God's Promises - Let Hope Rise

As Christians, our lives are built around promise...
promise of: 

- salvation

 - eternal life

 - heaven

 - forgiveness

and the list goes on...
In everything, I have learned that - 

Our God of Promise

"For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world ..." 2 Peter 1:4

What is Divine Promise ?
An assurance given by God that He will or will not perform a certain act. God has made 2 kinds of promises: 

1.    Conditional (when He's willing to do something under certain circumstances - Romans 10:9-10) 

and 

2.    Unconditional.(Genesis 12:1- there many unconditional promises in the Bible)

God’s Precious Promises

How wonderful it is that in these unsettled times we have a promise that is far more sure than anything we’ve ever had our hands on. Here are some of God's "Divine" promises to us! 

1. That God is with me wherever I go – Joshua 1:9
2. If I keep my mind on Him, I’ll have that perfect peace – Isaiah 26:3
3. He’ll never leave us or forsakes us!  - Hebrews 13:5
4. His peace will pass all understanding – Philippians 4:7
5. He cares for me – I Peter 5:7
6. All things work together for my good – Romans 8:28
7. In this world I’ll have trouble, but in Christ we have victory over it or through it– John 16:33
8. I can escape temptation – 1 Corinthians 10:13
9. God will supply all my needs – Philippians 4:19
10. If I ask for wisdom God will supply it – James 1:6
11. I’m forgiven of all – 1 John 1:9
12. I will have eternal life – I John 5:11

source

I may not always feel it, but I know it!

Why I can know that God will keep His promises:

• because He is truthful, faithful(1 Cor. 1:9), immutable(doesn't change-Malachi 3:6), and loving.
• He has the 2 things that are important to trust someone who makes a promise...His:

1. Charactor, which He has proven to be pure and noble throughout the Bible and in our lives.
2. Abiliby to carry His promises out.

SO...

"Remember your word to your servant,

    for You have given me hope.

My comfort in my suffering is this:

    Your promise preserves my life." Psalm 119:49-50

"Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— the LORD, who remains faithful forever.”

Psalm 146:5-6

“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.” 

Romans 15:13

"...in the HOPE of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, but at the proper time manifested... "Titus 1:2-3

A message from Sheila Walsh and a book I want to get for my personal library...

source

God has been SO gracious and kind! I continue in my pursuit of grateful sharing at "Multitudes on Mondays", as I  Dare to Share the gifts He gives!

1,733 - Attending a beautiful Christian wedding (a second cousin of my hubby's) and seeing God's love in their lives.

1,734 - Getting to spend the weekend with our good friends from Ohio.

1,735 - The freedom to worship together on Sunday morning!

1,736 - The sad ending of an awesome weekend...but the assurance of seeing one another again, soon! (Our friend's daughter is attending our local Christian college in the fall.)

1,737 - Blueberry picking season!

1,738 - Having a few days of cooler weather.(60s and 70s)

1,739 - God's promises, that give us all hope!!

1,740 - Singing this song in worship and praise, with hope, because I know He keeps His promises!

Linking over to these blog hops:

Sunday Stillness (He Cares For You)

Weekend Brew (My Freshly Brewed Life)  
 

Soli Deo Gloria Gathering (Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood)
 

Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip)

Titus2sdays (Time-Warp Wife)

UNITE (Rich Faith Rising)
 

Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk in His Grace)  
 

Word-Filled Wednesday (Woman to Woman)  
  

Tell Me a True Story Blog Hop

 Faith Filled Friday (Missional Women)

Coffee For Your Heart (Holly Gerth) 

Do You Pray With Your Spouse?

“Couples who pray together, stay together”

 Study after study has shown that the old adage is true.

 Couples that pray together daily have a significantly lower divorce rate.

But, at least for me and my husband, this has been one of the most difficult things to do on a regular, daily basis.

I realize that much of this is due to our individual upbringings. My husband was raised in a very dysfunctional and less than Spirit-filled home. I very much doubt that there was ever family prayer, let alone, his parents praying together. The fact that he is willing to pray with me is a blessing! I grew up in a very structured Christian home. My mom was the spiritual leader, but I always felt that she longed for my father to take that role. He never did. 

Throughout our 26 years of marriage, I have attempted to start both family and couples prayer time at home. Usually it starts out awkwardly. Eventually, we just pray less and less together, till we completely stop altogether. I don't think it's ever intentional to totally stop praying, but the daily activites of life distracts us, we get discouraged, or we just forget. I will admit, on a few occasions, when I've been upset with my husband, that I have avoided praying with him. Those are the most difficult times for me to pray. 
Lately, though, we have been more diligent in making it a habit to pray before bed each night. We take turns, every other night, so each can get a little break from leading in prayer. Surprisingly and joyfully, there seemed to be a bit of a breakthrough the other night. The prayers seemed to flow more easily and we found ourselves talking on a more intimate level, following our prayer time. I'm not saying it's always going to go so easily, but it was refreshing to finally feel more at ease, for once. It made it worth all of the effort we have put into committing to praying as much as possible on a regular basis.

