An Act of Contrition

I was thinking last night about all of the prayers I learned while attending Catholic School as a child and realized that I recalled most of them verbatim.  But one that sticks out in my mind over and over again is the Act of Contrition.  We all sin - whether we mean to or not and I've always tried to do my best but still fall short as well.  I have decided that I will recite this one daily in an effort to be what I want to be- a good Christian.

My God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart.

In choosing to do wrong, and failing to do good,

I have sinned against You, whom I should love above all things.

With Your help, I will do penance, sin no more,

and avoid thoae things which leads me to sin against you.

Jesus Christ suffered and died for our sins

in His name, have mercy on us.

Amen

 

Be Blessed!

Dawn

Faith Is All We Have

Scripture Of The Day: "Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!'” - Lamentations 3:23-24 (NLT)


We have witnessed devastation so vast that there are some who still don’t believe what has actually happened. The television accounts have allowed us to see a part of what has happened, but there is no account as detailed as that experienced by those who have been in the midst of floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tsunamis or any other disaster.  Lives have been lost, and uncivilized behavior raised its ugly head, primal behavior driven by desperation and deprivation. All we have is faith – faith that God is still in control; faith that if God’s people who are called by His name would humble themselves and pray and seek His face and turn from their wicked ways, that He will hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal the land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

All we have is faith that America will seek God while God may be found – from the White House to the outhouse, from the pulpit to the pew, from the high-rise to the hut. All we have is faith, and it is our faith that helps us dare to hope when we remember that the unfailing love of the Lord never ends! Great is His faithfulness; every morning new mercies we see.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, mourns for God’s people in the midst of their own destruction and devastation. It is through the prophet Jeremiah that we understand not only God’s judgment, but God’s mercy and hope for humanity. It is through Jeremiah that Israel is called back to God in the midst of destruction.

We find ourselves today as a nation affected by all that has happened as related to economics, catastrophic weather, and employment. We are in a position where only our faith will see us through. Our faith will cause us to stay connected to the call and cause of Christ even in the midst of despair and destruction. Our faith will cause us to examine our lives and our walk with Christ. It is our faith that helps us to continue to walk with Christ and not walk away feeling abandoned and betrayed. After all, scripture tells us that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Scripture tells us that the righteous have never been forsaken nor their seed begging bread. Scripture tells us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be added unto us. It’s in our times of distress and despair that the enemy causes us to question God and His word.

Faith is all that we have. It is in Lamentations 3:19-24 that Jeremiah declares, “The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:  “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!”

All we have is our faith!
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

Foxhole Christians

Food for thought.........

Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray.— Psalm 5:2

Before I became a Christian, I thought I already was one. Whenever I was in trouble, I cried out to Jesus. I thought I must surely be a Christian because I was praying. But I did not understand what being a Christian really was.

When the chips are down, most people do pray. It has been said, "There are no atheists in foxholes." If your life is on the line, you will pray. I think back on my own life and recognize that whenever trouble hit, I would call on God. I would pray, "God, if you get me out of this crisis, I promise I will serve You. I will do whatever You ask me to do." He would get me out of that one and I would say, "Thanks, God. See you next crisis." So in a sense, you could say that I prayed. But my prayer life consisted of moments of crisis when I called out to God out of fear.

In the Book of Jonah, we find the story of a great storm that arose on the sea. We read that all the sailors on the ship with Jonah began to call on their gods. That is what people will do. They will call upon their god when they are in trouble. But that doesn't mean God is necessarily living in their lives. It's possible to pray and not even know the God you are praying to.

If you are a Christian, you should certainly pray. But praying does not necessarily mean you are a Christian. You need to have a personal relationship with God. You need to believe in Jesus Christ and follow Him.
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

The Person God Uses

Have you ever wanted to be used by God?


Most of us believe that it is a God-given desire to want to serve the Lord. But maybe you've wondered what qualifications the Lord looks for in the life of a man or woman that He would use. In the Book of Joshua, we can find at least seven principles that apply to the person God uses.

Principle one: God uses people who realize they are weak. In Joshua 1, God told Joshua to "be strong and courageous" a total of three times in four verses. Why? It was probably because He knew Joshua was afraid—and understandably so.

Moses was gone. Now God had raised up Joshua to lead the people of Israel, and he hardly felt adequate for the task.    It isn't a bad thing to discover that we are weak. In fact, it is quite good. As Warren Wiersbe has said, "You can never be too small for God to use—only too big."


Principle two: God uses people who are faithful. Joshua had been Moses' helper, or as the New King James Version puts it, "Moses' assistant" (see Joshua 1:1). Joshua was the guy who was there to help Moses get the job done.  He had been born in Egypt and, along with Caleb, would be the only Israelite from the great exodus to survive the wilderness wandering and make it into the Promised Land. Joshua was a faithful man and a worthy successor to Moses.



