Complete in Him

by Tammy Phillips
June 24, 2021

 “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” ¹³ So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.” (Joel 2:12-13 NKJV)

Holy Spirit had really been chasing me down and speaking to my heart.  He was coming after me with word after loving word.  He was gently turning me back to Him and my disgust with myself to His mercy.  He wanted my whole heart.  Every broken piece of it.  He wanted me to let go and repent in two different areas.  The first one was my eating habits.  The second I will discuss later. 

On February 22, 2021, I confessed my lack of self-control to the Lord and my sisters.  The very next day, I was blessed to go to Florida to finalize plans for our son’s rehearsal dinner.  I could hear the Lord calling me to return to Him in my eating.  Our Father chose to shower me with His love, mercy, and grace in my turning.  He became absolutely irresistible to me.  Through random acts of kindness in one day, He showed me how very much He loved me:

1. I picked a random jacket that I had worn early to pack for the trip.  It “happened” to pocket the only key fob to my car. I would not have known at all where my key was and would have freaked when it was time to head to airport.
2. I went to put on my “priceless,” irreplaceable, favorite necklace. It also was nowhere to be found.  I did not freak out.  I breathed and precious Holy Spirit directed me right to it.  It had found safety from a recent trip in a little leather pouch in another bag.
3. Everything was on time as far as the shuttle and airline was concerned.
4. My shuttle driver from the hotel to the airport was a believer. As soon as I parked, the shuttle was there and waiting for me.  The driver was chatty.  I thought he was working for a tip. He asked a lot of questions in a short ride that quickly led to us sharing Jesus.  Anthony, my driver, turned out to be an ordained preacher, ex-boxer who has a tv show.  He asked how he could pray for me.  It is usually the other way around.  He prayed heaven down and prayed all over me.
5. Then an elderly airport security man passed me and said, “You need to walk this way…the beauty pageant is down there.” He was not flirty.  He just wanted to make this girl smile and she needed it.  Only God could align all this encouragement for my weary heart.
6. When I arrived in Florida, I got upgraded from an economy to a sports car.
7. On my first walk to the beach, two construction men greeted me. They asked if I was visiting Florida and sincerely thanked me for coming.
8. Then, the day ended with the most glorious sunset. 
9. Finished the day with a gift from a friend, Lana Vawser’s book, “NEW ERA.” The Lord showed me I was indeed entering into a NEW ERA.  
10. My Mom sent me a precious, encouraging email.  She did not know I was struggling to get back on the weight loss journey.
11. Out of the blue, I got two loving and encouraging texts from old friends and had a phone conversation with another.

You might say, “I never had a day like that before!”  To that I would say, I bet you have, you just did not notice.  The Lord used ten different people that day to love on me.  I had been really sad, disappointed, and disgusted with me.  He did not want me to stay in that  place.

The Lord loves on you every day.  Do you notice?

I enCOURAGE you to take time during your day to really see where God pours His mercy, grace, and love on you.  His mercy endures forever and is waiting on you.   Do you hear Him calling?  He is a GOOD God.  Don’t waste time, turn back to Him.  Thank you for your mercy, Lord!

by Tammy Phillips
June 23, 2021

Where are you struggling?  
Is it in a relationship or marriage?

How are your being stretched?
Is it your children, want of a child or loss of a child? 

Who are you striving for?
Aging parents? A coach? A husband? 

Why are you in agony?
Is a loved one sick, dying or even passed?

What are you laboring over?
Is it your current employment or new job pursuit?

What are you fighting for?
Self-control and discipline?

If I could write a letter to you or me in the middle of the struggle, I would encourage with the words of Paul  and Isaiah and simply say: “STAND! STAND! STAND!”  Do not move out of faith in God.  Our confession would be:  

“I stand continually on the watchtower (lean in and look forward) in the daytime.  I have sat at my post every night.” (Isaiah 21:8 NKJV)

I WILL STAND CONTINUALLY.
I will endure constantly.
I will continue continually.
I will abide always.
I will persist persistently.
I will be steadfast without interruption.
I will stand upright invariably.
I will stand firm forever.
I will persevere perpetually.
I will remain in place unceasingly.
I will be resolute in the stretch.

I WILL NOT MOVE!

I HAVE SAT.
I have taken my stand.
I have been stationed.
I have been erected.
I  have been established.
I have been fixed.
I have been planted.
I have been put in place. 

I HAVE NOT MOVED
I WILL NOT MOVE.
I AM NOT MOVING.

