Faith's Security

Gen.3:1

Now the serpent was more crafty

 than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. 

He said to the woman, “Did God really say...?

Lord, pray our faith be established in You,

 so we are not misled by feelings!

Pray we know the truth of your Word 

so we are not swayed by our thoughts,

when the Tempter tries us with 'Did God really say...?

Heb.11:6

And without faith it is impossible to please God,

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

How Firm A Foundation With Lyrics By Fernando Ortega

Lord, let Thy truth appoint 

Faith's steps, not blinding sight

And let Thy law of love anoint

Faith's patience and delight 

Lord, let faith's hopes and plans

Be subject to Thy will

Better by far Thy ways than man's 

Prone-to-self-serving skill 

...and let the thoughts faith heeds

Be ordered by Thy Word

So that Thy power intercedes

To keep faith undeterred 

So that the word faith speaks

Reflects Humility

So meditation's motive seeks

To ever honour/worship Thee 

O Lord, Thy faithfulness

Is faith's security

Thy loving kindness bound to bless

Each heart that trusts in Thee

Lest faith's footsteps backslide

(Lord, may it never be)

Let Thy eternal Word abide

To guide Faith home to Thee

Amen

Janet Martin

Ps.36:7-10

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,

And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

 For with You is the fountain of life;

In Your light we see light.

 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You,

And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.

Ps.37:23-24

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,

And He delights in his way.

 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;

For the Lord upholds him with His hand.

Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross 

 Keith & Kristyn Getty, Sandra McCracken - Official Lyric Video

His Love Cannot Fail

First 'Things' First

Almost every time I face this screen

there is a battle between good and evil;

God and man...

When I succumb to the pride of fear or timidity

my words, whether written or spoken are sorely-flawed and lacking

'For God has not given us a spirit of fear,

but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2 Tim.1:7

So here's to a new week of seeking God first,

Knowing we can cast our cares on Him

because he cares for us, qualifies us, equips us for

whatever befalls...

We are human; we fumble and stumble oft,

but when we give it all to God, 

He works through our weakness for His purpose and glory!

(for when we are weak, then we are strong!)

2 Cor.12:10

If eloquence is self-assured

Relying on the confidence

Of material knowledge-secured

Through life's school of experience

If the expression of our thought

Is restricted by mortal choice

Then we cannot think as we ought;

'God, tune our hearts to hear Your voice'

If we, without humility

Approach the podium of speech

How very wary we should be

Of what we are about to teach

If, without God to intercede

And take the lead, our gab to gird

We are ill-qualified indeed;

'God, tune our lips to speak Your Word'

For, if we live and move and have

Our being stayed in God, so great 

Then, by His eloquence we brave 

The charge of The Immaculate 

Aware of our rightful place

A vessel fit for service when

We rely on His truth and grace 

'God, help us seek You first. Amen'

Janet Martin

Acts 17:27-29

God intended that they would seek Him 

and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him,

 though He is not far from each one of us. 

‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’

 As some of your own poets have said,

 ‘We are His offspring.’...

Read the whole glorious chapter HERE

Everyone is Welcome (in Mercy's Throne-room)

Recently a friend remarked to me,

' It seems, the older we grow the more we pray'

Yes! I replied, and it seems to me,

 the more we pray the less our words!

God knows our hearts 

so He knows exactly what we need

and exactly when we need it!

What peace this knowledge brings!

Sweet Hour of Prayer with Lyrics by Alan Jackson

No fancy phrase demanded

No verbose agility

No reserved rank or status

Or exclusive pedigree

No exam or diploma

Or prerequisites to meet

To cry to God in Heaven

Or to fall before His feet 

No interview or survey

Before we can qualify

To enter Mercy's Throne Room 

Through the door of creature cry 

No uniform required

No strict format to appease

To lift our heart to Heaven

As we pour out praise and pleas 

...and seek Hope's sacred solace

With surrendered heart and soul

Reaching to touch the hemline

Of the One who makes us whole

No pious prose is needed

Nor grand phraseology 

A groan is interceded

When cried in humility   

...and everyone is welcome

To believe and call on He

Who beyond comprehension

Ever cares for you and me 

Janet Martin

1 Pet.5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, 

so that in due time He may exalt you. 

