Blessings

Luke 1:28

New International Version (NIV)

²⁸ The angel went to her and said, 
“Greetings, you who are highly favored! 
The Lord is with you.”

This week of bazaar events has me stepping back and looking at how blessed that I am. Not only with the event in Colorado, but the every day headlines can be overwhelming. The rarity of the times is on us and yet when I look around there is so much to be thankful for.
  Sunday I shared on the face book group page that it was "Shout Out Sunday". An opportunity to share how awesome God has been in your life. Several of you posted and shared about His goodness, grace and mercy. So what makes one so blessed and "highly favored"?
  Simply learning to love God with your everything and looking to Him for all your needs. As a child of God who believes in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, you are automatically adopted into the "highly favored" group of the family. Even when it feels that the rug has been pulled out from under you and your world is spinning out of control... you are favored.
  We all have something to be thankful for and praise Him for. If you only have the breath in your lungs, that's enough to praise Him. I want to encourage you today to begin to praise Him for His goodness to you and all that He has done for you.  It will revive your soul and give you a fresh perspective on any situation. We are only carnal living in a sinful world, learning to understand the spirit realm that is so far beyond what we can ever imagine. Keep in mind that as you praise Him and call on His name the enemy must flee.

^{Numbers 10:9
When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies.}

^{Genesis 49:25
because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb.}

2 Corinthians 13

The Message

 ^1-4Well, this is my third visit coming up. Remember the Scripture that says, "A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence"? On my second visit I warned that bunch that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways that when I came back I wouldn't go easy on them. Now, preparing for the third, I'm saying it again from a distance. If you haven't changed your ways by the time I get there, look out. You who have been demanding proof that Christ speaks through me will get more than you bargained for. You'll get the full force of Christ, don't think you won't. He was sheer weakness and humiliation when he was killed on the cross, but oh, he's alive now—in the mighty power of God! We weren't much to look at, either, when we were humiliated among you, but when we deal with you this next time, we'll be alive in Christ, strengthened by God.

 ^5-9Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won't show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we'd rather the test showed our failure than yours. We're rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn't possibly do otherwise.

   We don't just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.

 ¹⁰I'm writing this to you now so that when I come I won't have to say another word on the subject. The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart. I want to get on with it, and not have to spend time on reprimands.

 ^11-13And that's about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.

 ¹⁴The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.

Source: 517creations.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Click on the image above for a free printable. Courtesy of  517 Creations.

 

Double Shot of Espresso: Long day of {Blessings}

      I don't know about you, but I could use a double shot of Espresso right now.  I need a shot of physical espresso and a shot of spiritual espresso.  This week has been an incredible journey of spiritual warfare. I have been reminded to "be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour" 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV).  Several other translations say to "sober-minded" an", watchful", "be of sober spirit", "on the alert", "vigilant" but my all time favorite is the way the message puts it. " 


^8-11Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does."  

  This week has been a long week already. E is teething again so I'm not getting much sleep {hence the typos}. I am trying to make things and get things ready for his first birthday this Saturday and nothing is falling into place. Everything that could go wrong has. Literally. To the point that when my pictures to display at the party of E were finally printed 2 days later instead of an hour.  Oh did I mention the photo machine crashing on me right when i was getting ready to hit the submit button.... there's more to the story than that, and I'm not complaining. Just trying to paint the picture of my day with a migraine headache going on.  Today, the manager called and said, "is this Miss. Jen?" To which i replied, "it is." She continued to say that my pictures were ready and she is terribly sorry about what happened yesterday and she was going to take care of the cost and I could pick them up at any time. Thrilled! I thought to myself,  favor! He loves me so He wants to bless me with free pictures because He knows that will keep my hubby happy and me completely thrilled that I was able to receive pictures of my baby.  Who cares that he looks jaundice in the pictures and I will never use that photo lab again.... they were free!!!!!!

