Author: princessleah

Intro:
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving and what a fabulous time to remember God’s faithfulness. Hi this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. This week we will be talking about the power of remembrance. All too often we only remember the bad in our lives, and forget to remember all the good that we have experienced. As you remember God’s goodness to you, I hope you will be encouraged about the faithfulness of God. Let’s not forget all of His benefits toward us. Let’s remember with gratitude how God has turned situations around for our benefit in the past, and remember that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Let’s give thanks always!

Monday
Bless the Lord, oh my soul and forget not all His benefits it says in Psalms 103:2. The Message Bible says it this way:
Oh my soul, bless God
From head to toe, I’ll bless His holy name
O my soul, bless God
Don’t forget a single blessing.
He forgives your sins – every one
He heals your diseases – every one
He redeems you from hell – saves your life!
He crowns you with love and mercy – a paradise crown.
He wraps you in goodness – beauty eternal
He renews your youth – you’re always young in his presence
God makes everything come out right, he puts victims back on their feet.
What a great writing! I love to read the Message Bible, it gives such a great perspective on verses that we might just pass over in our reading. Soul…..bless the Lord! We can tell ourselves to bless God, and then not to forget a single blessing. I know that there have been many blessing I’ve received from God that I have forgotten, and probably never even thanked God for.

This week my desire for you is to be a person who remembers God’s faithfulness. There is great power in remembrance. In the Old Testament, God established days for feasts just to remember different times in the Israelites lives….Here is a quick summary:
Passover – remembering the last plague and deliverance from slavery
Unleavened bread – the removal of sin
First Fruits – Thanksgiving for harvest and blessing
Feast of Weeks – God’s voice in the desert – to lead and guide
Feast of Trumpets – Call to gather to remember God’s faithfulness
Day of Atonement – The sacrifice for sins
Feast of Booths – God is our dwelling place
The feast days were a specific reminder of God’s provision on the journey to the Promised Land. They were a way of remembering God’s intervention in their lives.

As New Testament believers, we are called to do that every day! My prayer is that as you remember what God has done for you in the past, all His wonderful benefits toward you, that you will be strengthened and encouraged. What He has done before, He will do again. Be encouraged today!

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When we look in the Gospels, we see that one of the things God is looking for is people who understand submission and authority. It is good for us to know when and where we have authority. Did you know that Jesus commended the one who had the greatest faith as the one who understood submission and authority? He looks for those who understand that He’s the boss, and that when He asks us to jump, our answer is, “how high?” He also is seeking those who are not “know it all’s”, but really seek His wisdom in every situation they come up against. They are teachable, and open to hearing specific direction from Him. Do you think it is possible to walk in dominion, and to take dominion, yet still be under submission? I think this story of the centurion in Matt 5 makes it clear that we can. In fact, when we do walk in submission and operate in the authority we have in Christ, we can see mighty things take place. Because the centurion’s servant was healed, we see that miracles and healings can take place from being people of faith and having great faith. Faith changes things. Faith is the evidence of things unseen. A healing was needed and then became manifest, because of knowing the power in the words of Jesus. We have his Words available to us. We can other tools as well. We can use His name, we have the power of the Holy spirit on the inside of us. We have the keys to the kingdom. God wants to manifest His anointing and power on the earth through us, as yielded vessels, under submission to God, and operate in the authority God has given us.

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Have you ever wondered what characteristics God is looking for when He looks at you? That may sound like a silly question, but the Bible tells us to knock, ask, and seek, and the door will be answered, God will hear us, and we will find Him. In other words, we are to be looking for God. But in John 4:23, it says that God is seeking or looking for a certain kind of person. He is looking for you! He is looking for someone to worship Him. God doesn’t have a big ego that needs to be stroked, He just wants us to choose Him above everything else. Matt 6:33 says for us to seek Him first. What is amazing is that when we do, He promises to supply all of our needs. It sure sounds like we get the best end of that bargain! So what else do you think He is seeking or looking for? We know he is looking for worshippers, but he is also looking for faith. Without faith we can’t be God pleasers, so he is looking for people who have activated their faith life, because faith without works amounts to nothing, or as the Bible says, is dead. He seeks those who understand authority that He is the boss and that although He has called us friends, we still are called to serve Him. He also is looking for those who have a heart that is open, and are sensitive to His Holy Spirit. One last thing I know God is looking for is faithfulness. I know that sounds like a lot of stuff all at once, but God’s Spirit lives inside of you, and He has given you power to live a life that is committed to H im, for all the days of your life. So what is God looking for in you? He’s looking to see a heart that is completely His. I know He’ll find that in you.

