Kindness rule

"When she speaks her words are wise and kindness is the rule for everything she says." Proverbs 31:26 TLB
We know,of course, that the Proverbs 31 woman is the image of the perfect woman. We can try to live up to her image but, more times than not we don't even come close.  But if we would just try to speak with kindness, wouldn't that bring us closer to that image of perfection? At the very least, it would make life around us more pleasant. Right?

A wisdom principle

I recently read a statement that says: "NEVER SPEAK WORDS THAT MAKE SATAN THINK HE'S WINNING."
Don't say words like I can't, or it's impossible, or I'm just not up to it, etc. because those are words of defeat.  The words that come from your mouth should be words of life. Express hope and confidence in the God who made you and saved you and is living in you. Get excited over planning for your future. God is in it. In fact, He's already there!

Gossip

If someone says something to you about another person behind their back, be confident that they will say something about you behind your back.  Here's a good piece of wisdom from God's Word:
"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers." Ephesians 4:29

Living God's way

Living by God’s commands will lead to peace in the home and in the world, where the rubber meets the road.  Living God's way is more than just a duty. One of the many benefits is peace of mind and that's a huge thing isn't it?

Center in the Bible

Psalm 118:8 is placed in the center of the Bible so it must be something important to know.  It is! This verse teaches us that..."It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."
If you have walked with the Lord very long, you know this to be true because "greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4

The Gift goes on...

The gift-giving season is upon us. This time of the year seems to be focused on buying and giving the perfect gifts to our loved ones. When only the perfect gift will do, we are following in the footsteps of the great Gift-Giver, Father God.
It is through His indescribable gift...His Son, Jesus Christ that we have access to many other gifts.  Gifts like hope, joy, peace of mind, salvation and eternal life just to name a few.
"Thanks to be God for His indescribable gift." 2 Corinthians 9:15

If you are willing, God will use you mightly

God will never advance you beyond your last act of obedience. Don't get stalled out on the last thing you did for the Kingdom. Acts of obedience are a lifestyle when you are living a life of serving God. And don't get too picky about the types of service you are willing to do. God will give you both great and humble opportunities for service to Him. Be blessed by all of it.
"If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." Isaiah 1:19

Evidence outweight proof.

The evidence of God's presence far outweighs the proof of His absence. One day "...every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Phil. 2:10

Happiness/Joy

Happiness depends on happenings, but joy depends on Jesus!

Safe place

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!" Psalm 91:1-2
That's where our security lies sisters!

Beauty isn't only for the young.

You can't take the credit for beauty at age 16. But if you are beautiful at age 60, it will be your soul's own doing. God's work in us is tough many times, but He knows best and He makes everything beautiful in His own time.

Thanksgiving

Yes, tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, but shouldn't every day be a day of thanks? A life lived in an attitude of graditude is a blessing to the One from Whom all blessings flow!
"In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Live as if...

"Live as if Jesus died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back at any moment!" If you are a devoted Christ follower, He is the focus of your life. We show our love and devotion to Him by loving His people. He told Peter to feed His sheep.  For us that means to be caring and loving to others and in that way, hearts may be open to Him. Make a difference in your world today...for Him.

Counting our blessings

"Many ,O Lord my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts towards us; there is none to compare with Thee; if I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count." Psalm 40:5
We are a blessed people and we should stop often and ponder our blessings.  If we did that, we couldn't help but live a life in an attitude of graditude!

Do things right.

Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully.
"Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart..." 1 Chronicles 29:9

Directions for going to Heaven.

Directions for going to Heaven: TURN RIGHT AND GO STRAIGHT!
Psalm 25:8 NLT...
"The Lord is good and does what is right; He shows the proper path to those who go astray." God has got plans for you, BIG plans, but it is only through His Son Jesus that He can carry them out in your life.

Scare the devil

Satan dreads your prayer link to God.  He will try to sabotage it in any way possible.  Don’t let him!  Make a daily appointment with God.   Don’t just save your prayers for a crisis time.  And don’t fool yourself into thinking that you don’t have time.  If you don’t have a regularly scheduled time with the Father, begin with just five minutes tomorrow morning.  You’ll be surprised at how quickly that time will go by and soon it will become a habit too.  (By that time, you’ll insist on more than a measly five minutes!)

“Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the ground each morning, the devil says,--“OH CRAP, SHE’S UP!”

