Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

There are many bodily functions that we take for granted in our lives; breathing, walking, talking, sleeping and eating.  We also have an expectation to have plenty of food, clothing and shelter.  When we experience troubles that are connected to   our basic needs; we learn to not take for granted our everyday needs, but to appreciate them and to be thankful even for the simple things in life.

Yesterday I begin meditating on a time in my life when I was not able to sleep.  Every time I would start to drift off, my body would have a jerk reaction and wake me up.  That was a dark and confusing time in my life and I cannot think about it without becoming emotional, but Praise the Lord, He brought me out of the pit and set my feet upon the Rock!

 Last night I had 6 to 7 hours of sleep! Thank you, God, for the gift of sleep.

I enjoy hiking and walking outdoors. Several years ago I fell while skating and hurt my knee badly, so I needed to wear a knee brace to keep it stable.  I can still see my daughter holding my arm, as I limped slowly up a hill near our home.

Yesterday I was able to take a hike in the mountains with my husband.  Lord, Thank you, for the ability to walk.

When my oldest two were teenagers, my husband and I took them white water rafting.  After the trip was over, a few people were floating in the cold water, allowing the current to take them a short way downstream.  I decided to join the fun, but it looked a little tame for me, so I swam out farther in the river, where the current was stronger.  As I was floating along; I was suddenly sucked underwater.  I was trying to swim toward the surface but the current was strong and held me under. In my mind, I cried out to the Lord, “God I don’t want to die”, and immediately I popped to the surface and swam to shore.

Thank you Lord for breathe and life!

  If we think about it, we have many things that we can thank God for.  On this Thanksgiving Day, I encourage you to stop and think about all that the Lord has done for you.  Thank Him for the ways He has provided for you, as well as for the people He has put in your life.

Lord thank you for providing for our needs and for bring us through our troubles.  We praise You because you are a faithful God, and you will continue faithfully to bring us through our trials to the “other side”.  Please continue to remind us of all You have done in our lives so far, and Lord may our hearts be filled with gratitude and praise unto You.  Amen

 

My gratitude list                                                                      Your gratitude list

Life in Christ

My family

Husband, children

Good friends

Brothers and Sisters

Job for my husband

Godly influences in my life

The ability to love others

The ability to forgive as

I have been forgiven

My home

A time to rest

Fellowship

Being able to see the mountains everyday

My health

The fresh air

Food

Clean, cool water to drink

God’s blessings and love!

Psalm 9:1-2

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”

 

 

On the Road

2 Cor. 5:7

 “for we walk by faith and not by sight.”

As we walk down life’s highway we can only see so far in the distance.  We cannot see what is outside of our eyesight or what is around the bend, and often that causes us to become anxious or fearful.

After Jesus death and resurrection, He met up with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus.  The two disciples were overwrought and were discussing what had happened to Christ and were focused on his death; not realizing that He had really risen from the dead, just as he promised.   They did not recognize that it was Jesus who was walking with them, and while they walked together, He revealed the word to them and spoke truth into their lives.

When they stopped for the evening, the two disciples encouraged him to stay with them and as he broke the bread and blessed it, their eyes were opened to see that that the man who was revealing the Scriptures to them was Jesus himself.

Often in our own discouragement and fear, we do not recognize that our Savior is walking the road with us, until we arrive at our destination, and then our eyes are opened to see how He was with us, all along the way; speaking truth into our lives.

The Lord has promised that He will never leave or forsake us.  So no matter where you are on the road of life, remember we do walk by faith and not by sight. Even if you don’t recognize his presence; Jesus is walking that road with you; just as he walked the road with His disciples on the way to Emmaus.

Lord, as you opened the disciples understanding to your word and their eyes to your presence, please open up our hearts and minds to understand your word and to know that you are our ever presence God in times of trouble and always.  Amen

Luke 24:13-35

The Tattered Quilt

When my children were young I made them all small quilts to be their “special blankets”.  As the years passed by my children grew up and the quilts grew old and worn.

One of my sons continued to keep his “special blanket” on his bed, even though it was too short for him, as well as faded and ripped. The batting was exposed and you could hardly call it a blanket anymore and yet it still held a special place in his heart.