I will not be caught off guard.
I will be on alert.
The struggle will not win.

I am an Overcomer in Him.

I enCOURAGE you to stand in the middle of your struggle.

by Tammy Phillips
June 22, 2021

The only way that I am still here on this earth is because the LORD is and has been my Keeper.  Thank the Lord that He looks past stupid, careless, and reckless.  One rainy day about thirty years ago, I was driving west on two lanes of 316 headed from Athens to Atlanta. Unexplainably, I lost control of my car, spun around, and ended up nose to nose with an eighteen-wheeler truck.  There were literally inches between us, but not a scratch on either of us.  The LORD was my KEEPER.

In my early twenties in the pre-cellphone era, I helped move my best friend to Tampa, Florida. We got separated and I ran out of gas at night on I-75S which was then called cocaine alley.  I was picked up by two men in a van who did not harm me.  They kindly took me to a gas station but later stole my money. The LORD was my Keeper.

Brayden, my oldest son was born by c-section.  At some point he swallowed meconium which went to his lungs.  He had difficulty breathing and was not getting better.  I gave him back to the Lord, laid him at the feet of Jesus, and ask for healing.  Shortly after, we went home.  Also, I stopped breathing on the operating table during his delivery.  We both survived.  The Lord was and is our Keeper from birth to earth to heaven and all places in between. 

There are more of those God stories, but I will stop for now and  remind you…

The LORD is your Keeper.
The LORD is your Watchman.
The LORD is your Guard.
The LORD is your Preserver.
The LORD is your Protector.
The LORD is your Hedge of Protection.
The LORD is your Overseer.
The LORD is your Cover.

The Keeper will not allow your foot to be moved.
The Keeper will not slumber.
The Keeper will not sleep.
The Keeper is the shade at your right hand.
The Keeper will preserve you from all evil.
The Keeper will preserve your soul.

The Keeper shall keep, watch, guard, preserve, protect, circle, oversee, and cover your going out and your coming, now, and forever. (Psalm 121)

Of course, we are to imitate our Keeper, the LORD.  We are to be watchmen and keepers.  We are instructed in 1 Peter 5:8: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”   Our “keeping rooms” should be keeping the enemy from carrying out his plans.

Paul tells us that we should be watchful in prayer, praying always and for everyone. “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— (Ephesians 6:18 NKJV)

In Philippians 4 Paul also tells us to pray about everything.  I think “everything” just about covers. It.  Pray all the time, for everything and everybody.  Prayer is watching out.  Prayer is keeping guard. Prayer is preserving.  Prayer is a hedge of protection.  Prayer is covering.

I enCOURAGE you, watchmen, to trust your Keeper, the Lord Jesus.  Remember, the many times that He has kept you.  He is always watching and ever interceding for you.  I enCOURGE you to imitate Him.  Pray and cover EVERYTHING:  leaders, the nation, your state, your city, and your community.  Keep your spouse,  children, family and friends at the feet of Jesus in front of the throne of God.  “Keeping on keeping on,” just like the Lord, Your Keeper.

by Tammy Phillips
June 21, 2021

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38 NKJV)

Let them have it.  Whoever needs it, give it away!  Give to everyone who asks of you. (Luke 6:30 NKJV).  Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive. “ (Acts 20:35 NKJV) And, of course, He was right.  Don’t you like getting gifts, but love giving so much more?  It is so fun when you find the perfect gift and wait in anticipation to give it away.   I am not just talking about precious things wrapped in pretty bows.  I am talking about serving, time, texts, recipes, cookies, phone calls, hope, encouragement, words of life and love. We have so much more to give than “things.”  

“God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7 NKJV). Quite honestly, we cannot out give God.  He says give and it will be given to you running over.  We do not give to get back.  It is the right thing to do.  It is the God thing to do.  It is His heart.  So…

“Give, and it will be given to you.”
Bestow bravery and bravery will bestowed to you.
Commission compassion and compassion will be commissioned to you.
Endue encouragement and encouragement will be endued to you.
Deliver deliverance and deliverance will be delivered to you.
Fork over forgiveness and forgiveness will be forked over to you.
Grant grace and grace will be granted to you.
Gift goodness and goodness will be granted to you.
Hand out help and help will be handed out to you.
Heap up happiness and happiness will be heaped upon you.
Lavish love and love will be lavished on you.
Present peace and peace will be presented to you.
Pass out patience and patience will be passed out to you.
Render richly and richly will be rendered to you.
Show mercy and mercy will be shown to you.
Supply freely and freely it will be supplied to you.

