Draw Near to God

Hello Dearest Friends,

  How are you doing this week? I hope you are doing well and there is much peace in your heart. At times it can be hard to have this peace in our hearts, but with Jesus there is always hope that He will bring us peace even in our darkest times. Walk in His love and peace daily, He is able to give all you need when you seek Him.

  Jesus is the, I AM, the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel. All those who draw near to Him will be comforted, protected, delivered, and strengthened. Those who seek refuge in Jesus will receive blessings worthy of a child of God. His heart aches for those who refuse to draw near to Him, and seek Him for all their needs. Draw near to Jesus and He will rescue you!

  When we choose to daily turn to Jesus by drawing near to Him all day in prayer, our love for Him will increase. As our relationship with Jesus grows, we become more aware that He is always with us patiently waiting for us to seek Him for each of our needs. The benefits we receive by drawing near to Jesus are numerous. He desires to strengthen us in our faith and trust in Him, to provide every need we have. He is faithful to comfort us and lead us in loving ways. If we are in a situation in life that leaves us hopeless, He will deliver us and protect us. Those who put their faith in Jesus as their Savior are God’s children. When we draw close to God, these benefits and much more are lavished upon us.

  God desires all people to draw near to Him with humble hearts in repentance. Then they will know the love God has for them. Unfortunately, many choose to turn from God and choose to follow other gods that can only bring a moment of comfort. They seek comfort and protection from people and things that can never truly deliver. Draw near to God and He will rescue you from whatever binds you.

  Psalm 16 and 18 are a wonderful example of what life can be like when we seek God for all we need. The blessings God has given David are truly inspiring and should encourage us to draw near to our Father in heaven and seek Him to provide for our needs.

  There are many ways we can draw near to God. The one thing they all have in common, is that we are worshipping Him as we are drawing near to Him. One of the ways I love to draw near to God is to listen to Christian songs that have lyrics that speak to my heart about God. Then as I am drawing near to God, I am also singing to Him. There are many times He encourages me, or gives me words of encouragement for someone else while I am singing to Him. When I am angry or afraid I know I can also ask Jesus for help to calm me down, then I can seek His will for the situation. I know I can always count on Jesus to be there for me, by faith I call to Him and seek His perfect will for me.

  “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be like oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.” Isaiah 61:1-3

  “Keep me safe, O God, for in You I take refuge. I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing’…I will praise the Lord who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:1-2 & 7-8

  “I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the strength of my salvation, my   stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3

  Jesus greatly desires to be a part of our every moment. He is always present for His children. The problem is that we are often pulled away from Him by the things of this world. Be faithful as He is faithful and draw near to Him, He is patiently waiting.

  We will be reading Psalm 16-20 for one more week.

Blessings,

Patricia Terrell

Faithfully Follow Jesus in Good and Bad Times

Hello Dear Friends,

  How are you doing this week? I hope you are drawing nearer to Jesus each day and seeking His love and guidance for your life. I understand this may seem hard to fit into a busy schedule, or just hard to remember to do. Stick with it. Jesus is always there listening and working in your life in response to your faithfulness to seek Him.

  God desires all of His children to faithfully follow Him whether they are experiencing great joy in their lives, or extreme difficulties. No matter the situation God’s children need to always follow Jesus and trust Him for of all their needs. In this way, God’s children will walk with Him daily in the security of His protection and love.

  One of the most important things about being a follower of Jesus Christ is loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. When we love Jesus this much, then everything in this world including our own will, becomes less important in comparison to Him. Daily, we continually give everything over to Him so that we may live for Him, and we will grow in our relationship with Him. As we grow, we receive from God the ability to faithfully follow Jesus during the good times, because we can’t stop thinking about Him and His love. When we are going through trials we can remain at peace and rest in His loving arms, because we trust that He is working out everything for our good, because we love Him. As we walk with Jesus daily, our hearts will become more and more alive as we realize how much God truly loves each of us. In this, our hearts are secure in His faithful love and protection over us.

