Weekly Spiritual Meditations - November 18

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Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:4-5

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When at night you cannot sleep, talk to the Shepherd.

In the rush and noise of life, as you have intervals, step home within yourselves and be still. Wait upon God, and feel his good presence; this will carry you evenly through your day’s business. -- William Penn

Sometimes God’s greatest comfort comes through our silent presence.

God never leaves prayers unanswered. God’s answer may not be revealed immediately or may be different than what we were hoping for. But we can trust that God’s answer will always be the best answer for us.

God can help us in unexpected ways and can use anyone or anything around us as instruments of care for us. When we give our best, God will give us more than we can imagine.

When we drink living water from Christ, we are filled and satisfied — overflowing with the Spirit of eternal life. The Holy Spirit is an everlasting source of refreshment. Because of our faith in Jesus, we can always be sure of the promise of living water. God is a constant source of refreshment.

The light of Christ makes all things new. What a good and gracious God we have who re-creates our lives! No matter our sins, God can restore us.

Jesus offers us new life and a new purpose.

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Availability Check Author Unknown
The good often cannibalizes the best. Think about it: How often do schedules, long to-do lists and our immediate line of sight trump the things we claim to love the most? A pile of laundry certainly seems insignificant the day a close friend wrecks her car or a parent falls ill. Certainly, life involves responsibility, but it also involves a need for responsiveness to urgent situations—a child struggling in school or a severely depressed coworker.
Moses was tending sheep—fulfilling a needed task—when God intervened with an urgent call. A bush burned without being consumed. God called Moses’ name from within the fiery bush. Moses immediately answered. Moses was available and obedient. But then God told him what he wanted: Moses was to go back to Egypt to lead a rescue mission for the Hebrew people.
In the midst of our ordinary days—tending to our families, our jobs, our friends—how do we respond to the persistent pull of God’s call? Regardless of how God makes his wishes known—a burning bush, a burning desire or a burning need—are we willing to have our tidy plans and schedules interrupted to listen to his voice? Or are we too busy or too distracted to answer? Bottom line: Are we willing to be recruited at God’s bidding?
Like Moses, we may feel inadequate for the job: “I’m just a student, just a mother, just an hourly employee. I’m not equipped for this mission!” However, when God calls us to do something bigger than we think we can accomplish, he will equip us by working through us. We learn to rely on his strength, not on our own abilities. Simply put, God doesn’t look for abilities; he looks for availabilities. That’s how we can be confident of success: His great power trumps our lack of talent. We act in the power of the great “I AM” (3:14).
So when you hear the voice of God calling your name, answer without hesitation, “Here I am.”
God’s call. God’s strength. Your availability.
Reflection: In what ways has God indicated he has something for you to do, and how have you responded? Recount a time when you felt inadequate to do something you knew God wanted you to do. How did God equip you to accomplish it? What interferes with your availability to answer God’s call?
Exodus 3:4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

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The Same in Any Language by Sally I. Kennedy
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. Colossians 3:14
Beautiful wildflowers in a field are the same in any language. A smile is the same in any language, too. Much can be communicated by a smile: a greeting, acceptance, thanks, gratitude, love.
Tears, also, are the same in any language. Tears can express sorrow and sadness, grief, loss, or pain. Even if you don't speak the same word language, there's a communication shared by tears.
The best thing that's the same in any language is the love of God. God's love transcends any language barrier. And it is the greatest of all love, enduring and lasting forever until the end of time and beyond.
When he was very old, the disciple John wrote for us to read in 2009 these words, 'Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)
Yes, we can share smiles, even tears, and the very best of all is to share love, the love of our amazing, awesome, mighty, and loving God.

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BE HONEST! Author Unknown
Dishonesty, even in the smallest matter may severely damage a believer's credibility. You never know how closely you are being watched.
A businessman was invited to speak to a men's church group. His topic was honesty in the workplace and he spoke very strongly and unwaveringly on the topic.
The next morning, he boarded a city bus for the ride to work. He handed a dollar bill to the driver and received some change, which he counted as he proceeded down the aisle.
Before he reached his seat, he realized he had been given a dime too much. His first thought was that the transit company would never miss it. However, deep inside he knew he should return the money. So he went back to the driver, "You gave me too much change, sir."
To his amazement, the driver replied, "I know, a dime too much. I gave it to you on purpose. Then I watched you in my mirror as you counted your change. You see, I heard you speak yesterday, and if you had kept the dime, I would have written you off and everything that you said."
We may be the only Bible some people ever read!

