These are the Lord's Appointed Festivals

Leviticus 23:4

"In addition to the Sabbath, these are the Lord's appointed festivals, the official days for holy assembly that are to be celebrated at their proper times each year."

Lord, you ordained these festivals so that Israel would have special days to celebrate, rest and remember. You wanted them to celebrate all you had done for them, rest from their labor, and remember your goodness. These festivals also helped them to pass their faith on to the next generation.

The footnotes in my Bible challenge me to consider how the holidays I celebrate mirror my relationship with God. Christmas and Easter are not the only holidays we should dedicate to you. 

As Americans there are tons of other holidays we can use to commemorate your goodness and love for us. Memorial Day can be a day to praise you for all the brave service men and women who gave their lives for our country. Independence Day can celebrate your love for us in giving us a country where we have all these wonderful freedoms, and especially the freedom to worship you. Valentines Day can be a day to bask in your love for us and thank you for the family, loved ones, and friends you have given us. I want to use every day to thank you for your unfailing goodness to me!!

I pray that you will help MyHero and me to get over our colds quickly, and that I will not pass it to my FIL. In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSES

James 1:22-25
But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
James 1:22-25

Psalm 19:12-14

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of gilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14

Help Me to Put Your Commands into Practice

Leviticus 22:31-33

"You must faithfully keep all my commands by putting them into practice, for I am the LORD. Do not bring shame on my holy name, for I will display my holiness among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who makes you holy. It was I who rescued you from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. I am the LORD."

Lord, help me to faithfully keep all your commands by putting them into practice. I love that you tell us to put them into practice because that implies that we won't always get it right. Yet when we practice anything, we are striving for perfection.

Lord, I don't ever want to bring shame on your holy name. Please display your holiness in my life! You are the Lord who makes me holy. I praise you for rescuing me from my Egypt! The land where I was still under the power of my sinful nature and the voice of my enemy because I didn't know that they no longer have any power over me. You saved me so that you could be my God. You are MY Lord!

I am still blown away by how you used me to minister to that guy in the grocery store yesterday! You allowed me to forget a bag of groceries at the store the day before so that I would be there the next morning to hear his phone conversation with his wife. He was telling her that he knew they had no food but he didn't know what else to do. He had cashed in all their change and it only came to around $2. What a privilege it was to pray with him and then give practical assistance by having him get some food and then paying for it for him. You also had me give him some cash. I know that this helped to increase this man's faith as it did mine! I was on cloud nine all the way home!! Please use me more and more as you see fit. I love you!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSES

James 1:22-25
But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
James 1:22-25

Psalm 19:12-14

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of gilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14

I Am Hosting Royalty!!

Leviticus 21:5-6

"The priests must not shave their heads or trim their beards or cut their bodies. They must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for the are the ones who present the special gifts to the Lord, gifts of food for their God."

1 Peter 2:9

"... for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light."

As one of God's special people, I must live a holy, set apart life. I'm set apart in the fact that I don't behave the way they do. I must never bring shame on the name of God. I must be holy because I present special gifts to the Lord, gifts of food for my God. My special gifts are not literal gifts of food, but the fruit of the Spirit produced in my life as a result of obedience to him. I believe that this is God's very favorite kind of food!

Lord, help me to be bountiful in the fruits of the Spirit so that I can present them to you as a special gift of food and as a way to express my love for you! 

I praise you that I am starting to catch on to everything I am learning at work. My brain is no longer complete mush when I come home. Please help me to be a witness to my FIL. Please help the business to prosper because I am there; like you did for Potiphar and the jailer when Joseph was there to help. But mostly let B see the joy I have in following you! Let me show B the goodness of God!! Please, please, please let me have a part in leading him to you before he dies.

Please help my kids to be getting their schoolwork and chores done without having to be hounded. Especially, Robo. He needs the correct dosage of his med. Please help us to find that so he doesn't have to struggle so much!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for helping me to loose weight and increase my endurance to run further. I am so excited about that and it motivates me to want to do more.

I love you more than I have words to express!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSES

James 1:22-25
But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.
James 1:22-25

Psalm 19:12-14

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of gilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14

Confront People Directly

Leviticus 19:17

"Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront people directly so you will not be held guilty for their sin."

Wow, this one is tough, Lord. You know that I have a hard time with confrontations. But if I go with your leading and speak the truth in love, then I should have nothing to fear. Lord, I confess that instead of doing this, I tend to hold it inside where it eats at me. Please help me to confront people directly, but in love, so I will not be held guilty of their sin. Please, forgive me for the times that I've held it inside instead. Help me to put this verse and Matthew 18:15-17 into practice. In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSES

James 1:19-21
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
James 1:19-21

Psalm 19:12-14

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of gilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14

He Helps Me Find Life

Leviticus 18:5

"If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them, I am the LORD."

Thank you, Lord, that you have given us your Word to show us how to have life and peace. When I go against your word there is strife, worry, stress, sleepless nights, anger, health issues, and the list could go on. But when I follow your decrees and regulations, there is life and peace.

You are not a dictator trying to hold us under your thumb. You are a loving daddy trying to protect his kids! Lord, help me today to follow your decrees and regulations. I choose life and peace!

Please, help me as I deal with FIL. Thank you for how we have been able to get along and he doesn't ruffle my feathers. I'm actually enjoying getting to know him better and finding that he is a LOT like his son!

I love you SO much!! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSES

James 1:19-21
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
James 1:19-21

Psalm 19:12-14

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of gilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14

I'm Covered by the Blood

Leviticus 17:11

"for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible."

Thank you, Jesus, for giving me the blood on the altar of the cross to purify me!! Thank you for giving me your blood in exchange for my life to make me holy and clean.

Lord, I need you to help me to have a clear mind so I don't make stupid mistakes at work. I'm worried that my FIL may decide that I'm not working out and not want to keep me. Please help me to trust in you, not in this new job or anything else.

Please show me what your priorities are for me to get done in the short time I have at home. There is too much to do and too little time. In Jesus' name, amen. <3

MEMORY VERSES

James 1:19-21
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
James 1:19-21

Psalm 19:12-14

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of gilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14

I'm Called To Deny Myself Daily

Leviticus 16:2

The Lord said to Moses, "Warn your brother, Aaron, not to enter the Most Holy Place behind the inner curtain whenever he chooses. If he does, he will die. For the Ark's cover - the place of atonement - is there, and I myself am present in the cloud above the atonement cover."

Praise God, the way is now open for us who have applied the blood of Jesus Christ to our lives to enter God's presence any time! However, with great privilege comes great responsibility. The Israelites were told to deny themselves one day out of the year, on the day of atonement.

Leviticus 16:29

On the tenth day of the appointed month in early autumn, you must deny yourselves. Neither native-born Israelites nor foreigners living among you may do any kind of work. This is a permanent law for you. On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the Lord's presence from all your sins.

Jesus called those who follow him to deny ourselves and take up our cross DAILY.

Luke 9:23 NIV

Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."

It is not a life of comfort and ease Christ has called us to, but a life of suffering. We are able to endure the suffering because Christ is with us, and we know there is an eternity of comfort of ease waiting for us!! Praise you, Lord Jesus!! I love you and I can't wait to see you face to face! In Jesus' name, amen. <3

SUFFERING & THE WILL OF GOD

MEMORY VERSES

James 1:19-21
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters. You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.
James 1:19-21

Psalm 19:12-14

How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?

Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

Keep your servant from deliberate sins!

Don't let them control me.

Then I will be free of gilt

and innocent of great sin.

May the words of my mouth

and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing to you,

O LORD my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:12-14