I need your help!!!! Having photo troubles…

To anyone who knows how to resolve this issue…

I am having trouble keeping my photo on my post that I blogged. At first I used free pics from the internet, now I create my own using pictures I have taken or two apps I have on my tablet. 

Here is my question….when I first post my blog, the picture is fine and will be there for while until one day it is either a small box (usually you can click on it and then the picture will come up) or in letter form and just not there. What do I do to fix this problem?????

What is causing this and how do I stop it for doing it. 

Thanks in advance!!!!!!!! 

that Wee Little Man…

  • Most of us know this little childhood song…sing it with me:

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
A wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see;

And as the Savior passed that way,
He looked up in the tree,
And He said, “Zacchaeus you come down!”
For I’m going to your house today,
For I’m going to your house today.

  • The author is unknown. The imparted profound. The account of Zacchaeus is found in Luke 19:1-10.

Zacchaeus

 

 

  • Will the LORD not do the same for YOU!?!?
  • He is still the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
    • The same Jesus that prepared that sycamore tree for Zacchaeus, the same Jesus that walked by Zacchaeus, the same Jesus that talked, ate, and changed Zacchaeus’ life — is the SAME Jesus today that prepares the way for you. The same Jesus that walks with you through the valley of the shadows of death and rejoices with you on the mountaintops. He is the same Jesus that talks with you: through His Word and uses your Pastor(s) in that process as well. The same Jesus that changes your heart.

Zacchaeus, you, and I know the same Jesus — the difference is our response.

What will you do with Jesus?

The Delivery of Presentation: Know Who is Presenting.

  • Know “WHO” is presenting to you — not knowing could cost you far more than you bargained for. It is not always what it seems.
  • Stick to the WORD!
  • Satan is the master of lies, authors of lies, the great deceiver. He is NOT your friend.
  • I only know of ONE who came and died, out of immense love for mankind, on a Cross, his name is Jesus Christ!
  • Knowing “Who” is presenting makes all the difference in the world! 

Quote from my Beloved from our time in the Word together last night:

Live out the WORD! 

In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}

Reality in Time: living with an flesh expiration date.

Time.

What is time?

We freely bind ourselves to it. We accept it’s demands over us. We embrace it. We agonize internally over the power struggle it produces, yet we have a choice in how we live this one live we are given. Freely in Christ or bound.

My mind and heart are filled with the essence of time, realities of life here on Earth, Heaven, the Lord, His will, and yes even death itself.  When you are struck with the reality of loss, sorrow, grief, and hope in Christ and life with Him in glory — it changes you, forever.

In exactly ten days, my family and I will be embarking upon a new journey, the one year Heaven-anniversary of my father. On July 30, 2016, Dad was serving His Lord here on Earth one moment and the next he was face to face with Him. Time. Life. Purpose. Reality. Grief. Sorrow. Hope. God. It all makes you consider life deeper and consider Heaven a whole lot more in ways you never did before.

We have but one life to live. We must make it count! We don’t know our flesh expiration date. 

Heaven knows no bonds; has no demands nor struggles; it embraces none other than One. Heaven has One focus: the Almighty God.

Is it possible to have a bit of Heaven while on Earth?

We all have appointments in this life: specific time to start work or school, the bank closes at 5, church starts at 9:30am, the store closing at 10pm. We get it!! We all understand that we cannot live this life carelessly coming and going as we please, when we please, how we please. When our doctor appointment is scheduled for 10:00am and we arrive at 11:30 am — yep, you guessed it, we no longer have an appointment. We wouldn’t think of standing there arguing with the receptionist.

“There is an enormous difference in allowing time to rule over us and taking time by its horns and prayerfully living-out that time in a God-ruled manner.”

Meaning???

Not allowing “time” to run your life {taking you on a roller coaster ride screaming and holding on for dear life} but rather you taking those demands, appointments, schedules, activities, church, work, school, {whatever it may be} and prayerfully seek God’s wisdom first then create that schedule of time with God-purpose, God-Truths, and God-blessed plans!

