Kathy Stephens

“It is because of the Lord’s mercy and Loving kindness that we are not consumed, because his (tender) compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Hopelessness is a burden none of us needs to endure because, with God, it is never too late to begin again. He is the God of new beginnings. Jonah went in the opposite direction of the one God instructed, but God let him have a fresh start once he admitted his mistake. It is never too late to pray and ask for God’s help and forgiveness. The devil wants us to feel hopeless. He loves words like “never” and “the end”. He says “this is the end, you have messed up and you can never overcome your bad choices.” We must remember to look to God’s Word for the truth, because the devil is a liar. The bible even says in Ephesians 4:23 that we must be constantly renewed in our minds and attitude. Life gets a lot sweeter and easier if we live with the attitude that says, “I will do my best today and I trust God will do the rest. ”

Hope you have a great week. Watch for a new recipe TOMORROW.

Good Morning… Well you made it, It’s Friday. I remember when I worked an 8-5 job and made the count down every week to the ole weekend. Now on Fridays, my week is just starting.

I want to talk to you about God’s Peace this morning. All this week I’ve had some sleepless nights. Dropping off early in “the ole chair” only to wake up at 11 or so and then restlessly staying up for hours. A couple of nights I simply couldn’t get to sleep. Last night was one of those. Had all kinds of things going through my mind and some other things heavy on my heart. Normally I would just watch TV or grab a photography book but last night I grabbed another book…… THE BOOK. God led me to a devotional which led me to a verse.

Paul tells us that we will face the storms and stresses of life ( that is guaranteed) but that we can turn out worries into prayers and present our needs to God. ( have you done that lately?) Know what will happen??? You will experience God’s peace. Your heart and mind will be blanketed with it- guarded against any unwanted intruders. ( got any of those in your life?) Your stomach will stop churning, you will be able to sleep, you will be able to get through the crisis intact. It comes from knowing the one truth that matters most: GOD IS IN CONTROL. That alone is the foundation of our peace and only that. The journey may be long ahead of us, the light at the end of the tunnel not yet visable but God is here with us. Place your hand in his and walk forward with him.

OH, yeah the scripture verse. It comes from John 14:27 It says,” I am leaving you with a gift- peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give, So dont’ be troubled or afraid.”

There it is….. Jesus said it all. He gave us peace of mind and peace of heart.

Have a great weekend.

What does praise mean to you??? Psalms 22:22 says ” I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation, I will PRAISE you.”

Praise- Halal- to be clear, to shine, to make a show, to spin around, to rave, to boast, and thus to be clamorously foolish, to celebrate. This is the root word for Hallelujah, and is the most basic and widely used word for praise in the Old Testament.

Ponder over this for a moment and then ask yourself, “Have I praised the Lord today?”

Hope to get some comments back I welcome your thoughts….. kathy