Fear Not

When I woke up this morning, I felt disoriented, confused. It was an uneasy feeling. I did remember dreaming but nothing that was scary or fearful. I have told Charlie many mornings after he has shared his "dreams" with me that I don't dream. I know that is not true but I can't remember the dreams if I do. I think that is perfectly alright because I have way too many other things that I have to concentrate on remembering that are actually going to be things I will deal with that day. But this confusion/feeling of forgetfulness scared me somewhat. As I lay there, God told me to read Psalm 100. So I got up and I did just that and from that it led me to 2 Corinthians 9:8 which then led me to Numbers 6:24-26 and lastly Psalm 23. Thank you Father.

So I am going to share them with you and maybe someone reading this will take comfort from them too.

Psalm 100:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his,

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

2 Corinthians 9:8

 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I pray that you can take comfort in any of these verses if you woke up anxious this morning. 

What Condition is your Condition In?

Have you ever thought about the words you say or the words you "think" ( those count too)?

As I was driving home from church, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said: "It's not the words you sing, but the condition of your heart when you sing them." If you think about that, it is oh so true. The condition of your heart dictates the majority of how you receive or speak words and how your mind processes those words and/or thoughts. For those of you who grew up in the late 1960s, you may remember when Kenny Rogers & The First Edition recorded the song Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - that was way before he became known as a country singer. The lyrics are kind of weird but if you think about it, we have to check in on ourselves along and along to see where we are. It is like a self-examination.

Negative thoughts and words bring about death. Positive thoughts and words bring about life.

I hear enough on TV to depress me. I like to hear words of encouragement and hope. I try really hard to speak that language - the language of hope. I read a book quite a while back - Stick a Geranium in Your Hat and Be Happy by Barbara Johnson. One of the points she made in her writing was "What goes down in the well, comes up in the bucket."

Our heart is our "bucket". What comes in through our ears and eyes is processed through our mind. Some of those thoughts may just fly right on out and others may nest. They end up nesting in our heart - maybe deep down in our heart. And we never know when those thoughts or words might "hatch" or "give birth". I am not saying that all nesting is bad. I believe my heart has nested quite a few positive and motivating thoughts and words. But what is in our heart is the condition that our condition is in and that is what we draw from. Does any of that make sense?


I have to be very careful that my critical spirit does not override the positive in me.

I want to hear and speak words of life. I want to sing with a joyful heart!

So - I am doing a "condition" check on my condition. How about you?