Jeremiah 33:3—“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” 

Awesome

A word that is overused in my opinion is the word: awesome. Things like a movie or an outfit or even pizza are decribed as "awesome" when really they are only good or pretty or yummy. The word "awesome" is used to decribe something or someone you stand in "awe" of. And the only One who fills that bill is God. He is definitely awesome and all His works are awesome.
In my opinion, the word "awesome" should only be used when talking about God or the things He has done. To decribe anyone or anything else as "awesome" is disgraceful....something to think about.

don't come apart!

There's a saying that goes: "If Christians do not come apart and rest a while they may just come apart!" If you feel that you are on overload, it is time to download...to the peace and comfort of home, sweet home! I know there is much to do, but we don't have to do it in the next 10 minutes!  Busyness is a tool of Satan, slow down and reconnect with Father God. He's waiting for you. (and me)
Mark 6:31..."And He said to them...Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest awhile."  

"...with God all things are possible."

Sometimes we tend to put God in a box, (set limits on Him) when we should be putting our problems or our past or our bad habits in a box and throwing it in the trash.  We forget that God is limitless.  Nothing is impossible for Him. 

Mark 10:27—“…with God all things are possible.”

www.barbarageer.com

I am excited to tell you that my web site is finally up and you can review and order my book from there. Go to www.barbarageer.com Many of the 52 Bible studies in the book are things you already know, but are a reminder of what God wants us to know and understand.  Some things might be new to you and causes you to further study God's Word for yourself. If you use it for individual study or get together with a few sisters, the time will be a blessing to you. 
I'm also happy to tell you that this book is an inspiration from Father God, because I'm not that smart on my own.  He gives us many resources to encourage us to grow in our faith. I hope you choose to use this one.

Life

Life is like a coin.  You can spend it any way you like, but you can only spend it once.  If you are loving and serving God in this short earthly life, be assured that the hereafter life will be joyful indeed!
Eternity is a long, long time!

You are a Princess

God says...you are a child of His if you've accepted Jesus into your life.  That means you are a child of the King...a princess!  Do you walk like a princess? talk like a princess? Is your attitude representing your Royal Family one of caring and serving His people? Being a princess doesn't mean acting like a diva.
Being a member of the family has it's privileges and it's responsibilites as well!

Psalm 27:8

"When Thou did say, "Seek My face, my heart said to Thee...Thy face, O Lord, I shall seek." Psalm 27:8
If I seek the Lord with my heart, I will truly find Him.  Abundant living follows that and growing in faith.  When I know Him here on planet Earth, He will know me when we're face to face in eternity!

Lesson on love

One proof of our love for our Heavenly Father is how much we love His children. Sometimes that's a challenge because sometimes His children aren't so lovable and that includes us!   Loving through the seed of God's love within us is called Supernatural love!

Exciting News!! I launched a new book on Tuesday, the title is Am I My Sister's Keeper? http://www.amazon.com/Am-My-Sisters-Keeper-Studies/dp/1449769004/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1351871874&sr=8-11&keywords=am+i+my+sisters+keeper
It is a book of 52 Bible Studies for women, one for each week of the year.
It has been very well received. I will be sharing excepts of it here on this blog from time to time.
Look it up when you have a chance... I hope you enjoy it!

Confidence Builder

This is a confession to say (aloud) over your life when you are feeling unsure:
I am determined and confident! I am not afraid or discouraged, for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go. (Joshua 1:9) In quietness and in trusting confidence I find strength. (Isaiah 30:15) I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. (Micah 7:7) I approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that I may receive mercy and find grace to help me in my time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) I can do all things through Him who gives me strength! (Philippians 4:13)

Quiet confidence.

"Confidence in God brings quietness  to the spirit. Isaiah 32:17..."The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever."

Tough times.

"Tough times never last...but tough people do." I've learned that lesson, have you? And I'm still here. Thank You God!

Our part is to pray.

