Psalm 117

June 7th, 2015 dsisler

 

“Praise the Eternal, all nations. Raise your voices, all people. For His unfailing love is great, and it is intended for us, and His faithfulness to His promises knows no end. Praise the Eternal!” (Psalm 117 – The Voice)

 

DSC_0070Psalm 117 is only two verses long…I think I might even be able to memorize this Psalm! But what is amazing are the promises and encouragement that can be found in these few verses. Just read it again and see if you don’t agree!

 

However, if you’re looking for more, today’s repeat blog post will deliver. Have a great day and don’t forget to praise the Eternal!

 

Windshield Wiper

 

I had seen my Dad do this more times than I could possibly count. When a windshield wiper blade became crusted with snow or ice, he’d roll down the driver’s side window, wait until the wiper was near the edge, lift the wiper, and then release it.

 

The wiper would be free of debris and visibility through the windshield was once more restored.

 

I was driving in near blizzard conditions. Heading to work after dropping the kids off at school. The buildup on my windshield was making it difficult to see, so I thought of my Dad’s trick.

 

I opened the window, waited for the perfect moment to grab the wiper blade, picked it up and released the blade.

 

The problem? The wiper blade released from the wiper arm and flew into a snow bank.

 

I had made my problem even worse. Now there was nothing on my vehicle to clear the windshield directly in front of the driver’s side window.

 

I slowly crept along until I came to a small auto repair shop. I had forgotten it was there. But at that moment, I was thankful for the small business.

 

I asked if they could help me, and yes, they had the wiper blade for my car. The gentleman fixed it and within minutes, I was on my way yet again.

 

I was thankful for the mechanic at the little shop. He was a master at fixing messes…at least my mess. My God can do that same thing. He is the Master at fixing the messes in our lives.

 

What does He fix?

 

He fixes our hearts

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” Colossians 3:15 (NIV)

 

“May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.” 1 Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV)

 

He fixes our souls

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes ne lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3a (NIV)

 

He fixes our lives

“I am crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

 

He fixes our joy

“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” Psalm 45:7 (NIV)

 

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

 

He fixes our attitude

“To be made new in the attitude of your minds.” Ephesians 4:23 (NIV)

 

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5 (NIV)

 

He fixes our broken hearts

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

 

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

 

God is with us to heal us. God is with us to care for us. God is with us to strengthen us. God is with us to fix us. Allowing Him to do so will be the greatest step you’ll ever take.

 

Obviously, my Dad had mastered the “windshield wiper flick.” I certainly had not. Because I have no desire to be wiperless, I haven’t tried this since then. To be honest, I don’t know that I ever will.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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A Faith Walk

June 6th, 2015 dsisler

 

Hmm. My mind has been working overtime this morning. I’m thinking. Processing. Switching. Rethinking.

 

IMAG1501So what is it that I’m working through this morning? Faith.

 

Let me take you to the beginning of my thought process. I have long thought and felt that Sarah was disturbed and against Abraham sacrificing their only son, Isaac. I’ve read about it. I’ve seen it pictured in movies. And so I’ve never thought about it much more than just what I’ve mentioned.

 

But recently I read a little devotional about Sarah. I met the author each day of the week to stop and ponder Sarah’s life and how she might have reacted to such things as moving to a place that even her husband didn’t know, and that she was to have a child in her old age, and that her husband was going to sacrifice her beloved child she had longed for.

 

This is the part that caught my attention. The author suggested that Sarah encouraged Abraham to follow God’s instructions and sacrifice Isaac. Why? Because her faith had grown. She came to understand that trusting God was the only way to live. If God said to do it, there was a reason for it. And maybe one reason was for faith to develop.

 

You see, Sarah had been barren for many years. And when she was well past child-bearing years, she was told that she would have a child. Of course she laughed, but just as the Lord said, Sarah brought forth a beautiful son named Isaac at the age of 90.

