Tag Archives: inspirational

Dec28

DAY 362 (2014)

Posted on December 28, 2014 by lsgrlr

Let God direct our path…expect miracles EVERY day.

I have forgotten A LOT. I have let the troubles of this world, of this life drown out what I KNOW to be true. What I KNOW to be right. Which is: “As Your love in wave after wave crashes over me. You are for me, you are not against me. Champion of heaven You have made a way for ALL to enter IN.” This song reminded me today of several truths that I had forgotten, maybe forgotten is wrong… more like pushed aside, sitting in the farthest realms of my mind, instead of front and center. I had forgotten that God’s love flows over me like the waves of the sea, in countless ways and in abundance. I had forgotten that He is FOR me. He is NOT against me. I had forgotten that He is the CHAMPION of heaven, and that He has made a way for ALL to enter IN. Life is crushing, in that it makes us many times push aside what we know to be true to be right, leaving us grappling to hold on to things that will ultimately cause us to sink. In our forgetfulness we shake our fists at God and ponder why He left us. When in truth is He is still were WE left Him. His love still willing to wash over us in waves of abundance. He is still for us, even when we wonder, even when we fall short… He is NEVER against us. He is ALWAYS for us. He is still the CHAMPION sent from heaven. He still has the door open for us to ENTER IN.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

The Lesson: Don’t forget to remember… GOD IS FOR US.

Nov13

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on November 13, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 28. “Now Samuel said to Saul, ‘Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?’ And Saul answered, ‘I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.’ Then Samuel said: ‘So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines'” (Verses 15-19). Sometimes it is just best not to know. I am sure this is what Saul was feeling after he heard the words of Samuel. It is amazing to me that Saul knew his sin, knew he was in the wrong, but still persisted on believing that if he could just get rid of David, everything would go back to normal. His way of thinking is so illogical and so backwards, but it reminds me of humanity, we do this all the time, choose the way that “seems right to a man” the way that in the end “leads to destruction”. All Saul had to do was repent, and accept the consequences for his actions. He would have lost hos kingdom, but he would have saved his life, his soul, and his sons. But his need to to win didn’t just cost him, but it cost everyone around him. Here is a truth, sin is destructive. It doesn’t stop at destroying the sinner, no it’s aim to to annihilate everything. Beware of your heart, repent, and accept God’s punishment. Don’t let your sin destroy everything.

Nov11

DAY 314 (2014)

Posted on November 11, 2014 by lsgrlr

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We make our plans, but God directs our path. Let Him be your journey’s guide.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

So I am about to tell you a God story. as you read the events you are going to think to yourself, “Clearly this girl does not have a good handle on the meaning of God story”. But follow me, I promise I have a point. Yesterday my mom and I went out for a bit. In the middle of our travels a light came on in my car. The light was a warning that my tire pressure was low. I did not have any idea how to put air in my tires (my boyfriend normally takes care of my car issues). I called Sears and they told me they could do it for free. So, today my mom and I went to Sears to have the tire pressure fixed. Since we were out and the weather in Western New York was unseasonably warm we decided to get a couple frosties from Wendy’s. I had a couple free coupons and decided today was as good a day as any to use them. We drove to Wendy’s, I pull out the coupons and begin reading (checking the fine print), at the same time I pull the key out of the ignition and lay it on my console. I then get out of my car, hit the lock button, them shut my door. The moment the door went CLICK, something in my brain also went CLICK… I quickly started yelling at my mom, “Don’t shut your door! Don’t shut yo…” CLICK! Awww man! Yup, being the genius that I am I had locked the keys in the car. *sigh* :/ . Then I remembered that my boyfriend had given my mom the spare key to the car (even from Florida he knew). However, home was 3 miles away. Yesterday the temperature here in Buffalo was 44 degrees, today the weather was 67 degrees. It was a beautiful day for a walk. So my mom and I made the 3 mile walk home, as we walked we realized what a blessing it was that today was such a gorgeous day. We thanked God for the exercise. We thanked God for the fresh air and the great conversation. Almost forgetting what had started us on this trek in the first place. We reached home retrieved the keys, and made the same trek back to the car (I am always surprised that the return trip always seems shorter). It dawned on us that neither of us were angry about the key in the car. We both thanked God for giving my boyfriend the foresight to give my mom the key to being with. We thanked God for free air in the tires. Once back in the Wendy’s parking lot I opened the door and retrieved my keys. Then we went inside to claim our prize… ice cream never tasted so good 😉 . What’s the point? Today should have been cold, but it was beautiful. Today I enjoyed free ice cream and free tire service. Not to mention I got my 10, 000 steps in. I enjoyed a beautiful day outside with my mother (who loves to walk by the way). The point: God takes care of us even if on this journey we lock our keys in the car of life.

