Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer (Ps 6:8-9).
Weeping Willow
2
Category Archives: Daily Life
Making Changes
Cleaning up.
Changing Colors.
Going with the flow.
Changes in seasons is sometimes hard, but at the same time it is adventurous and fun. It brings new hope and a chance to experience new grace and peace–and to feel His contentment and mercy as we have so many times before.
Best Fall Pictures
I took this picture outside my window. I am blessed by the Lord.
I stopped and admired this birch tree. I love its white slender branches and also the golden yellow leaves bouncing in the cool wind.
What a perfect autumn scene.
Down by the Bayou
Be Not Overcome of Evil, But Overcome Evil with Good
That verse, from Romans 12:21, was put in front of me last night after I prayed, “Lord, give me a Scripture verse to guide me.”
Sometimes, occasionally, I feel overcome by evil. But here, I reasoned, is a way to counter it. I can overcome evil when it comes against me by doing good. It does not have to overcome me—and get me down.
Another verse, earlier, verse nine, says “Let love be without dissimulation (hypocrisy). Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.”
I am wondering how exactly to read these verses; in what context? Well, certainly, as it is here, it is regarding evil men of the world. But in a broader sense we can take it as all the evils of the devil and the world and the flesh. It all will overcome us if we let it. How many ways can evil overcome us? Many ways! But we can overcome it all by doing good—in the will of God and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I think there are as many good things we can do as there is evil. And in every good deed there is prayer behind it, and hospitality. And in all the good we do we are loving God and are looking up to Him. If we are weary and feel beaten down, we can have hope in Him and rely on Him in all we do and in all we think about.
Deer in the woods
Peaceful Evening Sky
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (Jn. 14:27).
Four Things to Pray That the Holy Spirit Will Do For Us
As Christians we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. But it is up to us every day to ask Him for His help. Here are four things we can ask of Him.
1. That He will give us power over temptation. The Bible says that if we live by the Spirit—that is, if we have our mind set on what the Spirit desires and we do what the Spirit tells us—we will not carry out the desires of the flesh (Rom. 8:5; Gal. 5:16). It seems so easy. But the reason why it often turns out to be so hard is because we try to live by the Spirit without asking for His help.
We cannot live by the Spirit or set our mind on what the Spirit desires without bowing our head in prayer—constantly asking for the Spirits help. Pray for His help and power! And…
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The Pains of Old Age Keep Me in Line
In Psalm 119:67 and 71 it says,
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word…
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
I’m not sure exactly what the Psalmist was referring to, but for me it has plenty of application to my old age. Every morning I get up reeking with arthritis pain, and it takes me a while to get going. And I also find that every little thing I do is more worrisome. These pains and problems tend to drive me more to God in prayer and in the word. I seek Him more now than ever before. So, I conclude with the Palmist that affliction is good for me; it keeps me in line with Him, seeking His will.
Let My Prayers Be as Incense To God
Psalm 141:2
Let my prayer be set before You as incense,
The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
I don’t always think of my prayer as pleasing God. But if we are His children and our prayers are genuine and with love, He will be pleased, and our prayers will be as incense to Him. Let that be our prayer and our motivation to pray.
And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Revelation 5:8).
Stephen Nielsen 