Obtaining Mercy

Today's Thought

 

"Remember that we have no more faith at any time than we have in the hour of trial.

 
All that will not bear to be tested is mere carnal confidence.

 
Fair-weather faith is no faith."

~ C.H. Spurgeon

 

I Peter 1:6-7 "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ"

A Glorious Thought for This Day

 

John 19:10-11 "Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above..."

 

"Is it not a glorious thing to know that, no difference how unjust a thing may be, or how absolutely it may seem to be from Satan, by the time it reaches us it is God's will for us, and will work for good to us?" ~ Streams in the Desert

 

Genesis 50:20 "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

 

A Thought for This Day

 

"Let's choose what we want to fill today with.

"Is it with regret?  With haunting memories?  With negligence that will feed tomorrow's distress?  With complaints and disgruntledness?  With wishful thinking?

"Surely not.

"How much better to fill today with the three great basics of Christian living - faith, hope, and love.  All are rooted in God.  All come from choosing God for today as the One we seek, first and foremost.  

He's the One we can trust to be more-than-sufficient.  He's the Source of all we need these twenty-four hours." ~ Ruth Myers, 31 Days of Encouragement

Letting Go When We Want to Hang On

 

"There comes a crisis hour to each of us, if God has called us to the highest and best, when all resources fail; when we face either ruin or something higher than we ever dreamed; when we must have infinite help from God and yet, ere we can have it, we must let something go; we must surrender completely; we must cease from our own wisdom, strength, and righteousness, and become crucified with Christ and alive in Him.  God knows how to lead us up to this crises, and He knows how to lead us through it." ~Streams in the Desert

 

 Isaiah 43:1-3 "But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour..."

 

I Kings 17:16 "And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah."

 

I just want to encourage you today, my friend, to let go, step out and walk with the Lord through the crisis.

It is not easy, but it is the way to victory!

 

"The mighty God can make us stronger than our circumstances.  He can bend them all to our good...We can even take hold of a black disappointment, break it open, and extract some jewel of grace." ~Dr. Jowett

Just a Thought for This Day - "Waiting on God brings us to our journey's end quicker than our feet." ~Streams in the Desert

(By the way, I am still without a working computer, but hope to find my new power cord in the mailbox today.)

Wishing you a great day,
Alesha

Catching Up

So what have we been doing for the past 2 weeks?

We've been working on bulletin boards, of course!  What else would a teacher be doing during the final few days of summer??? ;)

Doug had some big plans for his new room, and we worked hard to pull all the pieces together for that (quite literally!).  He has 2 boards 8x4, and one 4x4...so you can see that we had a lot of space to fill.

Here's the small board:

(Math: The only place a kid buys 60 watermelons and nobody asks "Why?")

And the larger ones:

(John Wooden's Pyramid of Success.  Doug will add the "blocks" to the pyramid throughout the year, along with the corresponding "Building materials" explanation to the right.)

(Heaven's GPS.  This was a great idea that Doug had to make the Plan of Salvation a setting on the GPS.  You can see his "map" and his many instructions, along with detours and road blocks.  We are praying that his students come to understand the concept and come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, if they don't already know Him when the school year starts.)

 

Isaac and I are settling back into our routine with Julie, Ike's caregiver.  I am hoping to add some new activities to my schedule this year...just what that will be, remains to be seen.  I would love to start voice lessons, as well as volunteer somewhere each week.  I'd also like to settle on whether I want to write a book or not.  I love to write, but do I really have a book "in me"???  I just don't know yet.

 

I have a HUGE coupon that is active in my Etsy shop right now.  Use   25OFF   to receive 25% off any purchase from Alesha Kay Jewelry.   I added a few new things to the shop just today. 

 

My aunt Helen, my mom's sister, passed away early this week.  We will be attending her funeral tomorrow.  Yesterday would have been her birthday, had she lived; but my mom was happy to think about her spending her birthday in Heaven with the Lord.  I am so thankful that she is at home with Him now, healthy and happy and whole.

 

God has been so good to us throughout this summer.  It has been very difficult financially, but He has met our every need.  It has been a summer of spiritual growth and I am thankful for that...even though it was quite painful at times.  I'd rather walk through the hard times WITH the Lord, than to have no troubles, but not know Him. 

What do people do when they don't know Jesus?  It's a sad thing indeed, when you think about it, isn't it?  That's why it's so important that we live our lives to show them how different it can be to know a Saviour like our Lord Jesus Christ!  Our walk should show them what our talk tells them.

 

Philippians 2:15-16a "That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
 Holding forth the word of life..."

 

Blessings to you and yours as you shine as lights for the Lord!

Alesha

When God's Patience Runs Out

 

Psalm 11:5-7 "The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright."

 

"(God's) stillness is not acquiescence, His silence is not consent.  He is only biding His time, and will arise, in the most opportune moment, and when the designs of the wicked seem on the point of success, to overwhelm them with disaster." ~Streams in the Desert

 

Psalm 7:11b "...and God is angry with the wicked every day."

 

I know. 

We see so much wickedness every day, don't we?

We wonder if God is even aware...does He see what is happening to this world of ours?

Let me remind you, my friend:  God is still on the throne!

He has not forgotten and He will not remain silent forever.

There is coming a day when His rod of vengeance will strike out at the wicked.  He will destroy those who do not follow His ways.

Do not lose hope because of the present wickedness that surrounds you.

Your Rescuer is on His way!

 

Psalm 18:16 "He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me."

 

 

 

When the Need is Too Great

 

II Corinthians 12:8-9 "For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

 

"Never turn God's facts into hopes, or prayers, but simply use them as realities and you will find them powerful as you believe them." ~H.W. Webb Peploe

 

Have you ever found yourself praying,

"Oh Lord, make Your grace sufficient for me!" or "Lord, please give me sufficient grace"?

Why do we ask God to do what He has already stated IS?

God's grace IS sufficient.  It is in full and ready supply.

We do not need to pray for it.

We simply need to BELIEVE it.

 

What is your greatest need today? 

Let go of your doubt.  Leave your cynicism behind.  Throw away every support you have created.

Put all your faith in Him alone.

His grace is sufficient for you!

God's grace is enough to meet that need!

 

Be Strong, With Love

 

Singing in the Dark

 

Job 35:10 "But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;"

 

"...If God would make manifest the fact that 'He giveth songs in the night,' He must first make it night." ~Streams in the Desert

 

Remember, even when the night is so incredibly dark that you cannot see to take your next step, the Lord God sees all.  Nothing is hid from Him. 

 

Psalm 139:12 "Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."

 

"Passive faith but praises in the light,

When sun doth shine.

Active faith will praise in darkest night -

Which faith is thine?"

~Streams in the Desert

 

Cling to your Saviour in the darkness.  Lean on Him when your fear threatens to overwhelm you.  Allow Him to lead, step by step, and make no move without Him.

The Lord will guide you through the dark, teaching you to trust Him more, and giving you something to sing about as you journey together with Him.

 

Psalm 42:8 "Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life."

 

When it is too dark to see the next step, when you are frozen by fear and your heart is melting within you, lift up a song of praise to your God.

 

Acts 16:35 "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."

 

Your time of deliverance will come.  Dawn will eventually appear. 

Until then, keep singing in the dark.