A Song On Your Heart…

song on your heartIt so easy to wake up and not have a song on your heart…

But before putting your feet on the ground; before our thoughts have a chance to take over; how I pray we would remember all the sweet and good things God has done, and is doing in our lives..

“Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name.  Praise the Lord, I tell myself and never forget the good things He does for me.

He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.  He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. 

He fills my life with good things…”

Psalm 103:1-5

Oh Dear Heavenly Father, Your love and tender mercies fill me with such hope!  Your goodness is so sweet.  That You choose to draw me into Your presence; and into salvation, is just the most precious and wonderful life imaginable..

You offer me forgiveness and cleansing.  You fill me with hope, calmness and joy.  You have ransomed me, and surrounded me with love and mercy..

 You have filled my life with such goodness.

I stand before You this new day, Oh Lord, thanking You, and offering You my heart, thoughts and day…

May I be beautiful to You.  May other’s see Your love.  And may I be a sweet fragrance to those who are looking for goodness in this world…

I love You Jesus.

In Your Name

I pray

Amen

“He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west..”

Psalm 103:12

“The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.  For He understands how weak we are..”

Psalm 103:13

Have such a good day!

Live in Love,

Lisa

Rumors…

  Three pretty powerful words…

Have. You. Heard.

How many times have you or I been at the end of these words, or maybe even the one saying them?

rumorsOoooo…  about a zillion!

Lol!!!

It’s just so easy.  It’s usually never done with an agenda, or an angry heart… and it’s most likely never done to hurt someone…

But when I think about the repercussions it’s sad…

“What dainty morsels rumors are, but they sink deep into one’s heart…”

Proverbs 26:22

Rumors can destroy somebody’s heart and life for sure…

High School was the worst.  With all of our insecurities and awkwardness, it was easy to jump on a band wagon about someone else…

But as an adult, I hope to be a better example to my children, and the people in my life;  there has been times I have failed for sure, but if we keep our heart’s fixed on loving and protecting other’s, then together maybe we can help curb other’s from the pain of a rumor…

“Love always protects.”

1 Corinthians 13:7

Good Morning, Dear Heavenly Father… Rumors.. Uggg!  Thank You so much for showing me a glimpse of the pain and hurt a rumor can cause.. that a rumor sinks deeply into one’s heart…

How I don’t want to be the one who causes anyone to feel that pain, and how I thank You for Your constant love keeping me in the light, and gently reminding me to live in love…

Today, if I am faced with a rumor.. please, Dear Lord, make me aware, and give me the love and kindness to know how to react… That would me awesome.

I love You, Jesus,

In Your name, I pray..

Amen

Live in Love,

Lisa

The gossip trap..

the gossip trapThis so spoke to my heart this morning…

“Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.”

Proverbs 26:20

I so don’t like that feeling of getting caught up in talking about something, or someone..

It’s like a roller coaster of highs and lows.. isn’t it?

Talking about someone, then trying to fix what you may have said.. talking about someone’s life, or problem all in the name of love never feels right, does it?

When other’s feel comfortable, even vulnerable in opening up their hearts and problems to us, it’s personal.

It’s sweet and good..

When we talk to other’s about what they have confined in us, it just feels bad.

Dear Heavenly Father, I love You… It does feel bad when I am involved in a conversation that I shouldn’t be.. and I seek Your loving hand of forgiveness and truth..

Love covers a multitude of sin.

It is patient.  It is kind.  It is good.  It is gentle.  How I pray my conversations would be filled with love.  May my spirit be patient, gentle and filled with kindness.  That my heart would be set free of the burden of judgment, or condemnation of other’s…

Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…

Colossians 3:12

 

I love You Jesus…

 

Thank You for setting my heart free..

In Jesus, sweet and beautiful name, I pray

Amen

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone..”

Colossians 4:6

I love this solid truth…

Live in Love,

Lisa

Light of Hope…

stay in the lightStay in the Light and don’t turn back…

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise..”

Psalm 51: 17

How good is it to know that being right with God is a broken spirit.. a contrite heart.  Surrendering our pride and accepting God’s grace…

Agreeing with Him over our foolish ways.

Our foolish ways that have hurt us and have made us feel far from God…

Good Morning, Dear Heavenly Father, and thank You for a new beautiful day… I come before You this morning broken…

Contrite.

I am so very thankful that I can share these feelings of remorse and sadness and know that in exchange You will fill me with peace.  Hope.  And comfort…

I love that…

There are so many things I am going through, Father, and to know that You are on my side, and always waiting for me with open arms, is such a huge joy…

May my day.  My words.  My relationships.  Be pleasing to You.

