Craving For Your Favorite Food

Psalm 63: 1—3 1 "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."

When I read this scripture I think about Skittles. Right. Have I lost my mind you ask and what does Skittles have to do with Psalm 63:1? I'm sure that you have a favorite 'thing' that sometimes you just can't get enough of. Well, Skittles. Years ago I just couldn't get enough of them. I'd crave them and eat bags of them until I got tired and couldn't eat anymore. It was simply one of my favorite things.

When David was in the wilderness of Judah he was experiencing a craving. He had a relationship with God that was so sweet to him that he had a habit of looking for him and talking with him first thing. It appears that he craved God as soon as he woke up in the morning. It was his first thought. His mind, will and emotions were craving to be in the presence of God, "to see thy power and thy glory..." but David was in a place where he couldn't make it to the sanctuary. He was in the wilderness.

I'm sure there's been wilderness times in your life where it seemed that nothing was going right....couldn't pay your bills, children wouldn't act right, health was failing, friends couldn't be depended on, and problems on the job and to top it off, you couldn't get to CHURCH! Couldn't get a word from the pastor or feel the presence of God such as is known in the sanctuary. It is then that through our relationship with him we should be able to draw from the spirit of God and know that we are never without his presence. How amazing to be in his presence and can't get enough of him. That was David's experience.

Today, when you think of your favorite 'things' and remember how it makes you feel, try adding God to your favorite things list and experience what David did.

For the scriptures says, "Psalm 19:9-11 (King James Version)
10More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

God loves you, Evangelist Dorothy

BE BLESSED

June 23 Verse 1: Knowing and Trusting Our Great God

Psalm 63: 1—3 1 "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee."

A while back we meditated on 1 Peter 2: 1- 2 thinking about the sincere milk of the Word and how babies need milk and cry out for it until they get it. David clearly understands that. Longing for God like a thirsty man in a desert. It's what he needs to survive, to live. "Just to behold His face, just to behold His face, all I want when I get to heaven, is just to behold His face..." And what about right now? Do you long for God? Is His nearness to you so important that you will let nothing get between you and Him.

Father in heaven, bless us with your presence, draw us so close that all else in this world pales and fades away when you are near. Thank you for being our God. We owe you our worship and praise. In Jesus name. Amen

New Theme: Knowing and Trusting Our Great God

Knowing and Trusting Our Great God

June 22 - July 19

1. June 22—28 Longing for God Psalm 63: 1—3
2. June 29—July 5 Boasting about Knowing God Jeremiah 9: 23—24
3. July 6—12 Trusting in the Lord Proverbs 3: 5—6
4. July 13—19 The God Who Keep Us Jude 24—25

Meditating on the Word of God Hebrews 4:12

Hebrews 4:12b For the Word of God is …piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

I would like to call your attention to the last portions of the verse. The Word of God is spoken of as piercing and a discerner. Have you ever cut up a whole chicken in parts? I used to hate doing that. But you know how when you are separating the breast halves, or the thigh from the leg there is that one spot where you can insert the tip of the knife and cut, separate. The knife must be sharp and the placement must be accurate to get a clean cut that does not mangle up the meat. So it is with the Word of God. Deep in our hearts where only God can see, beyond the outward appearance, beneath the spoken words and physical gestures, behind the eyes.

• You may display church membership and participation but God knows whether you are saved and His Word will pierce you with conviction until you yield or die and go to Hell
• You may speak in tongues of angels, prophecy, have great faith, do great kind deeds but God knows your motive and His Word will expose the thoughts and intents of your heart
• You may pray, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But God knows your heart and His Word will expose whether your righteousness is real.
• You may be confused and think you do not know what to do but God has the answer and His Word will direct your path.

Do you need a change in your life? Perhaps you need to be saved or to be filled with God’s Spirit. Get into God’s Word and let God’s Word get into you.
Do you need an answer to a difficult problem? Are you struggling with someone, something, or are you just your own worst enemy? Get into God’s Word and let God’s Word get into you. I guarantee that His Word is able to handle your every need. Bless you, Leslie

June 15 - 21 Meditating on the Word of God

Hebrews 4:12 "For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

This is our sixth week and sixth verse. This is the last week for the theme “Meditating on the Word of God”. I hope you are finding time with God’s Word refreshing and strengthening. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God richly bless your time with Him this week. As always, thanks for listening, Leslie

Inspiring, Isn't It?

2 Timothy 3: 16 -17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works...”When I think about the inspiration of God and how the Bible, the written word of God, was written under the 'inspiration of the Holy Ghost' by men of God, I'm in awe of his greatness. Sometimes I ask myself, 'How'd he do that?" I find that God is a talker, for sure....yes He is! Many times God has spoken and placed things in my spirit and I hear him say, "write it down"! In Habbakuk 2:2 he said it. In essence he said, write it down!

In June, 1996 I was sitting at my desk, so very busy, trying to make this deadline and get this grant out. As I was sitting there, God asked me a question to which I did not have an answer. Honest! So, because I didn't have the answer God already knew what he wanted for me and he began to speak to my spirit and he said, "write it down". I was busy. I didn't have time to stop but he kept saying, "write it down". So I saved the document I was typing, opened another screen and began to type what he was speaking to my spirit. It was just like someone was standing over me and dictating to me. I typed what I heard, saved it, dated it and printed it. Oh my, did God have a lot to say. It was three long pages. To this day, that typed document is in my wallet. Twelve years. To this day it is my guidebook for the thing that he wants for me. When I forget, I take it out and look at it. It that thing does not line up with what HE gave me I know that it's not for me.

