Revealing the Heart

Today's Peacock!  P - Prayer and Praise leads to Preparing and Power E - Encouraging A - Advocate C - Can  O - Oppressed C - Corruptible K - Knowledge Today's Peacock is filled with Prayer and Praise!  Why prayer and praise?  Because in Matthew it says "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."  Every day my flesh battles with diabetes, depression and high blood pressure, just health issues, not even the temptations that are put before us each day!  God tells us in his word to be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (Is the Lion after you today?  I don't need to ask, because God's word says he is.) "1Peter 5:8.  He also tells us to resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.  We are not alone in this battle, our b

My first Love! Today is Peacock challenge number 2!  A friend motivated me to design a Peacock.  I am sending the challenge back to her because she is an artist too.  I want to see her paint a beautiful Peacock and post it on facebook.  Or if she has one already scan and post it!   As I think of this beautiful bird, I wanted to use it as a symbol of God's LOVE.  So I have picked some letters that spell out the beautiful creation of God's word!  Each represent a feather in the wind, something like the Holy spirit is to our heart.     P -  Peace    E -  El shaddai, Eyes to see, Eternal Life     A - Amazing Grace, Anchor, Angels    C - Cleansed by the Blood    O - Obedience    C - Comfort, Compassion and Church    K - Key - Kindness, Kingdom of God Peace -  Ephesians 2:13&14 "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ, for He Himself is our peace." El shaddai -  Do

The Hand of God!  \ I decided to put something beautiful within the mix of cups I have been working on.  A friend of mine periodically will send me images of Peacocks because she thinks they are beautiful and so do I.  Every time I see a peacock in full bloom, meaning their feathers are completely spanned to display a breathtaking array of color, almost Heavenly as you view the translucent hue from one feather to the next.  Only the hand of God could create such a beautiful combination of color and design!  What a thankful heart to be able to view such a spectacular show of color!  And as I think of all of creation and it's uniqueness and creativity, it makes my heart burst in JOY!  To have eyes that can detect each color and be able to see it change by the amount of light it reflects.  To be able to see each and every creature and it's own design, the butterfly, the moth, the horse, the cow, the zebra, the deer, the lion, the giraffe, the dog, the cat, the buffa

Cup of the Day!  What's your cup of the Day?  Today was an "Awehaa" moment!  Like Oprah always says when she gets a revelation, she has an "Awehaa" moment!  Except my revelation came from the Holy Spirit.  We hear often that we are made in secret and we are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalms 139:14) Just think about it, there is no other YOU walking on the face of this earth.  YOU are an original!  YOU are custom made!  WoW!  Just take 5 minutes and think about this!  If a painting is valuable when it is in it's original state, how much more valuable is the REAL thing! That REAL thing is YOU!  Without YOU, it just wouldn't be the same!  Without YOU and every little unique, quirky, and special thing, the world would be missing out, without YOU!  So, whoever YOU are, take a sip of this "living water" and see how you feel! God made YOU after the image of Him, with your own special attitude, ideas, eyes, nose, mouth, ears, voice,

Cup of the Day!  Do you ever just need a fresh glass of water?  Do you ever just need to hear good things, instead of bad?  -- The list goes on, bad health, a person's bad actions, bad weather; can we see through the bad?  Doesn't bad stop you in your tracks?  It's like a thick, grey cloud that hovers, choking life. I speak encouragement today, let it cut through and clear the bad, clear the choke.  I speak love, let it melt the bitter!  I speak a good report on all that are reporting, allow the sun to shine!  Don't cap off the light, allow it to glow stead, strong in the dark! I speak living water over a parched heart and dry soul!  Until it is beating strong with JOY!   Isaiah 55:1 Heart Homework: John 7:37 &38 - Just ask Jesus!

Cup of the Day!  Whats in your cup today?  Today I want to concentrate on how God sees you verses how the world sees you!  It might make the difference in how you see things in general??  Psalms 139:14  "I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Today's story.... At lunch time I knew I had to take care of my driver's license; it needed an address change.  It was time for me to get that little star on my license indicating that I had gone through the identification process, now legislated since the incident of 911.  Those that don't know what I am talking about, it is a little star on your license after you have presented all of your proper identification, proving who you are as a person; such as your birth certificate, your marriage license, your social security card, and divorce decree if you had filed for a divorce showing a name change.  Unfortunately, for me, I had misplaced all my paperwork, since it had been 25-50

