Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 8 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 8 Dec 2007

Psalm 118:13-14 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. We may feel like everything seems to be going wrong, and nothing seems to be right. Even the smallest things don’t seem to go our way. Deep inside us we are hurting, our heart feels the pinch and it aches. We try to distract our minds from thinking about it, and yet we keep thinking about it. May this verse in Psalms 118:13-14 Be more than a reminder, but a verse that we can cling to when we feel down. We might feel like the enemy is pushing us back, and we are about to fall and never get back up, but God is there to help us. He is our strength, He is our song, and He has become our salvation! © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 7 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 7 Dec 2007

24 days till it will be 2008. Time has flown by so quickly it is unbelievable. We have weathered through the storms, running at full steam without stopping, the pressure valve is ticking away, and we have weathered through the storm. Though time does not stop, seasons do come and go. Four seasons, leaves die and are reborn every year. So how does this all relate? We can’t run away from the storms of life. In fact we should expect storms. But God has given us seasons, a time of being born, and a time of dying, through Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Trees weather through the storms; it is only their leaves that die each year and are reborn. How is your tree today? The storms have come and have gone, but I wonder, are our leaves still dead on our tree? They seem to be all dried up, brown, shriveled up, and still hanging on for dear life. The Lord is saying to us, LET GO of some of the past hurts, pains, broken relationships, financial issues, desires, LET THEM GO! Watch and see, as they fall off our trees, new leaves will be born. I will praise you Father no matter what I face. Isaiah 54:10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 6 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 6 Dec 2007

Song of Solomon 1:6 (NKJV) They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept. Isn’t it amazing that the Word of God can be so real and powerful; furthermore, relatable to life in this modern era? I hope that we would spend some time reflecting on this verse in Song of Solomon 1:6, because we often fall into this trap, and in the end the only person who will suffer, who is to blame, is OURSELVES. We are often chasing after something, dreams, goals, desires, titles, money, but in the end of the day, what we are chasing after is only as good as itself. What matters is not the title—being the “keeper” of the vineyard, but really how much we have spent time building our vineyard. The vineyard is our lives, the inner man/woman in us. Deep down inside us, does Jesus really live inside us? On a daily basis, who is in control—God or you? Being a keeper of our own vineyard, many want the title, but not many really know how to keep their vineyards well. How does your vineyard look today? © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 5 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 5 Dec 2007

Ecclesiastes 10:10 (NKJV) If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success. I hope that today’s word will not only be a word of encouragement, but a deep desire to sharpen our inner self. God says it so simply to us in Ecclesiastes 10:10, If the ax is dull, and has not sharpened the edge, he must use more strength. It is such a powerful statement, and a vivid imagery of what we must do each day. SHARPENING YOURSELF! If we don’t, we have to fight through life everyday with our OWN strength, pushing and pushing, the burdens, the weight on our backs, draining us day by day. What does sharpening yourself entail? It involves tending to yourself, being teachable, leading yourself before you lead others. Actually I could write a book full of self-help guides to help sharpen our inner self, But the most important of all, for free, and worth more than anything, is sharpening our inner soul with the Word of God daily! Wisdom brings success! © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 4 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 4 Dec 2007

1 Kings 18:21 "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. V25. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. v27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. Today’s word of encouragement is simply this question: “How long will you waver between two opinions?” I love 1 Kings 18, because it shows how real and powerful our Lord Jesus Christ is. I hope that we can take the time read all of 1 Kings 18 to get the full picture and not bits of it from this. We need to take a deep look inside our hearts. How much of us really is devoted and fully loving God, and how much of us doesn’t? Sometimes we follow old traditions and customs, which are superstitious believing in good/bad luck. Is it not clear what the Lord says to us all? “HOW LONG WILL YOU WAVER BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS.” Materialism—is this your God? Success, your life, your needs, are you God? May today’s word of encouragement be a wakeup call to us all, it is time to make a commitment, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength!! Or be your own God. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 3 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 3 Dec 2007

Humor is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us; most of us remember this statement that laughter is the best medicine. Today’s word of encouragement is about bringing out the humor inside you. Humor can change the mood of almost any situation and most of all it can help people forget about their difficult situations. People are naturally attracted to those that can make them smile, laugh, and forget about their situations they may be facing. Sometimes people put down people with humor. Saying that they are childish, they need to act their age, they need to grow up, but I hope that they won’t stop us from being who we are, who God created us to be. At this point I bet most of us are thinking, “yes humor is good, but at the right time, and it needs to be done with wisdom.” And you know what, I agree with you! Today, we may be facing a difficult and frustrating situation, but bring out that humor in you and see God transform situations. Job 29:24 24 When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it; the light of my face was precious to them. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 2 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 2 Dec 2007

Psalm 107:11-12 11 for they had rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. 12 So he subjected them to bitter labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. Today’s word of encouragement is about our rebellious nature. When things don’t happen OUR way it seems like we respond in a childish manner, and rebel. We’d be surprised that even adults respond childishly sometimes. But today’s word is more than just rebellion, but rebellion towards our father, His word, and the people God puts in authority. If we continue our rebellious ways, it is clear that God will make us pay for our consequences, and no one will come to our rescue. Though, this may seem so harsh, so cold, but in all honesty this is love! Our Father loves us UNCOMDITIONALLY! This means that God will do everything to teach us discipline if we need it; He will allow us to go through trials, obstacles, face persecution, and fight temptation. God is for us! Nothing can be against us! He is our rock, our refuge, our strong tower! Do not be afraid, give everything to Him, and seek His forgiveness. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee