Lead Us Not into Temptation

                                       Sunsets are beautiful.  

                       However some are more beautiful.
                                        Living as God directs us,
                        which is actually the way we were created to live
                               makes us so much more beautiful
                             than we can possibly be any other way.

Did you ever have an itch
   that you knew you shouldn’t scratch?

Ever have words on the end of your tongue
   that you are dying to say but absolutely shouldn’t?

You know better.

You know you shouldn’t
   but you feel that you just must.

That’s temptation.

An old train station at Whitehall, NY.  Photo is in "sepia" color.

                          Same scene taken in "full" color.  
               God's love brings us color and life in the fullest.

I can resist some things with no problem
   but others are so difficult.

Sometimes the lines get blurred
   and I don’t realize that Satan is tempting
   and giving messages that it’s no big deal to give in.

Sometimes I spend a lot of time arguing with myself
and fail to go to the only One who can really help.

I must sound pathetic.

I feel that way at times.

Sometimes my life is in such a muddle.

I am a work in progress and am realizing
   that I will be till the day I die.

                   So many people go through life just getting by
                          having no idea what they are missing.

However, I am blessed with a Father
   who loves me in spite of all my shortcomings
   and they are so many.

If I knock, He answers.

If I seek, I will find Him.

If I ask, He always comes to my rescue.

I truly need so much help.

Fortunately, Our Father has an unlimited supply
   and He never tires of coming to my rescue.

I tear up when I think of how much
   God really loves me.

I will continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer
and when the temptations come,
I will stress the “lead us not into temptation” part and know He will come to my aid
and I will succeed because
   “with God all things are possible.”
         Matthew 19:26

     God will make even our gray days beautiful if we let him,
            if we only cooperate.  He has the "plan."
              We only have to hang on for the ride.



Commentary

Has Spring come?  It's way too early.  

But it feels and smells like spring.
Mud season is upon us.  It snuck up.  

Sin is like that.  It sneaks up when we least expect it.    We only have to let down our guard for a moment. 

It sneaks in when we are stressed, tired, busy
   and especially when we turn our eyes from God
   for just an instant.

God knows we are vulnerable.
He knows we will make lots of mistakes and commit lots of sins.
However He loves us so much that He sent
His only Son to pay for our mistakes and sins.
Our Father wants us to spend eternity
   with Him in paradise.  

We only have to turn to God,
   acknowledge that we were wrong
   and ask for forgiveness.
   He will give it freely as many times
   as we ask for it.  

With God it is perpetually Spring.  

We make our messes and He turns them into beauty.
He made us out of dust
   and He makes us into His beautiful children -
   if we only let Him.  

Will you reach out, take His loving hand
   and hang on for the ride?  

I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

            How long will it be till we start to see the colors of spring?

Springtime Battles

Muddy, muddy, gush, gush
As my feet go push, push
Across the soft and wet, wet ground

Mud tries hard to suck me down
Tries to take my shoes and keep me
But I stand firm and keep on going
Shoes stay on but mud is showing
Remnants of my springtime battle
With that soft and gushy ground

Snow in places still is showing
As my feet do keep on going
Across the muddy, gushy ground

My destination soon I'm reaching
As my feet continue breaching
Springtime muddy, wet, wet ground

I look back and see my journey
Footprints rapidly are learning
Power of the soft and gushy ground

How amazing is the power
Of the mud that makes us cower
When we wage our springtime battles
With the soft and muddy ground

Commit everything you do to the LORD.
Trust him, and he will help you.  
   Psalm 37:5  New Living Translation

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Knapps Station Community Church 

My church has many ministries and activities.
It sponsors a Girls Club that is held every other Sunday from 12:30 to 2:30 pm.  It is for girls ages 8-14.  They do not have to attend Knapps Station Church to participate.  There are always at least 2 female leaders present at each meeting.  The girls cook, do crafts, sew, play games, do plays and have great fellowship.  There is no charge for the girls to participate.  They learn and have fun in a Christian setting.  The next meeting will be Sunday March 4, 2017 at 12:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall at Knapps Station Church.  All are welcomed!

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Draw Near To God  is a popular post from my friend Jean Oathout's blogpost "Treasures in Christ."  Her emphasis is praying.
******************************************
Learning to Listen Well is the 2-17-2017 blog post from my friend Jane Ault.  She discusses and gives a great example of the value of listening well - especially to God. She gives terrific ideas of how to improve your listening to God skills in your prayer life.