Choosing to live out the Word throughout your time accordingly to God-first in every area of your life, will bring glory to God! Isn’t that what He deserves! Use your God-given time to share Christ with those you come in contact with. Be purposeful. Be diligent. Redeem your God-given time!

Don’t stop with your day, what about your month? Your year? Stick to the Word. Stay God-mindsetted. Bless your Lord throughout your day, week, and year! Use it for Him, not yourself — without Him you wouldn’t have this day to begin with!

Being of One focus: the Almighty God!

Setting your affections on things above and not on things on the Earth, Colossians 3:2 tells us is so key. Don’t allow time to rule you, we only have one earthly life to live — make it count for Christ!

In Christ I am SHE {Saved. Hopeful. Empowered.}

The Battle of Thought

Truly the mind and thought are a battlefield that war against one another: the flesh, the spirit and even against themselves. It shouldn’t but it does, it reminds me of that commercial years ago of a gentleman with a mini-sized white dressed angel on one shoulder and on the other he had a mini-sized red dressed devil. They both were whispering in his ear telling him what to do — one was sly in words (yet wrong) and the other was truthful yet honest in word, but the man was confused in which way to turn. He went nuts!

So, it is true today, though there is no such thing as a mini-sized white dressed angel or a mini-sized red dressed devil sitting on our shoulder whispering in our ear telling us what we should or shouldn’t do. But if we are honest with ourselves, our mind (and/or thoughts) battle for attention, direction, and desires that quiet frankly conflict more often then we care to admit. The war of what we know, what is right, wrong, and/or Biblical (meaning, squaring up with the Word of God: the Scriptures) and the daily choice of Colossians 3 — living the Word of God out with a heavenly mindset. We drive ourselves “nuts” like that man in the commercial when we do it our way and not God’s way.

Maybe we should be asking ourselves this question: “Why?”

Today, I would love to share with you something I have been personally working on myself and hope it will be an encouragement to you in your walk with Christ as well as in your heart and thought process of taking out the toxic and replacing it with GOD! Because our thoughts matter, because HE matters!

First, I am going to give you all three points, then we will go back and revisit each one briefly. 

  • To battle against our toxic thoughts {which are sinful} we first must 1) IDENTIFY THEM. This my friends, takes honesty — from within and with God. Remember He already knows you from the inside out, so don’t be shy with your Lord. You need to be honest with yourself for you will go nowhere in this journey without it. There is also a possibility that you may need to be honest with others in this stage as well. Be on your knees before your King and ask Him to show you. Don’t forget Jeremiah 33:3.
  • 2) REJECT IT. This battle is like none other. It is not physical, though at times it may feel like it, but rather it is a spiritual battle that requires God’s help in fighting. You cannot identify or reject without God’s enabling power working within you. You are unable to complete this task in and of ourselves for we cannot fight or win this battle alone, but rather through Him we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37).
  • 3) REPLACE IT. I cannot tell you how incredibly important this part of the puzzle is to rid yourself of toxic thoughts. If we do not replace that lie, falsehood, whatever it is in your life that is contrary to God, Himself, His Word, His Truth’s (promises, His character) and who He say you are in Christ — (I don’t write this to scare you into anything, but to help you understand the grave importance of this) it will return in some form or another but worst than the first time around! Guaranteed! (for example: if someone says that you are worthless, no good, the scum, etc, but uses you for their sexual pleasure — tell me my friend, where is the GOD-TRUTH in those statements? Tell me where the GOD-TRUTH is in the BIBLE!!!! Tell me which one LOVES YOU!!!!) CLING TO THE WORD!
  • You must replace what you are striving to take out! Don’t lose hope — God will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5; Deut. 31:6).
  • Choose to trust God’s Truth even if you do not fully understand God’s wise and loving plan. God can never be unloving; He cannot go against Himself, NEVER!

