Author: kelley

Intro:
Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. As summer time keeps rolling along, and with the Summer Olympics starting soon, I thought it would be good to focus on getting in shape! Don’t tune me out, I know it sounds like work, but if we want to be strong and fit, we need to get in shape. If we want to run the race well for God, we need to be in shape spiritually. Just DO IT! Here is your dailyeword.

Monday
I can hear you breathing a sigh of relief. Whew! You’re thinking, spiritually in shape – I can do that! We definitely need to be strong from the inside out. But, I do think both are important. We need to be in shape spiritually. We should know what we believe, why we believe it, and be people who put our faith into action and are doers of the Word. At the same time, we do need to be in shape physically, because if we want to fulfill our purpose on this earth, we need to be healthy enough for our physical heart to keep on ticking. 

I know most of you would probably be appalled if your pastor stood up in the pulpit with a cigarette in his mouth, puffing away. What is surprising is that we don’t even give it a second thought if he would be 100 pounds overweight and standing in the pulpit. We think smoking is way worse for us. What is interesting is that just recently, the largest percentage of deaths in America changed from being a result of smoking, to being a result of overweight. YIKES!!!! That is amazing. There are more diseases that are a result of overeating than any other indicator. We as a population are just way too fat and I hate to say the word…..lazy. Lest you think I am casting stones, I know the pain of being overweight. It is easy to go to food for comfort, or to ease stress, or even to cover up for pain. Because of our busy lifestyles, we often choose convenience food over healthy food. We should be choosing health over convenience. I’ve done it, and I’m sure you have too. Back to what we’re talking about….if we want to run the race, and make it to the finish line, not only do we have to be faithful to God in our spiritual life, we need to be faithful to God in our physical life. Let’s set aside those weights that so easily beset us, and run the race, and make it to the finish line, healthy and strong. We can get to heaven sick, but we don’t have to. Let’s be healthy to our dying day. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to get sick when you get older. Let’s be old (experienced!) and healthy, making the most of every day, so that we can live long on the earth and fulfill our personal assignment here doing what God has purposed for us to accomplish

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Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What great freedoms we have as Christians! In John 10:10 Jesus says that the thief (the devil-our adversary) comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I (Jesus) have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly. We can clearly see that Jesus is the author of life and the devil is the one who destroys life. Abundant life can be translated real, eternal life, better life than you have ever dreamed. That makes it sound like we can be over-comers, and victorious in this life! We CAN! We can have dynamic relationships, profitable business ventures, experience healing in our bodies, as we grow strong spiritually. (3 John 2) In John 8:36 Jesus says, if the Son sets you free, than you shall be free indeed. In verses 31 and 32, it says we are Jesus’ disciples if we continue in His Word, and when we know the Word (which is truth), the truth shall make us free. Liberty comes as a result of experiencing truth. When we have an experience with truth (Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life) we can have true freedom. Fears and self-doubt don’t have to rule us! We can have freedom and life as we walk with God, and put His Word into action in our lives. The pursuit of happiness is tied directly to the amount of God’s Word we hide in our hearts, and the amount of His Word we will act upon. In John 15:11 Jesus says that He wants us to be full of the joy of the Lord. In the verses 9 & 10, it says for us to abide in the love of God and keep His commandments, just as Jesus abides in God’s love and keeps His commandments. Fullness of joy comes through obedience, and obedience to the Word brings the blessing and favor of God. Life, freedom and joy-all found in Christ!
My prayer for you is that you are personally experiencing the life, freedom and joy that comes from knowing Christ, and that you are sharing this wonderful life with others

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Happy Birthday America! Hooray for the Red, White and Blue! This week, America celebrated our freedom as Americans. We can thank God for the freedoms we enjoy because of men and women who gave their lives to make America a great nation where we can enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The colors on the flag represent bravery, honor and valor. For the Christian, the red reminds us of the blood of Jesus that was shed so that we can have life through Him. The White reminds us that though we were once full of sin, now we can be washed white as snow, and live a life of purity that shines as a bright light in a dark world. The Blue reminds us that we are children of the king, and that we have royal blood flowing through our veins. Not only do we have a home in heaven, but we can help others join God’s royal family while we are here on earth. That makes you someone who changes history. So as we celebrate this historical time, I want to encourage you to be a history maker! Build on the great history of our country, and our faith, and let’s build a great tomorrow filled with life and liberty!

