Quit slapping God's face, be happy in your place!!!!

  

  Hello and happy Thursday, another beautiful day here in Utah, 67 degrees with a high of 87 expected! I continue to pray for all of you struggling and suffering with the 100+ weather, the high humidity and the lack of rain. May he see your needs this day and provide for you nourishment for the grounds and the trees, may he sprinkle rain upon you so that you might get out and dance with arms extended to the heavens in thanks, may he take the heat and give you cool and may your hearts be full of his blessings:)
     This morning in prayer as I conversed with our father in heaven, asking special favor for each of you, asking for miraculous heart healing for those so suffering the pain of loss, the fear of illness, the headache of finances, the anger and rage of being treated unfairly..I prayed fervently that each would be stronger in their faith today, that each would hold a hand out to God asking him to take it and carry you in times of strife. I asked him to be a shield against hurt and pain, to be your strength in making decisions, your calm in your daily walk and your comfort for all that ails you. I asked God what I could do for him today and as soon as the words spilled from my mouth, my heart was filled with the word "appreciate" I had to think about that word because I have always "appreciated" the things in my life, the people in my life, my family, my child, my partner, nice things that people do for me, I was a bit confused as to what he was needing me to say so I prayed again for my eyes to be opened to his words to ensure I touched what needed to be touched. I then remembered a post on facebook yesterday that fired me up....a friend of mine was complaining about their "lack of" they were complaining about how they never got a break, how they were waiting for blessings! I was a bit confused, they have just been blessed with a beautiful child, both have jobs, they have a roof over their head, food in their tummys, write about going here and going there.....sounds like God is providing them with their basic needs, but still they are not happy and feel like they are being dumped on....To put it boldly...life is CRAPPY at times, there will always be more, more, more that we want, but have we really appreciated what we have?  So many people do not have jobs, our economy has risen, risen, risen and the lay offs have come with the rise..many are having to depend on others for basic daily needs, and would love to have a job to go to each day, to have a paycheck to collect at the end of pay period. Many will not be sleeping in their own bed tonight, they will be in shelters, ally ways, wherever they can find to sleep, many will not have an option tonight as to what they eat, they will eat what is given them and they will "appreciate" it. We all have occasion to complain about our lack of, we all have occasion to sit singing "woe is me" but if we take a moment to look around, we will see, in just a short period of time, at least 10 people who pray for "what you have" who pray for jobs, food, shelter...etc. Today I ask that you take a look around at what you do have, have you "appreciated it" I heard the other day a person talking about a new electronic gadget he had bought, I said, wow this is nice and he said, "it will do until the next model comes out, the next model will be able to ...bla, bla, bla...he had not even gotten this one out of the box yet, had  not appreciated it yet but was making plans for when he could get rid of it and get the newer one. What is going on here, what happened to the days when we bought for the quality of a product, one that had a reputation for lasting? When did we start taking the things we have for granted  because something nicer is coming down the road. Do you appreciate the things in your life? I am not saying that hope for better things is not important, that desire is what is needed for drive! I am just saying that we are not taking time to appreciate the blessings we are given today, we are not enjoying our lives as we should because we are so focused on the bigger and better. We are not appreciating today for fear that we might miss out tomorrow! We have no guarantees for tomorrow, so if tomorrow never comes are we going to feel sad that we did not appreciate our today? Take a deep breath, it is okay to have dreams of better but love the things you have today! Love your life, love the gifts that you are given, give thanks for breath and heartbeat and quit being so driven and focused on what everyone else has...remember there are people out there who would give anything they have a walk in your shoes! Take time to smell the roses, if you walk by them to fast, you might lose footing and wind up with a backside of thorns! God loves you, he gives us what we need at appointed times and I think if we begin to appreciate what we have right now, his blessings will come more regularly and we will have learned one of his lessons! Be happy for the blessings that others are receiving, don't covet them, don't slap our Father in heaven in the face because yours are not comparable.
If you would, could you pray with me for the family who is struggling so with the untimely passing of their loved one, there is great need for heart healing this day, there is great need for strength that only God can give them this day, there is great need for understanding. Please in the comment section let us know that you are with us in lifting prayers for peace, calm and comfort. Please if you will, I know that mass prayer produces miracles and this family could use the miracle of understanding! Thank you and may you be blessed abundantly for your obedience and honor to our Father in Heaven. In Jesus name I ask these blessings, amen.

It is never to late!!!!

