latest GOOD NEWS DAILY – September 7

I’ve been a passionate person for as long as I can remember. Passionate about this. Passionate about that. Zealous about one thing or another. Majorly devoted to this or that. Sold out to someone or something. So on fire for whatever or whomever I wouldn’t want to dare to let anything or anyone get in the way. Oh, sure, I changed my passions along the way. But one way or another, I usually found a reason to pour out my passion in zealous pursuit of whatever or whomever my heart desired at the time.

Then I found the passion of my life. Of forever, in fact. For I found the Lord Jesus Christ and a forever relationship with Him. My passion has never been so great, nor has it ever been so pure. For there is nothing and nobody in the universe more pure, holy, righteous, true, wonderful, marvelous, magnificent, wondrous, glorious, beautiful, awesome, amazing, and precious than Jesus.

And, in the words of the Bible, “My beloved is mine, and I am His.” Song of Solomon 2:16

What, or whom, is your greatest passion, friend? Is it the Lord Jesus Christ? If not, please let today be a new beginning. The beginning of making Jesus your number one passion – now and forevermore!

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

love & blessings,

lara

“O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1

“What if you believe your Lord is telling you to go to Texas but you want to go to such and such a place?” a loved one who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as of yet essentially asked me one day.

What an awesome question – especially from someone who hasn’t yet committed her life to Christ. What about those of us who call Jesus Christ Lord? Shouldn’t we most of all be asking ourselves this question?

What if the Lord tells us to go to one place but we want to go to another?” What a powerful, poignant, vital question.

My answer was simple. Clear. Direct. But sadly, tragically even, it took years for me to get to this place. Quite frankly, few if any people taught me this along the way. In modern day “Christianity”, the true Bible isn’t always being taught – at least in its entirety.

The true Bible? The truth?

“I would need to go to Texas,” I basically replied. “I would go to Texas. Just like I’ve come to New York City even though I didn’t want to come here,” I said.

Then I told her that despite my not wanting to come back to New York City for my second season of streets ministry work here, I have been blessed beyond measure with ministry opportunities ever since I arrived. God has blessed me beyond anything I could have fathomed, and things keep getting better and better in the way of my ministry work for Him.

What about you, friend? Are you so surrendered to Jesus that you will go where He tells you to go even when your flesh might want to run the other way?

There is a cross to be carried when we commit our lives to Jesus for the promise of everlasting life with Him. The cross of dying to self. And of living for Him. And, speaking of truth, there is nothing more beautiful and wonderful and glorious than the Lord Himself and being in His everlasting fellowship, AMEN!

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…!

Blessings #123-125

“Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense;
I shall not be greatly moved.” Psalm 62:1-2

Just two verses in one of so many psalms in the Bible are chock full of blessings! This, of course, should come as no surprise given the Lord is the one who bestows blessings. And how infinite is His love for His children. And oh, how He pours forth His blessings. Three beautiful blessings in these two small verses. SALVATION. ROCK. DEFENSE. He offers salvation for all those who repent and turn to Him as Lord. He is the rock for all those who believe in Him as Savior. He is the defense of all those adopted into His forever family. Oh, yes He is! Our salvation, our rock, our defense. No matter the challenges we face, we can turn to the Lord and trust in His salvation, strength, power, love, and His defense of us. Oh, how glorious is our Lord! Yes!

“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” Matthew 5:8

I lay resting in the afternoon. Something I don’t often do. Or don’t do well anyway. Slowing down is hard for me. Very. But what can I say? I was exhausted from my ministry work, from life on the road for Jesus. From caring for my beloved handicapped streets ministry doggies. From a recent visit of someone very precious to me. From a rainy, grey, early fall day. So I lay there on the dog bed snuggled up with paralyzed Mr. Simeon with disabled Gracie on her way over to me to get some love. That’s when I said this in my heart to the Lord.

“I don’t want to have those thoughts, Lord,” I essentially told Him. “Because they don’t please you.”

I had been repenting for wrong thinking. Ugly thinking. Yucky thinking. Bitterness, hurt, pride, whatever. I wasn’t even through when it came to me.

I came to a place long ago when I hated my sin because it displeased ME. I didn’t like the consequences of my sin because it adversely affected MY LIFE. Now the Lord had taken me to a place in which I so love Him that I despise sinning against Him because I DON’T WANT TO HURT THE LORD!

When we really, truly, genuinely, sincerely LOVE SOMEONE with ALL OUR HEART, we don’t want to hurt that person, do we? Well, I don’t want to hurt Jesus! I want to love Jesus! And please Jesus! And honor Jesus! And praise Jesus! And worship Jesus! And obey Jesus! And serve Jesus!

Help me, Lord, to please you day by day! Help the people reading this to desire the same, precious Father! Oh, Lord, help us to love you with all our hearts! Help us to honor and praise and worship you! Help us to serve and obey you! Help us to bring joy and pleasure to you! Help us to be blessings to you, precious Lord! Thank you, Lord, for answering this prayer! Thank you, Lord, yes, thank you! AMEN!

What is? A rare, beautiful, quiet, serene, and full-of-nature little place in New York City I thought of as my little “secret place”. Somewhere I could walk the dogs, get away from the noise and smells of the city for a few minutes, then resume my life doing streets ministry in the city. How shocked, and irritated, and even mad I was when I found others had discovered it also. Others with problems. Big troubles. Others who made me a bit afraid. Others who made me uncomfortable. Others whom I decided shouldn’t be in MY SECRET PLACE.

The Lord dealt with me swiftly. First, He reminded me everything on this earth belongs not to me but to HIM. Then He gave me the first scripture above. He humbled me. Put me in my place. Then He reminded me THIS COULD BE A MINISTRY OPPORTUNITY. I sensed He had sent the people there so I might have the opportunity to minister to them. But first I needed to repent for my selfish and prideful attitude.

The Lord also reminded me of this. See the second verse above? My “secret place” doesn’t need to be a quiet, serene, peaceful place on this earth. My secret place – the only secret place that is perfect and will last forever – is Christ Himself. And a forever relationship with Him!

I needed to repent and put my trust in the Lord. And seek Him as my place of refuge, of quiet, of serenity, of sweet blessed peace. And I needed to open my heart and eyes to whatever ministry opportunities He might bring in the place I had been led. The place that wasn’t mine. The place that was – and is – HIS.

LATEST MINISTRY UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST

More and more, day by day, I have learned – and am learning – to PUT MY TRUST IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST to provide for me as I continue forth devoting my life 24-7 to Him and to ministry for Him. HE IS MY PROVIDER FOREVER OF EVERY SINGLE THING I NEED – ALL FOR HIS GLORY!

The Lord has always met every need I have had for this ministry, and I fully believe He will continue to do so. The needs are many and include financial, safety, wisdom and direction, love, strength, grace, mercy, truth, hope, peace, and rest, ministry opportunities, writing and publishing equipment, helpers, veterinary care for the special needs streets ministry doggies, hotels where He has sent me, an apartment for my seasons in New York City, continued changes in me with ongoing refining, and on and on.

Please pray for me and this ministry however you are led. The Lord is growing it by leaps and bounds, and it’s hard sometimes to imagine how I can keep up with it all. But it’s all for my precious forever Lord Jesus Christ, and I am bound and determined to faithfully follow Him in His love, strength, grace, and mercy now and forever!

Thank you for praying for me. I am so very thankful!

Love & blessings,

lara