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Lastly, at least on my list, God is looking for people who are faithful and consistent. Often the “steady eddies” of Christianity get overlooked. They just do what is right to do, because it is right to do. They do it without fanfare or a drum roll, and with a sweet attitude and a smile. God is looking for those kinds of attributes. He’s looking to say, well done, my good and faithful servant. Not just well, you’re done! When we do our best for God, we can enter into the joy of the Lord. One of the privileges of serving God my whole life is that I don’t have a time that I can look back on when I was sowing wild oats, or that I fell away from God for a while. I am thankful for parents who raised me in church and who were always there when God’s Word was being preached, or if there was any activity that we could be involved in. They made church a priority. It was a very balanced upbringing. They loved God and were the same at home as they were at work or in church, or at school. There was a consistency that I learned to follow. We were not only taught to be faithful, it was modeled in front of us. How thankful I am for that. Because of that, I have always loved God’s house. I have always loved God’s people. I have always wanted to serve God with my whole heart. How about you….what are you modeling to your kids? Do they see you have a desire to stand up for truth, to be a faithful, consistent person everywhere you are? Is church life and following God a priority, or is it on the back burner for some other time in your life. I want to encourage you….seek God first. He’s looking for those who do just that. He’s seeking for you!

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We are talking about the kind of people God is looking for, and one thing we know that he wants to find are people who have a heart of thanksgiving. As you think about the beauty of today or any day, even before the actual day of Thanksgiving arrives next week, why not take some time and count your blessings. I love that old song, count your blessings name the one by one, count your blessings, see what God has done…. What has God done in your life.? Have you experienced His goodness? Have you seen His faithfulness manifested on your behalf? Do you see His hand of protection on your family? Do you recognize that His mercies are new every morning for you? I know you can say yes! God is so good. He is good, and He’s been good to me. For those things that you are praying for, and using your faith for, God’s Word tells us in Phil 4;6 by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving to let our requests be made known unto God. When we operate in faith, we are thankful even before we see the manifestation. We know God is working on our behalf. We rejoice knowing that the answer will come, and it is on its way. We don’t keep asking and asking, we ask and then thank Him for hearing and answering. When we are praying in line with His Word, which is His will, we will have the petitions we ask of Him. What a wonderful thing to thank God for. Don’t forget to count your blessings today.

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Would you like to be a person who is full of Faith? Count me in! In Matt 8, a centurion came up to Jesus asking Him to heal his servant. Jesus responded that he would glad go and restore him. The centurion replied that he knew how submission and authority works. He said, “All I have to do is tell one of my men go and he goes, or come and he comes, or do this and he does it.” Jesus then replied in verse 10, “I tell you truly, such faith I have not seen in anyone, in all of Israel.” Jesus told the soldier he had the greatest faith in all of Israel! So what can we learn from him. Maybe his house was dirty and he didn’t want Jesus to see the mess(!) No, he realized that there is power in the spoken word, and that Jesus had authority to heal, even by speaking alone. At that very moment, the servant was healed. There are levels of authority that we can learn from in the Bible. The military is a perfect example of how levels of authority work. You are promoted to the next rank, when you show superior faithfulness and commitment, and your abilities prove you can handle the job. The General has the right to tell anyone what to do. Jesus is like the General. When He died on the cross, and said it is finished, He gave authority to us. He told us to go and be about His Father’s business. We now have a responsibility to operate in His name. So our words can be powerful. He told us to speak to mountains in our way. He gave us authority to lay hands on those who are sick. He wants us to be equipped to be His hands and feet on the earth. So will God find faith in you! I have faith that He will.

