Darkness....

Darkness...... When I opened this devotional this morning, I knew I didn't need to go further in opening the news.... The news is one dark thing after another, day after day after day...wickedness, darkness, pestilence, terror...more than any time in my lifetime ...or is it the quick news feed we have at this time....bad seems to reign in many parts of the world... Several years ago, the push for God's word was to the population living on the central areas around the globe, the most populated....the darkest.. And now that area seems to be experiencing the darkest of days with wickedness abounding...Satan pushing back, trying to regain "his " territory....after great strides for the gospel.... Not long ago, a friend went to Nigeria to encourage Christians there in their faith....she left after loving these dear ones, not knowing if they would see one another again on this earthly realm... Or others  who minister to children in India, not knowing what will befall them as well.... Or still others, visiting friends in Nepal, seeing changes there as well.... And, we here in the "free" USA, ridiculed, barred from freedoms we once held without question....while darkness seeps quietly over our land.... We live in times where it feels like we are watching Daniel,  Matthew 24, Revelations playing out before our eyes... Wickedness and darkness are real...not a myth...it has been with us since Satan began...and came into the garden with his temptations, innuendos, confusion,  deceit ....the battle rages across the lands .... But, the victory is Christ's ... He reigns and has the end planned out.... Thank YOU, that You have the final victory....help me, in my fears to rely and rest in that victory... 1 Samuel 2:9a He will guard the feet of his faithful servants,but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness....... Psalm 1:6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. Psalm 74:18, 20 Remember how the enemy has mocked you, Lord,how foolish people have reviled your name. Have regard for your covenant, because haunts of violence fill the dark places of the land. Psalm 91:5-6 You will not fear the terror of night,nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. Proverbs 11:23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. Colossians 1:6b........In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.      Out Of The Darkness   A daily devotion for March 7th   From your friends at RayStedman.org     Read: Ephesians 2:11-13       But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13)       A South American Indian told the missionary who led him to Christ. When I was living in the jungle, we never knew a day without fear. When we woke up in the morning, we were afraid. When we went out of our houses, we were afraid. When we walked along the river, we were afraid. We saw an evil spirit in every stone and tree and waterfall. And when night fell, fear came into our huts and slept with us all night long. That is what paganism is. And this is what the world is returning to. All around us, as Christian truth begins to fade, this pagan darkness settles upon the land. How thankful it ought to make our hearts that God has called us out of such darkness! Without the instruction of those who came to know God and then brought the message to us, we would have been nothing but pagans. Without any light in our darkness other than the natural light that came from our inner being, indicating that there is a God somewhere, we would be living like that still. But now, having once been far off, we have been brought near by the blood of Christ. It isn't merely the death of Christ. Paul says that it is the blood of Christ. It is significant that he uses that term. Death, of course, is not always bloody. You can die without losing your blood. The Scriptures sometimes speak of the death of Christ and more often of the cross of Christ. But still more often they speak of the blood of Christ. Many don't like this today. They don't like to think of the cross or of the death of Jesus as being bloody. But God emphasizes it because blood is always a sign of violence. You see, the death of Jesus was not just a simple passing away—dying of old age on a comfortable bed. No, it was a violent death, a bloody, gory, ugly, revolting scene—a man hanging torn and wretched upon a cross with blood streaming down His sides. God wants us to remember that violent death, because violence is the ultimate result of paganism. It is the final expression of a godless society. Cruelty arises immediately when love and truth disappear from society. And God is reminding us that when humanity had done its worst, had sunk to its lowest, had vented its anger in the utter wretchedness and violence and blood of the cross, His love reached down to that very place and, utilizing that violent act, began to redeem, to call back those who were far off and bring them near—in the blood of Christ. And in the blood of Jesus, all the advantages the Jews had were conferred upon the Gentiles. Ignorant, pagan, darkened, foolish, struggling, hopeless—nevertheless, they had just as much access to God in the blood of Christ as any Jew ever had with his temple, his law, his priesthood, and his sacrifice. By this the apostle is trying to emphasize to us the exceedingly amazing wonder of the grace of God, which laid all these liabilities aside and reached out to us and found us just as we were and brought us near by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. What a gift to give thanks for! Father, I thank You that I have been delivered from the darkness and brought near to You by the precious blood of Your Son.       Life Application   Violence & dark cruelty are the ultimate expressions of a godless society. Were it not for God's grace in Christ how would we be able to experience His peace & love?   Related Message   For more on this portion of Scripture read the message: Strangers in Darkness or listen to the audio by clicking:   Listen to Ray     Previous Devotions for March Next       Want to Subscribe?   Subscribe / Unsubscribe to this Daily Devotion by Email   Copyright © 2014 Ray Stedman Ministries — This daily devotion is from the book The Power of His Presence: a year of devotions from the writings of Ray Stedman, compiled by Mark Mitchell. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice and a hyperlink to RayStedman.org if the copy is posted on the Internet.

