GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US!

BARBARA E. PERKINS

GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE US!

In the Book of Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) the word of God declares, “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.” In the past, when the circumstances of life seemed a bit crazy, I would remind myself of what the word of God has said about that situation. Hebrews 13:5, is one such scripture. It tells me how to conduct myself and it reminds me that God will never leave me nor forsake me. God’s word is AWESOME! I would remind myself, if it looks like God is not near me or is gone, His word assures that He didn’t leave me; therefore, I had to make sure that I hadn’t moved away from God. If I had drifted away from Him, 1 John 1:8-9 makes it easy for me (or anyone) to repent/ask for forgiveness and get back into right fellowship with God. Or, if these unusual circumstances were just another opportunity for me to learn to wait on God, as Psalm 27:14 declares, then I had to recognize that I must truly trust God and wait on Him. While I am waiting on God, I must read and mediate His word daily, as well as fast and pray. Also, while I am waiting on God His word in Ecclesiastes 9:10, tells me what else I must do, “WHATEVER YOUR HANDS FIND TO DO, DO IT WITH YOUR MIGHT; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” I can still wait on God while I am working because after the grave, work is over. Knowing God’s word keeps me focused on Him and the fact that “...He will never leave me nor forsake me.”

REASONS TO PRAISE GOD

BARBARA E. PERKINS

REASONS TO PRAISE GOD

In Psalm 146:1-2 (NKJV) the word of God declares, 1 “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” I praise God and I thank Him for sending Jesus Christ, His only Son, to redeem me from sin. Hallelujah! What a wonderful reason for me to praise the LORD. This morning I woke up! I awakened in my own home, in my own bed. Praise the LORD! I am in excellent health. Praise the LORD, because He is my Sustainer (3 John 2). I am so thankful for the loving Family that the LORD GOD has given me and for that I praise the LORD. As I look back over the many, many challenges the LORD has brought us through, I am so grateful. Sometimes I have to shout, “Hallelujah! Praise the LORD!” I have experienced God’s mercy, grace, peace and His loving kindness in every area of my life. Because of that fact, I am driven daily to praise Almighty God and Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. As I begin to meditate on one reason to praise God a trail of reasons flood my heart and overwhelm my praise to my AWESOME GOD. HALLELUJAH!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

THE POWER OF GOD’S WORD

BARBARA E. PERKINS

THE POWER OF GOD’S WORD

It is so amazing what the power of God’s word can do in our lives, when we yield to it. In Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) God’s states, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Heavenly Father God, there are a multitude of reasons for reading Your word and this Scripture shares one of the best reasons. Your word guides us so that we are able to make wise choices in our lives that please You and helps us to avoid sinning against You. I truly love Your precious word and I love You, my WONDERFUL LORD.

DO YOU TRUST GOD’S WORD?

BARBARA E. PERKINS

DO YOU TRUST GOD’S WORD?

God’s word declares in the Gospel of John 15:7 (NKJV), “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” This scripture is powerful, but will we trust God for it to work in our lives? Are we willing to do what God says for us to do in His word, so that His word will work in our lives? If we truly focus on God and wrap our hearts and minds around His word, we will see clearly what is necessary on our part for this scripture to work in our lives. (1) We must pray and ask God for whatever it is that we desire. (2) We must have a lifestyle of abiding/living in God’s word. (3) We must believe that God will do, what He said, He will do. Once we get a firm grasp of these three principles, it is amazing what God can and will do in our lives, if we would just trust Him. But, on the other hand, the word of God says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18). I don’t ever want sin in my life because I don't want it to break my relationship with my Heavenly Father, God. I love God so much and I always want Him to hear and answer my prayers. “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20).” Let’s show God that we truly trust Him.

SHOW US THE FATHER! PART 2

BARBARA E. PERKINS

SHOW US THE FATHER!
PART 2

In the Gospel of John 14:8-9 Philip, a disciple of Jesus, said, 8 “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? HE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” Jesus wanted Philip to know that any time that Philip saw Jesus in action, He was also seeing the Father, God in action. Thus, Jesus was saying, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” When we see Jesus’ actions—ministering to the masses, teaching them, feeding them, healing them, comforting them—we know that He is representing His Father, God. As we read through the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; we get to see Jesus moving with compassion as He ministered to and interacted with the masses. We got to see an abundance of mercy, grace, peace and loving kindness that Jesus continuously showed the masses. Jesus was always doing those things that pleased His Father, God (John 8:29). Who do people see, when they see our actions? Do people observe us and see God, the Father? Do they observe our actions and see Jesus Christ, God’s Son? Those are the questions that we must ask ourselves daily, if we are saved and want to please God. I am striving daily to be able to say, “He who has seen me has seen my Father God” without lying. When I fall short of my goal, my Heavenly Father gives me another chance to focus on His word and get back in step with His plan for my life.  Thank You, Father God! Thank You, Lord Jesus!

SHOW US THE FATHER!

BARBARA E. PERKINS

SHOW US THE FATHER!

In John 14:8 Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” What can we gleam from the word of God about Him—His nature? In Exodus 34:6-7, God revealed Himself to Moses, 6 “And the Lord passed before him (Moses) and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty...” In Isaiah 55:8-9 God’s word says of Him, 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” In Isaiah 55:11, God’s word says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” In Psalm 138:2, God’s word says, “I will worship toward Your holy temple,
And praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name.” Then in 1 John 4:7-8, God’s word says, 7 “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for GOD IS LOVE.” This is a very brief picture of the God that I love, trust, and serve. The Lord God is merciful, gracious, longsuffering, abounding in goodness and truth, forgiving and He doesn’t clear the guilty. He does not think like us and His ways of doing things are much higher than our ways. God keeps His word and He places it above all His name. Above all, GOD IS LOVE! He is loving and kindhearted. He is sufficient for me! My Heavenly Father, God, is so WONDERFUL!