topic Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday in Community Chat

Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 00:55:53 GMT

Hello everyone! Hope your day is going great and filled with many of God's blessings! Come and share what God has done for you - what blessings He gives you on a daily basis! For me, I am so grateful and thankful for my family and Sammy! Sammy makes us smile! He still plays the piano like a trooper! I am thankful for all of you here who participate in our thread! God is good - He deserves all our praise and thanks - as we give Him all the credit! We pray for our healings, and we put them all in His Holy Hands, and want His Will in our lives always. We ask Mary, His Mother and ours, to intercede for us, and she does faithfully! So I ask Him to have mercy upon us all and answer our requests - praying for all of yours.

We are judged by our actions, not by our intentions. Lord, may I show

my love for You through charity and goodness toward others.

Scripture for the day:

"Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may

give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise." ~Psalm 106:47

Meditation for the day:

We can always remember that we are weak but that God is strong. God knows

all about our weakness. God hears every cry for mercy, every sign of

weakness, every plea for help, and every sorrow over every failure, every

weakness felt and expressed. We only fail when we trust too much

in our own strength. We need not feel bad about our weakness. When we are

weak, that is when God is strong to help us. When we trust God enough, our

weakness will not matter. God is always strong to save.

Prayer for the day:

I pray that I may learn to lean on God's strength. I pray that I may know

that my weakness is God's opportunity.

My Hand In God´s

Each morning when I wake I say,

"I place my hand in God's today;"

I know He'll walk close by my side

My every wandering step to guide.

He leads me with the tenderest care

When paths are dark and I despair---

No need for me to understand

If I but hold fast to His hand.

My hand in His! No surer way

to walk in safety through each day.

By His great bounty I am fed;

Warmed by His love, and comforted.

When at day's end I seek my rest

And realize how much I'm blessed,

My thanks pour out to Him; and then

I place my hand in God's again.

By Florence Scripps Kellogg

LOOPHOLES FOR DETERMINED SINNERS

by Sharon Bouriaque

1. If you must envy, envy the woman who hugged the feet of the eternal God,

or envy the children He held in His arms.

2. If you must steal, steal more time away from your daily routine and spend

it with Jesus.

3. If you must murder, work on crucifying the "old man" who lives inside

each born-again believer. [Caution: The old reprobate is extremely hard to

kill and does not tend to stay dead very long.]

4. If you must lie, tell the "old man" he can do as he pleases today.

5. If you must be a man of strife, put on the whole armor of God and

remember that we war not against flesh and blood, but against principalities

and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against

spiritual wickedness in high places.

6. If you must "get high" be intoxicated with the Holy Spirit.

7. If you must fear, fear that within yourself which can cause you to fall.

8. If you must be angry, rage against those sin-weaknesses in yourself.

9. If you must covet, covet those things that be of God: love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.

10. If you must hate, hate the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication,

uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance,

emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, drunkenness,

revellings, etc.

11. If you must be overly ambitious, reach for a star: " ... To him who

overcomes, I will give the Morning Star." Rev. 2:26 & 28.

12. If you must be lazy, lie down in His green pastures and walk beside His

still waters.

13. If you must be shameless, walk this earth boldly, having no shame of

your King or His gospel.

14. If you must be gluttonous, open your mouth wide for God to fill. Psalm

81:10

15. If you must be stubborn, trust in the Lord and you'll be as Mount Zion,

which cannot be removed, but which abides forever.

16. If you must be nosy, poke your nose into the gospel of Christ, which is

something angels desire to look into. I Peter 1:12

JUST "DO IT"

By Marion Smith

Ephesians 6:11-13put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of

righteousness, the belt of truth, the shoes of peace ,and I would

pick up the sword of the spirit and the shield of faith

I was so delighted when I finally memorized the pieces of the armor of

God, as Paul tells us about in the Bible-Ephesians 6:11-13. I would

put on the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the

belt of truth, the shoes of peace ,and I would pick up the sword of

the spirit and the shield of faith.

This entire procedure would take place as I lay in bed each morning.

I felt like I was really equipping myself against Satan, and to a

certain degree, I was. All my bravado came crashing down one day, as

fear of an impending airline flight began to creep into my mind. I

have always been afraid to fly, but I thought I had overcome this

apprehension, with God’s help. I wrestled with all the negative

thoughts Satan kept placing in my mind, trying to dispel the dread

that increasingly crept into my mind and heart. I was still putting on

the armor of God each morning, wondering how Satan could get such a

hold on me . I asked my prayer partners to pray for me, helping me

overcome this unrealistic fear. I was ashamed that I didn’t have more

faith in God, and that I allowed Satan to grab me like that. Well, the

prayers were answered, because my fears were totally destroyed and I

really enjoyed my flight .

