WORDS TO LIVE BY

2 Chronicles 33:12-13 (New International Version)

¹² In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. ¹³ And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

When distressing days arrive, I remain humble before God and continually seek His favor.Despite my shortcomings, God loves me and is ever-ready to forgive me and listen to my prayers. Even when I fall, I will draw near to Him, because I have His promise that He will run to me, take me in His arms and restore me to my rightful place in His kingdom.

NUGGETS

Buried under the biggest burden is a good place to find an even bigger blessing. [Janette Oake]

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Acts 10:34-38 (New International Version)

³⁴Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. ³⁶You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

God is not a respecter of persons. He does not see anyone as being above me, better than me, or more important than I am.

I am one among many equals in the body of Christ.

I am in Christ and it is my commission to continue His work in the earth. I have been anointed and consecrated by the Father with strength, ability and power through the Holy Spirit and in Jesus' name. It is my duty to go about doing good and healing all who are oppressed of the devil, for God is with me.

GOLD NUGGETS

Buried under the biggest burden is a good place to find an even bigger blessing. ~Janette Oke

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Luke 1:37-38, 45 (King James Version)

37For with God nothing shall be impossible.

38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.


WORDS TO LIVE BY

Like Mary, God has set me apart as one who is unique and special. He makes His declaration to all that I am one of His favored ones and that He is with me in all that I do.

I have no reason to fear, for I have found favor with God.

With God, the Greater One who is within me, nothing is impossible. Every promise that He has given me has within it the power of fulfillment. Therefore, what He says that I am, that is what I am; and, what He says I can do, that is what I can do. All that His Word declares about me is fulfilled as I take hold of it in faith and put it into operation in my life.

I am blessed, happy, joyful and to be envied because I believe that I am who God says I am, and I can do what He says I can do!

GOLD NUGGETS
Action is the foundational key to all success. -Anthony Robbins

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Luke 5:12-13

¹²While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy.^a]">[a] When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."

¹³Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.

WORDS TO LIVE BY
Jesus, my Lord, Savior and Redeemer is more than willing to provide His healing power for me when I need it.
Through Him, I can lay my hands on the sick and command healing to come into their bodies.
I regularly and consistently take the time to go to an isolated place, free of distrationn, to pray and fellowship with my heavenly Father.
I am not moved by need, nor do I focus on how much work there is to do. I am moved by design, doing things the way God has commanded.
It is in God's design that I regularly rest and get prayed up, regardless of what needs to be done.

GOLD NUGGETS
A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for. –William Shedd

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Deuteronomy 30:14-20 (New International Version)

¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

¹⁵ See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. ¹⁶ For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

¹⁷ But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, ¹⁸ I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

¹⁹ This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live ²⁰ and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

The Word of faith is in my mouth continually. I keep it near to me--in my mouth, in my mind and in my spirit--so that I will do and have what I say.

The Lord has set before me life and good things, but also death and evil things. The choice is mine. I choose to abide by the precepts of His covenant. I walk in His ways so that I can live His abundant life and be fruitful in this earth.

Because I have chosen life, my Father is very pleased to bless me with His divine favor, good fortune, happiness, prosperity and good things of every kind!

GOLD NUGGETS

"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing." ~Agatha Christie

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Philippians 4:15-20 (King James Version)

¹⁵Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

¹⁶For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.

¹⁷Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

¹⁸But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.

¹⁹But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

²⁰Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

I am wise to share in the process of giving and receiving that God has established in the earth. I faithfully support ministries that are advancing the kingdom in the earth, and every gift that I give is a deposit into my heavenly account.

I do all that I can to ensure that the ministries I support are amply supplied and more. It is my heart's desire that, through me and others of the same heart, God's financial blessings will shower over these ministries in so much abundance that they will have no idea what to do with all of the excess. It is my desire to see God's ministers living like true ambassadors of heaven.

