KEEP YOUR DREAM ALIVE!

(11) By Fenny West

Gen.37:9Hello friend, keep your dream alive!

An abundant life, aim to live;

Live a life of significance.

My pal, live a life of substance.

Do you know that you are different?

So refuse to be indifferent.

Leave behind a mark indelible.

With God all things are possible.

Know for sure that God is for you;

So no one can be against you.

Therefore let your dream be so big;

Because your God is very big.

Be wise,seek not His Hand,but His Face,

And you will go from grace to grace.

In His secret place always dwell,

To run your race and finish well.

Run to finish and finish well.

In His secret place always dwell.

Seek not His hand but His face;

And you will go from grace to grace.

Go from strength to strength,heigth to heigth,

And in the power of His might.

Time to fight the good fight of faith,

Not a time for fright or flight.

Banish every fear and be bold;

Shake off the mould and go for gold;

So to go from glory to glory;

As God seeks to change your story.

www.inspiration4generations.com
Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com http://www.faithwriters.com">CHRISTIAN WRITERS

Red Lipstick

by Gwen Smith

Today's Truth

"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." 2 Corinthians 7:1

Friend to Friend

When my three children were young, it was a challenge to keep track of where they were. My husband and I baby proofed the house as best we could, used gates and hoped for the best. I'll never forget the day that Preston and Kennedy were accounted for in the play room, but Hunter had wandered off. I called for him, but got no response.

Curious, I headed for the front stair case and listened for his little two-year-old voice. I checked his bedroom -- no Hunter. I checked Preston's room and Kennedy's room - no Hunter. By now, my heart was racing as my concern grew. When I headed into my bedroom, I heard faint noises coming from the master bathroom.

Our bathroom mirror gave me all the information I needed. Hunter had gotten into my red lipstick and it was everywhere! I wanted to laugh -- I wanted to cry! He was unaware of my presence as he continued his creative lipstick artwork on my walls and on the linen closet door.

On a whim, I ran to get the camcorder.
Stifling laughter, I crossed the threshold of the bathroom and confronted my little chubby-cheeked 'red lipstick-all-over-his-face' boy. He immediately hid his scandalous tool behind his back...thinking I was none the wiser. I asked him what he was doing, to which he replied "Nothing." In my best trying-not-to-laugh mommy voice, I continued to ask him a series of questions and he continually denied any wrong doing.

Sometimes I wonder how many times I go before the Lord in prayer while trying to hide my red lipstick behind my back. How many times have I thought I was pulling one over on Him? Just as simply as I saw the tangible evidence of Hunter's red face, God sees our hearts and knows what we've been up to. He sees pride, anger, gossip and bitterness. He sees hurts not forgiven, sins not confessed, the habits we cling to, the shows we watch and the literature we read that don't honor Him. He sees our failures and lovingly longs for us to allow Him to clean up the mess we've made.

A few years back, after reading 2 Corinthians 7:1 and Psalm 51, and seeking God's heart in prayer, I was inspired to write the following song:

Purify My Soul
By Gwen Smith

know my heart and You know my ways
Yet You love me just the same
I know that You are able
You are God, it's true
Help me Lord, just as I am, surrender all to You
Purify my soul
Cleanse my heart and mind
Restore to me Your gentle, loving arms
Purify my soul
So I can go and be a true reflection of Your holiness

Create in me a clean heart
And renew a right spirit within me
Cast me not away, Lord from Your presence

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
Lord, Your love surrounds me -- encompassing my soul
Mold me as a potter molds the clay
The freedom of forgiveness liberates my life
Renew in me a fire, in the name of Jesus Christ

© 2000 Audio 31 Music / Sunday Best Music (ASCAP)

What is your red lipstick today? Are you ready to hand it over to God?

To find out more about Gwen Smith, click here or read her blog.

This article was taken from the daily devotional of Girlfriends in God.

Loving Right

How do you show your loved ones that you love them? Saying it is good; it is definitely a start. But if all you do is ‘say’, it begins to wear thin after a while.

So what do you do? Buy him or her things? Things are not bad either, but if you are buying things for your loved one thinking that alone should be sufficient you are going to find yourself with a resentful one instead.

The Bible says that perfect love casts out fear. Sometimes resentment is born out of fear. Virginia Satir understood this. As the pioneer of family therapy in the US, she discovered in her work that a troubled child is often the product of a troubled family. A lot of the time, the family is troubled not from the absence of love but as a result of the inability to express that love. Maybe those families thought ‘things’ should adequately express love. Love however, takes a little more than that.

Love needs to be shown in a person’s attitude. One great way of expressing love is an uncritical attitude. Nothing kills love faster than criticism. There has to be a degree of freedom in any relationship.

Freedom goes hand in glove with love. Virginia Satir mentioned five freedoms:

• The freedom to see and hear what is here, instead of what should be, was, or will be;
• The freedom to say what they feel and think, instead of what they should;
• The freedom to feel what they feel instead of what they ought ;
• The freedom to ask for what they want, instead of always waiting for permission,
• The freedom to take risks on their behalf instead of choosing to be only “secure” and not rock the boat.

Go through the list again, slowly this time around and carefully examine your relationships. Answer the following questions:

How do you show your loved ones that you love them?
Do you let them love you back by giving them the freedom to them?

Being protective of the one you love is a very natural bye produce of love the emotion. However, love is more than just the feeling; it is very much the doing also. Giving your loved one the space and freedom to grow in that relationship is definitely a practice of love the verb.

This will be a bit difficult for those who suffer from over protectiveness. But that’s fine; the grace of God is there to make it easier – if you let Him.



Sharon Famonure loves the Lord. She has been in Youth Ministry for several years and has worked as an informal counselor. To read more inspiring articles go to her blog http://sharonife.blogspot.com