Not Now, When?

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the Lord. Many, Lord, are asking, "Who will bring us prosperity?" Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4 NIV

For those actively involved in The Resistance, we have won a small battle, but the war is not over. We must continue the fight against injustice and an unjust person in the WH.

For those who were not actively involved, what's holding you back? Are you waiting for God to come down out of the clouds and speak to you personally about defending the rights of the poor and the needy? He has already said what we are to do in His Word.

For Christians to not know that it is our responsibility to defend the rights of the poor, needy and vulnerable, what is it going to take to get that through to hearts? How can anyone say they are a Christian and not do what Jesus did and told us to do--love?

If not now, when will it be a good time to demonstrate our love for God and in obeying His Word?
If not now, when will it be a good time to repudiate the notion that God chose trump to be the president of the United States when all he has done--indicates his love and fear of Putin is greater than his love for America?

If not now, when will Christians lift up the name of Jesus in their conduct and not just lip service by caring for all human beings and in protecting their rights?

If not now, when will Evangelical leaders remember they are supposed to follow after God and all He has put on their hearts to do--according to His Word--not their personal agendas.

If not now, when will those sitting in churches, listening to those promoting hatred and bigotry of others have the courage to get up and walk out--letting the leadership know, why they're leaving?
If not now, when will people stand up and speak out against those who perpetuate hatred against other human beings?

God is not pleased with our lack of compassion for other human beings, our treatment of those who are not like us and certainly our lack of concern for the rights of the poor, needy, and vulnerable. If anyone thinks that God is going to bless them for promoting hatred and embracing the lies of a liar, think again. God hates liars and has prepared a place for them all in the lake of fire.

People have rejected the most qualified person on the planet to be in the Oval Office and elected a "Napoleon wannabe" as a leader of the free world. He has accused President Obama of not being a strong leader (like Putin) and yet he has failed to be an "effective leader" since he has no clue what it means to be a public servant. He wants to be a dictator--who abides by no rules or policy or protocol--and uses threats and attempts to intimidate others--being a cowardly bully instead of a leader. He has refused to accept the fact that he cannot govern a nation run like one of his failed businesses. The chaos in the White House will continue until the people--all the sane folks in America--wake up and see that it's time for a real change--and if not now, when?

In 2018, the people must balance those in Congress so they'll be forced to work for the people, not a party agenda. In 2020, we must elect a president who understands the struggles and challenges Everyday Americans face and who will represent Everyday Americans and not a personal agenda. I'm an Everyday American who has lived the challenges most of us face and I know, I can and will represent all Americans since I have no personal or political agenda to achieve--other than doing what is best for all Americans.  Your support in this endeavor is appreciated.

With Great Compassion!

This is what the LORD says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.I will turn all my mountains into roads, and my highways will be raised up. See, they will come from afar— some from the north, some from the west, some from the region of Aswan. Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:8-15 NIV 

No matter what happens to us--we can hold onto this unchanging truth--God will never forget us!

Politicians may forget what they say and ignore those who forged the path of their success, but God won't.

Parents may forget about what their children should mean to them, but God won't.

Older Americans suffering from dementia and Alzheimers may forget much of their life, but God won't forget one moment of their lives.

God's remembrance of us and for us is a result of His compassion for the nations. He knows all about our troubles, and He knows when we veered to the left or the right instead of staying on the path He established for us, but His compassion keeps our place with Him until we find our way back to where He would have us. Hallelujah!

Without compassion--we who believe would be lost and so would the rest of the world. It is our responsibility to be the living example of who Jesus Christ is and unless we conduct ourselves as ambassadors for Christ--the nations will be lost. We must be compassionate people--able to love and care for others--especially those who don't look like us, believe like us, or think like us.

If we can only be compassionate to those who are like-minded, what have we accomplished? Our compassion has to extend beyond our immediacy or the immediacy of those we know. They should know--who we are in Christ--and if they don't, we haven't done a good job of living the message. We must move out of our comfort zones and extend compassion without bias to all who need need it--whether we think they deserve it or not.

