Welcome!

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in the prison ministry.  Today I share with you a devotion that the Lord gave me for one of the weekly Bible Studies that I teach Thursday Evenings at the Allegheny County Jail.  The women there are so hungry, so thirsty, so in need of life.  Please pray for me as I continue to do God’s bidding behind bars.  & May you be blessed and uplifted by this devotional as you keep in mind that as you're pressing your way, God is blessing your way!

Philippians 3:

12 - Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

13 - Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

14 - I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

~~~

Don’t you know that God sees you struggling and He is giving you the strength to go on?

When others would get upset and stay away, you press your way.  Though you may not be able to keep up with the crowd, please understand that you don’t have to fit in.  You’re not following the crowd; you’re following Jesus.  Just like the woman with the issue of blood, you’ve made up in your mind and determined in your heart that even if you have to crawl because you’re too weak to walk and too bowed down in pain to stand, you’ll pray while you’re on your knees and you’ll worship while you’re bowed down.

You believe with unwavering faith that if you can just touch the hem of His garment, if you can just be in His presence, if you can just hear His voice, then you will be made whole!  And you have done more than touch His hem, you have touched His heart, you have touched Him.

Don’t fear when you see that you’ve gotten His attention.  It’s His pleasure to grant your request, to commune with you and have you receive from Him.  He’s a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (2 Chronicles 16:9).  He’s looking for you; He’s looking forward to blessing you.  God sees you and you are precious in His sight.

When it seems you’ve done all you can do but it’s to no avail;

When you’ve gone to others for their help but it just seems to fail;

When you try your best to make it and your strength is all but gone;

God is there to give you help and give you strength to carry on.

When you’ve gotten to a place in life where you can only crawl;

Just remember:  when you’re on your knees in prayer, you cannot fall!

When an issue makes you sick and tired and has your spirit bowed;

You’re not someone who’s forgotten or who’s lost among the crowd.

When it seems the ones you trust just cause your broken heart to bleed;

Jesus reaches out to you in love with healing that you need.

Jesus sees you even now and knows exactly where you are;

Jesus knows all that you’ve been through and He also knows how far—

That you’ve yet to go to make it but He also knows that you

Cannot make it on your own nor with the best that you can do.

So, He looks on you and speaks these words of comfort to your soul,

“Precious child, be of good cheer: Your faith in Me has made you whole!

So forget your past of failures for you’ll never be the same;

You are now a new creation by the power in My name!”

Mark 5:

25 - And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 - And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 - When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garment.

28 - For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole.

29 - And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 - And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that virtue had gone out of Him, turned Him about in the press, and said, Who touched My clothes?

31 - And His disciples said unto Him, Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and sayest Thou, Who touched Me?

[Luke 8:46] And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched Me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of Me.

32 - And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 - But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before Him, and told Him all the truth.

34 - And He said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Be Relentlessly Encouraged!

Pam

Welcome! 

Special greetings to my friend, Jeanette Cantrell!  I’m so glad to have you visiting!

Today’s devotion is about how God’s wisdom and mindfulness of us is manifested in His design of us.  I pray that you’ll be blessed & enlightened by it.

While in flight, the eagle's wings increase in power and strength from flapping his wings--not stopping or resting them.  And he doesn't carry any baggage.  God has equipped the eagle with everything that he needs to complete a successful journey and for it to be beneficial to him, as well.

If the eagle were to walk, not only would it take more time to cover the same distance, but he would have to allot time for avoiding snares, hiding from predators in addition to detouring around and breaking down barriers.  Not to mention the things he would need to take with him.  But the greatest tragedy would be that he would never know what God put in his own possession.  He would never tap into the natural resources he has.  He would never realize his full potential.  Instead, he would carry and try to use all of those additional things that would weigh him down and never work for him.

As we continue on to know the Lord, we shall receive strength and our hearts shall become lighter, not from carrying our burdens, but lifting the weight of them to the Lord in prayer and trust.  We will learn that God has equipped us with everything that we need, providing we are doing things the way that He has said and set in order.

