TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

"All things"

"And we know that "all things" work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to his purpose,"

Romans 8:28

This scripture tells me that "all things" are working together for my good. "ALL THINGS" - not good things, not bad things, not half way between good and bad things, but "ALL THINGS". To made an angel food cake we need flour, egg whites and sugar - not just sugar!!!

Recently a circumstance appeared in my life which proved to be one of those "all things" God chose to use to allow me to see Him working in my life. I mean He went ahead of me and solved a problem before I even knew I had a problem or a challenge. The situation took on a whole different twist as a result of a sister Princess coming back into my life. We had been trying to get together for weeks. She had the answer to my "all things". Turns out, she had her own "all things" going on and I was blessed to be our King's instrument to help her in making a very difficult decision. We met for food and friend talk and our "all things" turned into a party. Hey, if life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!!! If you have fabric scraps, make a quilt top!!!! Just another day in the life of a Princess!!!! Glory

"Father, I praise you today for who you are. I thank you for the marvelous ways you provide for my every need. I pray that every reader of this blog will experience you in the mist of their "all things" - the good and the not so good situations. I pray a special blessing on the sister Princess you so beautifully used in my life. In Jesus name, I pray." Amen

For the Love of a Friend

I have been really burdened for a friend. This friend is going through a very difficult time. It seems that they have been faced with blow after blow in their life. From health issues, to concerns about a child, deaths of loved ones, and now the ending of an important relationship. I am not sure what to say or how to even pray for this person. It breaks my heart that they have had to face so many trials in such a short period of time.

But I know that I DO have to pray.

And I also have to let that person KNOW that they are on my heart and mind, and in my prayers.

In the face of such sorrow I find myself at a loss. I have to pray that the Lord's perfect WILL will be done. And when someone is suffering so much, do they want to see this as the Lord's WILL? I feel that I am left navigating in murky waters when forming my response. So through another's trials, I am asked to trust the Lord to give me the right words and actions.

Being a Christian does not mean that every question is answered. It does not guarantee that we will see His hand in everything that we experience. But being a Christian does demand FAITH that His hand is there.... that nothing happens to us that is not first sifted through his fingers... that He will allow some things to come into our life for a reason. And being a Christian demands that we TRUST HIM RADICALLY to accomplish a good work in our life, and in the lives of the believers that we love.

Father God,
I quite simply pray that Your will be done in my friend's life. I pray that You comfort this person in a time of great sorrow. I pray that you comfort any fears and show them Your love. I thank You that they know You deeply and personally. I praise you with all of my heart that they are a believer and will not go through this alone.
In Jesus name I pray... Amen.

~ Thankful Thursday with JC ~

The following comes from my monthly devotional book, “The Word for You Today” from September 22nd devotion.

THE ULTIMATE SELF-ESTEEM!

“Perfect Love Casts out Fear” 1 John 4:18 NKJV

“Since God’s love is the only “perfect” love, it removes our fears. What are you afraid of? That you won’t get something you need or that you’ll lose something you’ve got? “His perfect love for us eliminated all dread…If we are afraid, it … shows that we are not fully convinced that he really loves us” (1Jn4:18 TLB). Today, ask God to give you a fresh understanding of how much He loves you, for what He loves He prized, protects, and provides for.

We are drawn to people who love us, so why is it so difficult for us to go to God in prayer? It’s because we need a fresh understanding of His love for us! Paul writes: “[I pray]…that…you’ll be able to take in…the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love” (Eph 3:18TM). Extravagant love! God couldn’t love you any more than He does right now! You say, “What does God’s love look like?” Look at the cross. If you had been the only person who ever lived. Jesus would have died just for you. “What does God’s love cost me?” you ask. It comes with no strings attached. You didn’t do anything to deserve it, so when you fail you don’t forfeit it. He never stops loving you! The Bible says: “Absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love” (Ro 8:39 TM).

Once you’re secure in God’s love you can begin to acknowledge your weaknesses, seek His help, grow strong, and use the gifts He’s given you. When you know God loves you based on who you are, not the color of your skin or your life’s accomplishments, you have the ultimate self-esteem – born of God’s esteem for you.”