Psalm 39

Psalm 139....

The question was ..."what are the promises?"

It starts and ends with searching...the Lord searching me, my heart...discerning my being , my heart...although He already knows...it is for me to be open...He knows everything about me, has known....He created me, he knows my thoughts, words before it is even said...I can never get awy from Him.....why would I want to?

He formed me, "knit me" from a pattern only He knew....how awesome is that? No dropped stitches, no unravelling......fearfully and wonderfully made....when I envision the forming of new life in a mother's womb...waiting for each sonogram..it is truly a miracle...we get to see the progress...but the forming cell by cell, each doing its job, is beyond comprehension ...so....wonderful...awesome...the preciseness...precious .....

He leads me...help me follow...

Thank YOU that you know everything about me....that is both scary and comforting...help my words, actions be edifying to You ....that Your searching will be cleansing...

Psalm 139:1-24 You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. 

You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 

You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 

Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. 

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. 

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. 

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,your right hand will hold me fast. 

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 

How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them,they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you. 

If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. 

Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies. Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

In quietness.....

In the quietness...

The sun had not yet risen, but the eastern sky was a rosy pink, the air crisp, the golden hour, quietness reigned, no sounds,,,just the expectation of the day ahead...I just wanted to sit there and absorb it all.....before the busyness began...before the cars started to rev up and their owners were off to work, before I had to start down my list of "to dos", before the busyness took over the day...

The quietness...."be still and know that I am God"....time. ....is sometimes hard to carve out of the hectic days ....

At church last night we did "lectio divina" ....

" Wikipedia....In Christianity, Lectio Divina (Latin for "Divine Reading") is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word. It does not treat Scripture as texts to be studied, but as the Living Word.

Traditionally, Lectio Divina has four separate steps: read; meditate; pray; contemplate. First a passage of Scripture is read, then its meaning is reflected upon. This is followed by prayer and contemplation on the Word of God.

The focus of Lectio Divina is not a theological analysis of biblical passages but viewing them with Christ as the key to their meaning. For example, given Jesus' statement in John 14:27: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you", an analytical approach would focus on the reason for the statement during the Last Supper, the biblical context, etc. In Lectio Divina, however, the practitioner "enters" and shares the peace of Christ rather than "dissecting" it.  In some Christian teachings, this form of meditative prayer leads to an increased knowledge of Christ."

We were assigned a portion of scripture to read several times...then meditate upon,  then Pray about what it was saying to us, and finally contemplate upon it.....all in silence...the whole auditorium was filled with people, but completely quiet..each focusing on the scriptures at hand....we weren't break down the word, study the meanings, all the analytical stuff.....just let the scriptures simply speak to each of us....  I could imagine Christ sitting there saying these words...what was He saying to me.....

It was that repeat of the quietness of the morning light again....carving out time to just sit and absorb the Word..Jesus...

Thank YOU for emphasizing the "time" alone two times in one day....time to contemplate, .......help me to reach into the lectio divina time and In Quietness reflect on your Word time and time again.....hearing You speak to my soul the words You desire for me to hear....

Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 

Isaiah 32:17 The fruit of that righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever. 

Isaiah 30:15a. This  is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength......

Strangers....

Strangers...

Sometimes I am contacted by complete strangers asking about grief..with  grief of their own...stories of loved ones who are no longer here...tears, sorrow, the "left behindedness" that those who have lost loved ones feel...the raw emotions, the clenched kleenexes, the reddened eyes, sleepless nights,  the fogginess of pain, the emptiness....many of us have been there....and done that....they haven't moved on to the memories of good times yet....which will eventually will come for many...they are still in the "loss"....