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Voice of the Martyrs

Raise a prayer force for Christian prisoners

Marat Niyazaliev

Yklas Kabduakasov

Yuri Pak

Zhao Weiliang

Dr. Kiflu Gebremeskel

Asia Bibi

Alimujiang Yimiti

Ebrahim Firouzi

Imran Ghafur

Hassan Abduraheem

Haile Nayzgi

Kidane Weldou

Lacheng Ren

Petr Jasek

Yang Hua

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Blessing:
May our Loving Father bless you with a great      appreciation for the beauty He has created. 
No matter what the weather brings you, may you feel  the warmth of His mighty love.
And may you be greatly blessed in the knowledge    that He is always anxiously waiting for you -
 that He will never leave you or forsake you -
 NO MATTER WHAT!
***************************

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen
  unless otherwise noted- used with permission

All bible reference from the NIV
   unless otherwise noted

If you are interested,
   you can click on the Blog Archive 

  dates on the top right side of this post
  to connect to previous blog posts

I would love to hear from you either on the
   comment section of this blog post
   or through my email 

   debbieamcewen@gmail.com

I post every other Saturday 

The next post will be March 11, 2017

May God bless you greatly until we meet again.

       We had a flock of 13 robins
          on our lawn last week.
    Are they trying to tell us Spring is here?

Will You Bloom for Eternity?

Our souls bloom with magnificent color 
when we walk with God.



Will You Bloom for Eternity?

The earth is vibrant with the new life of Spring. 

Trees sport newly minted leaves creating a glorious canopy of fresh green, a veil contrasting against their almost black trunks, courtesy of the recent rain.  

My crab apple tree tinted pink almost before it turned green.  

Tulips and paper whites have started opening their colorful heads. 

The fields are blanketed newly green with yellow dandelion coverlets. 

It seems like only yesterday that everything was brown and now it’s vibrant and alive.  

I found an empty robin egg shell under a tree.  What a spectacular color it is!  Soon I will hear the peeping of the babies.  

Spring’s renewal is one of life’s great joys.

 

   

As much as we can enjoy the new life of Spring, Our Heavenly Father must enjoy our new life when we start and progress on our walk with Him.  

How He must delight when we discover the joy of His word. 

How proud He must be when our behavior reflects what Jesus taught us.  

How His eyes of love must mist-over when we treat others as we want to be treated.  

And how His heart must burst at the seams when we let Him know and then live a life of God first.  

His hands of love and joy are reaching out to guide us, to mold us into His children who will bloom with Him for eternity - if we let Him.  

Will you bloom for eternity?

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  1 Peter 5:7

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17

My husband, Tim and I rode from home to Saranac Lake and took many of these pictures that day.  It was a hazy day which made the mountains in the background appear blue.  The trees in the Adirondacks were slower turning green than those at home.  

Beside the roaring brooks and the still waters of life, our Loving Father is with us always.

I Am Worthy Lord

I am worthy Lord to be your daughter.  

Not by anything I did or ever can do but by Your love for me.  

You loved me so much that You created me.  

I am Your royal daughter, Your child.  

You love me so much that You sent Your Precious Son to live and to die for my sins, so I could join You in heaven for eternity.  

You knew that I could never make it on my own.  

And You knew that You wanted me to be with You so You created this plan.  

You are so wonderful.  

You are faithfulness from forever to forever.  

You are the Alpha and the Omega.  

You are the mightiest of all Kings.  

You are the ruler of all that exists.  

And You love me.

I am blessed beyond measure.  

It is only because of this incredible love that I am worthy.  

Blessed be Your most holy name.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. Ephesians 1:4-8

 Just for You 

or How to Write Your Own Prayers

A friend suggested that it would be good if I taught others to write prayers the way I do.  I’ve never tried to teach this before so please bear with me.

 

When you really care about something, when your heart is hurting really badly, that’s the time to write.  

When you are crying about something, when you are very passionate, that’s the time to start writing - and praying. 

Start out praising God.  Tell Him that you know only He can help you because He is your Loving Father. 

After you praise Him, tell Him your heart’s desire.  Is 

it a troubled child headed for serious trouble?  Is it a broken marriage? Is it a serious illness?  

The list goes on and on.  You know what is in your heart.  Just call out to your Father.  He is so faithful and always ready to listen.  He really wants to help. 

If you cry and I have so many times, go ahead.  Your Father will comfort you if you let Him.

