Saturation Saturday

Yesterday I talked about our "Teeth Troubles" and touched on the fact that the "suit" we wear in public sometimes gives us our sense of security (or insecurity).

Today I would like to speak further about that subject of keeping up appearances.

Does it really matter if your smile reveals a couple of flaws in your appearance?

Hebrews 13:2-"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."

Psalms 34:5- "Those who look to Him are radiant; Their faces are never covered with shame."

What really matters is that you do smile at those in your path, encourage those that need it, and spread a bit of God's love and mercy along the way.

Does it really matter what kind of house you have or what neighborhood in which you reside?

Proverbs 3:33-"The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the righteous."

2 Samuel 7:10-11- "And I will provide a place for my people and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.........'The Lord declares to you that the Lord Himself will establish a house for you.' "

What really matters is that your house is a home. That it is established by and honors God and blesses all who enter in as a place of refuge and a haven of peace.

Does it really matter if you are "keeping up with the Joneses" with your lifestyle or your material possessions?

1 Samuel 16:7- But the Lord said to Samuel,"Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

What really matters is that we are living a life that is pleasing to our Creator, our Savior and Our Lord. No matter where we live it, what we possess materially, or how others view us in accordance with worldly standards.

What if you had to give it all up today? Could you remain at peace and know that God provides all you need? Could you be satisfied with only Him if your "suit" was not as attractive as you would like it to be?

Luke 12:15- "...Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Romans 15:13-"May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Our satisfaction comes from Him. He will fill us. Lay the "suit" down and trust Him.

Just a little nugget for thought.

Stay saturated today with God's love and peace and the truth of His Word.

Love and Blessings,

Starr

Saturation Saturday Praises!

For those of you who have asked about Andrea, my cousin's fiance, I have some wonderful news!!! (If you aren't familiar with the story, read the blog posts under "New Baby In The Family").

Andrea is now off the ventilator, out of ICU and in a regular room, and actually walking and eating a little!!!!!! What a true miracle that is!!! God is still in the miracle business, just in case you ever doubted that fact! We all now have tangible proof that He is hard at work, still healing and answering prayer!! She has been at death's door three or more times since giving birth to a precious baby girl 5 weeks ago. Now she's standing at life's door, almost ready to come home and fill the roll of new mommy!!!!

Because of that exhilarating news, today's Bible verses will focus on God's amazing and sovereign power and our heartfelt praise to Him for it!! Get set to saturate yourself in His Word:

Psalm 9 verse 1 (NIV) : "I will praise You O Lord with all of my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. (V2) I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

(verse 9) The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (verse 10) Those who know Your name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You. (verse 11) Sing praises to the Lord, enthroned in Zion; proclaim among the nations what He has done!"

Psalm 18 verse 1 (NIV) : "I love You, O Lord, my strength. (verse 2) The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in Whom I take refuge. (verse 6) In my distress, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice; my cry came before Him, into His ears. (verse 16) He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters. (verse 32) It is God Who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (verse 35) You give me Your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great. (verse 46) The Lord lives!! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!! (verse 49) Therefore I will praise You among the nations, O Lord; I will sing praises to Your name!"

No matter what you are facing today, God is holding you in His mighty right hand. He is strengthening you every step of the way. Focus on His love for you and His provision in your distress. He is there. He will bring you through to victory!!! Feel that victory in Jesus flowing over you right now!! He still does miracles, no matter how big or small your situation may seem. He is handling it and has unimaginable good things in store for you! May you enjoy a day saturated in His great love for you!

Love and Blessings,

Starr

Saturation Saturday

Welcome once again to our special Saturday Soaking in God's Word. I'm so glad you joined me today!

This week, I have faced a varying schedule. I am usually pretty routine about how I spend my days; Certain days for certain things. Don't misunderstand, though. I am about as unsystematic as they come, but I basically do the same thing every week, in a very chaotic way! Go figure.

I had a rare opportunity Thursday to spend the day with a dear friend. I even got another friend to babysit! Talk about rare. That is something I NEVER do. Taking time for myself is a rarity.

The time my friend and I relished together was so refreshing. Over lunch, we had a conversation concerning our tendency to get blown out of the water when things don't go according to our "plan for the day". One little unexpected bump in our schedule can get us in a tizzy. Funny for two Christian women who completely trust the Lord and His wisdom, isn't it?

Do you ever find yourself feeling that way? I think most people do. Probably we women most of all.

God has laid on my heart this week to pour over Psalm 34 on a daily basis. I have read it several times each day. God has given me much insight through those words. Today, on this Saturation Saturday, I will post them here for you, also, to be drenched in.

Does your schedule leave you feeling dry? Do you lean on God when things go askew? Do you stop and give Him praise in the midst of the chaos? Steep your dehydrated self in His Words. Let Him speak to your spirit. Dive in with me:

Psalm 34 (AMP)

v1) I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

(Even when things get all thrown off schedule)

v2) My life makes it's boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad.

