Quiet time

“At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place...”

-Luke 4:42 NIV

If Jesus disciplined himself for daily quiet time to pray and reflect, shouldn’t you?

He will never give up on you... EVER!

"Just think - you don't need a thing, you've got it all!  All God's gifts are right in front of you... And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until all things are wrapped up by Jesus.  God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus.  He will never give up on you.  Never forget that." 

- 1 Cor. 1:7-9 MSG

He will never give up on you. Never forget that!

Right in front of you, alongside you, is Christ himself; He is walking with you, talking to you, loving you, carrying you, forgiving you, and directing you.  He is with you, right now; you are never, ever, alone - EVER!

So as down as it may seem for you, as low as you may feel in life, remember:  God is with you; he won't leave you, he won't give up on you, and he won't turn his back on you. Please, allow him to forgive you - your past, present, and future sins.  Open your hear to him so he can love you into wholeness and lead you to salvation.  

Everything! Absolutely everything!

Everything comes from God;

Everything happens through God;

Everything ends up in God;

Always, glory! Always praise!

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Amen!!

-Adapted from Romans 11:33-36 MSG

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If we fail to pray...

"...As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer." Mark 5:14-16 MSG

If we fail to pray often, then we will fail often.

Pray lots - succeed more!!

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He will never leave you

"... for even though I sent them off into exile, I will gather them back to their own land, leave not one soul behind... I'll no longer turn away... Decree of God, the Master."  Ezekiel 39:25-29 MSG

Whether you believe it or not, God is with you always.  He will never again leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6).  So whatever you are going through now, no matter how alone you feel, God is with you fully.  And know this: all of God's children hurts, trials, and tribulations turn out for His glory - no ifs, ands, or buts about it!!  Keep the faith - Trust God.

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Mere mortals

“I know, God, that mere mortals

can’t run their own lives…”

Jeremiah 10:23 MSG

If we don’t let God run our lives, then we won’t have lives worth living for.  Yes, when we let God runs our lives, we have victory, light, love, and the like.  Without him, we have defeat, hate, war, and death. 

Therefore, give your life to God - have a life worth living, and dying, for.

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Hope in God

“The master God says…”

‘No one who hopes in me ever regrets it.’”

Isaiah 49:23 MSG

Hope in God, and God alone – you will never, ever, regret it!

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You are not alone! Don't panic, God is with you.

"...I've picked you.  I haven't dropped you.'

Don't panic. I'm with you.

I'll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

...I'm telling you, 'Don't panic.

I'm right here to help you.'

Isaiah 41:8-13 MSG

You have nothing to fear when you step out in faith. You have nothing to fear when you are going through trials of many kinds (+James 1:2-4).  You have nothing to fear when you are God's child.  Just grasp firmly to God and his Word, and remember, God's got you in the palm of his hand (+Is. 49:16) and he will never leave you nor forsake you (+Nehemiah 9:16-19; +Deuteronomy 31:6).

Keep moving forward, don't look back, and live life in boldness, fearlessness, and do whatever it takes to glorify our amazing God.  He's right here with you, every step of the way.

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+holleygerth.com

There's no one but God!

"God, you're the one, there's no one but you!" Psalm 86:10

God is the One!

God is the Only!

God is the Highest!

God is the God of all - there is no other!

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Adultery

Proverbs 5 New International Version (NIV)

Warning Against Adultery

5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
    turn your ear to my words of insight,
² that you may maintain discretion
    and your lips may preserve knowledge.
³ For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
    and her speech is smoother than oil;
⁴ but in the end she is bitter as gall,
    sharp as a double-edged sword.
⁵ Her feet go down to death;
    her steps lead straight to the grave.
⁶ She gives no thought to the way of life;
    her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.

⁷ Now then, my sons, listen to me;
    do not turn aside from what I say.
⁸ Keep to a path far from her,
    do not go near the door of her house,
⁹ lest you lose your honor to others
    and your dignity^[a] to one who is cruel,
¹⁰ lest strangers feast on your wealth
    and your toil enrich the house of another.
¹¹ At the end of your life you will groan,
    when your flesh and body are spent.
¹² You will say, “How I hated discipline!
    How my heart spurned correction!
¹³ I would not obey my teachers
    or turn my ear to my instructors.
¹⁴ And I was soon in serious trouble
    in the assembly of God’s people.”

¹⁵ Drink water from your own cistern,
    running water from your own well.
¹⁶ Should your springs overflow in the streets,
    your streams of water in the public squares?
¹⁷ Let them be yours alone,
    never to be shared with strangers.
¹⁸ May your fountain be blessed,
    and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
¹⁹ A loving doe, a graceful deer—
    may her breasts satisfy you always,
    may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
²⁰ Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
    Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?

²¹ For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
    and he examines all your paths.
²² The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
    the cords of their sins hold them fast.
²³ For lack of discipline they will die,
    led astray by their own great folly.






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What group do you hang with?