  There are many faithful servants of God in the Bible. In order for God to use them according to His will, they had to give over to God their will to do things their own way; and decide to follow where God led them. When they did this, they were not promised a life of prosperity or ease. They were not guaranteed that they would not suffer many difficulties in their service to God for His glory. What they did receive was God, Himself, daily leading them and helping them as they needed. No matter what they went through they knew that God was watching over them and walking with them. Even when the prophets complained in their writings how they felt all alone, they knew that they were not alone, they were crying out to God, their father in heaven. God desires us to cry out to Him as they did. He is always listening to the voices of His children, and He brings peace and love in the midst of our fears and troubles.

  I have been a believer for nine years now, and in that time I have done my best to follow Jesus as He has prompted me to do things for Him. Over the past year I have grown in my love, obedience, and trust in Him. But only in the past few weeks have I truly begun to die to self, so that Jesus may live through me. This happened one day when I was led by Jesus to close my eyes and look around. As I looked at my life and everything and everyone in it, I realized that I love Jesus more than any of this. As I learned more and more about His love for me, Jesus taught me that I can love Him in return by loving and serving others according to His will. This brought such joy to my heart. So now I, daily give Jesus my self, and He is faithful to give me opportunities to love others as He loves me. The peace and calm this gives me is like nothing else. Jesus is one of a kind and perfect in every way. I hope all who follow Jesus have a chance to learn about and experience His personal love for them. This will keep each of us at rest in Him in any situation of fear or anxiety we may find ourselves in. With the love of Christ, we can overcome any obstacle, because nothing is impossible for God.

  “No one has seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us. We know that we live in Him and He is us, because he has given us His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in Him and He in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us… There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…1John 4:12-18

  “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

  “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25

  Staying close to Jesus during good times and bad times will guarantee that your relationship with Him will be strong. You will become strong in Him, no matter what happens. 

  We will begin reading Psalm 16-20 for two weeks.

Blessings,

Patricia Terrell

The Proud and Humble Heart before God

Hello Dear Faithful Ones,

  How are you doing this week? I hope you are experiencing the peace of God, as you walk daily with Him in His will. My heart longs for all God’s children to desire God’s will for their life. I hope this is your desire too and that you are seeking God daily for His will for you. There is nothing more important and rewarding in life than this.

  Today, we are going to talk about the heart of the proud and the heart of the humble, based on Psalm 11-15. The love of God is able to forgive any sin made by both the humble and the proud. The difference is, the proud heart has a much harder time seeking God’s forgiveness because they depend on their own abilities and strengths. The humble know and understand that they are weak, so they seek God for forgiveness; and ask Him to provide them with the ability to accomplish what they need to do, and the strength to endure all hardships. The proud will grow weary because he depends on his own strength. The humble will continue on because he is completely dependant on his creator to supply him with what he needs.

  God loves both the humble and the proud. The problem is the person who is proud has developed a hard heart towards the things of God. They are not seeking God, or listening for His guidance on a daily basis. God greatly desires to draw this person to repentance through any way possible. But it is up to the person, whether believer or non-believer, to respond to God’s love for them. The proud heart is content to strive on its own making things happen as they see best, not realizing that God has a wonderful purpose and plan for them. This greatly grieves God’s heart, but God is a gentleman and He created us with free will. He will graciously allow us to follow whoever or whatever we choose. God will wait patiently for us to respond to His love and forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

  The person with a humble heart is a delight to God. Their heart is soft and supple, like clay in His hands. The humble heart responds humbly to any sin they do and repents and seeks God’s forgiveness almost instantly. They respond eagerly to the love of God and greatly desire His will for their lives. Their lives are filled with blessings and guidance from God, and close relationships that will last for all eternity because they are a gift from God. The life of the humble person is held in the palm of God’s hand and all their ways are directed by Him. God is able to use this person to bless many others as He has gifted them.

