Are you thankful for the blessings God has bestowed upon you? Have you even thought of the blessings you have received? God wants us to be thankful for everything we receive. He also wants for us to enjoy the blessings we receive!
Blessings can come in many ways! We can be blessed with the simple things like our health. We can be blessed that we can see, hear, walk, and write. When we look around at those that are less fortunate than we are it should make us feel blessed. We are blessed that we have such a healthy outlook of life. We are blessed that we have those abilities that others may not have. Things like the ability to see, hear, walk, and write.
How could we ever not see that these are things designed by God? This was a part of God’s great plan. He designed us with His own hand. How amazing is this? This idea and thought alone should cause us to be very thankful and blessed. Yet, many choose to not be thankful and not be blessed for the wonderful things as our health. I can’t understand that? I can’t believe that people would go ungrateful for those simple things that God allows to be blessings in our life.
He desires for the blessing to overtake us. He wants for us to have many blessings in our life. We just have to learn how to find them and recognize them. Once we have been able to recognize them, we can then learn how to be thankful for what He has given us.
“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the of the Lord your God: The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Deuteronomy 28:2,8 NKJV
Look around you and you will quickly see all the wonderful blessings that God has in fact given to you. What a blessing is that to discover all that He has given you? I amazed everyday that I discover a new and wonderful blessing that God has given me.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for you to be discovering these blessings that God has bestowed upon you. If you can see, hear, walk, and write then you should be blessed.
If you have a family that loves you for you then you should be blessed. There are many simple things that we take for granted every day. Things that we should feel blessed about everyday that we breathe and live.
This week I ask you to look around and find the blessings in your life that God has given you. Let this be your challenge in your life. Learning to acknowledge the blessings that you have been given will change your outlook of life. Make a list of one hundred things you are thankful for. This will help you to discover the things you are truly blessed with. This will also help you to be truly thankful this Thanksgiving! I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a wonderful time with those you love! Blessed To Write,
Christine M Ramey
Have you been thirsty lately? Wanted to trust in God but couldn’t? Struggled to long and can’t trust anyone? Maybe it is time for you to become rehydrated again! Get rehydrated and build your strength with God’s word! He is waiting on you. Are you tired of being thirsty yet?
So, many times in our lives as we Christians we become mundane to the word of God. There doesn’t seem to be time left for God. Because we have become so apart from God, and what he instructs us to do our body then becomes thirsty wanting more. Wanting more than what many of are willing to give at times!
It is the vision of the dog that runs and runs and finally must sit and rest. He has run himself ragged. Not only has he run himself ragged but he has gotten thirsty and can’t seem to get enough to drink. Panting and breathing slowly trying to get every last lick of water he can get.
This is the same picture we get when we have run away from God’s word and truths. The only problem is we then find ourselves tired and thirsty like the dog! Psalms tells how we have become when we are not only tired but thirsty searching to find Him.
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” (Psalms 42:1-3) NKJV
In order to take control of thirst, we must learn how to guard our heart. Knowing how to guard our heart will help to excited about God’s love and all that He can bring to your life! Our once thirsty soul can then be filled and rehydrated with His wonderful love in our hearts.
By filtering our hearts with the things that God would want for us to have in our lives. We will begin to see his hand at work in our lives again. By doing this, we will filter our minds with the good things like love, goodness, kindness, and we then bring peace to our life!
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 NKJV
When you become filled with the Holy Spirit, and filled with His word you then find peace. This week discover the key to finding peace with God.
Blessed To Write,
Christine M Ramey
Can you picture the ocean and its wave running rapidly through and through and tossing the boats from side to side? If that picture has been captured in your mind then you know how hard it is too keep our heart straight and in line with God’s word! God wants for us to walk with Him not against Him. Yet too often we find ourselves right there far away from Him!
We are like the rolling waves tossing from side to side trying to knock the boats off course. So, how then do we stay on course? How is the ocean’s of our life set back to being calm once again? God is very clear in several places of the Bible that teaches us how to guard our hearts and keep our sights focused on God
Let us look now in Psalms 141:3-4 as He teaches us to guard our mouth! “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; and do not let me eat of their delicacies.” NKJ
This is often hard for us to do! I know for myself, it is a great challenge to watch the words we say to one another. The words we say can hurt and make us think twice about the relationship we have with the other person. Sometimes, we often wonder how important was it to really say the things we said. Once we have said then it is often too late to apologize for the words we have spoken.