After I returned home I began to think about the armor passage in

the Bible. It dawned on me –more was needed with some of those

pieces of armor that just placement on the body. Take the sword of

the spirit(God’s Word)..I needed to have scripture handy- ready to

rebuke Satan as he whispered his lies into my ears. And what had I

done with the shield I picked up each morning? I guess I must have

just grabbed it limply and left it dangling at my side. This shield is

made up of my beliefs, and was intended to quench the fiery arrows of

Satan. God gave me that shield to USE, quenching those fiery arrows .

I needed to pick it up and reject those lies from Satan.

The same is true for the belt of truth. I pray if I am ever tempted to

lie or deceive anyone, that belt would just squeeze me tight –getting

my attention about living my life God’s way. Also, those shoes of

peace- I need to point them down the path of amity when conflicts

arise.

Yes, I need to put on my armor each morning, but I also need to take

these pieces and USE them. Yes, I need to “Just Do

It”!!!!!

Brings tears to one's eyes:

A man from Norfolk , VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept

11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001.

His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:

A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have

our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister.

On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe

trip and be with her. Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both

heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I

replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight.

both very upset, we drove home.

I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my

wife's flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.

My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the

southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for

me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can't just sit by for; I

have to do something.'

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never

given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made

up.. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'take good care of my

grandchild. Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died

while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became

anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for

nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never

know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got

to say good-bye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my

wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife,

but I could tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple

with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews. I told

him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got the chance to

meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.'

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and

had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been

caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to

find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my

father giving his life for people like this. He then said, 'there is

something else you need to know.'

His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to

him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside

Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him

themselves .

When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the

man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

This story should help us to realize this: God is always in control.

We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of

heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.

Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the impact

it may have on someone. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the

called.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures Forever. Psalm

136:1

Our Lady of the Rosary

Heavenly King, praying the Rosary holds more power than I can imagine. It

often saved Christian Europe from Muslim invaders. The Blessed Mother taught

three children in Fatima that the Rosary obtains special graces for us,

saves sinners from H ell, and protects us from evil spirits. I ask Our Lady

to accept my prayers into her Immaculate Heart, multiply their power through

the greatness of her love, and then carry Your help to those in need. O

Jesus, as I turn to Your Mother for support in prayer, bind us to the golden

chain of her most holy Rosary, trusting that she will take care of our

souls. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. Amen.

15 Promises of Our Lady

Besides the Indulgences attached to the Rosary, Our Lady revealed to St.

Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche additional benefits for those who

devoutly pray the Rosary. Our Lady's promise is shown in darker blue text.

Additional explanation on and doctrinal connections to each promise is shown

following in the smaller normal text font and color. Note that the Rosary is

the prayer (non-Liturgical) with the most published Magisterial / Papal

documents expounding on its excellence. Vatican II's summary on Our Lady is

contained in Lumen Gentium chapter VIII.

1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall

receive signal graces.

Signal Graces are those special and unique Graces to help sanctify us in our

state in life. See the remaining promises for an explanation for which these

will consist. St. Louis de Montfort states emphatically that the best and

fastest way to union with Our Lord is via Our Lady [True Devotion to Mary,

chapter four].

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who

shall recite the Rosary.

Our Lady is our Advocate and the channel of all God's Grace to us. Our Lady

is simply highlighting that She will watch especially over us who pray the

Rosary. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62) [a great more detail

is available on this topic in True Devotion to Mary, chapter four, by St.

Louis de Montfort]

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against h ell, it will destroy vice,

decrease sin and defeat heresies.

This promise, along with the next, is simply the reminder on how fervent

prayer will help us all grow in holiness by avoiding sin, especially a

prayer with the excellence of the Rosary. An increase in holiness

necessarily requires a reduction in sin, vice, and doctrinal errors

(heresies). If only the Modernists could be convinced to pray the Rosary!

(see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42) St. Louis de

Montfort states "Since Mary alone crushed all heresies, as we are told by

the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Office of the Blessed

Virgin Mary)..." [True Devotion to Mary #167]

4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the

abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of

the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal

Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

This promise, along with the previous, is the positive part, that being to

live in virtue. Becoming holy is not only avoiding sin, but also growing in

virtue. (see Lumen Gentium chapter V - The Call to Holiness #42)

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary

shall not perish.

