Looking Ahead

The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Isaiah 40:8

For I am the LORD, I do not change Malachi 3:6

Well, it's almost the end of the month. I had started this blog as a challenge to myself to write everyday for 30 days, but I'm sensing to continue on through August ( and who knows...maybe even beyond that) with the focus being on miracles in the Bible. Focusing on the awesome things God has done in the past, helps builds faith to look to Him to do awesome things now. And who out there couldn't use a miracle or two, especially nowadays?

The way things are going in the world, we may need to rely on miraculous intervention from the Lord more often than we think.

So I'll start that in a few days. I still have a couple of more thoughts on keys to building drought tolerance.

So if you're interested in energizing your faith to believe God even more for the miraculous in your life, stick around! :)

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Philippians 4:4

Well, I see I have several posts that I wrote this past week but neglected to publish, so I'm publishing them now.

This past week has been hectic with good times and sad moments.

For some reason, that Precious Moments figurine with the boy, dog and fallen ice cream cone comes to mind, that says Praise the Lord anyhow.

Hmm, I haven't thought about Precious Moments in ages, not probably since my girls were younger when they had Precious Moments bibles, wall hangings, coloring books, etc. That seems to be such a long time ago.

Well, whatever. Perhaps I just needed that reminder to praise the Lord anyhow!

The Lord is Good

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100

Life happens. Bad things happen to good people. Life is not fair.

And at times there are just no answers. At least, not on this side of heaven.

But God is good. And when dealing with things that don't make sense, we have to remember that.

That God is good, no matter what the circumstances try to dictate.

When you can't see His hand, trust His heart.

Every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning
James 1:17

I admit it. I skipped a day of posting. Actually, I was gone to spend time with friends from college that I hadn't seen in ages and it made for a full day. Left early in the day, and was after midnight before I made it home.

One of my 'BFF's' from my college days was out here visiting from Ohio, where she had moved 20 years ago after getting married. She was out here on a sad note--her sister had passed away and then several days later, her niece (her sister's daughter). Tragic. I was well acquainted with them both.

The double funeral was last week, so yesterday we got together with three other friends from back in the day, and we spent time hanging out in Marina Del Ray. It was a two-hour drive for me, yet it was refreshing to be near the water.

My photo today is of the box of baked goods I took to share. :)

Anyway, upon checking email this morning, I received another shock. A good friend of mine, business associate, a brother in the Lord, formerly of the same church, a husband and father of 3--had died of a heart attack while out on a walk. I'm in disbelief. This is the 4th person that I've known personally, to die within the last couple of weeks.

Building Drought Tolerance- Meditating on the Word

Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7-9

For some reason, I gravitate to the Old Testament which is full of action, excitement, and astounding miracles showing God's mighty hand at work. Not to say the New Testament isn't just as exciting. I just enjoy studying the characters and events of the Old Testament--thundering prophets, warrior women--everyday people who did mighty things through trusting El Elyon--the most high God.

One of my favorite books (and people) is Joshua. Joshua- one of the original twelve spies who went to spy out Canaan-the Promised Land (Numbers 13). A man with vision who was ready to take on the giants in the land. He and Caleb were the only two of the twelve, who didn't look at how big the problems were. They knew their God was bigger and that He would help them take the land. Unfortunately, due to the unbelief of the ten who gave a bad report and who didn't believe they could conquer the land, and the multitude followed the bad report, they were sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years.

In the first chapter of Joshua, God is giving him instructions, as he is now the leader. In essence God told him to

• be strong
• be courageous
• be focused
• meditate on the Word (Book of the Law) day and night

and by doing these things that Joshua would prosper and have good success.
Interesting that God would have to command him to be strong and of good courage.
Apparently taking their God-ordained land was going to be something that could cause fear. Ever felt shaky when advancing on what you know God has told you to do? Ran up against strong opposition? Fully accomplishing the will of God and apprehending your purpose and destiny is definitely not a cakewalk. It is a battle.

One key God gave Joshua was to meditate on the Word day and night. This translation of this word meditate means 'to groan, growl, utter, muse, mutter, meditate, devise, plot, speak.'
This does not give the picture of reading and just serenely thinking about what you read. This denotes action-- groaning and growling comes from deep within. Taking it deep, pondering it, going over it throughout the day, speaking it out to yourself,making it a part of you. Hiding it in your heart (Psalm 119:11)

So how is this put in practice. For example, let's take our current state affairs in our country... better yet, the world. There is a global economic crisis which is affecting an unprecedented number of people. Just looking at my household-- I'm self-employed and my business depends on others buying my services. As people are curtailing their spending and delaying purchases, this adversely affects me. Sales are down, therefore there is less money. My spouse works for the State government. His job is requiring employees have 2 -3 furlough days per month. Which means they still work but don't get paid.

