Inspiration and Analects
of the
Urban Cowgirls
How do we “Stay true to the Lord”? Staying true means steadfastly resisting the negative influences of tempatation, false teaching, or persecution. It requires perseverance when we are challenged or opposed. Don’t lose heart or give up. God promises to give us strength of character. With the Holy Spirit’s help and with the help of fellow believers, you can stay true to the Lord. (Philippians 4:1 NLt) (6/16/11)
Remember, you can choose your attitude.
You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities
to serve others. (Philippians 2:5 NLT)
6/0/11
With great miracles, God had led the Israelites out of slavery, through
the desolate wilderness, and up to the very edge of the Promised Land.
He had
protected them, fed them, and fulfilled every promise. Yet when encouraged
to take the last step of faith and enter the land, the people refused.
After witnessing so many miracles, why did that stop trusting God? Why
did they refuse to enter the Promised Land when that had been their goal
since leaving Egypt? They were afraid.
Often we do the same thing. We trust God to handle the smaller issues
but doubt his ability to take care of the big problems, the tough decisions,
the frightening situations.
Don't stop trusting God just as you are ready to reach your goal. He brought
you this far and won't let you down now. We can continue trusting God
by remembering all he has done for us. ( Numbers 14:5-9 NLT)
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Truth remains unchanged
because it is guaranteed by the character of God. God is truth; what he
says is the last word. At times, a person must even stand alone on the
side of truth.
We, on the other hand, often base our decision on what everyone else is
doing, getting our cowardice secondhand.
The question we most often avoid is "What does God say?" The
principles we learn as we study the Bible provide a dependable road map
for life. They draw us into a personal relationship with the God whose
Word is the Bible. That's truth worth believing!
THE FOUR BLESSED LOOKS
Look back and thank God. - Look forward and trust God. - Look around
and serve God. - Look within and find God!" "I asked God, 'How do I get
the best out of life?' God said, 'Face your past without regrets. Handle
your present with confidence. and prepare for the future without fear!'"
"Without God, our week is: Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday,
Shatterday and Sinday. So, allow Him to be with you every day!" "Life
is short, so forgive quickly. Believe slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably.
Never regret anything that makes you happy. And have a wonderful journey!!!"
2/28/11-
The supremely
valuable message of salvation in Jesus Christ has been entrusted by God
to frail and fallible human beings. Paul’s focus, however, was not on
the perishable container but it’s priceless contents – God’s power dwelling
in us. Though we are “fragile, clay jars,” God uses us to spread his Good
News, and he gives us power to do his work. Knowing that the power is
his, not ours, should keep us from pride and motivate us to keep daily
contact with God, our power source. Our responsibility is to let people
see God through us. Paul reminds us that though we may think we are the
end of our rope, we are never at the end of our hope. Our perishable bodies
are subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Because Christ
has won the victory of death, we have eternal life. All risks, humiliations,
and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate his power and presence
in and through us. The success syndrome is a great enemy, we must carry
on looking to God for strength. When opposition, slander, or disappointment
threaten to rob you of the victory, remember that no one can destroy what
God has accomplished through you. (2 Corinthians 4: 7-12 NLT)
3/7/11
Everyday offers a challenge to live
for Christ. (Galatians 3:5 NLT)
(4//11)
It would certainly be a surprise if you planted corn and pumpkins came up. It’s a natural law to harvest what we plant. It’s true in other areas, too. If you gossip about your friends, you will lose their friendship. Every action has results. If you plant seeds to please your own desires, you’ll harvest a crop of sorrow and evil. If you plant to please God, you’ll harvest joy and everlasting life. What kind of seeds are you planting? (Galatians 6: 7, 8 NLT)
Highly skilled and talented athletes lose their abilities
if their muscles aren’t toned by constant use. Likewise, we will lose
our spiritual gifts if we don’t put them to work. Our talents are improved
by exercise, but failing to use them caused them to waste way from lack
of practice and nourishment. What gifts and abilities has God given you?
Use them regularly in serving God and others. (1 Timothy 4:14 NLT)
Pride can seduce emotions and cloud reason. It can make those who are
immature susceptible to the influence of unscrupulous people. Pride and
conceit were the devil’s downfall, and he uses pride to trap others. (1
Timothy 3: NLT)
Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. (1 Timothy 1:19 NLT) How can you keep your conscience clear? Treasure your faith in Christ more than anything else and do what you know is right. Each time your deliberately ignore your conscience, you are hardening your heart. Over a period of time your capacity to tell right from wrong will diminish. As you walk with God, he will speak to you through your conscience, letting you know the difference between right and wrong. Be sure to act on those inner tugs so that you do what is right – then your conscience will remain clear. (8/14/11)
o increase your thankfulness, take an inventory of all you have (including
your relationships, memories, abilities, and family, as well as material
possessions). Use the inventory for prayers of gratitude. Before worship,
quit rushing around; instead, take time to reflect on reasons for thanks.
Declare everyday as your “thanks, faith and hope” day. Celebrate God’s
goodness to you, and ask in prayer for all your needs for the days ahead.
