The Great Physician

Haven't posted in a couple of weeks because I have been so very busy. I got a new part-time job at my church as a receptionist, plus my brother has had some major health issues and has been in the hospital. Because of this, my mind has been on doctors and healing..my brother, who can't keep food down, ended up having his gall bladder removed a week ago. That led to many complications and he recently was just moved out of ICU, but is still dealing with not keeping food down. Doctors have done and are still doing many tests, but can't figure out why. There are many, many people praying for my brother and sister-in-law, both saved and seeking a miracle from God. I know He knows what is going on with my brother's health and He is going to do something wonderful in this situation. We just have to trust our Great Physician! I read this poem and was encouraged, as I hope any of you going through a similar situation, may be encouraged!

The Great Physician

(Author Unknown)

Welcome to the Great Physician

Office hours are as you come,

He’s a Specialist in all problems

And His day is never done.

He can heal a heart that’s broken

He can mend the spirit, too,

No matter what your ailment

He does have the cure for you.

His fee for service never alters

He serves rich and poor as well,

He’s our one chance for Salvation,

He alone saves us from Hell.

There’s no fee for services rendered

All He asks is that we believe,

That He bled and died to save us

And all His blessings we will receive.

Do you have a special problem

That is troubling you this hour?

Then just simply leave it with Him

You can find no greater power.

Don’t delay in seeking treatment

Please, my friend, don’t hesitate,

For His office is soon closing

And He’ll shut and lock the gate.

I wouldn’t want you to suffer

While the Doctor’s so close by,

Your whole life will be much better

If my Physician you will try.

*** IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ***

When You Have Sinned… Call Psalm 51

When You Deal with Fear… Call Psalm 34:7

When You Need Someone to Trust… Call Proverb 3:5

When Someone Comes Against You… Call Isaiah 54:17

When You Need Christian Assurance… Call Romans 8:1-30

When You Need God’s Mercy… Call Psalm 56

When You Get Tired of Doing Good… Call Galatians 6:9

When You Get Angry… Call Ephesians 4:26

When You Feel like You Can’t Go on… Call Philippians 4:13

When You Need General Help… Call Psalm 121

source

Counting my blessings:  
Gifts ugly-beautiful
1,040- All these "what ifs" that I need to be reminded of!

1,041- Pain and suffering
1,042- God's timing and ways

A gift
shared: 
1,043- Food, family, gatherings

saved:
1,044- My brother's life, when moved to a different hospital...I truly believe he most likely would not have survived. We are still praying and believing for a healing miracle!

surrendered:
1,045- "There is an essential difference between submission and surrender. The former is the conscious acceptance of reality. There is a superficial yielding, but tension continues...It is halfhearted acceptance. It is described by words such as resignation, compliance, acknowledgement, concession. There remains a feeling of reservation, a tug in the direction of non-acceptance. Surrender, on the other hand, is the moment when my forces of resistance cease to function, when I cannot help but respond to the call of the Spirit. The ability to surrender is a gift of God. However eagerly we may desire it, however diligently we may strive to acquire it, surrender cannot be attained by personal endeavor." source

unexpected: 
1,046- Again, seeing the beauty of life, nature, creation!(wildlife, seen when looking out my window)

undervalued:
1,047- Time in communion/conversation with the Lord!

unconventional:
1,048- Being content, in a world that promotes being discontented.

silent:
1,049- "Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, into the daylight of Life, which they are thenceforth to rule. As the Swiss Inscription says: Sprecfien ist silbern, Schweigen ist golden (Speech is silvern, Silence is golden); or as I might rather express it: Speech is of Time, Silence is of Eternity."" from the poet Thomas Carlyle

still: 
1,050- Seeing how peaceful and still my friends in the animal world can be...

strong:

1,051- "He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'" 2 Corinthians 12:9

humbling:
1,052- God's mercy and grace....always humbling!!! I am so undeserving!!

honoring:
1,053- worship through music...I am so thankful for the ability to honor God in this way! (love this Chris Tomlin song!)

happy: 
1,054-So many things of the fall season that remind me of His blessings...

3 Gifts in Christ:
1,055- bright fall colors (view out my living room window)
1,056- Reflecting on His love for me every day.

1,057- Finding peace in His presence!

