Broken and Smoking (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Broken and Smoking
September 8
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench. (Isaiah 42:3)

Then I may reckon upon tender treatment from my Lord. Indeed, I feel myself to be at best as weak, as pliant, as worthless as a reed. Someone said, “I don’t care a rush for you”; and the speech, though unkind, was not untrue. Alas! I am worse than a reed when it grows by the river, for that at least can hold up its head. I am bruised — sorely, sadly bruised. There is no music in me now; there is a rift which lets out all the melody. Ah, me! Yet Jesus will not break me; and if He will not, then I mind little what others try to do. O sweet and compassionate Lord, I nestle down beneath Thy protection and forget my bruises!
Truly I am also fit to be likened to “the smoking flax,” whose light is gone, and only its smoke remains. I fear I am rather a nuisance than a benefit. My fears tell me that the devil has blown out my light and left me an obnoxious smoke, and that my Lord will soon put an extinguisher upon one. Yet I perceive that though there were snuffers under the law, there were no extinguishers, and Jesus will not quench me; therefore, I am hopeful. Lord, kindle me anew and cause me to shine forth to Thy glory and to the extolling of Thy tenderness.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Uncover and Confess Sin (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Uncover and Confess Sin
August 16
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

Here is the way of mercy for a guilty and repenting sinner. He must cease from the habit of covering sin. This is attempted by falsehood, which denies sin; by hypocrisy, which conceals it; by boasting, which justifies it; and by loud profession, which tries to make amends for it.
The sinner’s business is to confess and forsake. The two must go together. Confession must be honestly made to the Lord Himself, and it must include within itself acknowledgment of the wrong, sense of its evil, and abhorrence of it. We must not throw the fault upon others, nor blame circumstances, nor plead natural weakness. We must make a clean breast of it and plead guilty to the indictment. There can be no mercy till this is done.
Furthermore, we must forsake the evil; having owned our fault, we must disown all present and future intent to abide in it. We cannot remain in rebellion and yet dwell with the King’s majesty. The habit of evil must be quitted, together with all places, companions, pursuits, and books which might lead us astray. Not for confession, nor for reformation, but in connection with them we find pardon by faith in the blood of Jesus.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

Let No Evil Remain (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Let No Evil Remain
May 7
And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the Lord may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and show thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers. (Deuteronomy 13:17)

Israel must conquer idolatrous cities and destroy all the spoil, regarding all that had been polluted by idolatry as an accursed thing to be burned with fire. Now, sin of all sorts must be treated by Christians in the same manner. We must not allow a single evil habit to remain. It is now war to the knife with sins of all sorts and sizes, whether of the body, the mind, or the spirit. We do not look upon this giving up of evil as deserving mercy, but we regard it as a fruit of the grace of God, which we would on no account miss.
When God causes us to have no mercy on our sins, then He has great mercy on us. When we are angry with evil, God is no more angry with us. When we multiply our efforts against iniquity, the Lord multiplies our blessings. The way of peace, of growth, of safety, of joy in Christ Jesus will be found by following out these words: “There shall nought of the cursed thing cleave to thine hand.” Lord, purify me this day. Compassion, prosperity, increase, and joy will surely be given to those who put away sin with solemn resolution.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

All Turned to Holiness (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
All Turned to Holiness
April 16
In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, holiness unto the Lord, (Zechariah 14:20)

Happy day when all things shall be consecrated, and the horses’ bells shall ring out holiness to the Lord! That day has come to me. Do I not make all things holy to God? These garments, when I put them on or take them off, shall they not remind me of the righteousness of Christ Jesus my Lord? Shall not my work be done as unto the Lord? Oh, that today my clothes may be vestments, my meals sacraments, my house a temple, my table an altar, my speech incense, and myself a priest! Lord, fulfill Thy promise, and let nothing be to me common or unclean.
Let me in faith expect this. Believing it to be so, I shall be helped to make it so. As I myself am the property of Jesus, my Lord may take an inventory of all I have, for it is altogether His own; and I resolve to prove it to be so by the use to which I put it this day. From morning till evening I would order all things by a happy and holy rule. My bells shall ring — why should they not? Even my horses shall have bells — who has such a right to music as the saints have? But all my bells, my music, my mirth, shall be turned to holiness and shall ring out the name of “the happy God.”