  The Psalmist David was a man with a humble heart before God. No matter how lonely, desperate, or afraid he became during his long battle to escape king Saul’s men, he still humbly sought God for all his needs for protection, food, emotional security, and much more. David knew he could completely trust and depend on God for all he needed. He waited for God to accomplish His will for his life, to be king of Israel. David’s writings in the Psalms that were written almost 3,000 years ago still bless all who read them.

  There is no greater joy or desire in my life than to know and walk in the will and purposes God has for me. As I slowly learn more about God and develop the gifts He has given me, I am reminded about a time in grade school when I had to write reports on different subjects. I would look up the subject in the encyclopedia. I then read about it and wrote my report. I was unable to write what I had learned in my own words. I ended up copying what I had read. Don’t worry my step-mom wouldn’t let me turn it in, but you can see the weakness I had for writing as a child. This gift is not something that I have been developing since childhood. I share this story to show that God has called me to write for Him. Even though I have no college degree or professional training as a writer, I can show that God’s strength and provision has made me able to write, for His glory. I have heard many other stories about similar instances in regard to the lives of those who God calls to serve Him in a way they are known to be weak.

  The person who has a proud heart will eventually grow tired or frustrated with their life. This can show up in many negative ways in their life. The purpose this person was created for has not been made use of as God ordained from the beginning. The person who is humble in all their ways is willing to follow any path God leads them on. The work that God calls them to do may be hard, but with God all things are possible. When they are weak, this is when God makes them strong, and they will bring glory to God, not themselves, in all they do. In God’s strength they are able to accomplish their task because they are seeking God and He faithfully provides all they need to do His will. This is the awesome thing about walking in the will of God. When God calls us to do something small or large, it will succeed, because with God nothing is impossible when we do it in His strength, not our own.

  “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

  “For to be sure, He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you.” 2 Corinthians 13:4

  “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:16-19

  It is a great desire of mine that you receive from God, strength in your weakness through humble hearts toward Him. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

We will continue reading Psalm 11-15 for one more week.

Blessings,

Patricia

The Blessings of Walking Daily in Child-like Faith

Hello Beloved of God,

  How are you this week? I pray that the week has been restful because of walking with Jesus, even if your schedule was absolutely insane. I know what it is like to feel that there is no rest for the weary. Oh to be a child again! But Jesus has been teaching me more about child-like faith which helps me stay in a place of rest all day long. It is a beautiful place where He walks and talks with me and holds me close. I used to think that this was just for the special people that used to write about these things, like King David. Now I know it is what He desires for all of us to experience.  During the time before David was king, he was almost constantly on the run from King Saul who was seeking to kill him because he had been anointed to be the next king. As we read in Psalm 6-10, David is seeking God for safety and protection from King Saul and his armies. Even in these very difficult times David always had a simple faith in God and His ability to keep him safe from Saul and his armies.

  All children start out with a child-like faith. When they grow up this can fade a little, or a lot. The ability to have faith in God and to trust in His abilities comes naturally to someone who has child-like faith. If you feel you have lost some of your child-like faith and desire to regain it, ask God to give you child-like faith.  He is faithful to provide what you ask for according to His will.

  Throughout the years, I have learned  many things that God does for me on a daily basis. One example of how God uses my faith to help me is when I am in need of confidence or cheering up.  He will send someone to do this for Him, or He will lead me to read something that speaks of His heart for me. These are just some small daily gifts God gives to me. I would like to encourage you to practice using your faith in God by calling on the name of Jesus daily!

   God greatly desires for us to voice our need of Him on a daily basis. In order for us to do this, we need to have faith that He is listening. God desires the very best for us, and if we will call on His name, the name of Jesus, He will come and lead us to the green pastures that David spoke of,  so we can walk closer and closer with Him daily.      Have you found your green pastures yet?