For me, it gives a chance at listening yet again to others,  pray with them,  encourage them, and maybe in a small way help them them along the path of healing....working through the grief...and it is work...

But, it also opens the wound that is still healing in myself...having actually experienced portions of my own grief...maybe not the same as theirs, but there are commonalities ....and my heart is emotionally tested again...truth is  searched and  found  again...God is still on His throne..still comforting , still caring, still holding my hand, whispering to my heart to proclaim to theirs ...

It may be fleeting or long term,  but it is still another page in  my book of life, another chapter writing itself...another Thank YOU...for being able to encourage another...through the comfort that He has given me...

Thank YOU, ...for another chapter...

Romans 15:5-6, 13 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Order out of confusion ....

Order out of confusion.....

I have a friend  who excitedly told me that their first child just found her tiny toes...so cute...the baby is following a fairly orderly pattern of learning about her world and herself...

My grandchildren are all doing the same with their lives...first their toes, followed quickly, it seems, by high school subjects....how time marches on ....learning, discovering, doing , growing ....but there is a natural progression of growth....

God created the world in order...from light and dark to people...with each day in between created in order...

The Israelites marching through the desert, did so in an orderly manner, knowing what to do and when...

Numbers 2:17 Then the tent of meeting and the camp of the Levites will set out in the middle of the camps. They will set out in the same order as they encamp, each in their own place under their standard. 

If there is no order, confusion comes quickly...

Isaiah 41:29 See, they are all false! Their deeds amount to nothing; their images are but wind and confusion. 

1 Corinthians 14:33, 40 For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way. 

Galatians 5:10 I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will have to pay the penalty. 

I remember some of the intersections we have driven through in populated cities...it seemed like utter confusion, with all modes of transportation trying to get from one side to the other, honking horns, raising of fists, punching,,shoving until movement... as the traffic light finally changed colors... 

There is order and without it there is confusion...Satan lives in the confusion.....wanting us not to find the peace of God...

We develop in order, as the baby does, day by day, line upon line...if we don't, we may have to return to  a time or spot to pick up that was ignored or out of sequence....there are some behaviors in children who have skipped a normal progression that have to return to fill in the gaps of that development to be able to move on correctly...one thing leads to another to another...with no confusion..

There are times in my life that I have to step back and ask..."is this from God or is Satan bringing confusion and fear to make chaos?...."  God brings order and peace....not chaos...babies don't go from birth to immediately walking...without learning the steps in between or gathering the strength to do it..there is developmental between...order...

Thank YOU that You Are a God of order ....You don't  confuse, You are not chaotic..

Baby’s First Year: How Infants Develop

By Gina Shaw
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Renee A. Alli, MD

WebMD Archive 

From helpless newborn to active toddler: It takes just 12 short months for your baby to undergo this incredible transformation. Babies grow and change at an astounding pace, and every month brings new and exciting developments.

New moms and dads often wonder what to expect next and how to know if their baby’s development is on target. Instead of focusing too much on developmental milestones, however, it’s important to remember that babies all develop at their own pace. There’s a fairly wide “window” for when it is normal for a baby to reach a particular developmental stage.

“If your baby reaches one milestone sooner, she may reach another one later, because she’s so busy perfecting the other skill,” says Jennifer Shu, MD, pediatrician and co-author of Heading Home with Your Newborn.

Some babies may say their first word at eight months, while others don’t talk until a little after the one-year mark. And walking may start anytime between nine and 18 months.

Keeping those kinds of variations in mind, here’s what your baby may be doing during each three-month stage of the first year.

Baby Development: One to Three Months

During this first development stage, babies’ bodies and brains are learning to live in the outside world. Between birth and three months, your baby may start to:

• Smile. Early on, it will be just to herself. But within three months, she’ll be smiling in response to your smiles and trying to get you to smile back at her.
• Raise her head and chest when on her tummy.
• Track objects with her eyes and gradually decrease eye crossing.
• Open and shut her hands and bring hands to her mouth.
• Grip objects in her hands.
• Take swipes at or reach for dangling objects, though she usually won’t be able to get them yet.