Principle three: God uses people who study and live by His Word. God told Joshua, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night . . . " (1:8 NKJV). If you want to be used by God, then you need to know the Word of God. "Meditate in it day and night," God said to Joshua.


The word meditate means, "to ponder, to consider, to contemplate." This is where you will have the authority when you are used by God.



Principle four: God uses the person who is patient and waits on His timing. Imagine wandering around the wilderness for 40 years, and finally you are on the brink of entering the Promised Land. Then God says, "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land . . . ' " (1:11 NKJV).

We need to learn to wait on God's timing, because there is a time and a way to do what God calls us to do.


Principle five: God uses the person who cares about lost souls. There was a lost soul to be saved before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, and her name was Rahab. God would not judge Jericho until Rahab had been reached and told what to do to avoid this judgment that was coming when the Israelites attacked.

God's heart always is to save people. Every soul is precious to Him. God always cares about individuals, and so should we.

Principle six: God uses the person who sets himself or herself apart. Joshua told the people, "Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you" (3:5 NKJV). The word sanctify means, "to set yourself apart, to live a holy life."

It comes down to this: if you want to be used by God, then you will want to live a life that is right before Him. You don't need to be perfect. But you need to be someone who is attempting to live a godly life.


Principle seven: God uses the person who knows how to work with others. A good leader will communicate with and encourage the people with whom he or she works.

That is what Joshua did. He called the people together and encouraged them. They were about to undertake a very difficult task. It was going to take faith. He was saying to the people, "Hear what God is saying to you, and let's move forward."  Joshua was communicating with the people he was leading, and he was encouraging them. If you want to be used by God, then this is what you need to do.

The Bible says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him" (2 Chronicles 16:9 NKJV). Will you be that person He can use?
 
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

Communion with God

7) I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8) Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9) and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[a] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10) I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death,





God created men and women to be in a relationship with Him. The type of communion Adam and Eve first enjoyed with Him was meant for us as well. Then sin entered the world and everything changed. God’s intended intimate relationship with mankind was broken, and it has been passed down through the generations in that damaged condition.


But, as we know, that’s not the end of the story. God sent His Son Jesus to die in our place so our sins might be forgiven and our relationship with Him restored. Through faith in Christ, we are adopted into God’s family and belong to Him forever—just as He originally meant for it to be. He has provided us with everything we need to experience intimacy with Him.


So what happens if, following salvation, new believers never go deeper? Some may drift away from their initial zeal for the Lord, failing to make Bible reading or church attendance a regular occurrence. Perhaps others try to focus on the Lord but allow earthly matters to distract them. Over time, some Christians settle for what’s comfortable and familiar. Sadly, they will miss out on the deep contentment God wanted to provide. Yet those who make Jesus the priority of their life will have a deepening relationship that transcends any earthly one.


Communion with God made King David “fully satisfied as with the richest of foods” (Ps. 63:5 niv). Paul viewed his accomplishments as nothing in comparison with “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:8). Draw near to your Father, and experience the blessings of knowing Him.
 
(via Pastor Charles Stanley)
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

Open Mouth, Insert Foot! ( Love this one!)

By Lisa Crum


Scripture Of The Day: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

It's the scene of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17), and Peter, so excited about what he has just seen, blurts out, "Lord, it is good for us to be here! If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah!" (v. 4) Remember? Imagine a 21st Century Peter, scrambling to get one of his biggest faux pas yanked from Youtube!

Well, I'd like to be able to roll my eyes at Peter and say, "Pete, man, I'm embarrassed FOR you, dude!" But whenever I read this passage, my face almost blushes from remembering times when my own mouth has had ample room for both feet...clear up to the knees! There are times when we utter things in haste that are, as Granny used to put it, "like feathers in the wind."

I'm more apt to speak out of turn – or to say things that, even as the words are leaving my mouth, my mind is shouting, "Will you shut up already!" – if I'm nervous, uncomfortable, or trying too hard to make a good impression. We are sometimes so anxious to impress that we make a total train wreck out of our good intentions! There even are some people who I embarrass myself around over and over again! Go figure…



My prayer for today:

 "Lord, help me to rein in my emotions and also my pride – for when I'm too self-conscious, I forget to be more conscious of You. Help me to think before I speak, because I’m Your ambassador in a lost world where a disingenuous, religious spirit has left a bad aftertaste. I can either represent You well – or I can drive people even farther away from knowing how wonderful You are – all by the words I let escape from my lips. You instruct us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. Help the inside of my vessel to be clean and not just the outside, so that when from the abundance of my heart my mouth speaks, my speech doesn't betray me – or You. In Jesus name, amen.

Be Blessed!
 
Dawn

Done!

