When I Was A Child…. 1 Corinthians 13:11-13

 

And the Greatest of these is……… Love

James 3: 3-5

Just Breathe Ministries

http://justbreatheministries.wordpress.com/

I am So Blessed !!

This month has started off with so many blessings. I just marvel in the “Wonder” of it all.

 

 

Please be sure and check out Amanda’s Web-log at:

 http://justbreatheministries.wordpress.com/ 

 

 

as mine may be a little slow with the postings. With all the activities that are planned for the next two months. 

 I will be posting more and more photos with scriptures. Hope you will enjoy. 

Until next time: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 

February 20, 2008

February 12, 2008

Psalm 25:4-5

How Great is Our God !!

February 8, 2008 The Lord has sent me to the book of Habakkuk this morning..… Habakkuk you say ?? Yeah, another one of those……… WHAT LORD ???? Ok, while at my first glace at reading the 3 chapter book.Lord!!…………… this really does seem like a downer to me. Habakkuk sees trouble and injustice happening all around and it doesn’t look like his prayers are getting through to the Lord.

But isn’t that sort of like us? Sometimes we think : What is going on?. And we may not say it but we feel like we already have the solution???

If only………this or that……If only…….. the Lord would follow through with the miracles that we think we need…..

Hummmmm………

No where have I seen yet that the Lord actually requires us to understand His will. We are to seek His will, but may not necessarily understand it.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (New International Version)

8. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.

9. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

1 Chronicles 28:9 (New International Version)9. “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

How Great is Our God!!!

Oh, oh, oh here comes another song……… and what a Worship song it is. I must get down on my face and seek Him.I found this video on youtube. I hope you may be able to take some time and click on the link and turn up your speakers and take a moment to experience just how truly Great our God Is……

    .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud0kaWLHEd4

How Great Is Our God Lyrics
Artist(Band):Chris Tomlin

VERSE(1):
The splendor of a King,
Clothed in majesty
Let all the earth rejoice,
All the earth rejoice
He wraps himself in light,
And darkness tries to hide
And trembles at his voice,
And trembles at his voice

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all who sing
How great, How great
Is our God

VERSE(2):
Age to age he stands
And time is in His Hands
Beginning and the End,
Beginning and the End
The Godhead, Three in one
Father, Spirit, Son
The Lion and the Lamb,
The Lion and the Lamb

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
sing with me
How great is our God,
and all who sing
How great, How great
Is our God

CHORUS(2)
Name above all names
You are Worthy of all praise
and My heart will sing how great
Is our God
(x2)

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and all who sing
How great, How great
Is our God

CHORUS(1):
How great is our God,
Sing with me
How great is our God,
and who sing
How great, How great
Is our God

How Wonderful is that?

And here is the bottom line, Let’s step right up with a song in our hearts for the Lord.

Always “Trusting” Him as we continue on our journeys .

And what a Blessing to find that the book of Habakkuk ends with a

song of rejoicing………………

 

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (New International Version)

Hymn of Faith

17. Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,

18. yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

19. The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

A Typical Wednesday ???

Contributed by Amanda Greene 

Psalm 128 (HCSB)

How happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways! You will surly eat what your hands have worked for. You will be happy, and it will go well for you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine with in your house, your sons like young olive trees around your table In this very way the man who fears the Lord will be blessed. May the Lord bless you from Zion, so that you will see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life, and will see your children’s children! Peace be with Israel.

How Happy is everyone who fears the Lord?

You know I am ultimately happy. I just don’t know what to make of some things. Right now I am wondering if last night I respected the Lord wholeheartedly or if I let fear interfere with my fear of the Lord? Yesterday, like every Wednesday was most hectic, but I stopped to take the time to speak with my Father and inquire of His plans. He did not take anything away from my hectic schedule, but rather added one more thing.

The Lord made it known(convicted me) that I was to become involved once more with my church’s visitation team. I have been putting limits on what God can do in my life. I decided it would be too big of a sacrifice to be involved and work in a church 30 minutes away. But as He speaks, it is confirmed that this is the field I must work from.

In my own hopes and strengths I was determined to find a church home in our city, giving my husband the opportunity to embark upon this adventure. Thus far, no progress has been made. And I can not sit back and have my faith without works. I just can’t.

Yes, there are prospects within the area of which I am living. Why else would I be here!! But I must do this to keep it on my mind always. If I don’t have discipline, How can my Lord place His faith and trust in me to do what I have been created to do.

I know without a doubt this is what the Lord wills for my life. But does He really know what my Wednesdays contain?

Wednesdays are my most hectic and exhausting days. The answer is Yes He knows what my day consists of and yes He never gives you more than you can handle(through Him of course). This made the task of going a huge challenge but I knew that I must overcome and preserve . A sermon on the radio sparked my attention. The sermon was on commitment. Upon accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord, I was announced before my brothers and sisters and declared the truth. It was later in my discipleship classes that I would discover what I was to do next. I was to go to the ends of the earth sharing the knowledge of Gods grace with others.

A commitment that I had not been keeping. I committed my life to Christ and that means doing all things that He asks of me. So, huffing and puffing with my hands on my hips (and rolling eyes as my Father would say) I said FINE!!! I knew what I was suppose to do but I certainly didn’t like it! I even tried to make up excuses like: the children just have too much homework, or my husband is going to be home, etc. But as soon as I began to make them I knew there was no excuse good enough to tell the Lord I couldn’t do it.