Cast all your anxiety on Him, 

because He cares for you.

Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; 

He will never let the righteous be shaken.

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, 

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 6:25-27
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

 Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 

 Look at the birds of the air: 

They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, 

and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 

Are you not much more valuable than they? 

 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Psalm 116:1-2
I love the LORD, 

for He has heard my voice—my appeal for mercy. 

Because He has inclined His ear to me,

 I will call on Him as long as I live.

Psalm 28:6
Blessed be the LORD, for He has heard my cry for mercy.

1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, 

and His ears are inclined to their prayer. 

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Just As I Am with Lyrics by Alan Jackson

Fernando Ortega Pass Me Not With Lyrics

While We Wait...Quietly

God's Waiting Room is a Garden...

From Eden to Gethsemane/Calvary mankind awaited The Messiah (Saviour)

In Eden, perfection marred by sin. Sin, the author of death, trouble and sorrow.

In Gethsemane, utter surrender to the Father's will.

The Father's Will? 

Salvation/Redemption

Today's devotion struck a deep chord in my soul.

Our church family, while still mourning the loss of of our pastor this past winter

are seeking and waiting on the Lord to prepare and provide another.

The tension between seeking and waiting is not a light matter!

Prayers are deeply appreciated on the behalf of our church staff and leaders,

whose 'violin/cello strings' are being sorely stretched!

Waiting introduces suitors 

That test soldiers of the cross

While goodness and mercy tutors

Faith's students with seeming loss  

Waiting without being anxious

Is not for the faint of heart

Beneath God's perfecting purpose

Oft our own ways groan and smart 

To wait quietly, while hoping

Jars with natural desire

To trust without interloping 

 Tries the wise, as if by fire

God's Waiting Room is a garden

Eden and Gethsemane

First the curse and then the pardon

Waiting unveils Calvary 

Then be of good courage, fellow-

Partaker of suffering 

While we wait God's tunes faith's cello

And repairs each broken string

While we wait, hark! God is speaking

To the likes of me and you

While we wait He too is seeking

Worshippers whose love is true 

Janet Martin

Here I Am To Worship | Maranatha! Music (Lyric Video)

God's Opportunity

Tip 'o the hat to cement truck drivers and cementers.

That is some seriously hard work!!

Some of my brothers and nephews are carpenters so they are a huge blessing

as we build a granny-flat onto my parent's home

for them to hopefully move into by the end of the year!

Lots of hard work is happening but I think cementing must be one of the hardest.

First, the hard work to install heavy cribbing,

then, after the hard work of cementing,

the hard work of tearing it away.

This week I learned what a rebar is and its purpose!

So many metaphors to apply to life;

how what seems like the 'hard work' is actually the preparation 

for the 'pouring' of the foundation!

How there is so much more to the foundation and footing than meets the eye!

Every day we are each God's opportunity 

to work through and in us with the abilities and gifts He has given!

Let's not miss them, because there is no other me or you to do

what he has deigned for each of us to do!

The rebars in our own life-foundations are not visible to others,

nor theirs to us, reminding us there is so much more 

than meets the eye in all of our 'temples'.

It's almost more than my dad (almost 85 and a former carpenter)

can do to simply watch...

What we see never grants enough

to justify disregarding what we cannot see!

(like spiritual rebars, or the lack of them)

God is faithful;

faithful when we are tempted

to fear

to doubt

to despair.

1 Cor.10:12-13

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; 

but God is faithful, 

who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, 

but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, 

that you may be able to [d]bear it.