These are things that we have no control over. So we need to know what God says in His word about situations like this.

A couple of scriptures that are a part of my very being for financial issues (from meditating on them) are Philippians 4:19 - My God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus, and the scriptures in Malachi 3:8-12 which speaks of the blessings God provides to those who tithe. So when a bill comes that I don't have the money for at the moment, I hold it up to the Lord, and speak the promise that 'all my needs are met' according to His word, and that as a tither I am blessed.. God invites us to put Him in remembrance of His word. (Isaiah 43:16).

Additionally, as the word becomes a part of us through meditating on it, our faith is strengthened.

On Being Drought Tolerant

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord
and whose hope is in the Lord
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters
Which spreads out it roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes
But its leaf will be green
And will not anxious in the year of drought
Nor will cease from yielding fruit
Jeremiah 17:7-8


To successfully landscape in a desert region, it pays to know what plants are drought tolerant/resistant. In essence, what will thrive even when there's little or no water.

One of my favorites that I have growing in my garden is lavender. This hardy, bushy plant has a pleasant fragrance, and is good for medicinal and cooking uses. Because it's located in an area of the yard that doesn't get visited regularly, it has at times been subject to neglect, yet it keeps thriving.

The scripture above from Jeremiah describes a drought-tolerant person. This is a person who is not anxious when times are tough, and in addition, continues to have fruitfulness in their life, even when going through hard, dry times.

What is the key? Their hope is in the Lord, and not in the circumstances around them. They trust in the Lord. That trust in the Lord makes you like a tree planted by the river with roots being perpetually replenished with fresh waters. So no matter how much heat is on, your 'leaf will be green.' Not dried up, not withered away, not dead. Green, growing, and producing.

Trust in the Lord. Put hope in the Lord.

To be able to trust in the Lord, just as with any other person, you must know Him to be trustworthy. And you know Him to be trustworthy, first, by knowing Him through His word.
To be a person who is able to be steadfast in the midst of adverse circumstances, you must be intimately acquainted with God's word, and put your faith in what He says.

Psalm 1 also speaks of being like a tree planted by rivers of waters:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful
But his delight is in the law of the Lord
And in His law he meditates day and night
He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters
That brings forth its fruit in its season
Whose leaf also shall not wither
And whatsoever he does shall prosper (Vs 1-3)

So, one of the keys to being a drought-tolerant person is to trust God, which is learned by spending time with Him, daily, reading His word. But it's not just the reading...we must meditate on it. We'll talk about that tomorrow.

Running Towards the Giant

As the deer pants
for the water brooks,

So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
Psalm 42: 1,2

As I'm still working with my art program, my image today is a chalk rendition of a portrait of my daughter who is also a creative artist. Guess it runs in the family. :)

For a few hours this morning there was respite from the heat, so I spent some time clearing the area where I'm going to plant sunflower seeds tomorrow. Because of the overcast and coolness, I was almost fooled into thinking it was going to be a cooler day, but t'was not to be. The temperature peaked at about 101, and it's expected to be hot for the rest of the week due to "strong upper-level high pressure over the desert southwest."

Arrgh. I do not like hot weather, but I won't complain as it could be worse. I have friends who live in hotter places, such as Needles and Arizona. A couple of years ago, returning from a trip to Colorado, we drove through Needles in the evening and it was 90 degrees-- at night. Whew!

Who is your favorite Bible person (besides Jesus?) Do we choose our favorite(s) because we can somehow relate to them? For myself, I think that's so. I have several prime favorites. My first is David--a man after God's own heart. What I love about David is his passion for God, which is evident in the psalms that he wrote. Also, David was an ardent worshiper of God, and a warrior.
One of my favorite moments in his life, is the face-off with Goliath. Not so much that he took him down, but his confidence in God that he, David, was going to be the victor.

In 1 Samuel 17:45 David says to Goliath "you come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." Wow. Using the power of the name of God. That same power we have today in the blood and name of Jesus.

The next part that shouts volumes to me is in verse 48 where it says that David 'ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.' David ran towards Goliath. He ran towards the problem, he didn't wait for the problem to gain ground on him. Selah.

And talk about a person who did not give up! David suffered much on his way to fulfilling his God-ordained destiny as king of Israel. He spent some 13-15 years as a fugitive, living in the desert, before he actually became king. Seems like the greater the call on your life, and the impact that will be made for God, the greater the battle to achieve it.

Thank God that He is always there to cause us triumph in Christ. If we just don't give up.