Father, God, Holy is your name. Awesome in your strength a power. You and you alone are worthy of my praise and adoration. Thank you for the reminder in the devotion that I can be secure in Your love and therefore know that my every need you will provide. Father I lift up those reading this that don’t know Your perfect love. Father I pray that they will ask You to reveal Yourself to them in a way that only You can. In Jesus’ perfect, power, holy name I pray. Amen

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Living By Faith Until The Very End...

"Then Abraham died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years and was gathered to his people" Gen. 25:7

Abraham had lived a life of faith and now he has died in faith. He was flourishing and fruitful to the very end. Oh, how I want to be like that, don't you?

This statement was in our Sunday School study book and it is so true, even if it is one of the saddest statements I have ever read. "How few people really experience joy and satisfaction when they reach old age. When they look back, it is with regret; when they look ahead, it is with fear; and when they look around, it is with complaint". I wrote in the margin of my book - HORRORS!!!!

Friends, no matter what our age, we do not have to look back with regret. I heard JC's pastor say "I may have made my bed but I do not have to sleep in it, God has given me a new COMFORTER". Glory!!! I choose not to dwell or focus on the "what if's" and "if only's" of the past. I do not want those negative thoughts hindering my Victory Walk.

And friends, we do not have to look ahead with fear. God will be with me every step of the way and as challenges arise He will show Himself strong in my life. You see, I am as special to Him as Abraham and Sarah were. My best years are ahead of me!!!

And friends, we certainly do not have to look around with complaints. Do you know of anyone who wants to listen to griping, grumbling and complaining? As JC wrote in "Thankful Thursdays with JC" on Sept 11th - "Everyday you choose the clothes you wear, the food you eat, and the attitude you adopt." I would add, "and the words you speak". Complaining is a choice. We can be fruitful and victorious until the very end.

Father, I thank you for the cleansing power of the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank you that I can rest in You as my Victory over past regrets, my Hope for the future, and my total Joy and Peace for today. In Jesus powerful name, I pray.

Amen

Pray for David

One of the blessings of reading blogs is that I am often able to lift others up before the Throne. It is a privilege to be able to take the needs of others to the Lord. It is an opportunity to fellowship with the Creator of the Universe on behalf of another!

Reva is a blogger that I have visited now for a couple of months. She has an eighteen year old son named David who is battling cancer. He is taking chemo therapy and Praise Be to GOD, it is working!! It has been difficult for David, as I'm sure you can imagine.



I would like to ask you to first of all, pray for this young man. Pray for his complete healing and pray for peace of mind while he actively seeks that healing, using the treatments that the doctors have prescribed for him.

Second of all, I ask you to go by Reva's site and offer encouragement for David and Reva.

Father God,

I pray for David, Lord. You know the needs of this young man, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Please meet all of those needs according to Your will. I ask that you touch his body and heal him Lord. I pray that we will be able to praise You and give You the glory for that healing. And Father, I pray for Reva. I thank You for her faith and for her strength, and I pray that You continue to comfort her and give her peace.

In Jesus name I pray.

Amen.

~ Thankful Thursday with JC ~

Old hymns are more precious to me now than ever before. Today as I was driving home, I started singing “Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus”. I wasn’t sure about some of the words so I looked them up and decided to share them with you.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus
Just to take Him at His word;
Just to rest upon His promise;
Just to know, “Thus saith, the Lord”

O how sweet to trust in Jesus
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
Just in simple faith to plunge me;
Neath the healing cleansing flood.

Yes, ‘tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life, and rest, and joy, and peace.

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.

Chorus
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him; How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.

Father God I stand in awe of You. Thank you for reminding me of this old hymn. I’ve loved this song but had never let some of the words sink in.
“Just to take Him at His Word, Just to know, Thus saith the Lord” (By his strips I am heal, yes, healed indeed).
“Just to trust His cleansing blood, Neath the healing cleansing flood” (Though my sins be as scarlet, He washed them white as snow.)
“Just from sin and self to cease, Just from Jesus simply taking, life, and rest, and joy, and peace” (HALLEUJAH!!! She that the Son sets free is free indeed!)
“Precious Jesus, Savior, FRIEND, Wilt be with me to the end” (He will never forsake me, he will stick closer than a brother)
Father, I love you. Father, I pray, as each person reads the words of this song or hears it sung, you will make the words come alive within his or her spirit, as they have come alive in mine. In Jesus’ precious, powerful and holy name I pray. Amen.

