Featured

Welcome!

On By LindaIn Uncategorized3 Comments

Welcome to Amazing God Stories!  Christian allegories, parables, analogies, fiction short stories as well as creative nonfiction stories that show the variety of amazing ways God has been working in my life. And if He has done all this for me, I can only imagine what He’s been doing for you!

My  goals are simple:

#4.  To brighten your day with a little entertainment, for you to leave feeling a bit better than when you arrived.

#3. To teach, warn, and clarify Biblical issues we face as Christians so we can be all that God calls us to be. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

#2.  To inspire you to keep on keeping on in your own walk with God.  God is working in your life as much as He’s working in mine. Maybe something I’ve learned or experienced will help you get through a rough patch or to grow in your own desire to know God.

And the #1 reason: To glorify God – to acknowledge and thank Him for all the ways He has been faithful to me! From the day I met Him, He has been by my side. He’s been my Friend, Coach, Counselor, Father, Teacher, Comforter, Defender,  Provider, and a million other things.

This blog is my way to shout to the world that GOD IS AMAZING!

IMG_20180424_101924985

If my stories do what I hope they will do – like, comment, follow, and/or share them!

It would mean a lot to me to to know that they are being read and to hear what you think!

A Prayer for SIL, Day 58

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, I lift up SIL to You. Heal her body as You heal her heart. Just like a cough can disturb the ability to sleep, I pray that You remove the cough in her life. Remove the infection that is causing the cough which is also causing so many other problems. Maker her to understand that she can’t live the way she wants to live but will have to adjust her position before You to protect her heart and her relationship with You.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

For he gives to his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2b

Give her restful sleep tonight. As she sleeps, fill her mind with dreams and visions of You and her place in You. Raise her up to be a mighty woman of God.

In Your Restful Embrace,

Amen

Life is Like Enlarging a Fish Pond, Part 13 – The Unexpected

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment

Really? A freeze this far into spring? I knew the possibility existed but I had begun planting flowers as if it only existed in the minds of the forecasters. Coming from Florida not too many years ago, I still have trouble thinking in terms of Virginia seasons. And so I had been happily adding much needed color to my fish pond. Now all my work was threatened by something I couldn’t see nor control.

I looked at the freeze warning on my phone again. Maybe freeze warnings here were like hurricane warnings in my part of Florida – a lot of hype that tended to dwindle out by landfall. Well, there was that one hurricane about seven years ago that was worse than predicted. But that was very unusual. Most of the time hurricanes were just thunderstorms that quickly passed. If freeze warnings here were the same as hurricane warnings there, then my garden and I had nothing to worry about.

Besides, it had been hot – in the eighties – for several days. Surely the temperature couldn’t drop over fifty degrees in one day. Maybe I could ignore the forecast and just continue doing what I have been doing. But thoughts of the plants I had lost to freezing temps my first year here came to mind. If I ignored these new warnings, more plants could die.

Groaning with frustration, I went outside. Everything looked so pretty in the warm bright sunshine. The leaves were a nice deep green and some of the plants were beginning to flower. Moving them would probably affect their growth, and there were so many of them. It would take numerous trips with the wagon to get them to the greenhouse, and they might not all even fit inside. Maybe if I just threw a blanket on them, they would not all have to be moved. That’s what I had done in Florida when it got cold. But if I was wrong, all my beautiful flowers would die. My unbelief and laziness would kill them just as much as the cold temperature.

Choosing safety over sorrow, I began transferring the new plants back into pots, loaded them on to my wagon and walked the twenty yards to the greenhouse.  I put the water plants in plastic tubs with several inches of water and strained to lift it into the wagon before sloshing my way across the yard. It eventually took almost a dozen trips to get everything into the greenhouse and by the time I latched the door closed, my knee was aching. It was time to go inside, ice my knee, and trust that I had done all I could. The rest was up to nature.

Just as my progress in my garden was disrupted by the freeze, our lives can be disrupted by events that we can’t control. A car accident can put us in the hospital. A stolen identity can empty our bank account. A misunderstanding can destroy a relationship. Cancer can challenge our perseverance. The death of a child can send us into a pain-filled depression from which we see no way out.