Part of a Christian's duty as God has commanded is to pray for our country's leaders and government. (1 Timothy 2:1-2) It is not necessary that you agree with their moral values and the decisions they make concerning us but we must hold them up in prayer to the Heavenly Father.  Remember that God can work through any person, believer or not and He has the last word.
Another prayer concern that we must take seriously is to pray for evangelism and missions (Matthew 9:38 and Luke 10:2) God wants His name spread around and for people to hear about His workings.  He also desires all to come to repentence and no one to perish. (2 Peter 3:9)  Matthew 6:10 says we must pray for God's kingdom to come.
And finally, that we should weep over our community just as Jesus wepted over Jerusalem. (Luke 13:34)

Unavailablility

Praylessness means unavailablility to God.  Why would we want to let that happen? When He is active in our lives that means He is working things out for our good.  That doesn't mean everything is rosy in a Christian's life.  It just means we don't have to rely on our own wisdom, insight, power, ability, talent, resoures, influence, effort and right decision making...just to name a few things! Have you ever tried to clean up your own mess under your own power?  It can get kind of messy...right?

You matter to God

You matter to God.

If you are discouraged, lonely or just feeling yucky, look at the truth in these verses. You might think that others don’t appreciate you but…you matter to God!

He has the hairs on your head numbered (Luke 12:6-7) and your name is written on the palm of His hand! (Isaiah 49:16) He is familiar with all your ways (Psalm 139:1-10) and you are never out of His sight. (Psalm 139:3) Ten percent of the people you meet won’t like you, but God loves you with an unfailing love. (Psalm 90:14) He has compassion for you (Psalm 145:9) and He lifts you up when you are bowed down. (Psalm 146:8) He heals your broken heart and binds up your wounds. (Psalm 147:3)

He sent His Son to redeem you from sin that separates you from God (John 3:16) and Jesus loves you so much He came into this world to save you and not condemn you (John 3:17) and give you eternal life in Heaven.  And His coming allows you to have an abundant life here on planet Earth. Jesus always has time for you.  He will stand at the door of your heart waiting for you to let Him in. (Revelation 3:20) Are you giving Him the time He deserves? He is patient with you. (Psalm 145:8)

God said He will supply your daily bread (Matthew 6:11) and everything else you need (Philippians 4:19) including forgiveness. (Psalm 86:5) He has a perfect plan for your life, (Jeremiah 29:11) He cares about every detail of your life. (Matthew 10:30) He has demonstrated His love for you by sacrificing His own Son. (Romans 5:8) He has elevated you to the status of being called His child.  Do you think that you matter to Him?

Driving Satan crazy.

If we know that praising God is a spiritual weapon and it drives Satan crazy--then why aren't we praising God more often?

Amen...what does it really mean?

We say amen after our prayers and sometimes when we agree with what has just been said, but there's more to it then that. Read 2 Corinthians 1:20-22 from the Message:
"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the "Yes" of Jesus.  In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great "Amen", God's yes and our yes together, gloriously evident.
God affirms us making us a sure thing in Christ, putting His yes within us.  By His Spirit He has stamped us with His eternal pledge--a sure beginning of what He is destined to complete."
 By saying amen, we are agreeing with God through our Savior, Jesus Christ that His work in us is being completed day by day. Amen to that!

Do people know you are a Christian?

Consider this statement: "I didn't know she was a Christian."  I think that's not what any devoted Christ follower would want said of them.
Have you ever thought that of someone?
Do you think that has ever been said of you?
What can we do to ensure that it will never be said of us?

Outlook determines outcome.

"Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.  Make level paths for your feet and take only paths that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." Proverbs 4:25-27
Proverbs is a great source of wisdom. If we follow the advice in the verses above, our attitude will determine a more positive result.

Daily bread

God supplies all of the ingredients for our daily bread, but He expects us to do the baking!

Keep going!

Just as water will eventually wear away a stone, the ability to keep going will accomplish great things!

The Four-way test.

Of all the things we think, say, or do:
1.  Is it truth?
2.  Is it fair to all concerned?
3.  Will it bring goodwill and lasting friendships?
4.  Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

God pleasers not people pleasers

A father and his son were walking along a road one day with their donkey.  Soon they met a man who told them how foolish they were to walk when they had a donkey to ride.  So the father and son hopped up onto the donkey.  They had only rode a little way when they met another man who criticized them for the two of them riding their poor donkey as he thought they were too heavy for the donkey to be carrying them.  So the boy jumped down.
It was soon after that they met another traveler who thought it was inconsiderate of the father to make his son walk while he rode, so the father and son changed places. It wasn't long before that they came upon another person.  He had the opinion that the son should be the one walking because his father was older and he should respect his father.
When last seen, the father and the son were trudging down the road carrying the donkey! (old fable)
We can't please everyone 100% of the time. It's impossible to do. We should live our lives trying only to please God. His approval is the only one that counts.
1 Thessalonians 2:4--"...We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts."