   I'm sure you completely know the kinda day I'm talking about. The one where you just want to start all over. Jump in the shower and rinse it all away and feel rested, refreshed and renewed.  But the fact is the day just kept going wrong. Yeah you know the kinda day. Again I am not complaining. Just sharing with you that we all have days like this.

  Have you ever asked God why days go this way?  I totally got the answer from Him.  He reminded me of His Word.

Ephesians 6:12

New International Version (NIV)

¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

  It's not personal. God isn't punishing me. I am fighting a spiritual battle that's going on in the heavens. In looking at my day that way I gain a new perspective. An okay so if I'm patient, something good is going to come out of this. But more importantly, it was because of my obedience to Him that these battles were going on. Satan was mad. And I knew it. Have you seen that picture on Pinterest that says "Satan heard my feet hit the floor and said, "awe crap, she's awake".  Well that's the kinda day it was. He knew he had thrown the first arrow and had missed yesterday so today he was going to throw more at me. He knew that the 3 hours I just invested in a life long friend that I haven't seen in 10 years was for God's Kingdom and he didn't like it.  So I suffered at the photo lab with a guy named "Sharky" to which I laughed at God for His humor and said, okay Lord patience, you will bring something good out of this.

See what Satan knows is this friend doesn't need to be around me and he is going to do everything He can to keep her away. Why you ask?  Because have learned to hear his voice and the Holy Spirit speaks through me and he knows I will be obedient and be the voice from the Lord that my friend needs right now.  He knows that if he can just get her to go to the pit of hell again with him that this time it will be the last and he will have her forever.  He's throwing drugs and suicide hard core at her and she can't even see her way out.  She needs to hear His voice and I'm the only light she has.  Satan knows all of this.

I hope your still with me and you hear my heart.  It's not me, but He that is in me. I'm not perfect. But I know He uses imperfect people to change hearts for the Kingdom.  So I go with it, you know that "mommy" kind of gut feeling and tell her what's on my heart. Even if I think she will think I'm crazy. Satan wants us to think that way. You know what I have to say about that?  Get over your self. Don't put yourself up on that pedestal to think that it's by your might or power.  Hello! It's by His! (Zachariah 4)

Sorry this post is so long, but maybe you need this as much as I do. I really need a double shot of espresso. I am tired and weary and I need His rest spiritually and physically.  Do you remember the post about strength? We talked about this scripture: Psalms 73:26 "God gives strength to the weak." there are a lot of realms of the word weak hear and take out of it what it means to you. To me it is physical and spiritual. Physically because I'm not sleeping because of E. Spiritually because I am in a prayer battle and physically I'm on the front line with this.  Let me tell you girls you better put on your full armor.  Because if you don't you will go down!  I truly hope your hearing me and I totally believe this is speaking right to your heart.

I was reminded of God's unconditional love today. I was reminded of His protection. I was reminded of His provision. I was reminded of His guidance. I was reminded of His peace. I was reminded of His {Blessings}

Are you there?  Are you there with your new perspective?  It's not us. It's the lion that is searching to steal from you and whoever else God has sent you to bless, kill those that he can bring to hell with him, and destroy everything that would glorify the Kingdom of God.

Let me share with you a song God brought to me today at the right moment on the radio.  "Blessings" by Laura Story.  The video is posted below if you haven't heard the song yet. But the story behind it is amazing. Her husband had a brain injury that from what I gather was pretty extensive when this song was birthed. I have shared the video of that below. Through all of the "trials of this life" God has brought to her blessings. She just received her first Grammy {I believe I'm not really up on all of that, but it was a huge award}. And she just found out that she was pregnant. Now that is pretty awesome!!!

  So the next time your having a bad day. Stop and ask God to open your eyes to the spiritual battle that is going on around you.  He will show you what's going on and you'll appreciate your blessings in a whole new way.

