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WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
by Linda Hull
| Statement of Faith | About Linda | More Articles by Linda Hull | Do You Know For Sure? | Internet Resources |
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT by Linda Hull
Enjoy words of encouragement from the Bible, inspirational Bible stories, Bible verses to live by, Bible teaching, homeschool tips and resources, and healthy easy recipes.
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"I meditate on all thy works." Be Transformed! ...by the renewing of your mind
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In This IssueOctober,
2009, Volume 15.10
"And
so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." Hebrews 6:15 My world is falling apart! Help! |
Will You Contact Me? Share a prayer request, your decision, or seek counsel.
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Letter from the Editor...
While our world may be falling apart, God's world is not. We can rest upon His promises and trust in His help in our times of need. While we suffer trials and tribulations, He is ever with us. One day all will know who is the King of kings, Lord of lords, and the Creator of the universe. For every knee shall bow when He comes again. Do not be overtaken with fear and worry. It is difficult because we live in uncertain times. Rest assured that our Lord knows all that is going on with each of us and He knows the outcome. Let us strive to live for our Lord and for His kingdom. Let us be encouraged by His promises in His Word. Let us be found faithful.
Music to live by...
Let us celebrate the sovereignty of our Lord!
Enjoy Bow the Knee, from Ron Hamilton's CD titled Songs of Home and Heaven. If you would like more information about Majesty Music please visit their website at: <http://www.majestymusic.com/default.aspx>.
IN THIS ISSUECLICK ON THE LINKS TO TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO AN ARTICLE
| Your Battle is the Lord's to Fight |
| Smoking Chimneys |
| No Delivery |
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Copyright © 2009 by Linda G. Hull
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"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy." 1 Peter 2:1-10
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Many are involved in daily battles that seem unwinnable. No victory is in sight. Circumstances have not changed. People have not changed. We are stuck in a situation that has no visible resolution. Take heart; there are times when our battles are the Lord's to fight. Consider what happened to the people of Judah when the nations gathered to fight against them...
"It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.
And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court. And said, O Lord God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? and they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying, If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help. And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou have given us to inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. Then upon Jahaziel the son Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; and he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou King Jehoshaphat, thus saith the Lord unto you, be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's." 2 Chronicles 20:1-15
What did the people do? They came together to fast and to seek the Lord's help. When your times of trouble seem too much to bear, you need to seek the Lord in prayer, meditation, and Bible reading. We are to fast, focusing on Him alone. It is when we get our focus on Him, and off our situation, that we can see Him begin to work. When we stop looking for our solution, we will be more willing to accept His.
Maybe the work He wants to do begins with your salvation. If you do not know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, then He cannot help you. You must believe Jesus is the Son of God and confess your sin, turn from it and ask for His forgiveness.
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
The people were not willing to give up until they had heard from Him. They knew they were truly at His mercy.
When we take the time to seek the Lord as Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah did, we will know God's desire. We will have victory over our trials and troubles. Victory comes in many forms: peace in mind and spirit, joy despite our circumstances, steadfast and resolved, trusting Him in our situation and for its outcome.
*We can remain at peace despite our circumstances. The world would have us believe that our inner peace is dependent on our circumstances. That is a lie. We have peace when we obey God and His Word.
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7
*We can know that we will not be tested beyond our endurance. The world says that we can't hold out. The world makes us believe that we will have to compromise our beliefs and values to get along. That is a lie.
"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
*We have help in our times of need, just as the people of Judah and King Jehoshaphat. The world teaches us to be self-reliant because no one will help you. YOU have to help yourself. That is a lie.
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the felling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16
You see the battle is not really centered around your troubles. It is a battle for your heart or character, mind, and spirit. Troubles help us to grow in character and in likeness to our Lord. We see things His way and we act His way. Our focus is on Him, not on our problems or ourselves or others. We can't change others. This is a tough battle that we fight every time we come under the stresses and troubles of our lives. It is difficult to stay focused on Him and to trust Him for the outcome. We must learn that whatever our situation, He can get us through it. The reason we must fast and pray is to calm our minds and still the panic in our hearts, so we can focus on Him, and trust Him for the outcome, whatever it is. Then we can overcome our fears and live through our trials in a way that is honoring and pleasing to Him. He will fight for us! He intercedes for us before the throne of God.
"Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." Hebrews 7:25
"O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!
Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace."
-Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus by Helen H. Lemmel
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Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you..." 2 Chronicles 20:17a
MUSINGS... Zechariah 14:1-9
"Behold the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished,; and half of the city shall go forth into capitivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
And His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the wet, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with Thee.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."
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"And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward."
Ezekiel 39:21-22
Sometime ago I went with some friends to see their newly remodeled, country home. The work was almost finished, but the family had not yet moved in.
The appealing feature of the re-made home, now to have modern facilities, was a well-equipped and modern kitchen and a most attractive den opening off of it.
The real eye-catcher was a beautiful, wide fireplace at the end of the den and opposite the kitchen. It was obvious that the family had not skimped on building this chimney. They had secured nothing but the best building stone and had made the fireplace big enough to burn sizable logs. The chimney was topped off with a beautifully appointed mantle.
A few weeks later I was back for a visit with these friends, now set up in the new home. But I was somewhat shocked on entering the kitchen-den to discover the room was being heated by a large gas stove which had been set up on the hearth of the fireplace. I had hoped to sit before a roaring, open fire, such as many of us grew around--perhaps burning me on one side and freezing me on the other--remember?
They were not long in telling me what had happened. The day they moved in, they built a fire in the new fireplace and soon had to flee for fresh air. Instead of drawing the smoke up and out the top, the pretty, new chimney puffed it out into the new room.
"But what of the man who built the chimney?" I asked. "Have you told him, and has he been over to see about it?"
"You can be sure he knows," they replied. The chimney builder had come over and stood before the fire and said, "It's not supposed to do that!" But it kept on puffing the smoke out into the room as long as there was any fire left.
"What are you going to do about it?" I asked.
"Not but one thing we can do," replied the husband, "and that's tear it down and build another. This time we'll be sure it is built right."
Building mistakes are not always confined to rock chimneys. Sometimes it is lives that are involved. But even then, with God's help, we can start over and build again.
McDonald, E.L. Stories for Speakers and Writers. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1995.
Used by permission.
NO DELIVERY
By Joanne Lowe
“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in
the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the
words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north
even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and
shall not find it.” Amos 8: 11, 12 (KJV)
I just went to check my mail at the end of my trailer court and the mailbox was
lying on the ground. They are doing work on the road and dug up the mailbox and
put it on the ground. So, the letter carrier was unable to deliver the mail. As
I was walking back to my trailer, these verses came to my mind. It is urgent and
vital that we read the Bible while we have it.
There may come a time when we won’t have it and what we have read and hidden in
our heart will be there to get us through the difficult times in our lives. It
is not enough to just read the Bible; we must put it in practice every day.
Jesus talks a lot about loving one another and that is because love covers a
multitude of sins. When Jesus died on the cross for us, He covered all our sins
with His precious, atoning blood.
Last year after one of the hurricanes and the electricity was off, my neighbors
brought me water and ice. However, their car wouldn’t start one day so the water
and ice ran out in the middle of the day. Thankfully, their car started the next
morning. I made it through the afternoon and night okay without water and ice,
but I could never make it through one hour without the word of God in my heart
to sustain me. I urge you to read your Bible and hide it in your heart. Don’t
let Satan steal the promises of God from you. Devour them and cherish them with
all your heart.
June 20, 2006
Author Resource: God has given Joanne two ministries. One is doing Inspirational Writings, the other is Encouraging Pastors.
****If you would like to contact Joanne, please email her at:
joannelowe8@cox.net or visit her website at:
http://joanne-freedominjesus.blogspot.com/ .
You have my permission to reprint and distribute this article as long as it is distributed in its entirety, including all links and copyright information. This article is not to be sold or included with anything that is sold.
© Joanne Lowe 2008
"Inspired by great-grandmother's scrapbook, compiled before 1918."
Sabbath
by Walter Wingate, a Scottish Poet
This lazy after-dinner hour,
When Sabbath steeples doze
How sweetly blooms the scented flower,
Repose!Adown the meadow's breast of green
The tussock-shadows creep;
Tall chimneys far beyond are seen -
Asleep.A sunny silence bathes the vale;
The daw along the hill,
The autumn robin's plaintive tale,
Are still.In very truth, a Sabbath day:
The old benign behest
The very blades of grass obey
And Rest
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"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." Isaiah 58:13-14
Public domain in the United States.
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"And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction." Jeremiah 32:33
HOME SCHOOL TIPS
What Happens After You Pull Your Child Out Of Public School?
