Silver Miner 4 God

Has Moved to a New Web Address!

Click the following link

www.patriciamwilloughby.com 

 

God's Message Back

Thank Me for Your Problems

& 

Learn to Relate to Others in My Love

Philippians 4:6; Matthew 11:28-29; 2 Corinthians 12:9 Amp

In reading my Jesus Calling yesterday and today, I am told that I am to be thankful for my problems and to bring my difficulties to Him and ask Him to help me with them. I am reminded that my focus is to be on Him and not my difficulties. The act of thankfulness changes the focus from the negative and to Him. Lord God, I am so glad that I can turn to you. Thank you for my difficulties.

He spoke to my heart and helped me to realize that with His Love, I am to love others most especially when they are not so pretty because He loves me when I am not at my best too. I understand that my love for others is inadequate and I will not love sufficiently. Dear God, forgive me for trying to love others by my power. Surround me in Your love so that out of it I can love others as You love me.

God's loving kindness and His mercy are more than enough and always available regardless of the situation. Yet, I seem to forget this more often than I like to admit. It takes an uncomfortable moment or situation to bring this to light so this is a perfect moment to say thank you, Lord, for reminding me that Your grace is truly sufficient.

Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] 

 John 14:27

Count It All Joy When You Face Various Trials.

Really?

James 1:2-3

My Conversation with God

I am not sure about this, God. Let me get this right. You want me to count it as joy when I meet trials of various kinds. This remains a mystery to me. I don't think it means to be happy about the trials but to be joyful in that the trials serve a purpose, right? Forgive me when I forget to count it as joy and I whine about it instead. Reading a bit further, I see that the trials that I face aim to perfect my faith to be complete and lacking nothing. Lord, help me to see things in a different light and come to understand Your mercy and grace. After all, Your word tells me that You discipline those You love. You also tell me that pruning is necessary. I must admit that I am not so welcoming of the pruning, however, knowing You more I know that You can be trusted. It is well with my soul when I surrender to Your good, pleasing, and perfect will. Lord God, hear my plea that I will do my best to consider it joy as trials come my way. Alleluia, Amen.

Sweet Serenity

How is it Achieved?

Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

  

I am sure that most people are familiar with the first part of this prayer.

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

But how many know that there is more to it. The second part is where serenity is truly sought.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.

It is in asking God to help me live one day at a time and one moment at a time. God helps me to be in the present not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Accepting hardships as a pathway to peace, now this is another matter. God helps me to understand that the struggles that I go through serve a purpose. No it is not fun or easy but God has a purpose and a plan for me. 

 

Taking , as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is. Jesus did after all tell us that there will be trouble. Yet, He has overcome the world. Now comes trust. To trust in Jesus that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will. By my surrender to His will, I will be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy in the next. Again, there is no greater joy than knowing Jesus.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may others come to know You more so that they, too, can know serenity. Amen.

Trusting in Jesus

What Does This Look Like?

Trust in the Lord forever, 

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

Isaiah 26:4

 

I had a dear friend ask me how does one know if he/she is trusting in the Lord. I told her that I would have to explore that some, so I turned to my Bible dictionary and trust means to have confidence in. To trust in the Lord is to place one's confidence in Him that He is there with you whatever comes your way; having confidence that He will comfort you when you are hurting, give you the strength to stand or the words to say. It is also having confidence that He will keep His promises to never leave nor forsake you. It is taking Him at His word. 

 

No, we are not promised a rose garden. Jesus said that there will be trouble but to take heart He has overcome the world. The joy of the Lord is our strength. This joy comes from knowing Him intimately and knowing that this world is not our home. Yet, while we are here we are to love and serve Him and let His light shine in us that others can come to know Him, too. There is no greater joy than knowing Him.

David trusted God to give him the kingdom long before it happened. Noah trusted God when God told him to build the ark and time and again when Noah sent the dove out. Peter trusted Jesus when Peter first stepped out of the boat but when he took his eyes off of Jesus he began to sink. Thus, when I take my eyes off of Jesus, I, too, will fall to the pitfalls of this life.

One of my favorite verses is in James is chapter 1 verse 5 where it tells me that God does not find fault in me when I ask for wisdom, therefore, I do not believe that God will find fault in me if I ask for Him to help me trust Him more. One of my many favorite hymns puts it together so well is Trust and Obey. The link has the lyrics to this simply beautiful hymn.

⁷ “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
⁸ He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

There is Power in the Name of Jesus!

Though the World Would Shut Jesus Out.

He Prevails!

The Triumphal Entry 

Luke 19:28-40

As Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we have come to call Palm Sunday, people then were crying out, 

"Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory to the highest!" 

The Pharisees, religious leaders of the time, told Jesus to rebuke his disciples but Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very rocks cry out." 

Today, there are those who would have the name of Jesus censored from television. Yet, His name prevails thanks to a number of strong Christian artist who refuse to be silenced. Here is a link, Jesus' Name Be Lifted Up, to view the artist and their astounding performances.  

Try as they may to keep Him out, the name of Jesus will prevail. To God be the glory!

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

Just for Fun!

Using Songs & Hymn

 Titles to Express

My Faith!

Song links are in red, songs in blue.

HYMNS

I Know Whom I have Believed and It is Well with My Soul. 

Be Though My Vision, oh, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise! 

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place and I will forever sing O Worship the King. O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go is found in the O Deep, Deep Love of Jesus.

Mercy Me Songs

Dear Younger Me,

I have a New Lease on Life. Jesus has made me Flawless and Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. It is not Wishful Thinking to believe that God will Finish What He Started. I say Welcome to the New and I will Shake because God has done a great thing in me.

Different Artist

People Need the Lord and I need to tell them My Story. Through prayer and study of God's word, I am Learning to be the Light.  In John 8:12, Jesus tells me that He is the light of the world, therefore He is My Lighthouse.

King & Country

My prayer: Dear God, help me to Fix My Eyes on You. You sent Your son, Jesus, to be the Proof of Your Love. When I am down and I feel that I can't go on, I turn to Your Shoulders to gain the strength to continue. Amen!