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You can't enjoy today if you're worrying about the past or the future.
Your mind and your thoughts could be stuck in the past, continually thinking about what has already happened. If that's the case, it's best to get over it. The past has already happened; you can't do anything to change it. Rather, you ought to trust God that he is working out those things for ultimate good (see Romans 8:28).
On the other hand, your mind could be stuck in the future, thinking about what might happen, what you fear will happen, and things you wish wouldn't happen. However, being a person of faith requires trust--trusting God about the future.
Romans 15:13 says, May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him. You'll have joy and peace when you trust in God. Why? Because you'll be able to rest and relax knowing that God has good plans in store for you (Jeremiah 29:11).
Don't worry about the past or the future. Instead, have faith; trust God. When you trust God to help you learn from the past and provide for your future, you're free to enjoy your life today. Weekly Wisdom

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Praying For Your Spouse by Bill Tucker
A Christian woman had a husband who had forbidden her to speak to him about Jesus. So she took his case to God. She told herself, "I am going to pray for his conversion every day for twelve months."
At the end of a year his heart had not softened a bit. She said, "I am going to keep on six months longer."
She did. Still there was no change and she considered giving up. Finally she said, "No. I will pray for him as long as God gives me breath."
That very day he came home from work and disappeared into his room for a long time. She grew concerned and peeked in. He was on his knees seeking God's forgiveness.
"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Luke 18:1

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HEART PRINTS Author Unknown
Whatever our hands touch...
We leave fingerprints!
On walls, on furniture
On doorknobs, dishes, books.
There's no escape.
As we touch we leave our identity.
Oh God, wherever I go today
Help me leave heartprints!
Heartprints of compassion
Of understanding and love.
Heartprints of kindness
And genuine concern.
May my heart touch a lonely neighbor
Or a runaway daughter
Or an anxious mother
Or a frustrated co-worker
Or a hurting friend
Or perhaps an aged grandfather.
Lord, send me out today
To leave heartprints.
And if someone should say,
"I felt your touch,"
May that one sense YOUR LOVE
Touching through ME.

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
Rest, recuperate, and rejuvenate. Understand the relevance of where you have been to where you are going. Capitalize on this opportunity to make necessary adjustments that will enable you to move forward successfully. You may need to cut and run from certain situations that have dominated your time and energy without producing desired results. Evaluate by discerning good and evil, and take a righteous position, says the Lord. Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Expect to have to make adjustments in your routine. Change is the one thing you can depend on in life. Your environment is always in a state of flux, and you need to yield to the moving of My Spirit so that you can walk in the newness of life. Find the correct and righteous flow and be at peace, says the Lord. Psalms 5:12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.

Rise up in the realm of the Spirit and observe that you are in the early morning hours of the new day. The spiritual landscape is shrouded in fog so that you cannot see clearly. The path of life stretches out before you, but you cannot tell where it goes. And, you are not yet out of the woods of bleakness and uncertainty. But, I tell you honestly that I will bring you forth in the strength of My purposes and in the power of My blessing, says the Lord. Isaiah 42:16 I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them.

Be sensitive and discerning. I will show you errors in judgment by revealing presumption, and I will show you errors in logistics. Correction will be an easy thing as long as you stay in the Spirit and refuse to beat yourself up for not being perfect. Be humble and stay flexible, says the Lord. This is no time to take a defensive posture. Psalms 25:9 The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way.

Resist the temptation to project out and make assumptions. What you have is today. Make the most of your time through making good decisions and by choosing good over evil in all things. Allow My nature to prevail in your thoughts and actions, says the Lord. Let there be no unrighteousness in you. John 7:18 "He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of the One who sent him is true, and no unrighteousness is in him."

Get ready to move forward. The season of transition is nearly over. Prepare yourself to be sensitive to the leading of My Spirit. Do not rely on your own wits and emotional reactions to circumstances. Rather, listen for My voice and watch for My signs. I will indeed direct your every step, says the Lord. Psalms 119:133 Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
Come and be one with Me, says the Lord. Have you forgotten that faith prevails? Have you forgotten that faith, in and of itself, will bring you into victory; that faith is the very substance of the things that you hope for? So, these signs and these wonders that I have performed should bring you into a position of extreme faith that will become the substance of your hope so that you can receive all I have for you. You can become who I designed you to be--powerful, mighty men and women of God. Let this season birth that in your heart and bring it forth in you.