  I can not go any further with out saying that maybe your the girl that has disappeared for seven years in to hell and darkness. You truly know what the valley of the shadow of darkness and death looks like. You may have never had a "plan" or maybe you have and you've not been able to execute the "plan" to end your life in this world. I just want you to know there is a gift that God wants you to have. It's unconditional love. But there's more... it's wrapped in grace and the bow on top is hope. Oh and ther's more... it's dangled with a jewel of mercy.  It's the most amazing present you have ever seen, kinda like the pretty one Avery shared on Monday but in your favorite colors.  (I totally forgot what she named that post...total God thing.) He loves you just the way you are. Turn to Him and he will pull you out of your dark place and create a new creation in you. BTW, this song is for you. I think it's new because I had a hard time finding the audio to it. So if you like it hold onto it and surly iTunes will grab onto this one soon.

Source: flickr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

That is what we'll will be sipping on this Monday... "A New You".

Okay so here are the videos I promised...
Click here to see the story behind the song.

Click here to see the whole song.



I know... I haven't forgot about the give-a-way. I haven't had time to do the random drawing through the computer. I know you get it... it's been one long day.  ;)

Love to you ladies! I'm off to Bible study. I need refreshment with my hubs from our 3rd and final piece of our rope... Jesus Christ.


Blessings!

Count your blessings!

 Hey Ladies!

Today's {Shot of Espresso} is pretty short!  I am out of town for training (Missing M and G like CRAZY!)  But recently for a gift to M I did a homemade gift, "52 reasons why I love you" and put one reason on a playing card to fill a whole deck of cards.  It was a really awesome thing for me to come up with "one liners" of reasons why I love him.  But as I am away from him and our little boy, I can think of a million reasons!  But I am also reminded of how my God loves me! 

Ok, so here is the challenge: I want you to think of 52 blessings in your life.  I know, I know, you're thinking "52?"  yup...52!  I know we can do this, I am going to do it too!  This will challenge you to think outside the box...and be thankful for the little things in life.

When Jesus prayed the Lord's prayer he thanked His father for "the little things"  and sometimes I think we forget the "little things."  So take some time this week (ok maybe not 52) but think of your blessings.  Today I am thankful for Skype...so I could see my little boy.  We are blessed more than we know, and when we put that in perspective...everything seems a little bit clearer. 

Thanks for stopping by today!  And I pray that you "count your blessings" this week!

Psalm 119:1-2 says,

"Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
    who seek him with their whole heart,"

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Cup O' Joy: God Gives Good Gifts {Eternal Life and Blessings}

God Gives Good Gifts!

1 Min:

“If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:11

Two months ago I experienced my first Christmas as a mother! It was so much fun to give my baby boy gifts that I just knew he would love. It was more fun than I ever could have imagined watching his face light up when he saw the brightly colored train that made great noises and was just the right size for him to ride on! It is even more fun two months later as I watch him play with that toy daily and see him continually enjoy it. Now just like the verse above says I know that God loves to give us HIS children great gifts.

Recently our church was doing a fast and during that fast I asked God for a house. We have been renting homes for the past 4 years but my hearts desire is to have my own home. One I can paint, garden, decorate, and call my own. So I asked for it. One day as we were driving around looking at houses for rent I saw a home in a neighborhood I love and it was for lease. After calling about the home to possibly rent it I found out that the owner really wanted to sell it…we are currently in the process of purchasing that home!!! Not only that, the sellers are Christians and emailed letting us know that they knew we were supposed to buy their home and that God had told them to let us know that GOD wanted to show us (his children) His love through that house!!! WOW I can tell you I was blown away by God’s love and His gift!

Another real quick shout out to God blessing his children a best friend of mine was home over Christmas and made a joke to a mutual friend about how their bed dipped into the middle and her and her husband always ended up sleeping on top of each other in the middle of the bed. She joked and said it sure had brought their marriage closer together! Well Abby was led by God to bless this friend with a new mattress. Abby raised some funds through various people who loved our friend. Yesterday a mattress was delivered to the door of my sweet friend! Her and her husband were blown away by God’s love. It was such a small thing to most of us, but to them it meant the world!!