"Since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son." — Romans 5:10

What separates the Christian faith from all other belief systems in the world today is that you can go to the tombs of the prophets and the gurus and pay your respects, but if you go to the tomb of Jesus Christ, you will find that it is empty. He has risen again.

When a man who was trying to start his own religion contacted a well-known diplomat and asked for advice about how to get more people to join his religion, the statesman answered, "Well, I recommend that you get yourself crucified and then die, but be sure to rise again on the third day."

If you were to sum up all other religions of the world, one word would suffice: "do." Do this, and you will find peace of mind . . . do that, and maybe you will get to heaven. But the word that sums up Christianity is "done." It was done for us at the cross—paid for, completed. Jesus died and rose again.

Why did Jesus have to die—and die in the way that He did? There was no other way to meet the righteous demands of God, because the Bible says, "According to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22), and "the person who sins is the one who will die" (Ezekiel 18:20).

It was at the cross that God and man were reconciled once again. At the cross, that which was lost in the Garden was regained. At the cross, the righteous demands of God were satisfied. At the cross, Jesus dealt a decisive blow against Satan and his minions. At the cross, our salvation was purchased.
 
(via Greg Laurie)
 
Be Blessed!

Dawn

The Age of Accountability

Read ~ Deuteronomy 11:18-20

I recall an interesting conversation I once had with a young first-time mom while she allowed me to hold her infant son. I commented, “It’s hard to believe that they are born with a sinful nature.” She protested, and I thought it best not to argue with her. But I would have liked to call her a couple of years later when the boy was a toddler to see if she thought any differently!

At one point or another, all of us have felt a tug to do something that we knew was wrong. As adults and believers, we’ve learned that giving in to temptation is a sin against God. But small children do exactly as their natures dictate. Mother says, “Don’t touch,” but they reach out anyway. Little ones do not yet see the wisdom of following a parent’s rules. Boys and girls must be taught to recognize the difference between good and evil before they can make the wise choice to do right.


In the early years, a child is in a state of innocence. He is neither righteous nor saved, but he is safe from God’s wrath—if he dies, he goes to heaven. The Bible refers to the innocent period in Deuteronomy 1:39 and again in Isaiah 7:16. The Word of God confirms that there is a period of time when children are not morally accountable for their conduct.

The age of moral responsibility differs from child to child. As little ones grow, they each develop the spiritual capacity to pursue righteousness or knowingly give in to evil. The years of innocence are the time for parents to pour into their offspring sound biblical training and lessons on obedience.

(Via Pastor Charles Stanley)
 
Be Blessed!
Dawn

Whatever It Takes

"If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?"   Matthew 18:12

Have you ever lost something of value? Years ago when my son Jonathan was little, he got lost in a hotel where we were staying. He loved to push the buttons on elevators, so as we were walking to the elevator, he ran ahead of me. I called after him, "Wait until Dad gets there!" But he raced into the elevator and the door promptly closed behind him. I kept pushing the button and waited for what felt like an eternity until the doors finally opened again—with no Jonathan behind them. With security notified, I ran back, got into the elevator, and pushed every single button. Each time the doors opened, I screamed out his name. Finally I found him on the ninth floor, just standing there. I was prepared to do whatever it took to find my son. I would have kicked doors down, if necessary. Failure was not an option.

In Matthew 18, Jesus gave us a picture of how God searches for us when we stray: "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?" (verse 12).

David, a shepherd himself, said of God: "I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there." (Psalm 139:7–8)


God will not give up. Remember that when your children go astray. Remember that when you go astray. Failure is not an option for God. He will seek you out. Wherever you go, you never will escape His presence. He will search for you because He loves you.
 
(Via Greg Laurie)
 
Be Blessed!
Dawn

Leaving a Lasting Impact

13) “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.  14) “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15) No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16) In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.  Matthew 5:13-16

On this Independence Day, consider the question, How do you use the gift of freedom? God gives all believers true liberty through His Son Jesus Christ. Do you squander that blessing or share it with others? The problem is, some people are so focused on their own needs and desires that they fail to impact even their closest neighbor.

Think about the people you see every week. Do you know how many of your neighbors are sick? Are there people in your church who struggle to make it from day to day? Do you know if any of your coworkers are going through hardships? Most likely, there are individuals all around you who could use assistance. But being self-focused limits our ability to notice those people, let alone reach out to them.

Jesus taught His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men” (Matt. 5:13). In order for salt to remain useful, it must maintain its purity and potency. Likewise, we must endeavor to lead holy, humble, and loving lives, focusing on the Savior’s will rather than our own.

God has prepared the good works that we are to walk in (Eph. 2:10). Our job is to choose to do so.

Whether or not we affect our world positively depends on the focus of our heart. Do you look inward to consider how you can do more to get ahead and add to your lot in life? Or do you look outward and think about ways that you can do more to serve others?
 
(Via Charles Stanley)
 
Be Blessed!
 
Dawn