  “People were bringing little children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16

  “We live by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

   As you walk daily with Jesus, I hope you are inviting Him into every moment of your life. We all have good and bad days. Jesus longs to be with you through it all, helping you, encouraging you, and freeing you from carrying any load that is an unnecessary burden to your heart. Will you rest in His love for you today and everyday?    We will start reading Psalm 11-15 for two weeks.

Blessing,

Patricia

God's Miracle of Deliverance

Hello Dear Faithful Bible Readers,

  How are you all this week? Have you been encouraged? Have you been down and suffering? You are so deeply on my heart. I hope you all know how very precious you are to me as my dear brothers and sisters, and even more so to the Lord who loves you all so incredibly.

  One of the many miracles of God is deliverance. Deliverance is brought to all people who seek God when they find themselves in an impossible situation with no natural way out. When we seek God first, the light of Christ is able to shine into each of our dark and hopeless situations. He is God and He knows everything that goes on in the lives of all people. He hears our cries and our groaning. He hears our words of praise. And in his perfect timing, He brings about deliverance to those who humble themselves, seek His face, and repent of their sinful ways. He does this for both the believers and the non-believers.

  God's deliverance comes in many different way. He delivers us from the shame of our past. He delivers us from abusive and hurtful situations where this is no natural way out. Jesus came to the earth so that He could deliver all mankind from eternity apart from God, through His salvation. He has come to right the wrongs, and bring hope to those who would have no hope otherwise.

  In Psalms 6-10, we read that David found himself in multiple situations where there was no way out. He was surrounded by His accusers who wanted to kill him. He humbly sought God’s forgiveness for any wrong he had done, and asked God to deliver His life. He asked God to bring judgment on those who falsely accused him. He told God his situation and then in faith, he waited expectantly for God to deliver him.

  Throughout my life, God has delivered me in many ways. The most important gift of deliverance that He gave to me was Salvation through Jesus Christ. Praise God for Jesus who was pleased to redeem me, from my deserved punishment. He gave me freedom from my sins with the gift of eternal life, beginning on that day. There is no greater joy than living in Jesus' love for me - daily.

  “Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love.” Psalm 6:4

  “The Lord reigns forever; He has established His throne for judgment. He will judge the world in righteousness; He will govern the peoples with justice. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.” Psalm 9:7-10

  “Arise, Lord! Lift up Your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. … But You, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.” Psalm 10:12-14

  The desire of my heart is that each of you who read my letters would be filled with encouragement through the Holy Spirit, who is God. Whatever you are facing today, this week or this year, know that God knows what you are going through. He cries when you cry, and He feels joy when you do. God always desires the very best for each of us, but we must draw closer, even closer to Him before He can work. He must have our cooperation, obedience, and submission to His will, purpose, and plans. God is calling each of us to walk this walk with Him.

  We will be reading Psalm 6-10 for one more week.

Blessings,

Patricia Terrell

Security in God Alone

Hello Dearest Children of God,

  How are you doing this week? Are you experiencing great blessings daily from your Father in Heaven? Or has a dry spell come in and even made it hard to sense the presence of God? Whatever you are going through today, know that God is always with you and He loves you.

  There are many privileges that are given to those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and therefore adopted into His family. One of these privileges is, walking daily with a confidence and security in God and His ability and desire to care for all of our needs.

  David walked daily with God knowing that God would care for his needs, whatever they were. The honesty that David had with God, in his Psalms, is a great example for us of how we should be coming before God with our needs, desires, and praise. God knew David’s heart and He honored David’s honesty and trust in Him with many blessings of protection and honor. David was very secure in God because he knew God always honored his obedience and dependence on Him.

  I have been walking with Jesus for nine years, and I am just beginning to understand, in my heart, the magnitude of God’s’ love for me. After all this time I can look back and see how God has cared for me, warned me of dangers, and loved me in special ways. But I had not taken into account that I am very special to God, as are all His children, and God desires for me to come before Him with my requests that are in His will. He expects me to rest in the security that He will take care of all my needs, and I am not to worry. I know now in my heart that when I keep my focus on Jesus and follow Him in obedience, He will bless me with a deep trust and security. My life is in His hands and I don’t need to worry about my life. The peace that comes to our hearts when we accept this is as the peace that passes all understanding.

