The Good Shephard

Psalm 135:5

Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;

Sing praises to His Name, for it is pleasant.

The Lord is good.  He is tenderhearted.

His mercies are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:23

They are new every morning

Great is your faithfulness

He will watch our coming and going.

It is the Lord Who cares for us.

Psalm 121:8

The Lord shall preserve your going out and your 

coming in from this time forth,

and even forevermore.

Even through the night He is with us. As we sleep and rest,

the Lord does not.  He remains vigilant, ever watchful.

We can trust in Him to be with us and give us

sweet sleep.

Psalm 121:3-4

He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

Proverbs 3:24

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.

Power of Words

There is power in the words we speak.

Speak out loud for what we say is very important. 

Words affect our emotions and state of mind.

Words can bring about spiritual, emotional, 

and physical changes.

There is life or death in the words we speak.

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Basically, what we say can change us.

We can ultimately speak things into or out of existence.

When speaking in a negative way, feelings of anxiousness,

fear, rejection, physical sickness and depression can

become our normal.

Hearing hurtful and negative words from others

can cause a lifetime of pain.

God knew this.

He knew we could build up or tear down ourselves

and one another with simple words.

That is why He commanded us to control our tongue.

Psalms 34:13

Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

James 3:9-10 AMP

With it we bless the Lord and Father,

and with it we curse men who were made in God's likeness!

Out of the same mouth come forth blessing and cursing.

These things, my brethren, ought not to be so.

The power is in you.

The Holy Spirit will guide you

and by faith your words can be powerful

and life giving!

Miracles Still Happen

God still does miracles.

They may not always be easy to see or recognize.

But everyday miracles surround us.

When Jesus walked the earth, He performed miracles.

These were done as signs and wonders.

John 4:48

Then Jesus said to him,

"Unless you people see signs and wonders,

you will by no means believe."

Everywhere Jesus went He did miracles 

so those who saw would believe.

The apostles went about performing miracles in the Name of Jesus

after His death and resurrection for the same reason.

Today, everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior

have received a miracle.

A miracle of salvation.

Through the Holy Spirit, people are freed from the bondage 

sickness, fear, and addictions.

Christians who receive the Holy Spirit "upon" them,

(different than the Holy Spirit in you),

are endowed with supernatural power.

Acts 1:8

 But you shall receive power when the 

Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem,

and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

This power is what allows us to go through life 

and be effective disciples for Christ.

In its most simplistic way, miracles can be as

simple as a sunrise, sunset, the smile of a newborn

or as complex as stars in the universe, or the way

our bodies are designed.

Miracles are answered prayer.

When we stay expectant, God will show up.

The Storm

In the midst of the storm you can be sure of one thing.  Jesus is with you.  You might think He is asleep.   That He is not calming your storm.  Rest assured Jesus is there in the middle of it.  Jesus is there in the boat with you!  Mark4:37-41

The mighty power of God can calm a raging storm into a gentle breeze, take the foaming ocean torrents and quiet them.  How much more can He calm your storm of problems?

Our problems will always exist.  They will come and go as if we travel on an emotional tempest.  Some days will be high, full of blessings.  Other days will be low, full of difficulty, and oft times scary to face.  It is in the low days where our faith and trust in Him is of the utmost importance.  

Jesus will see us to the other side.  Mark 5:1 Then they came to the other side of the sea…….  He will not let us drown.  At just the right time, He moves us to the other side.