Archive for the ‘Bible Verses’ Category

The Pure in Heart Project Goes Global

I discovered a new tip from my friend Pastor Ed Wrather over at my316.com and The Burning Bush. Take a look at the left sidebar and scroll down to the BabelFish translator. You can simply type in the URL of this site, choose the language you wish to view it in, and within seconds, the site will be translated into your chosen language. What’s great about this option is that you can type in your Scripture verses, translate them, and create your cards in any language you want. So if you’re on a mission trip, you can use this ministry as an outreach.  Wherever you are, you can minister to people in their own native language.  We have just gone global!

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Isaiah 61:3)

I thank God for the ability to dream a new dream. When all seems lost and the future seems bleak, God in His infinite wisdom has the ability to infuse into our spirits a new vision. Without hope, people perish.  If you don’t have a reason to get up in the morning, you lose your motivation to keep going. Prayer is the best way to get a new vision from the Lord. The people that God brings across your path to inspire you and support you while you search for your new vision are angels in disguise – they are God’s messengers. To those for whom all seems lost, I pray that God will give you an new vision for your life. For the people of Haiti, I pray that God will give them a new vision for their country and families. The outpouring of love and support that is going out into that tiny little country must be so pleasing to the Lord. I imagine Him looking down from heaven and smiling as He sees us loving our neighbors as ourselves. God builds new lives out of destruction and ashes. Those who trust in the Lord don’t stay in the ashes forever – Christ always brings resurrection and new life. Dream a new dream and take the limitations off of God.

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 a hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)

My beautiful niece and her family gave me a cross for Christmas with this verse engraved upon it. It was the perfect verse for  me because the last few years of my life  have been a desert experience to say the least. I went through a season of unemployment and outright confusion about what to do with my life. Somewhere in my mind I knew that God had a plan for me, but I just wasn’t understanding what it was. I thought that maybe the reason I was experiencing this desert experience was because I had gone in my own direction and wasn’t following God’s path for my life. I wasn’t sure and was having a hard time figuring it out.

Years ago, when I first got saved, I had an opportunity to teach second grade at a Chistian school. I wasn’t a trained teacher and wasn’t really sure if I was called to be a teacher, but the school principal thought I was so I took the position. After about six months, I just knew teaching was not my calling and I had made a big mistake. One of the other teachers told me that God had called me to be a teacher and if I didn’t teach, I was running from God. Finally, one day the principal said, “Toni, you’re not called to be a teacher. The anointing is on your art.” I left to go back into my design career. Later, God confirmed to me that I had made the right decision for me at that time in my life. I was a baby Christian and I needed to learn a lot more about the Lord and how to hear His voice.

Over the years I have thought about that experience. Last year in my prayer time I  said to the Lord, “Lord if you want me to be a teacher, may I start with the Book of Ruth? It’s my favorite book in the Bible and I really relate to her.” Life went on and I totally forgot about that prayer. Due to the circumstances, I ended up putting my belongings in storage and stayed with my family out of state to save on expenses. While there, I had the opportunity to enroll in Bible college. Fortunately, I qualified for a grant and a scholarship – so basically, God paid my way.  I had completed a class on inductive Bible study and began to pray about which book of the Bible I was going to study first. Since I was a beginner, I needed to start with a short book. One morning I woke up and the first words on my mind were, “Why don’t you start with the Book of Ruth?”

All of a sudden the light flooded in and I remembered the prayer that I had prayed the year before. All of the seemingly random choices I had made throughtout the year had actually been leading me to do something that was God’s answer to my prayer. My degree at Southeastern Bible College will be in Leadership Ministries.  I am receiving a good foundation in the  Scriptures and will learn about ministering through small groups. My college degree will fit beautifully with this ministry. I can’t wait to see what God does with it!

