Author: Marie Fitts

Dear God:
I praise You for who You are and the omniscient power You have over the earth and every living, breathing, being in it! I confess to You. Lord, the sins of my youth and pray that Your Holy Spirit will convict me, to stand against the evils of this world and prove myself worthy of Your Kingdom. When I fall short, I pray for Your Mercy. I thank you Father for Your Grace and Your Blessings in my life and in the lives of my family and friends. I pray Your Holy Spirit intercede on my behalf as I bring these requests before Your throne…

I’m lifting up all those who are sick or hurting today, asking for Your healing. I pray for all those who are imprisoned or enslaved, that they find freedom “In You” and “Through You”. I lift up those who are downcast and depressed, that they find living water for their souls and encouragement from Your Word. I pray for “ALL” the leaders You have put in place to govern our cities, our states, our nation and throughout the world; that they seek Your Counsel and that You Guide their hands to rule under Your Authority.

I pray for those struggling with addiction, that they can claim victory by giving You their burdens. I pray for all those who don’t know about You, Lord, to be given another opportunity to hear the good news of The Gospel and that is does NOT fall on deaf ears.

I Thank You and Praise You, Lord Jesus for everything You’ve done FOR me, IN me, and THROUGH me. I continue to ask for the spiritual gift of creative writing and that You would continue to help me use this gift to further Your Kingdom. I pray Your Blessing over ALL those who know You, into the New Year and throughout eternity.

In Jesus Precious Name I pray. Amen

So many times I’ve stared
At the crisp, white, blank page
With chaotic thoughts and images
Trying to engage
The Spiritual gift and guided obsession
Of crafting sentence structure
To weave a lyric, verse or rhyme
Into poetic frame and
Usher in the feelings and emotions
The apostles were impelled to invoke
Recalling to the conscientious mind
Jesus’ clear, solid approach
Resounding thunderously with the words
God gave them to compose
Laying them down…side by side
A comparison…juxtaposed
So to the skilled writer with pen in hand
There is never a total loss of lyric
When the craft is of indelible ink
Written by The Holy Spirit
To share the Love of The Father, Of The Son, and The Holy Spirit
Yet…
It is by grace we have been saved through faith
Not by works so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)
For we are all God’s children, His handiwork
To do His good works we were created
Which He prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10)
So it’s not that complicated
Yes…
His saving grace comes only by faith
And I’ve been called to share mine with you
For this writer only takes pen in hand
To teach what God’s Word would have us both do

Verse For Today: Psalm 19:13 (NIV)
“Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.” ‘

Have you ever prayed and asked God for His help to overcome the sin in your life? Have you ever been prompted by The Holy Spirit, prior to your actions, and have shamefully committed the transgression, yet again…ignoring His nudging?

The term “Willful” is defined as having or showing a stubborn and determined intention to do as one wants, regardless of the consequences.

On headstrong days, we manage to block out our willful disobedience, as we relish in doing exactly what our sinful nature desires, with no regard for the consequences of our actions…at least for the moment!

Unfortunately, the acts of the sinful nature were not eradicated when we became Christians. Just like the Apostle Paul, although we want to do good, evil is right there with us!

If we are of The Spirit, guilt is always the unveiled reaction and we find ourselves asking The Lord for forgiveness, time and again. Why? Because, the flesh is weak and it is the sin that lives in each of us that continues to do what is evil. (Romans 7:14-21)

But, Christ graciously left His Holy Spirit, to live in us and free us from bondage to the flesh, so that we are not controlled by the sinful nature, but by The Spirit.(Romans 8:7-9).

Therefore, we are not addicted to sin. Even if we succumb to the sinful nature and ask forgiveness 70 X 7, The Holy Spirit’s prompting will grow stronger and louder as we come to know the true meaning of repentance.

But, repentance is more than just acknowledging our wrongdoings. It is a change of our heart and a renewing of our mind. Repentance includes turning away from sin and gives us a fresh look into the heart and character of Jesus, in our arduous search for forgiveness. Repentance is motivated by our love for God and our willful intent to obey His commandments.

What are your willful intentions for today?