Think about this for a moment--and be honest with yourself--do we really deserve God's compassion? Is there anything we could have done to earn His compassion when He made the decision to leave His throne, live among us, and for us that we might have eternal life? No--there is nothing we could have done to earn His favor and compassion. He did what He did because of love--He is Love--and He will continue to shower us with compassion because He can do nothing more than He is--Love!

Without having a compassionate nature--one that sees and feels the needs of others pulling at heart strings--one cannot lead a nation into anything other than chaos and bondage. When a leader has no compassion for others, their deeds are only intended to benefit them. Remember that!

30 Days of Prayer and Praise--30!

I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me. May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD, when they hear what you have decreed. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. The LORD will vindicate me; your love, LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands. Psalm 138 NIV

Day Thirty!

Lord Jesus,

You have kept us focused on the prize in our obedience to praising You. You have given us boldness, courage, stamina and insight with wisdom from above to keep moving forward, daily exercising our gifts in giving You praise.

Lord, thank You for continuing to pour into us knowledge and wisdom and desire to know truth and to always speak truth about all things. Daily, we'll lift our hearts and sing praises unto You for there is no other like You worthy of our praise!

Thank You for always quickening our spirits when dismayed and providing us with a circle of others who love You to keep us encouraged. Thank You for keeping our thoughts from straying as we continue to work to seek justice for all and to right wrongs perpetuated against others.

Thank You for being a beacon of light in the darkness of a world filled with hate and giving us boldness to speak love, dispelling the darkness in the hearts of those who do not know You, anointing them with Your love.

Thank You for being in the chambers of the Senate and House--speaking a word of encouragement to the hearts of those who stand up and speak out for those whose voices are not heard through their own attempts to speak loudly. Thank You for giving all elected representatives hearts of flesh and not of stone so they'll be moved with compassion and put country before party.

Lord, our Lord--who is mighty in battle and a conqueror never defeated--thank You for pouring into us Your spirit so we too can keep fighting the good fight of faith and are strengthened by the love You have for us in doing what is right for all people.

Blessed is the name of the Lord and blessed are those who obey Him in all things. Blessed are we who love You, O Lord that we might be a blessing to others and all who do not know You will come to know You through our living example of The Word.

In Jesus' name we pray and thank You, Amen!

30 Days of Prayer and Praise--15!

Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” I say of the holy people who are in the land, “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.” Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.  I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16 NIV

Day Fifteen

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for being in the midst of our trials, challenges and victories. You alone are the refuge we seek, the comforter of our hearts and minds when things attempt to get the best of us. You alone, O God, are the only One to whom we can turn for wisdom and understanding of all the events that unfold before us.

Comfort hearts of those who are mourning loved ones all over the world and give them peace of mind. Embrace them as only You can in the spirit and send others to remind them of Your Love. Create in all a receptive heart to hear a word of encouragement, and understanding. Give us compassion for all those who are hurting and lost--not knowing which way to turn, but allowing us to see beyond the moment and even the day, to hope for the joy of Lord to renew us and keep us moving forward.

Lord, we know there are things that happen we will never understand, but our hope and trust is in You for we know You know all things and have determined the outcome of all situations before they even happen. We trust You to know what is best for all and yet we  know that You will not force us to do anything beyond our will, but with our choices, we must accept the consequences of our actions.

Look upon the hearts of all who have failed to acknowledge You and have even encouraged others that Your existence is but a figment of imagination spawned in the hearts of those who "they say are ignorant." Create a situation in the lives of all who scorn and disbelieve so they will know that You are not a figment of anyone's imagination, but You are the creator of all that was ever created and without You, nothing was created. Prepare that Damascus Road experience for them so they will not be lost, but will be able to enter into Your rest at the end of time.

