Don’t miss the blessings

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2 Kings 5 records a young Israeli girl was taken captive by Naaman, the army commander of Aram. Naaman was highly regarded by his king, yet Naaman had a skin disease. Although enslaved as a servant girl to Naaman’s wife, the young girl sought the best for him by remarking, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went to Israel and stood outside the prophet Elisha’s house. Elisha didn’t come out to greet him, but sent a message, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

The commander was furious, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’” He also remarked that his country’s rivers were better, so why would he wash in the Jordan river?

Fortunately, his servants convinced him saying, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

Naaman did finally wash in the Jordan and his skin was restored. He returned to Elisha and said, “Indeed, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel…”

If that little girl had been angry, rebellious, and not wanting the best for her captor, she would have missed the blessing of seeing God’s healing and her master’s salvation. Naaman came back a changed man in body and in soul.

If Naaman had not done as Elisha asked, he would have missed his healing and finding that God is the true God.

As I pondered these events, I wondered will I be like the little girl seeking the best for those who do wrong against me?

How often do I tell myself that God will work in a certain way and miss the ways He does work? And, even though I may not understand, will I do as God says and leads?

God is a good God. He watches over His children, He heals and restores, and He blesses.

Heavenly Father, please forgive me when I have missed Your blessings. I don’t want to miss any more of your blessings, so please open my mind and my heart. Help me to be as You are, for You “are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15, NKJV). Father, help me to trust in You with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding and in all my ways acknowledge You and You will direct my paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). And please, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me…” (Psalm 143:10, NASB). Thank you, Father. I ask these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Forever Family

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Special days are set aside to celebrate fathers and mothers, which are times of joy for many and for others they are difficult.

For those who have lost mothers, had terrible mothers, or for those who never knew their mothers, Mother’s Day is difficult. Whether your mother was a blessing or not, please know, please always remember, you have a loving, tender, compassionate, merciful Heavenly Father who loves with the tender, caring love of the best mother. Your heavenly Father’s gentle love will never leave or forsake you. “Can a woman forget her baby who nurses at her breast? Can she withhold compassion from the child she has borne? Even if mothers were to forget, I could never forget you! As a mother consoles a child, so I will console you, and you will be consoled …” (Isaiah 49:15-16, Isaiah 66:13).

For those who have lost fathers, had terrible fathers, or never knew their fathers, Father’s Day is difficult. Whether your father was a blessing or not, please know, please always remember, you have a loving, tender, compassionate, merciful, Heavenly Father. Your Heavenly Father will never leave you or forsake you. “He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on his faithful followers” (Psalm 68:5, Psalm 103:13).

For those who are orphans or who have been abandoned by those who should have given them a home, please know, always remember you are a child of a loving God safe forever at home in His heart. 

“Even if my father and mother abandoned me, the Lord would take me in. The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God’s children See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called God’s children—and indeed we are! (Psalm 27:10, Romans 8:16, 1 John 3:1)

God Himself, hands on, tender touch, created you unique and special because He loves you. He formed your inward parts and knitted you together in your mother’s womb. God feels the pain you feel, the heart-break that breaks your heart, the agony of love lost and lives lost, the pain that shreds the soul. God’s comfort is boundless and complete, for His compassion never fails and is never every morning. The Lord is good and his unfailing love lasts forever.

God will never abandon you, never leave you, never forsake you, for you are forever in His family and forever loved.

You were born of a woman, but born by the love of God. God knit you together in your mother’s womb, He knows your thoughts and thinks about you more than the grains of sand at the seashore. God sings over you while you sleep, hems you in behind and before, watches over you night and day, His goodness and mercy follow you and His mercies are new every morning. All days are ordained by God and His love is with you, for you, and will never fail you or forsake you. God loved you enough to die for you so you could live forever in His love. (Psalm 139:1-18, Psalm 23:6, Zephaniah 3:17, Lamentations 3:22-23, Deuteronomy 31:8, John 3:16-17)

“Father of orphans, champion of widows, is God in his holy house. God makes homes for the homeless, leads prisoners to freedom… How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.” ~ Psalm 68:5-6, Ephesians 1:3-6 (MSG) (Emphasis added on scripture)

From We Were Meant for Paradise by Lisa Buffaloe https://amzn.to/2kyXlOC

https://lisabuffaloe.com

Feelings

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Take a moment and think about the beach. That thought might create a positive feeling for one person, and for another, a negative emotion. I love the beauty of a white sand beach and turquoise water; however, I am not a fan of sand that seems to get stuck in any bodily orifice it can find. Even though a beach is a neutral object, our feelings and reactions are based on the thoughts we each have about the beach. A person, place, or thing is neutral. Our thoughts about a person, place, or thing cause our feelings and emotions.

Lettie Cowman reminds us, “As believers, ‘we live by faith, not by sight’ – God never wants us to live by our feelings. Our inner self may want to live by feelings, and Satan may want us to, but God wants us to face the face, not feelings. He wants us to face the facts of Christ and His finished and perfect work for us. And once we face these precious facts, and believe them simply because God says they are facts, He will take care of our feelings.”[i]

Emotions and feelings are ever-changing. However, when we remember the Truth of who we are in Christ, our feelings and emotions come under the protection and authority of Christ.

Remember, …

You are saved and redeemed by Jesus Christ. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8, NKJV). “… for us there is but one God, the Father, who is the source of all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things [that have been created], and we [believers exist and have life and have been redeemed] through Him (1 Corinthians 8:6, AMP). 

You are a child of God. “… to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name” (John 1:12, AMP). 

He will never leave you or forsake you. “…He has said, ‘I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!’” (Hebrews 13:5, AMP) 

You are given the strength and armor of God to stand firm against evil. “… be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11, NASB).

No matter how rough and tough life gets, He will be with you. “…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior…” (Isaiah 43:1-3, NKJV).

You are not given the spirit of fear; you are given God’s power, love, a calm well-balanced mind, discipline, and self-control. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, AMPC).

 Jesus Christ has all authority to give you everything needed. “All authority has been given to Me on heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18). As a follower of Jesus, His authority and power are in us, granting us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). 

Therefore, rejoice! “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:4-7, NASB).

 

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[i] Cowman, L. B., Streams In The Desert, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan),

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