How's Your Heart?

Do you ever ask yourself this question?
And be honest with your answer?

Do you ever ask God how your heart is? Ask Him as the Psalmist did?

Psalm 139:23-24 (NLT)
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me, and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Sometimes the "errors of our heart" are not known to us - but they are to God!
The very first step in dealing with sin in our lives is to be AWARE ...
the next step is to take ACTION to deal with the sin.

I don't know about you but i don't like the awareness part very much! It means i cant 'deny' anymore that i am not living right. And once i can no longer deny it, i then have to deal - deal with the issue.

I am doing a Priscilla Shirer study ..."The Armor of God" ... with a group of wonderful women. This is a great study and i highly recommend it to anyone! She says "Imputed righteousness defines you and declares you innocent before all accusers."  This is my identity in Christ!
HALLELUJAH!

Read Romans 4 ... better yet - dig in and study it!
Verses 23 & 24: And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

What does this mean? It means that i am righteous! But it also means that i now have work to do - with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit... to put off some stuff and then to put on some.
See Ephesians 4 and 5.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, friends. I wish i could sit with you over a cup of coffee and talk about the exciting adventure that i am on.
Dig deep friends!
Discover who you are in Christ!
Plant your roots deep in the Truth of His Word!
Then go and shine your light in this dark world!
And when the enemy begins to taunt you with lies, declare aloud that "I AM RIGHTEOUS"! So satan, take a hike!

Blessings on this beautiful sunny day!
Ruthie

" A New Year - 2017"

Good morning friends!
It has been a loooonnngggg time - one month short of 2 years since i posted last. Much has happened in my life in that time but always i say GOD IS GOOD!
I have been feeling the urge to revitalize this blog - and today is the day!

As i looked back on my last post i saw that it was about my WORD for the year ... and even though i was not blogging i was still choosing a word for the year. In 2016 my word was SHALOM ... Gods peace,,, complete peace and harmony. Mid January 2016 i had a heart attack and spent 9 days in hospital... and had complete peace! Thank you, Sweet Jesus!

So as this new year began to roll around i asked the Lord to give me a word - His Word - for 2017.

ABANDON ... meaning
- to yield without restraint or moderation
- to give over completely
- complete surrender to
- leave behind all else and surrender to ..

I am choosing to ABANDON myself to HIM first and foremost - as i seek to know Him more and more; ABANDON myself to my life ... with JOY ... and peace and contentment; ABANDON myself to all He has for me this year, praying for His strength and stamina to keep me and cover me.

Matthew 16:24-26 (my words)
If you want to follow me you must give up your own way, take up your cross and follow me. You will lose your life if you hang on to it - BUT give up your life for Jesus sake and save it.

Also see Mark 8:34-36;  Luke 9: 23-25

Absolute Surrender - this is revealed during our trials!
Thanking my Lord for His blessings today; for keeping us through last nights storm; for my hubby who goes outside in all weather to fill up the stove; for heat and food and love.

Hugs and blessings dear friends!
RUTHIE

Thank You for being Persistent in Prayer!

To all my praying friends ...
Thank You for your prayers! I had a much better night last night and actually got some much needed rest and sleep. Bless you all!

I had something almost completed to post on Facebook and just lost it! Go figure! So here I go again in this forum instead!

Every year for probably the past 8 or so I have "chosen a word" to live out in that year; Rather than setting new resolutions that will most likely fall by the wayside in a month or so! The Word that kept niggling at my mind for 2015 was / is HOSPITALITY. The definition for hospitality is "the friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers." Some synonyms are - friendliness, welcome, helpful, warmth, kindness, congeniality, courtesy, generosity, food. The scripture that kept finding its way into my readings and devotions was Romans 12:13 ... "Share with the saints in their need; pursue hospitality." This was going to be a year of action for me as I shared and pursued!

Most mornings I get up later than hubby - he is a farmer and he is usually up before the birds! One particular morning I came downstairs to find he had left me an encouraging note and a scripture reference from his morning reading of Gods Word. The reference ...Romans 12:12 & 13. Verse 12 states - "rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer." Ummmmmmm ...
Within these 2 verses there is a lot of action going on!

Rejoice in hope
Be Patient in affliction
Be Persistent in prayer
Share....
Pursue hospitality

I quickly came to the realization that God was telling me that until I rejoiced, was patient, and persistent I would not be able to share and pursue. Whoa! I had no idea how I was going to learn these lessons - I thought I pretty much had them, however it seems that God thought differently. In the past 2 months I believe He has "set me aside" to REST, BE STILL, SEEK HIM, and to reaffirm for me once again that until I make HIM the center of it all I can do nothing. I have been afflicted with much pain from a number of different physical things these past couple months and currently feel I am "no good for nothing!"Please know I don't say that in a self-pity way. I am basically a DO-ER... like Martha; Not a SITTER at Jesus feet - like Mary!

