There Is No Better Counsel

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." Psalm 32:8

I love this promise. And what a great promise it is for us as we try to live and walk in this crazy, fast-paced, wicked world. God not only promises to instruct us and teach us but He will guide us with His protective, loving, and watchful eye. There is no better counsel than that of Jesus Christ.

"...and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Lord, help us to always be attentive and receptive to Your voice so that we are in Your will and being guided by You as we walk on the path You have for us.

Love in Christ,
Tera

The Lord Is The Strength Of My Life

We have assurance in scripture that when we are in the midst of anxiety, pain, fear, even circumstances beyond our control, we have strength in the Lord. He is there to provide, strengthen, and comfort us.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1.

Just as the Lord was with Moses, He is with us today. He will never fail us or forsake us.

"...as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage..." Joshua 1:5,6a.

Whatever battle you are going through stay strong in the Lord and believe in these beautiful promises. He will give you strength and peace.

Love in Christ,
Tera

I Know That My Redeemer Liveth

This hymn has such meaning. The words were written in 1893 by Jessie B. Pounds and the music by James H. Fillmore. Our Redeemer liveth, and because He lives, we will live forever. Amen.

I know that my Redeemer liveth,
And on the earth again shall stand;
I know eternal life He giveth,
That grace and power are in His hand.

I know my mansion He prepareth,
That where He is, there I may be;
O wondrous thought for me He careth,
And He, at last, will come for me.

Refrain:
I know, I know that Jesus liveth,
And on the earth again shall stand;
I know, I know that life He giveth,
That grace and power are in His hand.
Love in Christ,
Tera

There Is No Other Book

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Wow! What truth is in this verse! The grass does wither and die; the flowers will dry up, fade and die. You can look around you right now and see many things that will not last forever. Our vehicles, appliances, homes, iPhones, even the Energizer Bunny will not last forever!

The Word of our God does. It is eternal. It is alive and powerful. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Hebrews 4:12

The Bible is there for reading, studying, memorizing, and sharing. It gives us peace, comfort, direction, wisdom, strength, and courage. It is a book filled with powerful resources and promises. The words are from God, we can rely on the words, and the words will stand forever. There is no other book except the Word of our God that can help us survive in this crazy and unjust world.

Love in Christ,
Tera

A Symbol Of Hope

Last night I saw a beautiful rainbow and every time I see one I see it as a symbol of hope. It reminds me of the promise God gave to Noah after the flood. "And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." Genesis 9:16.

It seems lately that there are more and more people facing the storms of life. Some are big storms, some are small, and some of you are thinking you may never see a breakthrough. You need a rainbow. A symbol of hope. As hard as it is we need to remember that no matter the storm, or the darkest of clouds we feel we are under, God is there reaching out to us to give us the hope, peace, and endurance we need until the storm passes by.

I thought the chorus from the hymn 'Till the Storm Passes By' was a good ending for today's devotion. May God bless those of you who are going through a storm and may God hold you in the hollow of His Hands.

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more;
'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

Love in Christ,
Tera

God Is Always There

Most of us enjoy having good health. We get sick and bounce right back up most of the time.

But what happens if you get sick and it takes you a while to get well? The drive, energy, and stamina we use to have are not there anymore, and it is much harder to bounce back to being healthy again without it taking forever. The healing process has slowed down tremendously. It's called getting older. Our bodies are tired and begging for rest. For some people, this can be very frustrating and heartbreaking because you have always been active, going and doing whatever and whenever you wanted to, and now there are limitations.

All of us will age and experience it differently. The good thing is we have a God we can pray to for help, strength, and comfort. His amazing grace is sufficient for each one of us. 2 Corinthians 12:9 "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

God is always there to help when we are weak, sick and in a time of need.

Love in Christ,
Tera

Good and Honorable

We honored and thanked our men and women in uniform yesterday as we celebrated Veterans Day. Most of us either have a family member or know someone that served our country in the past or maybe serving now. I am very grateful for every person that fought, is fighting, and that served and serves our country with pride and their lives. These people are good and honorable.

As we go through these times of uncertainty in our states and our nation may God help us to do what is honorable and good for our country and the well-being of the people of the United States. May we pray to God for peace among us, His protection over us, and that He will give us a future and a hope.

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

We are a blessed country and I am proud to be an American. May God strengthen our faith in Him and may our prayers be heard for the future of our country. 