In the midst of the trials--we lift our hearts, our hands, and head to see You in Your all Your glory and give You praise. Glory to Your Name of O God, and may all who have life and blood running through their bodies--declare Your righteousness, mercy and goodness and receive from You--the love You pour out upon all--without constraint--without consideration of ethnicity, gender or skin tone or religious beliefs.

In Jesus' name, we pray and thank You, Amen!

Redemption

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, those he gathered from the lands, from east and west, from north and south.Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle.  They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle.Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:1-9 NIV

Who will do all things for us when we cannot do for ourselves?
The Lord--mighty and loving in all His ways,
Never ceases to counsel, guide and forgive us,
Never willing to let us be defeated by thought or deed,
Always whispering truth and filling our hearts with love,
We have been redeemed through His Son from above.

Giving thanks to The Lord for all He has done and is doing in the lives of all who love Him. For I know that without Him in our lives, we would not be able to accomplish anything worthwhile. And though the immediate future seems uncertain and dark, my complete faith and trust is in Him, not man or woman--for I know whoever is willing to hear Him speak will obey and do all things to His glory.

The glory of The Lord covers us like a veil when we are walking the path He establishes for us and when we stray--even for a moment--we can count on His loving arms to pull us back--so nothing the enemy plans for us will ever prosper.

No, there is not one perfect human being among us, but even though we are flawed, when we are willing to obey His Word and live it on a daily basis as a demonstration of who He is and not who we are, we remain in the shelter of His love.

There is none like Him--none who carries our burdens when we give them to Him; none who loves us even when we are unlovable and none who forgives us for our waywardness, giving us chance after chance to get things right with Him.

If we have never received His love, now would be a good time--to turn to Him and away from all those things that keep us from receiving His many benefits. When we are filled with His love, we don't have room for hate in our hearts. When we are filled with His love, compassion for others drives us to do whatever we can to help our neighbors and others in need. When we are filled with His love, we do not seek fame and glory or recognition for the things we do for we know whatever we do--He sees and rewards.

There is no need for us to wallow in self-pity or fear or unbelief. We simply need to be reminded that we have a Savior and Redeemer and His name is Jesus. Let the Redeemed of the Lord, say so! I am redeemed!

What Are You Wearing?

But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:8-14 NIV

Styles--what we wear--in clothes, shoes, and other apparel--often change as rapidly as we can blink our eyes. But whether we follow the trendiness of all these changes doesn't matter. It's not the clothes who make us who we are--it is who we are that makes a difference in what we wear--not only materially, but spiritually.

I know some people can hardly wait for the new fashion seasons to start and those with money--big money--have a "must-have" mentality and will go anywhere and pay any amount to have what they want to wear--to make sure people pay attention to them. We know this because "red carpet" events always emphasize what people are wearing--on the outside. But what resides on the inside of the person? That's what usually comes out and determines the character of the person.

If a person looks good on the outside, but nothing worth having resides on the inside--bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, rage, jealousy, bigotry and hatred--nothing they put on the shell of the body will make a difference in the greater scheme of things. Why? Because God looks upon the heart--not the outside--of anyone.

It won't matter how much money a person spends to make themselves look good on the outside if the inside--the spirit person--is need of cleansing and renewal. What happens in the "renewal process" of the sinner to the saint--cannot be purchased for any amount of money--we either submit to God's leading or we don't.

So, if we think we are something when we are nothing--we only fool ourselves and the real "us" will be seen in how we treat others. Time to change clothes yet?

If we ever expect to see unity--of all mankind--determined to be submitted to Holy Spirit and do things out of obedience--we must learn to wear love as tightly knit garment to hold in the virtues of compassion, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, peace, humility, and righteousness--keeping out all of the old stuff--belonging to the un-regenerated person.

Now, what are you wearing?

None Like Our God!

Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? Exodus 15:11 NIV

"There is none like You. No one else can touch my life like You do.
I could search for all eternity long and find, there is none like You!"

