latest GOOD NEWS DAILY – Sept 11

Yesterday I was blessed to spend some time with a friend visiting from out of town for a work trip. We had just a little while together, but it was wonderful to catch up in person. My friend ended up crying hard twice over some difficult stuff she is having to go through, and how incredibly blessed I was to be able to be there for her to love her, hug her, encourage her, and pray for her – and, most importantly, talk to her about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible! I know she probably would have loved, hugged, encouraged, and prayed for me if I had been struggling with something.

I have come to see the greatest blessing when it comes to friendship is when we can love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, and, best of all, help one another to find and forever follow the Lord Jesus Christ. When we place our friendships in the hands of the Lord, and dedicate our friendships to Him, and give and receive and share in our friendships what pleases the Lord, and what glorifies Him, oh how very blessed we are!

Is this making you think about your friendships? Any changes you need to make? Pray to the Lord, listen, and obey. For the glory of Christ, AMEN!

love & blessings,

lara

IF YOU NEED HELP BEGINNING OR PRESSING ON IN A FOREVER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT AT 843-338-2219 OR lara@GoodNews.love

THE LORD STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS”And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
For whom the Lord loves He chastens,
And scourges every son whom He receives.”

If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:5-11

365 BLESSINGS is a devotional book the Lord has led me to publish piece by piece even as I’m writing it rather than waiting until it’s in print to share it. Please join me & be blessed as I write my latest book…!

Blessing #128

“Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called.

Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.” Mark 10:46-52

Jesus could have said he was too busy for the blind man who called out to him once he heard Jesus was walking by. Jesus could have said he had better things to do than heal a blind man begging on the side of the road. Jesus could have said he didn’t want to respond to a man who instead of being quiet when people told him to be silent became even louder. But instead, Jesus called the blind man to him and asked what he wanted. Then Jesus gave the man his sight as he wanted. Then Jesus walked off without the man, right? No! The man followed Jesus. So Jesus turned him away, right? No, Jesus allowed the man to follow after him. Love, mercy, healing, and grace. Kindness and compassion. Patience, hope, and peace. Fellowship. Comfort and company. Jesus loved, gave, and sacrificed. His time and heart. Jesus didn’t hold back anything from the man who came to Jesus. How blessed we are by all Jesus offers us. How blessed we are by Jesus. Will we come after Him? In faith as the blind man did? It was faith that drove the blind man to Jesus. Faith Jesus would respond. Jesus responded in love to the man’s faith. Let us in faith, in love, in trust, come to the Lord and receive and be thankful for all the blessings we receive from the heart and hands of precious Jesus. AMEN!

I have never met anyone in my life as obsessed with men as I once was. Specifically with finding the right man and the right relationship and ultimately the right marriage not because I wanted to love the Lord with all my heart and love others as myself and love a man and have a relationship with him in a way that was glorifying to God. But because I was consumed with myself, my desires, my needs, me, me, me, it was all about me.

Today, I am so in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, and so devoted to Him and to helping people to find and forever follow Him through my ministry work, that I would only have a relationship with a man again if it were God’s will for me and if the whole purpose of the relationship would be to glorify the Lord and to help the world to know and follow Him.

Why the change? How the change? Simple answer. The Lord Jesus Christ. When we place our hearts and lives totally in the hands of the Lord, and fully commit ourselves to Him, yielding ourselves to His Holy Spirit and to the ways of God as we learn in the Bible, then the Lord changes us into the men and women of God He created us to be.

Friend, your story may look entirely different than mine. That’s absolutely fine! What matters isn’t what we all have in common or what is different about us all, but what matters is that we turn from our sins, believe in Christ as Lord who died on the cross to pay our sin punishment and was raised from the dead, and FULLY DEVOTE OURSELVES TO GOD AND HIS WAYS AND IN HIS LOVE, GRACE, MERCY, AND STRENGTH FULFILL HIS WILL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR LIVES!

Please join me in giving yourself wholly to Christ – and to living the life He has for you. And may your heart’s cry and my heart’s cry be to live day in and day out to bring love, pleasure, joy, praise, honor, obedience, service, reverence, and glory to the Lord, AMEN!

LATEST MINISTRY UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST

Dear friend,

“How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”” Isaiah 52:7

Okay, here’s my confession. I have one pair of sneakers, 1 pair of pink comfy shoes, 1 pair of rubber rain boots handed down to me, and one pair of extremely old winter boots that need a serious renovation or replacement. I am so blessed the Lord took away my materialism, and I love to have very little stuff as He leads me around the United States to do my ministry work for Him.

That said, my confession is my sneakers are TOO SMALL. Ouch. They’re quite uncomfortable, my legs have been doing some hurting at times, not to mention my feet. And I walk ALL THE TIME as I do streets ministry and love to pray and listen to the Lord as I walk not to mention take my doggies out and talk on the phone at times.

I have a tendency to get so excited and consumed with loving and serving the Lord that I don’t necessarily take the time to rest, to unwind, and to take care of personal needs like getting sneakers that are comfy and good for my feet. I have looked at sneakers at a few stores and have yet to find the right pair. But truth is I waited weeks and weeks before even looking.

Would you please pray if and as the Lord leads you for His direction, timing, and provision for me in every necessary area not because I desire to live a life of comfort and luxury but because I want to be of maximum availability and strength and service for my precious, beautiful, amazing, indescribably awesome, everlasting Lord! Thank you!

love & blessings,

lara