Have you noticed that the spiritual climate of your nation has changed, America? This is because the trauma of the election is over. For those who are disappointed with the results, you must now refocus, or a spirit of heaviness and dread will continue to pursue you. Here is the truth of the matter: You do not live spiritually in the kingdom of the world. You live in the Kingdom of Heaven. You are a citizen of the Kingdom of God, and you are living in a time when the kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdoms of our Lord. Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"

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The Touch of the Master's Hand Author Unknown
'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile.
"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar. Then two! Only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?"
"Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three…" But no,
From the room, far back, a grey-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loosened strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet,
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said: "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once; three thousand, twice,
And going and gone," said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand.
What changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:
"The touch of the Master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game — and he travels on.
He is "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and almost "gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.

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In Time of Sorrow...
May you see God's light on the path ahead
When the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear,
Even in your hour of sorrow,
The gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard may hardness
Never turn your heart to stone,
May you always remember
when the shadows fall—
You do not walk alone.

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"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." (Psalm 20:7 ESV)

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will praise my God to my last breath! Psalm 104:33

"He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord demands of you; but to do justice, to love loving-kindness, and to walk discreetly with your God." Micha 6:8

1 Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 5 LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. 7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, 10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay. 11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. Psalm 16:1-2;5-11

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! -- Psalm 18:46

For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. -- 2 Corinthians 4:15-18

The psalmist wrote, “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.” - Psalm 5:3

Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” - John 7:38

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! — 2 Corinthians 5:17

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THE VALUE OF EXPERIENCE
"Sir, What is the secret of your success?" a reporter asked a bank president.
"Two words."
"And, sir, what are they?"
"Right decisions."
"And how do you make right decisions?"
"One word."
"And, sir, what is that?"
"Experience."
"And how do you get experience?"
"Two words."
"And, sir, what are they?"
"Wrong decisions."
There's a measure of truth in that. Though we can (and should) learn from the mistakes of others, experience truly does seem to be "the best teacher." The experience of making wrong decisions in the past should help us to learn so that we make better decisions in the future. But are we willing to learn?
Paul is a great example of someone who learned from his past mistakes and, as a result of that experience, made better decisions in his effort to serve God.
"And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man...." (I Timothy 1:12-13)
I love the way that I've heard Randy Harris put it: "God loves you wherever you are........but He loves you too much to leave you where you are!"
Father, once again I come asking forgiveness for the many times I've let you down. As I confess to you my transgressions, I pray that you will help me to learn from my mistakes -- to recognize the consequences of following my stubborn will, to realize the heartache you feel when I turn a deaf ear to you, to learn from my error the need to follow your word more closely. I have made wrong decisions, but I pray that the experience of doing so will help me to develop the wisdom necessary to make better decisions in the future, as I strive to draw closer to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Have a great day! Alan Smith

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God of eternal life, give us the peace that only you can provide through our faith in Christ. Amen.

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Read Through The Bible
Jeremiah 50
1 The word that the Lord spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. 2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces. 3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast. 4 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. 5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten. 6 My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. 7 All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers. 8 Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. 9 For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain. 10 And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the Lord. 11 Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls; 12 Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert. 13 Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. 14 Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord. 15 Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the Lord: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. 16 Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land. 17 Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. 18 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. 19 And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead. 20 In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve. 21 Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the Lord, and do according to all that I have commanded thee. 22 A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction. 23 How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! 24 I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the Lord. 25 The Lord hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord God of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans. 26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left. 27 Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation. 28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, the vengeance of his temple. 29 Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel. 30 Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord. 31 Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord God of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. 32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him. 33 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. 35 A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. 36 A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed. 37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed. 38 A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols. 39 Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. 40 As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein. 41 Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. 42 They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon. 43 The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.44 Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me? 45 Therefore hear ye the counsel of the Lord, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them. 46 At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.

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Dear God, thank you for your promise that in Christ Jesus we have eternal life with you. Amen.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: https://bluidkiti.com/forums/showthread.php?t=130 .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.