Prayer For Today:

Lord God,
Help us to understand the true meaning of repentance and keep your servants from willful sins, so they will not rule over us. But instead… open our hearts and minds to the prompting of The Holy Spirit, so that our character, our conduct and our conversations, will always be pleasing in Your sight.
In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

I am hated…when I hate others
I am a sinner…when I continue to sin
I am evil…when my heart is stone
On a path to destruction…when done over and again

I am an encourager…when I encourage
I am blessed…when I bless all mankind
I am rich…when I give to the poor
I am good…when I keep God’s Word on my mind

I am a writer…as long as I write
I am a singer…lifting my voice to sing
I am a child… of The Most High God
In His strength… I can do all things

I am a gardener…sewing seeds of faith
I am a shepherd…keeping watch day and night
I am a Mother…looking after her children
I am a teacher…teaching the love of Christ

I am a disciple…a follower of Jesus
God’s own Son… who died to give us life
I am a Believer… of The Gospel
Of My Lord and Savior… Jesus Christ

I am…part of “I AM”
His Holy Spirit…lives in me
I am…part of “I AM”
The Holy Trinity

“How could Heaven be Heaven if loved ones are missing?”, you ask.
How could my tears ever be washed away?

How could I spend an eternity, knowing a loved one…
Died without being saved?

How could I believe in God’s mercies, if in Heaven I miss
A reunion with all those, I’ve cared for and kissed?

Like an earthly Father or Mother, a sister or brother
A dear friend or old lover, who touched my heart and my mind.

How could Heaven be Heaven…a utopia, complete?
If someone I’ve loved is left behind?

So, this question calls me to answer…and tell of His mercies
His omniscient power and grace

To share my Savior from above, with all those I love
So that not one of them will be displaced

And to teach them to fear, The Lord God Almighty
His words will forever ring true

He is faithful and just, to all those who will trust
His saving grace is for me and for you!

But the sand in the hour-glass is running out
For those who can’t call Him, friend

It is up to those who believe, to share our salvation
So our loved ones won’t have a fateful end

Again…

“How could Heaven be Heaven, if loved ones are missing?” you ask.
How could you bear that knowledge throughout eternity?

The Bible says: “The face of The Lord is against all those who do evil
And He will cut them off from our memory! (Psalm 34:16)

So, if you are reading these words, but have not accepted Jesus
As your King, your Savior, your Friend

I have been called to introduce you to Jesus
So you do not have a fateful end

But a soul that lives on throughout eternity
Stepping “out” of this life and then

“In”

To Heaven with Jesus, our Master, our Guardian
Our Savior, Redeemer, and Best Friend!

So, How could Heaven be Heaven…a utopia complete
For me…and others like me too?

By sharing our faith and what we believe in
So not one perishes…especially NOT YOU!

I can’t imagine living unaware of Your presence
Having no knowledge of Your Mercy and Grace
You go before me and behind me
Yes, You walk alongside me

With unmerited favor Your blessings replace
Esteemed thoughts or actions manifested in weakness
Claims to worldly recognition
Or personal gain

Because the fear of You Lord… is the beginning of knowledge
This wisdom and knowledge only Satan would feign
For The Bible is the only source
We must seek to gain wisdom

Yes, Your Word stands forever
It engulfs my heart and my mind
I live fully aware and in tune with Your presence
And sovereignty over the sin in my life

Without Faith in You, Lord
The world overcomes us
Without fear of You, Lord
Dry bones, remain in the dust

I know the Breath of Life
Comes only from You, Lord
You are my Savior, my Redeemer
It is in You that I trust

The breath of life You breathed in us
Throughout all generations
From the Garden, through Egypt and
Down every blood line

So, I stand firm
In the awareness of Your presence
And Your Breath of Life…Your righteousness
I boldly claim mine!

In a recent visit to my Parent’s home, we spent some quality time together, talking and catching up, since my last visit. They updated me on our local community; sharing the latest news from family, old friends, neighbors and our Church Family.
Our conversation covered everything from the most recent obituary, the financial markets, fashion, the upcoming presidential election, to current and global events.

Somewhere along the way, the conversation segued to our “thought life” I told how Satan is constantly attacking my mind. I shared with them a recent post I’d written on the matter and a conversation I had recently had with my brother; where he too admitted this barrage of taunts on his thought processes, as well.

While the Medical Community might have you believe these symptoms are much more serious. The Master Physician is always available to take your burden upon Himself.

My Mom said that she experiences the same thing but tries to remember that God’s Word tells us in Philippians Chapter 4, that if anything is “Praiseworthy” to think on these things. We continued to share along this subject matter but I noticed my Dad, really hadn’t indicated that he struggled from that same onslaught on his thought life, that Mom and I had shared. So, I said, “Dad, you’re awfully quiet over there…how do you handle it?”

Dad looked up with the sweetest, most peaceful, contented, smile on his face and said, “I learned a long time ago, when I got saved… to just give it to Jesus”.

I so love my Dad! He is such a sweet, gentle, soul and speaks volumes of wisdom in very few words!