"In times like these, we truly need a Savior. In times like these, we need a friend.
Be very sure, your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock. His name is Jesus!"

Song lyrics keep rising in my spirit as I attempt to reconcile my thoughts and feelings  about all the tragedies occurring around us. Stuff happens--stuff we cannot control--but it does not mean that we don't feel--inadequate, helpless, angry, forlorn, sad--but we must feel--because if we don't feel something--we are dead inside. And anything dead, needs to be buried.

There are many gods people serve, but none of them are like our God.

Our God is not represented in the shaping of stones, He is the stone-shaper.

Our God is not represented in a string of beads or jewels; He is the creator of all that was ever created.

Our God is not contained or restricted by things or elements--He is everywhere at all times.

Our God knows everything about us and when the tragedies will occur--and He fills us with compassion, igniting desire to talk to Him, and to intercede on behalf of others.

Our God is compassionate, loving, merciful, and forgiving. And because He is, we who are filled with His Spirit--can be likewise.

In times like these, our true nature will come forth and we will either be more like God (we are not gods) or we will be insensitive to all going on around us.

His compassion towards His greatest creation--mankind--never ceases, never fails, and neither should ours.

His mercy is everlasting and though we may disagree with people about how they live and what they do--we should be merciful towards others when tragedies occur.

He forgives us--those who once were sinners--and some more sinful than others--but with God--sin is sin--no big ones or little ones, but we come to Him, repentant, He forgives all we've ever done and so should we--forgive others and ourselves.

He loves us so much He was willing to sacrifice Himself--for us--even though we rejected Him from the beginning as evidenced by our disobedience--He still loves us--unconditionally. And so should we--love others unconditionally, but unconditional love, does not mean we condone sin.

When we look at the attributes of God and how marvelous He is, we know we'll never measure up to Him, but it should not keep us from trying to reach a place of perfection in which He will be well-pleased.

Twelve Days of Kindness-Day 5!

What is desired in a man is kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar. Proverbs 19:22 NKJV

In all of the Bible, the word man does not necessarily mean a male, but is referencing mankind. And in order to accurately determine who is being referenced, we must study the word from the original context, based upon the language being used. In this verse, man is referencing Adam which was the name of both the male and the female, until the fall in the garden.

So what God desires in us is for us to be kind to one another and we see that being kind is not just reserved for those with wealth, but for those who have a compassionate heart and know truth 

Once again, I had a great day yesterday.  Armed with my golden hearts and a determination to see others smiled, I handed them out until I had no more. Now, for today, I must print more. Everywhere we went (my husband and I) I passed out a heart and watched people smile when they read the message. What a great feeling! I think I'll continue to do this long past the time of the twelve days because watching others smile, puts a smile on my face as well as fills my heart. I love the feeling.

When we walked into a restaurant, I asked the Lord to reveal to me who He wanted me to give a heart and even though I was tempted to hand them to some people, He steered me in other directions.
I watched one man's eyes fill with tears on a parking lot after he read the message. I have no idea what was going on in his life, but I prayed that God would address every issue in his life and bring him into a closer relationship with Him.

The message is not a bible tract; it is simply a note of encouragement.
Here's the heart for any who would like to copy and use.

Assistance Needed!

One of my followers on Twitter is in need of assistance and I have pledged to donate half of the proceeds from the sales of my book myBook.to/ElevatedHijinks through Saturday.

I pray those who have a heart will purchase--just 0.99 and encourage others to do so as well.

Thanks for assisting in doing what Jesus would have us to do--help the needy.

Because of His Love!

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:22-26 NIV

"The steadfast love of The Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning, new every morning, great is thy faithfulness O Lord, Great is thy faithfulness." The lyrics to this song--based on Jeremiah's insight--are just as true today as they were when Jeremiah first thought them.

It is because of God's love for us that we are not consumed by the fires: of envy, jealousy, hatred, disdain, rebelliousness, defiance, disrespect of others, and unruliness. It is because of His love that He places those whose hope is in Him in situations to warn, correct, guide and rebuke, others.

