Where Ever You Lead I'll Go

God,

Keep me tucked within your hand.

Hold me with your fingers.

Bring your loving presence nigh

And with me gently linger.

Where Thou goes't I will go.

Lead where thou will lead.

I seek not treasures, wealth, or fame;

Your presence only do I need.

Lead me up the mountain side

And through the valley low.

If thou will only hold my hand

Where e'er thou lead I'll go!

When through the darkest night we walk

The path I cannot see,

Speak and I your voice will hear.

Speak - the darkness flees!

Help Thou My Unbelief!

Oh God, I need your healing touch!
I want to see your love as such
That nothing in this world can shine
Above the fire of the refined!

Mark 9:23-24

"Jesus said unto him,

If thou canst believe,

All things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out,

And said with tears,

Lord, I believe:

Help thou my unbelief."

God Still Speaks

Job 2:10
"But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

Have you ever suspected that God put a verse in the Bible just for you? Job 2:10 was for me. Have you ever wondered why Job's wife was so mean? She wasn't really. But God needed her to say what she said to Job, so that Job could respond, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh." God had Job say that so that a few thousand years down the road, a young woman name Rebekah would read it and think,"Oops!"
I have asked God for answers, been given them, and then been angry because it was not the answer that I had wanted. Thus Job's question becomes directed toward me. "What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" God help us to be more like Job and less like Job's wife. You see, Job's wife was one of those American Christians. She ate, drank, and slept the Health and Wealth Gospel. But the gospel of Christ is a story of love, hatred, death, and victory. Hard times will come. The winds will sweep over you. It is the winds that chisel and wear away the stones in the desert that make them beautiful masterpieces. "So let the storms rage high, the dark clouds rise. They won't worry me. For I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God. He walks with me, and naught of earth shall harm me. For I'm sheltered in the arms of God."
I chose the picture above because it is the sunset over the Kalahari Desert. No, the Kalahari may not be your first choice for an leisurely afternoon stroll, but even in that empty deserted wasteland, God's handiwork can be seen. And when you find yourself in the desert, remember, God is in it. "What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?."

"In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

My Anchor Holds

Sometimes when life seems gentle and blessings flood my way,

I turn my gaze away from You and soon forget to pray.

But when the sky grows darker and courage turns to fear,

My anxious voice cries upward with words you long to hear.

Lord, I need You when the sea of life is calm.
O Lord, I need You when the wind is blowing strong.
Whether trials come or cease, keep me always on my knees.
Lord, I need You. Lord I need You.

Lord, help me to remember I'm weak but You are strong.
I cannot sing apart from You, for Lord You are my song.
Although I'm prone to wander and boast in all I do;
Lord keep my eyes turned upward so I depend on You.

Lord, I need You when the sea of life is calm.

O Lord, I need You when the wind is blowing strong.
Whether trials come or cease, keep me always on my knees.
Lord, I need You. Lord I need You.

As much as I would like to claim this beautiful poem as mine, I can not. I did not write it, but Oh, how I needed its encouraging words. 2nd Chronicles 32:7-8 says,

"Be strong and courageous,

be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria,

nor for all the multitude that is with him:

for there be more with us than with him:

With him is an arm of flesh;

but with us is the LORD our God to help us,

and to fight our battles."

Recent circumstances have highlighted the fact that on my own I am incredibly weak. As much as I enjoy being in control, I truly have very little control over circumstances, and those that I do have control over, I usually mess up. As much as I would like to believe that I am alone in this, I know that I am not. Does not Christ say that He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. I may be tossed on the tumultuous sea, but my ship is not sunk. I may be battered by the harsh waves, but I have not drifted. My anchor holds inspite of the storm.

Death: The Final Passage

The final chapter in a book is just that - the end. And very much like a book, we have a last chapter in life. In these last days, hours, minutes, and seconds we must rap up a life of momentous victories and many mistakes. Sometimes our moments of preparation are short; some people are caught by surprise and will stand before their maker without these last few moments to prepare.
How will you pass on? What will be your final passage? What will fill your last few pages? The Bible tells us that our life is like a vapor; it appears for a little while and then fadeth away. We really don't get to choose which of life's chapters will be our last. How than do we prepare?
The Bible tells us that God knew you when you were conceived. God knows the number of hairs on your head. God knows you. But more than that, God wants to have a personal walk and relationship with you. God wants you to know Him intimately.
For the born again believer, the Bible says that God is the Author and finisher of our faith. God wants to write your final chapter. God wants to write your every chapter. The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Will you be prepared for the words "The End." They will undoubtedly come. Your story will undoubtedly come to an end. It may come slowly or it may come abruptly. But however it comes you can be prepared. There is only one way you can be prepared and that is to prepare yourself for the life to come, and that is to give Jesus Christ possession of your heart. Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." Give Christ your pen. Let Him create a beautiful masterpiece with your life.