 

I wonder how Sarah’s faith must have grown at that point. From disbelief to complete trust in her Lord. It stands to reason that Sarah had learned to trust God through these few precious years to the point that when Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, Sarah was as trusting as Abraham that God would continue to be faithful to them.

 

Of course my mind didn’t stop there. I then wondered about Mary. We know she was at the crucifixion scene when Jesus died. All of my images of her are of a mourning mother. But what if she was there to encourage Jesus to fulfill His mission? Oh, that goes against every motherly fiber in my being, but really, Mary knew Jesus. Mary knew that Jesus was God’s Beloved Son. Mary knew God had sent Jesus for a reason and that reason was to redeem mankind.

 

What if Mary were at the crucifixion scene because she believed and trusted God far more than we could imagine?

 

I find no Scriptural evidence of either of these ideas. But if their (Sarah and Mary’s) faith and trust in God developed as ours should, these scenes might have been just as I’ve mentioned.

 

Maybe it’s too much to think about on a summer Saturday morning. But I have to ask. Where do you stand in your faith walk? Are you still laughing at God’s preposterous ideas or are you at the foot of the cross believing that God is able to do anything He says? Wherever you are on this journey, I believe that God wants to take you deeper. Are you willing? I pray dear friend that you will be open to God’s direction. It’s no telling where He will take you.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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A Tornado

June 5th, 2015 dsisler

 

We had some pretty crazy weather in my neck of the woods last night. Tornadoes popped up in a few locations nearby and many of my friends to my north were affected by the extreme weather.

 

DSC02389mmmmOur tornado sirens didn’t go off last night, but some folks in nearby towns spent their evenings in safe, secure locations (that means they were in their basements). Some were without power. Homes and properties were damaged or destroyed. It was a difficult evening and perhaps even more difficult to wake this morning to see the damage in the light of day.

 

I just replaced a wall hanging in my family room with this quote. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” (Anonymous) I’m sure there wasn’t much dancing last night, but I think we can learn a few things from this quote.

 

During the storms of this life, we must know that God is with us and He is not going to leave us alone. There is safety and security in the arms of God our Father. There is no reason to be afraid.

 

It’s difficult to move from not being afraid to dancing. It is a big step. But when we do so, we acknowledge that God is in control and that we are living within His peace.

 

When we are in the midst of our own storms of life, it’s so good to know that they will pass. Sometimes even leaving without a trace of being there. There are affects from each life-storm, but in many cases they are good. Some may be short lived. Others long lasting. Some may take years to see the outcome, while others are immediate. Regardless of the storm, things will change. Nothing will ever be the same.

 

What matters is how we handle the storm and make it to the other side.

 

In the midst of Job’s storm of life, there is a section where God speaks to Job. There are a few verses during this monologue that speak to me.

 

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.” (Job 38:1 – NIV)

 

“Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm.” (Job 40:6 – NIV)

 

In the midst of our life’s storms, we must listen for God’s voice. He is there. He is with you.

 

And maybe when you’ve come to know God’s peace as Job did, you too can say, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2 – NIV) Job learned to dance in the rain of his storm.

 

For any of you who are facing a storm, tornado or not, be encouraged by these words written by the Apostle Peter. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 – NIV) Seek God. Look to Him. Lean on Him when it gets too difficult for you. He cares for you.

 

If you are facing a storm, I’d be happy to be praying for you during this time. Drop me a line. You can be assured I’ll pray.

 

I also ask for you to be praying for my friends in Colorado who were affected by these storms last night. There is much to do today…and we’re in for another round of crazy weather this afternoon. Stay safe wherever you are and remember, God is with you.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Enlighten Me

June 4th, 2015 dsisler

 

Have you ever been surprised or amazed by something you saw or experienced? I know I have. Everything from crazy driving to beautiful sunrises, I think I’ve seen it all. But today hasn’t taken me outside the walls of my home yet.

 

DSC02392mI love to sit and think of what it would be like to be a follower of Jesus. Can you imagine sitting around the fire at the end of the day and reflecting upon what was seen and heard?

