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1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Psalm 121

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8

Safe in the arms of Jesus…

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

Trust Me

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Trust Me.

Thanking and praising God in all things.  What a blessing to be able to do so.

Mark ☺

Trust Me

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Trust Me.

Thanking and praising God in all things – All things.  Isn’t that wonderful?

Mark

In this place, I’m resting in more than I can see.*

Jesus, please forgive me for thinking I was anything without You. I must have Your rest, Lord, living in me. Then, I want to show others that You, Your comforting rest, is real and available to all.

Supposing you eliminated suffering, what a dreadful place the world would be! I would almost rather eliminate happiness. The world would be the most ghastly place because everything that corrects the tendency of this unspeakable little creature, man, to feel over-important and over-pleased with himself would disappear. He’s bad enough now, but he would be absolutely intolerable if he never suffered.
Malcolm Muggeridge

I’m no saint. But, I’m finding that Jesus is taking over all of my desires. He’s hiding my heart away. And, something seeming impossibly wonderful is taking place in me. Really, I can only sum it up in One Word. Him.

Though He slay me, yet will I serve Him. When you get to that point, all of the conditions and devilish temptations that try to pry you from God’s love vanish. All you’re left with is God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And, They’re everything.

God will use any means necessary to bring us to His simple rest. The devil and our flesh will fight this. It’s just the way of the flesh and our hateful, jealous adversary. I know this is going to sound way over simplified, but I believe it’s true. When it’s all said and done, God really wants us to have the simple life He planned for us. His simple Life may involve loss, suffering and struggles. But, He wants all of the striving, stress and pressure off of us so we can simply believe and trust Him so we can enter and forever dwell in His rest. Everything outside His rest is “us,” and the lies of the enemy we’re tempted to believe.

Casting all (that means everything on our “care” list) my care on Him makes the simple life possible. And believing that He works all things together for my good eliminates “conditionally” loving Him. The Words, “I’ve learned to be content in whatsoever state I am” have rescued your life from the destruction discontentment brings. Contentment is a huge part of His love operating in your life. It’s that span of existence void of my list of demands and conditions. That span is now full of Him. This is true peace, rest and joy unspeakable. His Love covenant with us is immeasurable and one He longs to reveal and one He directs us to discover. Wow.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

When unrest is gone, we’re left with Rest.

Oh, hallelujah, precious Jesus!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark
*Lyric by Twila Paris

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

I had another migraine last night. I got somewhat frustrated about it. I’d like to figure out how to get healed from them. I’d like to say the right prayer to have God remove them from me. I don’t understand all the reasons why they persist.

This morning, I was taking out the trash (the first tangible thing God had me do with a gladful heart to show Annie I love her back in the 80s) and felt like loving Annie always brings me back to the simplicity of my faith, calms me down, and moves me back into God’s rest and dwelling place. I don’t have all the answers to life and the Christian walk. Sometimes I think I have something figured out only to discover that I feel like I might be getting too big for my britches so to speak. I can see why God didn’t let me go on to advanced degrees. He knew I might lose Him trying to figure Him out like a lot of others I’ve witnessed doing over the years.

I’m not putting down others who have degrees and great theological understanding. As much as I wanted to pursue the same goals, I’m very thankful that for me, it always comes back to simply loving my wife. That’s where I’m the most grounded. It’s what keeps me. God knew it would.

Thank You, God.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

My wife quoted this verse this morning during our coffee time and I really felt led to send it out today.

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

See, I (God) have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;…
…I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing (the result of believing in the devil’s lies): therefore choose life (God’s Truths as stated in His Word), that both thou and thy seed may live:
Deuteronomy 30:15, 19

Why is it so important to learn to take thoughts captive? Because at any time during the day, I’m either believing Satan’s lies or God’s Truth. The difference is death or life.

The thief (the devil and his lies) cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus) am come that they might have life (God’s Truth operating in their lives), and that they might have it more abundantly (God’s Truth will always make life more and more abundant as it sets us more and more free).
John 10:10

Yesterday, I got bombarded with a bunch of old lies. The attack was intense. I asked God to help me. This morning, I’m still climbing out of the lies and back into God’s truth like believing Romans 8:28.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify
your hearts, ye double minded.
James 4:7-8

I submit myself to God by believing and living His truth, the Bible. And, I resist the devil by believing and living in God’s truth. This is why it is so critical that we apply God’s Word to our daily lives. God commands us to renew our minds to His Word so that it can transform our lives and keep us safe from the enemy’s lies that try to steal, kill and destroy us.

Believe God’s Word. Apply it to your life every day no matter what anyone else thinks or says about it. Live free indeed. It’s your right as a son or daughter of God.

Trust in the Lord (The Truth) with all thine heart (remove all lies by believing God’s Word); and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways (apply His Truth to every area of your life) acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Be not afraid of sudden fear (sudden enemy attacks against God’s Truth about you), neither of the desolation of the wicked (those who believe and act on something other than God’s Word and Truth), when it cometh. For the Lord (The Truth) shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 3:25-26

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work (showing you how to apply His Truth to your life so you can live free indeed from the impact of enemy lies) in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Philippians 1:6

So come on. Let’s believe God and see all of the wonderful freedom He has in store for us as His children who live and walk in His Truths.

Happy Monday, everybody.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

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.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16-25

Oh Jesus, I want to live my life in the fruit of Your Spirit. I want to die to self, to my flesh, to the flesh, because my flesh is wearing me out. Please have Your way with me so I can be blessed living in Your Spirit.

