No Fear of Death

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" No Fear of Death April 23 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. (Revelation 2:11) The first death we must endure unless the Lord should suddenly come to His temple. For this let us abide in readiness, awaiting it without fear, since Jesus has transformed death from a dreary cavern into a passage leading to glory. The thing to be feared is not the first but the second death, not the parting of the soul from the body but the final separation of the entire man from God. This is death indeed. This death kills all peace, joy, happiness, hope. When God is gone, all is gone. Such a death is far worse than ceasing to be: it is existence without the life which makes existence worth the having. Now, if by God's grace we fight on to the end and conquer in the glorious war, no second death can lay its chill finger upon us, We shall have no fear of death and hell, for we shall receive a crown of life which fadeth not away. How this nerves us for the fight! Eternal life is worth a life's battle. To escape the hurt of the second death is a thing worth struggling for throughout a lifetime. Lord, give us faith so that we may overcome, and then grant us grace to remain unharmed though sin and Satan dog our heels! From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

Too Busy

Children are children for only a little while. Let's enjoy their childhood with them and not push them to grow up too soon.

The little boy said,
“Daddy, play a game with me.”
The father said,
“Not now, son. I’m just too busy.”
The little girl said,
“Mommy, read a book to me.”
The mother said, “I’m busy.
Please don’t bother me.”
The children now are grown—
For time has passed you see.
The words “too busy” I once spoke to them
They now speak to me.

My Grace is Sufficient

My Grace Is Sufficient

My grace is sufficient for thee

My Savior has promised with love.

So when my heart is burdened

I look with trust to above.

Though problems seem to overwhelm me

And no one seems to care,

I look only to my Savior

For He is always there.

“Do not feel so downhearted,”

My Savior has said to me

“For I will never leave you,

That, my child, you can believe.”

My grace is sufficient for thee

So lay your cares at my feet.

I will bear your burdens for you

And all your needs I will meet.

This is a promise He gave us,

So trust in Jesus above

His grace is sufficient to sustain us

And carry us with His love.

We Are Unique

Each child has his own talents and gifts. Encourage them to use their own gifts and do not force them into a mold meant for someone else. Each individual is a gift from God and unique in a very special way. Celebrate the differences. Love them for who they are not for who you wish they could be.

Children

In light of the recent tragedies that have taken the lives of our children, I want us all to remember that our Children are gifts from God.

Children are a gift from God,
Their love a prize to hold.
Their joy and happy laughter
Are worth far more than diamonds or gold.

But they are ours here on earth
... For such a short span.
So give them all the love you have
And don’t let them slip through your hand.

They are only on loan to us
From a loving God above,
Help them grow to be the best
And give them
All your love.

You will be repaid so very much
For each good deed you do,
For a little bit of immortality
Is passed through them to you.

Enemies at Peace

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Enemies at Peace April 17 When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. (Proverbs 16:7) I must see that my ways please the Lord. Even then I shall have enemies; and, perhaps, all the more certainly because I endeavor to do that which is right. But what a promise this is! The Lord will make the wrath of man to praise Him and abate it so that it shall not distress me. He can constrain an enemy to desist from harming me, even though he has a mind to do so. This He did with Laban, who pursued Jacob but did not dare to touch him. Or He can subdue the wrath of the enemy and make him friendly, as He did with Esau, who met Jacob in a brotherly manner, though Jacob had dreaded that he would smite him and his family with the sword. The Lord can also convert a furious adversary into a brother in Christ and a fellow worker, as He did with Saul of Tarsus. Oh, that He would do this in every case where a persecuting spirit appears! Happy is the man whose enemies are made to be to him what the lions were to Daniel in the den, quiet and companionable! When I meet death, who is called the last enemy, I pray that I may be at peace. Only let my great care be to please the Lord in all things. Oh, for faith and holiness; for these are a pleasure unto the Most High! From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

A Prayer For Our Country

Father, I come to you today brokenhearted. Such a burden is on my heart for the families involved in the tragedy in Boston yesterday. So many innocent lives were lost for, what in our limited minds, seems to be a worthless act of violence. But you know the outcome and you can turn this around for good, according to your purpose. Thank you that so many people were on ...the scene to help. Wrap your loving arms around them. I pray for the leaders of this country. Turn their hearts back to you because until we put you in the place you deserve--first in our hearts, this country and the world has no chance. We must turn back to you and honor your ways. "For if my people who are called in my name turn back to me and turn from their wicked ways, I will bless them and restore their land."
I ask these things in the name of your precious son, Jesus

Urgent Prayer

Let’s all pray for the victims in Boston.  So much is happening in the world today the best place to be is on our knees.

My Daily Prayer

Lord, I kneel down here to pray.

Please help me make it through the day.