Thank You for the kindness of Your love that tells me I do not have to walk in shame or sorrow, but instead my spirit of brokenness is beautiful to You, because that is where You meet me…

I love You,

Jesus..

In Your Name, I pray,

Amen

“But then God our Savior showed us His kindness and Love.  He saved us not because of the good things we did; but because of His mercy.  He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit… He declared us not guilty because of His great kindness..”

Titus 3:4-7

Live in Love,

Lisa

He will lift you up…

be upliftingOh Lord, You are my solid foundation, and my rock…

I am so thankful I can enter Your gates, this new day; and find strength in the beauty of Your presence…

How I love that!

When I am feeling defeated…or Unsure of my direction.

This is the thought that runs through my mind…

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you…”

1 Peter 5: 6-7

I love this because it takes all of the pressure and strife off of my heart and mind.  It reminds me that I don’t have to be in control,

because I know the one who is..

I love love love this picture in my mind…

My God and my king standing before me,  His hand reaching out, I am on bended knees before Him.. Head down.  My heart finds peace…

He is my God.  The lover of my soul….

Dear Heavenly Father, I come before You this morning, thanking You that I can trust You with my heart.  As I come before You on bended knee, how awesome it is to feel Your presence and might taking my anxiety away, and replacing my thoughts with Your solid words of truth..

I find some much peace knowing that when I come before You, humbling myself.. Trusting that You are God and You care about me… My days are different, and I so thank You for that..

“Cast You anxiety on Him because He cares about You..”

Awesome…

I love You Jesus…

In Your Name I pray,

Amen

“Exalt the Lord our God! Bow low before His feet, for He is Holy..”

Psalm 99:5

Contagious Love…

contagious loveIt is good to take our focus off of ourselves, off of our problems and emotions and feelings..

Isn’t it?

It gives us breathing room, and perspective…

“Come, let us worship and bow down.  Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for He is our God.  We are the people He watches over, the sheep under His care..”

Psalm 95:6-7

When I take my focus off of myself, and seek God’s presence, even for a minute…

 The meaning of life always makes so much more sense…

Kneeling before Him, or even just closing my eyes in prayer; gives God the opportunity to  turn my eyes toward heaven.  Toward His love for me.  Toward His love for others.

His love is deep.  It is personal.

And it is contagious…

Dear Heavenly Father, As I close my eyes and enter Your courts, how I praise, and thank You for Your shelter.  You are my maker, and the lover of my soul.  It gives my heart great warmth and joy that you watch over me; and that I am under Your care.  Your great love gives my life  purpose and meaning.

May my heart be light and my soul be at peace as I turn my day over to You..

May someone who needs Your light of hope, be drawn to You; that I would be able to love and encourage them just as you love and encourage me…

Your shelter is my peace…

I love You, Jesus

In Your Name I pray,

Amen

Live in Love,

Lisa

“May the Lord be with your spirit.  Grace be with you all..”

2 Timothy 4:22

 

Living On A Prayer…

living on a prayerHow I thank You, Dear Lord, for your words of hope, strength and great comfort..

“I cried out, I’m slipping!” and your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.  When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”

Psalm 94:18

Have you ever felt like that?

 Are you just holding on for another day?

  Maybe it’s emotional.. your tired, overwhelmed, burdened..

Maybe it’s relational.  Physical or financial…

Whatever it is, God sees You.  He knows you.  And He so cares about You..

Will you hand it over to Him?…

I picture this situation like a small child who is holding the most amazing round spiral old school lolly pop.. She is so happily holding on to it, eating it… enjoying every lick.  But her tummy is sick, and she is all sticky and when you try to take it from her she just cries.. She wants to just hold on to it… It’s comforting to have..

Our troubles can be like that.  We are used to them.  We have become accustomed to holding them, looking at them… eating up all of the worry and thoughts that come with them…

But God reaches out His hand of grace to grab them away, and we may pull our’s back… Our tummies may be sick, we feel stuck  and tired from all of the worry we have been eating up…

“I lift my eyes to You, to You whose throne is in heaven.  As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid looks to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, til He shows us His mercy..”

Psalm 123: 1-2

  God knows your heart.  He knows your burdens and your cries..

He knows your mind, heart, and body need rest..

Rest in Him..

Dear Heavenly Father, How great is Your love and compassion for me.. my foot is slipping, my body aching.. How I come before You this new day, praying and seeking these words of comfort and hope over my heart and my day… Will you give me the strength to see beyond myself and set my eyes on Your beauty and power.. I love You. I need You.  I am handing over all of my heartache and worry to You… Into your loving hands of beauty and grace…

Please, Dear God, guide my day.. direct my path and help me to love other’s as You are loving me.

In Jesus, Holy and loving Name,

I pray,

Amen..

