"Good Grief"

Who of us is not trying to start off this year on the best foot possible.  We all do!  A new year is new hope, just as our hope should be new each and every day.  God is so gracious, he give us new mercies and grace each and every day.  How do we forget that?  But we all know there are days when even that we can find a way to whine about.

It is my prayer that we mature to the point we will go to God before we act on our own thoughts. Please pray that with me today for us all.
We were saved so that He abides within us, He does go everywhere with us. We must silence his voice in order to not hear it. Think about the scripture that implores us to "not grieve the Holy Spirit". We say we are trapped in a life we do not desire at times, think about how the Holy Spirit must feel trying to train us up. Yet we look around us all day long thinking how much others still need to grow - even there, we are grieving the Holy Spirit....we have so much to learn; let's try to lift each other up so it is not so difficult each day.

On a scale of 1-10 let's strive to make 2010 all 10"s.....moment by moment, day by day!

My love and prayers over each of you.

Candace

The Life of Power to Follow

Jesus answered him, ’Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward’ —John 13:36

"And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ’Follow Me’ " (John 21:19). Three years earlier Jesus had said, "Follow Me" (Matthew 4:19), and Peter followed with no hesitation. The irresistible attraction of Jesus was upon him and he did not need the Holy Spirit to help him do it. Later he came to the place where he denied Jesus, and his heart broke. Then he received the Holy Spirit and Jesus said again, "Follow Me" (John 21:19). Now no one is in front of Peter except the Lord Jesus Christ. The first "Follow Me" was nothing mysterious; it was an external following. Jesus is now asking for an internal sacrifice and yielding (see John 21:18 ).
Between these two times Peter denied Jesus with oaths and curses (see Matthew 26:69-75). But then he came completely to the end of himself and all of his self-sufficiency. There was no part of himself he would ever rely on again. In his state of destitution, he was finally ready to receive all that the risen Lord had for him. ". . . He breathed on them, and said to them, ’Receive the Holy Spirit’ " (John 20:22 ). No matter what changes God has performed in you, never rely on them. Build only on a Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Spirit He gives.

All our promises and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to accomplish them. When we come to the end of ourselves, not just mentally but completely, we are able to "receive the Holy Spirit." "Receive the Holy Spirit "— the idea is that of invasion. There is now only One who directs the course of your life, the Lord Jesus Christ. By Oswald Chambers