God, I ask with a heart so true,

Help me live my life for you.

Dear Father, up in Heaven above

Fill my heart with thy wondrous love.

When doubts and fears around me assail

Give me the courage to prevail.

When temptations stand in my way

Give me the wisdom to do your will today.

Yes, Lord in Heaven, I beg of you—

Help me do what you want me to

My Choice is His Choice

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" My Choice Is His Choice April 14 He shall choose our inheritance for us. (Psalm 47:4) Our enemies would allot us a very dreary portion, but we are not left in their hands. The Lord will cause us to stand in our lot, and our place is appointed by His infinite wisdom. A wiser mind than our own arranges our destiny, The ordaining of all things is with God, and we are glad to have it so; we choose that God should choose for us. If we might have our own way we would wish to let all things go in God's way. Being conscious of our own folly, we would not desire to rule our own destinies. We feel safer and more at ease when the Lord steers our vessel than we could possibly be if we could direct it according to our own judgment. Joyfully we leave the painful present and the unknown future with our Father, our Savior, our Comforter. O my soul, this day lay down thy wishes at Jesus' feet! If thou hast of late been somewhat wayward and willful, eager to be and to do after thine own mind, now dismiss thy foolish self, and place the reins in the Lord's hands. Say, "He shall choose." If others dispute the sovereignty of the Lord and glory in the free will of man, do thou answer them, "He shall choose for me." It is my freest choice to let Him choose. As a free agent, I elect that He should have absolute sway. From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

Close Fellowship

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Close Fellowship April 11 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:34) Truly, whatever else we do not know, we know the Lord. This day is this promise true in our experience, and it is not a little one. The least believer among us knows God in Christ Jesus. Not as fully as we desire; but yet truly and really we know the Lord. We not only know doctrines about Him, but we know Him. He is our Father and our Friend. We are acquainted with Him personally. We can say, "My Lord, and my God." We are on terms of close fellowship with God, and many a happy season do we spend in His holy company. We are no more strangers to our God, but the secret of the Lord is with us. This is more than nature could have taught us. Flesh and blood has not revealed God to us. Christ Jesus had made known the Father to our hearts. If, then, the Lord has made us know Himself, is not this the fountain of all saving knowledge? To know God is eternal life. So soon as we come to acquaintance with God we have the evidence of being quickened into newness of life. O my soul, rejoice in this knowledge, and bless thy God all this day! From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

Prayer For Today

Dear Father,

There is so much turmoil in the world today.  Shootings, stabbings, and other murders.  We know you are in control and Your Holy Word tells us these things must come to pass before you call us home.  I pray for my family and friends that they are not deceived by false teachers that preach that the solution to all our problems is to blindly follow.  Your word says there will be “false teachers and miraculous works that will deceive even the elect.

I want to stay grounded in Your word and live in Your plan for my life. Give me the words to say to help bring others to You.

I ask these things in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Lord, I’m on My Knees

I wrote this years ago and everything in this poem happened during the same month. I just want to let you know that God gave me a sense of humor that does come in handy at times.

I’m On My Knees

Lord, I’m on my knees to you,

Help me with what I’m going through.

The kids are sick, the car won’t start,

The mower broke while mowing my yard.

My microwave is on the blink

My house is dirty and starting to stink.

One night my house almost burned down,

My spirits are so low they’re dragging the ground.

Things are happening way too fast.

I honestly don’t know if I will last.

So Lord, I’m on my knees to you—

Help me with what I’m going through.

Without Fear of Man

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Without Fear of Man April 7 And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. (Deuteronomy 28:10) Then we can have no reason to be afraid of them. This would show a mean spirit and be a token of unbelief rather than of faith. God can make us so like Himself that men shall be forced to see that we rightly bear His name and truly belong to the holy Jehovah. Oh, that we may obtain this grace which the Lord waits to bestow! Be assured that ungodly men have a fear of true saints. They hate them, but they also fear them. Haman trembled because of Mordecai, even when he sought the good man's destruction. In fact, their hate often arises out of a dread which they are too proud to confess. Let us pursue the path of truth and uprightness without the slightest tremor. Fear is not for us but for those who do ill and fight against the Lord of hosts. If indeed the name of the eternal God is named upon us, we are secure; for, as of old, a Roman had but to say Romanus sum, I am a Roman, and he could claim the protection of all the legions of the vast empire; so every one who is a man of God has omnipotence as his guardian, and God will sooner empty heaven of angels than leave a saint without defense. Be braver than lions for the right, for God is with you. From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

God Is Our Protector

 

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.    Anne Frank

Negativity seems to run rampant in today’s world  Economies are failing; people are fighting; crime is on the increase and doubts and fears assault us daily.  We see on television and read in the papers how evil man is becoming.