I wanted to give those quick stories to let you know that God can and will bless HIS children with physical gifts, but most importantly HE has given us some gifts that blow any physical gift out of the water. He gave us some very LIFE CHANGING GIFTS! Study with me below for a minute on those gifts.

10 Min:

1. God gave us ETERNAL LIFE

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

This is the most life-changing gift that ever could have been given and God gave it to us while we were still sinners! (Romans 5:8) That just blows me away!

2. God gives us His Love:

1 Corinthians 13:4 describes the attributes of love, and there are multiple scriptures in the bible that tell us GOD IS LOVE.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1John 4:16

One of my favorite scriptures describes God’s Love as UNFAILING! Wow if we accept that kind of love it is LIFE CHANGING!

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” Psalms 13:5

3. God gives us The Holy Spirit

“And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5

God has not just left us alone here! He has equipped us with a wonderful and powerful gift of The Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit is a life-changing gift. Jesus said He would send the Spirit to us to be our Helper, Comforter, and Guide. As we walk in our relationship with God and walk in the Spirit it will produce great fruit in our lives. What A GIFT!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23

5 Min:

Pray with me today one of two things!

1. If you have not received the Life Changing gift of eternal life, then take a moment right now to invite Him in. Proclaim your need for Christ and accept forgiveness for your sins. Then thank God for his gift of eternal life and receive Him in!

2. If you do know Christ and have eternal life then pray for God to help you receive the good gifts he has given to you as a child of His! Ask him to help you accept his unfailing love and to love others in that same way! Also to walk in the Holy Spirit, to examine if the fruits of the Spirit are evident in your life. Ask God through His Spirit to bare those fruit. And also to be aware of the physical gifts that God sets before us to open. Sometimes they are small and sometimes they are so large!

Thank you God for giving us life-changing gifts that will eternally change us. And thank you for your amazing gifts that you physically give to us here on this earth! Thank you for being such a loving father!

Good Morning! Welcome to your {Shot of Espresso}

Today, although I had all intentions of continuing in the book I am reading, God has laid something else on my heart.

There is a song that is out and has been for some time called "Blessings" by Laura Story. It's a very touching song to me and I would like to take a few moments and walk through the lyrics with you...do you mind going with me on this small journey? Good, I was hoping you would say that!

We pray for blessings

We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
And what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

Did you catch all of that? WOW! God can bless us in so many ways, and he doesn't choose the "vending machine" way all the time. I can't tell you how many times I have prayed for God to "do this" or "bless us through this" as if God needed my ideas! Almost 3 years ago (May will be 3 years) I was diagnosed with Cancer. They told me it was Melanoma...I thought "Oh, whew...it is just skin cancer," little did I know the impact that would have on my life. I was so MAD at God for giving me a huge scar on my back and "doing" this to me, that I didn't see the blessing that my mother in law found the mole by accident.

Over the last 3 years I am checked and checked, and God has revealed himself to me on such an intimate level to know that He is there. Last December (2010) they found it again...again...I was mad. But this time I knew that God was allowing me to go through this for some reason that I cannot see right now.

This week my husband and I were talking, and I had been to the Dr. and they found 3 more suspicious spots...I immediately told my husband "I have decided that I am a modern day Job" to which his response was "Well your cows haven't died yet."

For the record, I do not have any cows! But it helped me realize that although I was to take the pottery, break it, and scrape all of my skin off...that God isn't finished with me yet.

My favorite book in the bible is James. And for just a minute I want us to look at a scripture that I think would go well with Laura's song:

"We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful."

James 5:11

So, I want to encourage each of you, no matter what you are going through...it may be a blessing in disguise. For me, I cherish each day...because although I am young, I have learned that I am not promised tomorrow. I do not know what you are going through today, but I know a God who is going to be there every step of the way. If you need prayer or just want to let us know what your "Blessing in disguise" is/was, please leave a comment or send us a post on facebook. Have a great Wednesday!

Click Here to hear Laura's Song "Blessings"

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