We are God's opportunity;

Through people just like you and me

He ministers His faithfulness

So we may live to love and bless

...and though no person can fulfill

The part only His Spirit will

He helps us love the way we should

And through this love works all for good

We are God's workmanship; His grace

Equips us for all that we face

So we may daily shed abroad

The light, hope, joy and love of God

Janet Martin  

Faith-Booster

In need of a faith-boost?

Today's devotion is a beautiful reminder

of truths that abide, regardless of what may seem!

By Faith" from Praise and Harmony's Resurrecting God CD

Only a Holy God -Praise and Harmony

We walk by faith and not by sight

No need to know or fret or fear

As step by step we trust the Light

Of God's Word to direct and cheer

Faith walks by the way of the cross

For sinless Christ bore mankind's sin

And suffered Mercy's Albatross

This is no minor, trifling thing

Faith walks in the power of prayer

How limited is mortal might

How finite is the thoroughfare

That winds through highs and lows of sight

Our God forgives when we confess

Faith believes and walks in His grace

As far as east is from the west

His love/blood removes transgression's trace

Ah, what more do we need than this;

To have a God who intercedes

Though much may be sadly amiss

We walk by faith because God leads

Among all gods, none are like Thee

Thy words and works beyond compare

Transcending the small part we see  

We walk by faith; faith walks by prayer

Unite our hearts to fear Thy name

Lord, let Thy law be awe's delight 

Until, returned from whence we came

Help us to walk by faith, not sight

Armed with the Spirit's sword, Thy Word

Faith's shield to quench enemy darts

We step into the fray, oh Lord

Open the eyes of our hearts

Janet Martin

Sharing this chapter as well so it may minister to your soul

as it did to mine this morning. 

Ps 86

Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me;

For I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my [a]life, for I am holy;

You are my God;

Save Your servant who trusts in You!

3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,

For I cry to You all day long.

4 [b]Rejoice the soul of Your servant,

For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

5 For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive,

And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;

And attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,

For You will answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord;

Nor are there any works like Your works.

9 All nations whom You have made

Shall come and worship before You, O Lord,

And shall glorify Your name.

10 For You are great, and do wondrous things;

You alone are God.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord;

I will walk in Your truth;

[c]Unite my heart to fear Your name.

12 I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart,

And I will glorify Your name forevermore.

13 For great is Your mercy toward me,

And You have delivered my soul from the depths of [d]Sheol.

14 O God, the proud have risen against me,

And a mob of violent men have sought my life,

And have not set You before them.

15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,

Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

16 Oh, turn to me, and have mercy on me!

Give Your strength to Your servant,

And save the son of Your maidservant.

17 Show me a sign for good,

That those who hate me may see it and be ashamed,

Because You, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Forward and Up...or, Till Face-to-Face, Faith Sees!

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

A new week, a new day, not to travel backwards but forward and up...

by the grace of God!

Forward and up, Lord, help us look

Not back, disheartened by regret

When we faith’s fealty forsook

By foolish desire beset

When, disregarding Thy commands

To love Thee first, then fellowman

We sought the strength of our own hands

Rather than Thy purpose and plan

Forward and up, Lord, help us press

As we, Calvary’s quest recall

The purchase-price of forgiveness;

You gave Your life to ransom all

You give Your everlasting Word

To be an undefeated Light

In a world where logic is blurred

By sensuality and sight

Forward and up, Lord, help us face

Today, unhampered by regret

But humbled by Thy gift of grace

Salvation from sin’s binding debt

And truth no liar can annul

Where love and mercy intercede

Forgiveness, not in part, but full

‘Whom Thou sets free is free indeed’

Forward and up, Lord, help us look

With hope and joy unspeakable

Because at Calvary you took

Our place, and paid sin’s debt in full

This is no fickle faith we boast

No fleeting Prize we press toward

Or defend to the uttermost

Forward and up to Thee, oh Lord

Forward and up, without eyes glued

To that which has been done away 

Forward and up; mercy-renewed

Anoints each virgin break of day

Forward and up with awestruck praise  

For love beyond our wildest ken 

Forward and up, with steadfast gaze 

Till face-to-face faith sees! 