  
Benefits of praying together:

- Prayer Promotes Unity

-  Prayer Promotes Emotional Intimacy 

- Prayer Invites God Into Your Relationship 

- Prayer improves relationships

source: Focus on the Family

 

Below are some articles/posts and materials that may benefit anyone who desires to improve their prayer life as a couple.

 

 Blog post by Jolene Engle, "Why I Used to Hate Praying With My Husband"

This and several other books on prayer for married couples are available. Go Here for more information.

 

Go HERE for ideas, as you start to pray with your spouse.

 

HERE is an article to read, if you have a spouse that refuses to pray with you.

Do you pray with your spouse?
Why or why not? I would love to hear back from you! 

Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

May you all have a blessed and enjoyable weekend!

Linking over to these blog hops:
Heart Reflected Blog Hop 
Unite (Rich Faith Rising)
TGIF (1-Minute Bible Love Notes)
Sunday Stillnes(He Cares For You)
The Weekend Brew(My Freshly Brewed Life) 

"Cultivating Contentment" - Do Not Complain

Yes, we have all done it from time to time. Things don’t go our way and we are complaining about this and whining about that. We make excuses. Yet the Bible clearly says that complaining is a sin. It shows an attitude that you are ungrateful and bitter. It often tests God’s patience.

 1 Corinthians 10:10 - And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. (NIV)

Our ladies Bible study group has been studying the book, "Cultivating Contentment" by Thomas Nelson. Our recent focus has been on complaining and what God says about it. Here are some excerpts from the book.

". . .in the morning you will see the Glory of God. Yes, he’s listened to your complaints against him. You haven’t been complaining against us, you know, but against God.” Exodus 16:7

• When we lash out because we don't like our lives, our complaints are heard in heaven. In a sense, we are telling God He's not doing things right, and we want Him to d things our way.

After reading this, I had to ask myself, "Am I testing God, whenever I complain?"
"You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained. . ." Deut. 6:16 NLT

So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.
“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?” Exodus 17:2 NLT

• Selfish, ungrateful, forgetful, cantankerous, rebellious, argumentative. . .

• How could (can) God's children complain?  We are His chosen ones. He knows us. He loves us. Look at all He has done for us! He cares for us. He died for us. He has given us an eternal hope! No matter what inconvenience we face on this earth, we are assured of living "happily ever after".

• The complaining we exhibit reveals the childishness of our hearts.

Things will go wrong in our lives. A pop quiz. A long term paper. A break up. A fight with a friend. These things happen. We can spend our time complaining, taking our eyes off of God, or we can find a way to make things better. We can remember all the other things God has provided. Not only will we be happier, but we will be a positive Christian example to everyone around us.


Ephesians 4:29 - "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." (NIV)

 I'm reminded, once again, even complaining about the small things that irritate me in life show my lack of trust and maturity in my relationship with God.

Continuing to count my blessings, one by one at  

"Multitude on Mondays".

1,356 - A beautiful, warm, sunny spring day.
1,357 - My knee feeling good enough to walk some trails with my friend.
1,358 - The sweet aroma of a field full of wild phlox.

1,359 - The pretty lavender color, spread across a field in the middle of the woods.

1,360 - God leads and directs our paths...

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

– Psalm 119:105 (NIV

1,361 -  An entwined, knotty tree, with many branches that form a frame for the wild phlox...God's perfect frame of His beauty!

 

1,362 - The goodness of God, as he reminds me, over and over, of His great love and how He blesses me every day!
1,363 -  The beauty and stoic look of a blue heron, standing on my neighbor's pier.

1,364 - Even when I'm feeling frustrated by other's unkindness or untruthfulness, that God provides me with patience and a kind spirit to the other person.

1,365 - A Cardinal, stopping briefly at the feeder to look my way.

1,366 - Finally getting to see my sweet, 2 month old great-niece!!

1,367 - The peacefulness of a sleeping baby.
1,368 - My aunt, the little one's great, great-aunt, also getting to see her for the first time!

1,369 - Adorable expressions!

May you find many blessings, through Christ, in the coming week!

Also linking over to these blog hops:
Heart Reflected Blog Hop
Sunday Stillness (He Cares For You)
Weekend Brew (My Freshly Brewed Life) 
 Soli Deo Gloria Party (Finding Heaven)  
 Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip)
Titus2sdays (Time-Warp Wife)
Gratituesday (Heavenly Homemakers)
Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk in His Grace) 
Wednesday's Word (He Cares for Us)
UNITE (Rich Faith Rising)

Thrilling Thursday (The Family Blog)
T.G.I.F. (Bible Love Notes)