Author: ObtainingMercy

Thoughtful Thursday

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, KJV Graphics, Thoughtful Thursday

Luke 11:[33] No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
[34] The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
[35] Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
[36] If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

These are dark days. We are all feeling the downward pull of persistently-negative news and ramped-up stories of disease and death.

Even our humor has turned quite dark.

And you can’t escape it…it is everywhere.

So, with that it mind, we must be reminded that we are the LIGHT of this world (Matthew 5:14)

If we aren’t sharing that light, we are guilty of hiding it.  And the above verses tell us that nobody does that. It doesn’t make any sense!

Are you allowing this dark world to overcome and diminish your light? Are you allowing the stories and news and posts to throw a blanket over your Light? Are your own thoughts increasingly more negative and fearful?

This isn’t right! We must guard again it!

Where do we get our light?

II Corinthians 2:[6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ

We have LIGHT because God has given us the knowledge of it. It is the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!

Do you know Jesus Christ? Then your whole being should be FULL of the light of that knowledge. And you should be allowing that light to SHINE out to all those around you.

How do you do that?

Love on people. Call them up and check on them. Text to see how they’re doing. Ask if they need anything when you are doing a shopping trip or if they need medication refills dropped off or picked up. Offer to drop by and visit on their front porch, through the screen or glass door, if necessary.

Communicate with people. Send them a funny meme or joke that reminds you of them. Ask if they have any prayer requests you can pray about. Just let them know you appreciate them and the job they do in your community (especially those who are doing the “essential” jobs right now.)

Give people the truth. Share Scripture on social media. Share your church’s video feed. Remind people of things to be thankful for. Keep a positive attitude and don’t spiral into online theological discussions that only cause irritation and hard feelings to develop.  If you need to “teach” a truth, do it Biblically:

IITimothy 2:[23]”But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
[24] And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
[25] In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves…

Don’t let the world’s darkness overtake you. Don’t let your light grow dim. Be in the Word daily to kindle your own flickering fire, then offer that Light back to the world.

Let your (not so little) Light shine for Him!

In Him,

Alesha Kay

A Word for Wednesday

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts

Isaiah 40:28-29 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

Just another reminder to you, my friends, that God is STILL in control! He hasn’t fainted. He isn’t tired. He isn’t searching for answers.

He has power. And He’ll give it to you. And when you have no strength, He will provide it.

Focus on that. Focus on Him.

Let Him be in control of all of you.

You will not regret it.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

The Paths of Thanksgiving

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, A Season of Thanksgiving, Holiday, How Great is Our God

You would think, after all Jesus has done for us, including the ultimate price of His death for salvation from our sins, our lives would be overflowing with thanksgiving.

But the truth is that we grumble and complain about things just like everyone else does. We might go to church, and try to avoid the “big” sins, but our life is not very different from others around us.

Let me share a few reasons WHY you should be thankful:

  1. Thanksgiving Paves the Paths of His Presence (Psalm 100:1-5, Colossians 2:6-7) When we express our thanks to God we are coming into His presence, and letting others know Who we stand with. We are identifying with the Lord when we spend time praising Him. Being thankful is one way to show that you are a Christ-follower!

  2. Thanksgiving Paves the Paths of Protection (Romans 1:21-32) Verse 21 starts a long, sad list of many sins. But did you notice the one at the beginning of the list? “…Neither were thankful…” All of these horrible sins grew out of an unthankful heart. When we are thankful, it protects us from other sins.

  3. Thanksgiving Paves the Paths of Peace (Philippians 4:4-7) As we bring our prayer requests to God, thanking Him for all He’s done for us, He fills our hearts and minds with His peace. This world doesn’t offer much peace, but the Lord does, as we express our thanksgiving to Him.

So, celebrating what we’re thankful for isn’t something that should happen just once every November. It is something that brings us into God’s Presence and provides us with Protection and Peace. Let’s spend the next year sharing our thanksgiving to God every day!

In Him,

Alesha Kay

When Pain Brings a New Perspective

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, Uncategorized

Oh, the joys of adrenal insufficiency! My back had been “out” since Saturday. I went today to have it adjusted. The chiro wasn’t pleased with the adjustment & said I needed to come back tomorrow to try to “finish” it. My muscles were so tight, they wouldn’t let the spine move enough.

When I got home, the muscles around one side of my rib cage went into spasm. I could only pant to breathe because a deep breath made the cramp tighter. We did everything we know to do – repositioning and stretching, apple cider vinegar, magnesium oil, dill pickle juice, and finally, medication. The cramps eventually let go & hopefully the meds will keep other cramps at bay for the rest of the evening.
Someone else’s symptoms will probably be different from mine. But that’s what I deal with. Today’s cramps were not the worst. Those are the ones in my inner thighs. They make me cry.
And what brought on this mini “crisis”? Well… all of last week’s hurricane prep & waiting & praying. Then last night, I listened to a college buddy (fellow alumni from Landmark Baptist College) tell of his family’s & church’s loss of everything on the island of Grand Bahama. The pictures were heart-rending. I wept with him as *he* tried to console *us* with the promises of God’s Word.
So, yeah, today’s been kinda yucky. But I have so SO much to be thankful for! And I’m grateful that eventually the spasms stopped. I was able to rest a bit in my big, cushy chair, in my dry, air-conditioned house that has running water & electricity.

