New Day, New Thoughts, New Goals

We have around us so many people whose lives tell us
what faith means. So let us run this race that is before us
and never give up! We should remove from our lives anything
that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds
us back.
Hebrews 12:1

Have any of you ever felt like you were at a standstill?
In a rut? You were spinning your wheels, but not going
anywhere? I am sure this is a common thing, and
many people go through it. But when we get to a
point in our lives where we lose our fresh perspective
and get stuck in the same place, and get filled
with discouragement or give up, or accept this, I
want to tell you that we need a time of renewal,
refreshing, and new thinking.

This is why we should be around people of faith. We
should choose role models of people who have great
faith and honestly show progress in their spiritual lives.
And we should be that kind of role model for people around us.
It is not easy in these times of trouble, and uncertainty.
But do you not recognize that times of trouble and uncertainty
have been throughout history and yet there are many who
led valiant, faithful lives for God. There are many who
through the most troubling of times set goals and worked
towards them.

My dear friends, if we are at a standstill, that is not the
end of the story. If hard times hit does not mean they
take up residence. If we lose people or they walk away
or we get hurt, that does not mean that we have to
become depressed, or bitter, or angry. It means we
have to take stock of our situation, our mind set and
set goals to come out of it.

So if today we find that we are doing the same
routine, thinking the same old way, and finding ourselves
discouraged. We need to step out of our box of comfort
and seek to overcome whatever we are facing the best
we can and leave the rest in God's hands.

We only have
this one life, we need to do the best we can with
the circumstances we have. Face the road of life with
bravery, resolve, and determination do make it the
best life you can.

If your life in Christ is not about overcoming, healing,
strengthening and wisdom in Christ, you have missed
the "growth in Christ" memo. You have forgotten
this is our first love, and with Him, nothing is impossible.

Dear God,
We come to you today asking you to help
us take stock of our lives, and our issues and our internal
pain and help us to face it and make progress in our life.
Father God, no matter what our circumstances today,
make us a instrument of peace. Help us to find strength
in you first thing each morning, by planting the word of God
in our hearts. That Word that is alive and powerful
and sharper than any two edged sword, and goes forth
and accomplishes your goal in the spiritual realm and
physical realm and nothing can stop it. You are God.

Help us not to get the mind set this is the way it is, these
things always happen to me, I cannot ever seem to get a break.
Help us to step out of our comfort zone and do something new.
To seek new goals. To seek internal healing. To find joy
in helping others and to forget about dwelling on our own
trials and troubles by touching the lives of others in the
midst of their needs.

Help us to rise to the occasion and be over comers in
the Name of Jesus Christ. For His glory and honor
and our benefit, now and eternally. We seek your will
O God, and we seek renewal and refreshing in you.
Show us the way to go Dear Father and we will walk it,
in faith, hope, and fervent passion to please you and
to savor each moment of this precious gift of life we
have been given.

Forgive our sins, and heal us and make us pleasing to you
in all we do and say.

In Jesus precious name,
Amen

love always
millie

Abraham's Faith - Tenacity In Action

copyright Millie Plastaras 9/2006

Abraham thought about all this, but his faith in God did
not become weak. He never doubted that God would
keep his promise, and he never stopped believing.
He grew stronger in his faith and gave his praise to God.
Abraham felt sure that God was able to do what He promised.
Romans 4:20-22

Abraham certainly had many challenges to his faith.
Challenges that would break the back of most that believe,
and yet ... don't see the answer coming. Abraham wanted
a child very much, and persisted in prayer about it. God
had told him that Abraham's descendants would be too
many to count. And yet, here was Abraham, 100 years
old and no children. And Sarah his wife was 90 years old!
What had happened to the children God had promised
him?

The secret to Abraham's life, was listening. He persisted
in prayer, and God spoke to Abraham, because his heart
was turned the right way. He focused on God's ability,
and believed what God promised he would perform!

Oh, how his faith was tried. At a hundred years of age,
finally he had that son he so desperately had prayed for.
What a marvelous cause for great rejoicing. And then after
falling in love with this son, and spending hours with him,
talking, and bonding, and spending countless hours
together, and learning to love him more each day, God
requested something from Abraham, he had never imagined.
God asked Abraham to sacrifice this son.
What a challenge to his spiritual life!

Put yourself in this place. All your life you waited for a child,
a promise, you had heard right from God. And then
you finally have that beloved child and you are asked
to kill him for God? How would you reply?

Most of us, in our rebellion, and fleshly approach to our
spiritual life would be very angry with God. And probably
refuse to do such a thing. Yet Abraham, believed God
had a purpose and plan, and that he must follow God's
will and live righteously before God. Obedient, even
unto death. Abraham didn't scream, cry or complain,
he trusted. He took his son on a very sad journey to
a mountain to sacrifice him. What did they say to each other?
How did they cope with what they knew was ahead?

