Month: February 2019

Thy Will Be Done

Annette Coffey1 Comment

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the father is not in them. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” 1 John 2: 15-17 NIV

As I grow in my relationship with the Lord my ways have changed so much. Things that used to matter don’t matter anymore but his ways matter more and more to me. I just don’t care much for things anymore. I like nice things don’t get me wrong. I just don’t bust my butt to get things anymore. I’ve come to learn that who I am and where I’m at is more important.

I moved to this retirement home in 2006 and was looking forward to hard work and getting my life back. Going home. I struggled to do little things. My legs just did not want to do what I wanted them to do. It was depressing. I remember when a case worker told me one day, “Get used to it your not getting out of here.” That comment ate at me for a long time.

I felt like God had punished me and even if I deserved it my life stunk. I was getting out of here one way or another. I kept an open mind and tried to do everything I could. I was always finding ways to help out around here. I wrote a book about what happened to me. About my stroke and what I went through. It helped so many people see it from different eyes.

I got to know so many people here. They kept asking when I was going to write another book. Me? I’m not a writer? But after time God gave me another book. It was like being dictated to. God spoke and I typed. It was good I loved it. It was a very awesome time. People loved it. I followed it up with another one. Currently I am working on a devotional with a good friend. God taught me so much over time.

The more I trust him and pray that he will use me in his ways, the more he does and my life is so blessed. I may have lost many things in my life but my life is better than ever. He is using me and blessing me more than I could imagine. I see things differently now. I have so many friends who have become family. I love doing whatever I want and being retired. I don’t even have to do the cooking and cleaning. I feel at times like a spoiled kid.

A spoiled Kings kid.

Do you want to really live? And know it’s forever?

He Cares for Us

Annette Coffey1 Comment

‘In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them.’ Isaiah 63:9 NIV

When we suffer he cares. In this life we will have trials. That is a given. But when we suffer he blesses us with his presence. Knowing he is with us can bring comfort. Knowing we are not alone and that he will help us is important for strength. When we are weak he can be strong.

When I am dealing with hard things such as my health and pain it always helps to know he cares and he will in his time bring about what is best for me. His best is always more than I expect. He loves me and as I focus on being the best me I can be for him he wants to bless me.

He always is doing special things for me. Whenever I think I am going to need something a special gift I never expected will show up. Like this week the bag of chocolates I got for Christmas was almost gone. I had really enjoyed having a little treat after lunch each day and even though I can do without. A package came from my daughter of a large bag of chocolates.

Just God’s way of sending blessings my way. Extra special blessings. I always say thank you. And I feel that he cares always.

I had pneumonia a few months back and it came on quickly and strong. One minute I was enjoying time at church with friends and feeling fine. Then at dinner I felt dizzy and nauseous. I had to go to bed. I kept feeling worse and worse. This had never happened before and I thought I was having a heart attack.

I had to trust that God knew what was wrong and that he was in charge. But that didn’t happen at first. I gave myself a panic attack first. I felt my heart race and knew I needed to relax. God helped me fall asleep when I thought I couldn’t. He helped me rest over the next few days even when my roommate was loud.

They did lots of tests and assured me that in time I would be fine. It took about three weeks before I got to feeling like myself again. Dizziness and plugged ears almost drove me crazy. God was with me though. It just took a lot of rest.

Recently as I prepared to go to the conference at church I awoke In the night worrying about everything that could go wrong. My ride being late. Not being able to open doors and get around on my own. I laid awake for quite some time thinking of everything that could go wrong.

I finally said a prayer that he would take care of all my needs. I reminded myself that he had it under control and I had nothing to worry about. As the conference came and went it went off without a hitch. Better than I ever expected. I had a great time.

Let him take your cares for he does care for you.

You Can’t Out-give God

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Psalm 3:5 NIV

” And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phillipians 4:19 NIV

God spoke to me this morning as I was talking to him. He has been opening my eyes to his ways a lot in the last fourteen years. I can understand how blind we can be at times. Going through life day by day it’s easy to get focused on ourselves and our daily struggles. It took him bringing me to a place where my every breath was up to him.

