What's in Your TOOL BELT

What were the "tools of the trade" that Jesus had in His Carpenter's tool belt?

You might answer 'service' or 'love' or 'forgiveness'. And many answers would be correct. But when God asked me about two years ago what "tools" were in my tool belt that were most important, they were these. PRAISE - PRAYER - GOD'S WORD. He brings them back to me over and over and says that I need to use them together - one after the other - not independent of each other.

PRAISE **********************

Ruth 4:14

The women [Ruth] said to Naomi: "Praise be to the LORD, who this day has not left you without a kinsman-redeemer. May He become famous throughout Israel!

I Samuel 25:32

David said to Abigail, "Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me.

Daniel 2:20

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:

"Praise be to the Name of God for ever and ever;

wisdom and power are His.

Ephesians 1:3

[Paul speaking] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

PRAYER **********************

PRAYER.... activates what God has already purposed in your life. ~s.k.brower

Psalm 57:2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills {His purpose} for me.

Psalm 139:4 Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD.

GOD'S WORD **************************

Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on Your laws.

Psalm 119:33 Teach me, O LORD, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end.

Psalm 119: 43-47 Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in Your laws. 44 I will always obey Your law, for ever and ever.
45 I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out Your precepts.
46 I will speak of Your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame,
47 for I delight in Your commands because I love them. [all Scripture emphasis added]

What other verses can you share that apply to these 'tool's?

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,

Stephanie [Flying High in Prayer]

LOOK UPWARD

“ARISE … SHINE for your light has come!”
– the LORD woke me with these words this morning. They were so clear and plain that I asked Him again as I was making my bed, “Did you just say to me, 'Arise, Shine for your light has come'?” Then I laughed and said, "OK, what does that mean for today?"

A few mintues after coming downstairs I saw a huge full moon hanging in the night/morning sky over Shepherd’s Walk [the Prayer Walk here at Sweetbriar - in my back woods]. I ran out there to try to photograph it but it was still too dark to get a good picture. The moon got bigger and more golden until it eventually dipped down behind the trees and disappeared.

Later in the afternoon the LORD took me back to my old journal from 12-5-08 to read what I had written on that day:

Isaiah 60
The Glory of Zion
1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and His glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come. [emphasis added]

The next Scripture in my journal was this:
Acts 26:16 [Paul's testimony before King Agrippa]
[Jesus speaking to Paul]
'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of Me and what I will show you.'

The next entry in my journal was a heart with the words:
House of Prayer [the photo above!]

Then I looked up:

Isaiah 56 6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve Him, to love the Name of the LORD, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant-
7 these I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

God never calls His house [His church] a house of preaching or teaching - only a "house of prayer". Many thoughts to ponder today.

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,

Stephanie [Flying High witht the Most High]

Oh, the Depth

Romans 11:25-34
All Israel Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
"The deliverer will come from Zion;
He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins."
28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God's gifts and His call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. 32 For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that He may have mercy on them all.
Doxology
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments,
and His paths beyond tracing out!
34 "Who has known the mind of the Lord? [emphasis added]

Let God's Word speak to your heart today - from His Heart of mercy and the depth of His love!

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,
Stephanie
[Flying High with the Most High]

FREEDOM IN CHRIST

Galatians 5:1
Freedom in Christ
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Romans 8:20-21
For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT

The saying:

Forgiveness... is like the fragrance a flower gives off...

when it has been trampled under foot.

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Isaiah 53:4-5

Surely He [Christ prophesied] took up our infirmities

and carried our sorrows,

yet we considered Him stricken by God,

smitten by Him, and afflicted.
But He was pierced for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him,

and by His wounds we are healed.

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God's love for us transcended through the forgiveness of our sins - by way of - Jesus Christ and the blood that He shed on the cross on our behalf.

Even God had to forgive in order to make His love known to us.

Love goes hand-in-hand with forgiveness.

They cannot be separated.

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Numbers 14 (selected)

18 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."

2 Corinthians 2 (selected)

Paul's Letter to the Corinthians [Paul's example to us]

4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.
Forgiveness for the Sinner

5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 The reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake,

Matthew 6: 14-15 [a stern warning]

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Luke 7:47-48

Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

Sometimes there is but one person in our lives that we just can't seem to forgive. In our own efforts we have tried over and over, to no avail. Today - picture that person's face in your mind. Look up and see that person in mid-air. Now picture Christ Jesus in your mind. Then - hold His face in mid-air - OVER top of that person that you cannot seem to forgive. You will never look at them again without seeing Christ first. He loves them. You can love them through Him. Practice that exercise for as long as it takes until the forgiveness is complete. It shouldn't take long for you to forgive them - and to begin to walk in the newness and freedom that forgiveness brings. Do it - today!

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY [and forgiveness],

Stephanie

[Flying High with the Most High]

As the Rain and the Snow...

************ Isaiah 55:8-12 *************

8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven, and do not return to it
without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is My word that goes out from My mouth:
It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. [emphasis added]

Here in New Jersey today, we have some snow again. In fact, every Tuesday for the last 3 weeks we have had snow. I am forever asking the LORD to bring the snow.
It reminds me of:

• His love as a blanket of warmth in the cold surroundings
• the purity found in His forgiveness of my sin
• our new life in Christ
• the new mercies He gives every morning
• the cleanness of my heart that was washed by the blood
• that God is making all things new,
• the wonder of how one tiny snowflake can contribute its part when it sticks together with another to form such a breathtaking landscape of purity
• that God's thoughts and ways are beyond my tracing out - yet they always have purpose

Looking Upward - walking in the purity of His love - and Choosing JOY,

Stephanie
[Flying High with the Most High]

And the Winner Is...

