Tag: Luke 12:7

Where Can I Find God?

On December 11, 2024

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. Psalm 63:1

Many think that they need to go to church to seek God or have fellowship with Him. Yes, there are places which promote solitude of heart and communing with the Lord seems to be sweeter there. When my husband and I were out sightseeing one day, we came across this quaint and very old church (built in the 1800’s). The surrounding trees showed their age as the branches spread out like an umbrella over the church. If one were searching for God, they might think that this would be the place. But is this really the only place we can find solace?

We also visited the Natural Bridge in Southern Virginia. God’s creation is so beautiful and the work of His Hand is breathtaking. Just walking the trails to get to the bridge were peaceful and serene. All we could hear was the babbling of the brook as it led us to a louder, but small waterfall. As we sat through the Genesis story that evening and watched the light show in conjunction with each day of creation, God’s beauty combined with His Word filled our hearts. But was this the only place we could find solace?

One does not need to look far to see the Lord at work. I believe we live in one of the most beautiful areas in our country, near the Blue Ridge Mountains. One of our outings took us to the top of a mountain and we stopped at a lookout. It was a gloomy day, much like this picture, the rain was coming in and we were hurrying to get to the valley before the storm came in. What a breath taking scene, to say the least. Again, God’s handiwork spoke to me and filled me with awe for a God who intricately created this earth and its beauty. But was this the only place we could find solace?

This same God who created all this, created me as well and all my intricacies.

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (Psa 139:14)

Don’t think we’re wonderfully made? Google a picture of the inner ear and it will show us just how intricate our bodies are and reveal a side of God that should overwhelm our spirits! This is only our inner ear, my friends! I could post countless posts of other parts of our bodies that are equally intricate. But the point is that God is the creator of them all. He even numbers the hairs on our head! (Luke 12:7)

Our Lord God should be sought, not only in church or in nature or when we examine His creation, but so we can have a personal relationship with us. He created us for that purpose and we should be seeking to learn more about Him and becoming more like His precious Son. We should seek after God as if we are dying of thirst and can’t get enough of Him when we do come to commune with Him. We can find these beautiful places in our mind’s eye even if we are sitting in our private place as we do our devotions and studying.

For the seasoned believer, God is found each time the Bible is opened. He reveals Himself in so many different ways so that we learn about His character. He cares about us and loves us deeply!

Dear God…
May I seek You early
Before the start of day
And cling to every word
As I go along my way

How Great Thou Art

By Kate Plourde

On October 4, 2024

In Devotionals

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. (Psa 40:5)

With all the devastation in North Carolina and Tennessee, my heart is overcome with sadness. So many have lost their lives, and there are more to come once the states are opened up to rescuers. Imagine all those people buried and have been missing. But in all of this, there are stories of people who have overcome their tragedies and given glory to God. God provides peace in the midst of a storm!

My spirit is overwhelmed with thankfulness and gratefulness to my Heavenly Father. I think on my blessings because I have a Father who loves me and cares for me. He cares for you as well! It is His face that I seek for comfort through my trials and it is this that causes me to search the Scriptures for direction.

Psa 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

There is none like my God! There is a verse in my Bible that covers exactly what I am going through. God knows me personally – He calls me by name (Isaiah 43:1) – He knows every single fiber of my being – He has the very hairs on my gray head numbered (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7) – He tells me that His yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30)! What is that yoke? It is the yoke of the Christian life. Once we are born again, he places His yoke upon us. The Lord does not leave us alone in our Christian walk but He walks with us in that yoke, just as the picture indicates. Farmers yoke a strong ox with a weaker one so that the weaker one doesn’t get weary. I love how Christ used word pictures like this to show His character!

Does this not excite you? It does me! This shows me that my Jesus is right there alongside me, carrying the burdens, carrying my cross with me, helping with the load of care! Oh brother and sister in Christ, isn’t that just a spirit lifter? Oh how I love Psalms. As I read them, the Lord reminds me of verses elsewhere which tie in beautifully.

Jer. 29:11-13 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (11) Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. (12) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (13)

Thank You, Lord, for being “right there,” and so easily accessible. I no longer have to go through a high priest, priest or Mary – I have direct access to the Father through His Precious Son, Jesus Christ, my One and Only Mediator. I don’t have to enter a church building or temple because my body is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Corinthians 6:19). Lord, you know my thoughts, my motives, my heart, my desires – there’s nothing You don’t know about me. Yet, You loved me anyway and you died for me, despite my horrid sinful nature (Romans 5:8). My heart and my mouth will never cease to praise You!