When I would walk by his bedroom I would see it lying on his bed tattered and torn.  I finally told him it was time to get rid of it and I would even make him a new quilt to replace it.  He reluctantly got rid of it, and that Christmas he recieved a beautiful new homemade quilt that was just the right size for him, which he really enjoyed.

Sometimes as Christians we live like we are carrying around an old "worn out and tattered quilt ".  The old sin nature can be easy to slip into and when we fail; we can pick up the old "quilt" and remain dispondent in our sin and forget who we truly are.

God's word says "We are new creations in Christ Jesus" and we are to clothe ourselves in Christ and his righteousness.  We are to throw off the old man and to walk in the new man, who is "created for good works in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So dear friends, when you sin, don't grab that "tattered quilt" and remain focusing on your old inadequate covering , instead, quickly repent and accept the covering of God's grace and righteousness and you will experience His joy in your heart. 

Lord Jesus, help us everyday to remember that we are clothed in You and Your righteousness.  Keep us from falling into temptation and when we do, Lord, may we quickly run back to You for forgiveness, so that we do not sit in the place of sin, but instead walk forward in your grace and holiness.  Amen

Isaiah 61:10 

"I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

Ephesians 4: 22-24

"...that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the  likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

 

Holding Daddy's Hand

As I was praying today, an image of a little girl walking down the street, holding her Daddy’s hand, popped into my mind, and it brought me such comfort,as well as reminded me that the Lord is with me, wherever I go. 

 Dear friends,  I don’t know all the trials you are experiencing, but I do know that your Heavenly Father wants to walk  you through each one, with your hand wrapped in His.  He wants you to know that He is by your side, taking care of you, as you walk down the path with Him.

 We have a tendency to let go of our Heavenly Daddy’s hand and try and rush ahead of Him down the path .  Sometimes it is because we are excited at what we see ahead; then when we get closer to what seemed  exciting, the magnitude of the challenge before us, becomes overwhelming and we are not sure what to do. Then, there are other times, when what we are walking towards, seems to loom ominously in front of us, and we are frightened and can become frozen in our tracks, or run off the path.
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In either case, all we need to do is to turn around, run back to our Daddy and grab ahold of His hand.  He is bigger than anything we may face; “in His presence is fullness of joy.”  When we walk hand in hand with the Lord, everything shrinks in comparison to His strength and grace.
 

My children you have enough to do today, don't worry about tomorrow;  Let me walk you through each trial along the way. Don’t jump ahead of me, but hold my hand and stay by my side. In the comfort of my wings you may hide and find solace and strength every day.

Walking hand in hand with Jesus, allowing Him to lead the way; knowing that whatever obstacles we must face; He is there and able to help us through the trial, each and every day.

I pray that we walk through this day, holding on to Jesus; not worrying about what may happen tomorrow, but  remembering that nothing is impossible for God and He is bigger than whatever will come our way.

 

 

 

 

The Joy List

We all experience discouragement in our lives, whether it is in our work environment, home, or even friendships.  Recently a friend and I were discussing how one day I felt discouraged and she was fine, and then the next day she felt discouraged and I was fine.  We brainstormed and talked about what we could do in the classroom to make it more successful, and as I was leaving I turned around and said, “Take joy in the little things”

She said that was a good idea, and she suggested finding 5 positive things, for every one negative.  As I started to name off the positives, more came to mind and by the end of the time we were focused on everything positive that had happened in the classroom and not the events that we felt were negative.

That got me to thinking about writing my “joy list” not only for my job, but for everything in life.  We experience many trials, but God also gives us wonderful things that we can be thankful for, and rejoice in. When we focus on God’s big or little blessings; we will find that we are experiencing a more joyful life and discouragement will lose its hold on our lives.

So dear friends, I encourage you to write your “Joy list” and remember all the blessings that you have received from God.  Maybe you will find that you have so  much more to be thankful for than you realized!

Philippians 4:4 “rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!”

 James 1: 2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 

Lord Jesus, Help us to find joy in You, and in the little things, when we feel overwhelmed in the hard places in our life.  Help us to fix our eyes on You, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before You, endure the cross, despising the shame.   Amen

 

Defeated or Conqueror?

Which are you?  God’s word says we are “more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord”.  Are we going to allow the enemy’s lies to suck us down into a pit, or will we stand on the solid ground of Christ our Rock, and His truth?