For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.’ (Luke 4:10)

I spent the day in Atlanta looking for Valentines and decorative papers to make some handmade cards.  I thank the Lord for sparing me from a wreck with an eighteen wheeler today. I was driving down a two-lane road and an eighteen wheeler decided he wanted to pass me. Just as he was over on my left-hand side, a car came around a curve and they were about to hit head-on. It was really a weird scene. He slammed on his breaks and began to slide in my direction. I braked and pulled over to the side. He barely pulled in front of me just missing the car in the other lane. Not one of us blew our horn! It was like a well-choreographed ballet:) He slowed down after that!

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Many years ago I worked in Nashville as a freelance illustrator for the children’s Christian publishing market. I spent hours visiting bookstores looking at picturebooks and doing product market research. One day, while sitting quietly in a bookstore,  perusing a book, I sensed the Spirit of God say to me “If you love someone, really love someone, would you tell that person?” My response to the Spirit was “Yes, Lord.” Then, in His still small voice that we sometimes hear in our spirits He said, “Why don’t you ever tell me that you love Me? I want to be loved for who I AM, not just for what I can do for you.” Big tears flowed down my face right there in the bookstore because I felt so convicted by the Spirit of God. I saw God as a big sugar-daddy in the sky, only going to Him when I wanted something. This was the  point where God began to teach me about having a heart of worship.

A few days after that experience, I was driving down the road and a song came on the radio. The song was Rod Stewart’s song called Have I Told You Lately That I Love You. The words reminded me so much of my salvation experience and what God had done in my life that it fit the situation perfectly. I told the Lord, “From this day forward, that’s our song. Whenever I hear it, I will think of you.”

Even though this is a secular song, it definitely has an alternate meaning.

Here are the words:

Have I Told You Lately (That I Love You)
Rod Stewart

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there’s no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do.

For the morning sun in all it’s glory,
Meets the day with hope and comfort too,
You fill my life with laughter,
Somehow you make it better,
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do.

There’s a love that’s divine,
And it’s yours and it’s mine,
Like the sun.
And at the end of the day,
We should give thanks and pray,
To The One, to The One.

Have I told you lately that I love you?
Have I told you there’s no one else above you?
You fill my heart with gladness,
Take away all my sadness,
Ease my troubles, that’s what you do.

The Bible is filled with verses that speak of God giving his people a song and this one is mine:)

Many years ago while working as a textile designer in Georgia, I met a young woman named Victoria. Victoria was a beautiful young woman who had a love for Jesus Christ and a desire to become a missionary.  At the age of twenty-one, Victoria developed a rare form of cancer. She prayed and asked God to use her cancer for His glory and if only one person was touched by her witness for Christ then it was worth it for her to go through the suffering.

We formed a prayer group at our company to pray for Victoria along with several churches and others in the community. Victoria had surgery and the doctors removed a large tumor from her body. She was pronounced cancer free and everyone was praising God for the miracle that He had performed. Unfortunately, a few months later, several tumors returned and this time Victoria went home to be with the Lord.

What I learned from this experience is that no matter how much we pray for things that are the desires of our hearts, God is still on the throne. The right way to pray in any situation is the way that Jesus taught us to pray,  “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). His ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9) and we may not always understand why things happen the way that they do. But for those who trust in the Lord, He promises to turn things around for our good (Romans 8:28), meaning that he will produce a good result in us. These are the times that we develop a sense of compassion for the suffering of others.

Some people might say, “But she died! Where was God and what good can come out of that?” The truth is, if you really believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then you believe “absent from the body present with the Lord”  (2 Corinthians 5:6-8). As believers, we have eternal life and therefore we never die. As believers we have a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11) and will one day be united with our loved ones who have accepted the free gift of salvation that Christ offers (Romans 6:23).

Victoria’s prayer was answered. She prayed the will of God. Her life touched many more people for God’s glory than  just one. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

As I was designing my blog site, I noticed the option to place a Twitter button on my page. How fortunate for me that the button has big letters on it that say “Follow Me”. In our contemporary society,  most of us are following someone, either on Twitter or Facebook. But the first One to say “Follw Me” was Jesus Christ. He said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:10). How cool is that!