But we as Christians have a strong protector on our side.  He is a Father who loves His children.  He sends us proof of that love with each sunrise and sunset.  He want us to trust Him and know that He will take care of us.  He tells us to look at the lilies of the field and the birds of the air.  If He can take care of those can He not take care of us?  (Luke 12:22-24).

So when the enemy fills our hearts with fears and worry we just need to remember that we have a loving Father that cares for us.  We need to remember His promises and turn all the doubts, fears, and worry over to Him because “He that is in us is greater than he who is in the world”  (I John 4:4).

Father, I come to you and turn my fears and worries over.  I cannot change the situation by worrying but I know that You are holding me in Your hand and will care for me.  When I hear the birds singing and see the flowers growing I know that You are caring for them and I know that You will care for me.

NOT forgotten

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Not Forgotten April 5 Thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me. (Isaiah 44:21) Our Jehovah cannot so forget His servants as to cease to love them. He chose them not for a time but forever. He knew what they would be when He called them into the divine family. He blots out their sins like a cloud; and we may be sure that He will not turn them out of doors for iniquities which He has blotted out. It would be blasphemy to imagine such a thing. He will not forget them so as to cease to think of them. One forgetful moment on the part of our God would be our ruin. Therefore He says, "Thou shalt not be forgotten of me," Men forget us; those whom we have benefited turn against us. We have no abiding place in the fickle hearts of men; but God will never forget one of His true servants. He binds Himself to us not by what we do for Him but by what He has done for us. We have been loved too long and bought at too great a price to be now forgotten. Jesus sees in us His soul's travail, and that He never can forget. The Father sees in us the spouse of His Son, and the Spirit sees in us His own effectual work. The Lord thinketh upon us. This day we shall be succored and sustained. Oh, that the Lord may never be forgotten of us! From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

Daily Prayer

Father,
This is a day you have made for me, and I will rejoice in it. What a wonderful Father you are to create each sunrise and sunset for me. I see your wonderful gifts all around me--the birds singing, the grass starting to turn green-the beautiful flowers that spread their fragrance throughout the land. I know trials will come my way and there are crosses that I will be asked to bear. But I know that with You beside me, there is nothing that will bring me down. You hear my prayers when my cries are all You hear. You have a plan for my life and You will equip me for whatever you ask of me. I want to follow your plan and live my life in your will. I ask these things in Jesus' name.
Amen

Sensitive to warning

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Sensitive to Warning April 3 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. (2 Kings 22:19) Many despise warning and perish. Happy is he who trembles at the Word of God. Josiah did so, and he was spared the sight of the evil which the Lord determined to send upon Judah because of her great sins. Have you this tenderness? Do you practice this self-humiliation? Then you also shall be spared in the evil day. God sets a mark upon the men that sigh and cry because of the sin of the times. The destroying angel is commanded to keep his sword in its sheath till the elect of God are sheltered: these are best known by their godly fear and their trembling at the Word of the Lord. Are the times threatening? Does infidelity advance with great strides, and do you dread national chastisement upon this polluted nation? Well you may. Yet rest in this promise: "Thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace: and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which l will bring upon this place." Better still, the Lord Himself may come, and then the days of our mourning shall be ended. From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

True heart energy

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" True Heart-Energy April 2 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. (1 Timothy 4:15) This is, practically, a promise that, by diligent meditation and the giving up of our whole mind to our work for the Lord we shall make a progress which all can see. Not by hasty reading but by deep meditation we profit by the Word of God. Not by doing a great deal of work in a slovenly manner, but by giving our best thought to what we attempt, we shall get real profit. "In all labor there is profit" but not in fuss and hurry without true heart-energy. If we divide ourselves between God and mammon, or Christ and self, we shall make no progress. We must give ourselves wholly to holy things, or else we shall be poor traders in heavenly business, and at our stocktaking no profit will be shown. Am I a minister? Let me be a minister wholly and not spend my energies upon secondary concerns. What have I to do with party politics or vain amusements? Am I a Christian? Let me make my service of Jesus my occupation, my lifework, my one pursuit. We must be in-and-in with Jesus, and then out-and-out for Jesus, or else we shall make neither progress nor profit, and neither the church nor the world will feel the forceful influence which the Lord would have us exercise. From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

Morning Prayer

Father, I come before you today with a heart that is so full of love and gratitude to you. You sent your only son, Jesus, to give me eternal life. I ask your continued mercy and grace over my friends and family today. Keep us under your protective wings and hold us tight. I pray for this great country of ours. May the leaders turn back to you. This country was founded on your laws and mandates. Somehow we have gotten away from the basic principles that formed the foundation for this country. I carry a heavy heart for our country and know the only hope is in you.
I pray this in your sweet son's name. Amen.,