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Do you know the song I am free to run, I am free to dance, I am free to live for You, I am free? I know you’ve probably heard it before, either on the radio, or perhaps you sing it at church. When ever we sing that song in our worship services, I become so thankful, and at the same time, patriotic. Not only am I free in Christ, I am free to worship God in freedom….with hands lifted, dancing, shouting, singing, and rejoicing, I am free in our great land to worship God. It isn’t silent worship in a basement, because we aren’t allowed to worship freely….no, we can worship God out loud. We can live for God, out loud. When you think of those that don’t have that privilege, it makes you even more thankful. So today, run, dance, live…..free. Be who God created you to be, and worship Him in ways that honor Him. Then don’t forget to pray for those who don’t have that privilege. Those who “do church” underground, or church is remote areas who long for a pastor to lead them, or for places where it is illegal to say the name of our God, pray for freedom world wide, so that the whole earth can be filled with the glory of God. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

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It says in Romans 8:2 that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. What an amazing thing, through Christ we are set free from the power of sin in our lives. The law of sin that started in the garden through disobedience to God by Adam and Eve, has been revoked on our behalf through Jesus. Glory! We can live above the temptations of the enemy. We are no longer slaves to sin. To be set free from the bondage of sin and to be able to live in that realm where the Spirit of Life resides, is true freedom. The law of love, overrides the law of sin. When love came to earth in the form of Jesus, and died on a cross, he made us more than conquerors. Jesus conquered death, hell and the grave, and made us free to live above the world’s system, and to walk in, live in, and abide in the spirit. He was the conqueror and he gave us His victory! How amazing! Is there some area of bondage in your life that keeps hooking you in? The enemy knows where our hooks are. We can rise above his tactics that steal and destroy and live in the abundant life that Jesus paid a huge price for us to receive. Let’s live in that freedom.

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What a big party today is for all Americans! So much of our nation’s history is founded by godly men and women, longing for freedom to worship God. From the original voyages across the ocean looking for a new world, the explorers were on a mission, to tell the new world about God. When the puritans came from England, they wanted freedom of worship. Not only was the new world a land of opportunity, it was a place where God could be worshipped freely. America’s founders were Godly men and women. America was founded on godly principles. We have strayed from that foundation, but thankfully, we still live in a country where we can worship God freely. 2 Cor 3:17 says that where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We use that verse in our churches all the time. We can apply that to our country too. Where and when we let the Spirit of God reign, we will experience freedom. Let’s not forget the foundations and our humble beginnings. Let us not forget those who gave their lives for our freedom. Let us not forget to thank God, for men and women of courage, who bravely fought for our freedoms. Thank God we are free.

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There are some places that I put strategic scriptures, and one place in on my refrigerator. I know how important it is to be encouraged, so I encourage myself in the Word, every time I open my refrigerator! One freedom scripture I keep really handy is from Is 61:1 which was quoted by Jesus in Luke 4:18. It says:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
Because He has anointed me
To preach the good news to the poor.
He sent me to bind up the broken hearted,
To proclaim FREEDOM for the captives,
And the release from darkness for the prisoners

Of course we know that is what Jesus came to do, but we know that is our mission too. He has commissioned us as His hands and His feet on the earth. He sent us out to tell the good news, and it is about freedom! God’s Spirit lives within us, and He has anointed and appointed us. Let’s be about bringing freedom to those who are bound! We run into people all the time who are broken hearted and are prisoners to something. Let’s use our words to let them know that Jesus died to set them free. They can know the same freedom we have experienced. Remember, God’s spirit is on you and in you to help others. Open your mouth and let them know! He whom the son sets free is free indeed.
If you are still bound in some way, why not make this the week to break free….from habits, from negative thoughts, from ungodly actions, what ever it may be. Let those who were once bound, now say I am free!

