Prayer

"When we go before God in prayer with a cold, dull heart, and in a lifeless and listless manner pray to him for eternal blessings... we should think of Christ's earnest prayers that he poured out to God, with tears and a bloody sweat. The consideration of it may well make us ashamed of our dull, lifeless prayers to God, [in which] we rather ask a denial than ask to be heard; for the language of such a manner of praying to God is that we do not look upon the benefit that we pray for as of any great importance, that we are indifferent whether God answers us or not. The example of Jacob in wrestling with God for the blessing should teach us earnestness in our prayers, but more especially the example of Jesus Christ, who wrestled with God in a bloody sweat. If we were sensible as Christ was of the great importance of those benefits that are of eternal consequence, our prayers to God for such benefits would be after another manner than now they are. Our souls also would with earnest labor and strife be engaged in this duty."
- Jonathan Edwards, 18th century preacher and missionary

Adoption Poem

Not flesh of my flesh,
Nor bone of my bone,
but still miraculously my own.
Never forget for a single minute;
You didn't grow under my heart
but in it.

I didn't give you the gift of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.
For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you
The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
- Unknown

Verse of the Week

When I Am Weak -part 2

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13

The Lord has given me assurance I'm forgiven; I have reason to rejoice. But what about when I don't take the "way of escape" that God has prepared for me?

I have the victory through Christ Jesus. But there is a time for mourning. After all Jesus did say "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Psalms 34:18 says "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."

2 Corinthians 7:9-10, "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death."

The difference between godly sorrow and the sorrow of the world: I still recognize the cost of sin, but it doesn't stay, I make a 180* and go the right way, but I don't need to keep looking back and remembering what I've done wrong. "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:25)

The fact that I'm a sinner, and a miserable sinner at that, is what makes Christ strong in me. Amazing...
"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

When I Am Weak -part 1

Job 42:5-6 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

I hate myself. I have been hating myself more and more resently. I read that verse in Job and I winced... I've been really down and the more I've read from God's Word the more I felt... unworthy.

Right after reading that verse I flip through my flash cards and read Romans 7:12, "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." Again and again words like "holy and just and good" popped up each time I read the Bible and each time I would cringe inside thinking of my own short comings.

(Another flash card verse: Romans 7:5) "For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death." Am I still in the flesh? No! Why do I continually act so unlike a new creation?

Now, I don't mean I was just feelin' down, I was aching, sick of myself I felt like Job when he said he said he abhored himself.

But then the Lord showed me these verses -1 Corinthians 6:9-11- "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God."

Now, believe it or not after that I didn't feel like singing or dancing -which is what I normaly do when I am really happy- I just leaned back and smiled. I felt a peace, God's wonderful peace, and I felt tears.

None of these verses were new to me, I had not only heard them before but had memorized them, but nothing sunk in quite like it did last night.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (another one of my flash cards ;) ) says "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

The message of the Gospel is simple; a no-brainer! (How could I have been so deceived!)

Last verse:
"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Revelation 12:10-11)

Verse of the Week

Maewyn Succat Quotes

"If I have any worth, it is to live my life for God so as to teach these peoples; even though some of them still look down on me."
"I am imperfect in many things, nevertheless I want my brethren and kinsfolk to know my nature so that they may be able to perceive my soul's desire."


"In short, I am a slave in Christ to this faraway people for the indescribable glory of 'everlasting life which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."
“I bind to myself today,
The power of God to guide me,
The might of God to uphold me,
The wisdom of God to teach me,
The eye of God to watch over me,
The ear of God to hear me,
The Word of God to give me speech,
The hand of God to protect me,
The way of God to prevent me,
The shield of God to shelter me,
The host of God to defend me, —


Against the snares of demons
Against the temptations of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who would injure me
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.

Of the Lord is salvation;
Christ is salvation;
With us ever be
Thy salvation, O Lord!"

~ Saint Patrick

Verse of the Week

Near To The Heart of God

I hope you like this song. It is one of my favorite hymns. I couldn't find a video that was sung quite how I would've liked it, but it's hard for me to dislike a hymn! Feel free to sing along! ;)

This one is just piano, but it has the lyrics. (Perfect for singing!)





This red one has someone singing, if you would rather listen.

They Chose Me!

I hope you like this video. It is a pretty song with a great message!

Have You Read the Famous Book... About Me?

You know, of course, the book is not literally about me, but the two characters depicted through one character shows who I am almost perfectly.

I'm am two in one. One half bad and the other half... worse.

Ephesians 4:22 "that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts"

Colossians 3:5b "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth"

Colossians 3:9 "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds"

James 3:10 "Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so."

I struggle with putting to death my worldly self.

"I am painfully situated, Utterson; my position is a very strange--a very strange one. It is one of those affairs that cannot be mended by talking."

-Dr. Jekyll


"For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." Romans 7:15b

I feel like I could have written exactly what Paul wrote there. I hate what I do and yet I continue doing it! If I could ever gain more self control!

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid! Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin"
Romans 6:1-2b,4-6

Praise the Lord! I do not have to be enslaved to sin; He has set me free!

Verse of the Week

Give Away!

Jenna at Where the Heart Remains is hosting a give away!

She has a nice blog and is giving away some nice stuff! =)

You can check it out right here.

Being God's Instrument

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so
Much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi

Verse of the Week