Unlike the freeze warning that went out, there is usually no alert that our life is about to change. One day all is well and we’re fussing about frizzy hair – the next we wish we had hair. There are no life-radars to alert us to an approaching disaster. But we do have the Bible, which has a lot to say about navigating life’s storms.

Before a storm

When things are going well, we might want to either ignore any thoughts of possible disasters or to live in worry that something could happen at any moment. Jesus told His disciples not to worry but to watch and pray. Paul said to be watchful and pray continuously. Peter said to be watchful, sober, and self-controlled for the sake of our prayers. In the Old Testament, David said to stay near God and seek Him as refuge. The word s ‘watch’ and ‘pray’ occur many times throughout the Bible. That means it’s important that we avoid complacency. We need to keep watch for danger (like scams and unhealthy food), stay alert (use discernment and be open to hear from God), and stay sober (self-disciplined and eyes focused on Jesus). We need to pray always, stay close to God, and make Him our refuge at all times – in both good and bad times.

During the storm

When things get rough, we may be tempted to throw a bunch of prayers, like a blanket, at the problems and hope it’s enough. We may plead with God out of desperation like the disciples did when their boat was caught in a storm. We may sink under the waves like Jonah did hoping God save us. We may get angry and fight the gale winds. But in each case, our eyes are on the wrong thing. The Bible tells us to run to Jesus and let Him handle it. David tells us to seek refuge in God’s presence. God says to trust His promises and to wait on Him. We need to keep our focus on God – on who He is and what He has promised. We need to be patient with both the situation and its impact on us and those we love.

After a storm

When things calm down both inside and outside of us, we can rejoice and watch for God to keep His promises to comfort, heal and restore. We will discover that we have been made stronger and wiser as God used what went through to transform us into the image of Jesus.

Back in Virginia, the freeze did come and I was glad that my plants, crowded as they were in my greenhouse, were safe. Once the weather warms up again, I will be able to restore them to their places in or near the pond. Until then, I will turn my thoughts towards God, wait patiently for the weather to change, and spend my time doing what I can do, which may or may not include cleaning my neglected house.

(Many) Scriptures:

Before a storm:

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, Ephesians 6:18

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, Jude 1:20

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7

You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8

He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112:7

During the storm:

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. Hebrews 6:15

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because God’s love has be poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! Psalm 27:14

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. James 5:13a

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:14-16

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah. Psalm 61:4

Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah Psalm 62:8

Bur for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge that I may tell of all your works. Psalm 73:28

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Proverbs 30:5

In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. Proverbs 14:26

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life. Psalm 119:50

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul take refuge, in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalm 57:1

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love will not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundation with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. Isaiah 54:10-12

After the storm:

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 1 Peter 5:10

But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and refuge in the day of my distress. Psalm 59:16

The Lord sustains him on his sickbed, in his illness you restore him to full health. Psalm 41:3

You will increase my greatness and comfort me again. Psalm 71:21

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. Isaiah 49:13

For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Isaiah 51:3

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3

A Prayer for SIL, Day 57

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord Jesus, Your Word says that all creation will sooner or later bow before You.

for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Romans 14:11

so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11

I pray that SIL bows before You sooner than later. I pray that she places You above herself, and that she commits to following all of Your commands, not just those that are easy for her.

And Lord, as I read Romans 14:11 in context, I am convicted of wrongful attitudes I have had towards SIL from time to time.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God, Romans 14:10

According to the original words used for judgment (try, condemn, punish) and despise (belittle, ignore, to set at naught), I am guilty of making judgments on her behavior and choices and of despising her for where she is right now. I sometimes get impatient and want her to walk fully healed already. Forgive me. Give me discernment as I pray for her. Fill me with love for her and guide me into giving her the same grace that You give to me.

In Your Exalted Name,

Amen

A Prayer for SIL, Day 56

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, heal SIL’s body as You work in her heart. Use this time to speak to her, to call her to renew her friendship with You – to be someone who loves and obeys You. Create in her a thirst to live a holy life centered around You. Help her to release her grip on what she feels she can’t let go of – so that You can replace it with what You want to give her. Wake her up, open her eyes, and show her what time it is.