Don't worry about tomorrow.

One of the best things about the future is that it comes one day at a time! Matthew 6:34 tells us not to worry about tomorrow because..."tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Christian living in a nutshell.

"Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth;" 1 John 3:18
This is Christian living in a nutshell. Loving others is all about doing for them in Jesus' name. Love is an action word.

Two questions

God has given us many resources to prepare ourselves for the tasks He has designed for us to do.  Resources like seeds of each of the Fruit of the Spirit, unlimited communication with Him, at least one spiritual gift, great examples of those who have gone on before us and an unending supply of love, encouragement, wisdom and hope through His Word.  Oh, and one more thing—the precious blood of Jesus as a covering.

 Just think what a difference we could make if we would only use all of these resources available to us. It is foolishness to go through life without a clue about our purpose or direction.  God will ask us two questions when we stand before Him one day.  The first is…”What did you do with My Son?” (Did you accept what Jesus did for you on the cross and did you learn to love and trust Him?) And the second is…”What did you do with what I gave you?”   (What did you do with your life? Did you use your time, treasure and talents on yourself or did you live to help others and glorify Me?) It should be our goal in life to be able to give Him a positive answer when that time comes.

The way to heaven…turn right and go straight!

Guard my mouth.

"Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door of my lips." (Psalm 141:3) What we talk about says a lot about us, don't you think? Really, we don't have to verbalize every thought.  Better still, if we clean up our thinking, we won't have anything to be concerned about. Agree?
Chinese proverb..."If you wish to know the mind of a person, listen to their words!"

"I was glad when they said unto me..."

"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." Psalm 122:1
We are blessed to live in a country where we can worship God in the company of other believers. Today and every day, let's put God where He belongs...in the center of our lives.

"Those who wait upon the Lord..."

"Yet those who wait upon the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles.  They will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary."
We may face situations beyond our reserves but never beyond God's resources. Ask for His presence to be in your situation. He is only a prayer away.

Microwaving verses marinating

Just because we have faith doesn’t mean things will turn out rosy for us in every circumstance.  We sometimes get frustrated because things don’t happen when we think they should.  It’s good for us to remember that God’s timing is seldom our timing, but His timing is always right for us and the situation.

We human beings are impatient.  We know what we want, and we know exactly when we want it…NOW!  But, God knows better.  Our view is so limited compared to His.  Patience is a virtue, one that most of us need to practice and God is just the One to help us out in that area!

We humans are in microwaving while God is into marinating!

(from our PEARLS Bible study yesterday)

face to face

Psalm 27:8..."My heart says of You, Seek His face! Your face, O Lord I will seek."
If I seek the Lord with my heart, I will truly find Him.  Abundant living follows that and growing in faith as well.  When I know Him here on planet earth, He will know me when we're face to face in eternity!

Do it now!

Ecclesicestes 11:4..."He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap."
From the Living Bible..."If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done!"  When you know what needs to be done, thinking about it doesn't help, action does.

Never doubt God.

If God loved you enough to give His Son for you, don't you think that He loves you enough to meet your needs? Never doubt His love or His resources.

Making a difference

If we are to make any difference in this world at all, we must put feet to our faith and hands to our love. Words have an impact when people know actions are behind them. Do for others as you want them to do to you.  That's the way God's blessings abound.
 Work for God.  The pay isn't that great, but the retirement plan is out of this world!

Hot water

A Christian should be like a tea bag.  Hot water brings out the best in them! The world watches when  Christians are in a crisis.  Probably because that's when our faith is tested. James reminds us to..."consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  A crisis usually comes unexpectedly. Be grounded so deep in Christ that your attitude will be a shining example of the character of the One you serve. Praise His Holy Name!

Great God, small problems.

“THE GREATER WE SEE OUR GOD, THE SMALLER WE SEE OUR PROBLEMS.” If we focus only on our problems, and not on the One has the solution, we are limiting God to work in our lives. Having confidence to know that He is at work even when you don't actually see anything being done develops faith.

Jesus is my Rock!