It is because of His love for us that we are still here, maintaining our hope in Him for peace in the land, joy in the hearts of all who proclaim His as Lord, and desire to live right before Him.

It is because of His love towards all who love Him that we are able to love the unlovable--those who refuse to heed instruction, are rebellious and defiant against authority, and are only concerned with what self wants. Yes, we love all, as we are commanded to love--doing what love does, but we do not have to like people who deliberately oppose themselves to God's ways.

We are admonished to obey authority when we recognize the authority is of God. We are admonished to do all things, decently and in order. We are reminded that God is not the author of confusion, and that means that Satan is. Where there is no order or structure--there is chaos and rebellion.

I have determined to live my life pleasing God--obeying His Word and I know that He will honor my desire because He always speaks to me--keeping me from making a fool of myself, and I hear and obey. That's Love!

I look forward to each and every day, waiting to see what The Lord has in store for me. With each challenge He allows to come my way, He has prepared me to respond in a manner that does not dishonor Him. That's Love!

When I am wrong, He doesn't hesitate to correct me and I receive the correction because I know that's what Love does.

It is because of His great Love for me, that I have not allowed the issues of the world to overcome me and land me in the pits of destruction. He has given me strength and insight, courage and boldness to stand firm on His Word, rising above the drama that Satan attempts to use to ensnare and my response to Him--is obedience--I spread my wings and rise above the foolishness of this world and soar with the Eagles. That's what Love does!

Lead Them, Lord!

"This is what the LORD says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “They will feed beside the roads and find pasture on every barren hill. They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water." (Isaiah 49:9-11 NIV).

Father, in the name of Jesus,

Pour out Your favor upon the Nigerian school girls and their families and all those involved in their rescue. Help them O Lord to be very courageous in the face of adversity. Give them boldness to resist and fight back against the enemy who would harm them. Create in the minds and hearts of rescuers, wisdom and insight to fight them and get them back to their families. Strengthen and comfort the hearts of those whose children were abducted. For every man or woman who has compassion in their hearts and will rise up to save and guide them to safety, reward them 100-fold for the rest of their lives. O Lord, our provider, our healer, our protector, we stand on Your Word, and with great expectation, wait to see the salvation of the Lord in the lives of these girls. We thank You for hearing and answering prayer, all to Your glory so all may know, that You and You alone are God! Amen!

For all who read and agree with in prayer, may God bless you richly as you continue to pray for the safe return of these girls to their families.

O Give Thanks!

"O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 107:1).

Looking around at the negative, tragic events that occur almost daily, one might think there is no reason to give thanks to God. But there is! In spite of all the devastation of property, loss of lives, and emotional despair, God is still good and if it was not for His mercy, I would not be writing this morning and no one would be reading this! Glory to God--Give Him praise!

I haven't lost my mind, but I do realize there are some things we cannot control and rather than be resentful and bitter, I've decided to allow everything that happens to make me a better person and certainly a more studious, scholar of God's Word and intent for our lives.

We all have a choice. We can allow the events of life to control us or we can control our reactions and responses to the events of life. It is our choice! I choose Jesus--through Him and His love, I can do all things well--even with my responses to life's events.

While we pray for those who have been displaced because of the storms, heart-broken because of the loss of lives in a number of situations, let us pray they will allow God to comfort hearts and allow Him to give them insight to peace and forward movement. Let's pray for more people using the events to get closer to God and come into a right relationship with Him instead of being bitter towards God. O give Thanks to the Lord!

O God, help us to be better and not bitter about those things we cannot control. Help us to see good in everything that happens because there is something good that can be found--to Your glory. Give us a heart of compassion to help those in need and to encourage them to keep going. This we ask in Jesus' name, Amen!

Good To All!

'The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works" (Psalm 145:9).
Sometimes, because of the things that occur in this world, we do not see The Lord being good to all, but we should.