Often, we do not realize the battle that wages war against our thoughts and feelings.  The enemy frequently comes in with his subtle whispering lies, which must be cut off before they become a tangle mass of weeds in our thought life, strangling our spiritual lives also.

Satan knows when our “Spiritual Armor” has a hole in it and he knows exactly where to thrust his fiery darts.  It is important to make sure that we are fully prepared for the battle by being clothed in God’s armor of truth, righteousness, good news of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer.

In my life, the enemy starts attacking me in the area of truth, then it moves to righteousness and faith and if it is not stopped, I find myself naked and wounded, feeling like a failure and defeated.

Satan usually attacks me in the area of being a good wife, mom, worker, friend and Christian.  His attack can sound like this. “You are such a failure as a wife.  There you are making mistakes again, you disappointed your husband; you will never get it right.”  In the area with children, it can sound like this: “You are not showing them enough love or attention and today you were impatient with that little boy over there. Really, are you a good example of Christ?”

The barbs of the enemy can go on and on.  I am sure you have heard accusations against you also.  Satan is called the accuser of the brethren and he always comes to kill, steal and destroy.  He is wily and always throws in some truth with his attack and often we don’t stop his barbs at the beginning with our shield of faith and Christ righteousness. If we do not quickly confess our sins or weaknesses and apply the truth and righteousness of Christ to our life (His righteousness cleanses us and changes our hearts), we will be defeated and can fall into a spiritual slump.

As God’s word says “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin.”  The Lord is faithful to forgive our errors, our sin, and when we come before Him, admitting our faults and weaknesses; His grace covers us fully.

Instead of remaining in that place of defeat; we can stand strong in the truth of God’s word which cuts off the lies of the devil. We then find ourselves depending on Christ’s righteousness to change and protect our heart instead of depending on our own ability to do “everything” right. He is the One that gives us courage to lift up our shield of faith, which enables us to ward off the devil’s barbs that now fall harmless to the ground.  Finally we are able to continue forward on our journey of life, confident in our salvation and excited about sharing the good news of Christ to others. 

Yes, we are more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus our Lord!  He has overcome the world and He has defeated the enemy!

Ephesians 6: 10-18

“Finally be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.  Put of the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore, take up the full armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.  And take the Helmet of Salvation, and sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”

Lord Jesus, when we err and sin and feel like a failure, may we run to You immediately and put on your armor; Your righteousness, which cleanses us from all unrighteousness.  Lord may we realize that we need not to stay in a place of defeat, but we can run to you right away and be more than a conqueror through You.  Amen

 

“Submit yourself therefore to God and resist the devil and he will flee.” James 4:7

Being able to resist the devil, means we must first humble ourselves and submit our thoughts and lives to the Lord.  Whenever we surrender unto the Lord, we will be triumphant!

triss curtis

 

11 scriptures and words of encouragement and exhortation

Recently a friend sent me a letter, asking me to be involved in a chain-letter asking people to send scriptures to one person and then to have ten other friends send scriptures to someone else.  Instead of putting the "pressure" on ten other people to choose a scripture to send to someone they don't know plus figure out ten other people who want to be involved, I decided to send 11 scriptures to 2 people who are involved in the chain letter.  Then I decided maybe more people would like to be encouraged by scriptures that encouraged me. 

The Word of God, promises us that His word will accomplish all He desires it to.  I pray that the Word of God will speak to your hearts and may the comments encourage and challenge you also.

love,

triss

1.       Hebrews 13:8

 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

The character of God never changes and His power to change lives is the same today as it has always been.

2.       John 6:68

“Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.’”

There is no other place to go for life than to Jesus.

3.       No man comes to the Father except through me.

 Salvation is through One man, the God man; Son of God and Son of man, our Lord Jesus Christ.

4.       Psalm 107:8-9

“Out of the depths of my heart I cry to you.  I desire to see the living God.”

Are our hearts crying out in desperation for the presence of the living God?  He desires to answer that prayer.

5.       Isaiah 42:9-10

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.  Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing His praise from the end of the earth!  You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.  You island and those who dwell on them.

God desires to continually do a new work in our hearts and lives.  Let us praise Him for all He has done and all He will do!

6.       Isaiah 41:10

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Remember when life’s struggles start to overwhelm us, we have a God that can and will deliver us from all anxiety; just look to Him to be your strength.

