Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Encouragement

Good morning, dear friends and Prayer Partners! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it! As I stepped outside before daybreak, the sky was clear and the moon with a chunk out of it, was shining brightly. Then, shortly after that, the fog rolled in and all was dark again. Now the fog has cleared and the sun is warm... supposed to be up to 80 today. Another beautiful day in sunny St. Petersburg!! God is good!

Yesterday, as I was driving along Turner's Creek, the tide was very low, and two roseate spoonbills were pecking along the muddy bank. It was the first time I had seen them in this area. Beautiful! Pink is just about my favorite color, anyway.

Then, while driving through the Park, I saw the huge, probably hundred year old gopher tortoise, lumbering his way along the fence. He is protected, so nothing bothers him.

The water in the canal was nice and serene, reflecting the trees which are now bare of leaves, and rather stark looking, but that is nature in the winter. God's Creation!

From the Promise Bible NLT:

What do I do when I feel overwhelmed?

Leviticus 26:8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath the blows of your weapons.

Joshua 23:10 Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.

Be encouraged that the power of God is for us , regardless of the number of enemies against us. God used David to overcome Goliath, Gideon's three hundred soldiers to defeat the armies of Midian, and one hundred and twenty disciples to establish the church in Acts. He joys when working through our weaknesses and limitations.

Colossians 1:11-14 We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.

Our encouragement comes from what God has done for us. He has given us. He has given us the power to be patient and persistence and to keep our minds set on great hope that awaits us. When we remember that we are already free; the problems of the world lose much of their power over us.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!

Love and hugs,
Amaryllis