Just for fun our church sponsored its 2nd annual Chili Cook-Off Contest tonight for Super Bowl Sunday. My chili won 1st place! It has been cooking since Saturday afternoon. It was just fun to participate and each of the competition was of great variety of styles and flavors. I won by only 1 vote! Wow! Lots of fun! Thanks to those who participated and voted for my pot!
**********************************

I guess this qualifies me for the next Mexico Missions Team for sure! Huh?

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,
Stephanie
aka [Estéfania]

This Watchful Heart

*************************************************************
I wrote this poem last summer based on: Psalms 120-135 - the songs of ascent / Exodus 13,14 &15 /and a song called: Behold the Throne of God Above. I'm standing on the Promises of God - waiting and watching with a believing heart - to see what God will go and do!

*************************************************************
THIS WATCHFUL HEART
by Stephanie K. Brower @2008

All around me things unfold
Details of His Hand, I’m told.

I search and dig and pull apart,
What He reveals to this watchful heart.

Clues are found in His Holy Book,
My readings daily, I’ve not forsook.

The Psalms begin my early climb,
To claim whatever my heart will find.

“Guard your heart”, or “ Trust My commands”,
Are the warning signs of His demands.

“Be careful, lest you stumble or fall,
And bid My help, and on Me call.”

Words of a song that sail on the wind,
Details given, to keep me from sin.

A pair of hummingbirds in mid-air dance,
May be my sign for taking a chance.

To take a risk when none would dare,
To trust God’s heart and find Him there!

His love abounds as the flowers bloom,
Turning night into day, and joy from gloom.

This watchful heart is ever waiting,
God’s Presence alone, my heart is baiting.

To draw Him close and ever so near,
Will rid my mind and thoughts of fear.

He leads the way, as my feet stand firm,
Upon this ROCK, with every turn.

He bids me “stop”, or “wait”, or “Come”,
Assuring my heart; I won’t be undone!

My life is hid’n with Him on high,
In every detail He draws me nigh.

One with Himself I cannot die,
My life is hid’n with Christ on High!

Written: July 26, 2008

Choosing JOY,
Stephanie
[Flying High]

HIDDEN

Colossians 3:1-4

Rules for Holy Living
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

2 Corinthians 1:20-22
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through Him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

1 Corinthians 2:6-10
Wisdom From the Spirit
6 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen,

no ear has heard,

no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love Him"—

10 but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

May the TRUTH of God's Word speak to your heart today!

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,
Stephanie
[Flying High]

[Today is my 39th Spiritual Birthday IN CHRIST!]

Getting PERSONAL

Isaiah 43
Israel's Only Savior
Read this Scripture with your name inserted and see how personal our God is toward those He calls: His Own

1 But now, this is what the LORD says—
He who created you, [ Stephanie ] O Jacob ,
He who formed you, [ Beth ] O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you [ Sandy ];
I have summoned you [ Kim ]
by name; you [ Caroline ] are Mine.
2 When you [ Lisa ] pass through the waters,
I will be with you [ Lucy ];
and when you [ Heidi ] pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you [ Tina ].
When you [ Becky ] walk through the fire,
you [ Susan ] will not be burned;
the flames will not set you [ Brenda ] ablaze.
3 For I AM the LORD, your [ Theresa's ] God,
the Holy One of Israel, your [ Barbi's ] Savior;
I give Egypt for your [ Donna's ] ransom,
Cush and Seba in your [ Kate ] stead.
4 Since you [ Lillian ] are precious and honored in My sight,
and because I love you [ Wendy ],
I will give men in exchange for you [ Janice ],
and people in exchange for your [ Sharon's ] life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you [Sue ];
I will bring your [ Amy's ] children from the east
and gather you [ Lorianne ] from the west.
6 I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth-
7 everyone [ FAITH ] who is called by My name,
whom I created for My glory,
whom I formed and made." [emphasis added]

What water has swept over you recently? What fire are you walking through? What promises does God say in His Word? Do you believe them? Do you believe HIM?
Our God is faithful. God promises to walk through everything with us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Whatever is overwhelming your heart and mind today - take hold of God's Hand and walk through it with Him. He's never let go of your hand! Be blessed!

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,
Stephanie
[Flying High Without Fear]

***IN THE NICHE = Then You Fly***

His WORD Goes Out

Isaiah 55:8-13

8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways My ways,"

declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are My ways higher than your ways

and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10 As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
11 so is My Word that goes out from My mouth:

It will not return to Me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
12 You will go out in joy

and be led forth in peace;

the mountains and hills

will burst into song before you,

and all the trees of the field

will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,

and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.

This will be for the LORD'S renown,

for an everlasting sign,

which will not be destroyed."

I memorized part of this passage [vs.8-11] over two years ago. I love the truth of God's Word - always going out with His purpose in mind - to achieve what He desires of it. But today... when I was reading it in my Bible - I read the last two verses of the chapter that come after this passage. The entire passage is a personal promise from God - and all of it will be done for the LORD'S renown. God is faithful and good in all His ways! I'm so glad HE IS GOD!!!

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Flying High Without Fear]