Fresh Bread

Isaiah 61:3 shows us a dynamic picture of Jesus the Joy Bringer comforting the mourer. 

to console the mourners in Zion—

to give them a crown of beauty for ashes,

the oil of joy for mourning,

and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair.

So they will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

 

There are many reasons people grieve, but Jesus brings beauty out of ashes!

https://www.patriciaholland.org/home/gods-love-letter/

Have you ever received a love letter that was so precious to you that you had to save it…tuck it away in a safe place. So amazing that through the years you retrieved it again and again to savor the sweet words?

It’s only a jumble of words, written on plain piece of paper, stuffed inside an envelope, but if you’re the recipient then you know the power of a love letter. Every word, every single word is pure gold. Every word is read and reread with pure delight. While the words may be simple, they are electrifying. While they may be scrawled and hard to read, the words are priceless.

Every “I love you” and every tender expression communicates that the reader is recognized, chosen, and valuable.

Oh, I know about love letters because when I was dating my sweetheart, he was in the Air Force and he had to go to Vietnam. And while he was there, he had to work 12 to 14 hours every day, seven days a week. And then in the evening, he would have to do courses. He didn't have a lot of time.

 

I don't know how he did it, but somehow, he found a way to write to me every single day. I could hardly wait until time for the mail to arrive each day. I developed an ear for the mail truck. Whenever I would hear that familiar sound grow louder, I'd run out to the end of my driveway and stand by the mailbox until it arrived.

 

I didn't wait till I got inside to open it. I stood at the mailbox to go through the mail as soon as it arrived. If I got a letter (even though he wrote me every day, the mail system may not deliver one every day), I would tear it open, then proceed to read every single word. Once inside, I would read it again. I was so happy to have a letter. Every word was important, because I loved him and he loved me.

 

I want to tell you something that you already know; God has written you a love letter.

 

I am so sorry if you came to this to .pdf to listen to this podcast. I made a mistake. I just changed the challenge.

Here's the link for the postcast download link for audio.

https://traffic.libsyn.com/patriciaholland/choice_to_rejoice.mp3

 

I'd love to hear from you if you want to join the 7 Day A Choice to Rejoice Challenge. Here's the sign up for the challenge. https://forms.aweber.com/form/34/293103234.htm

Hey! You can learn more about me at https://www.patriciaholland.org

Have you ever opened your Bible and a promise seemed to jump off the page? I mean it came so alive to you that if felt like it was written just for you? So of course, you reread the verse. It felt like God was talking to you personally and that this promise was for you. And because you understand the power of stewarding the Word of God, you probably opened your Prayer Journal and wrote it out long hand. Whether you typed it or wrote it isn’t the point, but you just knew this verse was so good that you just had to remember it.

 

Don't you just love it when that happens?

 

Oh, wow, I sure do. I mean, I do and I don't.

 

Let me explain. Any time you get a promise from God, a promise means that God's going to do it. But between the promise and the fulfillment of their promise, there's this gap. It's the waiting time.

 

Do you like to wait? Not me!

 

But then I think about Abraham. Abraham wanted a son really, really bad. When Abraham was 75 years old, that’s a long time to want something, God gave Abraham a promise that he was going to give him a son.

 

There was a span of 25 years between the promise and the fulfillment of that promise.

 

How do you wait 25 years?

 

I mean, I can't imagine. You know, I'm one of those people that I used to stand in front of my microwave and tap my foot wanting to hurry it up impatiently, saying, come on, come on. When I was just simply trying to eat a cup of coffee.

 

But I learned something. I learned that instead of standing there watching the microwave, I could go clean out the dishwasher or I could clean out the counters. Or sometimes I would even play a game with myself and running around a room, put on a load of clothes and try to beat that time on the on my microwave. You see, that's what God did for Abraham.

 

God knew that there would be a time between the promise and the fulfillment of that promise.

 And so… He gave Abraham some reminders. Well, at that time, his name was Abram, but he gave him some reminders that would help him along the way. How did they keep his eyes off the clock, no, the calendar? Because the span was 25 years, not 25 minutes.

 

Even though Abraham had to wait, his faith didn’t waver.

 

Romans 4:20-21 ESV No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. 

 

 

I want to have a story like that. I want God to say, “Pat’s faith didn’t waver.” How ‘bout you?

 

Abraham did something very important while he waited, something that we can do too.