7.       Romans 14:8-9

“for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.  For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

Are we allowing Christ to be Lord of all the areas of our live or only part of it?  Let us surrender all we are to Jesus, so He will truly be Lord of everything in our lives.

8.       Galatians 5:1

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Who or what is controlling your life?  If it is not Christ, then you are not experiencing the freedom that God desires for your life.

9.       Isaiah 12:2

“Behold God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and song and He has become my salvation.”

Lord, may we realize how strong you are to save and may our hearts and all that we are, burst forth in praise to you.  Amen

10.    James 4:7

“Submit therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

To resist the devil effectively, we must first submit to God.

Colossians 2:6-10

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed and overflowing with gratitude.  See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.  For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”

Remember where you have come from and who you believe in, don’t allow man’s vain thoughts sway you from following Christ and His direction for your life.  He is the one who completes you and He is Ruler over all.

 

Sweet!

Sweet! (Aug 29, 2012)

Today I was crying out to the Lord about how I feel so unsatisfied and hurried.  I want to slow down, but I feel like I can’t.  As I confessed my wrong heart attitude to the Lord; I realized part of the problem was not sitting in His presence enough to soak in the sweetness of His word.

 Psalm 119:103-104 “How sweet are Thy words to my taste!  Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!  From thy precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.”

Yes I had been having my quiet time reading my devotional and praying, but I had not taken enough time in my busy schedule to truly mull over the sweet words of the Lord, that give me new energy in my soul.  The everyday situations that I face take a lot of energy, and at the end of the day, I was feeling worn out and cranky, which left me also feeling sorry for myself and dissatisfied!

Just like we need more than one meal a day to nourish and strengthen our bodies, so do we need more than one bite or meal of God’s word every day.  We all interact with people and are placed in situations which call for God’s wisdom, discernment, and patience.  As we meditate on His word throughout the day, He gives us understanding and the ability to apply it to our lives and our situations; so we can truly be satisfied deep in our souls.

Psalm 119:97-100

“O how I love Thy law!  It is my meditation all the day, Thy commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever mine.  I have more insight than all my teachers, for Thy testimonies are my meditation.  I understand more than the aged, because I have observed Thy precepts.”

Lord, may we “taste and see” that you are good.  Lord Jesus, re-energize us with the sweetness of Your word. Satisfy us with your goodness, and may your truths give us wisdom and understanding, so we will live productively and joyfully in You today.   Amen!

by Triss Curtis

 

 

In Christ Alone

In Christ Alone

At the end of the day Yesterday, I felt down and depressed. I knew that things people said, or didn’t say, and even their facial expressions, had influenced my thoughts and feelings. I really had many things to be thankful for, but something had happened deep inside me that stole my joy away.

As I was riding home, I started to pray and ask the Lord, “What lie have I believed?” While I poured out my heart before the Lord, hidden fears, concerns and insecurities bubbled to the surface. They all connected with my fear of rejection and the feeling of worthlessness, which have left deep scars on my heart. Something was clawing at those weak areas of my heart and opening up the wounds again.

I started to pray against the lies and declare truth. I knew that if I could change my thoughts, my feelings would follow. I declared that God’s plans for me and my family were good and that I was His child and of great value. I prayed for God’s best for my son and for me, and as I prayed, the peace and confidence of who I am in Christ lifted me above all my fears and insecurities. I was in the right place again!

Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10) Satan a thief and the enemy of our soul, knows the weak areas of our hearts and where we have been wounded. He is sly and conniving and he will use any tactic he can to get our eyes off of Jesus and on to ourselves, so that we will walk around feeling defeated. But, remember we are new creations, God makes everything new and we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
We must not allow our minds to slip down the slope of lies that are fed to us. Our past, our jobs, and others do not define us; we must find our value and worth in Christ alone! He is the righteous Son of God, who has clothed us with immortality and light! We are being changed from glory to glory.

written by triss curtis

self-pity pit

When we wallow in self-pity, we are focused inward and not upward.  We become blinded by our own troubles and sin and are not able to see God's grace.  His grace is what pulls us out of the pit and allows us to live above our trials and weakness.  So if you are down and feeling sorry for your self, look upward to Jesus and He will strengthens you!


Hebrews 12:2
"looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (NKJV)


written by triss curtis