I Have No Value To This World

I have decided there will always be someone who is prettier than me. There will always be someone with a bigger house, more friends, better clothes, a better job, and more money than me. There are some that seem to value success on the wealth of a person, judge their value on their looks or the success on their accomplishments.

I was never really interested in trying to be better than another in outward appearance but I see more and more that it is important to some. What I do see is when we fix our eyes on those qualities it makes our relationships with others turn into power struggles. I have seen some that have spent so many fruitless days wanting or trying to measure up to someone else.

Coming from my background, I spent my life never being smart enough, never being beautiful enough, never being the one family or friends wanted, never having my worth defined by wealth, status, or success. But according to what I read in the Scripture it is very clear what is valuable to God. He isn’t mentioning the words like success, wealth, clothes, or jobs but clearly it says what the Spirit will produce in one’s life and heart, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance:…”Galatians 5:22-23  And these things are available to everyone. That is the part I love about God. He offers it to everyone!

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There I am – In the Palm of His Hand!

Have you ever felt like you’re in a situation and you’re fighting for ….well just survival?  It seems that everything around us is either attacking us or is going to absolutely destroy our family.  Our friends, our neighbors our churches, everywhere we turn there is a battle going on. 

Satan knows exactly where to attack us to cause the most harm to our spiritual being.  It may be slander, temptation, our marriage, mentally, finances…we could name many things.  BUT BUT BUT!!! 

Regardless of what attack we are faced with – Our Name is FOREVER written in the Palm of HIS Hand!  And we’re Protected There!!

Slip In Some Extra Joy

This week while being at the table of some high profile political people, My husband was asked the question of “Who are some of the most interesting people you have been able to work with?”  They expected to hear political names but he gave his “heroes” of the Gospel and an acknowledgment of what made them a hero in his eyes.

Later that night as I replaying the whole evening and the amazing event, I thought of how I would have answered that question. But the people who come to my mind first are the ones whose names probably no one would recognize.

Does Satan Find You Threatening?

1 John 4:4-6

In Scripture we see two times when satan tested the believer’s faith.  The first occasion is recorded in Job 1:6-12 and the second in Luke 22:31-34.  Job and Peter were satan’s targets.  While both men were triumphant, by God’s grace, in their testings, the most vulnerable areas of their lives were targeted.

Finding Refuge

As refugees from the surrounding countries are coming here to begin a new life, my heart sinks as I see the hopelessness in their eyes. Women are laying their babies on the sidewalks to sleep while they wait for their turn to enter the building. The sun is hot, their clothes are tattered, they look hungry. The hopelessness in their brown eyes is heart-piercing.

My heart aches. I think to myself…”If I were rich, I wouldn’t buy myself anything. I don’t need anything. But oh, how I would love to have enough money to house and feed some of these families.” From the depths of my heart I pray the Lord will work in each one of their hearts to bring them to Himself if they don’t already know Him. That He would meet each one of their needs and show them that only He is God.

I think about their future life in America, Canada, or Germany. Will the people there accept them? Will there be enough government funding for them to have a chance? They will have to learn a new language. How can they concentrate? They have been displaced from their homeland. Many of their loved ones are still in that country. Their hearts are torn.

“Lord, as we meet with some of these dear people today, let us be Your hands and Your feet. Let them see You vividly, living in us. Help us to serve them beautifully, in Jesus’ Name. It’s only in You that true refuge can be found.”

~Kelly
1 Chron. 7:14

Behind The Prison Walls

Myself:  What message would you like me to send to the believers back home?

The persecuted:  Please tell them we are their brothers and sisters in the faith.  We love Jesus so much.  We NEED their prayers!  Our brothers and sisters are being put in prison because they love Jesus and will not renounce their faith.  They are being put among the hardest of criminals and sometimes beaten daily.  They are denied medical attention as well.

Testimony From The Middle-east

I never had an easy life, but in my thirties I was in desperate need for help.  I felt like my life was falling apart at the seams.

 

I had a job, but the work was very, very hard, the workday was lengthy, and the pay was extremely low.  During my lunch breaks at work, I found myself in tears and praying to God to show me Himself.  About one week later, a man I worked with asked if he could sit with me during my break.  I told him “yes”.  He had a name that was not persian, as I was used to.  He was always smiling.  That made me think he was really crazy because his job was much harder than mine.  He was not allowed to sit down during the whole work day, only for a lunch break.  He very kindly told me that the Person I needed was Jesus.  Only He could help me.

About another week went by.  My friend kept being so nice to me.   I saw something different about him.  The words “You need Jesus.  Only He can help you” kept repeating in my head.  I asked my friend to tell me more about Jesus.  He took me to his pastor, and for about three months he told me more about Jesus.  I realized that Christianity was true.  I knew all other religions were false.  I asked Jesus into my heart, and I am now a changed person!  I love my Jesus with all my heart!

Please pray for our brothers and sisters who are in prison because they believe in Jesus.  Pray for their families. Pray the officials and others in the prisons will come to know Him too because of the Holy Spirit living in our brothers and sisters.  The only hope anyone has is in Him.  Only He can make a difference because only He is God.

(Name deleted)

~Kelly

Eternally Secure or Still Unsure?