Friend, if you are in the middle of the worst trial ever, start praising! It will get easier with each song and you will feel the Lord’s presence as He calms your troubled spirit! Out of all the hymns and songs today, this is my favorite song of praise! ❤❤❤

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God! when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul! my Savior God, to Thee:
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Peace Through Troubled Times – Fear

By Kate Plourde

On November 24, 2023

In Devotionals, Peace Through Troubled Times

Luke 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

What do you fear, Reader? Is it fear of the unknown? Is it fear of a deteriorating relationship? The way I see it, fear is the very opposite of faith. If you are older in your Christian walk today and are still fearful, you are not honoring God in your spiritual life. Why? When you fear, you are not placing your trust in the Lord to take care of whatever your fears are based upon. Faith allows the Christian heart to hope that the Lord will take care of your fears. Look back on situations in your Christian life where God has come through for you. Rest in those answered prayers and know that His will is perfect for you. Whatever the outcome will be perfect!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Jesus taught us that we are worth more in His eyes than the sparrows! He cares for them and feeds them. Why should the Lord care less for you and your fears? Have you sat down with Him and told Him? Imagine if Jesus were sitting in a chair right next to you! What would you share with him? He knows your every need. Prayer is not for Him, Reader. Prayer is for YOU! It is your opportunity to tell the Lord how you feel, what’s on your heart, your fears, and anything else that is troubling you. He loves you, Christian.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (7) Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

If you are not a born-again Christian, God does not hear when you cry out to Him. He hears the desperate pleas of those who are seeking Him with an authentic repentant heart.

John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

There are so many today who have been misled into thinking that their little prayerette asking to be saved was enough. They continue on the same path they were on before the prayer and no change has occurred in their lives. If there is no change in attitude toward sin, then there is no repentance. No repentance means one perishes and is sent for all eternity to the Lake of Fire.

Luke 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

If you must fear, fear going to Hell and burning for all eternity. Let that fear bring you to repentance and be saved. (John 3:3, John 3:7, John 3:16) If you’re saved, then cast your fears at the feet of our Lord and let Him take care of your fears.

Pro 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Comfort During the End Times – Day 13

By Kate Plourde

On March 29, 2023

In Comfort During the End Times, Devotionals

Good morning, Reader! I hope this series has brought you some comfort during these difficult times. As I write this, there is extreme unrest in Israel. A Jewish brother in Christ says that Israel is on the brink of civil war. The prophecies of old and those of the end times revolve around Israel. It doesn’t matter what other countries do amongst each other; it matters what happens to Israel, amen?

The news is constantly filled with horrible headlines of famines, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars. Jesus said this would happen in the end times and would get worse. (Matthew 24:6-8) But should the believer in Jesus Christ be eaten up with worry? Do you not think that God knows your heart and how worried you are?

How would you feel if your child stayed awake at night worried that someone would break into house? Wouldn’t it bother you that your child didn’t trust his parents enough to protect him? It is no different with God. If you are a born-again Christian, the Father in Heaven knows you so well. Friend, He actually knows your name!

Exo 33:17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

To an unbelieving world, events may seem chaotic where fear sets into the heart of man. This is exactly one of the devil’s goals. He does not want you to have peace in the Lord.

Satan wants mankind to be distracted and fearful.

This distraction and fear plays right into the devil’s plans to usher in the antichrist. The antichrist will appear to be the man of peace when he signs a peace treaty with Israel. But the devil is a deceiver and the father of lies. (John 8:44) He is known as an angel of light according to 2 Corinthians 11:14! The end times will be filled with lies, deceptions, signs and wonders, which will be so mesmerizing that it will seduce the world into believing he is God. (Mark 13:22) Friend, you should not take this lightly. The world will be sucked into this delusion!

1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

But before the antichrist can be revealed, the Holy Spirit’s influence on the earth (residing within every born-again believer) must be removed in order to usher in the devil’s total influence. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8)

In the meantime, the Lord takes care of His sheep. His Spirit leads and guides us through His Word, the Bible! Although God is a God of judgment (as the world will see in the Tribulation), He is also a God of love for those who follow Him. As Christians, we know that the Lord not only loves us but He knows us intimately.

Luk 12:7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

When God says that the very hairs on our heads are numbered, it reveals that intimacy! Not only does He know us intimately, but we are now His child because Christ’s righteousness covers us. When God looks at the born-again believer, He sees His Son’s righteousness over us, not our own! In fact, just as Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, God called Abraham His friend! Praise the Lord! Christ’s righteousness over us means that God calls us His friend also!

Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Not only are we considered a friend, we are Christ’s Bride. (Revelation 21:9, Revelation 22:17) The groom would never allow anything horrible happen to the woman of his dreams, right? Well how much more will our Groom protect us, His Church, from the Tribulation? (Revelation 3:10) Be encouraged, Christian. The same God who counts the hairs on our head, joys over us and calls us friend, is the same God who will give you peace during these difficult times!

As believers, we have so much at our fingertips to pull from for encouragement. We can read our Bibles, search out songs to encourage our hearts, and bow before the Lord of lords and Kings of kings in prayer! We can have intimate fellowship with the Creator of the universe!! But to the person who is not born-again, he has only himself to turn to and there’s no comfort in one’s own heart. The unbeliever doesn’t have the comfort that the believer does; they may be able to access the resources but that comfort just isn’t there. Friend, don’t be willfully ignorant of the end times. (2 Peter 3:5) If you are not born-again, confess your sins and repent of them. The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!