Yes. So many things to thank my Jesus for tonight! What has He done for you today?

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Hope in God’s Response to My Cry

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, KJV Graphics, Thankful on Tuesday

Have you been here?

“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.”  ~Psalm 18:4-6

Facing death? Drowning in fear? Swallowed up in the dark?

The Psalmist David draws such a vivid picture of his despair.

He also lets us know right away what his first response to this trial was – He called out to God, crying for deliverance.

So, how did God respond? I love these phrases! (Emphasis mine):

” Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.” ~Psalm 18:7-15

Whew! When God is touched by the cries of His children, He doesn’t mess around! He MOVES on the behalf of His children.

And even though He has all of nature crashing about in His anger, His actions toward His child are just precious:

“He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.” ~Psalm 18:16-19

He draws us to Himself, above the battle’s fray. He delivers us. He holds us steady. He brings us to a safe place.

I don’t know what enemy you’re facing today. I have no idea how much pain you are in, or just what need you have; but I do know your God, if He is this God of the Bible.

He can deliver you. He can bring you into a place of peace. He will show you mercy as you walk in obedience to Him.

“Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;” ~Psalm 18:24-25

God will bring light into our darkness.

 “For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.” ~Psalm 18:28

No matter your trial today, call out to Him. He will hear and will deliver. Then walk forward in obedience into the light of His presence.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Hope When It Hurts

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, KJV Graphics

Here’s a partial repost of an old blog from 2008. (https://obtainingmercy.com/2008/11/04/hope-in-spite-of-our-feelings/)

Our burdens were quite heavy back then when Isaac’s seizures were uncontrolled and I was suffering so much pain, due to what we now know is Adrenal Insufficiency.

It surprises me how close the Lord walked to me during those days, and mostly likely, how much He carried me, if the truth were known.

When we are filled with negative thoughts, harsh judgments and bitterness, we are only causing further damage to our physical body. God did not make our bodies to harbor these emotions.

Medical science has proven that angry, bitter people are more prone to illnesses and will stay sicker longer than those who have a positive outlook on life.

Unfortunately, some of the most negative people I have ever met have been my fellow Christians. Sadly, sometimes, I have numbered myself with them.

Paul gives us the secret to moving beyond our feelings – whether they are emotional or physical – in this short little verse:

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11

To live out this verse, it is necessary to believe that everything in our life is allowed by God – on purpose, and to trust that He can work it all out for our good.

This includes our physical ailments. God can and will use them to make us more like His Son, if we submit our will to His.

It is not an easy thing to be in physical pain, especially when that pain lasts for many hours a day, or when it is uncontrolled by medications or is especially severe.

Sometimes it is necessary to draw away from others to rest ourselves, to be alone with God and to regain our perspective. Sometimes, we just need to take some medication or herbal remedy and sleep. We need to take care of our bodies as best we can.

When we leave the sick room, though, or when others come to visit us there, we can be pleasant. We can be positive in our words. We can point others to our God Who is helping us through our pain.

Often, hope is a very positive emotion that is birthed from very negative circumstances.

We can hope in God’s plan for our life, even when that plan includes pain, in spite of our feelings.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
Psalm 16:9

Days of pain are never easy. But they are the rich soil that grows the tender leaves of submission, gratefulness, empathy and trust in the garden of our soul.

We can trust the Master Husbandman.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

When Hope is our Anchor

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Uncategorized

A repost of an earlier blog and a few thoughts to follow:  https://obtainingmercy.com/2012/05/03/hope-because-he-is-in-control/

Psalm 103:19 “The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens;

and his kingdom ruleth over all.”

Oh, my friend, why do we murmur?

He has everything under His control.

We have no need to worry or complain, when He has promised He does all for our good.

II Corinthians 2:14a “Now thanks be unto God, which

always causeth us to triumph in Christ…”

“Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but a taking God at His Word.” ~Evans, Streams in the Desert

We can trust the One Who shed His blood to be a forgiving atonement for our sins, to lead our lives rightly and well, as we submit them to Him.

No doubts.  No complaining.  No second-guessing.

Just trust it all to Him.

He has given us these truths to give us a strong consolation, to give us something we can run to for refuge, to give us an anchor for our souls:

Hebrews6:[17] Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
[18] That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
[19] Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

Trust Him. He is worthy.

In Him,

Alesha Kay