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Devotions
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Turn Your Eyes To The Lord "Let your speech be always
with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Colossians
4:6 KJV ) "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that
ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6 KJV ) Did you know that how you say something can carry as much weight as what you say? I read
this quote that said, 90% of friction of daily life is caused by the wrong tone of voice. In this day and time, most
people find that electronic mail (e-mail) is the easiest form of communication. You either love it or you hate it.
I personally find it an easy way to get out the word, all at once. Then you can go back and read what was said.
Sometimes in a phone call you may forget exact words spoken, but in e-mail, you can go back and read the conversation (so
to speak). But, e-mail sometimes can project a wrong tone - probably unintentionally but, sometimes the
tone can be received a number of ways - probably 5 times out of 10 the receiver may take it the wrong way. Sometimes
being on the receiving end we may have to call the person and say, "did you mean for this to sound this way?"
I know a lot of times (even with my own family) something I say can be taken the wrong way. When approaching a conflict,
we should pray about what we are going to say before we say it. This verse always makes
me think when I read it. In all situations, we need to think and pray before we act or react! Because how we speak
to someone may make every difference in the world. A well known Psalm, (chapter 19, verse 14) is "let the words of my
mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Where
does your strength come from? Do you fully rely on God
to guide you each day? Or do you rely on what you can do? We can't get through anything on our own.
Everything is possible through Christ Jesus, we got up this morning and put two feet on the floor - by the Grace of God and
God alone. I pray that His words and His words alone touch your heart today and that a new desire is placed in your
heart to start a closer walk with Him. Have a great Friday. Invite someone to church with you this Sunday.
If you are not going to church, pray that Jesus will lead you to a place of Worship that will Glorify His name. Count
your blessings! Love, Tracy
Thinking about Things That Matter
"Our aim is to please Him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this
body or way from this body and with Him in heaven." (2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV)
"Our
aim is to please Him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this
body
or way from this body and with Him in heaven." (2 Corinthians
5:9 NIV) We're
quick to measure ourselves against society's standards, even when those standards seem impossibly high. No area left out-looks,
career, possessions, obsession with our physical shape. Whether we are over weight or just right-we are never satisfied. Even
our spirituality. Most of us live our lives trying to please others (spouse, children, family, employer, friends). We try
to be all things to all people. Sometimes we leave out the one person who matters the most ... God. I was watching
the news last night and there was a story about an actor who attempted suicide this week. He supposedly had it all,
he is young, has a great career, lot's of money friends, family. Except he is missing one thing. One
very important thing. Jesus. His life is empty and meaningless, because he serves himself. When we live
our lives for an audience of one-God-something remarkable happens. Suddenly, the things we have been searching for don't
matter any more, and unexpected things that truly delight us drop into our laps at just the right time. Our new desires
to please God and Him alone leave little time from worrying about things so unimportant. We are blessed! Sometime today, stop to thank God for
His presence in your life. The simple act of remembering that He is the one we should be pleasing will lead us into a new
renewed focus on things that matter the most in our lives. We will discover a new Joy! I
pray that the Lord has touched your heart through His Word. I hope that you have a great Thursday! Pray for rain -
our grass is actually not grass it is dry dirt ... we need rain and lots of it. Please continue to pray for Ethan (powley1127.com) he is doing a little better and oxygen levels up in the high 90's praise God! Melanie will be released from the
hospital today so she can go to the hospital he is in in Columbia. Love, Tracy
"THE Rock" "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them
that trust in Him." (Nahum 1:7 NIV)
Did you ever wonder sometimes where these names came from? Nahum-it is
between Micah and Habakkuh in the Old Testament, in case you wanted to know. The Bible says GOD is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). So why do
we turn to other things/people in our time of need? The Lords desire is for us to turn to Him and Him alone. So
many times we'll go out and tell anyone that will listen our troubles and yet won't take 15 minutes of our day to
talk to God.
Did you ever wonder sometimes where these names came
from? Nahum-it is between Micah and Habakkuh in the Old Testament, in case you wanted to know. The Bible says
GOD is our refuge and our strength, a very present
help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). So why do we turn to other things/people in our time of need? The Lords desire is for
us to turn to Him and Him alone. So many times we'll go out and tell anyone that will listen our troubles and yet
won't take 15 minutes of our day to talk to God.
Jesus is our Rock. We can love our spouse and our children so much that it
hurts and we can love our parents 'til death, but they are not going to be able to solve life's problems for
us. We may get sound advice, but lessons learned come from the Lord. We need to turn and trust His unseen
hand as He tells us in His Word. miracles do happen! They are only from God, we can't create them. We
need to be willing to accept them. Sometimes we may not received the miracle we hope for in this life - we need
to be willing to accept that too. There are greater things coming.