However, on my drive home, I contemplated my Dad’s comment and thought: (but, I’m always trying to “give it to Jesus”…I desperately want to give those crazy, disruptive, unworthy, discouraging, negative thoughts to Jesus)! However, Satan just doesn’t ever seem to let up on me! And then, I thought about how my Dad spoke his words with such conviction!

Webster’s Dictionary defines the word conviction used in this context as:
a) the feeling of being sure that what you believe or say is true
b) a strong belief or opinion

I think I’ve focused too much on “trying to give it to Jesus”, which is nothing other than waging war against Satan. The more I try, I actually keep the dialogue open and allow Satan room to creep back into my thoughts. However, like my Dad, when we are convicted, we “BELIEVE” that we are yoked to The Father and when we give our struggles to Jesus, that our burden becomes light.

Matthew 11:28-30 New International Version (NIV):

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

When we are obedient to God and give Him our burdens, it allows us to shut down the crazy, disruptive, unworthy, discouraging, negative thoughts and walk away with a clear, sound mind. Do you ever find yourself relying more on your own strength? Are you “trying” (like me) to make things happen or to handle struggles on your own… instead of “believing” and giving your burdens to Jesus?

Can you think of a specific time when you relied on your own strength instead of asking for help and guidance from God? Share your message in the comments section below, telling how you’ve dealt with this or a similar scenario.

Prayer For Today:
Father God, we thank you for everything that Your work on the cross has done for all those who “believe”. Help each of us to put our Faith into action, finding the rest our souls are guaranteed, when we take your yoke upon ourselves, and learn from You.

The first few minutes in the early morning, before the rest of the world wakes up, are very precious to me. I love the stillness and the quiet in these moments, before the day begins. I look forward to these moments and the time I will get to spend with my Lord Jesus, reading and learning from His Word, and finding inspiration for the spiritual gift of “creative writing” He has given me.

However, I’d been so tired recently, that I was hitting the snooze button to the point of missing out altogether, on the quiet time I had scheduled to read my Bible and to pray. I would end up having to rush frantically to get to work on time and end up regretting that I didn’t get up when the alarm sounded in the first place.

I realized I needed God’s help, to better manage my time. So, I prayed that He would help me get up when the alarm went off, so I could spend those first few minutes of the day with Him, uninterrupted. I asked for double the amount of rest for every hour I was able to sleep. I asked to wake revived and refreshed to start the new day.

The very next morning, an old typewriter, projected onto the movie screen of my mind. There were no hands on the keyboard, but just like a player piano, keystrokes typed out the letters:
“R e g r e t…S l e e p s”, just as my alarm went off.
Needless to say, I had no trouble getting out of bed that morning (or) recently.
The inspiration for today post, came from this experience.

Too many mornings
I’ve hit the button to snooze
To gain a little more sleep
While precious time with You I lose

Time spent with The Father
The Son and Holy Ghost
Is the time my heart clings to
The time I yearn for the most

So I pray Lord, double the rest
For every hour I sleep
To wake revived and refreshed
For quiet time with you… to keep

I don’t want to take away precious moments
Where I could be learning at your feet
Because I know our days are numbered and
Only “Regret…Sleeps”

The birds of the air
The flowers of the field
Are all in relationship
With God

The wind blows slightly
Through the trees
Confirming their relationship
With a nod

The glory of the morning sun
The crisp September breeze
Together paint a portrait claiming
They too are a part of these

Masterful creations…that only

Our Sovereign God
Could create
No theory of evolution proves (to me)
We were ever formed of Primate

The stars in the sky
The bright light from the moon
That shines down
From Heaven above

Could only be part of
His Masterful Plan
Created from
The highest form of Love

Make time today and everyday
To commune with Our True God above
He will graft your branch into His Family Tree
When you are In Relationship with His Love

It’s easy to give up on your dreams
But God has the final say
The good work He began in you
He will complete on a coming day

He did not bring you this far to leave you
He has all of the means
To breathe new life into your health
Your relationships and your dreams

Get in agreement with God
Start believing and dreaming again today
Expect His omniscient power
Don’t get stuck in the burial phase

Because, your dreams are not dead
They are alive and well…though deep inside your heart
Stir up your faith, believe again
God will finish what He starts

No, your story will not end in failure or lack
Your passion and dreams are not lost
But you have to believe, so you can receive
God’s favor still speaks from the cross

Yes, He has a Master Plan to fulfill your dreams
BUT THEY REQUIRE GREAT EFFORT ON YOUR PART
You can never make it to the finish line
If you don’t take the courage to start