Amen. 

Janet Martin

Psalm 16:8

I have set the LORD always before me. 

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 119:37

Turn my eyes away from worthless things;

 revive me with Your word.

2 Corinthians 4:18

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

 For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Matthew 6:22-23

The eye is the lamp of the body.

 If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 

 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. 

If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Faith's Battle Hymn

Whatever the struggle, fear, trouble, pain or loss

These sorrows pale in comparison to Calvary's cross

Whatever we suffer, oh pray, we see its worth unfurled;

A deeper dependence/reliance on God than this old, helpless world 

James 1:2-8

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 

3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 

4 But let patience have its perfect work, 

that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, 

who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, 

for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

 8 he is a double-minded man,

 unstable in all his ways.

My faith looks up to Thee

Our tears are not in vain

The wordless prayers we groan

Are steppingstones of grief and pain

That lead us to Thy throne

Our valleys dark with dread

The ways we cannot see

Are avenues where faith is led

To wholly trust in Thee

The storm that tosses trees

The battles, fierce and long

The mountain we must climb; through these

The sufferer grows strong

Through these, by Thy kind love

We find, to faith’s surprise

The riches of a treasure trove

Thy grace alone supplies

Then, though faith cannot see

And though it never can

It rests its head upon Thy knee

And trusts Thy perfect/purposed plan

And as faith waits on Thee

It does not fret and pine

But suffers its Gethsemane

With ‘not my will but thine’

Sin sires this world’s woe

Greater Lord, is Thy might

Equipping faith to face its foe

With strength gained in the fight

Then, though we suffer long

Lord, save us by Thy grace

And for Thy glory keep faith strong

Till sight unveils Thy face

Let no shadow of doubt

Fall between faith and Sight

If fear sends demons, cast them out

And flood faith's path with Light 

Janet Martin

Whether in the precious prime of youth,

or aging,

or aged, 

or full of life,

or on our deathbed

only faith in the Giver of Life

can save us,

can strengthen us

 for this life's battles

and hurdles.

Only by faithful faith

are we fitted for Heaven! 

Care-cure

Matt.11:28-30

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,

for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” ~Jesus

1 Pet.5:6-7

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,

 that He may exalt you in due time, 

7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Matt.6:34

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, 

for tomorrow will worry about its own things. 

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~Jesus

Today's devotion was a timely command and reminder for me!

Maybe it will be for you as well...

Whether personally, 

or in our immediate families, 

or extended family,

or friend-'family' or church-family, 

or community-'family'

there are immense cares and needs, aren't there?!

There is a cure for care

In a world trouble-torn

There is a steadfast solace where

Courage can be reborn

There is a cure for care

(for care is bound to be)

And we all need a refuge where

Fear and dread’s shadows flee

When disappointments sting

When pain and loss oppress

When body and soul suffering

Afflict hope’s happiness

There is a cure for care

Where faith and mercy meet

God bids us come to Him in prayer

And lay them at his feet

His feet, scarred with prints of

The cross of Calvary

He beckons with unfailing/undying love

‘Come, cast your cares on Me

My all-sufficient grace

Will prove faithful and true

Through every creature-care you face

Because I care for you

Pour out your humble plea

Each burden that you bear

Until, with joy you taste and see

There is a cure for care

Janet Martin

Oh Lord, how we need Your guidance,

Your provision and Your perfect will to work in us;

in every resisting, erring, selfish, doubtful, impatient part

work your wonder in our hearts!

Near to the Heart of God

JIM REEVES HAVE THINE OWN WAY LORD 

As We, Want's Cases Plead

Lord, where we err

 in our thinking, 

teaching, serving, 

seeking, worshipping, 

reveal it unto us!

Lord, wherever

 and in whatever circumstance

 we find ourselves today, 

you care for us!

Lord, a deeper fear 

and thus love for thee, 

work in us

Thou, Holiest of holies 

and Best of the best

***

Romans 8:17
And if we are children, then we are heirs: 

heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—

if indeed we suffer with Him, 

so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ 

not only to believe in Him,

 but also to suffer for Him,

James 1:2-3
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, 

when you encounter trials of many kinds, 

because you know that the testing of your faith

 develops perseverance.

Acts 5:41

So they departed from the presence of the council, 

rejoicing that they were counted worthy

 to suffer shame for His name.

A bud is but the waiting room

of the unfolded Flower...

A prayer is like a bud; it's bloom 

awaits its perfect hour

Last week my neighbor-tots eagerly bent over buds

While I reminded them; 'no picking!'

Yesterday they 'visited' me while I was working.

suddenly shrieks of delight were heard!

The buds had turned into flowers!

Oft we want answered prayer

Without full-yielded hearts

In our logic, oft we err

Where trust its test imparts

Oft we want finest fruits

Without Love's pruning rod

 To tear away at sinful roots/shoots

That choke the Word of God 

Oft we defend the cure

Without probing the cause

Until motive is wholly pure

Without self-serving flaws/clause

Oft we want faith's reward

Without faith's suffering

As witnesses for Christ, out-poured

Like a drink-offering 

Lord, show us where we err

As we, Want's cases plead

Teach us to trust as you prepare

Faith's fallow ground, for seed  

Janet Martin

Philippians 2:17
But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering

 on the sacrifice and service of your faith, 

I am glad and rejoice with all of you.

Of Seeming and Certain

First an update on the prayer requests HERE

Dad is being released from the hospital today!

and the family that moved to their new home

 made it safely to their destination yesterday evening!

Thank-you for your prayers!

Yesterday our youngest grandson turned four!

A little over a month ago our granddaughter turned 7!

in Jan. our oldest grandson turned 9!! Wh-a-at?!

Our children/grandchildren cannot begin to grasp how much they are loved;

by God, their parents and grandparents!

Just as we, all God's children cannot grasp how much we are loved by Him!

As my utmost prayer for my children continues, that they would choose God; 

to love, trust and obey Him, to treasure His Word and his people,

so too is my prayer for my grandchildren! 

I pray that in the twists and turns of life's pathway, 

in the fumbles and stumbles of learning, 

in the crushing blows that fell pride 

and in the disappointment of Things,

they discover over and over again, 

just like (hopefully) us oldies, Rom.11:33

'the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!'

3 John 4

 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children (and grandchildren)

are walking in the truth.

We need not fear; God sends the test, our allegiance to try

His is the hand that tips the nest and teaches faith to fly

His seeming cruelty is love; He takes to give again

His purpose works in us to prove His faithfulness. Amen

We need not doubt the baffling blade that breaks desolate land

When disappointment's shares invade, behold, there is God's Hand

He ploughs to plant an Eden-clime in plots of pain and grief  

To loosen grips on Things of Time that are, at best but brief 

We need not dread the Hand that tries the ties of mortal whim 

To see if perchance we may prize this old world more than Him

God's seeming cruelty is love; His higher thoughts and ways

If we believe, will prove enough to burst our hearts with praise 

We need not know the holy why of Time-framed seeming loss

The cocoon veils a butterfly! before the crown, the cross! 

Before the flower garden, oh, the breaking of the sod

The surrender of letting go, to know that He is God

To lean on Him in grateful prayer, to worship truthfully 

*Praise rends the chains of dark despair and sets our spirits free

To trust in God, heart, soul and mind, when we don't understand

He tips the nest so that we find the cradle of His Hand

God's seeming cruelty is love; look at the cross and see

Beyond the 'seeming hour of defeat', the victory 

Beyond the fallen tear, bowed head, when death the champion seems

Behold, where once the seed seemed dead, a glorious harvest gleams

Janet Martin

Oh, how painful God's ploughshares in our 'hard acres of the heart'!

Oh, how worth the harvest to let Him sow His seeds! 

But oh, how lifelong is our learning to let go;

and how lifelong is our wonder/worship when we do!