Starting over and starting fresh is a wonderful experience! Choosing to home school your child opens up a multitude of new learning experiences for both you and your child. This is an opportunity to lay a new foundation that will increase learning and foster character growth in both you and your child.
Don't panic if you are unprepared to begin teaching. Check out Charlotte M. Mason's original six volume book series, available to read online at: <http://amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html>
Here are some helpful tips and resources to carry you until your curriculum arrives:
Grades 1-5
*Take a trip to the church library for reading materials.
*Plan a daily devotional time with Bible reading, Scripture memorization, and singing.
*Download math worksheets from Home School Math at: <http://www.homeschoolmath.net/worksheets>
*Download free worksheets on a variety of subjects at TLSBooks.com at: < http://www.tlsbooks.com/ >
*Teach the basics of using a dictionary. Select ten new spelling words to learn.
*Purchase art and craft kits for an ongoing project such as paint by number.
*Check with your local homeschool support group for a calendar of events and activities.
*Plan a daily time of exercise and play.
Check out these additional online educational resources:
*Online books in their entirety by Answers in Genesis: <http://www.answersingenesis.org/cec/online_resources.asp#cfol>
*Heroes of History: <http://www.heroesofhistory.com/index.html>
*Nineteenth-Century American Children & What They Read: <http://www.merrycoz.org/BOOKS.HTM >
Find more resources by scrolling down...and don't forget to click on my Homeschool Squidoo Lens for more homeschool info:
Want to homeschool, but don't know where to find information? Need help to get started?
You need my new booklet: Homeschooling: The Modern Day One Room Schoolhouse.
>>>Just click on the book cover to go directly to the store site to order.
To ask questions about homeschooling please contact me!
Scroll down for more valuable aids for your homeschool...
TRY OUT THESE HELPFUL PRODUCTS! >>>Just click on the logo to go directly to the site.
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Purchase Christian Homeschool Curriculum and online courses for families who want to teach a Biblical worldview to their children.
TRY OUT THESE HELPFUL PRODUCTS! >>>Just click on the logo to go directly to the site.
This is a wonderful free downloadable program for all your record keeping needs! I have used it successfully for years!
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"...I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people." Leviticus 20:24b
THOUGHT PROVOKERS"Unless those who claim to be God's spokesmen give evidence that their deepest motives and life patterns are to honor, glory, and magnify God, and to grow in humility, holiness, and obedience, we can be sure that God has not called or sent them. If they are orientated to money, prestige, recognition, popularity, power, sexual looseness, and selfishness, they do not belong to Jesus Christ. If they are proud arrogant, resentful, egotistical, and self-indulgent, they clearly are false prophets. The true test [is] a beatitude attitude of humility."
John MacArthur
Matthew 1-7, Moody, 1985, p. 469.
Smith, Randy. Grace Quotes. The Grace Tabernacle. <http://www.thegracetabernacle.org/quotes/gracequotes.html>
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"And having food and raiment let us be therewith content." I Timothy 6:6
Click on the links to go to a recipe or the tip of the month or scroll down.
Caramel Apple Upside-Down Cornmeal Cake
"Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." Matthew 15:10-11
* More recipes can be found at Free Recipes or Free Cooking Recipes.
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1 1/2 lb. ground beef 2/3 cup milk 1 1/2
teaspoon salt 1 medium carrot, sliced into small pieces 2 slices whole
wheat bread, cubed 1/4 cup wheat germ 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1
medium onion, quartered 1 medium green pepper, sliced and diced 1/2
cup oatmeal 1/4 cheddar cheese cubes Put all ingredients into blender
except meat. Blend well, then add to meat. Mix thoroughly.
Shape into a loaf and place in a greased casserole. Bake at 350
degrees for one hour or until golden brown.
1/2 cup yellow corn meal
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
3 tablespoons bacon grease
Small cast iron skillet
Preheat oven at 450 degrees. Pre-heat cast iron skillet until hot.
Mix all ingredients together except grease. Melt bacon grease in hot
skillet. Pour cornbread mixture into skillet. Bake for 15-20
minutes until golden brown.
"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:46-47
*Use the juice from fresh fruit rather than water when making jelly.
*Boil cauliflower with a small amount of lemon juice in the water to help it retain its white color.
*To keep salad from becoming soggy, place a saucer upside down in the bottom of the bowl. Moisture will run to the bottom and collect under the saucer.
*Crisp celery by placing it in a pan of cold water for a few hours. Remove when it has become crisp.
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