His Kindness and Covenant (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
His Kindness and Covenant
December 27
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. (Isaiah 54:10)

One of the most delightful qualities of divine love is its abiding character. The pillars of the earth may be moved out of their places, but the kindness and the covenant of our merciful Jehovah never depart from His people. Row happy my soul feels in a firm belief of this inspired declaration! The year is almost over, and the years of my life are growing few, but time does not change my Lord. New lamps are taking the place of the old; perpetual change is on all things, but our Lord is the same. Force over turns the hills, but no conceivable power can affect the eternal God. Nothing in the past, the present, or the future can cause Jehovah to be unkind to me.
My soul, rest in the eternal kindness of the Lord, who treats thee as one near of kin. Remember also the everlasting covenant. God is ever mindful of it – see that thou art mindful of it too. In Christ Jesus the glorious God has pledged Himself to thee to be thy God and to hold thee as one of His people. Kindness and covenant-dwell on these words as sure and lasting things which eternity itself shall not take from thee.

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

 

Trust and Do; Do and Trust (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Trust and Do; Do and Trust
December 11
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. (Psalm 37:3)

Trust and do are words which go well together, in the order in which the Holy Spirit has placed them. We should have faith, and that faith should work. Trust in God sets us upon holy doing: we trust God for good, and then we do good. We do not sit still because we trust, but we arouse ourselves and expect the Lord to work through us and by us. It is not ours to worry and do evil but to trust and do good. We neither trust without doing nor do without trusting.
Adversaries would root us out if they could; but by trusting and doing we dwell in the land. We will not go into Egypt, but we will remain in Immanuel’s land-the providence of God, the Canaan of covenant love. We are not so easily to be got rid of as the Lord’s enemies suppose. They cannot thrust us Out nor stamp us out: where God has given us a name and a place, there we abide.
But what about the supply of our necessities? The Lord has put a “verily” into this promise. As sure as God is true, His people shall be fed. It is theirs to trust and to do, and it is the Lord’s to do according to their trust. If not fed by ravens, or fed by an Obadiah, or fed by a widow, yet they shall be fed somehow. Away, ye fears!

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

 

At God’s Bidding (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
At God’s Bidding
October 5
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. (Micah 5:7)

If this be true of the literal Israel, much more is it true of the spiritual Israel, the believing people of God. When saints are what they should be, they are an incalculable blessing to those among whom they are scattered.
They are as the dew; for in a quiet, unobtrusive manner they refresh those around them. Silently but effectually they minister to the life, growth, and joy of those who dwell with them. Coming fresh from heaven, glistening like diamonds in the sun, gracious men and women attend to the feeble and insignificant till each blade of grass has its own drop of dew. Little as individuals, they are, when united, all-sufficient for the purposes of love which the Lord fulfills through them. Dew drops accomplish the refreshing of broad acres. Lord, make us like the dew!
Godly people are as showers which come at God’s bidding without man’s leave and license. They work for God whether men desire it or not; they no more ask human permission than the rain does. Lord, make us thus boldly prompt and free in Thy service wherever our lot is cast.

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

 

Speak What He Teaches (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Speak What He Teaches
August 2
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. (Exodus 4:12)

Many a true servant of the Lord is slow of speech, and when called upon to plead for his Lord, he is in great confusion lest he should spoil a good cause by his bad advocacy. In such a case it is well to remember that the Lord made the tongue which is so slow, and we must take care that we do not blame our maker. It may be that a slow tongue is not so great an evil as a fast one, and fewness of words may be more of a blessing than floods of verbiage. It is also quite certain that real saving power does not lie in human rhetoric, with its tropes, and pretty phrases, and grand displays. Lack of fluency is not so great a lack as it looks.
If God be with our mouth, and with our mind, we shall have something better than the sounding brass of eloquence or the tinkling cymbal of persuasion. God’s teaching is wisdom; His presence is power. Pharaoh had more reason to be afraid of stammering Moses than of the most fluent talker in Egypt; for what he said had power in it; he spoke plagues and deaths. If the Lord be with us in our natural weakness we shall be girt with supernatural power. Therefore, let us speak for Jesus boldly, as we ought to speak.

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

 

Unbroken Fellowship Essential (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Unbroken Fellowship Essential
February 23
lf ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)

Of necessity we must be in Christ to live unto Him, and we must abide in Him to be able to claim the largesse of this promise from Him. To abide in Jesus is never to quit Him for another love or another object, but to remain in living, loving, conscious, willing union with Him. The branch is not only ever near the stem but ever receiving life and fruitfulness horn it. All true believers abide in Christ in a sense; but there is a higher meaning, and this we must know before we can gain unlimited power at the throne. “Ask what ye will” is for Enochs who walk with God, for Johns who lie in the Lord’s bosom, for those whose union with Christ leads to constant communion.
The heart must remain in love, the mind must be rooted in faith, the hope must be cemented to the Word, the whole man must be joined unto the Lord, or else it would be dangerous to trust us with power in prayer. The carte blanche can only be given to one whose very life is, “Not I, but Christ liveth in me.” O you who break your fellowship, what power you lose! If you would be mighty in your pleadings, the Lord Himself must abide in you, and you in Him.