Good measure! No skimping from our limitless Father!
Pressed down! So more can be added.
Shaken together!   Compacted and compressed!
Running over, abundant, uncontainable,
will be put into your bosom.
For with the same measure that you use,
it will be measured back to you!

I enCOURAGE you to give, give, give.  Think of new ways to give.  Give your time.  Give your words. Give a smile.  Give yourself. Give God.  Give love.  Give because it is the right thing to do.  It makes God happy.  Don’t you like making GOD happy?  The reward is He will not let you out give Him. 

He who has mercy, shows favor, and is gracious to the poor, weak, low, needy, empty, dried up, dangling, hanging down, he lends to, unites with, and entwines with the LORD, and the LORD will pay back what he has given. (Proverbs 19:17 NKJV).  Let them have it.  Give away.

by Tammy Phillips
June 20, 2021

“Be merciful, just as your Father, also is merciful.” (Luke 6:36 NKJV)

Caution before you read this!   Holy Spirit has been transforming me and turning my disgust to mercy in many areas of my life since early 2021.   He has been teaching me the precept of mercy from Luke 6 pretty much all year.  Do not read further, if you have mercy down.  If you are always loving and kind and good, you are wasting your time with this encouragement.  If you never take offense, then move on.  I promise you; the enemy has tried to move me from a place of mercy to offended, more times than I can count on my hand in these last few months.   I am attempting a permanent move to mercy land.  I know as I write this to be prepared for the offense, Jesus said, ““It is impossible that no offenses should come…!”  I am prepared to throw it back and exercise mercy.  I choose to follow our Father’s example.    He gives great mercy, and He expects us to do the same. He gives us some pretty clear instruction throughout His word how to be merciful.

1. PLAN TO DO GOOD.

“Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.” (Proverbs 14:22 NKJV) 

It is easy to do good and love the lovable.  We must plan to do good to the person who has hurt us, the person who does not agree with us and the ones less fortunate than us.  We have to look at all through God glasses that have the lens of truth and mercy.  Those glasses include offense and pride blockers.  We may have been hurt, but the truth is the hurt is not ours to own, forgiveness is.  Mercy and truth are then ours when we make the plan to do good.

2. PLAN TO DO RIGHT.
   

“He that follows after righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness, and honor.” (Proverbs 21:21 KJV)

It is not always easy to do the right thing and to follow after righteousness, particularly, when we have been wronged.  When someone slanders our name, our first response is to react and not turn the other cheek.  Our first thought is not, “let me crucify my flesh so that I can be loving and kind.”  When Jesus was spat on, arrested, and falsely accused, He chose the “right way.”  He chose silence. 

3. DO NOT FORGET OR LEAVE MERCY BEHIND

“Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.” (Proverbs 3:3 KJV) 

We already have put our mercy and truth glasses with the plan of lovingkindness and good.  Now we are instructed to put on our mercy and truth scarf and tie it around our neck so they always with us. And it is so important that they are always with us, write them on the tables of our heart as a permanent reminder, never to be left behind.   Nothing like a double reminder to keep mercy and truth at the forefront of our minds.

4. LOVE YOUR ENEMIES
   

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil…” (Luke 6:35)

This is a hard one to chew up and swallow. Love the hateful. Love the hater. Love the opposition. Do good to those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us. This is imitation of Father God who is love.  He chose us when we were opposed to Him.  He chose His only son to die for the whole creation who was opposed to Him. 

The one time when I was betrayed and hurt the very worst, I went to God yelling for help.  I needed comfort.   I did not understand.  Guess what our Father’s first comforting words were to me?  The scripture He brought to my mind- LOVE!  LOVE YOUR ENEMY!  I was gut hurt and He said choose Me.  Choose love not hate.  At that time, I could not get passed those three words.  Today, I see the reward at the end of the verse!  Love and your reward will be great.  Hallelujah.  Love and you will be the sons and daughters of the Most High.  

5.  DO WHAT IS GOOD

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 NKJV)

The Lord really does not ask too much of us. We do not have to follow the multitude of rules from the Old Testament. He has shown us what is good.  We have simple directions to follow Him-do it.  
a.  Do the right thing.  Do truth. 
b.  Love mercy.  Love kindness. Love good. Love love.
c.  Walk humbly. Walk it out with Him. We have to be humble if we are going to walk out mercy.

