Relying on God Alone

"When the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout......the wall fell down flat."

~ Joshua 6:20 NKJV

"God surely gave Joshua the strangest strategy for overcoming Jericho that any general has ever been given! God told him to lead his armed men in a silent march around the outside walls of the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. On the last lap, the priests in the army were to blow trumpets loudly and the people were to shout. Then the wall would collapse, and Joshua's army could successfully capture the city!

"God answers prayer, but sometimes the way He goes about it can incredibly confusing and unconventional, which is one reason He goes about it that way----so that our faith rests totally in Him. Then, when the answer comes, we know without a shred of doubt that it comes from Him alone and that He knows best. And we give Him all the glory."

~ Written by Anne Graham Lotz

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Yesterday was Father’s Day. We all have dads; some still here on earth with us and some have passed away.

But there is one ‘Father’ who will never leave us. And will always Love us no matter what. We can’t get tired of His reminding us! Taken from “100 Things God Loves About You” by Tama Fortner.
 

God Loves to Call You His Own
 
“See what great love the Father
Has lavished on us, that we
Should be called children of
God! And that is what we are!”

~ I John 3:1

 
“God loves you. More than just a little. More than a lot. He loves you-----lavishly. His love is not the stingy, strings-attached love of this world. It is a love that stretches beyond the stars and reaches far into eternity. Just call His name, reach out to Him------and His love will sweep into your life, scoop you up, and whisper softly over and over, ‘You are Mine,’……for you are His very own.”

 
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A 'Saturday's Karen's Korner' to make up for the Thursday that I missed!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND!!

A good chance to honor fathers everywhere! God knew what He was doing when He created fathers. Parenting is basically, a two-fisted sport. Bringing up kids takes more than one person. And dads do a good job filing that role.

As our two girls were growing up and needed some reminders how to treat one another, I can recall hearing them fighting upstairs. All Jim would do is say, "GIRLS!!" in his loud dad voice. And they would respond, "Dad, we will be good!"

And if there happens to be no dad in a family, we can add on male teachers, coaches, neighbors, church friends to that missing piece.

And there is one "DAD", who is the great equalizer and we all have:  "OUR HEAVENLY FATHER"!

Good day to refocus on The Lord's Prayer"; lots of different versions. This one is the NIV translation:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one."
~ Matthew 6:9 - 13

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Sorry for no Karen's Korner yesterday. My computer had to go to the clinic for a check up!

For the last little bit, I have had a number of changes in my life! Not maybe so much about what is happening to me, but what I am experiencing from other people and the world around me! And can't say I like many of them. Maybe it is because of my 'new' age or because we know a lot of people in our smaller communities. But there is so much change in health in people I know and care about. Some terminal stuff, but many  'health changes'. And I don't like it!

I have to change my focus to Bible verses and what God has in store for each of us. I have used these verses before but I have to keep my mind reminded. OFTEN!!

"Always be joyful.
Always keep on praying.
No matter what happens,
always be thankful,
for this is God's will
for you who belong to Christ Jesus."
I Thessalonians 5:16 - 18 LB
 
Bible Commentary:
"Our joy, prayers, and thankfulness to God
should not fluctuate with our circumstances or feelings.
Obeying these three commands--
be joyful, keep praying, and be thankful--
often goes against our natural inclinations.
When we make it a conscious decision
to do what God says,
however,
we will begin to see people in a new perspective.
When we do God's will,
we will find it easier to be joyful and thankful."
 
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A Max Lucado in my inbox a couple of months back:

WE CAN BE CERTAIN

"There are so many things we don’t know. We don’t know if the economy will dip or if our team will win. We don’t know what our spouse is thinking or how our kids will turn out. And Scripture reminds us we don’t even know “what we ought to pray for” (Romans 8:26).

"But according to Paul’s words in Romans 8:28, we can be absolutely certain about four things: We know God works. He is ceaseless and tireless. God works for our ultimate good. God works for the good of those who love him. And God works in all things. Not a few things, in all things!

:Puppet in the hands of fortune or fate? Not you. You are in the hands of a living, loving God. Your life a crafted narrative written by a good God who’s working for your supreme good."

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I recently received something in the mail from the Joyce Meyer ministries. It is a card about the size of a bookmark with 7 Practical Ways to Strengthen Your Relationships.

I think I am going to put it in my Bible.
Here is one of them:
 

FEELING DISCONNECTED OR TOO SELF-FOCUSED?

Relationship Tip:  Give of yourself intentionally –

Encourage, serve, and bless others daily.

Why It Works:  Loving others as God loves you

Strengthens bonds and creates joy.

Scripture:  “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over (with no space left for more). For with the standard of measurement you use (when you do good to others), it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38 AMP)

Action Step:  Write down at least one way to bless someone this week.
 
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I really enjoy reading the book of Psalms! I can't recall the last time that I started at the beginning and read straight through all 150 chapters. Instead, I like to read a couple of the chapters, hit and miss; until I have read all of them.

Today I read chapter 8 and am including several verses in today's Karen's Korner. Since I mark in my Bible if I have used them before in a 'korner', I see that I have. No matter, they spoke to me again this morning!

"When I look up into the night skies and see the work of your fingers---the moon and the stars you have made---I cannot understand how you can bother with mere puny man, to pay any attention to him!"

And yet you have made him only a little lower than the angels, and placed a crown of glory and honor upon his head."

~ Psalm 8:3 - 5 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "When we look at the marvels of creation, we wonder how God could be concerned for people who constantly disappoint him. Yet God created us only a little lower than himself. The next time we question our worth as a person or feel down about ourselves, we need to remember that God considers us to be highly valuable. We have great worth because we bear the stamp of the Creator. Because God has already declared how valuable we are to him, we can be set free from feelings of worthlessness."

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Tomorrow is Saturday, June 14; FLAG DAY!

While America is celebrating its 250th Anniversary as a nation, the flag was adopted in 1777 on June 14; one year later. As most of you know, the 13 red and white stripes stand for the 13 original states and the 50 stars represent each of the states. The symbolism doesn't stop there. The flag stands for freedom, unity, and patriotism. Over more than two hundred years, our country has been truly blessed by God!

I want to count my blessings more frequently.

* We are blessed to have had our country defended by brave men and women when we need to be protected!

* God continues to bless us with people in the military who serve us still today.

* We are blessed by police officers, firefighters, and others who care for us and protect us.

* I am blessed to be able to witness the beauty of our great and vast country....from sea to shining sea.

* We are blessed with all kinds of freedoms!

* We are blessed to be able to worship our God.

* We can vote and choose our leaders.

* We are free to say what we think and believe; and no one stops us!

And the list goes on!! 

Thank You, God, for blessing us and blessing America! May we not take our blessings for granted!!

You can tell there are certain writers and writings which I really like. Sarah Young and her “Jesus Calling:  Enjoying Peace in His Presence” is one of them. Today’s writing – June 11.

 
“TRUST Me and don’t be afraid, for I am your Strength and Song. Do not let fear dissipate your energy. Instead, invest your energy to trusting Me and singing My Song. Therefore, you need to be vigilant in guarding your thoughts. Do not despise this weakness in yourself, since I am using it to draw you closer to Me. Your constant need for Me creates an intimacy that is well worth all the effort. You are not alone in this struggle for your mind. My Spirit living within you is ever ready to help in this striving. Ask Him to control your mind; He will bless you with Life and Peace.”
 
~ Taken from Isaiah 12:2; Romans 8:6
 
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