Matthew 11:28-30 NIV – “Come to me, all you who are weary – Bible Gateway https://share.google/lVW7b20ZKCgD0L3tY

Jesus was encouraging me to continually be open to approaching Him, to have a close walk with Him. That is why I wanted to share Matthew 11:28-30; to go along with this, I have included We Are Messengers’ Come What May. When noticing that we are worn out and very troubled, that is when we need to stop ourselves and accept the Spirit’s invitation to come. It is not the time to try to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. The key to peace, is to realize that God holds the answer to everything that is burdening us. He is walking with us along this journey of life as The Good Shepherd. We just have to surrender our will.

As The Good Shepherd, Christ is using everything in our lives to mold and teach us. Just because we run into difficulties, it doesn’t mean He has left us. Those times of trials and weariness are many times the tools that will end up pointing us back to God. I have found many times that going through valleys has actually strengthened my walk with Him. When we see the Lord pulling us through each rough spot, it should encourage us to file them in our remembrances.

I feel this is the perfect opportunity for me to refresh my mind and recall God’s goodness in 2025. He was the reason I sustained my job, the reason my husband got through 5 surgeries, the reason my sister and brother in law were able to get safely back to Washington State, the reason Dad and Mom are well, and that most recently my husband and I were blessed financially by Aunt Linda. I pray that recalling this would bring glory to God and to all of you readers.

At this time, I would love for people to be able to share how coming to Christ has freed them from unrest. It will bring encouragement to me, the readers, and to yourselves. It will nurture the spirit of gratefulness that brings joy. Try scrolling down to comment, and may Jesus bring peace as we learn to approach His throne in boldness {Hebrews 4:16}.

Psalm 34:1 NIV – Psalm 34 – Of David. When he pretended – Bible Gateway https://share.google/3CEWPKRcLxpkLrbjZ

Alive & Breathing https://share.google/SNYoYojTZKtueNlsE

Yes, God is to be given acknowledgment and glory at all times.  I am so grateful He never changes! He is the I Am (Exodus 3:14), and isn’t limited by human perimeter. Human limitation was what King David struggled with when facing the Philistines… he was so scared, he pretended to be insane. The King of Gath subsequently let David depart.  God stepped in at that time of fear.

King David didn’t let God go unacknowledged, as Psalm 34 shows.  His response was to share how deserving of praise God was! Reading it encouraged me to remember every good thing that God has blessed me with. I do not want to be like the 9 lepers who didn’t thank Jesus for their healing.  I read a synopsis about Luke 17:11-19.  It mentioned a detail that is very interesting to me; the man who came back to Jesus received salvation, plus his healing. That is where it is at, everyone; it is in the relationship with Jesus.

When we are in fellowship with the Maker, we will experience true satisfaction! We will be at the place we were created to be; we will be available to be used for his glory and work. In doing God’s will, we will be giving God glory. This week, despite a full work week and my husband and I not feeling well, God gently reminded me that I needed to start thanking Him and praising Him for who He is. When doing this, I experienced peace that surpases all understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). He gave me the courage to get through the work load, and grace to face difficulties related to my husband’s spinal surgeries.

I wanted to give honor to God for the ability to survive last week, especially in receiving the financial help my husband and I needed. It was looking like I wasn’t going to be able to receive pay; but, it turned out my company was able to issue me a hard copy check. A couple of hours before it was looking pretty bleak, I got an email stating that a check would be issued to me by the end of the day! God is good! For as long as we have breath, let us give Him praise!

https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ECC.5.1-2.NIV

     Wow, this week’s devotional is another pointer to the fact that Jesus Christ is what is truth and is what matters!  If it was not for His redemption, we would be a hopeless race (1 Corinthians 5:18-19).  This would mean that as soon as we all die, we will be lost forever.  In reverence to the Savior, we should not be so hasty in opening our mouths to defend ourselves.

     Exodus 14:14 tells us that we need to only be still, and God will fight our battles.  It is so against human nature to be patient and trust the Creator.  There is a message being given that the louder you are, that verifies the facts being shouted are truth.  I remember being told that it is better to be quiet and thought foolish than it is to open your mouth and remove all doubt (Proverbs 17:28). Isn’t God all knowing, and isn’t He going to complete the good work started in us (Phillipians 1:6)?

     I was going to add that for me, I am sometimes my worst enemy.  There is a war going on in my mind about believing my emotions and what is around me over what Jesus has told us.  I need to stop looking at the giants in my life; instead,  I need to let God instruct me in how to fight the battles.  In closing, I wanted to share that Jesus’ life pointed to how He loves to show up  to answer our needs as humans. When the disciples were facing crowds of sick people, shortages of food and the perils of storms were when Christ quieted the noise.  I want to be one who can trust the Father so much that I can fall asleep in the boat during any storm!  May we all let Christ protect and shape us, amen!

    

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This life can be scary and uncertain; thank God, He is there and can put reassurance back into the equation. The problem stems from the removal of God from a person’s life. It is a person telling God that they know what is best for the situation. In the attempt of trying to restore the brokeness, they end up acting tough and trying to solve the problem alone. It ends up blocking out the grace and help God offers, often through others who care for the individual.

I wanted to encourage you that even though what you are looking at today may seem hopeless, God is still there. He is just waiting for us to let go of our pride and turn it all over to Him. It is a matter of accepting His help and the help of others. Just because we are not all put together, it doesn’t mean we are worthless. The Creator didn’t think so, and that is why He gave us life…both physically and spiritually. He is Emmanuel, God With Us.