I enCOURAGE you to give mercy as freely as you have received it.  Imitate our Father.  Pass it one.  It is NOT easy, but in the end, it is so worth it.  “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”  (Matthew 5:7 KJV)

 

 

by Tammy Phillips
June 19, 2021

Psalm 138:1-8 NKJV

This song of David rocked my world early this year.  God used it to love me back into His merciful arms.  He did the same last night and this morning.  I was wound up tight from lack of sleep.  Sleep eluded me this whole week.  I was in a tight place.  I literally felt like my skin was crawling off my back.  I was hot and I was cold.  I wanted cover off, then I wanted it on. The Lord mercifully brought me five hours of sweet sleep and this song was waiting for me, again,  this morning. This is a slow-read, deep-dig into Psalm 138.  Enjoy.

I will praise
I will throw
I will shoot
I will cast
I will hold out my hand
I will celebrate
I will confess
I will point out

YOU LORD

with my whole heart
with my inner man
from my midst

Before the gods I will sing praises to You.

I will worship
I will bow down
I will lay prostrate

toward Your holy temple and praise Your name for

Your lovingkindness
Your mercy
Your goodness

And

Your truth
Your stability
Your trustworthiness
Your faithfulness
Your certainty
Your uprightness
Your firmness
Your support
Your staying power
You who props up
You who builds up
You unshakeable
You who bears me in Your arms

You have magnified Your word above all Your name

In the day
In the heat of the day
In the heat of the battle
When it was hot
When I cried out

You answered
You had your eye on me
You paid attention
You responded
You spoke
You sang over me
You shouted over me

You made me bold
You urged me on
You sured me up
Your strengthened me
You made me be fierce
You made me courageous

with strength, boldness, might and power

in my soul
in my inner man
in my breath

All the kings of the earth shall praise You,
O LORD, when they hear the words of Your mouth.

Yes, they shall sing of
the ways, the trodden road, the journey, and the distance

of the LORD,

For the greatest is the glory, the weight, and the heaviness
of the LORD.

The LORD is on high, yet

He regards me
He respects me
He considers me
He looks at me
He sees me
He sees the lowly
He sees the “Lowe”
He sees the depressed
He sees the cast down

But the proud He knows from afar, remotely

Though I walk in the midst of trouble
Though I walk in a tight place
Though I walk in a narrow place.

You will revive me
You will breathe on me
You will cause me to flourish
You will cause me to live well
You will prosper me
You will keep me safe and sound
You will heal me
You will refresh me
You will restore me to life
You will me call back to life
You will keep me alive

You will stretch out Your hand
against the wrath, anger, the hard breathing, nose, and face
of my enemies
of the persecutor
of the one who hatefully huffs and puffs down my neck

Your “right” hand will save me
You will open up things for me
You will make things wide and free
You will avenge
You will defend
You will deliver
You will help
You will preserve
You will rescue
You will get the victory

The LORD will perfect
The LORD will complete
The LORD will finish  
that which concerns me.

Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever
Your lovingkindness, O LORD, endures forever
Your goodness, O LORD, endures forever

Do not forsake
Do not let go
Do not throw down
Do not slack
Do not idle
Do not desert
Do not be lazy with

the works of Your hands
the doing of Your hands
the intricate needlework where you weave various colors of my life together
the art, every master stroke of your masterpiece.

I enCOURAGE you today with merciful, good, kind, loving words of our Father.  This song of David was salve that healed a wounded heart. Be encouraged by God’s words.  Slow read this again. Say it out loud.  This belongs to you as much as it was and is for me. Be healed. HIS MERCY SEES YOU, SAVES YOU, COMPLETES YOU, AND GAINS THE VICTORY!  Glory to God.

by Tammy Phillips
June 18, 2021

The LORD is merciful.  Merciful is the LORD (Psalms 103:8)

According to Webster’s 1828 dictionary mercy is that benevolence, mildness, or tenderness of heart which disposes a person to overlook injuries, or to treat an offender better than he deserves; the disposition that tempers justice and induces an injured person to forgive trespasses and injuries, and to forbear punishment, or inflict less than law or justice will warrant. In this sense, there is perhaps no word in our language precisely synonymous with mercy.

In the Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon the word for mercy is chesed.  Chesed is defined as zeal toward anyone; passionate ardor in the pursuit of anything. In general, zeal is an eagerness of desire to accomplish or obtain some object, and it may be manifested either in favor of any person or thing, or in opposition to it, and in a good or bad cause.

The Strong’s Concordance defines chesed as loving kindness and goodness.