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Tears and Sorrow

While studying through the Book of Genesis, we come to the 23rd chapter where we learn of the death of Sarah, Abraham's wife. Sarah has been a faithful wife to Abraham. Sarah has made her mistakes but when we read about her in the 11th chapter of Hebrews we see that by God's Grace her faults are remembered no more and she is listed with the heroes of Faith.

Abraham is now grieving the death of Sarah. He shows his love and his grief by weeping. These are the first recorded tears in the Bible. Tears will not end until God wipes them away in glory. (Rev. 21:4)

As believers in Jesus Christ, "we do not sorrow as those who have no hope" 1 Thess 4:13 but we DO sorrow. We all handle our sorrow in different ways. A sister Princess in my Sunday School class, whose infant son went to be with Jesus, made this statement, "the sorrow doesn't go away, you do not get over it, you get past it and go on." Jesus Christ is our anchor when our sorrow seems unbearable.

Give yourself freedom to sorrow, freedom to shed tears. After all, Psalms 56:8 says "He puts my tears in His bottle" Not a single tear will be wasted!!!!! HALLELUJAH

Father, I thank you, that as believers in Jesus Christ, we do not face sorrow alone. Father, if there is a person reading this blog today who is grieving the loss of a loved one, be very near and dear to them. Speak to their heart through this blog. In Jesus comforting name, I pray". Amen

GET HIGH WITH ME!

I have mentioned my father more than once here lately. He is an 'on fire for the Lord' Baptist Preacher. I called him today when we were on the way to his house. He was on cloud nine.

For the second Sunday in a row, in a small Baptist Church, someone had walked down the aisle and asked Jesus to come into their heart. This week it was a 10 year old girl and Dad was ecstatic.

His words were "Woo! Man cannot make a drug that feels as good as this does. I am just so happy."

And he is right. So many people are looking for SOMETHING to make them feel that good. To give them joy. To fill that God sized hole in their heart.

It can't be found in the form of a substance, or a thing. There is only ONE PERSON that can fill our hearts with true joy! And as believers, when we witness a lost soul come to Christ, we can get high on life. ETERNAL LIFE!

Father God,

I praise you for those two new sisters in Christ. I pray especially for the 10 year old that she would remain in church and become truly discipled by You. I pray that we would see a great movement in our community that the Lost would come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in great numbers. I ask that you make me mindful of the needs of those around me to hear about Jesus.

And it is in His name I pray,
Amen

Audio Adrenaline Leaving 99

~ Thankful Thursdays with JC ~

I get a daily devotional book from my church every three months call The Word For You Today. A few days ago, I opened it and read my daily devotion. After reading it, I realize I had read the wrong day. However, I don’t believe things just happen for no reason. I believe I should share this day with you. The devotion I read was for September 11, 2008, page 10, reads:

“THINK ON THESE THINGS.” PHILIPPIANS 4:8

Make that your attitude, too!

“Your ability to succeed in life often comes down to a single choice: how you react to what has been done to you in the past, or is being done to you right now. Dr. Viktor Frankl endured the Holocaust by this principle. The Nazis killed his family, placed him in a concentration camp, starved and beat him. When the war ended Frankl was neither broken, bowed nor bitter. When asked how he endured such treatment with a positive outlook he said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of human freedoms, to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Ground Zero is a massive canyon where the Twin Towers once stood. Three thousand people died there on September 11, 2001. And how did New Yorkers choose to respond? A sign at the edge of Ground Zero proclaims, “The human Spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart.” That’s an attitude terrorists will never conquer. And it’s the attitude God’s Word calls us to adopt: “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report…think on these things.”

Every day you choose the clothes you wear, the food you eat, and the attitude you adopt. And there are only two kinds of attitudes – good ones and bad ones. A good attitude is the one the Psalmist adopted when he woke up each morning: “this is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps 118:24 NKJV). Make that your attitude too!”

Father God, how awesome you are. You alone are worthy of my praise and adoration. Father I ask you to touch each person that lost someone on that tragic day in our country’s history, seven years ago. Father thank you for the reminder that regardless of what happens to us you are there to see us through. Even when it seems that all is lost and our burden is more than we can bear, you are there…always there. Help us to be mindful to choose the right attitude in every situation. In Jesus’ precious and powerful name I pray, amen.

