When God REMEMBERS

There are many places in Scripture where it says: "Then, God remembered..." Does that mean that He forgot something? Not at all... it simply means: when GOD REMEMBERS - HE TAKES ACTION - usually to complete whatever it was that He had promised. Here are some examples [note the remembering and note the action God takes]:

Genesis 8
1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and He sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth.

Genesis 19

29 So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

Genesis 30

22 Then God remembered Rachel; He listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." 24 She named him Joseph.

Exodus 2

23 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 25 So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.

Revelation 16

16Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
17The seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and out of the temple came a loud voice from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake. 19The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath.

Psalm 105

41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out;

like a river it flowed in the desert.
42 For He remembered His holy promise

given to His servant Abraham.
43 He brought out His people with rejoicing,

His chosen ones with shouts of joy;
44 He gave them the lands of the nations,

and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-
45 that they might keep His precepts

and observe His laws.

Praise the LORD.

Prayer: LORD - Thank You for Your faithfulness to us as believers. Thank You for Your covenant love for us that covers a thousand generations [including us] in all the promises that You have made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as well as many others in the Bible who longed to know You - the Living God! Many believed You as we believe You today. Help us, LORD, to remember - 1st Who You ARE and 2nd to be thankful for all You have done, given and blessed us with! You are an awesome and faithful God. We will remember this day to Give You Thanks!

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Taking Possession of the Land]

FULL CIRCLE

During a women's ministry meeting earlier this morning held in Ocean City [NJ] I was blessed to hear what God was speaking to me through each and every person that shared a word. On my drive over to OC I passed the "CIRCLE" sign just before entering the causeway to OC [those of us who live in NJ know what a traffic circle is - and hopefully how to enter and exit one]. When I saw the sign the LORD spoke the words FULL CIRCLE to my heart. So I asked Him - why OC? What's here? I have no real connections here. Show me why, LORD!

Not only did God answer clearly but through several who actually used the words "Full Circle". Later the speaker said to me, "Yes, remember about our Gilgal [referring to a Bible study we had done together] - the part of the promised land that meant full circle?" She smiled brightly!

Then, on my way out of the city I saw the sign once more and it dawned on me that I was saved in Ocean City over 38 years ago. That is the very place I came to know Christ as my personal Savior - just down the street and around the block from where I was this morning. A complete Full Circle for me! I think the LORD has fun with me because sometimes it takes me longer [than most] to 'get it' - !!! I get surprised more often that way!!! Praise God for His surprises.

Have you come full circle with the LORD? Are you living in your own Gilgal? [Your own earthly "Promised Land" - right in the center of God's will?] If not - what is stopping you? What do you need to do to get back on track? God didn't move and His path still remains the same.

Deuteronomy 11 (selected)

8 Observe therefore all the commands I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 9 and so that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your forefathers to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

29 When the LORD your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses. 30 As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, west of the road, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh, in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal. 31 You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you. When you have taken it over and are living there, 32 be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

Joshua 4 (selected)

19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones [as memorials] they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, "In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 tell them, 'Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The LORD your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God."

Joshua 5 (selected)

A Cutting of the Heart

9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.
10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan. [all emphasis mine]

The Israelites had come to Gilgal. God had rolled away the reproach for all their past sins and they had come FULL CIRCLE into the Land Promised by God to their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - and that day they ate of it's fruitful produce. Only by the Hand of our God!

What impossible circumstance has God called you to "cross over"? Will you take possession of the land? Have you come full circle - to your Gilgal?

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Led by the Shepherd]

COURAGE for LIFE

Joshua 1:5-9

5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Are the waters around you up to your neck? Many people think that being a "believer" exempts you from troubles and trials and hardships in your life. They think that if those come along - you must be doing something wrong. God's Word does not say that. What God promises to us in our walk of faith with Him - is that HE WILL WALK WITH US and NEVER LEAVE US. He will always be there to go through any and all of the joys and sorrows of life - the ups and downs - the good times and bad. He commands us to "Be strong and Courageous - not to be terrified (and He knew we would be). I love the word "DISCOURAGED" because inside that negative word is the positive outcome of God's Presence: COURAGE!