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

 

Obedience Brings Blessing (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Obedience Brings Blessing
January 29
Observe and hear all these words, which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 12:28)

Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God. The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.
We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to “all these words.” There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded. This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children. The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation. If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed. No blessing can come to us or ours through dishonesty or double dealing. The ways of worldly conformity and unholiness cannot bring good to us or ours. It will go well with us when we go well before God. If integrity does not make us prosper, knavery will not. That which gives pleasure to God will bring pleasure to us.

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

 

Unbroken Fellowship Essential (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Unbroken Fellowship Essential
February 23
lf ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:7)

Of necessity we must be in Christ to live unto Him, and we must abide in Him to be able to claim the largesse of this promise from Him. To abide in Jesus is never to quit Him for another love or another object, but to remain in living, loving, conscious, willing union with Him. The branch is not only ever near the stem but ever receiving life and fruitfulness horn it. All true believers abide in Christ in a sense; but there is a higher meaning, and this we must know before we can gain unlimited power at the throne. “Ask what ye will” is for Enochs who walk with God, for Johns who lie in the Lord’s bosom, for those whose union with Christ leads to constant communion.
The heart must remain in love, the mind must be rooted in faith, the hope must be cemented to the Word, the whole man must be joined unto the Lord, or else it would be dangerous to trust us with power in prayer. The carte blanche can only be given to one whose very life is, “Not I, but Christ liveth in me.” O you who break your fellowship, what power you lose! If you would be mighty in your pleadings, the Lord Himself must abide in you, and you in Him.

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

 

Obedience Brings Blessing (Spurgeon’s Faith’s Checkbook)

From Charles Spurgeon’s “Faith’s Checkbook”
Obedience Brings Blessing
January 29
Observe and hear all these words, which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God. (Deuteronomy 12:28)

Though salvation is not by the works of the law, yet the blessings which are promised to obedience are not denied to the faithful servants of God. The curses our Lord took away when He was made a curse for us, but no clause of blessing has been abrogated.
We are to note and listen to the revealed will of the Lord, giving our attention not to portions of it but to “all these words.” There must be no picking and choosing but an impartial respect to all that God has commanded. This is the road of blessedness for the Father and for His children. The Lord’s blessing is upon His chosen to the third and fourth generation. If they walk uprightly before Him, He will make all men know that they are a seed which the Lord has blessed. No blessing can come to us or ours through dishonesty or double dealing. The ways of worldly conformity and unholiness cannot bring good to us or ours. It will go well with us when we go well before God. If integrity does not make us prosper, knavery will not. That which gives pleasure to God will bring pleasure to us.

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

 

My Word Cloud based on my Blog

I decided to do a word cloud for my blog, to see what words I used most.  I thought this would be a good thing to see where my own focus was, and where it seemed my blog was going.  What I learned in making it, is that you can move your center point to change what words became the main focus.  So although this is a great thing to see the words most commonly used on your site, or the things you focus on mostly, it doesn’t really give you the exact words that are most important, because you can change the pinpoint to emphasize which ever you want to appear to be the most important.  I still think it is a good thing to do every once in a while, just to keep yourself in check, and for you to see how your own attitudes in your blog are looking to others.  The words we choose to write with are so important.  They can speak of love and compassion, or selfishness and ego.  What are your words saying to others?  Are you willing to refocus for your own good, and for the good of those who read your words?

If you would like to do a Word Cloud for your blog, an article, report, or something else here is the link to the site I used to do this… http://worditout.com/

For those homeschooling parents…for that matter any parent with children…here is a site that is easy enough for any child who can write to use to make a word cloud… http://www.abcya.com/word_clouds.htm

 

He Can Heal My Heart!