(Colossians 3:16 NLT)
Everything is pure to those whose hearts
are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving,
because their minds and consciences are corrupted. (Titus 1:15 NLT) Some
people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. What
is the difference? Our souls become filters through which we perceive
goodness or evil. The pure (those who have Christ in control of their
lives) learn to see goodness and purity even in this evil world. But corrupt
and unbeliveing people find evil in everything because their evil minds
and hearts color even the good they see and hear. Whatever you choose
to fill your mind with will affect the way you think and act. Turn your
thoughts to God and his Word, and you will discover more and more goodness,
even in this evil world. A mind filled with good has little room for what
is evil.
9/2/11
When you use the gifts God has given you, you will find that God will give you the power you need to accomplish whatever task he gives you. (2 Timothy 1:6 NLT).
Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure
to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences
are corrupted. (Titus 1:15 NLT) Some people see good all around them,
while others see nothing but evil. What is the difference? Our souls become
filters through which we perceive goodness or evil. The pure (those who
have Christ in control of their lives) learn to see goodness and purity
even in this evil world. But corrupt and unbeliveing people find evil
in everything because their evil minds and hearts color even the good
they see and hear. Whatever you choose to fill your mind with will affect
the way you think and act. Turn your thoughts to God and his Word, and
you will discover more and more goodness, even in this evil world. A mind
filled with good has little room for what is evil.
9/2/11
When you use the gifts God has given you, you will find that God will give you the power you need to accomplish whatever task he gives you. (2 Timothy 1:6 NLT)..
Yet even after we become Christians, we
still sin and still need to confess. This kind of confession is not offered
to gain God’s acceptance but to remove the barrier to fellowship that
our sin has put between us and him. It is difficult, however, for many
people to admit their faults and shortcomings, even to God. It takes humility
and honesty to recognize our weaknesses, and most of us would rather pretend
that we are strong. But we need not fear revealing our sins to God – he
knows them already. He will not push us away, no matter what we’ve done.
Instead, he will draw us to himself. (1 John 1:8-10 NLT)
God’s creative work was not complete until he made woman. He could have
made her from the dust of the ground, as he made man. God chose, however,
to make her from the man’s flesh and bone. In so doing, he illustrated
for us that in marriage man and woman symbolically are united into one.
This is a mystical union of the couple’s hearts and lives. Throughout
the Bible, God treats this special partnership seriously. If you are married
or planning to be married, are you willing to keep the commitment that
makes the two of your one? The goal in marriage should be more than friendship;
it should be oneness. (Genesis 2: 18-24 NLT )
Doing what is right is more than simply believing all the right doctrines
about God. It means living in obedience to Good. Good deeds do not save
us, but they display our faith. (James 2:17-26 NLT)
Real love is an action, not a feeling. It produces selfless, sacrificial
giving. The greatest act of love is giving oneself for others. How can
we “give up our lives”? By serving others with no thought of receiving
anything in return. Sometimes it is easier to say we’ll die for others
that to truly live for them – this involves putting others’ desires first.
How clearly do your actions say you really love others? Are you as generous
as you should be with your money, possessions and time? (1 John 3:16 NLT)
It is easy to say we love God when that love doesn’t cost us anything more than weekly attendance at religious services. But the real test of our love for God is how we treat the people right in front of us – our family members and fellow believers. We cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those who are created in his image. (1 John: 20, 21 NLT)
Yet even after we become Christians, we still sin and still need to confess. This kind of confession is not offered to gain God’s acceptance but to remove the barrier to fellowship that our sin has put between us and him. It is difficult, however, for many people to admit their faults and shortcomings, even to God. It takes humility and honesty to recognize our weaknesses, and most of us would rather pretend that we are strong. But we need not fear revealing our sins to God – he knows them already. He will not push us away, no matter what we’ve done. Instead, he will draw us to himself. (1 John 1:8-10 NLT)
Before Daniel told the king anything else, he gave credit to God, explaining that he did not know the dream through is own wisdom but only because God revealed it. How easily we take credit for what God does through us! This robs God of the honor that he alone deserves. Instead, we should be like Daniel and point people to God so that we give him the glor
.ions attack sick, young, or straggling animals; they choose victims who are alone or not alert. Peter warns us to watch out for Satan when we are suffering or being persecuted. If you are feeling alone, weak, helpless, and cut off from other believers or if you are so focused on your troubles that you forget to watch for danger, those are the times when you are especially vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. During times of suffering, seek other Christians for support. Keep your eyes on Christ, and resist the devil. Then says James, ‘he will flee from you”. (1 Peter 5: 8, 9 NLT)
Have you ever know anyone who claimed to be wise but who acted foolishly? True wisdom can be measured by a person’s character. Just as you can identify a tree by the type of fruit it produces, you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act. Foolishness leads to disorder, but wisdom leads to peace and goodness. Are you tempted to escalate the conflict, pass on the gossip, or fan the fire of discord? Careful, winsome speech and wise, loving words are the seed of peace. God loves peacemakers. (James 3:14, 15 NLT)
Even repentance and
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Inspiration by,
Dionne Parler,
Urban Cowgirls
urbancowgirls@earthlink.net
