Quiet Moments

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

THE NEW YOU

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV

Shortly after his conversion, Saint Augustine was walking down the street when he met a woman who had been a mistress to him in his rebellious days. He turned abruptly and walked away quickly in the other direction. Surprised at his action but thinking he did not recognize her, she cried out to him, “Augustine, it is I!” Augustine, increasing his speed, continued walking away from her and cried back over his shoulder, “Yes, but it is not I.”

He meant there was a new Augustine. Since taking God into his life, his actions were not the person he had been. When God comes into your life, he changes and transforms you. You are not the same.

The former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them. ~ Isaiah 42:9 AMP

Thank you, dear God, for inviting me to change and for helping me do it. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

A MASTERPIECE

I’ll make you a great nation and bless you. I’ll make you famous; you’ll be a blessing. ~ Genesis 12:2 The Message

During World War II, before the enemy entered Amsterdam, patrons of the arts took the huge paintings of several great masters down from the walls of a famous museum. They removed the paintings from their frames, rolled them up like rugs, and sealed them in wax to make them waterproof. They moved the priceless paintings through a vast art underground from culvert to granary to farm. This kept the art from falling into enemy hands.

You are God’s masterpiece. When God made you, he knew what he was doing, and he did it well. Keep yourself safe from what would deny who you are and to whom you belong. Be vigilant about yourself. You are wonderfully created and superbly endowed. Take good care of what God has made.

You yourselves know how he has proved his worth, how he and I, like a son and his father, have worked together for the sake of the gospel. ~ Philippians 2:22 GNT

Dear God, I commit myself to the care of my heart and feeding of my soul. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

WHAT’S ALREADY HAPPENED

I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his riders or its chariot has He thrown in to the sea. ~ Exodus 15:1

The children of Israel, beginning with Moses and Miriam, were able to glance into the past and remember their great escape from the Egyptians. Looking to the past, they could document their deliverance. They could recall and rehearse the past from their memory. Knowing God’s past mercies allowed them to praise God and to look forward to his continuing presence.

Knowing that God had been with them in the past gave them the reassurance that he would walk with them in the present and accompany them into the future. They believed he would continue to act on their behalf.

A good memory increases gratitude and assurance. You thank God for what he has done, and you look forward to what he will do.

Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. ~ Exodus 13:3 ESV

Dear God, I remember how you have come time and again to hold and lift me up. Thank You.
Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

LIVE WHERE YOU LAND

I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. ~ Philippians 4:11 AMP
Years ago, a hot air balloonist was going to make a long trip over a vast area. He planned his itinerary carefully, knowing exactly where he would stop on which day. He took off, confident he would be able to stick to his plan and follow his itinerary.

However, he had not planned adequately for the wind from the mountains. For the first four days, the wind blew him off course. He ended up in towns he’d never been to and didn’t know anything about. But in each town where he landed, the hot balloonist was heard to say, “Had I known about this place I would have planned all along to land here.”

Life sometimes takes you off course. Enjoy where you end up. Live where you land.

Always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. ~ Ephesians 5:20 NLT

Dear God, may I stand in awe and appreciation before the surprises of my life. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

SHOUTING NEWS

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous and shout for joy, all you upright in heart. ~ Psalm 32:11AMP

Get a pencil and paper and write down everything for which you are grateful to God. Every gift, each blessing, anything you can think of. After a while you’ll run out of paper and your pencil will wear down to a tiny nub, but keep going as long as you can.

Then take your list and, item by item, tell God how much you appreciate what he has done in and through your life. Be excited about your gifts and talents, your abilities and assets. Be exuberant in your praise. Don’t hold anything back. Unplug all the stops and let your praise pour forth. Your blessings are wonderful news.

Know how much you are blessed, and then show that you know.

There came from the throne the sound of a voice, saying, “Praise our God, all his servants and all people, both great and small, who have reverence for him!” ~Revelation 19:5 GNT

Dear God, when I consider my blessings one by one, I shout to you with exceedingly great joy. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

WITH UTMOST CONFIDENCE

In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access, (an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear). ~ Ephesians 3:12 AMP

You don’t have to wait for an invitation to talk to God. You have had a standing invitation since the beginning of time. Just as God made himself available to the couple in Eden’s garden on a moment’s notice, so also is he available to you.

God is available when things aren’t going well in your family. He is available when you are disappointed because you haven’t met a goal you set for yourself. God is ready to listen to your every word when someone you care about has let you down or when you have to let someone down. Nothing is outside of God’s ability and willingness to listen to you and to hear you.

God’s door is always wide open. God is always in for you.