As I was preparing dinner, I was suddenly overwhelmed with hastiness. After watching the children run around when homework needed to be done and pick a few fights, I threw my arms up and said, I can’t do this! My frustration was not vented toward the Lord for help, it was vented toward my husband who was helping.

The entire day was spent with thoughts of reminding myself of the times I have to keep. Okay, we need to have dinner completely wiped out by 4:30, we need to leave by 5 and make it to the church by 6. Dinner was completed and all things cleared. Then it was rushing as we freshened up and gathered the spelling words for a verbal spelling test along the way. I was soooo anxious!!! I know you are thinking by now , I would start applying that verse. Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7 (NKJV)

I just kept praying Lord get me there, be with me and watch my mouth. After all that hurrying I realized that I did have time to spare. I had 15 min and with that 15 min I was able to get my little boy out the door. (Yes it took the whole 15 min) But none the less the Lord provided it. Half way there, a question has entered my mind. ?? Does it start at 6 or 6:30″ ? After contacting a friend, I was informed 6:30. We pulled into the parking lot and a great sense of confusion entered in. The parking lot was way to full for all activities to start at 6:30.

The children and I sat and waited in the parking lot for a moment and it was then that I realized it was a supper. At 20 till I took the children to there appointed classes and just lingered in fear as I tried to figure out why everyone was going to the sanctuary. Then I found it odd that the minister of education was also joining in. So I rushed down to my friends classroom and asked if tonight was business meeting.

No, it was the 5th Wednesday, everybody eats and then goes to the sanctuary before going to prayer meeting. ( This move has really gotten me out of the loop). So I headed toward the desk in the preschool area feeling relieved, and guilty. I was trying to make sense of it all. I woke up this morning still wondering, but with the scripture above I feel as if I have been led to an answer.

Why, was I feeling guilty about feeling relieved? It was because I went out to do what the Lord required, but my whole heart was not in it. Why should He bless that? You know, if I think of the others on the receiving end, instead of what I would say, then maybe I would have been able to bring some happy into their life.

Joy that only the Son can bring. I could perhaps encourage someone to endure and persevere and seek Gods guidance. Gods guidance? I received instruction but didn’t hang around for the map.

I believe He allowed me this, so that I may see the error of my ways!!

So how happy is everyone who fears the Lord?

Very happy of course. But how happy is everyone who fears the Lord wholeheartedly?

Happiness then doesn’t come close. The word you are now looking for is joy! Joy- an unexplained happiness that radiates within the soul at all times. I love my Lord, and I know that He will never allow me to do anything half-baked without any consciences, I am just glad this one, was only seen by an audience of one.

Who walks in His way. That is exactly right! We must walk in His way!!! When we walk in His way it is only then that we show great respect! But when we take His instruction and do it our own way we basically receive the opposite of happiness, we then have created great sorrow for ourselves.

You Will Surly Eat What Your Hands Have Worked For.

So now I am asking the question, What is it that my hands are working for? My hands were working out of selfishness, and so what I reaped was a corner of timeout(remember the desk chair). And like all children in time out I sat with guilt and reflected.

You Will Be Happy and It Will Go Well For You!!!

You know when you have to discipline your child, you always use the words I love you and it is because I love you that I am doing this? Well That is what this verse kind of sounds like to me.

But this is what my Father says to me: Amanda, now listen to me! I am determined that you find happiness and that you find it within Me! I am promising you , that this will benefit you, because I love you!

There is truly a fine line between depending on God and depending on His blessings. I feel as if He has blessed me with obedience, and on that I was depending on my obedience instead of my obedience through Him.

Your Wife Will Be Like A Fruitful Vine Within Your House.

The Bride of Christ(or wife) is His church, His church will be fruitful if those like myself will continually acknowledge that He is the vine. And we are the branches. He holds us up and strengthens us so that we will stand up against the wind.

Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain, unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vein. Psalm 127:1 HCSB .

So unless we allow Him to use us and we make an effort to stop using Him, the fruit for His kingdom can not grow.

Your Sons, Like Olive Trees Around Your Table,

You know not only will the church family as a whole grow and be fruitful, but also your family-children will grow and be fruitful. This is a promise for my family, upon obedience through the Lord.

In This Very Way, The Man Who Fears The Lord Will Be Blessed.

The man who fears the Lord wholeheartedly will be blessed.

May The Lord Bless You From Zion, So That You Will See The Prosperity Of Jerusalem All The Days Of Your Life, May the Lord bless you from the mountain top, so that you will see the prosperity of your church, all the days of your life. And Will See Your Children’s Children! Peace Be With Israel!!!

You will see a great growth! Peace be with the children of God!!

“ Sometimes blessings reside in what we avoid not just in what we gain.” Beth Moore. Amen to that.

What a blessing to have God by our side as we walk this journey. May He continue to dig to the surface of my soul as well as yours.

I Surrender All

January 24, 2008

During my morning prayer time. These words came to my heart.

Yes, there are songs that live in our hearts.

All to Jesus, I surrender;
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

Refrain

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,                     
I surrender all.

All to Jesus I surrender;
Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken;
Take me, Jesus, take me now.

Refrain

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit,
Truly know that Thou art mine.

Refrain

All to Jesus, I surrender;
Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power;
Let Thy blessing fall on me.

 http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/s/isurrend.htm