Remember:  Not only has God called you to success, but He has created you for success!  Psalm 1:3 is one of many scriptures that reaffirms it:  WHATSOEVER you do shall prosper!  Success is in your hands.  The only way that nothing will be successful that you do, is if you do nothing!

...They shall mount up with wings as eagles...  Isaiah 40:31

What would it have been like if the eagles had decided,

That God's ideal design for them was lacking and misguided?

What if they had thought things through and came to the conclusion;

That they knew more about their needs and had the right solution?

What if they would carry bags because they had insight,

For things that they should keep nearby to help them while in flight?

What if they agreed to walk for trips that seemed real long—

To save their energy, so in the end they'd still be strong?

They would never make good use of what God gave to them;

And they would never soar, and think there's something wrong with Him.

They would have a course of obstacles that leads nowhere;

Yet, they would never face those things if they were in the air.

They would feel that they're too heavy and they cannot fly;

But all the extra weight they bear would be the reason why.

And because they would not live the way that God intended;

Their endurance and their wings would never be extended.

Then no matter what they'd do, they'd never get too far;

They would more than likely be the way most human are.

So, let's be like the eagles:  go in faith and we will find—

That when we were created, God had all our needs in mind.

Isaiah 40:

28 – Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.

29 – He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.

30 – Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Be increasingly encouraged!

Pam

Welcome!

I’m still here!  & I thank God that you’re here with me.  As always, I pray that you will be encouraged by today’s devotional thought:  The End of All Things!!!  Enjoy—

Life without Christ is a hopeless end, but life with Christ is an endless hope.  Since that is true, when the believer reads that the end of all things is at hand, they do not begin to pray vain repetitions riddled with despair as those who have no hope.  They do not sorrow, but rejoice.  They continue to watch in prayer and with thanksgiving, ever looking up because their redemption is drawing nigh! 

Let us continue to be sober and prayerful and thankful.  The end of all things is at hand, and that means that our salvation is nearer than we believed!

But the end of all things is at hand:  be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  1 Peter 4:7

“The end of all things” normally would mean that doom is near;

It normally would be the news that people dread and fear.

“The end of all things” usually would mean a hopeless case;

It often means a circumstance that no one wants to face.

But where it otherwise would mean to have all hope diminish;

With prayer, it means that all things shall come to a perfect finish.

So, just continue praying and keep watching in the same,

And offering petitions with thanksgiving in His name.

And know that things are happening the way that He has planned;

When there is mention that the end of all things is at hand.

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.  Colossians 4:2

Be Endlessly Encouraged!

Pam

Welcome!

I’m so glad that you found me worthy of your time.  I hope that afterward you will find that it was time well spent.

I have a prayer request:  I’ve been having chest pains.  I will be going to the doctor to make sure the old ticker isn't conking out on me.   Perhaps it needs batteries!!!  Actually, I think I’m just stressed  (I guess I need to go back and reread my own devotion).  Anyway, I never thought of myself as a person who gets stressed out.  I do not allow things to upset me (or in other words, I don’t allow myself to react in that manner).  However, I cannot prevent things from affecting me in other ways.  For instance, I may not beat somebody silly, but it doesn’t mean that my heart won’t start beating funny.  & That's probably because I need to beat someone silly!    So, it's like a Catch 22.  But certainly the Lord does not desire for me to "greet someone with a holy fist" or a holy kick!   So, all of my members (& organs) must line up with what pleases Him.  I said all of that to say that…I’m beginning to babble!  Thanks for your prayers!

It’s far better to be on a path that leads through trouble instead of one that leads to trouble.  Keep in mind that as we walk, we leave the trouble behind.  And if we continue walking, we will walk right out of it.  May this devotional inspire you to not only look forward, but also to go forward!

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, Thou wilt revive me:  Thou shalt stretch forth Thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy right hand shall save me.  Psalm 138:7

Walking in the midst of trouble, yet on solid ground;

I am standing on His promise, so I’m safe and sound.

Walking in the midst of trouble, yet no complications;

For I walk with One whose Lord of all my situations.

Walking in the midst of trouble, but I clearly see

That troublesome is not the way my path shall always be.

Walking in the midst of trouble, but without a care;

For my Savior is a friend that’s with me everywhere.

We have walked through good times, shall I choose not to endure?

No, I won’t turn from Him but walk much closer than before!

Be heavily encouraged!

Pam