Hold on tightly and don't let go, the one holding you will never let you go.   Jesus Saves 

Make a Joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy, yes, sing praises!  Psalm 98:4

You know if there one thing that is certain...it's that God's love never changes and never fades away.  Even though sometimes you may feel that you've messed up and it seems that a truck load of trouble comes your way, God is always there in the midst of all the turmoil.   Look, we don't always get it right, we don't always feel saved or even filled with the power of the Holy Ghost!   But we are, I am.  The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus said I have come that you can have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, til it overflows) John 10:10.  God is a God, the Only True God,  of goodness, but He is also a God of justice and righteousness.   We are not wrestling against one another in this world, but we are wrestling with the spirits of darkness (Ephesians 6:12).   I am the mother of two teenagers......whewwww....is that hard sometimes.   One of which is disabled and non verbal so he doesn't give me much trouble, but the girl, oh how I love her, puts me through tremendous stress sometimes!   But I have to remember that the sinful nature that they are born with is what I'm dealing with.  We have to be strict and stand our ground on how we raise them, shape them and mold them into the image that God would have them to be.  Does that mean that our family is perfect and exempt from trouble??  No way Hosea!   But praise God, His love never changes, He is always there and He knows just how to handle things if, and I said If, we trust Him.  

Prayer:   Father, I thank you today that you love me and care for me.  When it seems that I feel less than qualified, you reassure me that You have it all under control and that I am more than a conqueror.   I am an overcomer, I am victorious, I am prosperous, I am a Great mother, a Loving wife and that you have all the confidence in me that I need.  If God be for me, who can be against me.  Thank you for trusting me with this great position as a pastor's wife and a Mom.  

Moms....you are a blessing and you are doing a great job in raising your kids.  Don't let the devil feed your mind with any less than that.  He only brings thoughts to torment you and bring you down. 

Dads... we couldn't do anything without your love and your protection.

Teens..... you will make it, these years are tough, and you must remain faithful and strong in the face of adversity.  We love you and we know you will turn out great! 

Jesus..... we will always, always be grateful for your loving kindness, for it is truly better than life. 

What are you saying??

We've heard this saying ever since we were kids.  Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.   Lie, lie, lie!!!!   Words do hurt and alot of times they are intended to hurt.  We say things from our mouths sometimes that we really don't mean but we are reacting to the situation at hand.  When things get heated in arguements we say very hurtful things and once they are spoken ....you can't take them back.   Truth is we say them and the person they were said to may play them over and over again in their minds.    I have met alot of women that have suffered verbal abuse from their spouses.  I remember hearing someone even say one time that it's hard for them to understand the love of God because the love that they've experienced is painful.     It seems to me that sometimes that verbal abuse takes longer to get over than the physical.   But both are very abusive.   God offers healing for both of these and you can rise above all the negative words and actions done against you.   The Bible tells us in Proverbs 18:21:  Death in life are in the power of the tongue and they that love it shall eat the fruit of it.   The Message translation puts it simply like this:   Words kill, words give life; they're either posion or fruit you choose.   So for this New Year 2012  I personally have vowed to God  that I will change my thinking and my speaking. We have always done that at our house anyway.   It truly does matter what you say and our negative thinking will not produce any positive results.   Say this:   My negative words can stop God's plan for my life.   So if you want God's perfect plan for your life,  it you want to be properous, and in great health speak forth the WORD of God.   His words produce life!!!!   Happy New Year!