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. Romans 13:11

Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:34

Jesus, may SIL wake from her self-centered complacency. She is undisciplined and full of excuses for what she does. Speak to her about her condition so that she will not go on sinning. Some people have no knowledge of You, but SIL does. She not only knows about You, but she knows You. And she loves You. She recognizes that she is full of shame but doesn’t understand why. Show her what You see. Show her what she needs to do. You are waiting with outstretched arms – may she run into them and be healed.

In Your Cleansing Embrace,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 55

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, I lift SIL up to You again. She needs You. She needs You to call her to Yourself. She needs You to open her eyes to Your holiness and her sin. She needs You to convict her when she sins so she can change the habits she has built for herself. She needs You to reveal when she compromises with the world and when she chooses herself over You. She needs You to fill her with the strength of Your Spirit to overcome inertia and resistance. She needs you to protect her from Satan. She needs You to heal her inside and out. She needs You to enlighten her mind and to give her understanding. She needs You.

But I am poor and needy, hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! Psalm 70:5 

SIL is poor and needy, hasten to her, O God! You are her help and her deliverer, O Lord, do not delay!

In Your Powerful Name,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 54

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, life is getting messy. Could this be the result of the enemy’s desperation because You are making progress in SIL? I don’t always see it, but from time to time I glimpse a changing heart attitude in her.

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions… the end of all thigs is at hand, therefore be self-controlled and sober minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:1-3a, 7-8

Lord, since You suffered in the flesh, I pray that SIL arms herself with the same way of thinking. I pray that she uses any suffering in the flesh she experiences as a means to cease from sin. May she no longer live for her own passions but for Your will, for she has had enough time in the past to live for herself. As the end days approach, encourage SIL to be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of her prayers. And above all, to love others earnestly, for it is love that will cover the multitude of irritations and frustrations that accompany human relationships. I also pray that she allows Your love to cover the frustration and disappointments she continues to feel for herself. Help her to see herself as You see her.

In Your Loving Care,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 53

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, what I have seen in the last week is upsetting to me. You, on the other hand, know her heart and You have the master plan of how to restore her. I can’t see that plan. I can only pray about what I see. So I pray that You show SIL how far she has fallen from her first love for You, how many compromises she has accepted from the enemy. Reignite the passion that once filled her heart and mind. Jesus, win her heart again like You did years ago.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?… be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you and I will be a father to you… 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 (select parts)

Lord, I pray that SIL will refuse to be yoked with unbelievers and unbelief. I pray she differentiates between righteousness and lawlessness and knows when she is fellowshipping with darkness even when it’s only within herself. Ignite her willingness and desire to separate herself from darkness and to detest touching anything that You have disapproved of and forbidden to us. Welcome her and be the Father she needs and loves and craves.

In Your Light,

Amen

Life is Like Enlarging a Fish Pond, Part 12 – The Temptation

On By LindaIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

I knew I shouldn’t do it. I knew my strained knee needed to rest for a few more days. I knew I was asking for trouble if I continued. But the temptation was too strong. The waterfall needed me.

After five attempts to set up the rocks in my waterfall, I had finally got it right. The water flowed nicely but within a week all the rocks were covered with algae. Not only that, but some of the smaller pebbles had been moved by the water leaving the lining exposed again to the sun’s damaging rays. I had to do something.

I could have asked someone to help.

I could have waited another week.

I could have thrown in more pebbles along with a chemical to kill the algae.

But an idea had entered my mind that I couldn’t ignore. If I was careful, I told myself, everything would be fine. I just needed to stay off my right knee. I had torn a meniscus a year ago which was taking a long time to heal, and had discovered a few days previous the agony of kneeling on it. I didn’t plan on doing that today.

So I took my time removing all the rocks, bending at the waist instead of stooping or kneeling. Then I lifted the liner and dug out more of the dirt under it. When I put the liner back down and turned the water pump back on, I smiled with satisfaction. The pool was deeper now and would be perfect to grow some water plants which would shade the lining, control the algae, and eliminate the need for so many smaller rocks.