     Oh Sunday, how I love Sunday:) Yes we are having yet another beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky only blue, blue, blue as far as I can see, the sun has just come up over the mountain and the temp is a cool 67 degrees with just a bit of a breeze:) Thank you Father for giving us such a beautiful place to live. The mountains in the distance seem so regal sitting with still a bit of snow on the peaks. Your creations are amazing and I am so thankful for being allowed the freedoms to sit and enjoy as I converse with you! With a humble heart and love beyond words I thank you, in Jesus' beautiful name, amen!
     This morning as I have been sitting here I was brought to tears thinking of those who are lost at this very moment, those who deny Christ and our Father in Heaven, those who do not believe! I sat wondering how I would feel if I did not have someone to go to with every one of my problems, someone to cling to when I feel scared, someone to share my thoughts, to fall on when I am to tired to stand.  I felt such a sadness come into my heart and I cried for those who are lost and feel they have no one to turn to! I cried for their souls, for their spirits and for the pain God must feel in losing such sweet children. I cried for the ones who have chosen satan's side. My heart was heavy with sadness in knowing that in a flash of their eyes they could accept God into their hearts, they could ask him to come in and they could begin living and walking in truth and love this very moment. Today if you feel you need renewal, know that he is standing in wait for you! He will forgive even the worst of sins if only you ask with honesty in your hearts. I love so deeply, I care so completely and I pray that today someone will cross your path who will be an example of what our Savior and our Father are! We all, each and every one of us fall short, we make mistakes, we sin...but we know that with true intent in our hearts, with prayer, and with humility we can be forgiven. Life is all about "getting it right" and the best way to do this is "practice" I "practice" his teaching daily, I pray often for forgiveness and I walk with the knowledge that as long as I am trying to be the best I can be, he will continue blessing me! May this day you feel his love, may you recognize how wonderful and beautiful life can be when he lives in your heart! God bless you with all he is and all he has! In Jesus Christ's name I ask these mercies, amen!


Prayer of Salvation - Say It & Mean It Now!

 Don't wait a moment longer to start your new life in Jesus Christ. Pray this with us:

"Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

Prayer of Salvation - I've Prayed It; Now What?
If you've prayed this prayer of salvation with true conviction and heart, you are now a follower of Jesus. This is a fact, whether or not you feel any different. Religious systems may have led you to believe that you should feel something - a warm glow, a tingle, or some other mystical experience. The fact is, you may, or you may not. If you have prayed the prayer of salvation and meant it, you are now a follower of Jesus. The Bible tells us that your eternal salvation is secure! "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9)

Welcome to the family of God! We encourage you now to find a local church where you can be baptized and grow in the knowledge of God through His Word, the Bible.

Are you a "true friend?"

    

Good morning and happy Monday, I trust you had a wonderful weekend, that your spiritual tank is full to keep you going all week and that  today will be a good day for you! We finally got hot weather yesterday, somewhere in the high 90's with humidity! I know many of my Gulf coast friends will laugh when I say 30% because that is nothing compared to yours each day! The clouds have moved in this morning and it looks as if it might come a downpour! At 3 this morning it was still 81 degrees out and now is 78, a little breezy and still humid! We should hit 90 today and then will be back in the high 80's for a few days!
      This morning in prayer, as I sat here chatting with our Father in Heaven the word "true friend" came to mind, I began thinking about that word and was intrigued to sit and wonder how many I really have! Friends come and go in our lives, some are here for a lifetime, not many but the ones that are....are! Some come into our lives with specific purpose and when the purpose is gone so are the friends, some come into our lives but are never really friends, they are wolfs in sheeps clothing and if we do not detect this quickly they can cause much damage in our chicken houses! I have many acquaintances, many "friends" that I speak with daily, that I pray with, that I laugh with but few that I cry with, I am now 50 years old and can count my" true friends" on one hand, God has on occasion tested my friendships and these people have stood tall in testing and have proved time and time again that they are with me through thick and thin, through storm and calm, for better or worse and richer or poorer. My Wayde and my Megan are my two best friends, they have seen me in the worst of times and have stood with me, they have tended me when I am sick, they have loved me when I have fallen apart, they have comforted me when I am sad and they have seen me when my faith was down to bits, they have lifted me when I could not stand and have always loved me through the bad times! I have a few friends who are close to that order, who have been through the roughest of times with me and yet they have stuck around!  I thank them this day for all that they are to me, they are not my friends for what they have, not my friends for what they may have, they are my friends for who they are:) Today I pray that you have "true friends" beware of those that carry knives, who are ready, on the spur of the moment, to stab you in the back...they are not friends! Beware of those that need what you have, they are not true friends, for they will rob you blind when you are weak, Beware of those who require all of your time, they will turn quickly to someone else if you are not available, and BE AWARE of the promptings from the Holy Ghost, he will let you know when you are being taken advantage of, he will prompt you when friendships are not true, he will always be there to guide you down the right path! God is the best friend I have, he never judges me, he allows me to be me, he allows me to cry, to rant, to rave, to be like a small child. He has seen me at my dead level worst, he has held me when I did not feel worthy of being held and he has never turned his back on me..If you are in need of a "true friend" today, ask God to be your eternal buddy, I am sure you will not ever feel disappointed in your friendship with him! God bless you all, every one of you with love, joy and peace in your hearts this day! Know you are loved:)