 

I want to tell you about it in this podcast teaching. Be sure to pray with me at the end of the video. I love praying with you!

https://www.patriciaholland.org/

A dad was desperate to find help for his son. When he finally got to Jesus, he questioned him, "If you can? Please help us." He wasn't even certain that Jesus could help his son.

People still wonder about Jesus.

Some even come to Him with that question.

And Jesus' answer hasn't changed.

He still answers..."All things are possible to him who believes!" I love the dad's answer. I think Jesus did too.

https://www.patriciaholland.org

Paul's warning is concise and direct in Hebrews 2:1 "We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away."

He warns believers that we must be careful to keep the main thing the main thing, so we don't drift from our priority of putting Jesus first.

The trends and currents of responsibilities, desires and cravings can distract us and cause us to drift from the Truth. That drift can be disastrous. So practice the spiritual disciplines that keep you focused on

#revpatholland #spiritualdisciplines #lovinggod

Does exhausted describe you? Maybe you're mentally exhausted or simply physically exhausted because you've been BUSY!? Or maybe you are BOTH

Man, I know I've been there! And it’s not that you’re goofing around. Maybe you're giving it all you got, it’s just you ain’t got any more to give it? 

Or maybe you're rested and full of vim and zest, ready for anything! But I would guess that you can still identify with that feeling of total exhaustion.

If exhausted describes you, now or at some point in your life, then I have to tell you about a special invitation I found for you and (me too)!

If you’re tired of the struggle, tired of the pressure, this invite has your name all over it.

Matthew 11:28-30 BSB

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 

The rest He promises you isn't an empty promise. I know the power of responding to His invitation. I've experienced it so many times.

Sometimes, we want to rush into His Presence like we run through the drive through at our least favorite fast food. Expecting little and receiving little. We must learn to quiet our spirit and receive His peace.

I know those words are wrapped in plain brown grocery paper. Simple words, there’s nothing there to dazzle your eyes. The words are so simple they don't entice your taste buds. But if you respond to His invitation, it can transform you. The rest He promises you isn't an empty promise. I know the power of responding to His invitation. I've experienced His promise, “I will give you rest.” so many times. I am so thankful that He wants to give His children rest, peace and strength. I'd love to hear your story of how He did that for you.

But still, I have to ask the question, "Is there a way that we can live different? Is there a way that we don’t have to get to the end of our rope before we experience His rest, His peace? Is our exhaustion the only door that rest can come through? I am convinced that answer is found in the next two verses. What does that kind of life look like? How do we get there? ...stay there? ...live there?

As I was studying and praying over this teaching my thoughts visited my daughter’s desire for a laundry room make over. It was a huge project. She would have to construct enough cabinets from 4’ X 8’ sheets of plywood to fill a 10’ X 10’ wall. And then the cabinets would need doors. An electrical outlet and plumbing would have to be moved. It was a crazy big project that would have been harrowing for lots of folks! But she did something that lots of people never do. Let me tell you about it and how it relates to living different.

Just like your body and mind needs rest, so does your soul. But how do we experience soul rest? I am convinced that Isaiah 28: 14 and 1 Corinthians 14:21 shows us that speaking or praying in tongues is a key to experiencing rest for our soul.

 

When I was 12 years old I was filled with Precious Holy Spirit. It changed the trajectory of my life.

 

I've written a book about Holy Spirit. It will help you know Him so you can enjoy the benefits of Spirit filled living. For a limited time you can get FREE SHIPPING when you purchase Precious Holy Spirit Book with the coupon code 236HHR9R Coupon Code for Precious Holy Spirit Book

 

Here's the link: https://www.patriciaholland.org/product/precious-holy-spirit-book/

 

#patholland #holyspirit #spiritfilledliving #preciousholyspirit

The followers of Jesus were commanded to wait in Jerusalem until they were filled with power. Even though they had been taught by Jesus Himself. They still needed God's power- Holy Spirit to impact their world.

You need Holy Spirit power to impact your world too.

 

When I was 12 years old I was filled with Precious Holy Spirit. It launched me into a life long journey of discovering the Word and the Spirit.

 

I've written a book about Holy Spirit. It will help you know Him so you can enjoy the benefits of Spirit filled living. For a limited time, you can get FREE SHIPPING when you purchase Precious Holy Spirit Book with the coupon code 236HHR9R Coupon Code for Precious Holy Spirit Book

 

Here's the link: https://www.patriciaholland.org/product/precious-holy-spirit-book/

 

https://www.patriciaholland.org

#patholland #holyspirit #powerofgod #spiritfilledliving #preciousholyspirit