Even in the darkest moments in some of our lives, we should be able to see The Lord's goodness as a pinpoint of light--no matter what happens.

As tragic as it is to see lives lost--from missing airplanes, to sinking ferries, to raging storms and those dying from illness and violence--there is yet hope for those who remain--that pinpoint of light.

Sometimes, it is difficult to focus on a pinpoint of light when darkness surrounds us, but if we focus on how good He is and how He is always with us, we can overcome--the depths and ravages of the darkness and rise to see the light and make this world a better place. We must always be able to see the good and His mercies in all things--no matter how dark things appear, we have to know that there is a light that will outshine all the darkness, when we focus on Him.

We have to know--that He is not a respecter of persons and that His Word applies to all who receive Him and acknowledge Him for who He is--the Bright Morning Star, the Rose of Sharon, The Great I Am, The God who fulfills all His promises, Our Healer and Protector and there is nothing too hard for Him to accomplish through us, no matter what.

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to focus on the Light and not the darkness. Help us to become the arms and hearts of compassion seeing need and fulfilling whatever needs to be done for those who are hurting and devastated by things out of their control. Help us to be selfless in this time of need and remain prayerful and diligent in accomplishing all You on our hearts to do, to Your glory.

Great Compassion!

In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD your Redeemer.(Isaiah 54:8 NIV)

Anger--emotional turbulence that sometimes leads to regrets--at least on our part, should never negate love of someone. God shows us here that even though, in a surge--electric turbulence generating strong emotion--of anger, He chose not to respond to us, but never stopped loving us.
How many times have we as parents allowed anger to generate turbulent emotional responses from us towards our children? Did we stop loving them simply because we were angry with them? Did we make sure they knew how to not ignite turbulent emotions within us, again? When we are angry, do we not ignore those with whom we are angry for a time? Our response to those with whom we get angry is genetic--we got it from Our Father--and yet do we love as Our Father loves or do we allow the turbulence to continue unabated and lose a right relationship with others?

Parents who get angry with children with whom they never remind the children they forgive them and love them breed angry children. Those angry children continue to allow their turbulent emotions to run rampant, unchecked and hatred for others grows and extends beyond the household where it began, but creeps into an unsuspecting society, spreading like the plague. Angry kindergarten children graduate to being angry middle-schoolers and then angry high-schoolers who body-slam security guards, rape classmates, taunt and kill teachers, and then become a statistic which sociologists study, but can find no solution to the problem--no way to break the cyclic-curse.

All of this stems from a society of people who disown God and know not how He operates--though He gets angry and ignores us for a moment, His mercy is everlasting and His compassion endures forever. We ignore Him and have not compassion or love for Him and it is evident with all those in prisons, morgues, and cemeteries. It is evident with all of the misguided unwed mothers and all of those caught up in rebellious behavior, including sexual immorality.

We must become more like Him if we are see the curse broken and all of the earth in position to receive God's mercy and compassion--all benefits of being His children.

Father, in the name of Jesus, help us to become more like You and show great compassion for people when we get angry. For Your Word allows us the emotional turbulence of being angry, but that anger should not cause us to sin against You or others. Give us, O God, a heart of flesh that hears You and desires to obey You.

Praying For All!

"I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty" (I Timothy 2:1,2).
Father,
In the name of Jesus,

I ask that You touch the hearts of all mankind, those in positions of leadership as well as those who submit to leadership. I ask God that You conduct heart surgery, cutting away all the evil, wickedness, and complacency. I ask that You replace all that is removed with compassion, integrity, and love.

Give us a heart O God, to see the needs of the people and respond to them. Take away the heart of stone that resides in so many that they no longer have compassion for people. Create in us, a clean heart with a righteous spirit, desiring to please You even more.

O God, stir up a right spirit within us so we can have peace in the land. Give us a desire to become peacemakers, not peace breakers.