Just yesterday someone said to me, "I know you are not feeling good but I want you to know Jesus is shining thru all your work, discipline, and the hurts. When we feel we are down to nothing, God is up to something."
I believe this wholeheartedly. I know He is up to something. And I am excited to see what He is about to do!

So - dear sweet, faithful, praying friends -
I am on a journey with HIM ... and I just want to thank you for journeying this path with me! Hospitality for me has become so much more than fun, food, fellowship..... MY definition is that hospitality is being joyful in all things; enduring affliction with patience because we know that He wastes nothing and that all things work to good for those who love Him; praying continually in all things, thru all things; and He will empower the sharing and pursuing that needs to be done in His Name.

Praying a blessing upon you this morning!
HUGS
Ruthie

2 Timothy 1:12 - ...for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day. (KJV)

Joy in the Lord

Nehemiah 8:13 ... The JOY of the LORD is my strength.

I read this quote the other day by Dr. Adrian Rogers -

"Every child of God ought to have a conscious, conspicuous, continuous, contagious joy. 

If you are not living a life of joy you are living below your privilege as a Christian."

Whoa!

This keeps going round and round in my head! 

Conscious -

Conspicuous -

Continuous -

Contagious -

JOY!

Is your joy - Jesus' joy in you - all of these things? If the answer is no, then the question needs to be why?

Take it to Him! John 10:10 tells us that Christ came to give us life and to have it in abundance. That abundant life is evidenced in exuberant joy! Regardless of our circumstances! Yes! Regardless of our circumstances!

My prayer for you today is that you are NOT living below your privilege. I pray you have put Jesus at the center of it all, and surrendered everything to Him!

Blessings on you, dear friends!

Ruthie

"for I know whom I have believed ...."

HIS Creation

Psalm 104 is called a WISDOM Psalm as well as a CREATION Psalm ... the author expresses joy in the world as a creation of God.

Here are just a few of my photos expressing the beauty I see in His creation. And I sing praise with the Psalmist - "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty."

"O LORD, how manifold are Your works!

"May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in His works..."

"I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD."

Dear Friends,

I pray you will meditate on Psalm 104 in the coming days; 

give Him Praise;

Live with  a heart filled with gratitude and thanksgiving.

May He fill you with wonder at His marvelous works....

May He fill you with His Spirit as

 you love and serve Him.

Blessings, sweet ones!

"Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Praise the LORD!

In HIS Mighty and Marvelous name,

Ruthie 

BELIEVE

It seems that everywhere I look today I see the word "BELIEVE" -

I have a wooden cut out of the word sitting on my kitchen windowsill - and I see it every time I look out the window to watch the hummingbirds at their feeder- or stand there doing my dishes ... which I just did! I have a little tiny cutout of this word with snowmen on it that stands next to my digital frame in the living room .... all year long (see above picture). And I have a few little hanging plaques with single words on each one - LOVE, PRAY, BELIEVE.

Here is one of the definitions of believe -  to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.
Now, this reminds me of Hebrews 11:1 ... Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. When I looked up the word faith in Merriam-Webster dictionary I found that it took belief to a higher level by saying that faith is ... a strong belief or trust in something or someone; belief in the existence of God.

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell and on the 3rd day He rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty... from here He will come to judge both those alive and dead.
I BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting!

HALLELUJAH!

Maybe you have seen these words before, maybe even memorized them as a child - they come from the APOSTLES CREED -
I know this is what I believe! Praise God!

2 Timothy 1:12 - For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.  

Do you know what you believe or who you believe in? Is it your heavenly Father? He loves you and desires to be in relationship with you? Or is your belief in yourself - that you are in control and are the dictator of your destiny? Or maybe in your career? Or your family? Your career, your family, even yourself will not give you eternal life... only Jesus can do that!

Dear friends -
I pray that Jesus, the Living God, makes Himself known to you. I pray that you will open your eyes and ears to see and hear of His miraculous works.
Bless you today!

Hugs,
Ruthie

IF My people .....

2 Chronicles 7:14
if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

IF ....... THEN

Did you see this? IF ... THEN ...
God is speaking to Solomon and I truly believe that these words are just as relevant for us today as they were then!

Did you notice that IF we

• Humble ourselves
• Pray
• Seek His face
• Turn from our sin

THEN He will

• Hear from heaven
• Forgive our sin
• Heal our land

Praise You, Lord! 

HIS WORD - Just as applicable today as it was then.

I have been pondering this verse; crying in my heart for the state of our land; for the state of loved ones - 

I so want to be the person He calls me to be - don't you? It begins with humility - surrendering all of me to Him and seeking Him in every aspect of my life; getting out of His way so He can work; trusting Him in all!

Praying His Word will speak to your hearts today - 

Blessings and Hugs!

Ruthie