Before I end the devotional for this week, I wanted to share a couple of things in my life that made me think about God being in our stories. It made me put into focus our underlying need for Jesus, and that He so desperately wants to have a relationship with us. The first situation involves my Husband’s son. My Husband and I would love to see Him turn His life over to God. The Lord has allowed this young man to come to the end of himself; he apparently is now in a recovery plan for those with addictions. We are interceding and praying that this will open a door for him to give his life totally to Jesus! The second thing is for my Sister and her husband to be open to receiving assistance from the Church and individuals who love her. She doesn’t have to fight the battles alone. My Husband and I know what they feel like; it is so natural for us to act like we can accomplish anything in life alone. In doing this, we end up only getting the realization that we have removed ourselves from people; we actually are all alone. Let us all take the time to seek God, and ask Him to guide us and give us His wisdom. Please take the time to share about turning yourselves over to His Spirit, and what that looked like in your lives. Let us let Jesus give us a future and a hope!

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%202%3A1-2&version=NIV

The first thing about this devotional you might be thinking about, is how a Scripture about a census fits into God moving? Well,  it opened up the doors for Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem.  It ended up ushering in the birth of King Jesus!  Yes, it was a very difficult trip for the couple, but it accomplished the promise of the Messiah.

I wanted to encourage all of us to put on the Armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-18.  There is a specific reason that it is called the Armor of God; the reason being, it is only possible by the power of the Holy Spirit. I know in my own strength I would not be operating in His truth, would not have the ability to stand in his righteousness, would not be showing peace wherever I am called, would not be having faith, would not be recalling the Word of God, and would not be reminding myself that I am saved and am a Child of God.

As a Child of God, the journey involves being a soldier equipped with the proper tools of battle.  When we go forward in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will see God enabling us to conquer our enemies: ourselves, others, and the Devil.  As my Pastor has encouraged us to do, let us pray without ceasing [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18].  The battle is the Lord’s, as Zechariah 4:6 shows. 

The final thought I wanted to leave with you is how you never know how God is going to use you in the future. We just need to be prepared to be sent. It is not, like my Father has shared with me, that we are the only ones God can use. If we don’t allow the Father to use us, He will then use another person. Isn’t it exciting knowing Christ!?

Galatians 5:16-18

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/5/type/kjv

As Children of God, we have the desire to want to follow the Spirit’s leading. We also, though, have the flesh tugging at us. We have a Spiritual battle going on inside us. In order to overcome this struggle, we should not spend the time debating which road to go down. We need to advance forward on the way that is true, that is holy. When we are pursing this, we will have not chosen the way of our flesh.

Paul has shared, in Galatians 5, the beautiful fact that obeying the Spirit’s leading doesn’t put you under the law.  To me it emphasizes the part the Spirit plays, in breathing new life into individuals.  While thinking about this, God reminded me of how many times David mentioned how his soul thirsted after Him.  The Father wants us to be in fellowship with Him.  He is not going to always be striving with us.  He desires a love relationship on both sides.  He is peace!

If we do falter, God is there to forgive us and to restore us back to Him.  This forgiveness, His wanting to spend time with us, is sweet!  David described this in Psalm119:103.  God put the love for His law in the Psalmist’s heart, and will do this for us as we seek Him.

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Psalm 37:7

Be still before the Lord and wait paitiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Wow… reading this Scripture and hearing this song, played on KLove by Brandon Lake, brought me to tears and worship! It encapsulises my life, and motivates me to testify of what I mean. It brings me to the place of correctly viewing who God is, and how He has and can work. Too many times there is a habit of looking at what we see as the end product. That what we observe around us is too much for God to handle. We need to reevaluate and get our eyes on God through faith… Phillipians 4:8.

God did not create the downfallenes we observe every day; but since he is good and holy, created a way for man to come back to Him and be restored.  We need to get this message more than ever in 2025!   Let me share a little about what God has done in my life and my whole family’s.  While hearing this song, my mind remembered how He has moved.

Well, it started with my birth.  I was born with Turners Syndrome in a hospital in Westminster, CA. Most Mothers end up naturally aborting their fetuses.  Not so in my case, because God wanted to turn it around for His glory… Romans 8:28. The next time God was behind the scenes was in my parents’ marriage, and in my Mother’s mental illness.  He has held my Parents together for 56 years!  My Mom’s mental state has been sustained by the work of the Holy Spirit and through medication.  As I progress in my story, I now have to bring up God’s assisting me to receive my BA from Southern California College.  If it wasn’t for my receiving a scholarship, and in the Spirits’ helping my health to be sustained, I wouldn’t be glancing at the BA certificate at home proudly displayed.  The next time period to discuss would be in my 30s to the present day.  The Lord honored my marriage to Alan Sweet in February of 2000. Despite marital difficulties and attacks from Satan, the Lord enabled us to be reunited in April of 2020.  Even though we still have scars from a divorce, we are now married and looking forward to the next segment of our lives.  We are presently looking forward to seeing what God can do in healing our hearts totally.  Restoration and healing doesn’t always happen overnight, but in God’s timing…2 Peter 3:9.up

Let us not get weary in well-doing, or lose patience when we see evil and evil doers displayed in this fallen world. He is greater…1 John 4:4. Let us hide this in our hearts as we progress in this New Year. Please take the time to share of how God has moved in your lives. If you continue to scroll, you will find the area that comments can be put. God bless, as you trust in Him through each day’s trials!