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

“Be of Good Cheer” (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
“Be of Good Cheer”
May 31
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

My Lord’s words are true as to the tribulation. I have my share of it beyond all doubt. The flail is not hung up out of the way, nor can I hope that it will be laid aside so long as I lie upon the threshing floor, How can I look to be at home in the enemy’s country, joyful while in exile, or comfortable in a wilderness? This is not my rest. This is the place of the furnace, and the forge, and the hammer. My experience tallies with my Lord’s words.
I note how He bids me “be of good cheer.” Alas! I am far too apt to be downcast. My spirit soon sinks when I am sorely tried. But I must not give way to this feeling. When my Lord bids me cheer up I must not dare to be cast down.
What is the argument which He uses to encourage me? Why, it is His own victory. He says, “I have overcome the world.” His battle was much more severe than mine. I have not yet resisted unto blood. Why do I despair of overcoming? See, my soul, the enemy has been once overcome. I fight with a beaten foe. O world, Jesus has already vanquished thee; and in me, by His grace, He will overcome thee again. Therefore am I of good cheer and sing unto my conquering Lord.

From the Faith’s Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app – http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

 

My latest book reviews for RadiantLit.com

 

 

Because of new policies at Radiant Lit.com I can no longer post my reviews for them in part or whole here, but I can post the links to those reviews on their site.  So I’m taking that time now to give you links to mine and Jk’s latest reviews so you can check these wonderful books out.  I will be doing this every few months instead of each time one comes out because of some impending surgery that I will be going through withing the next few months.  Right now most of my time is being spent in preparing myself and my family for that surgery and the possible outcomes of it.  I know my readers will love many of these books, especially since they hold to clean, wholesome, Christian literary works.

Here are the links…

For my reviews…

The Anniversary Waltz…by: Darrel Nelson… http://radiantlit.com/2013/01/review-the-anniversary-waltz/#

Jesus Heals the Sick…by: Crystal Bowman… http://radiantlit.com/2012/12/ya-review-jesus-heals-the-sick-2/

Jesus Feeds the Hungry…by: Crystal Bowman… http://radiantlit.com/2012/12/ya-review-jesus-feeds-the-hungry-2/

Borders of the Heart…by:  Chris Fabry…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/11/review-borders-of-the-heart/

Sinner’s Creed…by Scott Stapp and David Ritz…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/10/review-sinners-creed-a-memoir/

After All…by:  Deborah Raney…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/10/review-after-all-3/

A Time to Heal…by:  Seye Oke… http://radiantlit.com/2012/08/review-a-time-to-heal/

Objects of My Affections… by:  Jill Smolinski…   http://radiantlit.com/2012/07/review-objects-of-my-affection-2/

Heroes of My Daughter…by: Brad Meltzer…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/06/review-heroes-for-my-daughter/

Poems From Heaven…  by”  Uzoaga Kelechukwu… http://radiantlit.com/2012/06/review-poems-from-heaven/

Lady Anne’s Quest… by: Susan Page Davis…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/06/review-lady-annes-quest/

The Prodigal Girl… by: Grace Livingston Hill…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/06/review-the-prodigal-girl/

After the Fire… by: Clare Revell…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/05/review-after-the-fire/

Thank You, God…From Kids Around the World… by: Allia Zobel Nolan…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/05/review-thank-you-godfrom-kids-around-the-world/

The Beloved Stranger… by: Grace Livingston Hill…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/05/review-the-beloved-stranger/

Beauty For Ashes… by:  Dorothy Love…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/04/review-beauty-for-ashes/

Sage and Sweetgrass… by:  Loree Perry…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/04/review-sage-and-sweetgrass/

Unlikely Praise… by: Carla Rossi… http://radiantlit.com/2012/03/review-unlikely-praise/

Matthew’s Story…The Jesus Chronicles… by: Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins… http://radiantlit.com/2012/03/review-matthews-storythe-jesus-chronicles/

 

 

For Jk’s reviews…

Jesus Heals the Sick…by: Crystal Bowman… http://radiantlit.com/2012/11/ya-review-jesus-heals-the-sick/

The Admiral…by: Gregg and Deborah Shaw Lewis…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/11/ya-review-the-admiral/

Jesus Feeds the Hungry… by: Crystal Bowman… http://radiantlit.com/2012/11/ya-review-jesus-feeds-the-hungry/

