UpLIFT

Holding my finger to the gate opener, I edged toward the closed gate. Would it open this time, I wondered? It didn’t. Putting my car in reverse, I backed up and approached the gate a second time. Again, it failed to open. Determined, I gave it the ole “third time is the charm” approach. It worked! Have you been attempting to get through a closed door yet failing? Why not try a different approach? Psalm 145:18 tells us God is near to all who call on Him in truth. Have you called on your Heavenly Father and asked Him how to approach a closed door? Call on God. His door is always open. Then, listen to how He directs you. Act on God’s instruction. Journal God’s answers to your prayers and your praises in Prayers of My Heart, a journal designed with you in mind. 

Driving down the highway, I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw an ambulance with flashing lights speedily approaching.  Pulling over, I noticed all the other cars did the same. It’s the law to pull over for an emergency vehicle. Why is it that we set aside our time and agenda for an earthly emergency vehicle but we don’t for spiritual emergencies? People are dying and going to hell. Christ wants to move through the streets of our cities and reach the unsaved. Will you pull aside from your agenda to join Christ and reach people who are living and dying without hope? Learn how to change the course of our homes and nation by joining me for a study of Acts. Discover how Christians who are yielded to God can alter the course of families, cities, and our nation.

Do you ever get a phone call but don’t recognize the name of a person so you decline the call? I was about to do that, when something nudged me, “Answer the phone.” “Hello, ma’am. This is from the Fraud Department.” The caller explained they had denied someone’s attempt to charge $100 at a gas station that was hundreds of miles from where I was. Had I attempted the charge, they wondered. “No,” I replied, wondering when and where a person had scanned my credit card. Thankful it was denied, I thought of Satan and how many times I had not been alert to his scams. I had let his temptations come through and as a result, incurred loss. If you, like me, need your spiritual Fraud department to be on keen alert, get a copy of Experiencing Grace and Peace in Cultural Chaos, a study of 1 Peter. Learn how to avoid satan’s scams. 

“You won’t like that,” I warned Katie, our puppy who ate a piece of kale that accidentally fell to the floor.  “Oh, you like it,” I noticed. Then a warning went off in my head. Maybe kale isn’t good for dogs. Quickly, I googled, “Is kale bad for a dog?” Sure enough, warnings appeared: DON’T FEED YOUR DOG KALE. Sometimes we do or say something and hope it won’t hurt. Sometimes a warning sounds within us, “Don’t do…. Don’t say.” God has equipped believers with the Holy Spirit so we have a heightened sense of discernment. Are you paying attention to the Spirit’s warnings? Are you listening to God? Early church believers model how we can follow the Spirit’s leading. Join me in a study of Acts. Learn how you can better follow God’s leading.

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Do you “clean up” before something important? Maybe you have a job interview or are going to a wedding or out with friends. You put on clean clothes. Right? We prepare for who we’re going to meet. One of Jesus’s beloved followers, John, tells us that in preparation to meet Jesus, we should clean up. Or, in his words, purify ourselves from daily sin. Why? Because we’ll soon see Jesus. In fact, if we knew that we’d meet Jesus today, what would we do? Right a relationship? Refuse a temptation? The fact is, we never know the moment we’ll meet Jesus. Taking John’s word in 1 John 3:3 makes sense.  “And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him (Jesus) purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Get “Prayers for of All Occasions” including prayers for confession and “Assurance of Salvation.”

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Did you know there are health perks to having a pet? But what if your idea of a pet is a pet rock? Are there other ways to become healthier? Yes! Studies show that people who keep a journal of their prayers experience health benefits such as less anxiety and more positive moods. They also tolerated pain better. And, for those who are married, findings show that when people pray for the well-being of their spouse when they feel a negative emotion, both spouses—the one praying and the one being prayed for—report greater relationship satisfaction. Journaling our prayers increase our awareness of God’s faithfulness and therefore increases our peace. So, sure, take your pet for a walk, but also walk prayerfully with God. Prayers of My Heart journal will get you started.

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Talking and laughing with friends as we entered a restaurant, my husband asked about the poblano soup special.  Thinking about a Portobello soup I’d had, I replied, “It’s mushroom. Delicious!” When the soup arrived, I realized my not paying close attention had caused me to steer Keith in the wrong direction. Paying attention isn’t only important when ordering. It’s important every day in our fast changing culture. Pro-Choice may sound nice, but Pro-Life saves babies. Black Lives Matter, but all lives matter.  In Matthew 5:13, Christ calls us to be light. We can only do that if we study the Bible to know His truths. In Acts 17:11, the Berean Christians were commended because they searched the Scriptures daily to find out if the things they were being told were true. Can that be said of you? If not, select a Bible study, know what the Bible teaches. Be the light.

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Starring at the back of the airplane seat in front of me, I read the words, “Southwest 737 Safety Information.” A few inches below was another notice: “Literature Only.” The airline was clear. I was not to put my phone or anything else in the pocket that held their literature. They also wanted me to know and follow their safety information. I and others complied as you might expect. Everyone buckled their seat belt and put their bag under the seat or in the overhead bin. I couldn’t help but wonder why we comply with an airline company but often don’t comply with our Heavenly Father’s safety instructions. If you’ve had a few life crashes lately, study 2 Peter to Learn How to Live by Christ’s Divine Nature.

Do you ever have a blah day? That happened to me some time ago. Not motivated. Not feeling the joy only God can give. If you can relate and it’s been a while since you’ve had grinning joy that causes you to race to God to thank Him, you can. How? What caused me to get the joy only God can give? One morning as I was praying, the Holy Spirit nudged me to do something. I wrote it in my journal, then quickly did it. The result?  My spirit was filled with joy. No doubt the disciples experienced joy after returning from their first missionary journey. (Luke 10:17) They experienced joy as they followed Christ’s instructions. (Matthew 25:21) The next time you notice that there’s no spring in your step, go to God. Offer yourself to Him then follow through on how He prompts you. Experience grinning joy.

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Do you ever save a note someone has written you? I have a special one that my daughter wrote to me when she was five. It says, “Have fun with God and practicing BSF, ” a Bible Study I taught at that time. Lauren associated me having fun teaching a Bible study in the same way she had fun at her dance class. It raises a good question. Do we have fun with God? No doubt the disciples did when followed Jesus’s advice and threw their fishing net where He showed them. They had so many fish they could barely haul them to shore! Although life has hard and sorrowful times, as believers we should also know the joy of the Lord, as Galatians 5:22 explains. How can you experience more joy? Daily record ways God is working in your life and those for whom you pray. You’ll experience an increase in joy when you do. Get more tips for a joy-filled life.