NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

Happy New Year! Today is the day that we all make resolutions for the new year. We say we will lose weight, quit smoking, get out of debt, be kinder to our families and friends, just become a "new person"! But most of us rarely keep our resolutions. Usually within a few weeks we have quit our diet, started smoking again, pulled out the credit card and bought something we really wanted but truly didn't need, yelled at our kids, took our bad days out on our spouses.

But there is a way that we can start fresh and become new and that is through Christ Jesus. We can turn to Christ who truly gives us the opportunity to forget our past and truly become new. The thought of being able to do this truly fills me with joy! It means that we have a never ending supply of hope and endless opportunities to move forward! We can have the courage to deal with our past failures and move forward in Christ. We have the opportunity to lead more meaningful, Christ-centered lifes. We can look forward to a future of peace and security and hope that only Christ can give.

Lord, thank you for the opportunity to start this year anew with the hope that only you can give. Thank you for forgiving us our past defeats and helping us to live the life that you want us to live. Thank you, Lord, for your never ending supply of hope. Help us to live this year as you would have us live - showing you in everything we do and giving you the glory.

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Prayer - An Awesome Power

Prayer is such an important power. We may go to the Lord for all our needs and He hears our prayers. Through prayer, we can find the peace that only God can give us.

I was reminded of what how powerful prayer is today when a friend sent me a text message to pray for a situation in her life. I immediately dropped to my knees and lifted her and the situation up to God. What an awesome feeling to know that we serve a God that hears all of our prayers and meets all of our needs! I thought about how prayer is not something we had to do, but something we get to do. I get to bring to God every worry, every concern, every praise that is on my heart. God is always near and He always hears our prayers. And because He is always near, we do not need to be anxious about anything. And because He is always near, we can have a peace that only He can give. Because He is near, we have a joy that fills every part of our lives. What an awesome feeling to know that we can turn over every care to God and that He hears all of our prayers!

Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers. Thank you for the peace that passes all understanding, the peace that only You can give. Thank you for others who pray for us. Help us to reach out to others and pray for their needs.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:4-7

WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR WHEN WE TRUST IN THE LORD

Fear is a horrible emotion. People have fears of many things - heights, water, spiders - just to name a few. My biggest fear is of fires. I had a friend who died in a house fire when I was only 12 years old, and I have never gotten over that. I am very afraid of fires in my house.

Last night this fear "flared" up. My daughter was drying her hair in the bathroom when the plug starting making noises and sparking. I did not know what to do, other than shut the fuse off. When I did that, however, it also shut off the refrigerator. I had a refrigerator full of food and didn't want it to go bad. So I turned the fuse back on, did not use the plug again, checked all my smoke detectors in my house, and basically stayed awake all night and prayed that my house would not catch on fire. I called the electrician the first thing this morning and he replaced the outlet. Things are fine now but it made me really think.

While we may never be able to completely get rid of our fears, no matter how rational or irrational they may be, we truly have nothing to fear when we trust in the Lord. He is always there for us no matter what. And while I was truly afraid last night and didn't sleep much, I did find some peace in praying to God to protect my daughter and myself through the night. Every time I would roll over and wake up, I would pray to God to protect us and then I was able to go back to sleep. It may have been a long night, but it certainly would have been a lot longer night had I not had His peace and comfort.

Lord, thank you for the peace that you give us through all situations. Thank you for the peace that passes all understanding.

The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

GOOD MORNING - I AM GOD

Good morning. I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If the devil happens to deliver a situation that you cannot handle, DO NOT attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFJTD (something for Jesus to do) box. It will be addressed in MY time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it, or attempt to remove it. Holding on, or removal, will delay the resolution of your problem. If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult me in prayer to be sure that it is the proper resolution. Because I do not sleep, nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest my child. If you need to contact me, I am only a prayer away.


This has truly been an emotionally draining week. I attempted to do the right thing and tried to help someone who had called me and asked for help this past weekend and things have just not worked out well, to say the least. The devil had his hand all over the situation and still does. And now people I truly care about are affected by the situation, as am I.

When I read the above "letter from God", it really spoke to me regarding this past week. The devil certainly has been in this situation and we have prayed and prayed over it. While I have lost sleep and felt fearful, at the same time I know that God has had his protective armor around me and others. Otherwise, we would not have made it throught this week.

Thank you, God, for your protection. Thank you for giving us friends who pray with us and for us. Thank you for never slumbering so that we can!! Thank you, Lord, for always only being a prayer away!!

"I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:*