Confessions of a Wannabe Cheerleader…Revenge of the Titans…By: Zoe Evans… http://radiantlit.com/2012/10/ya-review-confessions-of-a-wannabe-cheerleader-revenge-of-the-titans/

Whatever…A 90 Day Devotional for Livin’ the True,Noble, and Totally Excellent Life!… by:  Allia Zobel Nolan… http://radiantlit.com/2012/10/review-whatever-a-90-day-devotional-for-livin-the-true-noble-and-totally-excellent-life/

The Friendly Beasts…Book with CD…By Rebecca St. James… http://radiantlit.com/2012/10/review-the-friendly-beasts-2/

Cheer, Confessions of a Wannabe Cheerleader…Bevan vs. Evan (And Other School
Rivalries)… by:  Zoe Evans…  http://radiantlit.com/2012/10/review-cheer-confessions-of-a-wannabe-cheerleader-bevan-vs-evan/

 

Radiant Lit.Com is a great site for Christian Book reviews.  They just launched a YA Fiction review section, that parents can use to choose books for their children, tweens and teens.  This is a section Jk and I both review for, and I have been blessed to read and review for adults too.  Above are all the reviews we have posted to date, with a few more already in and waiting for posting.  There are many reviewers working for this site, getting the best possible book selections available for those who love to read.  I hope you will check out some of the other reviews as well.  Here is a link to the main site where you will find all the review, interviews with authors and commentary on some of the trends out in the literary world… http://radiantlit.com/

 

 

Just a little Comfort for My Friends (especially Terry)

Last night I made a long awaited trip back to read some of my favorite blogs.  How I have missed having time to write myself.  I loved the Bible verses, devotions, stories, and yes even the political thoughts on so many of them.  I was also saddened by some who are struggling so hard right now.  I know their struggles are hard, because I have struggles to go through myself.  In praying over those blogs, and for those bloggers, I was struck with one single song that comforts my heart often when the Lord brings it to my heart and mind.  So I decided to leave the words to this song for my friend, Terry, and all the others who are finding their struggles too much to bear.  Please take heart, and know the Lord Jesus will see you through, just as he sees me through daily.  All you have to do is quit struggling on your own and surrender it all to him to take care of.  Here’s that song…

I Surrender All

All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I daily give

I will ever love and trust Him

In His presence daily live.

I surrender all,

I surrender all,

All to thee, my blessed Savior

I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender

Humbly at His feet I bow

Worldy pleasures all forsaken

Take me Jesus, take me now

I surrender all

I surrender all,

All to thee, my blessed Savior

I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender

Make me Savior, wholly thine.

Let me feel thy Holy Spirit,

And truely know that Thou art mine.

I surrender all,

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my blessed Savior,

I surrender all.

All to Jesus, I surrender

Lord, I give myself to Thee.

Fill me with Thy love and power,

Let Thy blessings fall on me.
I surrender all,

I surrender all,

All to Thee, my Blessed Savior

I surrender all.

Remember, it is in surrendering it all to Jesus, that we allow Him full control to work for our good, and to help us through the toughest times and the hardest struggle.  I’ve included a link to a video of the song for you to listen to.

I Surrender All – Isreal Houghton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-QYOTXajBs

 

I did not want to hurt so much…Rosana Salgado Burright

I did not want to hurt so much sub english.mp4 – YouTube.  This is the link to her video.

If you are hurting in your heart, going through an illness, or a tough time, or if you have been through a struggle in the past, please watch this You Tube video. My dear friend and sister-in-Christ wrote this song, and it is she who is singing and playing the guitar. Although the song is in Portuguese as her native country is Brazil, the subtitles are in English. She really has a heart for Christ Jesus, and you can feel her prayers through her music. She gives a short Bible Verse at the end, but don’t worry she also gives it in English in the subtitles.

Rosana could use your prayers too.  As I said she is originally from Brazil, but lives here in America now with her husband.  They spent their last dime on the cost of her immigration papers and now her life here is in jeopardy, because they can’t afford the $1,500 for her Green Card.  If they don’t get this she will have to go back to Brazil and start the whole process over.  Please keep her in your prayers, for her financial needs and for her ministry to women in both countries through her music and encouragement to help them overcome hurt, abuse, and more.  Thank you!