Jesus loves you! His life was
a sacrifice for our sins before they were even committed. All we need to do to accept that love is turn from the sin
in our life, ask Jesus to forgive us and don't go back to it again. And you know what, if you do, don't be discouraged.
Seek the Lords direction, find out why you have gone back to it and repent. Mean business with God and He will see you through it!! God is touching hearts today and He is breaking down
walls-where are you going to go when your lonely? Go to your Heavenly Father, He is waiting. No problem is too
big OR too small for Him to handle.
Have a great Wednesday, I pray that you will see the blessing of God
in your life and remember to thank Him for them. Please pray for baby Ethan Powley. Love, Tracy
Give Me Jesus! "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24 NIV) I had
a hard time waking up this morning. As I lay there, just thinking about my day ahead, I started thinking about this
song by Fernando Ortega ... GIVE ME JESUS ... In the morning,
when I rise
In the morning, when I rise
In the morning, when I rise, give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But give me Jesus
When I am alone
When I am alone
When I am alone, give me Jesus
Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
But
give me Jesus
When I come to die
When I come to die
When I come to die, give me Jesus
Give
me Jesus,
Give me Jesus,
You can have all this world,
You can have all this world,
You can have all
this world,
But give me Jesus
As I sat there I was thinking
about all my thoughts and how trivial things can be that we worry about. To us they may seem so big, but in reality,
in the end it is not all so important. We make everything into a giant and most of the time it is not. God can
handle all of our giants anyway! Didn't you ever look back on a situation and think, why was I so worried about
that ~ why didn't I trust that God would handle that according to His will for my life? I hope that today is the day you decide
to trust Him with all you have and all you are. Make the decision to get up earlier and have a quiet moment alone with
God. Ask Jesus to guide and direct your path. Starting today! Please remember my friend Sue's family in prayer today, her father Jim passed away earlier
this month. She is having a very hard time, she was very close to him. The last time I talked to her about Jesus,
which was a long time ago, she told me she did not believe in Heaven or Hell. She was an atheist. I hope that
over the years her thoughts have changed and somehow Jesus has touched her heart. Please pray for her. I hope you all have a great Tuesday. Be Still, and know God is in control - no matter
what you are facing today, you are not alone. God is full of Mercy and Grace. Turn to Him today for guidance and
direction. Love, Tracy
Get in and 'Filler up!
"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:129-130 NIV)
"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:129-130 NIV)
When you think about
your testimony, what comes to your mind? Can you see anything in your life that is a testimony to what God has done
in your life? Can others see it? When you wake up each day whether you are on top of the mountain or in the lowest
valley, the Lord is going to work out a miracle today. Can you see it? Is your mind clear to the things that satan
will place in your way? Can you see the mountain tops through the valley? Are others encouraged by you?
Have you ever shared what Jesus has done for you? What stops you? I really don't know
how someone can get through a day without Jesus at the center of it. Without reading His Word and praying for the Lord
to rein in my life each day I can't imagine what my life would be. Each day we start out the day so full, as
our day goes on the things of the world can literally drain us. Time for a refill. Get back in Gods Word ~ immediate
refill. Stay full of His Word. He will fill any need, any void and any circumstance in your life. Jesus loves us and
His desire is for us to live with Him forever.
Not separated from Him. Pray for each other today.
Pray especially for your children. Pray that the light of Jesus will shine through you and they will get a glimpse!
I hope you have a great Monday. With so many blessings in our lives why is it that the hard times can bring us down?
Start counting your blessings! Don't be defeated. You are BLESSED! Love, Tracy
Get in and 'Filler up!
"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance of your words gives
light; it gives understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:129-130 NIV)
"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. The entrance
of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." (Psalm 119:129-130 NIV)
When
you think about your testimony, what comes to your mind? Can you see anything in your life that is a testimony to what
God has done in your life? Can others see it? When you wake up each day whether you are on top of the mountain
or in the lowest valley, the Lord is going to work out a miracle today. Can you see it? Is your mind clear to
the things that satan will place in your way? Can you see the mountain tops through the valley? Are others
encouraged by you? Have you ever shared what Jesus has done for you? What stops you? I
really don't know how someone can get through a day without Jesus at the center of it. Without reading His Word and praying for
the Lord to rein in my life each day I can't imagine what my life would be. Each day we start out the day so
full, as our day goes on the things of the world can literally drain us. Time for a refill. Get back in Gods Word ~
immediate refill. Stay full of His Word. He will fill any need, any void and any circumstance in your life. Jesus loves
us and His desire is for us to live with Him forever. Not separated from Him. Pray for each other today.
Pray especially for your children. Pray that the light of Jesus will shine through you and they will get a glimpse!
I hope you have a great Monday. With so many blessings in our lives why is it that the hard times can bring us down?
Start counting your blessings! Don't be defeated. You are BLESSED! Love, Tracy
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| Devotions |
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| by Tracy Beckham |
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