What is it you are facing today? Are you waiting for God's promised land to be conquered? Are you barely hanging on with illness racking your body? Are you disheartened because of rejection of a loved one? God says that HE [HIMSELF] will be with us in whatever it is we are going through. The key word is : THROUGH - He will see us through - no matter where the path may lead. Will you be strong and courageous? Will you TRUST God's HEART?

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Led by the Shepherd]

CHOSEN

Isaiah 43 (selected)

Israel's Only Savior

1 But now, this is what the LORD says—

He who created you, O Jacob,

He who formed you, O Israel:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.
2 When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the LORD, your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

I will bring your children from the east

and gather you from the west.
7 everyone who is called by My Name,

whom I created for My glory,

whom I formed and made."
8 Lead out those who have eyes but are blind,

who have ears but are deaf.
9 All the nations gather together

and the peoples assemble.

Which of them foretold this

and proclaimed to us the former things?

Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,

so that others may hear and say, "It is true."
10 "You are My witnesses," declares the LORD,

"and My servant whom I have chosen,

so that you may know and believe Me

and understand that I am He.

Before Me no god was formed,

nor will there be one after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD,

and apart from Me there is no savior.
12 I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—

I, and not some foreign god among you.

You are My witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I AM God.
13 Yes, and from ancient days I am He.

No one can deliver out of my hand.

When I act, who can reverse it?" [all emphasis mine]

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Led by the Shepherd]

Grasshoppers and Eagles

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah (again) and came to this passage on the airplane on Thursday, just after I had explained to my oldest grandson, Justin who is 4 1/2, that the cars and people and trees will look like 'bugs' from way up in the sky. As I read verse 22, a smile came over my face. God gives us a glimpse of His view from heaven and we look like "grasshoppers" to Him. Yet - in the end - the often quoted verse comes through giving us His confidence, His power, and His strength. God is faithful!

Isaiah 40
Comfort for God's People
1 Comfort, comfort My people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD's Hand
double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling:
"In the desert prepare
the way for the LORD ;
make straight in the wilderness
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
9 You who bring good tidings to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up Your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
10 See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and His arm rules for him.
See, His reward is with him,
and His recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends His flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart;
He gently leads those that have young.

21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

25 "To whom will you compare Me?
Or who is My equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name.
Because of His great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and His understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. [all emphasis mine]

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie
[Led by the Shepherd]

RED Sea Crossing

Two years ago Bob and I took a Red Sea Crossing to FL - the very same week almost to the day as I am leaving today. That was a trip that seemed like an impossibility at the time as it was 6 weeks before the LORD took Bob home to glory. Yet, as I spoke to the LORD, saying, "We can't do this, it's impossible." The LORD spoke back to me saying, "You will go - you will cross because I will go before you. I have given you every detail and I will make a way. Trust ME to take you."

We did - and Bob got to see our 5th grandchild (our first and only girl - Tessa Hope) just after she was born. That was another promise that God was faithful to fulfill.

Now, two years later I am going again to see my newest grandson, Braden, for the first time. God is faithful in all His ways.

As you read this scripture and ponder it - don't miss the details that God gives - that don't seem to make sense to the Israelites at the time - but they obeyed and did it anyway - and the "why" answers were shown later. God knows what HE is doing. We just need to TRUST Him.

Exodus 13

14 "In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed every firstborn in Egypt, both man and animal. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.' 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand."

Crossing the Sea

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt armed for battle.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear an oath. He had said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place."
20 After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

Exodus 14 [God's details highlighted]

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. 3 Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD." So the Israelites did this.

13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." [all emphasis mine]

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

Led by the Shepherd's Staff

JESUS - The GATE

I took this picture over a month ago at Lake Lenape in Mays Landing and put this Revelation verse with it. Then, today - I came to Isaiah 60. Oh - how I love God's Word!!

Isaiah 60 (selected)

The Glory of Zion

1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
11 Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession.
13 "The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the pine, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary; and I will glorify the place of my feet.
19 The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.

Revelation 21

22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. [all emphasis mine]

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie
[Led by His Staff]