He has taught me so much about how he works. As I was growing up my father and grandfather taught me so much about giving to God first. Tithing was something they had learned was very important and they always saw his blessings through it. So as I began working I tried to continue that tradition.

When I got married and it was no longer just my money I felt it was more important to submit to my husband and let him be the head of the house. He always felt there were so many bills and never enough left over for God. That’s where he was wrong. But it wasn’t up to me to correct him. That’s God’s job.

What we need to understand is that God has commanded us to give and he has very good reasons. We also need to understand that God knows everything. He is not ever going to ask us to do anything that is not good for our best. He has promised to work everything for our best. That’s all the good and bad.

I had to get to a place where I had nothing so I could see that the little I gave was blessed.

I remember the story of the widows mites from when I was a child. This poor widow gave two copper coins as her offering, they were only worth less than a penny but it was all she had. Jesus saw how much it was to her when others gave large amounts and didn’t even miss it.

Many people have been blessed with a lot of money. Some aren’t Christians and know nothing about tithing but they give large amounts away to hospitals, research, even feeding children in other countries. They have learned the blessings of giving. God can use them just as easily as Christians.

First we need to understand it is not our money anyway. When we were born we had nothing and when we die we take nothing. Who was the first person? Adam but everything he ever had was given to him by God. God promised to always give us all we need. He knows all so he knows how to do it. We don’t need to know how.

If you try to make a budget first it will never make sense. His economy does not work the way we can understand. He is looking out for billions of people’s needs all at once. This last week I got to go to a convention for leadership training. They spoke of a need in one of our churches for a food pantry. This remote city had limited resources and great needs.

I felt God speak to me to give an amount. My mind told me how will you do that? My heart told me, ‘God can use me as well as anyone else and I want the blessings he has for my life. He obviously knows more than me. So I gave.

He can bring blessings into my life through unexpected sources. Gifts, inheritance, unexpected money from many places. I am supported by social security. They pay for all of my needs since I became disabled. Leaving me with $100 a month for clothes and miscellaneous needs.

That is not much but after Christmas last year I felt so blessed. I got so much I did not expect from others that I have no needs. The food has been great lately and I haven’t even needed the snacks I used to buy and keep around. My shampoo and other supplies seem to go a lot farther than normal.

I give my tithe every month and wish I could do more. Some months he does ask me to do more. I give and he supplies the need. It is so much more blessed to give than to receive. You can even test God in this one area and see just how impossible it is to outlive God.

Heritage

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‘And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers.’ Acts 3: 25 NIV

‘It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes through faith.’ Romans 4:13 NIV

‘If you belong to Christ, you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.’ Galatians 3:29 NIV

‘So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.’ Galatians 4:7 NIV

‘This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.’ Ephesians 3:6 NIV

We are chosen to be heirs of this great world. Not everyone but those who have believed by faith in the one true King ‘Jesus Christ ‘.

Just think about it. The true king, creator of heaven and earth. Everything that ever was or will be. He has called us to himself. He loves us soooo much and wants us together forever. He is drawing us closer to himself each day.

I looked into royalty as a definition. It means status, dignity, power, prestige and belonging to a royal family. We are nothing special on our own. We are after all just sinners condemned to die from those sins. But we were ‘called’. Just as thousands of years ago God called Abraham to leave his home and family and to follow him. We have been called.

We are not heirs by blood from birth. But as heirs we are special to the King. Not being British I can’t really understand what it means to be royalty but I do see the favor and power on children in the royal family.

Since I was young I have followed those in Queen Elizabeth’s family. Kings, queens, princes and princesses. Dukes, duchesses, lords and earls. Being given an important heritage that follows you through life. Their actions are highly scrutinized. Their position warrants it.

I am a child of God. Not just a famous family. An heir with Jesus Christ to inherit this world and live in it forever with a select few. This is very much an honor and I do not take it lightly.

My behavior is also watched by many. I want to be as much like my King as I can be. Doing what my King has asked of me. It is always possible with his help.

How many of you realize how important that we really are to the final outcome of the kingdom of this royal family.