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Do you know what kind of people God is looking for? He is looking for people who are worshippers. John 4:23. Is that who you are? I know my heart has always been to be a worshipper and a God follower. God is looking for people who will passionately worship him, not only with their lips and their songs, but with their life. Don’t you want to be the kind of person that God can whisper direction to and you will know he is speaking to you? Then you will honor His leading and will listen and obey. Do you think God will find what He is looking for in you? Is your heart open and pure before him and would he call you a worshipper? In the midst of all the negative junk that goes on in the world, I do believe that God’s people are these kind of people. They are passionate. The live what they speak. They aren’t compromising. They don’t give in to doubt or unbelief. They stand strong in the liberty that God has for them. They not only know the Word, they sing it and they live it. A worshipper worships in spirit and in truth. That means we’re not living or ruled by the flesh, and that our lives are honestly lived before a holy God. Let’s decide to seek God with all of our heart, and then we know we will be found in HIM. When we give him the top priority, and let Him rule and reign in our lives, we can say with certainty that we are who God is looking for. He will find worshippers here.

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Intro:
What is God looking for? That may sound like a funny question, but it is important that we, as His children, be who He is looking for. Hi, this is Dorette Schaal with an encouraging word for your day. As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, one thing we know God seeks is those who will operate in faith with a thankful heart, even before we see our prayers manifest. So be encouraged today, to be the one God is looking for.

Word for the Week: John 4:23 …..for God is seeking people who worship Him in spirit and in truth.

In the King James Version of the Bible, John 4: 23 is quoted like this: The Father seeketh such …..(KJV) which means looking for. Do you know that there are quite a few things that God is looking for on the earth? We’ll be talking about those this week. I am so thankful that although I was once lost, now I am found. Jesus came to seek and to save those who were lost (Luke 19:10) I’m thankful that when we seek His face, He will hear us and heal our land (II Chron 7:14). He tells us to seek Him first, and to seek His way, all the while He is seeking for us. Pretty amazing isn’t it! God is looking FOR me, and looking OUT FOR me!

A few of the things God is seeking for are people who are:
Worshippers
Full of Faith
In submission and understand authority
Thankful hearts full of gratitude
Faithful and consistent.

Sounds like God is looking for a few good men (and women!) Do you think He will find what He is looking for? Will he find that in you? I believe He will.

God is looking for worshippers who worship Him in spirit and in truth. God is seeking for people who put Him in the highest place, above all else. He is looking for men and women of faith who don’t just sit around or act as busy bodies, but those who really do what they say they believe. They put their faith into action, and understand our authority on the earth. He is looking for thankful hearts and faithfulness and consistency. Are you who God is looking for? I believe you are!

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What needs to happen in you to become more authentic? Are you dependent on what others think? Do you look for others approval? I encourage you to step into the freedom of authenticity. It may take an overhaul of your thinking, but you can do it! The bible tells us to be renewed in the spirit of our mind, or in our patterns of thinking. If the Bible tells us to do it, it is possible! So start changing the way you think! Real is really the best way to live. Be real in with yourself. Be real with your friends, be real with God. The new path you will be on will make life so much better. Open up your heart to the possibilities, and start living the full amazing life God has for you. Live in truth, walk in truth, love the truth! It is the authentic way to live, and living authentically makes everything better.

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Living authentically brings freedom. Living unathentically is hard! You have to carry all of your own burdens, you have to live up to whatever imaginary standard you have set for yourself. And you have to put on a fake face, even when you are hurting. Authentic living really means living free. Let’s learn to live life the way God intended. We can walk through troubles with friends by our side. We don’t have to live life alone. Authentic living means keeping sharing our life. When we need prayer, we ask for it. When we need support, we call our friends. When we have success, we rejoice with others. Authentic living allows you to be free from manipulation, or even what others might think. When we live for God, and live authentically, we don’t live for anyones approval, but God’s. He is the one that we want to please. Unfortunately, we can’t please people all the time, but our life should revolve around pleasing God to the best of our ability all the time. You want freedom? Live authentically.

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