Lord, help me to die to self. I don’t want to go through my life reacting and responding to life in “self.” Left to my “self,” I can be prone to get impatient, selfish, unbelief, doubtful, angry, bitter, unforgiving, jealous, insecure, fearful, anxious, hurt, prideful, greedy, striving and everything else that hurts me. I want to die to self and let You live in me so I can react to life through You, in You. I (and You do, too) know I’ll be happier and have more peace, love, joy, and Your rest if You replace me with You. And, make me like You, Lord, so I can be a blessing to my wife and others.

Take My Life
^{Christian hymn by Frances Havergal}

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love,
At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only, for my King,
Always, only, for my King.

Take my silver and my gold,
Not a might would I withhold;
Take my moments and my days;
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my will, and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Hallelujah, Jesus!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

I choose Jesus every day because I used to choose “Mark” every day. And left to myself, life wasn’t getting better. In fact, “Mark” was getting worse without Jesus. And without Jesus, those around me were impacted by the increasingly unhappy, stressed out, frustrated, striving, full of care, angry “Mark.”

Although I wasn’t always aware of it, I used to live like this life was all about me.  I was wrong.  This life is all about Jesus, and He wants to give us all that He is.  Wow, what a blessing.

Jesus makes all the difference in this life. With Him, we have a clear choice. This is what repentance and newness of life are all about – And He rewards us with His times of refreshing. Off with the old (Mark), and on with the new, Jesus.

Choose Jesus, and choose Life.

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

Think about it. Most of the time, the devil uses fear to try to steal, kill and destroy us, right?

But what if we (you and I (Jesus)) stand our ground right to Satan’s face, right to his best shot? “Are you with Me?” Jesus asks us.

Of course I’m with you, Lord. There is no other way to live. No other way.

“Behold, listen to Me” Jesus is telling us about this life. “Be not afraid of sudden fear…when it comes.” Okay, Jesus told me it would come and told me I never need to be afraid of it. Never.

25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. 26 For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 3:25-26

I remember how sudden the Covid 19 event hit our lives.

I was listening to a pastor teach this morning (6-29-20) and immediately the above verse came to me. As Christians, we are commanded to not be afraid of sudden fear. God knew sudden fear would try to take our faith and trust in Him from us. That’s why He included verse 26 when talking about the sudden fear events that come to each of our lives. If we know Jesus, He’ll be our confidence (our comfort, our peace, our rest, joy and provision, our strength and assurance) during such times. He’ll keep our foot (our trust and faith in Him, in His care of our lives, etc.) from being taken. Even sudden fear cannot steal, kill and destroy our relationship with Jesus. In fact, just the opposite. He will be our confidence even when we’re tempted by sudden fear like Covid 19.

Fear not, precious one. Keep believing The Word. Jesus is our confidence in all storms. He will keep our foot from being taken. That’s His promise if we’ll trust Him even when sudden fear comes.

Sudden fear——>Confidence in Christ
Sudden fear——>Confidence in Christ
Sudden fear——>Confidence in Christ

Jesus has promised you and me that He will work even sudden fear for our good. Amazing. That’s simply amazing. And, confidence-building.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

I had another pretty hard migraine attack on Friday. I was having trouble breathing, and felt pretty bad with so many bad thoughts coming at me. I spent yesterday pretty much not caring if I lived or died.

Then, Jesus rescued me with this precious Christian hymn I used to sing in church while growing up. God is so faithful. We just need to keep going on in faith and praising and thanking Him in all things. He’ll come through for us…☺

Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
^{Christian Hymn by Elisha A. Hoffman and Anthony J. Showalter}

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain:
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7

Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
Proverbs 3:25-26

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Philippians 1:6

Onward and upward for the Kingdom. ☺

Thanking and praising God in all things,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

 

Our (mine and Annie’s) lives used to be FULL of care. We constantly leaned on our own understanding.

The Story Behind His Eye is on the Sparrow

Civilla Martin was born in Nova Scotia in 1866. Her husband was an evangelist who traveled all over the United States. She accompanied him and they worked together on most of the musical arrangements that were sung.

In 1904 Civilla was visiting an ill, bedridden friend. Although discouraged and sick, her friend remembered that God, her Heavenly Father, was watching over each little sparrow and would certainly watch after her. Matthew 10:29-31: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”

Mrs. Martin was a poet and thought this would be a perfect idea for a poem. She jotted down the idea and by the end of the day, had completed “His Eye is On The Sparrow”.

The entire poem was sent to a well-known composer of that day, Charles Gabriel. His lovely music has carried it all around the world in small churches and great crusades.

Once I “know” He over watches me, I’m free indeed. “Know” is that wonderful place of relationship with our Savior, with our Father, in His peace, security, grace, mercy, trust, rest, joy, and love, dwelling in the supernatural provision, in that blessed place that only He can bring us to. And, oh, what a palace of splendor His dwelling place is. “Know” Him, and enter His Kingdom. All is finally at rest – All. Oh, sweet Savior…Oh, Sweet Jesus.

Don’t wait til Heaven. Know Him, and begin to know the place He’s gone to prepare for you, now.

His Eye is On The Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free. And now, I know He watches me.

God bless,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.

Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

I used to sit in business meetings and ask Jesus to show me what we should do while others were discussing their ideas about this or that. It was amazing how He’d speak to me and how peaceful His advice and wisdom were. I love His Presence, His all-knowing understanding. Without mentioning His Name, I would often share what He was telling me and everyone agreed it was the best thing to do. I just smiled in my heart and silently thanked the Lord.

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2

I still myself in His Presence in order to look up. There is no place like being still before Him. And I can do it any time of day by acknowledging Him in each moment of my day…Even right now.

Look up, and realize that He’s with you – every minute of your day. There is nothing like the Lord’s still, calm leading…

God bless,

Mark

Note: While we may not agree with everything a particular church or Christian group teaches or believes, there are times when we can be blessed by something outside the realm of our current understanding of God.