  

Linking over at these blog parties:

 Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip) 
Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience)   
Hear It, Use It (Graceful)
On Your Heart Tuesdays(A Pause in the Path)
Soli Deo Gloria (Finding Heaven) 
Heart Reflected(State of the Heart)
God-Bumps & God-Incidences(Getting Down With Jesus)
Word Filled Wednesday(Internet Cafe') 

One Thing We Can Count On: A Promise of Many Blessings

People will always let us down. 
Money, things, jobs, and all this world offers us may fill a temporary need, but in an instant they can all be lost or taken from us.
Schedules, plans, goals, and dreams can even be changed or be out of reach for us.

Life isn't always a rose garden....There will be times of sickness, sadness, stress, and chaos.

When we are feeling like all is falling apart, what can we count on?
Not even our feelings are dependable. 
They change, day to day. Sometimes they will deceive us. 

In truth there is only One person and one thing we can depend on.

“For men are not cast off by the Lord forever. 

Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.” (Lamentations 3:31-32 NIV)

I consider how the Lord has gotten me through many times of hardship, when I have had questions about why or how things could happen. When I've been at the end of my rope and had no strength left, He is here to pull me up out of the depths of despair.

 "Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me." (Psalm 54:4)

And when I wonder if joy can ever return to my life, He plants a seed of hope and gratitude within me for even the simplest blessings. Even the long, hard, tiring days are seen in a different light, for He sustains me!

There is one thing we can count on...but it's not anything that this world values. If we trust in our Savior's ways, we are promised many blessings from the Lord.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." Ephesians 1: 3(NKJV)

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Listing my gifts from the October Joy Dare list.

3 gifts orange:
1,001- Bright pumpkins, stacked and carved.
1,002- A beautiful autumn sunset.
1,003- The changing leaves, preparing to fall off their trees for winter.

3 gifts falling:
1,004- Many, many leaves.
1,005- Falling temperatures...even though I'm not a fan of the cold!
1,006- Jumping and falling into piles of leaves!

A gift caught, let go, mid-way:
1,007- caught: The sparkling of sunlight on the lake on a sunny afternoon. 

1,008- let go:  what is behind me.

Philippians 3:12 – 14 (NIV)
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

1,009- mid-way: Midway between this earthly life and heaven....caught in the middle...I hold on to God's Word!

3 gifts reaped:
1,010- fields reaping the harvest of corn...
1,011- and soybeans.
1,012- Galatians 6:7-8: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

3 gifts returned-
1,013- My wallet, when I left it at work and didn't know until the next day.
1,014- I returned home from a long trip with my son, who went to see a dental specialist...5 hour round trip.(so glad to be home!)
1,015- Having returned to the workforce, after 4 years of being a full-time mom/homemaker.

3 gifts redeemed:
1,016- "I thought I could have leaped from earth to heaven at one spring when I first saw my sins drowned in the Redeemer's blood."  Charles Spurgeon 
1,017 - "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace"  Ephesians 1:7  
1,018- - Beautiful song!!! "Redeemed"

A gift baked, stirred, eaten:
1,019- baked: fresh pumpkin rolls.
1,020- stirred:
1,021- eaten: homemade grape jelly, gifted to us from a friendly neighbor.

3 gifts prayed for:
1,022- a new job
1,023- my brother's healing/better health
1,024-my son to make wise choices and have more joy in his life.

3 gifts praised for:
1,025- my new job!
1,026- comfort and peace, in spite of not being healed immediately.
1,027- trusting God will answer my prayers, in His time.

3 hard eucharisteo:
1,028- Giving my son's future over to God (again, and again)
1,029- Trusting God to provide.
1,030- Praising God, when my family is feeling oppressed.

3 gifts of change:
1,031- Adjusting to a new schedule (working evenings)
1,032- The changing of seasons...
1,033-  The changing of how the lake looks, as summer turns into fall.

A gift small, smaller, smallest:

1,034- Small: My 4 pound Chihuahua, Jet...with his sweet temperament.

1,035- Smaller: My feisty 3 pound Chihuahua, Sophie, who waits impatiently to have her freedom...

wants to be out and about... 

and loves to investigate with her big "brother". 

but doesn't like the cold fall winds that blow off the lake...