Since Our Lady is our Mother and Advocate, She always assists those who call

on Her implicitly by praying the Rosary. The Church reminds us of this in

the Memorare prayer, "... never was it known that anyone who fled to your

protection, implored your help or sought your intercession, was left unaided

..."

6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the

consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by

misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by

an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and

become worthy of Eternal Life.

This promise highlights the magnitude of Graces that the Rosary brings to

whomever prays it. One will draw down God's Mercy rather than His Justice

and will have a final chance to repent (see promise #7). One will not be

conquered by misfortune means that Our Lady will obtain for the person

sufficient Graces to handle said misfortune (i.e. carry the Crosses allowed

by God) without falling into despair. As Sacred Scripture tells us, "For my

yoke is sweet and my burden light." (Matthew 11:30)

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without

the Sacraments of the Church.

This promise highlights the benefits of obtaining the most possible Graces

at the hour of death via the Sacraments of Confession, Eucharist, and

Extreme Unction (Anointing of the Sick). Being properly disposed while

receiving these Sacraments near death ensures one's salvation (although

perhaps with a detour through Purgatory) since a final repentance is

possible.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life

and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the

moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in

Paradise.

Our Lady highlights the great quantity of Graces obtain through praying the

Rosary, which assist us during life and at the moment of death. The merits

of the Saints are the gift of God's rewards to those persons who responded

to His Grace that they obtained during life, and so Our Lady indicates that

She will provide a share of that to us at death. With this promise and #7

above, Our Lady is providing the means for the person to have a very holy

death.

9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

Should one require Purgatorial cleansing after death, Our Lady will make a

special effort to obtain our release from Purgatory through Her intercession

as Advocate.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory

in Heaven.

This promise is a logical consequence of promises #3 and #4 since anyone who

truly lives a holier life on earth will obtain a higher place in Heaven. The

closer one is to God while living on earth, the close that person is to Him

also in Heaven. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states "Spiritual

progress tends toward ever more union with Christ." (Catechism of the

Catholic Church paragraph 2014)

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.

This promise emphasizes Our Lady's role as our Advocate and Mediatrix of all

Graces. Of course, all requests are subject to God's Most Perfect Will. God

will always grant our request if it is beneficial for our soul, and Our Lady

will only intercede for us when our request is good for our salvation. (see

Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their

necessities.

If one promotes the praying of the Rosary, Our Lady emphasizes Her Maternal

care for us by obtaining many Graces (i.e. spiritual necessities) and also

material necessities (neither excess nor luxury), all subject to the Will of

God of course.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary

shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and

at the hour of death.

Since Our Lady is our Advocate, She brings us additional assistance during

our life and at our death from all the saints in Heaven (the Communion of

Saints). See paragraphs 954 through 959 in the Catechism of the Catholic

Church.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus

Christ.

Since the Rosary is a most excellent prayer focused on Jesus and His Life

and activities in salvation history, it brings us closer to Our Lord and Our

Lady. Doctrinally, Our Lady is our Mother and Jesus is our Eldest Brother,

besides being our God. (see Lumen Gentium chapter VIII - Our Lady #62)

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Predestination in this context means that, by the sign which is present to a

person from the action of devoutly praying the Rosary, God has pre-ordained

your salvation. Absolute certainty of salvation can only be truly known if

God reveals it to a person because, although we are given sufficient Grace

during life, our salvation depends upon our response to said Grace. (See

Summa Theologica, Question 23 for a detailed theological explanation). Said

another way, if God has guaranteed a person's salvation but has not revealed

it to Him, God would want that person to pray the Rosary because of all the

benefits and Graces obtained. Therefore the person gets a hint by devotion

to the Rosary. This is not to say that praying the Rosary guarantees

salvation - by no means. In looking at promises #3 and #4 above, praying the

Rosary helps one to live a holy life, which is itself a great sign that a

soul is on the road to salvation. (See also paragraphs 381, 488, 600, 2782

in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.) In fact, St. Louis de Montfort

says even more strongly that "an infallible and unmistakable sign by which

we can distinguish a heretic, a man of false doctrine, an enemy of God, from

one of God's true friends is that the hardened sinner and heretic show

nothing but contempt and indifference to Our Lady..." [True Devotion to

Mary, #30]

Reminder: these promises mean that, by faithfully and devoutly praying the

Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary Graces to obtain said

promises. It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those Graces

in order to obtain salvation.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

Bobbi sue — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 11:20:37 GMT

Hello ladies....Blessings to all of you. I ask God's mercy on me. I am grateful for His blessings to me. He protects me and gives me what I need. He meets my needs. He is faithful. He answers my prayers and I hope He answers the prayers for people I pray for.