 "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my ROCK in whom I take refuge.”  2 Samuel 22:2-3

Seeing Jesus as our Rock is a good thing.  Having a hard, rocky heart—not good.  Many people try to get to heaven by “being good” and by “doing good”.  This is wrong thinking.  No one enters heaven just by being good and doing good works.  The great Rock is Jesus.   The only way to the Father and eternity in heaven with Him is through faith in Jesus Christ.  For the “be- good, do-good” people, He is a stumbling block.  For people whose faith is in Him, He is a stepping stone.

 Some friends and I had a discussion a while ago about calling Jesus a Rock.  One person didn’t like that name, because although a rock is one of the most solid and strong elements in nature, it can be broken into many pieces.  Well, after I thought about that a while, it came to me that if Jesus is our Rock, we can be the stones that are broken off Him.

I appreciate the fact that I have this wonderful source of strength and security.  When I feel weak, He gives me strength.  When I am afraid, He assures me that He will take care of me.  And to plug into this Source, I merely have to call on His name in faith.

Yes Lord

The simple sentence, “Yes, Lord.” should be the most used one in a Christian’s vocabulary.  It is a response of love and faith.  It makes His interests above our own.  “Yes, Lord.” is a response of obedience and commitment.  It acknowledges that He is first in our lives.  In fact, if we call Him Lord, we must say “yes” to Him.  “No, Lord” is self-contradicting.  If we aren’t willing to obey, then He is something less than Lord to us.

“Yes, Lord” is the vocabulary of heaven.  We would be wise to learn that language here. 

Psalm 37:5-6—“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

prayer for morning

Psalm 90:14   “Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Our days will be more than satisfying if we pray this verse as a prayer in the morning. Do you agree?

Interruptions

Life is filled with interruptions.  But God has revealed a spiritual truth to me and that is … “Interruptions”, in God’s scheme of things, can be viewed as blessed opportunities to be the hands and feet of God here on planet Earth.  Today if your adjenda (precious only to you) is interruped by something unexpected, consider it to be an opportunity to minister, serve or encourage one of God's precious children...and be blessed!  It's really all in your attitude. A positive attitude will bring you blessings. A negative attitude, not so much.

9/11

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing 11 years ago today?  Most people have that memory solidly locked in their minds and much has been written about the events of 9/11.  Laura Bush,who was the first lady at the time wrote this some time later:
"You don't have to walk into a burning building or wear a badge to recue someone.  You don't have to go to medical school to help a perosn feel better, or walk on the moon to change this earth.  You simply have to care about what happens in our country.
To me, we can all honor the lives lost on September11, 2001 by making our lives count ever more."
When we get out of bed in the morning, we really have no idea what the day will bring.  Whatever happens during our day, I pray that we will always strive to do the right thing and our Heavenly Father will be honored by it.

I'm going to Heaven

Here's a beautiful quote by Billy Graham:
"I'm going to Heaven and I believe I'm going by the blood of Christ.  That's not a popular preaching, but I'll tell you it's all the way through the Bible and I may be the last fellow on earth who preaches it, but I'm going to preach it because it's the only way we're going to get there."

Praise His love and faithfulness

Psalm 92:1-2—“It is good to praise the Lord and make music to Your name, O Most High, to proclaim Your love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night.”  The two attributes we are to praise here are God’s love and His faithfulness.  What do these two qualities mean to your faith walk? 

By Faith

In the beginning of the Israelites wilderness journey, God did a miraculour thing by parting the Red Sea so that they could be safe from the enemy chasing them. The people's part in this event was to step into the water.  They, by faith, took that first step and God parted the way for them.
At the end of this long journey, they stood on the banks of the Jordan River looking across to the land that God had long ago promised their forefathers.  What a wonderful sight that must have been!  Only one problem, the Jordan River had overflowd its banks and they couldn't see any way across.
Then God did another miraculous thing.  After the people, by faith, stepped into the wateer, He parted the way for them.  The lesson here for us is: God wants you to have the faith to rely on Him. You might get your feet wet but He won't let you drown.

First Blog

Have you noticed that many positive words like courage, honor,and grace can be turned into negative words simply by prefixing them with the three letters:dis?
The word disgrace is the one that upsets me the most. To turn a beautiful word like grace, (which means God's power, favor, mercy and annointing on a person's life) into a negative word is really--well disgraceful!
My goal for this blog is to bring positive, godly, and thought provoking words to your day.
Blessings!