We say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” ~ Hebrews 13:6 NJV

Dear God, I come boldly into your presence and stand confidently before your love. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

FALLING DOWN

Humble yourselves [denote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may call you. ~ 1 Peter 5:6 AMP

The best position from which to see God is on your knees, humbled before God’s majesty and magnificence. From your knees you can look up to the greatness and grandeur of God and gain perspective on how splendid and wonderful God is.

Prayer puts you on your knees to receive the fullness of God. Mother Teresa said that prayer “enlarges your heart until it is capable of receiving God’s gift of himself.” Prayer spoken humbly before God creates many rooms in your heart for God to occupy with his great power and immense love. He comes into those rooms to listen, understand, and speak.

Prayer positions you to receive the gifts of God. It opens your heart to who God is and what God has.

Respecting the Lord and not being proud will bring you wealth, honor, and life. ~ Proverbs 22:4 NCV

Teach me, dear God, that I cannot be on my knees and on my high horse at the same time. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

A THANK YOU OFFERING

Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. ~ Hebrews 13:15 NRSV

Your blessings from God make you grateful. The extent and extravagance of God’s gifts make you thankful. When you acknowledge how good God is in your life, you let him know how much you appreciate what he does for you. You come before him in great thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is the constant and characteristic note of the Christian life. In happy moments, praise God. In difficult moments, seek God. In quiet moments, worship God. In painful moments, trust God. In every moment, thank God. As J.B. Lightfoot said, “Thanksgiving is at the end of all human conduct, whether observed in words or works.”

Giving thanks is the very life of prayer. Tell God how grateful you are for the fruit that falls from your tree.

Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so, worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. ~ Hebrews 12:28 NJV

Dear God, you are the origin of my blessings and the cause of my beauty. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

PEACE SPOKEN HERE

Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house, Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” ~ John 20:19 The Message

God’s presence brings various gifts to you at different times. There is one gift it always brings: peace. God comes to you as one who calmed the storm of a tumultuous sea, and he puts a holy quiet in a heart committed to him. He silences the noise of conflict and tension.

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom, which means “more than enough.” God brings you more than enough for your daily walk through life. He gives you more than enough insight to know what to do, more than enough direction to know where to go, more than enough courage to follow the insight and direction you have.

Your God is Jehovah-Shalom. “the Lord of peace.” He comes to you bearing the gift of peace.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Romans 5:1 NKJV

Dear God, thank you for peace within that does not depend on happenings. It depends on you. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

GIVE GOD THE PIECES

Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ~ Matthew 11:28 GNT

A sign on the front door of a welder’s shop said “We weld everything but a broken heart.” The sign on the front of God’s love for you says he can mend even your broken heart. He can take the shattered fragments and restore the wholeness of your heart in seamless splendor.

God can take the bits and pieces of unreached goals and put them together. God can hold the fragments of what you once believed about life and make them aas new and fresh as the dawning sun. He can put your hope, vision, and confidence back together. God can touch the hole in your heart and fill it with his love and grace.

God can mend your broken heart, if you give him the pieces.

Be humble under God’s powerful hand so he will lift you up when the right time comes. Give all your worries to him, because he cares about you. ~ 1 Peter 5:6-7 NCV

Dear God, I come to you with my brokenness. You can make me whole again. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

THE WONDER INSIDE YOU

God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ~ Genesis 1:27 NRSV

The best side of you is inside of you. That’s where the image of God is. Love, joy, and wisdom reside inside of you. Courage, determination, and strength are there as well. All the qualities and traits you seek are inside yourself. God put them there. You are who you are by virtue of God’s creative act.

Draw close to what God has put inside you. Let it show you who you are to god and reveal who God is to you. Let it uncover your purpose, illumine your path, and bring the glow of God’s love to all you do. What you need for a purposeful and meaningful life is inside you.

Listen to the inside of you, where God speaks.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4 NKJV

Dear God, I look within myself to where you are. I see you there. Amen

[Butterfly Woman]

[From the book; Quiet Moments In The Presence Of God]

THE POWER WITHIN YOU

You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. ~ 1 John 4:4 The Message

Because God made you, there is a great power within you. Hudson Taylor, a nineteenth-century missionary to China said, “All giants have been weak people who did great things for God because they reckoned on his power within them.”

Did you ever buy something that ran on batteries but you didn’t know that? You took your purchase out of the bag when you got home, and there it was right in front of your startled eyes “Batteries not included”. You couldn’t use what you bought because it had n o source of power. Your personal source of power is God. He brings his strength to your weakness and enables you to rise above what holds you down.

What is before or beyond you fades when approached by what is within you.

I pray out of [God’s] glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. ~Ephesians 3:16

Dear God, let your Spirit have his way within me. Guide me and teach me along the way. Amen