(I will bless Him in my coming and in my going as an example of His goodness)

v3) O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.

( Let's praise Him together in every circumstance!!)

v4) I sought (inquired of) the Lord required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

(I boldly speak with the authority of His word out of my need for Him and He acknowledges my faith!)

v7) The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers.

(He is always with me, even when I don't see Him working. He is standing in the gap for me!)

v8) O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is Good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him.

( People will see me as blessed and joyous! They will desire what I possess! I lean on His wisdom every day and he frees me from distress!)

v9) O fear the Lord, you His saints, [revere and worship Him]! For there is NO WANT to those who truly revere and worship Him with Godly fear.

(I will want for nothing if my desire is for Him above all else!)

v14) Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it!

( I will go about my day serving others in His name; Thirsting for His peace and His provision. He will fill me!)

v17) When the righteous cry out for help, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their distress and troubles.

( How cool and awesome is that!!!)

v18) The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent.

( My God forgives me of my faults and heals me when I am broken before Him.)

v19) Many evils confront the [consistently] righteous, but the Lord delivers Him out of them all.

( I am not promised a life of ease, but I am promised deliverance by a God of mercy!)

v22) The Lord redeems the lives of His servants, and none of those who take refuge and trust in Him shall be condemned or held guilty.

( Once again...how cool and awesome is that? SELAH)

I pray you will have a Saturday submerged in His love and His grace! Do something radical today...get out of your comfort zone. He is right beside you and wants to lead you to undiscovered places! Dive in!

Love and Blessings,

Starr

Welcome To Saturation Saturday

The Dictionary says that saturate means, "to soak thoroughly, of the greatest intensity, to steep, to drench".


My favorite part of the definition says, "to cause to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance."


Interestingly enough, in Physics saturated means "Charged to the fullest extent of it's capacity."


I love that, don't you? For that reason, I have decided to put Saturdays aside as a day to saturate myself and my bloggy friends in God's Word. No other substance can adequately "charge us to the fullest extent of our capacity".


Though I will use many parts of scripture on Saturation Saturdays, I will focus mainly in the Psalms.




The past two weeks, my trust in God has wavered. I have questioned Him many times.


I cannot fathom why on earth He would allow a precious and perfect newborn baby girl to spend the first few weeks of her life without her loving mother.






I cannot begin to understand why He would filter through His hands an illness that would keep an ecstaticly happy first-time father from enjoying the experience with the mother of his baby daughter.

I can't imagine why a perfectly healthy woman would go to a hospital to give birth and face the beginning of the fight for her life the very next morning.

I do know this. God is in control. He did not cause this to happen. He sees the big picture. He has a plan.



His plan for us during trying times like these is to pray and trust in His promises; To praise Him for His loving-kindness.



Maybe you are facing some difficulties in your life right now. Maybe things are not as you would prefer them to be and your trust is wavering like mine. Maybe you are just wondering "Why". Let's jump into the pool of God's Word together and unite ourselves with Him completely. Let's steep in His promises. Let's drench ourselves with His peace and healing.


I will begin with Psalm 41 from the Amplified Bible and add a few drops from other Psalms for us to soak in.


Dear Father,
Your word tells us that blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is he who considers the weak and the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the time of evil and trouble (v1). You promise You will protect us and keep us alive; that we shall be called blessed in the land (v 2). You promise to sustain, refresh, and strengthen us on our bed of languishing; that on our bed You [O Lord] will turn, change, and transform in our illness (v 3).


God, You are our Refuge and Strength (mighty and impenetrable to temptation), a very present and well-proved help in trouble (Psalm 46 v 1). Therefore, I will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas, Though it's waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at it's swelling and tumult, SELAH (Pause and calmly think of that!) (Psalm 46 v 3).


There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God (Psalm 46 v4). God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her (Psalm 46 v 5). You will make us glad again!! You will bring us out of these times of turmoil. We will see Your mighty hand at work!

We will call on You in our day of trouble and You will deliver us, and we shall honor and glorify You!! (Psalm 50 v 15). The world will have no choice but to see Your power working in our troublesome situation! You will conquer and restore!


We will rejoice in You, O Lord! We will give You thanks in the great assembly; we will praise You among the mighty throng! (Psalm 35 v 18).


Your hand is at work for us behind the scenes. You NEVER leave us alone or forsaken. You are holding us in the palm of Your mighty right hand and we can feel assured in Your protection and divine wisdom.


Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for You Lord; You are our help and our Shield (Psalm 33 v 20).
For in You does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in Your holy name (Psalm 33 v 21). Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You (Psalm 33 v 22). May our trust in You never waver. May we stand strong on Your Word.


We Praise You as we claim all these promises from Your Word in Jesus' name. Amen (So Be It!)




Do you feel a little stronger now? Are you charged up? I certainly am!

Have a wonderful Saturday in the Lord!
Love and Blessings,
Starr