Yet, when the final moment came, God replaced
the need for sacrificing the son by providing a ram instead
to become the blood sacrifice. What relief this must have
bought to his heart. And what joy to His spirit. What
satisfaction, knowing He had been obedient. What cause
for rejoicing, I have been obedient, and you have rewarded
me with great mercy and kindness, I am yours O God.

This then, is trust. Real trust. No wavering, no vacillating,
no double thoughts, just trust. Relying on, clinging to,
believing in, trusting in, absolute, unshakable faith in
God and His ability to fulfill whatever He says he will do.

Abraham, was stubborn and persistent in his faith.
He just kept his eyes on God. What God said to do,
he did. It wasn't whining, why me God? It was "yes"
to God. It was I am your servant Oh Lord, what do you
want from me. And God blessed Abraham with
descendants that are too many to be counted.
And Abraham, to this day, is remembered for his
righteousness. Because He had unshakable faith.

Oh that we might just trust God. And stop worrying,
and stop being depressed, and stop wasting our time
wondering what is going to happen next. And just get into
the Bible, read it, live it, breathe it, receive it, cling to it,
speak it, walk it, talk it, live in it, and find peace, and
absolute reassurance in it. Just trust. Unwavering.
Strong, persistent, reliant, absolute faith. No matter
what.

It reminds me of a bulldog that gets a bone.
Once his jaws lock onto that bone, nothing is going to open
up his mouth. Those strong jaws lock tight and he is going
to hang on to that bone with bulldog tenacity. No matter
what circumstances come around that dog, or who
yells at him, or who pulls on him.. he is not going to let go.
He knows how to be persistent for something he wants.

And so should we. But in the spiritual realm.
Unwavering, perfectly trusting faith.
Don't let go, don't give up, don't look back,
Look at God, He is sufficient, and all powerful.

So should we lock onto the word of God, and persistently
trust. And when satan comes knocking at the door,
we speak the word of God unto him and say greater
is he who is in me than he who is in the world.
With God...all things are possible. God is still on the
throne my friends.

Let Him be God, and fulfill all He has for you.
And you just be the servant.
What He promises, He is more than able to fulfill, and will!!

Remember
Only one life, will soon be past
Only what is done, for Christ will last

Solutions

Good Morning

Everything we face daily has a solution.

Sometimes we can work on it till it is accomplished.

Sometimes we are to wait, it is something that
cannot be solved now.. and needs prayer. We
need to wait for God's timing and help.

Sometimes there doesn't seem to be a answer or
rhyme or reason to why something is happening.
That is when our faith kicks in. We just trust in
the Lord, that his Sovereign will, grace, hope,
strength and comfort will be our source.

Sometimes we get so caught up in looking at
the problem, we stop looking for the solution.

Simple concept.

We are not taking time to refresh ourselves in God,
Hope in His abilities
Find comfort in His word,
and listen for that still small voice saying:
"Are you listening"?

God loves you my friend, there is no higher nor
better solution than going to God in prayer
and telling Him every detail, problem, and every
pain and hurt in your life, He wants to hear.

He wants to help. He is after all.. STILL GOD.

But those who wait for the Lord -- who expect,
look for and hope in Him -- shall change and renew
their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and
mount up (close to God) as eagles (mount up to the sun);
they shall walk and not be weary, they shall walk and
shall not faint nor become tired.
Isaiah 40:31

May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and
peace in believing -- through the experience of your faith -- that
by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and
be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.
Romans 15:13
(my prayer for each of you)

love always
millie


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For I know the plans I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace

and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me

and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me,

when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

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A Gentle Thunder

by Max Lucado

Once there was a man who dared God to speak.

"Burn the bush like you did for Moses, God. And I will follow."

"Collapse the walls like you did for Joshua, God. And I will fight."

"Still the waves like you did on Galilee, God. And I will listen."

And so the man sat by a bush, near a wall, close to the sea and waited for
God to speak.

And God heard the man, so God answered.

He sent fire, not for a bush, but for a church.

He brought down a wall, not of brick, but of sin.

He stilled a storm, not of the sea, but of the soul.

And God waited for the man to respond.

And he waited...

And he waited...

And waited.

But because the man was looking at bushes, not hearts; bricks and not
lives; seas and not souls, he decided that God had done nothing. Finally he
looked to God and asked, "Have you lost your power?"

And God looked at him and said, "Have you lost your hearing?"

Trusting God In The Dark Moments

Good Morning Everyone.

The story in todays inspiration really touched my heart.
It made me think about how we handle loss, transition,
loneliness, and how desperate the feelings can be from that
time.