When I present my offerings with this heart attitude, they go up before the Lord like a sweet fragrance. This is what makes my offerings acceptable for an abundant return. Because of my persistent and joy-filled generosity, I have God's Word that He will supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. He sees to it that all of my givingg returns to me overflowing with His abundance. In this, I give glory to God, my Father, forevermore! Amen!

NUGGETS OF GOLD

Practice loving people. It is true that this requires effort and continued practice, for some are not very lovable, or so it seems - with emphasis on "seems." Every person has lovable qualities when you really learn to know him. ~Norman Vincent Peale

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Psalm 119:169-173 (New King James Version)

¹⁶⁹ Let my cry come before You, O LORD;
Give me understanding according to Your word.
¹⁷⁰ Let my supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
¹⁷¹ My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
¹⁷² My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
¹⁷³ Let Your hand become my help,
For I have chosen Your precepts.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

When I am in need I do not look to the circumstance but to the Word. My Father has given me tremendous understanding of its precepts and in it I find deliverance from all of the troubles of life.

God Himself is my master instructor who sees to it that I know all that I need to know to procure my victory. What a joy it is to be taught by the best! I will praise Him for His commands that bring my unfailing success. He is eager to teach me His ways so that I may stand against every attack of the enemy and enjoy the abundant life that He has provided for me.

I have made my choice. No matter what the circumstance, I will not turn from His Word.

NUGGETS OF GOLD

Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go; it is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow. ~Alice Mackenzie Swaim

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Hebrews 6:10-12 (New International Version)

¹⁰God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. ¹¹We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. ¹²We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

God is not unjust. He does not disregard the work that I have done in the kingdom or overlook the love that I have shown Him in my giving. Therefore, I will continue to do so with my whole heart, in full assurance of His faithfulness to the very end.

I refuse to become indifferent, faithless and stagnant, believing that the circumstance reigns over the Word and therefore giving up on my faith.

Instead, I am an imitator of those who through faith and patience, endurance and persistence continually inherit God's promises.

NUGGETS OF GOLD

The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse. ~Helen Keller

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 KJV
⁹Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

¹⁰For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.

¹¹Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

¹²And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

I am wise to seek godly companionship in the things that I do. I understand that two can bring in a better harvest than one, for if one of us falls, the other can lift him/her up. Furthermore, if one of us is overpowered, the other can step in and lend a hand so that we can withstand every foe.

I am not an island in my walk with God. I am a companion of God's children and together, with God entwined in and through us, we will be victorious in every situation!

NUGGETS OF GOLD

It is hard to interest those who have everything in those who have nothing. ~Helen Keller

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Psalm 116:13-16 KJV
¹³ I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.

¹⁴ I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

¹⁶ O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

WORDS TO LIVE BY

O Lord, I am truly your servant; I am your servant, the won or your maidservant. You have loosed me from bondage.

I will lift up the cup of my salvation for the Lord to fill with His good treasures.

I look to Him alone as my mainstay and fulfill all of my vows to Him faithfully. He looks to me with great anticipation as I walk this earth and holds precious the day when I will finally leave this earth to enter His courts in heaven.

He has freed me from the chains of my old life. I am now His own child, and I serve Him with all of my heart.

Nuggets of Gold

A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.
–William Shedd

दोएस गोद डांस ओं यौर पोतातो चिप्स?

Does God Dance on Your Potato Chips?

Recently, I had "one of those days". I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner.

Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the seal, took a Look and groaned.

My husband isn't a picky eater, but even HE won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars. Really frustrated, now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bad didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. . .Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty. It was The final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!"

My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing a the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips Into my linoleum in the process!

I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced.

Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that.

So now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess I've made of things.

What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all.

Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all.

Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way He did.

There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond.

Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping, instead of sweeping and mopping? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance He's dancing' with my needs in mind?

I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.


Nuggets of Gold
It is a good thing to learn by heart short and simple prayers, lines from hymns and invocations। They may become part of your 'mental furniture' and will spring up, unbidden, into your thoughts when at work, or idle, or tempted. They are useful at night when you find sleep very difficult.