 

Two Versatile Blogger Awards!

Wow!  I’m so honored!  I finally got an internet connection this morning and was blessed to find that I had been nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award!  Thank you http://futureflyingsaucers.wordpress.com/ for the nomination!  As a homeschooling parent it is a wonderful thing when we can make a connection with other homeschooling parents and share activities, learning and craft ideas and experiences.  Future.Flying.Saucers is a blog full of wonderful posts on homeschooling, but it is more because it is also filled with a lot of love and joy.  I love the way this mom shares her love for her children, for the homeschooling experience, and just her love for being a mom.  Everytime I click on her site I get the excitement of opening a present at Christmas, the anticipation of what might be inside today, and I can see why her children are excited about homeschooling, and about their mother!  Thank you again, for sharing your blog with us, and for the nomination, http://futureflyingsaucers.wordpress.com/ !

Also thank you to http://scottsholar.com/  for the second nomination!  From current news events to thoughts on the teaching from the Bible, Scott always shares his Christian perspective and his love for Christ.  Although his site is new to me, I’ve loving it, because he is dedicated to standing up for his Christian faith, and isn’t being swayed by the lies the world is using to sway believers from God.  I also like that Scott is an encourager to fellow Christian bloggers, and that he is a good source for information about what is going on in our country that pertains to Christians.  Thank you Scott, for the nomination and for sharing your faith in Christ Jesus as well!

The Rules for this award are as follows:

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers who are relatively new to blogging (or whose blogs you enjoy most).
2. Let them know that you have nominated them.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Thank the blogger(s) who nominated you.
5. Add the Versatile Blogger Award picture to your blog post.

Now for 7 random things about me.  I think I’ve shared so many things this week through the other awards, that I’m not sure what is left, but here goes!

1.  My sister, Nelda, dyed my hair the summer between my 8th and 9th grade years of school.  It was suppose to be blond, but turned out orange.  Because she didn’t know how to fix it, I went to school that year and garnered the nickname “Rusty” from my friends at school.

2.  That same 9th grade year of school, my mom decided to buy me a purple shirt for school pictures and get me a perm.  Well, the perm turned out to be really tight and frizzy, and with my orange hair and purple shirt, I looked like a clown…lol.  Talk about the worse school picture.

3.  I started working at the age of 12, cleaning houses for various people at our church, usually those who were ill and couldn’t do it themselves, and others who worked or were elderly.  I continued to work many jobs from that time on, until I started homeschooling my youngest daughter a few years ago.

4.  I have held as many as 3 jobs as a single mom, to make sure my family was taken care of.

5.  I actually graduated from Cosmetology School when I was 21, and started regular college that same year.

6.  I have a thing about Queen Anne’s Chocolate Covered Cherries, but I only want them at Christmas time and only 1 box.  It’s because of my mom, who worked at the Queen Anne’s factory in Indiana when she was 16.  She passed that love she had for them on to me.  No other brand will ever do, once you’ve had Queen Anne’s.

7.  I play guitar, and I taught myself to do it with God’s help.  I tried to learn when I was 15, but I couldn’t do it at all.  When I became a Christian I sat down with my guitar, and spent a whole day learning to play “Jesus Loves Me” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children” so I could play them with my daughters, and to use in Childrens’ Church.  By the end of that day, I could play both songs and a few more, and since have added many chords and many, many more songs to my repertoire.  I never forget though that it was the Lord who made it possible.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!”

Okay, 7 things about me done, and now on to nominating 15 fellow bloggers for this award!  I have nominated so many for awards this past week that some of these may be among those already nominated for other awards.  I think The Versatile Blogger Award should probably go to bloggers who fill their blogs with a variety of posts, but while showing the various sides of them, still show their heart through each post.  So those will be the type of blogs I will nominate.  The following blogs are the ones I have chosen to nominate for The Versatile Blogger Award.

1.  http://momentumofjoy.com/  I love her thoughts on Christ, but I also love the laughter she brings through some of her posts.  I find this site to give me great moments of introspection and joy!

2.  http://birdmartin.wordpress.com/  Whether speaking of her love for Christ, about her love for family, or just a funny story about her life and her family, Bird always shows her heart and her personality in every single post.