1,036- Smallest: The unborn fetus (life)

Local pregnancy center,saving unborn babies every week.
(Annual fundraiser)

3 gifts of the promise of blessings:
1,037- Times of rest and relaxation. 

1,038- A rainbow of promise, after many showers! 


1,039- There is a day coming when Christ returns and takes us to live with Him in heaven!(What a wonderful promise and blessing!)

  Linking over at these blog parties:

 Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip) 
Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience)
 On Your Heart Tuesdays(A Pause in the Path) 

Soli Deo Gloria (Finding Heaven)

Heart Reflected(State of the Heart)

God-Bumps & God-Incidences(Getting Down With Jesus)

Word Filled Wednesday(Internet Cafe') 

The Greatest Gift, Multiplied

Hello, again, all my bloggy friends! Another week has flown by and I have no idea where it went! Anyways, I am here today because it is a special occasion for me.....I am listing my one-thousandth gift!!! I have kept you all waiting for a whole week, in great anticipation(I'm sure! haha). I wanted it to be special, something I would always remember. Of course, I've used this one before and it truly is the greatest Gift of all....you got it!

 

But as I was contemplating this, it came to me that this Gift is much more than just ONE gift. Through Christ, we have many other gifts! I found the list below and thought, WOW! This is just a small taste of all the many gifts we receive thru knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!! Really, the list is endless! As you think about all you are thankful for today, and some days it can be more difficult than others, look over this list. It is an amazing eye-opener for those who sometimes can't find anything to be thankful for, including me.

Jesus Christ is the Greatest Gift of All 80 Gifts From Jesus		Self-Help E-Bookstore
Jesus Christ gives life-changing gifts of freedom to whosoever follows him as Lord and Savior.  Gifts are in random order.  All links contain scripture promises.  Many links will contain Words from the Holy Spirit, visions and interpretations relating to a particular gift.   Gift of love Gift of spiritual protection Gift of Eternal Life in Heaven Gift of power Gift of joy Gift of peace Gift of a sound mind (Protect Your Mind) Gift of living above circumstances (Standing on the Mountain) Gift of Spiritual Truth Gift of ability to forgive others  (Mat 6:12; 18:27; Eph 4:32) Gift of the secret place Gift of faith  (Jam 1:6, Phil 1:25) Gift of a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb12-28)  Gift of the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1John 2:20) Gift of inner healing (My Presence) (Inner Healing) Gift of physical healing  (1 Cor 12:9) Gift of helping others  (1 Cor 12:28) Gift of light to my soul  (John 8:12) Gift of a church  (1 Cor 11:18) Gift of a shield   (2 Sam 22:31) Gift of patience (Gal 5:22) Gift of strength (Psalm 28:7) Gift of spiritual armor (Eph 6:13) Gift of deliverance (Dan 6:27) Gift of righteousness (Eph 6:14) Gift of sacrifice (Rom 12:1) Gift of prayer  (1Cor 14:14) Gift of hearing God's voice (Rev 3:20) Gift of adoption as God's child (Rom 8:15) Gift of knowing you are precious to God (Ps 116:15)   Gift of a good night's sleep  (Pr 3:24) Gift of the Word of God  (Heb 4:12) Gift of salvation  (Ps 27:1) Gift of cleansing of your sin  (1John 1:7) Gift of the favor (Ps 5:12) Gift of witnessing (Cross and the Jackhammer) Gift of thanksgiving (Ps 26:7) Gift of His gentleness (Gal 5:23) Gift of self-control (Gal 5:23) Gift of a clean heart  (Ps 51:10) Gift of high priest (Heb 7:26) Gift of comfort (Is 51:12) Gift of the ability to order your life (Ps37:23) Gift of our rest (Heb 4:11) Gift of mercy (Heb 4:16) Gift of grace (Eph 2:8) Gift of a friend who will never leave you (John 15:13) Gift of a guidance for your life (Ps 23:3) Gift of living water (John 4:10) Gift of the delight in Him (Ps 37:4) Gift of equipping in every good thing (Heb 13:21) Gift of overcoming the evil one (1John 2:13) Gift of purity (1 John 3:3) Gift of abiding in Him (1 John 3:24) Gift of the power of His resurrection (Phil 3:10) Gift of Hope: Hachette and Pick Ax Gift of righteousness (Is 61:10) Gift of dreams and visions (Joel 2:28) Gift of His presence (Jude 24) Gift of His refuge (Psalms 46:1) Gift of His safety  Gift of His strength (Psalms 59:11) Gift of His security Gift of courage Gift of rest Gift of the mind of Christ Gift of discipline Gift of signs and wonders Gift of impartation Gift of understanding  Gift of angels (Psalm 91:12) Gift of help Gift of prophesy Gift of pleasure  Gift of His will  Gift of wisdom Gift of blessings of good things Gift of Lovingkindness Gift of abundance Gift of compassion.   Source Since this was a special one-thousandth gift post, I will wait till my next post to start listing my gifts from the October Joy Dare list. Here, in Indiana, our trees are all starting to really turn and the colors are beautiful! I hope to be posting some awesome photos, as well! Have a blessed Autumn week!    Linking over at these blog parties:  Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip)  Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience)  On Your Heart Tuesdays(A Pause in the Path) Word Filled Wednesday(Internet Cafe')    Soli Deo Gloria (Finding Heaven) Heart Reflected(State of the Heart) God-Bumps & God-Incidences(Getting Down With Jesus)