Love in Christ,

Tera  

A Woman And Her Faith

I love the story in Mark 5:25-34. It is about a woman and her faith.

A woman that is never mentioned by name had been sick for twelve years and had spent all of her money going to many physicians, but no one could help her. She heard that Jesus was close by and in her desperation and faith, she knew that if she could get close enough to touch His clothes that she would be healed. "If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole." v28. The woman pressed through the multitude of people and got close enough to touch His garment, and she felt in her body that she was healed. She thought I will quietly slip back out of this crowd and be happy and blessed. She was surprised when Jesus turned around and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" v30. You see, Jesus realized at once that His healing power had gone out from Him. Trembling and afraid she fell before Him and told Him the truth. She explained her faith in His power. Jesus said, "Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole..."v34.

A woman and her faith and now a daughter to Jesus. Her life changed. She was well, and it was because of her faith in Jesus.

Love in Christ,
Tera

In Every Thing Give Thanks

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing goes right? The day starts with spilling the ground coffee before it ever goes in the coffeemaker, then you have a problem with your laptop, every little thing becomes a big thing, you think no one understands or cares, and the day seems like it is never going to end?!?

After realizing I couldn't change the things that were happening, I decided to work on my blog without my laptop and I came across this verse "in everything give thanks for this is the will of God." Wow! I think God was trying to tell me something. We are to acknowledge everything that happens even the trying, painful, testing of days and give thanks.

"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

We have so much to be thankful for when we really think about it. The small irritating things we go through sometimes is nothing compared to what others are facing or going through that are ongoing and heartbreaking. So on those days we feel aggravated, say a prayer for God to help us and in every thing give thanks!

Love in Christ,
Tera

Love Our Enemies?!

Have you ever been hurt by someone? Rejected by someone? Ridiculed by someone?

I am sure that each one of us can say yes to at least one of these questions. And if the truth is known, there may be some bitterness toward that person, and we may even see them as an enemy. Well, there is scripture in Matthew where Jesus tells us to love our enemies. What?! Yep! It is written in red too which means Jesus said it, the words are powerful, and it is a command for us to follow.

"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. . . For if you love them which love you, what reward have ye...?" Matthew 5:43-46

This is a difficult command to obey but what are we gaining if we don't? A harden and unforgiving heart? It's easy to love those who love us, right? I truly believe when we ask God to help us to forgive that person He will bless us and teach us how to pray for those who have hurt us.

Love in Christ,
Tera

HE Walks Beside Us Today

God walks beside us today, ready to take care of every detail we may be facing. Whatever we have going on today we are to cast all anxiety on Him. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 1 Peter 5:7

When we are confused about things in this life, God will guide us and instruct us. "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." Psalm 32:8

God is the source of mercy, grace, comfort, peace, and hope. He made the world and everything in it. No matter the circumstance whether it is big or small give every thought and every detail over to Him. He is the Lord over heaven and earth. Period. "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth..." Acts 17:24

Be content knowing He walks beside us today.

Love in Christ,
Tera

The Lord Knows Our Hearts

Each one of us has made decisions thinking that the decision was right in our own eyes, and in our own thinking, but found out after the fact that we should have spent more time in prayer with the Lord before making a decision.

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts." Proverbs 21:2

The Lord is always watching us. He ponders our hearts and sees our motives. He knows everything about us...inside and out. We should have the peace that comes from Him in making any and every decision. Spending time with Him is essential and what we need to do before we do something we regret or can't change.

The Lord knows our heart, and that's all we need to remember.

Love in Christ,
Tera   

Leaning On The Everlasting Arms

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms is a hymn of refuge for us. It was published in 1887 by Anthony J. Showalter and lyrics by Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. What do we have to dread or fear as long as we are leaning on the everlasting arms of our eternal God? "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms..." Deuteronomy 33:27. 

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms. 

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Love in Christ,

Tera

Surrendered To God

We know we are surrendered to God when we rely on Him to work things out instead of us trying to force, control, and manipulate a situation. Some things are way out of our control. There are so many scriptures that tell us to commit it all to God, trust Him, and He will work it all out.

"Commit thy way unto to the Lord; trust in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5

"Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him...Psalm 37:7

"Submit yourselves therefore to God...James 4:7

We don't have to always be in charge. Instead of trying harder to be in control (which we all know causes grief and anxiety) let's work harder to be surrendered to God and trust Him more.

Love in Christ,
Tera