Live in Love,

Lisa

“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever..”

Psalm 23:6

Focus on the good…

it is so good“Your love, Oh Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.  Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains..”

How I love this!

How can we be in a bad mood when you think of how beautiful that is?!

Good Morning, Dear Heavenly Father.. I love You!  I love that Your love reaches to the heavens and Your faithfulness to the skies.  Your love  puts a smile on my face; and joy in my heart..

Your words of beauty and grace pierce my heart with all that is good and I thank You…

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains.  So majestic.. So strong and true.  How I give you this new day.. praying Your love shinning bright.  I pray that other’s  will see Your goodness and hope…

And that their burdens would be just a little bit lighter because I choose to live in love…

Your tenderness and compassion fill me..

In Jesus name,

Amen

It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening..”

Psalm 92:2

“They will declare, “The Lord is just!  He is my rock!  There is nothing but goodness in Him..”

Psalm 92:15

Live in Love,

Lisa

When you don’t have the strength…

rest hereWhen the volume in your mind keeps getting louder…

When Thoughts of fear start to invade.

How I pray these words of comfort and love would invade our hearts instead…

“He will shield you with His wings.  He will shelter you with His feathers.  His faithful promises are your armor and protection…”

Psalm 91:4

Oh, Lord, how I pray that today, as we go through our day, we would be reminded of Your constant love and comfort drawing us into your presence, and the safety of Your arms. No matter what doubts or fears we face, how I pray we would have the presence of mind to surrender them to You.  Knowing.  And believing; You will strengthen me.  Guide me.  And protect our paths..

.For we put our trust in You.

Thank you, Dear Lord,  that Your presence is my refuge and safety.

“This I declare of the Lord:  He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting him…”

Psalm 91:2

Oh, Dear Lord, please remove the obstacles in our paths that are causing confusion, and harm in my life.  I do not have the strength to do it on my own…

I surrender all to You.

May Your great and mighty will be done..

I love You Jesus…

In Your name I pray.

Amen

Live in Love,

Lisa

“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed..”

Psalm 103:6

May your life be a shinning star for all to see…

I love you..

 

 

 

Mercy’s Gate…

mercy's gate“Therefore I am now going to allure her;  I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her..”

Hosea 2:14

How precious are these words to a weary heart…

I have to admit it.   I am the first person to tear myself down when I feel I have offended God, or man…

My tendency is to beat myself up with sadness and regret..

Unfortunately, I am… or was; super good at it!

  One beautiful morning… I was sitting on my patio looking at the beauty of God’s creation, but instead of enjoying it, I was overwhelmed with myself.. My failures and my fears.

It’s just what I did…

But this new day everything changed.

 I opened my Bible and read those beautiful words…

And after I read them.  I read them again…

I thought… Is God whispering this to me?

My heart leaped for joy…

I was able to picture God’s brilliance.. He wanted to allure me…

Me!

And He wants to do the same for YOU…

He was reaching out His hand to mine; and gently leading me into the quietness of the desert..

I reached out…

grabbing His hand for dear life..

And we walked…

it was so surreal and beautifully calm…

I could hear His sweet whispers of love and kindness.  He reminded me that I was His.  I was His beautiful and precious daughter whom He loved…

and I was His forever..

He adored me for me…

He pointed out all the good He saw in me, and I cried for hours…

God was turning my eyes and heart toward His love ..

Toward His nature of goodness and tenderness…

It was a day of refreshment and beauty.  I hadn’t let myself hear God’s kindness for so long…

When I look back at that day, I knew I had been allured and loved by God… He knew how much I needed Him… and He met me just where I was..

In the middle of my daily heartache..

I heard HIS sweet still voice of kindness and grace…

His is the voice that draws you into His presence of light and hope…

His is the voice that reminds me I am His, and I am covered by His love…

His is the voice that draws us to Mercy’s Gate…

Dear Heavenly Father, How I love and need Your presence in my life.. How I pray for my sisters and brothers who may be struggling with this same scenario of sadness or shame… Please, Dear Lord, in all of Your Majesty and Glory; draw them from the pit of lies, and darkness right into the beauty of Your presence and light…

May they feel Your hand in theirs … May they let You draw them into Your presence and calmness… letting You speak tenderly to them. That You love and adore them.  That You have seen their hurting hearts and that they are not alone..

You are with them…

May they be refreshed by Your goodness, mercy, and grace as they  walk with you through mercy’s gate…

How I pray this in Jesus’ Holy Name…

Amen

I love You Jesus…

“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord..”

Psalm 89:15

Live in Love,

Lisa

“Yes, our protection comes from the Lord, and He, the Holy one of Israel, has given us our King..”

Psalm 89:18