Encouragement...

I have several friends who are in a situation similar to ours. The economy is bleh. Their husbands' jobs are far from secure. If you take it to the logical conclusion of all the things that COULD happen, it all looks so bleak.

But today I was at the school where I teach journalism and I checked my email before class. Bizarrely, I had received the daily devotional our superintendent sends out in TRIPLICATE... THREE TIMES. I hadn't noticed it last night when I checked email. I almost deleted them because I just didn't feel like reading anything at that moment. Then I considered that since it was in my inbox three times, the Lord might be trying to tell me something. So I opened it.

Here's what it said:

Dear Staff,

This world is full of worry and fear. In these economic times, if we were able to gauge the worry and fear of Americans, it would be off the charts. Folks, Jesus has us in His sight. You are in God's hands. If the Lord is on our side, who should we fear? Of course, there is no"if" because God is in control. We should not worry. Not only is He in control, He daily gives us His power, love, and direction.

*BIBLE MEDITATION:*"For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7<http://www.lwf.org/site/R?i=Fs_aSEBaWr6Xdw8NIV6tNg..>

*DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:*When we ought to be enjoying victorious, abundant lives...what happens?Fear creeps in and grips us cold. Many of us lose priceless opportunities because of this boa constrictor of fear. When fear dominates, there is no room for Christ Who can comfort us (John 16:33).Worry is the noxious first cousin to fear. They will do to you what grit does to machinery --- shut you down. But God gives us the victory with His power, His love, and the gift of a sound mind. The Holy Spirit is your Bodyguard. He walks with you. The man who can kneel before God can stand before any man.

*ACTION POINT:*Jesus has you in His sight. You are in God's right hand. Write that down and post it in a place where you can meditate on it throughout the day.Now, ask yourself, "Knowing this, can anything this week change those truths?"

In an LOL moment, it was in my personal email box at home three times too!

OK... and then my friend Jane sent an email with the comment that she bet I was encouraged by Streams in the Desert today:

January, 16
Faith Grows Amid Storms

"He hath acquainted himself with my beaten path. When he hath searched me out, I shall come out shining" (Job 23:10, free translation).Faith grows amid storms"--just four words, but oh, how full of import to the soul who has been in the storms!
Faith is that God-given faculty which, when exercised, brings the unseen into plain view, and by which the impossible things are made possible. It deals with supernaturals.But it "grows amid storms"; that is, where there are disturbances in the spiritual atmosphere. Storms are caused by the conflicts of elements; and the storms of the spiritual world are conflicts with hostile elements.
In such an atmosphere faith finds its most productive soil; in such an element it comes more quickly to full fruition.The staunchest tree is not found in the shelter of the forest, but out in the open where the winds from every quarter beat upon it, and bend and twist it until it becomes a giant in stature this is the tree which the mechanic wants his tools made of, and the wagon-maker seeks.

So in the spiritual world, when you see a giant, remember the road you must travel to come up to his side is not along the sunny lane where wild flowers ever bloom; but a steep, rocky, narrow pathway where the blasts of hell will almost blow you off your feet; where the sharp rocks cut the flesh, where the projecting thorns scratch the brow, and the venomous beasts hiss on every side.It is a pathway of sorrow and joy, of suffering and healing balm, of tears and smiles, of trials and victories, of conflicts and triumphs, of hardships and perils and buffetings, of persecutions and misunderstandings, of troubles and distress; through all of which we are made more than conquerors through Him who loves us.

"Amid storms." Right in the midst where it is fiercest. You may shrink back from the ordeal of a fierce storm of trial…but go in! God is there to meet you in the center of all your trials, and to whisper His secrets which will make you come forth with a shining face and an indomitable faith that all the demons of hell shall never afterwards cause to waver. --E. A. Kilbourne


And then today I was following up on the memory verse that I'm doing along with a whole passel of women who read Beth Moore's Blog, and you know what the verse I chose was?

"He will cover you with his feather and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." ~Psalm 91:4

So then I was checking out the Scripture box on my Facebook profile and here's what the Scripture of the day is:

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." ~ Luke 12:6-7

I'm starting to get the idea that the Lord wants us to know... really know... He's taking care of us. Amazing!