Mercy is like love in that it is a quality of God that cannot be defined in a single word.  Again, if Holy Spirit is whispering that He wants to turn our disgust into “His mercy.”  Let us further look through the word of God to see what mercy is and does. 

HIS MERCY PURGES OUR INIQUITY.
“By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6 NKJV)

 HIS MERCY FORGIVES.
“He that covers his sins shall not prosper but whoso confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV)

HIS MERCY DELIVERS BORN AGAIN LIFE AND LIVING HOPE
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV)

HIS MERCY IS ABUNDANT TO ALL WHO CALL HIM.
“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You”. (Psalm 86:5 NKJV)

HIS MERCY IS ABOUNDING.
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”  (Psalms 103:8)

HIS MERCY IS GREAT.
“For His merciful kindness is great toward us.” (Psalm 117:2)

HIS MERCY CAN BE TRUSTED.
“I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.” (Psalm 52:8 KJV)

HIS MERCY NEVER FAILS.
“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” (Lamentations 3:22 KJV)

HIS MERCY IS NEW EVERY MORNING.
“They are new every morning: great [is] thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV)

HIS MERCY IS A COURAGE BOOSTER AND KEEPS US FROM WEARINESS
“Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not.”  (2 Corinthians 4:1 KJV)

HIS MERCY LEADS
“All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. (Psalm 25:10 NKJV)

HIS MERCY SURROUNDS.
“Many sorrows [shall be] to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.” (Psalm 32:10 NKJV)

HIS MERCY IS FOR US.
“Blessed [be] God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!” (Psalm 66:20 NKJV)

HIS MERCY IS OBTAINABLE.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV)

HIS MERCY IS EVERLASTING
“For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” (Psalm 100:5 NKJV)

HIS MERCY IS TO THE VANISHING POINT AND BEYOND, ALWAYS HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE
“But the mercy of the LORD [is] from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children.” (Psalm 103:17 NKJV)

HIS MERCY ENDURES FOREVER
“Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for [He is] good! For His mercy [endures] forever”. (Psalm 106:1 NKJV)

HIS MERCY IS GREAT, BOUNDLESS, UNLIMITED, IMMEASURABLE, INNUMERABLE, and INFINITE.
For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. (Psalm 103:8, 11 NKJV)

 HIS MERCY TRIUMPHS
Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13 NKJV)

 His mercy purges, pardons, finds, forgives, delivers, is abundant, abounding, and great.  It can be trusted. His goodness never fails, is new every morning, is a courage booster, keeps us from losing heart and growing weary. His loving-kindness leads, guides, surrounds, is for us, is obtainable, is everlasting, endures forever, is great, boundless, unlimited, immeasurable, innumerable, and infinite.  His mercy triumphs. And that is what His mercy does for us! 

I enCOURAGE you with my concluding answer:  His mercy holds back what is justified and instead, envelops us with undeserved, tender, loving-kindness, and goodness.  I urge you to hope in His mercy because “the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy.” (Psalm 147:11 NKJV) Surely, His mercy stirs hope deep within.  I pray that “mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you” and that you “keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” (Jude 1:2, 21 NKJV)

His mercy held back the Red Sea, set the captives free and died for you and me.

by Tammy Phillips
June 17, 2021,

The LORD your God is a merciful God. He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them. (Deuteronomy 4:31 NKJV)

 The word of God says in Psalms 94:18 that the mercy of the Lord holds us up when we slip so we don’t slide. What is the mercy of the Lord?  If He is willing to transform our disgust to His mercy, what is His mercy?  As I dug for this treasure through my love letter from God, I discovered that there are several words for mercy in the Old Testament.  The text below is the definition for merciful from the Hebrew word raḥûm which is a derivative of rāḥam.  This paints a picture of our merciful God.

The Lord is a merciful God.
The Lord is a God full of compassion.
The Lord is tenderly affectionate.
The Lord is a loving God.
The Lord loves deeply.

The Lord will not forsake you.
The Lord will not destroy you.
The Lord will not forget you. It is not who He is. 

The Lord loves your tender.
When the He says, “I love you,”
it is not a superficial sentiment.
The Lord  means it from His heart.
The Lord God is so into you.
The Lord  loves you tender.
The Lord is merciful to you.