"Figuring Life Out" - One Thousand Gifts

Hello everyone! It's a busy week for me, so this will be a short post, but I wanted to list my gifts of His blessings in my life. I'm so excited! I am VERY close to listing 1,000 gifts/blessings! I recently watched this video again.....it's such a great reminder that we need to slow down and pay attention to even the simple moments we live!!! So I wanted to share it with you again, too! Enjoy!(It's best, when seen in full screen, go to the small square next to the YouTube words.)

Have a wonderful week!

Counting my gifts with the September Joy Dare:
The joys of lake life:

3 gifts ugly-beautiful
961. Raw emotions can be so painful, but also help me experience life to it's fullest!
962. When I'm too busy, God slows me down by allowing obstacles to come into my life, often obstacles I don't like.
963. It seems like life speeds up when I'm doing fun things and slows down when I'm doing something I dislike doing!

A gift fixed, folded, freckled
964. Fixed - Got my internet problems fixed - got a new provider!! :)
965. Folded - A stack of freshly cleaned clothes, ready to be put away.
966. Freckled - The freckled look, when I look up at the maple trees, slowing turning their colorful fall hues.

3 gifts in conversation
967. Time spent conversing with a friend and having lunch together.
968. Online conversations - sharing with friends who don't live close on Facebook and my blog.
969. Conversing with another friend with texts on my phone.(What would we do without modern technology? Probably do more of #967.)

3 gifts in salvation
970. Eternal life with Christ!
971. Living for Christ, instead myself.
972. The leading of the Holy Spirit in my life.

3 gifts in information
973. Instructions, telling how to decoupage pumpkins. What a fun project!

 

974. Also love all the other cute 'crafty' ideas I have gotten from the internet! Like making bunting to hang.
975. Growing in knowledge and wisdom in Christ! So glad God gave us minds to learn about so many things!

A gift rattling, receding, reclaiming
976. Rattling - The rattling of clothes in the dryer (laundry day!)
977. Receding - Summer is officially over and daylight hours are receding, as Autumn begins.
978. Reclaiming - my time, studying God's word and in prayer.

3 gifts quiet
979. The quiet, when I get up early and walk out by the lake. (Rare occasion.)
980. The quietness when I'm home by myself. Sometimes it feels too quiet during the day. Other times, I welcome it!
981. The quiet after everyone else goes to bed and I'm up reading.

 Linking over at these blog parties:

 Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip) 
Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience)
 On Your Heart Tuesdays(A Pause in the Path)

Word Filled Wednesday(Internet Cafe')   
Soli Deo Gloria (Finding Heaven)

Heart Reflected(State of the Heart)

God-Bumps & God-Incidences(Getting Down With Jesus)

Don't Lie to yourself, O My Soul!

Lying. 
From early childhood we are taught that it is wrong, that we need to tell the truth to our parents.

Then, as we got older, we were taught that little white lies were okay, so as not to hurt someone's feelings or if it could get you into a bad situation.