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This is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging Word for your day. How encouraging it is to live in freedom. Knowing who we are and living free in Christ is a magnificent privilege for us as believers. Celebrating freedom for our great country is fabulous as well. Enjoy your holiday this week. Let’s celebrate freedom! Here is your dailyeword

God bless America! What a beautiful land we live in, and how thankful we are for the freedoms we enjoy here. God has blessed us immeasurably and we are very grateful for those who serve in our nation. We are so proud to be Americans. America is a land of abundance and blessing, and it is interesting to notice that there aren’t too many people trying to leave the USA, but lots and lots of people trying to find their way here to live in our great land.

The Old Testament is filled with references to land and the blessing that comes with it.
There is a land flowing with milk and honey, there is a fruitful land, a land that remains, a return to their homeland, and most familiarly a healing of our land. We could say all those things about America. We are fruitful, but also needy. There are still so many who need to know God. He cares about where we live, and how we use our land. His hand of blessing comes as we humble ourselves and pray for our nation and its leaders. Let’s hold up the standard of righteousness in America!

As we celebrate the 4th of July this week, may we never forget the blood that was shed so that we can have the freedoms we often take for granted. And most importantly, let us never forget the freedoms we have in Christ. He whom the Son sets free is free indeed! We are free from bondage, freed from shame, and free from the dominion of the devil. Hallelujah! That freedom came at a great price. It was the blood of Jesus that was shed that still has power to bring freedom today. Let’s rejoice in that freedom!

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A key thought for today is: There are enough damaging words spoken in the world, let’s not speak words from our own lips that damage our own spirit. A truth from the word that is powerful is from Prov 23:7 which says, as he or she thinks within themselves, so they are. (NASB) What you think about yourself is what you will say about yourself, and way too often we let our minds take our thoughts places they should never go. Then our mind lets our mouth say things about ourselves we should never say. What you speak about yourself is often what you become! It is vital that we do a self talk examination. Take notice and really listen to what we tell ourselves. Listen to your words – what are you really saying about yourself, and is it really true? We need to assess if the words we are saying line up with the Word of God. Very often we aren’t believing or speaking the Truth. Very often we are listening to the lies of the enemy. A positive step toward better self talk begins with reprocessing our thoughts through what God’s thoughts are about us. If we don’t eliminate the thoughts that are contrary to the Word of God, they can become imaginations, and then they have the potential to become a stronghold in our life as it says in II Cor 10:4-6. If we need a filter system for our thoughts and our words, the Bible is the best filter of all! When we need help or wisdom, we can ask God for His wisdom and His help as it says in James 1:6 When things are not as we wish they were, instead of speaking negativity over our life, we can do like Abraham did and call those things which be not, as though they are! When we speak truth to your soul – we are demonstrating self control over our emotions. It takes discipline, but if we change the input, we will get a different output. When we know the truth, the truth will set us free! So remember, our thoughts do influence our words, so think right!

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Hi kids, this is Dorette with an encouraging word for kids today. Today we are going to talk about the importance of what we say, and how we say things. I hope you put a guard on your mouth to only speak words that are life giving. Be blessed today. Here is your eword for kids!

Eword for Kids
Have you heard these terms before? ….Gasoline and water words? If a fire is started what would make the fire bigger, and what would put it out? That’s an easy answer isn’t it? Water will douse the fire, while gasoline will make it much bigger. Did you know that our words can do the same thing? They can make an argument bigger or they can make it stop. Words can escalate emotions, or they can calm them down. You may not know it but you probably use both kinds of words all the time. Here is a list of gasoline words.
Gasoline Words
You always
You never
You should have
I can’t ever forgive you
You are to blame
Here is a list of water words:
I understand
I don’t blame you
Good try….way to go
I forgive you
Which words have you used lately, the water or the gasoline type? Even as a kid, maybe especially as a kid, it is good to set the pattern early of how you will talk to others, and even how you will talk to yourself. If you are involved in an argument, water words will calm things down. If you want to bring peace, water words do just that. My encouragement for you this week is to remember that your words have power. Do everything within your ability to say words to others and yourself that build up, edify and encourage. That way, you will keep fired up situations from getting out of control, and you can be a peace maker, just like the Bible tells us to be.

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