There have been several times in my life when people
walked out of my life, that were so very important to me.
It absolutely devastated me, and brought me feelings that
I must be truly unworthy if someone I loved so much wanted
to walk away from me. After while it became a pattern in
my thinking. It has been one of the hardest patterns for me
to break, and it takes vigilance.

I am reminded that people come and go, but Jesus said
he would never leave us nor forsake us. No one can carry
all our burdens for us, or fix things, or even be all the comfort
we need, that is just too much for anyone to handle or be
capable of. For us to expect others to be our rescuer is
just not reasonable. Certainly we all should be listeners
and really pray for the needs of those we know who
need prayer. But those burdens should go from their heart
to our ears, to the throne of God.

Even in the darkest times, even in the most desperate hours,
even when everyone you love walks out, leaves or dies,
you are never alone. But for you to find comfort in those
times, you must go to God.. weep before Him, cling to Him,
talk to Him, tell Him every desperate feeling you have.
Then ask for healing, ask for restoration, ask for Him
to work in these circumstances and bring good out of them.

Ask Him to show you what you can do for you. Ask Him
to show you what to do with your life and for others.
Be willing to start over and do new things.

And then...
Love yourself. Forgive yourself. Find peace. And then live
life, with what you do have... not with what is not obtainable,
or with people who are rejecting you. Turn it all over to
your heavenly Father.

Count your blessings, and don't focus on what you do not
have, or who hurt you, focus on what you can do to make
today great. God loves you so very much my friend, tap
into that great source of power and live a victorious life...
no matter what you may face.

Love always
millie


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He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might
He increases strength.
Isaiah 40:29

Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart,
all you that hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24

About making the best of our circumstances:

I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound:
every where and in all things I am instructed both to to be
full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:12-13

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such
things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave
you nor forsake you.”Hebrews 13:5

No matter what we go through, we can be conquerors.
Just Trust in God, and in the power of HIS might.


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EVEN IF IT'S DARK

He was a strong man facing an enemy beyond strength. His young wife had
become gravely ill, then suddenly passed away, leaving the big man alone
with a wide-eyed, flaxen-haired girl, not quite five years old.

The service in the village chapel was simple, and heavy with grief. After
the burial at the small cemetery, the man's neighbors gathered around
him. "Please, bring your little girl and stay with us for several days,"
someone said. "You shouldn't go back home just yet."

Broken hearted though he was, the man answered, "Thank you, friends, for
the kind offer. But we need to go back home"where she was. My baby and I
must face this."

So they returned, the big man and his little girl, to what now seemed an
empty, lifeless home. The man brought his daughter's little bed into his
room, so they could face the first dark night together.

As the minutes slipped by that night, the young girl was having a dreadful
time trying to sleep...and so was her father. What could pierce a man's
heart deeper than a child sobbing for a mother who would never come back?

Along into the night the little one continued to weep. The big man reached
down into her bed and tried to comfort her as best he could. After a while,
the little girl managed to stop crying"but only out of sorrow for her
father. Thinking his daughter was asleep, the father looked up and said
brokenly, "I trust you, Father, but...it's as dark as midnight!"

Hearing her dad's prayer, the little girl began to cry again.

"I thought you were asleep, baby," he said.

"Papa, I did try. I was sorry for you. I did try. But"I couldn't go to
sleep. Papa, did you ever know it could be so dark? Why Papa? I can't
even see you, it's so dark." Then, through her tears the little girl
whispered, "But you love me even if it's dark"don't you, Papa?"

For an answer, the big man reached across with his massive hands, lifted
his little girl out of her bed, brought her over onto his chest, and held
her, until at last she fell asleep.

When she was finally quiet, he began to pray. He took his little daughters
cry to himself, and passed it up to God.

"Father, it's as dark as midnight. I can't see you at all. But You love
me, even when it's dark and I can't see, don't you?"

From that blackest of hours, the Lord touched him with new strength,
enabling him to carry on. He knew that God went on loving him, even in
the dark.

By Ron Mehl

Feeding our Soul - Absolutely Vital

copyright Millie Plastaras 4/6/08


Have you ever had a craving for food, that was
so persistent and continual, that until you had
tasted that food nothing else satisfied?
And when you finally tasted it, oh how great it
was to have it in your possession and savor it.

We are all pretty faithful about eating what we want.
We have certain foods we enjoy and make sure we
can get them when we are able. It is probably one
of everyone's priorities reading this.
Food not only enriches our lives, it brings us health,
and strength and the ability to accomplish things
because we have fed our body's nutritional needs.

My question is, why would we not feed our spirit?

How many times have troubles, trials, illnesses, or
losses hit you and you felt unprepared to deal with them.
You found it hard to cope, hard to accept and hard to face.