Baby Development: Four to Six Months

During these months, babies are really learning to reach out and manipulate the world around them. They’re mastering the use of those amazing tools, their hands. And they’re discovering their voices. From 4 to 6 months old, your baby will probably:

• Roll over from front to back or back to front. Front-to-back usually comes first.
• Babble, making sounds that can sound like real language.
• Laugh.
• Reach out for and grab objects (watch out for your hair), and manipulate toys and other objects with her hands.
• Sit up with support and have great head control.

Baby Development: Seven to Nine Months

During the second half of this year, your little one becomes a baby on the go. After learning that he can get somewhere by rolling over, he’ll spend the next few months figuring out how to move forward or backward. If you haven’t baby-proofed yet, better get on it!

• During this time period, your baby may:
• Start to crawl. This can include scooting (propelling around on his bottom) or “army crawling” (dragging himself on his tummy by arms and legs), as well as standard crawling on hands and knees. Some babies never crawl, moving directly to from scooting to walking.
• Sit without support.
• Respond to familiar words like his name. He may also respond to “No” by briefly stopping and looking at you, and may start babbling "Mama" and "Dada."
• Clap and play games such as patty-cake and peekaboo.
• Learn to pull up to a standing position.

Baby Development: 10 to 12 Months

The last development stage in baby’s first year is quite a transition. She isn’t an infant anymore, and she might look and act more like a toddler. But she’s still a baby in many ways. She’s learning to:

• Begin feeding herself. Babies at this developmental stage master the “pincer grasp“ -- meaning they can hold small objects such as O-shaped cereal between their thumb and forefinger.
• Cruise, or move around the room on her feet while holding onto the furniture.
• Say one or two words, and "Mama" and "Dada" become specific name for parents. The average is about three spoken words by the first birthday, but the range on this is enormous.
• Point at objects she wants in order to get your attention.
• Begin “pretend play” by copying you or using objects correctly, such as pretending to talk on the phone. 
• Take her first steps. This usually happens right around one year, but it can vary greatly.

Journal notes, March 2012...

Journal notes, March 2012....

Three years ago today, I read this same devotional...little did I know I was six weeks away from the passing of my husband...oh, I knew he was terminally ill...we were facing changes everyday...just as we got through one phase another cropped up..there was no routine except daily changes it seemed...the routine was care and more care...it was getting so that I could hardly lift him anymore to move him from one place to another and more..and that was hard to face...for both of us...

I was working on a lesson, as well, for the local MOPS group...on faithfulness of all things..to deliver shortly, including the book, "God's pocket" and I was feeling totally emotionally and physically drained... But blessed by the lessons I was learning firsthand, hard as they were...

I finished the talk, the prep for the presentation, the handouts, the object lessons, but did not feel at peace about giving it...so called a long time friend, the local Young life director, and asked her if she would be willing to give it and she obliged...what an answer to prayer...this also gave her another connection in the community and she blessed those young mothers sooooo much....

Another faith lesson for me...more trusting...

I look back now to that time and the notes I wrote, the desperation, the lessons I was learning, the emotional and physical tiredness, the leaning into God, the everything .... and wonder, "how In the world did I get through it ?".....only by God's strength, Grace and care...the prayers of people we knew and didn't know around the world, family....thank YOU, God ....

Anxious times...turmoil...desperation...God takes it....and gives us peace in exchange...rest..comfort...embracing us ....for the long haul...Thank YOU...

 Psalm 62:5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;my hope comes from him. 

Jeremiah 31:25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” 

Jesus calling-March 1

When something in your life or thoughts makes you anxious, come to Me and talk about it. Bring Me your prayer and petition with thanksgiving, saying: “Thank You, Jesus, for this opportunity to trust You more.” Though the lessons of trust that I send to you come wrapped in difficulties, the benefits far outweigh the cost.

Well-developed trust will bring you many blessings, not the least of which is My Peace. I have promised to keep you in perfect Peace to the extent that you trust in Me. The world has it backwards, teaching that peace is the result of having enough money, possessions, insurance, and security systems. My Peace, however, is such an all-encompassing gift that it is independent of all circumstances. Though you lose everything else, if you gain My Peace you are rich indeed.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.
—Philippians 4:6 nasb

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
—Isaiah 26:3