3.  http://canadianmommytime.wordpress.com/  You want a taste of Real Housewives, then quit watching television and visit this Canadian Mommy’s blog.  This is a real mom, real housewife, and real woman’s life, not that glitz and glitter of shallow, spoiled women you see on television.  Canadian Mommy shares her love of her family, and of her life in every post.

4.  http://e1aine.wordpress.com/  I love this young lady’s blog, whether she is showing her beautiful jewelry creations, talking about fashion, or giving a good grammar lesson.  She writes with the heart and humor of youth, and the wisdom of maturity all at the same time.

5.  http://homeschoolyear.wordpress.com/  I know this is a Homeschool blog, but the variety of posts feature not only the written word, but photos, craft ideas for families, and even book reviews.  This blogger truly approaches homeschooling and blogging from a variety of angles.

6.  http://barbarabazzocchi.wordpress.com/  This blog is filled with a love for crafting, crocheting, gardening, travel and family!  Every time I click on Barbara’s blog I feel like I’m about to set off on a new journey filled with adventure!

7.  http://5gsandacupofjoe.net/  I can’t tell you how much I love this blog, but I can tell you why.  Visiting this blog is like sitting down with an old friend and talking about anything and everything in life, from Christ, to prepping, world news, to family.  This regular Joe makes you feel right at home when you visit his blog.

8.  http://sharinhislove.wordpress.com/  This blog does just what it says.  It shares the love of Jesus Christ in a variety of ways.  If I need a word of encouragement, or need a new way of looking at things that are going on, or just want to feel the joy and love of Christ in my life, this is one blog that gives me those immediately.

9.  http://hometogo232.wordpress.com/  What to feel love in a variety of ways, this is the blog for you.  You’ll either feel like you are at Grandma’s home, Mom’s home, or a dear friend’s home when you visit this blog, depending on your age.  It is evident, no matter what Diane is blogging about, you will feel welcome into her life, and her heart, but most of all you will feel her love for Jesus.

10.  http://thehomesteadatspringcreek.wordpress.com/   Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to homestead, to live off the grid, or what it must have been like for early settlers?  Then this is the blog for you.  Each post is an adventure in the making, whether family life, gardening, information about different plants, recipes, or a new look at things in nature.

11.   http://pulchradoctrina.wordpress.com/   Another homeschool blog filled with ideas, photos, family, and personality.

12.  http://lynnecobb.com/   I love that this blogger writes about a variety of things from a variety of emotions.  One moment you will feel empathy with her, the next you will be laughing at her adventures and her look at life.

13. http://originalapplejunkie.wordpress.com/  Can’t forget my Apple Junkie  Sister-in-Christ!  Her blog is filled with her adventure of living in Portugal, yet filled with a variety of things from cooking, family, and personal thoughts from the heart.  You can’t help but feel the heart of home in her writing while enjoying her adventure in another country at the same time.

14.  http://naturallyfundays.wordpress.com/  Another homeschooling blog with a variety of adventures, ideas, and lots of family love.

15.  http://childdrivenlearning.wordpress.com/  Nothing I like more than traveling…taking a journey to some place new.  This blog takes the reader on a trip with them through their homeschooling adventures.

16.  http://lbtk.wordpress.com/   I’m adding an extra one because I feel this one is so deserving of this award.  The variety of posts which all share this bloggers love for life, for teaching, and for the Lord Jesus, always leaves me with a warm feeling of standing at the foot of the throne of Jesus, yet feeling his warm hugs and love for me, that I’m drawn back to see how that love is expressed with each post.

Again I would like to thank http://futureflyingsaucers.wordpress.com/  for the nomination, and to all these other bloggers as well for filling my blogging adventure with variety, warmth, and fun!

 

Days Of Elijah (Christian Music Video) – YouTube

Behold He Comes…what I’m waiting for, longing for, and praying for!  I see things moving in place just like the Bible Prophecies and I can’t wait to be called home by my Lord and Savior!

Days Of Elijah (Christian Music Video) – YouTube.

This video pretty much describes my mood today, one of hope and anticipation.  I can’t wait until we leave the constraints of this world and this body, and receive a new body, and neverending praise and worship to the King of Kings in Heaven!  But with this joy comes a sorrow for those who are unsaved because I wish we all would be ready to go, and no one would be left behind. My one longing for my children and grandchildren is to see them in Heaven because they found salvation in Jesus Christ.  That is the one thing I pray for daily.