  When God’s children understand that His will is the very best for them, they will be able to rest, and walk secure knowing He is caring for every detail of their life. If God’s children will seek His will and then walk a very close, obedient walk with Him, they will see His hand working in their life accomplishing His will and purposes. This lets them know He is taking care of all their needs. They will understand that when they let God be in charge, they don 't need to worry about the many things in this world that  can cause their hearts to become self reliant to try to fix it on their own. God will take care of everything on His children's behalf. 

    “…Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between His shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12

  “Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.” Proverbs 3: 25-26

  “…let all who take refuge in You be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You. For surely, O Lord, You bless the righteous; you surround them with Your favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5: 11-12

  Join me today in acknowledging God and His great love for us. He is waiting for us to walk with Him daily so we can receive all He has for us.  

We will continue reading Psalm 1-10 for one more week.

Blessings,

Patricia

The Majesty of God!!

Hello Dear Ones,

  The grace of God is shining on you each day, watching over you with the eyes of a loving Father. He cares deeply for you and every detail of your life. He is always listening to His children; I hope this encourages you to seek Him in your times of difficulty, or praise Him in your times of joy. God delights to be welcomed in your daily life, to help you in all your ways.

  The majesty of God is beyond a person’s ability to fully understand. There is nothing to compare with God’s infinite expanse and qualities. All living things depend on God to care for them, including us, His people. The love that we know from our families only touches on the deep and passionate love that God has for each of us, and all living things.

  God was not created, but He existed from before the beginning of time. He will continue to exist for all eternity. His character is the same from before time began and it will remain the same for all eternity. God’s infinite power, strength, wisdom, mercy, and love are far beyond our ability to comprehend. God enjoys seeing His loving hand at work in our lives; millions of us, all experiencing God in many ways, all at the same time.

  The glory of God is His power and strength. Whether we know it or not, each of our lives is completely held in the palm of His hand. God is fully aware of every moment of each of our lives, and the lives of all living things. His care for us means that He provides for our needs and protects us according to His will. When we depend on God for our needs, we are acknowledging that we can do nothing on our own. We can accomplish everything God desires for us when we seek His help and guidance. In this we bring glory to God. How sad God is when we daily strive in all that we do, without depending on Him.

  The deep and passionate love of God is expressed through all that He created, including us, who were created in His image to follow Him. As His image bearers, we are set apart for Him. God loves us intimately, deeply, and passionately. We are able to experience God’s love at different levels depending on how close we choose to walk with Him. But the more we live for ourselves, and less for Him, the less we are aware of His amazing love He greatly desires to share with all of us.  

  When God questioned Job about things too grand for Job to comprehend, he is humbled and put back in his place as one of God’s children, whom He created. Job is reminded how much God loves him no matter what mistakes he makes in life.

  God in all His majesty is all we truly need in this life. God is infinite, omniscient, and omnipresent over all His creation. God fully sustains all life and He cares and provides for all living things. God is abundant in love beyond what we have ever known about love. There is no one like God, He is everywhere, all knowing, all seeing, always listening, providing, loving, and guiding each of us, all at the same time. Nothing is impossible for God. This is why we worship God in all His majesty and splendor, with all our hearts.

  “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful Word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs.” Hebrews 1:1-4

  “Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.’” Job 42:1-2

  “The Lord is gracious and compassionate; slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All You have made will praise You, O Lord; Your saints will extol You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations.” Psalm 145:8-13

  Have a blessed week as the grace of God walks with you daily.

  We will now begin reading the book of Psalms. Let’s read Psalm 1 – 10 for two weeks.

Blessings,

Patricia