Many people are in denial about their life's circumstances.
They avoid thinking about them. They use all kinds of escapes
to avoid facing their realities. Whether it be drugs, sex, alcohol,
overshopping, overspending, or any other addiction, it never
satisfies. It is never enough. It never takes away the pain
or makes our abilities to face things any better.
It actually brings us greater despair in the long run.
An endless cycle of seeking and not finding happiness or peace.

As a Christian, we are to be living a higher walk in Christ.
We are no longer our own, we are bought with the price
of the atoning blood of the Risen Lamb, Jesus Christ.
We are to be submitted to Him daily, seeking His will far
above our own, and we are to be living as a example
and role model to those around us of the transforming
and sustaining power of Jesus in Us.

Does that show in your life?

How long since you took time for God?

If you do not deposit the word of God in your spirit, and plant
it so it can take root, you are indeed a shallow Christian. And
when the trials of life come you will be unprepared as a warrior
to deal with them, instead falling apart, and crying out, " Oh God,
why me?" You will be acting as if you are the only one going
through such things and those around you will see you have
no more strength than they do.

When are we going to take our relationship with God seriously?
When are we going to realize we are the only Bible someone reads?
When are we going to realize that feeding our soul with God's
word is absolutely as vital as feeding our body with nutritious food?

We need to read the Bible on our own, and in a setting with
good teachers, and preachers. We need to be fellowshipping
with other Christians and encouraging one another in the Lord.
We need to be worshipping God and spending time in His presence
allowing Him to infuse us with His Strength, and His Hope,
and His precious plan for our life. We need to walk the walk
and talk the talk. So that when the trials of life come we may
say, surely the Lord has been with me, and I overcame in His name.

We will be sifted and found faithful. We will be strong and resilient
in the Lord and the power of His might. So that we may then say:
" If God be for us, who can then stand against us?"

God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will
not give up with troubles come, but you will be patient. And you
will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able
to have a share in all that He has prepared for his people in the
kingdom of light.
Colossians 1:11-12

So don't worry, because I am with you. Don't be afraid,
because I am your God. I will make you strong and will help you;
I will support you with my right hand that saves you.
Isaiah 41:10

Remember
Only one life, will soon be past
Only what is done, for Christ will last

A Quiet Place - So Needful

Good Morning Everyone.

Have you been still lately? I mean really still?
With no television or radio playing, no one to talk to.. just
sitting still?

I know I have told you we have a large back yard, full of
nurtured plants, a vegetable garden, and many rose bushes.
It is quiet back there. The only noise is a occasional barking
of a dog, or the delightful song of a bird. It is so restful. No noise.
Just the surroundings of God's beautiful creation.
A quiet place.

We all need that quiet place within us.. where the world
cannot intrude, where our troubles don't take precedence,
and where we allow God's spirit to whisper to ours.

A place that is a garden of refreshing.. of hope, of renewal.

If you have not found that quiet time, that quiet spot
then you are missing out on the most important time
in your spiritual life daily. Time with God.

Nothing you do, will matter more than this time.
Nothing. Everything else will pass away.

Only time with God will prosper and last.

Love others, savor them, enjoy the day,
but don't neglect the God you need above all else.

Then today you can say, I walked in the garden with
God, and He refreshed me and held me close.
I knew then, everything would be ok.

Love
millie

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
has mercy on thee.
Isaiah 54:10

Receive that blessed peace.. in the quiet times and small
corners of each day


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"God Speaking"

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" And a
meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me" And the thunder
& lightning rolled across the sky. But the man did
not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you."
And a star shined brightly. But the man did not see.

And, the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle" And a
life was born.
But the man did not notice.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and
let me know you are here"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

I found this to be a great reminder that God is always
around us in the little and simple things that we take
for granted. .even in our electronic age . . . so I would
like to add one more:

The man cried "God, I need your help" . . . and an
e-mail arrived reaching out with good news and
encouragement. But the man deleted it and continued
crying.....

The good news is that you are loved. Don't miss out
on a blessing because it isn't packaged the way that
you expect.

Expect the unexpected....
It is called Faith :)

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God speaks in ways we may not expect.

Have you ever been just sitting there and all
of a sudden you feel like doing something nice
for someone you care for? THAT'S GOD...
He talks to you through the Holy Spirit.


Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems
to be around for you to talk to? THAT'S GOD...
He wants you to talk to Him.

Have you ever been thinking about somebody
that you haven't seen in a long time and then
next thing you know... you see them or receive
a phone call from them? THAT'S GOD...
There ! is no such thing as "coincidence."

Have you ever received something wonderful that you didn't even ask for?
Like money in the mail, a debt that had mysteriously been cleared,
or a coupon to a department store where you had just seen something
you wanted,but couldn't afford? THAT'S GOD...
He knows the desires of your heart...

Have you ever been in a situation and you had
no clue how it is going to get better, but now as
you look back on it, you got through it? THAT'S GOD...
He passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day.

God Bless!