“A lie that is half-truth is the darkest of all lies.” ― Alfred Tennyson

Lies.
So often we believe our own lies. To ourselves and to others.

“The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves. We live in denial of what we do, even what we think. We do this because we're afraid. We fear we will not find love, and when we find it we fear we'll lose it. We fear that if we do not have love we will be unhappy.” Richard Bach

Our Common Self-Lies
—God only helps those who help themselves

—God’s love must be earned

—God understands that’s just the way I am. After all, He made me this way.(Living in sin)

—God does not know or see what I’m doing

—God sees things the way I do

—God is appeased by my giving

—God doesn’t believe in me   

 “Oh, what a tangled web we weave...when first we practice to deceive.” ― Walter Scott

Satan is known as the father of lies.
"You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44


"As Christ has a Gospel, Satan has a gospel too; the latter being a clever counterfeit of the former. So closely does the gospel of Satan resemble that which it parades, multitudes of the unsaved are deceived by it." A.W. Pink

 "Any time we open ourselves up to fear, we fall prey to his deceptions and intimidations. Yet, if we submit our hearts to God and stand in faith, we can resist those first fearful thoughts. As we yield to God we can master our reactions to fear and the enemy will soon flee. " Francis Frangipane

I love many songs sung by Audrey Assad. If you haven't ever heard her beautiful Christian music, I encourage you to check her music out on the internet or even buy her CDs. The song below talks about what lies we tell ourselves, how our souls long for Truth! Lyrics are also printed below.

Rivers and stones and the trees of the field, they sing in the night

And a thousand tongues lay deep in your lungs to raise to the sky

Don't lie to yourself, O my soul - love your God.

Don't lie to yourself, O my soul - love your God.

Deep in your heart you feather and tar your folly and fear:

Expose them all for the fools they are, and the world becomes clear.

Don't lie to yourself, O my soul, just love your God.

Don't lie to yourself, O my soul, just love your God.

Love your God.

Your worries will never love you

They'll leave you all alone

But your God will not forsake you

O my soul, my soul.

Don't lie to yourself, O my soul - love your God.

Don't lie to yourself, O my soul

 How can we know a deception or lie from the truth?

Sin will not come to you, saying, "I am sin." It would do little harm if it did. Sin always seems "good, and pleasant, and desirable," at the time of commission.

We need to realize that the Bible says to "test the spirits" and warns very strongly that the Last Days will be a time of "seducing spirits" and great deception.
 Two things we have to do:
1. Seek to know God with all your heart, soul, and might.

2. Study the Word.

  ¹ But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: ² For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, ³ unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, ⁴ traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! ⁶ For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, ⁷ always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁸ Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; ⁹ but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

 ¹³ But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. ¹⁴ But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, ¹⁵ and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be 

complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.   

2 Timothy 3 (New King James Version)

Here is a detailed article on knowing more about learning to tell the difference between ties and truth.
 

Then you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free!! (John 8:32)

 

 Counting my gifts with the September Joy Dare:
3 Hard Eucharisteo
946. Unloading boxes, after moving.
947. Preparing for construction to be done on our house.
948. Missing a friend who has moved on in her life.

3 Gifts in His Word
949. "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15(NIV)
950. "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:13 (NIV)
951. "...speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)

3 Gifts scented, scrawled, started
952. My scented wax burner.
953. Boxes with contents scrawled and re-scrawled on them

954. Started - Trying my hand at knitting, I recently learned how.

3 Gifts paired
955. A pair of sweet canine-friends to keep me company during the day.

956. A pair of ducks, feeding out in front of our lakehouse.(A rare occasion)

957. A new pair of boots, I got on sale at T.J. Maxx

3 Gifts shared
958. Time spent with my mother, especially since we have not been as close the last few years.
959. The moments, fishing with my hubby. No stress. No pressures.
960. The love of Christ, shared with others. Experiencing a shared faith with other believers.

 Linking over at these blog parties:

 Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip) 
Multitude on Mondays (A Holy Experience)
 On Your Heart Tuesdays(A Pause in the Path)

Word Filled Wednesday(Internet Cafe') 
Soli Deo Gloria (Finding Heaven)
Gathering at the Grace Cafe'(Reflections of His Grace)