MyLeslieNotebook

I absolutely LOVE Old Testament history. And for today's lesson, you really need to know what happens from Genesis 12 to Deuteronomy, so, here it is: In Genesis 12, God finds a man named Abraham and makes him a promise: Leave your home and go to a Promised Land. I will be with you, I will bless you, and I will protect you (Genesis 12:1-3, my paraphrase.) So Abraham went. And though he lived in that promised land for years, it did not belong to him; the promise would carry on through the descendants of Abraham until it was completely fulfilled hundreds of years later. (That's how many of God's Old Testaments promises worked.) So Abraham had a son named Isaac, Isaac had Jacob, and Jacob had his name changed to Israel when he actually decided to believe God. Israel had 12 sons, one of whom (Joseph) was an amazing leader and dream-interpreter. His brothers hated how "great" he was, so they sold him into slavery and he ended up in Egypt. But because he was in Egypt a...

I've had a verse on my mind for weeks now: "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in light of your presence, LORD." (Psalm 89:15, NIV) I kept finding myself drawn to the word "acclaim." So I looked it up  in my giant concordance. I expected to see a definition along the lines of, "to excitedly report." But what I found was much more rich. It's used 36 times in the Old Testament, but translated only once as "acclaim." Here's the official defintion: trumpet blast, battle cry In other passages it's translated shout, shouts of joy , and blast .  Which made me immediately ask: Is God my battle cry? Is He the trumpet blast that I proclaim throughout the day?  Honestly? No. But luckily when I looked back at the verse again, I realized it said, "Blessed are those who have LEARNED to acclaim you," and I was comforted by the fact that I could, indeed, learn to make God my battle cry. ...

(Odd title. But not too odd if you read my last post. This is an unofficial "Part 2." You probably need to scroll down and read it if you haven't already.) {Also, please excuse me for writing another blog about a snake. Not everyone likes snake blogs :) But as long as the Holy Spirit is using that stupid snake as a parable in my own life, I will pass on the lesson!} Same trail. Still running. Still can't take a step without thinking about the snake. So yesterday I was running again--watching my step, pondering the snake--when I saw a knee-high pile of trail debris including dead leaves, twigs, and all kinds of loose branches. It was directly in my path and I thought, "That looks like a perfect snake house," and I stepped to the far side of the trail. I want nothing to do with a snake house these days. Satan first appeared as a snake in Genesis 3, and snakes have been scaring the devil out of people ever since. (My attempt at humor. Not good.) Satan...

I love to run on the trail near my house. It's a quiet, peaceful, hilly old dirt road that allows me to clear my mind, pray in peace, appreciate nature, and get a little exercise. So I took off early one morning this week, excited about a not-as-often-as-I-would-like run. I was talking to God, enjoying the calm morning, filling my lungs with some pollen-laden oxygen... and that's when I saw the snake. He wasn't big, but he definitely filled me with fear. He didn't look angry; he was just chilling over to the side, not even really looking at me. He was totally calm. I was shaking. Terrified. Because he was a copperhead. A COPPERHEAD!!! Seeing that snake changed the rest of my run. No longer was I looking up at the trees, trying to see a bird, or pondering God's glory as He revealed some gorgeous wildlife. I couldn't even really focus on my prayers or anything else for that manner. I was watching for one thing: snakes . Literally every thought focused on s...

1. You have ONE identity: I AM GOD'S.  Refuse to be defined by what you do or don't do, have or don't have, or "whose" you are other than God Himself through His Son Jesus Christ.  God gave you passions and talents: do them. You are different from everyone else and that is GOOD! Be weird.  BE YOU. Not the you that you want  to be...the you God created you to be. (Isaiah 43:1, Psalm 89:15-16) 2. This is not the high point of your life.  Refuse to believe the lie about "high school is the best time of your life." Determine to make each season of life  your best in any situation .  Choose to be content AND thankful every day .  (1 Timothy 6:19, Philippians 4:6-7) 3. You are weak.  But you are strong enough for anything  if you use JESUS' STRENGTH.  He WILL give you more than you can handle but not more than HE can handle! (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Philippians 4:13) 4. There is no such thing as "...