The first time I called out to God, I was about 8 years old and was being bullied very badly on the playground.  I cried “God if there is a God, please help me.”  And He did.  He sent a little boy to help me.  I never got bullied again.  I still vividly remember it and I still tear up when it comes to mind. 

Thank Him in advance for His mercy, His love, His grace and His outpouring of joy.  Yes, joy.  With God comes great joy.  Thank Him for all He will do for you.

Ask Him to pour the blood of Jesus on your request.  There is infinite power in the blood.  It’s amazing stuff. 

Ask God to grant your request in the name of His precious son Jesus.  Jesus is God’s only son and is so precious to Him.

When you pray, use your own words.  He really wants to hear what is in your heart.  You and your words are so important to Him.

Then wait patiently on the Lord.  He does all things in His time, His way and His will.  

Sometimes He answers right away as He did when I was little and called out to Him.  

Sometimes, He answers very slowly.  The waiting can be heart wrenching.  I know, I’ve been there.  

Sometimes He even says “No.”  Only He knows why.  

We have to remember He is our loving Father who always has our best interest at heart even when it isn’t what we want. 

Listen for His still, small voice speaking to you.  It often comes from unexpected sources.  It might be a book, a movie, someone talking.  God really does work in mysterious ways.  

His answer might be to tell you what you need to do to solve the problem.  I’ve been there too.  There is an endless list of possibilities.  

Just be open and hang on for the glorious ride that is your walk with Jesus.

Practice, practice, practice.  Practice writing   Practice praying.  Practice makes perfect.  I’m still practicing and will continue to practice and learn till I go home to my Maker.

If you write anything you’d like to share, please add it to my comments or send to my email debbieamcewen@gmail.com.  I would love to hear from you.  Please remember that if you put something in comments it will be visible to anyone who reads the blog.  

I will pray for you all that you are successful with your praying and your writing.

When God answers your prayer, write it down.  Write down the request, the date, the answer and how it happened.  Keep a journal of this to document how faithful God is.  It’s great to look back on it when you are having a difficult time.  It will cheer you up and keep you on the right track and it gives all glory to the One who deserves it.

May God bless you greatly.  

And He definitely will if you just give Him a chance. 

He died for that chance.  
Jesus died on the cross - just for you!

This is basically the format of the Lord’s Prayer that 

Jesus taught us.

To summarize:
      1.  Praise God
      2. Tell Him what you are praying for
      3.  Thank Him in advance what all the wonderful things He will do for you
      4.  Ask Him to pour the blood of Jesus on your request
      5.  Ask for your request in the name of Jesus
      6.  Wait patiently for God to answer your prayers.

 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.  And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,..........

Matthew 6:6-13

When you quiet your voice and your spirit in the presence of nature, you just might hear the still, small voice of the Lord speaking to you, telling you that He is the mighty Creator and you are His beloved creation.  

I love my Johnny Jump Ups and violets.

If the Spirit moves you, please feel free to check out my church.  It has fed my soul greatly.

Knapps Station Community Church

I would also like to suggest that you check out the blog page for my friend, Jean Oathout.  I have received much good information and many blessings from her blog.

Treasures in Christ

I finished another book this week.  I continue to be amazed by the extent of God's love for me.  The more I read, the more I feel loved and blessed.  This is another book by Max Lucado that I borrowed from the Knapps Station Church library.  



I am going on a "Closer Walk" retreat this coming weekend in Geneva, NY.  I hear it's wonderful and can hardly wait.  

There was a Royal Daughters Conference May 6 and 7 at Knapps Station Church.  It was amazing.  It blessed me greatly.  It opened my eyes to new levels in my walk with Jesus.  The poem "I Am Worthy, Lord" (above in this post) was one of my blessings. 


I am so blessed and honored that you share your time so I can share the words that God has given

me.  Thank you!

Today's Blessing

May your problems be few

May your blessings be many

And may the joy of God's love spring forth in your life    and never leave you

All photos taken by Debbie and Tim McEwen - 
  used with permission
All bible reference from the NIV unless otherwise noted
If you are interested, you can click on the Blog Archive 
  dates on the top right side of this post to connect 
  to previous blog posts
I would love to hear from you either on the comment 
  section of this blog post or through my email  
  debbieamcewen@gmail.com
I post every other Saturday 
The next post will be 6-4-2016  
I hope to see you then.  

In the meantime, God's blessings on you, my friend.  Debbie

                                    One of my orchids


I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
      Psalm 139:14