      Praying for you today as you seek first the kingdom of God and identify, reject and replace. Enjoy your walk with Jesus! Stick to the Word! 

      the proof: for our human hearts

      • Psalm 18:1 “I will love thee, O LORD, my strength.” 
      • Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”
      • Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
      • John 15:9 “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.”
      • Isaiah 41:13 “For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”
      • Isaiah 43:1-5a “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. Fear not: for I am with thee:…”
      • Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
      • Ephesians 2:4-10 “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
      • Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 
      • Ephesians 3:17-20 “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
      • I John 4:4,8b,9,17-19 “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. God is love. In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”
      • …and there are so many more verses, demonstrations of God’s love for us. Think of the Cross. 

        Power of the Thought

        Our thoughts matter.

        • I’ve been doing much thought-searching lately. The deeper the dig goes, the more Scripture that is unfolded, the more revealing the revelation becomes…our thoughts are incredibly powerful. 
        • Sure, most of us would agree, this is no new grand discovery. But do we stop ourselves and take the time to think of the repercussions of even one thought we allow ourselves to dwell upon? Oh those ‘good’ ones are easy, but what about the ‘wrong’ ones we let slip out and then we justify by saying things like “We are having a bad day” or “I’m tired or stressed out right now.” Does this stand before our righteous and holy God? You know what excuses you use.

        What we think, no, what we choose to dwell on will determine what we become. This is not “think happy thoughts and happy things will happen” but rather the holding captive thoughts that are toxic in form {ungodly} rather than focusing {which is a personal choice} our thoughts on God’s Truth and choosing to cling onto God’s Truth then live those Truths out which produce God-honoring-pleasing thoughts.

        • Today, why not begin to replace your toxic, sinful thoughts with the only Truth that can set you truly free and bring true freedom (John 8:32). 
        • What toxic thoughts negativity affect your life and relationships?
        • Choose to replace them with God’s Truth – it’s worth it! 

        Truth about a Lie

        “We lie not only when we contradict the truth, but also when we mislead someone’s thinking. We lie when we pretend things are fine, when in reality we are angry or unhappy. We lie when we hide a problem with drinking or Internet pornography or other sin, making excuses and throwing up smokescreens that cover our tracks.

        We even lie to ourselves when we make something bad look acceptable, or even desirable….Our culture is adept at using the power of language to mislead and warp perceptions. We call teacher-student sexual relations “affairs” instead of abuse of power. We call the brutal killing of a woman “a crime of passion” as the perpetrator sobs, “I loved her so much.” Language is twisted to make our actions look less heinous, more acceptable. But the Bible warns us, “What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).

        Lying is one of the most destructive things we can do when we’re confronted about something we’ve done wrong (Proverbs 26:18-19,28). I have witnessed marriage after marriage crumble because the person who has been challenged will not come clean through humble confession of the whole truth.”

        • The Emotionally Destructive Relationship by Leslie Vernick, page 34

        My friends, regardless if you are married or single, young or old, a believer in Jesus Christ for decades or for just a few months — lies present in your relationships {whether you are the liar or you are being lied too} will bring destruction to all involved. Sin affects more than just yourself! The truth always comes out. To lie is to sin!

        “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin” (Proverbs 26:28).

        “As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?” (Proverbs 26:18-19)

        “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

         

         

         

        Status quo?

        What’s your quo? No really. What is it? Think about it.

        Is it normal? Do your eyes see only the run of the mill reality of life? Maybe it is overwhelmed? Children? You fill in your life happenings.

        We cannot serve two master (Matthew 6:24). Many of us understand this but in reality we fight it, because we want both. We want God and everything else. We want a full time God while we are part time or grow complancent. It doesn’t work.

        I will be the very first person to raise my hand in agreement including myself with everyone else that we are not perfect creeters on this side of heaven, but we are gloriously  saved sinners! We are saved by grace through God’s incredible love for us that we should intensely strive to please our Lord in every area of our life — and therefore end up not living the status quo!