“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (Genesis 28:15).

The Lesson: If life locks you outside. Go for a walk, enjoy the day.

Nov9

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on November 9, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 24. “And David said to Saul: ‘Why do you listen to the words of men who say, Indeed David seeks your harm? Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed. Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked. But my hand shall not be against you'” (Verses 9-13). Here is a God rule to follow (yup I meant God), “The Lord judge between you and me…” When some one takes advantage, when people lie. When our love ones disappoint us, or cause us pain. Don’t take matters into our own hands, instead let God be the judge. We are all imperfect only God is perfection, only God has the right to judge. The solution to life’s frustrations and unfairness… Let the Lord JUDGE. Seriously it is just that simple.

Oct30

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on October 30, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

1 Samuel 17. “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands'” (Verses 45-47). Then everyone will know that the Lord does not save with swords and spears, but the battle belongs to God. The BATTLE is God’s. David understood that, Israel did not. David knew that size and strength meant nothing if God was the fighter of the battle. David didn’t stand before Goliath in his own strength, no he stood before him in the strength of GOD. Our lives are filled with Goliaths, problems and situations that threaten to tear us apart. Looking at them we like Israel tremble and worry, believing that will will never be victorious. Here’s the cool thing about David, he never saw Goliath. Right now you’re thinking, that doesn’t make sense. Let me say it in another way, David never saw the problem… He only saw the solution. Past experiences told him, God was the answer. So David never saw Goliath, he only saw GOD. We need to do likewise. Don’t see the Goliath, see the LORD.

Oct27

DAY 299 (2014)

Posted on October 27, 2014 by lsgrlr

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A little cleaning never hurt anybody.

So I dislike cleaning it is my least favorite past time. If I could avoid it I would. However, God in his infinite wisdom and with His ironic sense of humor has made it so that cleaning is something I can not avoid. Why you ask? Well, I am allergic to dust. Yes makes me laugh when I think about it too. Dust is everywhere it is unavoidable, which is why I have a large and unending supply of allergy medicines that I have to take on a daily basis so that breathing does not become difficult. One of the ways to combat aversion to dust is to clean. Told you God had an ironic sense of humor. I am convinced He allowed this infirmity because He knew I’d never clean any other way 😉 . Today was clean the house day (I do it twice a week to lessen the dust accumulation). as I cleaned my home I contemplated the change that life has taken over the past few month. Then it hit me that what I was doing in my home, was the very same thing that God was doing with me… CLEANING. There were many things in my former home of South Florida that vied for my attention, many things that caused clutter in my mind, in my life. Many of those things God needed to clean up in order to get me to a place where I could be pliable in His hands. Sometimes there are things in our lives that can cause us not to see the path. Dust in our life that makes it hard for us to breath. Let God clean it up. Don’t despise the cleaning. It makes breathing easier.

“Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

Lesson: If your “house” is dirty let God clean it.

Oct24

DAY 296 (2014)

Posted on October 24, 2014 by lsgrlr

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A change in perspective, a change of view.
(Picture by Lisa R.)

Been thinking a lot today about how I believe life should be, verses the reality of how life is. I have realized something. We (okay me) tend to live in “the how we think things should be”. The problem…There is rarely a time where fantasy and reality are the same. Moving here in many was has been the best thing that has happened in a while, but in some ways it has been the most difficult too. Why? Because the picture in my head does not match the reality of what I am facing. Today as I drove through my picturesque city talking (okay technically complaining) to God, He impressed this on my heart… TRUST His reality. Trust the things I know to be true about God. I have been so busy thinking about how I thought things should be I had forsaken the most important thing. What God brought me here for. Today He reminded me that the ultimate problem is, where we put our focus. If we focus on the problem then all we see is the problem, oddly if we focus on our fantasy then once again all we see is the problem. But if we focus on God’s purpose, then we are privy to the big picture. Life doesn’t always fit our fantasy. Heck 99% of the time it doesn’t. That’s because the goal isn’t to live out our fantasy, but to find our true purpose, to unfold into what God created us to be. To be our “real” self. Today His still small voice told me my focus was on the wrong picture. Change your perspective, change view. Stop looking at the fantasy, look at the God who wants to lead us to the best versions of ourselves.

