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) 

God's Amazing Grace

 

In church on Sunday, we sang Chris Tomlin's version of "Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone." But we sang the original lyrics, which I didn't realize he had changed in his version of the song. 

Of course the first few verses most of us know:
Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind, but now, I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed
 
Then the original lyrics are:
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home
(I love this!! There have been many dangers in my life and especially in my son's life this past week. Someone had broken into his apartment and stole some of his roommates things. Nothing of his was taken and he was not at home. He also had a couple of accidents, one at work and one at home, that weren't serious, but could have been. Through all these situations, God brought my son "safe thus far", just as this verse says. I am so very thankful for His care and protection!)

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first be- gun

I also love this verse, which Tomlin changes in his version. I think of heaven and no time limits and pure sun! My favorite time of year is summer and I love it when the sun is shining, so this gives me great comfort.

I like the lyrics that Tomlin wrote, especially the chorus. . .
 My chains are gone, I've been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, His mercy rains.
Unending love, amazing grace.
 
But I wish he had kept the original verses. They have such true meaning and depth for me. 

As we go through the week and many of us celebrate the independence of our nation, may we remember His wonderful grace upon us!! Where would we be without it?

 

Continuing to count my blessings, one by one at   "Multitude on Mondays".

1,391 - An awesome day with my best friend from college days.

1,392 - My ladies Bible study group. Such lovely, fun women!

1,393 - Some very gloomy, rainy weather for several days.

1,394 - A few rough days, but the Lord got me through.

1,395 - Attending a 2-day Christian music festival.

 1,396 - Being blessed by musicians, like Kari Jobe and TobyMac.

1,397 - Fresh strawberries that made a delicious shortcake.

1,398 -  Catching a 16 inch bass off of our pier!

1,399 -  A nice, relaxing weekend.  
1,400 - God, protecting my son from any great harm this past week.

1,401 - A great sermon on the subject of grace at church this past Sunday.

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) 

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

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)