God does speak to us through his written word, yet he inspires us by his Spirit to write, just as he did the holy men of God who wrote the word of God that we call THE BIBLE!

God loves you,

BE BLESSED

June 14 Meditating on the Word of God

2 Timothy 3: 16 -17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works...”

Have you ever had the experience of reporting to a new job for the first day? In many companies after you are hired they send you to a new employee orientation or training. They may give you a handbook or manual to study, and maybe they assign someone during your training period to help you get started. But then there is that day when you are on your own. Did you find yourself wondering, well, am I really ready to do this? Do I know enough yet? I hope I don’t mess up or make any mistakes. I’d like to suggest that it is similar for the Christian. Once we are saved by acknowledging our sin and asking Jesus Christ to come into our hearts and save us we have a whole new job ahead of us. But our God does not leave us to figure out what to do on our own, even though many of us try. He has left us a manual and a helper, the Holy Spirit that is 100% able to keep us on the right track. That is what 2 Timothy 3:16 – 17 tells us. Let pull a few phrases of this verse apart. First..

All Scripture is given...

Every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God has the attributes that are listed here. When the Words He speaks are revealed to us, and we accept them as His Word, it is by faith that we receive them all into our hearts. We cannot, should not, pick and choose what we want to accept. We should be in a hurry to know it and do it.

The Word of God is also WHOLE, it is inerrant. There are no inconsistencies, mistakes, or misstatements. God breathed through man and is able to ensure that what He wants said, gets said. He is also able to speak directly into our hearts and minds through the Holy Spirit.
What a wonderful opportunity, a wonderful gift our God has provided for us. He cannot be totally comprehended by us but He has left us love letters, Words to read and meditate on that tell us: who He is, what He does, and what His expectations are of us. He has left us enough of Himself that we could spend our whole lifetime attempting to glean all the meaning of it and still not begun to have scratched the surface, yet be so transformed by what little we do understand if we take it in and obey it.
The fact that it is given also seems to imply an expectation. Considering that the list that follows speaks of what The Word is good for then I should look to it. It is as if God says to me “I am giving you My Word because you will need to use it to become ready for the person I would have you become and the work I would have you to do.” What are we doing with the gift of the Word of God that He has so generously given to us? Let me know what you think. Blessings upon you, Leslie

June 8 - 14 Meditating on the Word of God

2 Timothy 3: 16 -17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.."

This is our fifth week and fifth verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God richly bless your time with Him this week. As always, thanks for listening, Leslie

Hi! I'm Dorothy

Praise the Lord Family! I'm Sister Dorothy and am excited about the participation and this blog. This is an exciting time to study and learn more about the word of God and the promises that he has for us. I look forward to the comments and different revelations that God will give to YOU.
Be wonderfully blessed!
In Jesus Name,
Evangelist Dorothy

June 4 Meditating on the Word of God

1 Peter 2: 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby:"

Instead of routinely responding, or habitually practicing those evil behaviors, I need to make a concerted, conscious choice to put those things away and instead crave, thirst, earnestly desire the Word of God so that I can grow through it, in it. If I do not, malice, envy, jealousy and evil speaking will grow in me. Drink it in!

The taste of milk is delightful to a baby. They are happy and their enjoyment is great when they are drinking milk. They love how it tastes. So, if you have tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord, and indeed you did when you accepted His free offer and gift of salvation, redemption from sin, then come back to the place where you first found yourself in the presence of the Living Stone, The bread of Life, the Light of the World, come back there to the cross and see the one which the world rejected. Get to know more of the glorious living stone chosen by God and precious to Him. Drink it in!

Come drink, taste, eat, behold, consume, eagerly, even greedily seek to know and be known by this Living Stone. Like a baby, cry out when you have not had enough, cry out when your spiritual stomach is empty, and don’t stop until you are full and satisfied with Him. Full of God’s Holy Spirit, full of His wisdom and knowledge, full of His love and compassion, full and transformed into His image. Drink it in!

Got milk?

June 2 Meditating on the Word of God

I Peter 1: 1 SO BE DONE with every trace of wickedness (depravity, malignity)and all deceit and insincerity (pretense, hypocrisy) and grudges (envy, jealousy) and slander and evil speaking of every kind...

Cut it out!!

Make a deliberate effort to stop behaviors that seek to harm others or satisfy my sinful lusts.
If I harbor the desire to hurt someone, if I lean toward inappropriate behavior in any area of my life (criminal, sexual, business conduct, thought life: dishonesty, perversions, moral lapses, gambling, advantage taking, etc.) I need to CUT IT OUT!! Make a conscious decision to put an end to all such activity, all such behavior.

Make a deliberate effort to stop behaviors and words that help me get my way or inflate my status in the eyes of others. If I speak or behave in a way to make others think I am more than I am, and if that has the intention of manipulating or gaining something from them even if it is just their attention I need to CUT IT OUT!!

Make a deliberate effort to stop allowing the success, possessions, honors, accomplishments, or general blessings of others to give place to resentment and feelings of ill-will toward them. CUT IT OUT!!

This is a hard one, let's pray for each other!!

June 1 – June 7 Meditating on the Word of God

1 Peter 2: 1 – 2 " 1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby:."

This is our fourth week and fourth verse. We are still thinking about meditating on the Word of God. Look for posts throughout the week and please share your insights and thoughts. Final thoughts and the next verse will be posted on or before next Saturday. May God richly bless your time with Him this week. As always, thanks for listening, Leslie