Author Archives: Janan

About Janan

Born-again Servant of God, Blogger. I am passionate about my walk with Jesus, and my faith in God is paramount to everything I do. I hope you are encouraged by what you read here on my blog. I would love to connect with you and hear your Faith Story too!

Sing to the Lord a New Song

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So, here we are in 2017. Are we ready to embrace a new year, possibly one of change? Are we willing to boldly forge ahead in whatever areas God leads us?

I don’t know about you but fear of the unknown can be enough to stop me dead in my tracks.  Today I’m finding encouragement from portions of Psalm 116 and 118.  Won’t you join me in reflecting on these verses?

I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications.  Psalm 116:1  Isn’t it comforting to know that God hears us?  He cares about what matters to us!

Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.  Psalm 116:2 ~  As long as I live!!  Whether that time be long or short, I know I need to call upon Him, trust Him, and follow Him all my days! Continue reading →

Making an Impact on Those You May Never Meet

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Do you ever wonder if the things you do or say in life have any impact beyond the moment, the one person?  Have you ever wondered if you could possibly have an impact on someone you may never meet?

I came across an email I had saved a couple years ago, thinking I would one day compose a blog post about the topic, but I could never say it any better than BlueprintForLife.com: “Sometimes we think our part in God’s story doesn’t matter. But, it does because we all affect others, often without realizing it. Check out this short video about how you are making an impact on people you have never even met.”

So keep living for Jesus my friend!  You never know what impact you might have!

Are You Allowing Grief to Cloud Your Thinking?

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It was early in the morning.  They were traveling along the road, probably looking down at their feet as they walked.  Sad, sorrowful, mourning.  Why, why, why did this happen?  Where is Jesus?  What are we going to do now?

Grief…Overwhelming Sorrow…Sadness…Heartbreak..

Been there, done that!

I remember the day I faced a future without my husband after he lost his battle with cancer.  Oh how I rejoiced that his suffering and pain had ended and that he was now in the presence of Jesus….BUT….how was I to go on raising three young children without him?  What was I going to do now?  In the midst of my grief, all I could do was cling to Jesus!  I could not see or think beyond the moment.  Grief was certainly clouding my thinking. Continue reading →

You are His Glory

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Jesus said in John 17:1, “Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

Did you realize that we are His glory?  As I was reading this passage of scripture, it struck me that Jesus was referring to those who believe in and follow Him as the object of His glory.  Why, you might ask?

Jesus’ entire purpose of coming into this world was to redeem us from the curse of our sins.  He showed us the way to eternal life through faith and trust in Him and in what He did on the cross.  John 17:9 says, “I pray for them.  (that’s the ones who believe in Him)  I am not praying for the world (that would be those who have rejected Jesus), but for those you have given me.

Do you understand when Jesus says “the ones you have given me” he is referring to those who love him, that God the Father has put them in Jesus’ care.  God the Father has given us to Jesus according to our faith in Him. Continue reading →

It’s Just NOT MY DAY!!

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Driving in to work one day recently, I heard Jamie Grace talking on the radio station about what prompted her to write the song “Beautiful Day” and it really struck me as profound.  She said whenever she would say something like, “It’s just not my day!”, her dad would respond, “No it’s not your day.  This is the day the Lord has made, so let us rejoice in it!”

Isn’t that a wonderful perspective on our Awesome God!!  Every day was created just for us by our loving Heavenly Father, and we can rejoice in it even if things are not “going our way” as we would like them to.

 

So, here is the song by Jamie Grace.  It took on a new meaning to me today.

Have You Thumped Your Bible Today?

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Bible Thumper.  Read that term recently as it was presented critically about someone.  Got to thinking, Yup, that’s me!!

I want to be called a Bible Thumper because the Bible is where I go for wisdom, direction, comfort, strength, because it is the God-breathed word of TRUTH!!

So, I ask you, have you thumped your Bible today?  Have you gleaned wisdom, direction, comfort, strength from the TRUTH presented there?  Have you met with God in His word today?

I invite you to become a Bible Thumper like me!!  Become changed by the Word of God and never look back, and never take offense at being labeled a Bible Thumper.

Chosen

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But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ~ 1 Peter 2:9

My husband and I support many ministries aimed at reaching Jewish people for Messiah Yeshua, and recently when reading an email from one ministry the author was speaking of the Jews as God’s chosen people.