I enCOURAGE you in the  tender mercy of the Lord.  He is not angry with you.  He is not out to get you because you did wrong or chose wrong.  He is not trying to hurt you.  He loves you right where you are.  He loved you and was willing to save you at your worst.  His love for you is unconditional.  The Lord is merciful.

by Tammy
June 16, 2021

If the Lord had not been my help, My soul would have soon lived in the land of silence. When I said, my foot slips, thy MERCY, O LORD, held me up.  (Psalm 94:17-18)

When we invite Jesus into our life, I think there is a common misconception.   It is not like, “Hey Jesus come on in” and poof, we are perfect.  I wish.  I have come to learn that as followers of Christ, the carpenter, we are an ongoing renovation project.  When we seek Him and dive into His word, He renews our minds.  He directs us back on track.  He gently loves us back to Him and the life He has planned for us.

February 20,2021 was my youngest son’s birthday and a time for celebration.  I should have been very happy, yet it began as a sad and tearful morning.   My plea to our Father for over a month had been, “TURN MY DISGUST INTO YOUR MERCY!” On this somber morning, I was full of disgust with the sinful, evil direction of our country.  I was disgusted by national and state “leaders;” with the deception and leadership in church; by my people who say they know Jesus as their Savior, but have turned their backs on Him as their Lord; by the narcissistic selfishness of others.  What made me the most disgusted is that it took so long to get the log out of my own eye.  I was disgusted with me. 

I thought of the failures of my past year.  I had been given extra time to lose weight for my oldest son’s wedding and I had not been resolute in the process.  I was done with my own self. I concluded that I a big problem with self-control, specifically food. How could I be resolute in so many things, but not this stupid battle? I felt like a fake and liar.  My maiden’s name was “Lowe”, and I was living up to my name.

Snow and ice covered the ground that day. I suddenly grasped why we have to stay in the footsteps of Jesus and walk by faith.  When we get out of step with Jesus, it is so easy to backslide.  When we get out of alignment, it wreaks havoc. When we get out of love into disgust it is not the place to be.

If the Lord had not been my HELP, My soul would have soon lived in the land of silence. When I said, my foot slips, thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.  (Psalm 94:17-18)

MERCY…MERCY…MERCY…thank God for His mercies, lovingkindness, and goodness that are new every morning.

I enCOURAGE you to let the mercy of the Lord hold you up when you slip and when you are walking along in faith.  Allow Him to turn your disgust into His mercy.  It is your choice.   It is easier to be kind, loving and good to others, but be kind to yourself.  Love and be good to yourself.  The truth is Jesus believes you are worth it.  He loves you!

(Photo Credit:  Pasi Hyttinen)

by Tammy Phillips
June 15, 2021

 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV) 

I cannot do it by myself.  I have tried and failed and failed.  Without faith it is impossible to please God. He who comes to God must believe that God is, and that Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV) What is faith?  Faith is not a wish.  Faith is not “wishy-washy.”   Faith is…

Now faith, the moral conviction of truth, knowing the truthfulness of God.  Knowing God was, is and will always be Who He said He was.  Knowing God will do what He says He will do.

Now faith… the belief: the assent, the step, of the mind to the truth of what is declared by God, resting on his authority and His veracity (habitual observance of truth) …

is the substance, a placing under, substructure, foundation, confidence, assurance, resolution, firm trust, steadfastness of mind, firmness…

is the substance, the UNDER STANDING, THE STANDING UNDER, the understanding, the place where we stand immovable, immutable, unbendable, unshakable, unstoppable, firm, persistent, perseverant, resolute, the place under Him where we stand by His promises.

Faith is knowing and believing God is who said He is and that His promises are true.

Faith is the substance of things:  business, matters, work, that which has been done, an accomplished fact, that which is or exists…

hoped for, the hopeful, joyful, confident expectation of good

the evidence, conviction brought to light, that by which invisible things are proved (and we are convinced of their reality), the exposition of God’s word, work, accomplishments, and His business…

not yet seen but done.

Faith is a place. 
Faith says I am not moving.
Faith says I am resolute.
Faith is to know.
Faith is to know by experience.
Faith is to have the same ideas as He who speaks.
Faith says I under-stand and stand under.
Faith is what we support or hold in the mind.

We either have faith in God or the whispers of the enemy.  Everyone chooses to listen to the Truth or to the Liar.  The truth will set you free. The lie will keep you bound. Who are you listening to?  Where are you standing, in or out of faith?   Are you in good place or bad?  Are you in the place of faith or fear? 

I enCOURAGE you to have faith in God. Stand saying: “I am a believer. I am an overcomer. I am confident. I am resolute.  God said it and I believe it.  God is who He says He is, and He will do what He says He will do.  I have hopeful, joyful, confident expectation of God working even though I do not see it.  I cannot see it, but I believe it.  However, I know by faith in God that it is done.”