Quotes for this day and for the message that God placed upon my heart:)

"Friends always show their love. What are brothers for if not to share troubles?"- Proverbs 17:17

"Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers."
- Proverbs 18:24

"Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old, thou shall drink it with pleasure."
"An honest answer is the sign of true friendship." 

- Proverbs 24:26

"A friend means well, even when he hurts you. But when an enemy puts his hand round your shoulder - watch out!"
- Proverbs 27:6

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
- Bible: Ecclesiastes

"My friends are my estate. Forgive me then the avarice to hoard them. They tell me those who were poor early have different views of gold. I don't know how that is. God is not so wary as we, else He would give us no friends, lest we forget Him."
- Emily Dickinson

"The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them."
- John 15:13

"A friend is one who strengthens you with prayers, blesses you with love and encourages you with hope. Dawn Ashley:)

"our father is the strongest"

     A beautiful Sunday morning here in Utah, 60 degrees, birds chirp, chirp, chirping, blue skies speckled with cotton ball clouds and no doubt the sun will soon peak over the mountain to warm my skin and my heart:) I love the summer time, thanking him for finally giving us a taste of it:) It is fast approaching my time to come to Texas, I am filled with such excitement, to see all of my family and laughing with the Ashley clan will be amazing, to see my nephew take his forever partner will be thrilling and to get to visit with some of my favorite friends will be the icing on the cake, makes the long drive seem not so long! 
     On facebook this morning, I see several posts from friends who are feeling alone, feeling like nothing is going right for them, feeling let down, feeling depressed, anxious, afraid...I know this very feeling all to well but I also know that it is but a moment in time, that all of these feelings are satan's way of trying to get close to us, when things start to falter in our lives we tend to fall back from God, when we fall back from God we are vulnerable and weak...the exact way that satan wants us to be, he can work his deeds on us when we are like this. I know it is hard to hear "snap out of it" I know it is hard to hear, "I'll pray for you" I know it is hard to hear, "just lay it on God's shoulders" but I also know that when you relent and you do decide that you cannot go it alone, when you do sit down and have a toe to toe with our Father in Heaven and you really do give it to him, things begin to change, the aloneness lifts, things begin to shape up and start working in harmony, the highs begin to outweigh the lows, the depression turns to joy, the anxiety turns to hope and being afraid is vanished! Some ask, how do you know he is real, how do you know he is there? I answer to that, look around you, look at the beauty, look at the times in life that you did not know how something was going to work out and all of a sudden something miraculous happened and it was even better than you thought it would be, look at the times when someone was very ill, and you did not see how they would come out of it then all of a sudden they took a turn for the better and were healed, look at the wrecks you have seen when you thought to yourself...there is no way anyone survived only to find that they sustained barely a scratch! Coincidence??? I think not, these things are proof positive to me that God is in all things, that Jesus Christ and God work 24/7 without rest. Today I pray you quit wondering if he is real, confess to Jesus Christ that you do believe, pray to our Father in Heaven with all your might and have faith that even though you are climbing an awful steep mountain, the top will be so worth it when you get there. Don't tell God how strong your troubles are, tell your troubles how strong your God is:) He is mighty, he is the light of the lighthouse, he is the calm of the ocean, he is the answer to all prayers.  May this day bring peace to you, may you take time to sit and praise his holy name, may he allow you truth with his compassionate hand, may you see his work and thank him, may the good things out number the bad and in all things may you know that with God on your side it will get better. Fill that tank of yours with his spirit and revel in the knowledge that you have enough "gas" to get you down the road and away from satan for yet another week! Love in Christ to each of you!

O Lord, our Heavenly Father, at the beginning of another week we come to You for help and light.

Grant, we ask You, that we make this a sacred day of rest to Your service. May we consecrate this day to find all peace and strength in You.

Make our hearts beat with devotion so that we may serve You in spirit and in truth. May we live this day laying a good foundation for our coming work.

Be with us in the worship services of Your day so that your saints may join in heart and soul. Be with us so that we may receive the blessing promised to all who sincerely pray to You and faithfully hear Your Word.

This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.