"...My son, if sinful men entice you, do not give in to them..." Proverbs 1:10

If you find yourself going along with friends that are up to no good,  then it is time to take yourself in a different direction , even if that means you have to go at it alone!!

Bread alone won't be enough.

“… Men and women don’t live by bread only, we live by every word that comes from God’s mouth…” Deuteronomy 8:1-5, The Message

In essence, without God and his Word, never will you have the quality of life that He so graciously wants to give you.

Defiance against God.

"But the person, native, or foreigner, who sins defiantly, deliberately blaspheming God, must be cut off from his people: He has despised God's word, he has violated God's command; that person must be kicked out of the community, ostracized, left alone in his wrongdoings." Numbers 15:30-31, The Message

Defiance of God and His Word only brings calamity on ones own-self, and on loved ones.  So, tread extremely lightly my friend if you knowingly decide to sin, because the sin you commit will, (and let me emphasize will), without fail, come back and bite you right in the fanny.

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You won't have to do it alone

“… I’ll take some of the spirit that is on you and place it on them; they’ll then be able to take some of the load of this people – you won’t have to carry the whole thing alone.”  Numbers 11:16-17, The Message

When life is weighing you down with obligation and burden, cry out to God – He will send you the people and/or resources you need to help you carry the load.

 

No more burn out!

“… This is no way to go about it.  You’ll burn out…  This is way too much for you – you can’t do this alone…  Keep a sharp eye out for competent men – men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible… They will share your load and that will make it easier for you.  If you handle the work this way, you’ll have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you, and the people in their settings will flourish also.”  Exodus 18:17-23, The Message

Some of us aren’t so good at asking for help, which means, some of us are really good at burning out.  Well, life is just too short!  God has a big plan for our lives and burning out is not one of them.  So, next time we feel we have the world packed on our shoulders, let’s start finding good women and men of God to lend a helping hand.  They are out there, and with prayer and patience, we will find them.  Not only that, when we ask for help, we are giving another person a chance to shine in their field, which helps us to shine even brighter in ours, and that is definitely something we can all use more of.

We all have one thing in common.

It doesn’t matter who you are, Who you believe in, or whether you believe in God (or not); one thing stands true, and one thing only:

There will come a day when you will come face to face with God Himself! And, it is at that moment you will know (understand and realize) that the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, is God, and God ALONE. 

God is no statue, no ordinary man, no beast, no object – NO, He is God and He is real, and the best choice you can make, (if you haven't already), is to receive God into your heart make Him your Lord and Savior.  It is not only imperative for this life that you make this decision, but for your life everlasting; because, with Him will be love, mercy, grace, blessings, beauty, health, prosperity and abundance in the full, until it overflows, along with many other spectacular surprises that our minds cannot even fathom.  However, without Him, will be gnashing of teeth – screaming, crying, and torture, and more screaming, crying, and torture… death! 

So, it is your choice … hopefully, it isn’t too hard a choice to make, and I just know that once you make the choice for God, you will never regret a single second of it!!

 

Praise God

My thoughts after reading the Book of Ezekiel, Chapters 26-30.

In our midst

"... yet You, O Lord, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name..." 

Jeremiah 14:9

You and I are not alone, we are never, nor will be ever be alone - God is always with us!

I know there are times when the feeling of loneliness can get get overwhelming; overwhelming to the point of tears, depression, and fear - but, those are the times when God can do His best work if we let Him, if we call on Him, if we trust Him!  Remember, the pain you've felt, or are feeling now, is only a season, so take hold of God with your life, and in due time you will, once again, see His light shine; there will be a new spring in your step, and the mountain that once stopped you in your tracks will be barely visible in your past.

Your life has meaning

+God's child

"...And who knows but you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion?" +Esther 4:14

If you are living on the pity-pot of life right now, then get off it!! Pronto!! Life is too short, and God has an amazing plan for you. Remember, however, you have to be the one to take the initiative, and then God will take the lead from there.

Stop thriving off of what you cannot do, your imperfections, agony, and failures, and start thriving on what you can do, have done, and what God has in store for your future!!  

You ARE His child, my friend, and that in itself should be enough to get anyone through life in joy, peace, and harmony...

YES, YOU MEAN SOMETHING!  GOD WOULD NOT HAVE BORE YOU IF YOU DIDN'T!! PLEASE KNOW THIS AND PLEASE DON'T WASTE ANY MORE O F YOUR LIFE IN DARKNESS. 

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All you have to do is ask

“You also gave your good Spirit to instruct them… “ +Nehemiah 9:20

God didn’t put you in this world to live lost, confused, defeated, or alone.  No, He put you here to be the flesh for His Spirit.  Therefore, you never have to worry that there is no answer, no way out, no direction, or nowhere to go, because with God living within you, there is always a way, an answer, a direction, and a place to go.

Yes, God lives within you, so ask Him for instruction, and when you take one baby step in faith, He will carry you forward a thousand more.