Category: Sister Judy (Page 108 of 270)

Dear Ones

Hope you wake to a day full of joy. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  It appears that fear is griping the hearts of so many today as reports come forth of food shortages, cost of living increases, wars breaking out seemingly everywhere etc.: but as children of God, we need not fear. We have a God that sees it all and is all powerful, all knowing and all wise, no matter what happens in our world!

   We can read examples in scripture when the odds were so against God’s people and yet they won the victory, sometimes without doing anything but calling on the Lord. The Old Testament  is full of stories of victories like simply marching around Jericho and with a shout, watching the walls simply fall down. Some victories were by setting ambushes, or the enemy hearing bad reports and returning home without fighting. God uses so many ways. Our part is to listen to His strategy and to do what He says in each instance.

  I just read of Caleb who was one of the 12 spies sent in to spy out the land of the giants. Eleven spies came back fearful and gave a bad report; the people became fearful, grumbled and wept, wanting to go back into bondage again rather than face their fears. But Caleb stood firm and he said in Numbers 13:30 (NIV), ”We should go up and take possession of the land for we can certainly do it.” He knew where the power was coming from to defeat the enemy.

   What about us? The enemy today wants us to fear but God has given us so many promises to let us know His hand is always with us. Let us come into agreement with His promises and unite with others in the Body of Christ. Like God says in Isaiah 43:1b-2a  ”Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.”

  Challenge for today: Refuse the enemy’s bait of fear and rehearse God’s promises.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

 Happy day as the sun is shining again and hoping you are enjoying the day. This morning I made a veggie stir fry, went to Aldi’s and my exercise class. This afternoon is crafts and tonight is Bible study with video from Max Lacado. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   Where do we seek encouragement and hope when things seem to be falling apart? Do we find it in confiding in a friend? Or calling our pastor? Or reading a self-help book? Yes, it is good to get empathy and words of encouragement from others but if we don’t go to the Lord, we can still be left feeling lost and alone when they are not around.

   In one of our previous churches, we had a young mother who would come to Ladies class and take up group time sharing alot about things she was worried about, especially in her family. She got encouragement from others but it never seemed to stick. So I asked her to come early each week and then just spent a few minutes praying for her and pointing her to the Lord for His help. It makes such a difference when we go to the Source. He stands beside us always and our hope is in Him.

   Mark Roberts from Fuller Seminary has been writing about Lamentations which is a book of sorrow and laments of all that is happening around Jeremiah. He was called the weeping prophet and wept as he saw how God’s people had turned away from God and rejected Him. Jeremiah says he feels attacked and homeless; his soul is bowed down and he lacks peace and hope. Doesn’t sound like a good place to be and maybe you have felt like that at times when life seems to be caving in and you have lost your hope and strength.

   But then Jeremiah calls to mind God’s steadfast love and becomes a man of hope. He says in Lam 3:21-23 (God’s Word), “The reason I can still find hope is that I keep this one thing in mind: the Lord’s mercy. We are not completely wiped out. His compassion is never limited. It is new every morning. His faithfulness is great. My soul can say, “The Lord is my lot in life. That is why I find hope in Him.”

   Whenever we may feel hopeless and sad, let us remember God’s mercy and hope in Him!

Dear Ones,

A blessed Memorial Day as we remember those who have fought and given their lives for our country! 

We enjoyed the weekend with family at the lake, except for the mosquitoes! Today I am doing food prep, studying, and stripping down our bed to the mattress and washing everything.  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  The enemy is always trying to trip us up and cancel out what God has for us and we need to be alert to his tactics and not let him win in our lives.

   When we were at the lake to celebrate Memorial weekend with family on Saturday we had an enemy who tried to sabotage our time together. It was an army of mosquitoes and they were fierce. We had no idea when going to the lake what we were going to encounter but we still pursued the agenda, though we had to modify it a bit.

   The first awareness of our problem was when we got to my brother’s cabin to have a time of sharing with my niece’s daughter Taylor and her boyfriend. We were stopped at the door with the warning that when they opened the door we needed to just rush in and they would quickly shut the door again, so as not to let in the hungry mosquitoes. Now even though we did that our whole time of sharing and praying together was necessitated with slapping mosquitoes that managed to sneak in, but it didn’t shorten our time together.

   When we went to our daughter’s we stayed inside and listened to our grandson’s concerns before going down the hill to our son’s cabin. We had a time to catch up inside when I was told I had company waiting for me up the hill. There was a friend whom I haven’t seen for so long and she was swatting mosquitoes as she patiently waited for me to climb the hill. We couldn’t stand to be outside for long and took refuge in our car. Some managed to sneak in the car too, but we didn’t let it detour us.

   Next, we went to the gathering at the Point where other family members were enjoying the sauna and running quickly into the cold lake while trying to fend off mosquitoes. Having our wiener roast was more of a challenge as the mosquitoes were hungry too, but we persevered and all ate and visited before taking leave. Now would we have gathered if we had known ahead of time of the army of mosquitoes waiting for us? Yes, it was still worth it even though we had a battle on our hands.

   I also believe in the days to come that it is going to cost us more to meet together as the Body of Christ. The enemy is going to do all he can to detour us and keep us from praying and seeking the Lord together. There is great power as Christians gather together and it says in Matt 18:20(NRSV), “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” We are not meant to go alone but to gather in His name to pray, worship and be encouraged. Prayers by 2 or 3 in agreement with the Spirit have great power so let us not be detoured!

  Challenge for today: Use the opportunities God sends to gather with others in His name. 

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! We are going to the lake this morining and stopping to see a friend at Birchview on the way. We look forward to having time with Taylor ( my niece’s daughter who you prayed for when she was on her 9 month mission trip) and her boyfriend. Later we will see Ann’s family and Kurt’s family and then more relatives for a picnic at the Point. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

 Sometimes we just need to take a break! Maybe we have had a heavy schedule and we feel weary; rather than try to fit more in, we need to take a nap, go for a walk and enjoy nature, strum some strings on the guitar, or just spend some quiet time with God. We all get worn down at times and we need to listen to our body for it is saying, “Give me a break!” That doesn’t mean just seniors but young people also may need time to regroup. People in their prime can get tired and stumble and fall.

  In Isaiah 40:30-31 (Message) it says, “Even youths grow weary and tired and vigorous young men stumble badly, but those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for, and hope in Him) will gain new strength and renew their power.” We all have times of weariness and it may not be physically so much as emotionally, It is wise to pay attention when that happens and to wait on the Lord to renew us. We can be honest with Him and tell Him how weary we are and in need of His strength and vitality. If we are married, we may tell our mate that we are spent and just need a little time to be restored. Spending time with the Lord can restore us and strengthen us and bring us encouragement. Some come away feeling like they had a new battery put in!

   It reminds me of my plants that are on a tea cart by a window. I can tell when they start looking droopy and am reminded to water them and open the blinds to let in the sunrays. In the same way we are told to “Seek the Lord and His strength; seek is face continually. (Psalm 105:4 (NASB)

  God’s strength is our source of strength and it never runs out. We all get tried and we will find that as we wait on the Lord we will be renewed and lifted above the stresses in life. When we start thanking Him and praising Him, it is like the cool water that is poured on my plants. We perk up and are refreshed. Let us take a refreshing break with the Lord!

Challenge for today: Listen to your body and give it refreshing breaks when needed.