Cup of the Day!  What is in your cup today?  Does it taste sweet or bitter?  John 4:10  "Jesus answered and said unto her, if you knew the gift of God, and who it is that speaks to you, give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water!" Today's short story Just an ordinary day with things to think about.  We had a discussion at work today brought on by the newspaper calling and wanting to do an article on concealed weapons.  One of the girls in our department was going to take a course in concealed weapons and the newspaper wanted to interview her.  I understand why; because in today's world there is so much evil and man's heart is filled with fear.  Out of protection, we want to make sure we are prepared!   But are we prepared, even with a gun?   I am for the "freedom" to have guns; but at the same time I despise them.  I still have the echo in my ear from when my own father would cle

Cup of the Day!  I am working on a series of devotionals with the theme of "Cup of the Day"  The illustrations reflect a different cup each day.  What does your cup look like today?  Is it filled with blessings?  Is it overflowing?  Maybe we need to start with this cup each and every day, it is found in Psalms 23 where the Lord reminds us why our cup should be overflowing, because he has prepared a table before us in the presence of our enemies: He has anointed our head with oil.  Our love, our Lord has again reminded us that surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in His house forever!   I Corinthians 10:16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  My little story today is based on 1 Samuel 15:22 I was driving home for lunch, just an ordinary day, and as I pulled into the driveway I notic

Your Beautiful!  Some days come where you feel like you don't have the strength to go on.  The lies that hold you inside!  You wonder if you could ever be loved? And you know that if someone saw the inner heart, it would be too much! Take them, those ugly lies and throw them hard at the shadow of the cross, because the cross has shattered them!  It is there they dissolve and transform to truth.  He didn't die for nothing, he died for you!  He madly loves you.... hear Him whisper....you are beautiful, you are treasured, you are sacred!  You are madly LOVED!  You cry out in prayer....do you have the heart to fight?  You know you are more than the hurt inside!  The truth is the battle was already won, by the Son....the Son of God!  He didn't die for nothing, he died for you! You are so beautiful, you are more than a treasure, you are sacred!  "God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son"  He died for me!  John 3:16 Psalms 36:7

Flawless!  Oh, how I love the song by MercyMe - Flawless!  Oh, how I love you Lord!  I am forgiven because of YOU! I am flawless in your sight, because you see me through Jesus, your Holy Son!   "No matter what you say, or what you think you are, the day you called HIS name - HE MADE YOU FLAWLESS!" Oh, my, the cross has made me Flawless!!!  Say it again, it doesn't matter what someone's opinion is....all He requires is belief, that thing called faith!  You are beautiful in the eyes of the Redeemer!  Grace say's it doesn't matter, because the Cross already won the war!  Put your dancing shoes on, show those beautiful feathers!  Greater is the one living inside of you, than he that is living in the world!  JOY!!!! JOY!!!! and MORE JOY!!! "He that believes on Him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  And this is the condemnation, tha

Perfect Peace!  How do we keep our mind and heart in perfect peace when the world around us has gone mad!  How do we keep God's commandments and they not be burdensome to us?   In Isaiah, it tells us how we can accomplish this.  And these days, we need an instruction manual (Bible) on how to detour the drama!  Isaiah 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:  because he trusts in thee.  Trust ye in the Lord for ever:  for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength! The worse the world becomes the more we need to worship, focus, and seek a loving Saviour who does show compassion and kindness in a place that has waxed cold!  Sometimes we need to review God's word to see what this LOVE thing is all about; because so many have lost their way! We need to stay pressed down with JOY because it is our strength!  Covered with the fruit of the spirit, by walking out our salvation.  Look at our neighbor as if it were Jesus himself!  The faith o

Hope!  Seeking the face of a loving God!  We are not alone in our affliction, as we ponder His feet in the sand.  A famous poem written to reflect that He carries us through!  One night I dreamed a dream. As I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, One belonging to me and one to my Lord. After the last scene of my life flashed before me, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that at many times along the path of my life, especially at the very lowest and saddest times, there was only one set of footprints. This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.  "Lord, you said once I decided to follow you, You'd walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed You

Believe!  "We can laugh right in the face of hopelessness because we are held right in the arms of God"  I had to see those words today, I had to feel them deep down in my soul; thank you Ann Voskamp for sharing the Holy Spirit with me today!"  Oh how I need Him! My flesh so quickly drowns the urging of the Holy Spirit by worry, by not believing the grace and greatness of a Holy God.  I am so quick to say, I am alone, where is my faith? What happen to the flickering light that guides my path?  It's all about faith!  Increasing our faith, finding faith in Him.  Being established in our faith, continuing in faith, obedience, justified, sanctified, propitiation, righteousness, that reflects the strong of faith. John 10:37 "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.  But if I do though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." Little faith!  "For the ship