Tonight is the blood moon. Don't forget to look for it tonight. They say it is worth looking at.I am going to church and hear a sermon on the blood moon. Jesus is coming soon.

Pray for America. She needs our prayers now more than anytime in history. Pray that Americans will return to God and turn this nation back to a nation under God.

Have a good day and may God bless you all.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

lovestopaint — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 12:39:38 GMT

Gloria, hope you get your bladder problem fixed real soon and it is not serious.

Bobbiesue, Amen to that. Unfortunately our so called leaders here listen to a very small minority.

Counting my blessings, and blessings to all.

Harlene(lovestopaint)

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

Cakers1 — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 14:17:57 GMT

Good Morning Gloriajean, bobbisue, Harlene, and all who will stop by today to post or just read.

Sammy is so cute - what a talented little doggie!!!

Grateful for my family but I do have a prayer request for our family right now as a family member is going through some health issues. Thank you so much.

I watched the last blood moon so I didn't stay up this morning for this one. Very beautiful - fascinating. A few neighbors were out watching with me last time - DH just snoozed away. LOL!

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

Cakers1 — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 15:01:45 GMT

bluegrassbaby: It's good to see you here again. I enjoy your graphics. Thank you.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

Puzzle Piece — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 15:42:08 GMT

On 10/8/2014 lovestopaint said: Bobbisue, Amen to that. Unfortunately our so called leaders here listen to a very small minority.

Good Morning To All!

Gloria, feel better soon, okay. I have to agree with both LovesToPaint and BobbiSue. I really feel that this nation needs to embrace our creator, our source, now more than ever. Even if we are a small minority, that's all it takes - our motives and intentions are heard. After all, it only took one (the Christian Savior) to bring the light to the world.

I give thanks daily for all my personal blessings and this wonderful nation who is and has been an instrument of the Creator. I so appreciate our outstanding military, citizens, allies, strength, generosity, and resilience. So much good is laid at our feet daily and we only need recognize it and use it for the highest and best good. Be at peace and know you are loved.

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

DoubleJ — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 16:43:39 GMT

Good morning everyone, and all those who may come later.

Gloriajean, regarding Merle, I don't really know what all is wrong with her. I do know she has been sick for quite a while. Someone on another thread, who is close to her, just asked for us to keep her in our thoughts and prayers. Merle seemed to be a private person, so God knows what she needs. So we just pray for her. Sometimes we just think about someone, and for me when this happens...it's time to pray, make a phone call, send a card, whatever I can do and in this case it's prayer. Prayers always for you and your loved ones.

Bobbisue, I would love to hear about your church service, regarding the blood moon. Prayers always for you and your loved ones.

Cakers, prayers for you and your loved ones, and a special prayer for the member of the family with health issues.

Love Roses, you make me smile...thank you!

Bluegrassbaby, I also enjoy your graphics. Thank you, and also thank you for coming back and joining us.

Harlene, Cakers, Bobbisue, and Love Roses, I also join in for prayers for our great nation.

I believe that God is sending us a message. He is sending the world a message. He is in control, no one else. I read Revelation 6 today. And it made me think. The world looks in bad shape now, but that chapter, tells us things will be worse. Bobbisue it also mentions the blood moon in verse 12. I also pray that our country will put God our Creator above everything else. May all of us give God our undivided attention every day.

Lucy, hope you have a wonderful day. I also like your graphics. Thank you!

Keeping all in my prayers. I have to work the next three days. I am thankful for this job. Always one of my many blessings. Until next time...

Take Care, Be Safe, and God Bless!

Re: Daily Positive Thread for Wednesday

gloriajean — Wed, 08 Oct 2014 17:42:56 GMT

Bobbiesue - Praying for America is on our list for sure and thanks for reminding us. We didn't look for the blood moon - slept thru it.

Harlene - I thought I'll take my holistic meds 3 times a day, to keep on top of it, and so far so good. I would only take them when it started to bother but maybe this is the way to go.

Cakers - Praying for your family member - you can count on my prayers. Praying the Memorare - asking Mary to intercede too! Can't forget about our Blessed Mother!

bluegrassbaby - wonderful graphic and so so true! You're always welcomed here, no stepping back! We'd love to get to know you better.

Juanita - You're right, we know Merle needs our prayers, so we pray for her healing and what all she needs. It would be nice if she posted again. Oh yeah, I, too, believe God is sending us a message. Pray, Pray and Pray some more. So much evil in the world - but God is in control.