Unto The Least of These Encouraging Inspirational Messages of Hope

Monday, December 23, 2013

Walking By Faith


Angels appear to the Shepherds/ Source: Internet
  Sometimes it's difficult to walk by faith. God's word says that He "calls
things that are not as though they are" and He asks us to trust Him. He asks us to see beyond what our eyes can perceive, beyond what our ears can hear, or our minds can comprehend as real.
God gives us promises that seem impossible to come true yet it is impossible for a holy God to lie. His word declares, "For no word of God will ever fail." Luke 1:37

Shepherds & Angels/Source: Internet
 As Christmas approaches I think about the people to whom God chose to reveal His Son more than 2000 years ago on a starry night in the hills of Bethlehem.
Shepherds were among the lowest ranking groups in society yet God opened up the heavens and gave them a concert led by a host of angels from His own royal courts. The world may not have thought much of those shepherds, but God highly favored them.

Shepherds & Angel Choir /Source: Internet
They were so important to God that they have been forever engraved in His holy scriptures, while the lives of almost everyone else who lived back then have been written in the dust.
Every year almost since the church began children and adults have dressed up as those shepherds to re-enact the Christmas story. The drama has been played out in movies, operas, plays, pageants, songs, stories, and sermons.
There is no end to the references to the common shepherds whom God elevated that night on the Judean Hills when He opened up the heavens and sent an angel choir to sing the announcement of the birth of His Son to them.

Those humble shepherds had a choice to believe the angelic vision or
disbelieve. Filled with the glory of Heaven they followed the shining star over the
humble manger and found everything the angels sang about to be true.

Shepherds find Baby Jesus/ Source:Internet
 Everyone was looking out for a Savior to deliver Israel from her oppressors. But an infant born into poverty was not the type of Savior King they expected. The shepherds, Mary, Joseph, even the Magi who were to enter the Christmas story later all had to accept by faith God's word that this Baby was God's Messiah.

What is faith? The author of Hebrews 11:1 writes, "Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see." The bible says of Mary that "she treasured all these things up in her heart." And Jesus later asked His disciples to hide His word in their hearts. Why? Because "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."

Mary, Joseph and the shepherds would have to wait 33 long years for the angel's promise to bear any fruit. For Jesus had to grow up before He could become the Messiah. Then He would again defy appearances and challenge their faith because He was not going to be the kind of Messiah they expected.
 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,"
~was the song the angels had sung to the shepherds that first Christmas night. (Luke 2:14) Jesus was not just going to save Israel but the Gentiles too. He was going to save people spiritually not deliver in a political way. When Their Promised Messiah was sacrificed on the cross don't you know their faith had to be severely challenged!

The people God chose to bear His Son were normal people like us with fears and doubts who struggled to believe God's promises just like we so often do. But God gave them the grace to keep going forward because they kept saying "yes" to God. They kept trusting Him despite appearances. They kept choosing to walk by faith even when all hope seemed lost, even when it posed a risk to their very lives and reputations. They never gave up.

Elizabeth said to Mary when she came to her, "Great blessings are yours because you believed what the Lord said to you! You believed this would happen.” (Luke 1:45)

It is not easy to walk by faith. That is why God downloads a portion of Himself in the Person of His Holy Spirit into our hearts when we accept Jesus as our Savior. The minute we say "Yes" to Him, Christ gives Himself to us and then helps us to believe one day at a time. We just have to keep on choosing to say, "Yes, Lord, I believe, help Thou my unbelief."

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for understanding us so well, and for giving us Thy own Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness. Help us to walk by faith, knowing that You will never leave or forsake us, nor fail to keep every promise You make to us. We love You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Shepherds See Star of Jesus/Source:Internet
 Merry Christmas to all my readers! I've made a Christmas video just for
you from one of the songs from my Christmas album, "*Christmas Joy."
I hope you will enjoy & be encouraged by "The Shepherds' Song"!
God Bless you with a Beautiful Christmas!
I love you all! ~Suzanne ♥



*All profits from the sales of my albums "Christmas Joy" & "God's
Rainbow Promise"
go to ministries that benefit the homeless & survivors
of Abuse. Thank You for your support of my music & for these
ministries. God Bless You Always!

Unto the Least of These: "Walking By Faith" © 2013 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.
The Shepherds' Song Music Video: "Shepherds' Song" Music & Lyrics © 2013 Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved. /Blog & Video Picture Sources: Internet

Friday, December 20, 2013

Hide God's Word In Your Heart



Bible Study Prayer

Dearest Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, 

help me to diligently hide Your Holy Word in my heart every day. 

Please "let the word of Christ dwell in me richly."

Please give me Wisdom, Insight & Understanding as I meditate on Thy Word.

BEGIN WITH PRAYER 

READ THE BIBLE

MEDITATE ON THE BIBLE

READ WHAT OTHERS HAVE WRITTEN ON THE BIBLE

PASS THE BIBLE ALONG TO OTHERS

Holy Spirit, please guide me into all Thy Truth.

Lord, open my eyes to behold wonderful things out of Thy Law. (Psalm 119:18)

Lord, "...may the eyes of my understanding be enlightened, that I may know what is the hope of His Calling, & what are the riches of the Glory of His Inheritance in the Saints..." (Ephesians 1:17:18)

Heavenly Father, I ask all these things in Jesus' holy name. Thank you Lord. I love You. Amen. 