I too have always thought of the Jewish people as God’s chosen people, but this day the Holy Spirit gave me a new revelation……

I too am part of the group of God’s chosen people!!  I am not Jewish by birth or otherwise, but I was redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb, and I am grafted into the group we commonly call God’s chosen people.

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. ~ Galatians 3:14

Glory Halleluia!!

So whether you are Jewish or not, if you have put your trust in Jesus, Yeshua, you are one of God’s Chosen People!!

Abounding in Love

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Our God certainly is Abounding in Love.  His love for us never fails, it never leaves us, it is always perfect and sure.

I searched in www.biblegateway.com for verses containing this truth and here is what I found:

‘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 parents to the third and fourth generation.’

Nehemiah 9:17 (NIV®)

They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them,

Psalm 86:5 (NIV®)

You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Psalm 86:15 (NIV®)

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

Psalm 103:8 (NIV®)

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Joel 2:13 (NIV®)

Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

Jonah 4:2 (NIV®)

He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.

One of my favorite psalms

Psalm 103 (NIV®)

Of David.

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Oh how I praise Him today!!  As we reflect on what Jesus did for us on the cross, let us always thank Him that He is abounding in love for us!!

 

The Wonders of His Love

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I’m sitting here this Christmas watching the University of Mobile passionately perform their beautiful Christmas concert, and I am so very blessed.  I was reminded today by a couple Facebook posts that it was 27 years ago this day that my first husband went into the hospital so very sick with cancer and went home to Jesus 21 days later.  Wow!  Seems like so long ago but yet it sometimes seems like yesterday.

Raising three children from the ages of 8, 6 and 5 as a single mom for 15 years, I was blessed to watch them change and grow, seeing them love Jesus, growing up into wonderful adults that make me so proud, now raising families of their own, blessing me with 10 grandchildren!!

I am truly blessed!

Oh the wonders of my God; how amazing He has been to me!!  Oh the wonders of His love, how He loves me and provides for me, yesterday, today and forever!

Now I celebrate 11 years with the wonderful man God blessed me with later in life.  Our marriage is such a blessing to me, as is my husband.  I have seen God do such amazing things in my life and his, and we will celebrate 12 years of marriage next June.

God’s word is truth, and He is more than enough to help you go through anything and everything life throws at you, even cancer, even death of a spouse or parent.  I hope to encourage anyone who may be facing difficult circumstances today.  My story is one of victory in Jesus in spite of life circumstances.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, the Son of God, who came to earth as a baby so he could grow into a man and suffer and die on a cruel Roman cross to pay the penalty for the sins of all mankind, I thank Him that we can have victory over all things here on earth, and we can live in eternity with Him if we put our faith and trust in Him!  Thank you, thank you Jesus!!

I believe that Christmas lives in me.  I believe.  He truly is the Lamb of God!!  Sweet Lamb of God.  I love the Holy Lamb of God.–some stanzas from the concert playing as I type.

For the friend who may be reading this and struggling with something difficult in life, let me encourage you to turn to Jesus and never look back.  You will not regret it!

Feeling Deceived

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No!  It cannot be!  Tell me it isn’t so!!

That’s how I felt the day my brother spilled the beans and told me there really wasn’t a Santa Claus!

How can it be?  You mean Mom and Dad lied to me?  You mean they told me this jolly guy in a red suit was not the one to bring me gifts?

I was devastated, and I felt deceived.

So why is it that we tell our young children of a jolly old man in a big red suit bringing them presents each Christmas when it isn’t true?  Because it makes them happy, right?  Because it brings some magic to the season, right?  Because it gives them something to look forward to with great anticipation, yes?

Well, when my children were growing up my husband and I decided to forego the whole idea of Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and the like.  Call me a mean momma if you want, but I just felt that it was important to teach my children truth and nothing but truth.  I didn’t want them to one day be told that their fondest memory was nothing more than a fake and an outright lie.

Anyone else ever felt this way about Santa Claus?  Now sure, the myth certainly is a fun idea, but what about truth?  Doesn’t truth outweigh fun?  I think God wants us to have fun, but I think He puts a higher value on us being truthful than enjoying ourselves with something we consider fun.

Just some of my thoughts.  Not really that spiritual, not judgmental of anyone, just my thoughts.  Anyone want to comment?