I proceeded to craft out the pool with a few larger rocks and some plants. Everything went well – until I attempted to place a large rock at the edge of the waterfall. It was a long stretch to reach the middle, and I had nothing to hold on to. I hesitated but then decided if I was careful enough, I could do it. Slowly, I lifted the heavy rock in one hand and bent over the edge of the pool, balancing myself with my other hand outstretched behind me. Six inches to go. Five. Four. It was working. As long as I moved slowly, I was able to lean without having to bend my knee. Three more inches. Two. Slowly, I pushed my limit to reach that last inch – and slowly I felt myself falling. Not into the small pool, which would have been bad enough, but over the edge of the waterfall into the large pond. My life flashed before my eyes. I saw myself falling head first onto the pile of rocks at the bottom of the waterfall and wondered how long it would be before someone discovered me down there covered in algae and goldfish.

No! I was not going to let that happen! I scrambled back as much as I could waving my arms around for balance, and landed hard on my knees with my face inches from the water. Relief was instantly replaced with agony as my bad knee screamed in pain. I took several deep breaths before attempting to stand up. It took a few minutes, but I was able to get to my feet, limp into my house and dig out my knee brace.

After resting and icing my knee for a few days, I was able to walk around again. The weather had turned too cold to go outside, but soon the warm sunny weather returned – and along with it came the temptation to get back to work on pond.

I knew I shouldn’t. I knew my knee needed more time to rest. But the temptation was too strong. If I was careful not to kneel and only worked on the safer parts of the pond, I would be okay. Right? I didn’t fall again, but I now have an appointment with an orthopedic specialist. It seems I’m no match for the urge to create when it comes to an unfinished pond and garden area.

Giving into temptation can hurt us even when we are being careful. We may think we are getting away with it. But there is always a price to pay. An extra five pounds or an empty wallet might not seem to be such a big deal. But that five pounds can become twenty-five over time and that empty wallet can end up with bankruptcy.

Everyone faces temptations every day. Some temptations are easier than others to resist, but they all require self-control. Paul told Timothy that God has given us a spirit of self-control so it’s something we all have even if we aren’t using it. Paul told the Galatians that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit which means it can grow. And Peter warned the early Christians to be self-controlled in these end days which implies it’s a choice. Choosing to exercise self-control in the easier areas can help it to grow strong enough to handle harder or stronger areas.

God warns us away from things for a reason. He can see consequences that we can’t – or sometimes choose not to – see. We sometimes call these things sin, but temptation doesn’t always have to involve sin and they don’t always apply to everyone. Buying the more expensive dress, sleeping in on Sundays, and having an extra piece of cake may not seem like much for some but for others it can easily lead to weakening self-control. In these cases, people exercise their ability to make excuses over their ability to control themselves.

The call of my garden is admittedly a relatively mild temptation but I’ve experienced a greater temptations. Resisting one involved weeks of agonized tears, desperate prayers, and constantly yelling “No!” at myself – but even so I never got to the point that I shed blood like Jesus did in His garden that dreadful night.

We have no excuse. Jesus told the disciples to watch and pray so they wouldn’t fall into temptation. He said no temptation would be too great to handle and that He would always provide a way out. But He does not usually fight this battle for us. Neither can anyone else. It’s up to us to fight our own temptations. But even so, we don’t have to fight them alone. God stands with us in our struggle, and we can ask other people to help. The encouragement and prayers of someone we who will hold us accountable is like the support of the men who held up Moses’s arms during a long and intense battle.

I like to do things myself. I like being self-sufficient. I take pride in my ability to get things done no matter what the challenge. But sometimes, like now as I can feel the pull of my waterfall, it would be wiser for me to reach out to a friend rather than to my gardening gloves.

Scriptures

But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. Exodus 17:12

In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Hebrews 12:4

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 1 Peter 4:7

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:22-24

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

For the grace of God as appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age Titus 2:11-12

Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit is indeed willing but the flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it  1 Corinthians 10:13

A Prayer for SIL, Day 52

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, I lift up SIL to you for Your blessing this morning.

Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. Matthew 18:13

Jesus, as You lay Your hands on SIL and pray for her, speak words of healing and comfort and compassion. May she find satisfaction in You greater than in anything the world has to offer.

In Your Hands,

Amen.

A Prayer for SIL, Day 51

On By LindaIn prayersLeave a comment

Lord, I lift up SIL to You this night for Your blessing.

Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Ephesians 1:3-4

Blessed are You, Father and God of Lord Jesus Christ. You have blessed SIL with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. I pray that she acknowledges and accepts these gifts. May she walk in them so that she will be holy and blameless before You.

In Your Blessed Name,

Amen.