September 20

Holy Spirit, Spirit of the Living God. . . .what a wonder you are!
My counselor, my teacher, instructor, guiding me on my journey of life.
You reveal the hidden things of Triune God, for I was designed to know You and enjoy You forever.

You are glorious and reign victorious over the death cycle this planet is caught up in. In You, life springs up like a fountain.

You are the Oil of anointing,
Fragrance of divine presence,
Wind under my wings,
Fire, Light, and Warmth,

You draw my soul with the "bonfire" of Your love.

You are the Potter, I am clay in Your hands.
Mold me and make me useful, according to Your design.
Love through me today and make me a delight to Your heart.


I am holy, set apart unto Christ, my Lord. God chose me to be holy - not common or unclean. Holiness is a position and a destiny before it is a behavior. I Peter 2:9 This is why both Peter and Paul encourage us to "put on" the behavior that reflects our calling, our position of holiness.

Dress to fit who you are in Christ. Wear holiness, because you are holy. Wear the clothes Jesus provided and laid out for you:

Shoes of peace - determine to walk in peace.
Robe of righteousness - the identity He gave you.
Belt of truth - Come into agreement with what He says.
Head dress of salvation - you have the mind of Christ. You can think His thoughts.
Sword of the Spirit - Words He gives when You turn your attention to Him.

A Simple Quick Dish

I was thinking of a quick meal plan for tonight. Since Tal and I missed lunch and had been in town till 3:00, we were hungry. We both held strong against the temptation to stop for a quick, "not so nutritious" snack.

I had one Zucchini that needed to be used before it spoiled and leftover rice. I worked these two into a dish that has many faces. Mother called it Pasta-shuta (Hungarian Goulash of sorts). I change this basic recipe up by changing the seasonings & add-ins. Since we drastically limit pasta and cheese, I have ended up with the following basic combination.

1 lb "clean" lean Ground Beef
1 sm. Onion chopped & 1 Clove of Garlic
1 tsp. quality Sea Salt
2 tsp. Itallian Seasoning
Sprinkle liberally with a cajun blend or Mexican blend
1 - 2 /zuchini, chopped in thick slices, then half or quarters
1 16 oz. can Diced Tomatoes (read lables to avoid sugar & high fructose corn syrup)
1 sm can Tomato Sauce

Brown the meat, then add the onions & garlic to saute.
Add other ingredients and cook until the zuchini is tender crisp.


I served this over the brown rice I had leftover and topped it with Fritos Chips. Tal would have loved shredded cheese under those Fritos, but we were abstaining. I have served this with beans added and placed on top of a plate of chopped Romaine.

September 15 DEVOTIONAL

THINK ON THESE THINGS!

Think about being loved.

I am loved and valued by God.
Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on me. I John 3:1
The love of God has been poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit. Rom. 5:5

I am anointed by God to love God with all my heart, body, soul. This encludes the supernatural ability to feel God's love and then to feel great love for God. If you are walking with Him (not just religious doctrine & activities) He makes Himself known in relational ways. Don't depend on your church experience of teaching, preaching, acts of kindness, and loyal attendance to know God. You get to know someone by living with them or being in close contact with them.

I am anointed by God to love all others He loves - everyone, even those who act unloveable. I can at least love them enough to earnestly request they be touched by my loving God. He is the sourse of love.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah has won the right to be Lord. At the cost of His own blood, He ransomed unto Himself every tribe, every people group, every nation.

THINK ABOUT IT: He had the authority to reign by creating all things but He stepped out of this glorious place, into the darkness of our realm to be led as a lamb to the slaughter.
You are worthy of our praise, oh Lord.
You deserve the honor my heart feels.
You deserve the surrender of all I am and have.
You made your redeemed people into a kingdom of lovers and priests to serve You. Through us, you will love and serve this realm in our generation.

Let every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

September 14 DEVOTONAL

"Rejoice in the Lord always - delight, gladden your heart in Him." Philippians 4:4

So begin right now to delight your mind and your emotions until your body experiences a change. This is God's command to you especially if your heart is heavy or fear grips you. If you are in a negative situation, you will have the PRIVILEGE of bringing your conscious mind, multiple times a day and night, to think on the things that lift your awareness to your heavenly Father/Pappa. I say privilege, because this is the stuff of life that bonds you to Him and allows His Spirit to communicate His thoughts to your heart. His thoughts are not naturally our thoughts about anything we are experiencing.

So, THINK ON THESE THINGS. A list is given by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippian saints. Phil.4:8 But let me remind you that you must get God's interpretation for each of these: (what is true, nobel, righteous, pure, admirable, etc.) Our natural bent is to evaluate the situation through our frame of reference, our history, our perceptions and state it as we see it. So with every negative you experience, don't lean on your own understanding of it, but let it take you to Him.

And remember that our Father takes pleasure in causing the worst things in life to work for our good and His glory as we sit at His feet in humility and gratitude. He really does want us to live free from controlling fear. His peace is our strength and confidence. But this does not come without effort and you must contend for it.

September 12 DEVOTIONAL

"I am resolved no longer to linger
Charmed by the world's delights
Things that are higher, things that are nobler
These have alllured my sight."

I praise You, Lord of glory, for giving me a glimpse of things that are higher and nobler. You, glorious Son of God, You are my treasure. . .my highest imagination, full of joyful anticipation. I delight to think on these things.

"I will hasten to Him. . .hasten so glad and free.
Jesus. . greatest, highest, I will come to Thee."

It is natural to come to You when life brings comfortable and pleasant places and people. But I resolve to use every "slap in the face" and "kick in the gut" to birng me to You.

I am resolved no longr to linger in morbid introspection, nursing my wounds as though this shouldn't be happening to me. Jesus promised I would experience tribulation, trials, struggles against the weakness of my flesh. SO. . .I am resolved to run to my Savior every time I am offended by my mate or others, made anxious by my children, become fearful, angry or distressed, or any other negative that reminds me I live in a wildernes under the curse of futility. Romans 8:20-22

Jesus Christ! You are my Garden of Eden. . .my paradise. I want to be where You are.

Lead me to walk in more conscious awareness of You with me, as Jesus modeled for me with the Father.

Closer Father.
More Father.
Clearer Father.