“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing Him directly just as He knows us!” (1 Corinthian 13:12, The Message Bible).

The Lesson: Don’t focus on the situation focus on God who can fix the situation.

Oct7

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on October 7, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Ruth 2. “So she fell on her face, bowed down to the ground, and said to him, ‘Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?’ And Boaz answered and said to her, ‘It has been fully reported to me, all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you have left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before. The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge'” (Verses 10-12). This is a beautiful portion of scripture. It is the blessing of obedience, and a picture of the blessing that comes from keeping your commitment. Let’s change the characters for a moment, let’s makes Boaz, Jesus. make Naomi, the Holy Spirit, and make Ruth, us (human beings looking for their path). Now let’s go back to the story. The Spirit tells us to go, but we cling. Then we meet Jesus, who blesses us for making a choice to follow His Spirit, letting go of our past. See the correlation? See the picture that is being painted with this story? It is the very same offer Christ makes today. His Spirit gives us the choice to follow Christ or stick with what we know. One path leads us to “emptiness” the other path leads to everlasting life and adventure. However, the “empty” path is lively, bright, filled with color and many follow because from the outside it seems better. While the new life and adventure path is dusty, dirty, and hidden in the bushes, you have to seek it, to find it. Orpah chose the easy path of going back to what she knew, and we never hear of her again. Ruth chose to follow the path “less traveled”, and walked right into a blessing.

Oct1

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on October 1, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Judges 18. “So they took the things Micah had made, and the priest who had belonged to him, and went to Laish, to a people quiet and secure; and they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. There was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no ties with anyone. It was in the valley that belongs to Beth Rehob. So they rebuilt the city and dwelt there. And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However, the name of the city formerly was Laish. Then the children of Dan set up for themselves the carved image; and Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. So they set up for themselves Micah’s carved image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh” (Verses 27-31). I can’t imagine how much these actions must have grieved God’s soul. The tribe of Dan still had not possessed their inheritance, they decided it was time and went forth. On their journey who should they meet, none other than Micah. See where this is going? Dan is aimless and searching and who do they find? A person worshiping a false god, and a priest who pays homage to a god who is NOT real. God had kept every single promise, yet they worshiped idols they made with their own hands. Why? Because there was no light, there was no one pointing them to the truth. Micah may have had good intentions, but his wrong actions caused an entire tribe to follow an idol. If we don’t share the truth, someone will always be willing to share the lie. Christians rise up! Be the light you are called to be. People are hurting, are seeking, if we don’t share the healer…someone will share a band-aid.

Sep28

Random (hopefully inspired) Thought

Posted on September 28, 2014 by lsgrlr

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I have hidden Thy word in my heart.
(Picture by Lisa R)

Judges 15. “Then he became very thirsty; so he cried out to the Lord and said, ‘You have given this great deliverance by the hand of Your servant; and now shall I die of thirst and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?’ So God split the hollow place that is in Lehi, and water came out, and he drank; and his spirit returned, and he revived. Therefore he called its name En Hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day. And he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines” (Verses 18-20). I think I have more then adequately relayed my feelings about Samson. In this chapter we see the results of his sins, and it is not him who pays the penalty for it, but his wife and her family. While I understand the reason, I can’t help but realize that had Samson been obedient in his nature toward God this whole story would read differently. Here’s the premise of the story so far. Samson, who in the previous chapter had basically thrown his wife away, goes back to get her. But her father believing that Samson had given her up gives her to another man. Samson gets mad and burns the Philistines corps. So in retaliation the Philistines burns the wife and her family. This makes Samson even madder so he kills 3000 Philistines all by himself. It is there we pick up our story. God has given Samson a huge victory, and what does he do? He whines and complains that he’s thirsty. Okay, granted killing 3000 men all by yourself could make one feel drained, and yes, thirsty, but shouldn’t the first action be to thank God? I am no mathematician, but I am fairly certain that it is statistically impossible for one man to kill 3000 men without some form of DIVINE intervention. Here’s my point remember to THANK God. He deserves it. Yes God answered Samson’s whiny prayer. But in reading the story of Samson, it seems that Samson, spent a lot of time missing the point and it wasn’t until the very, very end that he got it. Don’t miss the point, don’t be so caught up in how much God has blessed you with, that you take Him for granted. Be grateful for ALL He has done and ALL He is doing. Samson’s story would have been a whole lot different had he done this one simple thing.