 

“Can you believe Jesus touched that person with leprosy? And more amazingly, did you see the leprosy disappear?” “Oh, that’s nothing! Did you hear Jesus say that we were to love our enemies? That apparently includes Samaritans!”

 

Oh the fireside chats.

 

But then, just to be sure they were watching and paying attention, Jesus walked to the cross, died for the sins of the world, and then rose from the dead, just as He said He would.

 

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to quite a few people on different occasions. And slowly but surely, the believers believed. Jesus was alive! And He continued to amaze and surprise them.

 

On one such occasion, Jesus appeared to ten of the disciples. Finally after eating a piece of broiled fish, Jesus convinced these men that He was who He said He was and that He was truly alive.

 

Then He began speaking to them. Jesus reminded them of the words of the prophets. Of His fulfillment of their words.

 

And then Jesus did something wonderful. “He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45)

 

Not only did Jesus want them to acknowledge that He was alive, but He wanted them to understand why He was alive. Their lives changed in that moment. They began to understand all that He had told them and how it was going to affect the world.

 

Oh, how important it is for us to understand Scriptures. To really understand. To study God’s Word. To know for ourselves that Jesus is alive and what a difference that makes in our lives.

 

I would urge you today, not to take my word (or any ones word for that matter) on the teachings you read on this blog. Check out my words and teachings for yourself. Do your own study of Scripture. You’ll be amazed at what God desires for you to know and understand.

 

My prayer is the Apostle Paul’s prayer and it’s been part of my blog from day one. See it to the right? “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19)

 

Allow the eyes of your heart to be enlightened. Allow your heart to be changed. Allow God to work in your life. Allow His great power to work through you. And don’t be surprised by the change that it makes.

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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Praise in Motion

June 3rd, 2015 dsisler

 

I did it. Last night I joined a group of ladies at our Frederick campus and praised God in a very special way. I attended my first session of Praise in Motion and it was spectacular.

 

As worship music plays in the background, a mixture of dance and martial arts are used to draw participants into a relationship with Jesus that I’ve never experienced. We danced with Jesus. We fought the devil. We put on the full armor of God. We surrendered our cares and worries to Jesus. We allowed God’s Holy Spirit to lead and guide through the evening.

 

Now I’ll admit, it was a physical workout. I can feel tender muscles this morning that I forgot I had! But what I loved about the evening was the mental, spiritual and emotional workout that accompanied the physical.

 

Remember Jesus’ words, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27 – NIV) Jesus called us to love Him with everything. All of us. Every inch of our bodies are to love Jesus. I believe that’s what we, what I did last night.

 

And of course if I’m going to continue to use “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 – NIV) as a life verse, this form of worship will fulfill the goal of drawing closer to Jesus as I move throughout my day.

 

I’m sure there are some that may question this form of worship. I get it. It’s not for everybody, but for a group of 14 ladies who gathered together last night, it was a special time of worship. For me, it was especially worshipful.

 

Will I be going back? You can count on it. Why? Well, I do need to move more. I need to do some physical activity to keep this body functioning well enough to serve God in ways He is preparing.

 

But more importantly, I will return because of the connection I made with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I might even say there are some tender heart muscles that need to be worked on and transformed because of my spiritual workout last night.

 

As I’ve said, this form of worship may not be for you. But what I would ask is “What are you doing to use all of you to worship God?” “What physical activity are you incorporating into praising God?” If Jesus is asking us to love Him with all of our being, I believe we have to figure out how to love Him in every aspect of our lives, and that includes physically.

 

What do you think?

 

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

 

Donna

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  • "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe." Ephesians 1:18-19

  • I am a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. I lived in the beautiful state of Colorado for 20 years where I found great inspiration for my novels and devotional writings. Currently living in Jacksonville, Florida.

  • I am passionate about helping women find their way to Jesus through Bible study, teaching, speaking, inspirational writing and creative Bible journaling.

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