As with the words we say it is also critical for us to guard our hearts! It does not help if we are listening or watching things that we do not need to watch! Things like the television set and different kinds of music. These things are the things that often times set us in the wrong the direction of the path we need to go. We can correct this path by listening to the right kind of music that helps our heart be in the right spirit! By watching the right kind of shows we can be in the right direction of where God would want for us to be.
Taking these steps will allow us to find the path that God would choose for us to go. If our heart and our mind are set in the right direction we will begin to see how we are aligned with the fruits of the spirit.
Our path will then be able to follow Galatians 5:22-26 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, self-control, against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” NKJ
This week I would like to challenge you to walk with Christ and practice these steps in guarding your heart and mind. I look forward to hearing how this challenge has blessed your heart.
Blessed To Write,
Christine M Ramey
God are you listening to me?... I don’t think that you are! Where are you?...Are you really there? These are the thoughts and questions we think of when troubles and tragedies strike our lives. So, ho w do we really know God hears our prayers?
Psalms 102:1-7 speaks of it well as the writer prays his prayer carefully to the Lord. You will notice how the writer is torn with affliction that has been placed upon his life. Even still, he is convinced that the Lord is really there and will hear his verb rant prayer!
“Lord, hear my prayer; let my cry for help come before You. Do not hid Your face from me in my day of trouble listen closely to me; answer me quickly when I call. For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnance. My heart is afflicted, withered like grass;I even forget to eat my food. Because of the sound of my groaning, my flesh sticks to my bones. I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. I awake; I am like a solitaru bird on a roof.”
Psalms 102:1-7 HCSB
Many of us feel just like that writer at times when we have become so engulfed in our own affliction and trials of everyday life. I know I have found myself just like this writer several times! I felt hopeless, and wondering why I must go through these trials I face alone! Why must I feel overwhelmed?
However, I promise you that it is not what God wants for us to feel! He really is there listening to our every need! It may not always be our timing on when He will decide to answer our prayers! Nevertheless, they are answered.
Our prayers are often like a garden. We have taken the time to gather the right soil to plant the seed. Water it and fertilize it. Wait and watch for it to grow! So then, how is this like our prayers? Our prayers are very much like the garden and as we gather the soil or the prayers we intend on praying. We then plant the seed, praying them to God. Just like the garden, we must tend our garden with prayer and waiting, the watering and fertilizing. We then receive an answer, the flower that bloomed!
Sometimes, those flowers may grow slowly and with much time; but other times, they will grow almost instantly! However, in those times when God’s answer to us is a definite “NO” we must understand there is a good reason for it! We may not know that reason right away but we must allow God to work in our lives. Allow Him the opportunity to show us the reason!
It is funny sometimes, how God chooses to work in our life! We just never know what He has in store for us. Although, some will be disappointed that God has chosen to say no while others will just feel a sigh of relief! I know this to be true in my own prayer life. I have seen those moments when God gave me a definite “NO” and wondered why? Only to learn later in my life that those reasons were the very thing that changed my life! So, I can tell you listen to the answer whatever the answer may be. Even though those choices may not be what we want out of life they are what we need!
Listening to God wills us to build a better relationship with Him and to know He really does love us! He wants to help us through our trials. He wants for us to trust Him in everything! So then, will you allow Him the opportunity to show you the direction He wants for your life? That is the question we must ask ourselves!
Many of you reading this blog will have asked the question of that possibility! You may even be questioning your Faith! Nevertheless, Hebrews 11:1 gently reminds us that Faith is not always what we see! Many of times, it is the things we do not see that teaches us the most! Let us look at Hebrews now!
“Now Faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1 HCSB
In other words, there are times when the answers to those prayers are standing right in front of us but we can’t see them! We are too blinded from the circumstances and troubles in which we lie. Sometimes, we need to step away from those things which bind us and let God direct you back to where you need to be!
At last when you do, you will not believe the blessing you will discover. The things that you have missed from failing to let God be in control of your life! He wants so much for you to know and understand that He really is there listening to you! It is you that needs to listen to Him!
I pray that this devotion has been a good one, and has helped you to grow in your walk with Him! Furthermore, I challenge you to listen closely to the voice of God and know when he has answered your prayers. Maybe, it would help you to write “A.P.” on your calendar every time God has answered a prayer! This will help you in two ways. It will help to see that He has “Answered a Prayer,” and to set a time line to know when God will answer “no” you see why he answered no! I hope this will be an encouragement to you this week!
Blessed To Write,
Christine M Ramey
