Don't be led astray....

Colossians 2: 8&9, 16-23

8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers[a] of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.[b] 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

16 So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. 17 For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality. 18 Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels,[e] saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud, 19 and they are not connected to Christ, the head of the body. For he holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments, and it grows as God nourishes it.

20 You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, 21 “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? 22 Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. 23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.

Happy Tuesday, and God Bless!!!

Sunday Scripture

Happy Sunday and be blessed...

Colossians 1 : 10-17
10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[d] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption,[e] the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Saturday...

Saturday, and yet this Saturday is not like the last. My husband is home!! And yet, I find myself with even more to do than I did last Saturday when he was not here. Quite the conundrum, but this Saturday just feels so much better with so much more to do.

Count it all as joy, my brothers and sisters! Realize that in the midst of loss, trouble, confusion there is always a light of hope, always "someone" loving you, praying for you, holding your hand and carrying you through.

Try to remember to find "What's right with this picture?" instead of what's wrong with it. Flip that old game around and discover a renewing of the mind that comes only from filling it with those things I've mentioned before. WHat is noble, what is right, what is good...

Good: My children are healthy, loving, cheerful, and learning to be filled with the Spirit of God, my husband loves me, is a fellow believer, and is full of sweetness, laughter, and music, my animals are healthy, obedient, and my vegetables are providing food. I have a roof over my head, there is food on the table, I have a God that truly loves me, I have a God that I truly love, I have a God that stands beside me through the trials, teaching me more and more about myself every day, I have a God who is preparing a place for me, I have a God who sent His Son for me to save me, I have the fellowship of other believers who are my brothers and sisters in every way. I'd say I'm truly blessed..

Bad: I work 50 hours a week, my husband is in search of employment, we struggle to make ends meet, and we are losing both of our vehicles...

I'd say the scales are definitively tipped in my favor! Hallelujah and Praise to my God and Father!!

At this point I've forgotten what the tally is, but I can definitely say,
Mark one up for God, because the world hasn't taken me yet!

Much love to you all, and happy Saturday!

I leave you with this scripture for today that reached me...

Philippians 4: 11b-13
for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all things through Christ[b] who strengthens me.

Scriptures for your day...

In Today's reading there were a few that stood out...

Take them, read them, remember them, guard them..

Learn to leave yesterday behind for tomorrow is a gift from God.

Philippians 3:13&14
13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Hope in times of desperation:

Proverbs 24:16
16 for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again,
but the wicked are brought down by calamity.

For though he falls seven times, he rises again, he rises again..

Much love to you all, and have a blessed day!

Guard Your Thoughts

What do you think about during the day?

An email response to your resume that said, "Thanks but no thanks"?
The driver who cut you off?
Your financial puzzle?
The pain of a loved one?
Someone's smile?
We are all thinking about something all of the time.

Our minds bring back pleasant memories. Recall facts. Store useful (and sometimes useless) details. And do so many other positive and helpful things.

But our minds also create pain and suffering. They focus on wrong things such as fear, greed, selfish power, envy, false escapes. . . .

Did you know that God knows all of your thoughts—as well as everything else about you? God is intimately involved in your life:

You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?. . .

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
—from Psalm 139

Did you know that your mind is a spiritual battleground, and that what you put into it dramatically influences your life?

Music you listen to.
Movies you watch.
Books, magazines, and internet articles you read.
Mental images you play with.
What you keep thinking about yourself.
How would your list of thoughts stack up at the end of the day? Positive thoughts: 1,350; Negative thoughts: 2? Or the other way around?

What if someone gave you a dollar for every positive and uplifting thought you think and took away a dollar for every negative thought? Would you end the day with money left over?

How much influence do your thoughts have on whether or not you focus on the good? On how you think about the stress in your life?

How are you thinking about the people around you—a family member, a waitress in a restaurant, a person applying for the same job that you really want?

Paul, a follower of Jesus, knew about the battle taking place in our minds. He urged the early followers of Jesus to actively direct their thoughts toward the positive:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
—from the letter to the Philippians

With God's help, you can take control of your thoughts!

Make the closing words of Psalm 139 your prayer today:

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

*Taken from Biblica-guarding your thoughts*