Unto The Least Of These, "Prayer To Hide God's Word In My Heart", © 2013 S.D. Harden; Bible Study Plan Adapted from  Bible Author & Teacher J. Vernon McGhee/Photo Illustration Source/Pinterest

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Fear Not


Fear Not

Sometimes The Lord may ask us to do things or go places for Him that involve risks. 
If not to our lives, maybe to our reputation, social status, or even our job. 
It is not popular to be a Christian and one can risk their life by sharing the Gospel in certain countries. 
But love God anyway, love Jesus with all your heart and soul.
And don't be afraid to be His child. He will never leave or forsake you. 
Trust Him always. And never stop hiding His word in your heart.
 "He keeps every promise forever." ~Psalm 146:6


Heavenly Father, please help us remember that the safest place to be is in the center of Thy will. You never will call us to go where You won't also be. Thank You for Thy love and protection over us always. I love You. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Unto The Least of These, "Fear Not" © 2013 S.D. Harden Photo Illustration/ ChristianQuotes.info

Sunday, December 8, 2013

It Will All Work Out



IT WILL ALL WORK OUT

If you are going through a dark valley in your life, you can take comfort 
in the promise of Romans 8:28: 


"And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good 
if we love God and are fitting into his plans."

May The Lord help you see light at the end of your tunnel, 
may you feel a special awareness of His Presence everywhere you go;
may He fill your heart with rivers of peace and hope, and may you know 
above all things that this too shall pass.

Heavenly Father, please bless all who are reading this post. Please meet their every need
Remind each of us throughout this busy holiday season that we are your cherished treasures; 
You loved each of us so much that You sent Jesus to save us. 
Jesus is what Christmas is all about. Thank You, Lord! I love You. In Jesus name, Amen. 

Unto The Least of These, © 2013 S.D. Harden 

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Come Boldly To God's Throne

Come Boldly to God's Throne

Come boldly to God's Throne; come with the faith of a little child. 
No need is too great for His grace to meet. 
Your Heavenly Father waits expectantly to hear your voice;
He cherishes you. ❤

Heavenly Father, fill our hearts with the faith of a child that we may approach 
Thy Throne with confidence and pour our hearts out to You, for Thy word says that Your 
ears are ever open to our cries. May You meet the needs of every person praying this prayer. 
Thank You, I love You, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Unto The Least Of These, "Come Boldly To God's Throne"  © 2013 S.D.Harden All Rights Reserved.
Photo illustration/ S.D. Harden Instagram 

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Nothing Can Separate You From God's Love

"In Thy Tender Care" © Kathy Lawrence LDS ART.com

Nothing Can Separate You From God's Love

Even if all the demons in hell were to join forces and line up side by side and pull with all their might, they still would not be strong enough to pull you from the almighty grip of Your Heavenly Father's strong hands. 

No power in all the universe is stronger than the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ our Savior. 

Jesus Christ said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 
And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 

My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one." (John 10:27-30)

We can completely trust every word that Jesus spoke for this is what St. Peter wrote about Him: "Christ committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth” ~(1 Peter 2:22)

St. Paul wrote in the book of Romans 8:35-39:

"Who then can ever keep Christ’s love from us? 
When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because he doesn’t love us anymore? 

And if we are hungry or penniless or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us? 

No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day—we are like sheep awaiting slaughter; 
but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ 
who loved us enough to die for us. 

For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. 
Death can’t, and life can’t. 
The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. 

Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are—
high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—
nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God 
demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us." 

Those are powerful promises, as valid today as they were two thousand years ago when they were first penned by the apostle who faced death at the hands of a cruel Roman emperor who considered the killing of Christians an exciting sporting event. 

As I read the Gospels and epistles of the New Testament and consider what the early church suffered in its love for Jesus Christ, and yet how faithful those servants of God remained to Him despite overwhelming trials, I think how else could they have remained so loyal to Christ but by the Almighty hand of God! 
He was entirely faithful to keep them in His love, to keep them from falling away no matter how much they were persecuted and opposed by their enemies, spiritual and human. 

St. Jude wrote,  "And He is able to keep you from slipping and falling away, and to bring you, sinless and perfect, into His glorious presence with mighty shouts of everlasting joy." 
(Jude 1:24-b)

"And now—all glory to him who alone is God, who saves us through Jesus Christ our Lord; yes, splendor and majesty, all power and authority are his from the beginning..."~(Jude 1:24-a)

~Yes, praise our almighty God! No matter what battle we may be struggling with today, 
our God is able to bring us out of it victoriously. For He will never fail or forsake us!
 "He keeps every promise forever."~(Psalm 146:6)

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your assurance that nothing can ever separate us from You once we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord. 
Thank You for Your amazing love that sacrificed Your only Son for our sins so You could clothe us with His righteousness.
We acceptYour beautiful gift of Your precious Son Jesus Christ into our hearts and desire to live for You and be clothed evermore with His righteousness. 
We ask You to take all our sins away forever as far as the east is from the west. 
And we thank You for doing this. 
Thank You for making us new creatures in Christ that can never be separated from Your holy love. 
Thank You for filling us with Your Spirit.
We Love You, Lord.
In Jesus name. Amen.

Unto The Least of These, Nothing Can Ever Separate You From God's Love © 2013 Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved. Illustration by © Kathy Lawrence, LDS ART.com

Sunday, December 1, 2013

With God All Things Are Possible

Ephesians 3:20
Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.