Give us no peace with complacency and self-centeredness. Remove every selfish thought from our minds so we may think with the mind of Christ--always concerned more about those in need--whatever the need is--healing, love, encouragement, financial support, and wisdom from You.

I bind every spirit in the earth realm that would attempt to influence the minds of those who love You and want only to please You. I declare that every yoke of bondage--addiction, depression, evil-thinking, poverty, and every physical affliction is broken and yields no power over anyone.

Help us O God to walk with integrity and godliness going before us and embracing us so tightly that nothing negative can ever enter into our thoughts and actions.

I declare peace in the land--beginning in every home, and moving outward to every town, city, community, state, and country--across the waters of the earth--let peace abide within the hearts of every man, woman, and child.

We know that You are not the author of confusion and wherever there is confusion the enemy has a stronghold. We come against any stronghold the enemy has on any people and declare all of his plans null and void, having no effect upon anyone.

We thank You for hearing and answering this prayer and the prayers of all those who are striving to live right in Your sight, doing Your will, and loving all. All this we ask and receive in Jesus' name. It is done. Amen!

Time After Time!

"You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19 NIV).

From the beginning, whenever mankind has fallen out of fellowship with God, He has relented and shown compassion and mercy towards us. He has given us chance after chance to get living right for Him.  Some of us have taken advantage of the opportunity and some have not. And yet, He waits--giving us space to repent before judgment falls upon us. Why are some waiting?

There are some people who have decided that having "fun" is more important than living right. They resent anyone attempting to tell them they should change their ways and stop doing what gives them "short-term pleasure." Perhaps, just perhaps, the method being used to deter wrong behavior is judgment itself and when people feel like they are being judged--already--they feel no need to change. However, if the method to convince people to change is with loving-kindness, sharing all of the benefits of living for God, and proclaiming God's love--and people see us "living the benefits" they will more likely believe us and change.

We do not have to beat people with The Word, we should love them with The Word.
We do not have to point out their sins; they know--they are just too fearful to let them go.
We do not have to judge others who are in sin--that's not our job; we should live the life before them and encourage them to get to know Jesus.

If we say one thing and yet do another--we are hypocrites. We cannot convince others that God is love if all they ever see is condemnation from us. Sometimes, people who have been convicted of sin by others who were harsh and rigid think that is the only way to win others to Christ. I am so thankful that God's love was showered upon me in such a way that I was ready to give up all that was not like Him, willingly because I wanted to please Him. Hallelujah! I've learned that pleasing God in all things is so much more important than any attempt to pacify others.

We must remember to share with others--God's mercy, His love, His compassion, His forgiveness, His patience--in waiting for us--time after time. We must convince others--not with our words, but by our actions--that the benefits of living for God are greater than living for the world.

He had sent people to me--time after time--to show me the way--that one pathway to Him and though some of their methods did not work, He did not give up on me and sent those who had received His love to share with me, and I received--their love and God's love--and now living with His benefits--walking in His favor.

I pray today that we'll become those people-who have received God's love--and will share it with others in bringing them into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. God has given us yet, another opportunity--as He has--time after time-for us to show people The Way, The Truth, and The Light of His Love.

How Compassionate Are You?

"He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD [is] gracious and full of compassion" (Psalm 111:4).

God has made all of His wonderful works--new mercies every day, unmerited favor everywhere we go, re-uniting us in right relationship through the sacrifice of His Son--and we should remember these each and every day and be thankful.

Can we practice to do what He has done for us?

Can we be gracious towards others--instead of grumbling and always complaining about them or something they did?  Can we be full of compassion--showing others just how much we sincerely care about them or their situation?

If God were not compassionate towards us, where would we be?
We would not be recipients of His mercy, grace or love.  He would not have come to earth in the form of sinful flesh, be persecuted, crucified and willing to die for "our sins".  

He has shown us how compassionate He is towards us.  How much compassion do we have towards others?

Help us O God to care as You care!