The night before last I had a harrowing experience.  All day on Tuesday I had felt a growing pressure in my chest, and thought I was having problems with my asthma.  During the day I had to use my inhaler 3 different times just to get some air in my lungs.  I didn’t think much of it, except…”Hmm…wonder if I’m catching a chest cold?”  I’ve been very susceptible to catching colds, viruses, strep, and flus since I was a child, but even more as I get older and since they diagnosed me with Epstein-Barre Syndrom brought on by a 3-month case of Bronchitus.  Well, the day wore on with the feeling of pressure in my chest, but it didn’t seem to get worse, or better at all.  Then about 11:15 p.m., while sitting on my bed checking emails, I suddenly felt like something gripped my heart and was twisting it violently.  Pain wracked my back in the center between my shoulder blades, and a sharp pain radiated down the inside of my left arm to my elbow.  I thought first it was a catch in my back and so I stood up to stretch and found myself falling back to my bed, dizzy, and doubled up in excruciating pain.  I’d never in my life felt anything like this,and lay there clutching my chest crying and not able to talk because I couldn’t breathe.  My youngest daughter heard me fall and came running into the room, and she looked frightened.  Even in extreme pain the mother in me kicked in, and at that moment all I could think is to tell her to pray, and then instead of screaming in pain, force myself to just say “Lord Jesus, help me please!”  Then my husband, who had been asleep for over 3 hours, woke to my cries and praying, and he didn’t wake up in a good mood.  Instead he woke up in a very grumpy mood, raising his voice and saying…”Well…what do you want me to do for you?!”  This only added to my frustration and anguish.  Couldn’t he see that I was clinching my heart and writhing in pain?  Couldn’t he hear my cries to Jesus for help?  Didn’t he listen to my daughter telling him what was going on?  I was in shock, heartbroken, and the tears flowed even more.  I could understand him being upset about being woken up…if it was for a foolish reason, but for his wife lieing there possibly dieing…really?!  Then he added another blow with his question…”Do I need to take you to the hospital?”  It wasn’t said with compassion, but more like he was irritated that he might have to? Then I became irritated with him as well.  Was I going  to have to tell him what to do?  I could barely say, Help me Jesus, and this man wanted me to tell him how to help me!  To say I was in shock is mild, because in my pain-racked, worried mind, I couldn’t believe this man who had taken first aid training in the past, didn’t seem to know what to do, nor had the compassion to do it!  I now felt like Satan was literally attacking me, not only through the pain, but through the hurtful attitudes and words.  I guess he didn’t realize how serious it was until he tried to stand me up to go to the hospital and the dizziness and pain drove me back down onto the bed once more.  He finally realized he needed to call 9-1-1.  The rest is a blur of paramedics, ambulance ride, shaking uncontrollably, pain, bumpy roads, oxygen mask, needles sticking me, xrays, EKGs, Nitroglycerin given to me, more needles, 2  I.V.s  stuck in me, lots of questions, no sleep and no food or drink for 24 hours, nice nurses, rude nurses, doctors who didn’t seem to have a clue, one doctor that was in denial about her responsibility for my high cholesterol not being treated after 4 years (I had been a patient of hers), more words that came uncaringly from my husband (He thought he was showing that he understood by calling attention to himself…He picked the wrong words to do it), confusing information from doctors with a diagnosis that didn’t match what they were saying about test results, and finally after an overnight stay that made me think “this is what Hell must be like”  I finally was let go home with the arrival of a male nurse with a to-go-cup of ice water, saying “Surprise! here is your last cup of ice water in this hospital!”  My thought at that moment…”Yeah, and since it is also the only glass a water that I’ve been given in 24 hours should I be thankful?”  Needless to say, I left with a migraine and still having chest pain and constriction, starving, so thirsty my lips were cracking, and a broken heart from unnecessary attitudes and words.  I cried all the way home…that is silently cried because the tears flowed but I couldn’t make a sound.  In my heart all I could pray was…”Why, Lord?”  Stopping to pick up my prescriptions only made things worse, as we found out the nurse did not call in the doctor’s prescription like she said she did when we left.  Then frustration grew when my husband said, “What a pain this all is!”   Words said…argument…appetite ruined from the nausea that comes from anger, and all I wanted to do was go home, crawl in bed and cry.  Why, Lord?  Did I deserve this?  We get home, and I carry in everything, no help, no one making sure I didn’t fall, no compassion at all.  Lord, isn’t there anything that can turn this around now?  I made it up the stairs to my bedroom, and as I sat down on the bed, over on my keyboard something caught my eye.  It was a poem I had written in 2005 when I first started going through these health issues.  I sat down and read it, and yes, the tears began to flow even more.  Prayer, apologies, communication, hugs and a broken heart is mended.  Here is that poem…

HE CAN HEAL MY HEART

By:  Bonita L. Ledzius…copyright 2005

 

If He can control the wind and the waves,

He can change my life.

If He can make the blind see and lame walk,

He can heal my heart.

If Christ can resurrect the dead,

Feed the multitude with fish and bread,

If Christ can overcome Satan’s darts,

He can heal my heart.

If He can face the cross alone,

He can see my fear.

If He can face the cold, dark tomb,

He can hold me near.

If Christ can overcome the grave,

Do it all our souls to save,

He can heal my heart

Where no one else can see.

He can change my life,

And heal the doubts in me.

Of all the miracles our mighty God can do,

If you let Him, He can heal you, too!