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

"The Lord is my"


In Psalms 18, 23 and 27 we read where "the Lord is my strength, my shield, my shepherd, my rock, my deliverer, my high tower, my light and my salvation."

Let's turn our attention to the little word "is" for a moment. He IS, not, He was. He IS, not, He will be. He IS, right now in this present moment. He IS ,now, not when I have prayed enough, fasted, read enough scripture or conformed to certain behaviors. He IS my strength, shield and shepherd right now!!! I am not focusing on Him being my strength, shield and shepherd in the future, be it five minutes or five years from now. He IS my Life today!!!!! PRAISE HIM!!!

Now, let's focus on the word "MY". The psalmist did not say, "The Lord is the strength, shield, shepherd to His people". The psalmist said, "He is MY strength, shield and shepherd." If I described the wonderful man I live with as a husband it would not have the same meaning as when I describe him as MY husband.

"Father, I pray that each person reading this blog will experience you as their strength, their shield, and their shepherd. this very moment. I thank you for the rest and peace I find in this truth. I thank you for revealing Yourself to me as my Life this very minute. In Jesus precious and powerful name, I pray". Amen

~ Thankful Thursdays with JC ~

Tuesday, September 2nd, I celebrated another birthday. One of my gifts is pictured below. It is beautiful but it is the message on it that blessed my heart. It says, “Live everyday as if it’s your Birthday”. I placed this gift next to my garage so I can see it when I leave in the morning and when I come home in the afternoon.




I love my birthdays, I love my life all because of who I am as a child of God. This statement hasn’t always been true. There were many, many years when who I reflected to others was not who I was on the inside. On the inside I was full of self loathing, self doubt, depression, etc (you can fill in your own blank). But several years ago I surrendered all, I couldn’t go on wearing a mask and pretending to be someone I wasn’t.

Being raised in a Christian environment, I knew the part. The right things to say, the right clothes, all those surface things but inside I was hollow, empty, void, missing something. I had accepted Jesus as the Christ as a teenager but didn’t really know him. I thought I did. I was a pastor’s wife. I tried as hard as I knew how. You see I had Him but He didn’t have me, not completely. I knew nothing about His POWER. Now, every day is a new adventure to be enjoyed to the fullest. Every day is a party and every meal a feast. I am truly blessed.

Father, how Holy, how awesome, how wonderful, how patience you are toward me. You call me your very own. You have a place reserved for me just because You love me. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit that moves right in and comes to life to live out Jesus’ life in each person at the moment of true and complete surrender. I will praise You and serve You all of my days. I love You for caring enough to send Your Son for it is through Him I live. It is in Jesus’ precious, holy and powerful name I pray. Amen.

TUESDAYS WITH TIZ

Tell me the story of Jesus...

"There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man - Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all men" 1 Timothy 2:16

The words of the great old hymn of the faith, "Tell me the story of Jesus" have been going through my mind for the past few days. The words to the chorus are:

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

Are there some days that your heart longs to hear the story of Jesus? I have a lot of those days. What do I really want to hear? JUST JESUS,
Who He is - Love, Joy, Peace, Compassion, Comforter, Redeemer, Encourager, to name a few. JUST JESUS, not what I want Him to do for me, not what I can do for Him but what He has already done for us all !!!

As I mix and mingle with people I hear them crying out for the same thing. Some do not know they are seeking the person of Jesus, they just know they need peace and rest from some source.

What do I do when I want someone to "Tell me the story of Jesus"? I find the best thing I can do is go to His Word and let Him tell me His story. Also I have been blessed with friends to whom Jesus is as real as the air they breathe. My pastor and his family are some of these friends. When I want to hear about Jesus they do not tell me about church history, church doctrine, or our denominational ties, even though there is a time and place for these, but when my heart longs to hear the story of Jesus, I will hear the story of Jesus. My King sees to it that His Princess gets the desire of her heart!!!!! Glory!!!

Father, thank you for the desire you have placed in my heart to hear about you. Minister, through me, to the people you bring across my path who are seeking You. Thank you for the sweetest story that ever was heard, The Story of Jesus. In His name I pray" Amen

Listen, with your heart, as well as with your ears, as Carman sings for you, "Tell me the story of Jesus".