Worthy Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjPKfQ7fMoM

I Choose to Worship ~ Rend Collective

 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ~ Ephesians 4:1 NIV

 

I’m so grateful God moved us here when He did. It gave our girls the opportunity to meet my grandpa, Lyle Hayes, before he passed away. When Savannah was in Kindergarten, I took her to visit my grandpa on Memorial Day. She was, then, old enough to grasp some of what Memorial Day is and why we celebrate it. While we were visiting, she asked to explore his house. My grandpa had an older home with many rooms. In the office was a war memorial display case, which housed a model plane, the same kind of bomber on which my grandpa fought. It also housed many medals and other memorial items that belonged to both my grandpa, as well as his brother, Clayton. 

 

Just about every time I went to visit Grandpa Hayes, he'd tell me stories of his time in the service, especially his training in Florida, but rarely did he talk about Clayton. Shortly after my grandpa died, we found a newspaper article about my great-uncle, Pfc. Clayton Hayes, and how he helped a mom and her son carry belongings back to their war-ravaged home in Normandy. The article was from June 3, 1944. At the end of the war, many men came home as war heroes. Unfortunately, Clayton Hayes, died as one, in September 1944, during Operation Market Garden in Holland.

 

This Memorial Day, please take a moment to remember the fallen heroes and pray for their families. Please also pray for those who are currently serving in the military. Before the day is out, take a moment and thank those you know who have served and fought to keep us safe and free. And finally, ask God to give you the strength and courage to live a life worthy of both their sacrifice, and of the Lord's calling on your life. 

 

Who do you know and want to thank on this Memorial Day? 

 

http://normandie44.canalblog.com/archives/2012/01/14/23241133.html

Article on Pfc. Clayton Hayes, and the others in his troop.

©Heather Potts 2022

Mountains

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhxSJlwzrws

Speak to the Mountains ~ Church of the City

I look up to the mountains;

    does my strength come from mountains?

No, my strength comes from God,

    who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

~ Psalm 121:1-2 MSG

Being sick is the pits! Truly, all trials are at least annoying and more often terrifying and draining. But what do we do when we’re stuck in these pits, these trials of sickness and affliction? We cry out for help. David was no different. 

I’ve heard that Bible scholars believe when David wrote Psalm 121, he was looking at the mountains for the soldiers who would pass over them. Because mountains have always been a symbol of strength, an immovable force, David might have been looking to the mountains searching for help. Don’t we all look to the mountains in our lives for help?

When we’re sick, don’t we look to doctors, medicine, or supplements to make us well? When we - or our loved ones - are battling addiction or mental/emotional distress, don’t we look to counselors and therapists for the answers? Of course we do, because those are the tools God gave us to help during trials. But those are tools and created things, which was David’s point when he answered his own question, “Does my strength come from the mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.”

In Revelation 1:8, Jesus reminds us who He is, “I am the Alpha and the Omega...who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” From beginning to ending, as the Almighty, Jesus is and will supply everything we’ll ever need. When we’re sick, Jehovah Rapha is our healer. When we’re feeling lost, Jehovah Raah is our Shepherd and guide. When we’re feeling abandoned and alone, Jehovah Shammah is the Lord who’s there. When we’re in the fight for our lives, our marriage, or our families, Jehovah Nissi is the Banner over us.

Whatever you’re in need of today, remember your help and strength don’t come from the created things that God will use. Your help comes from the Creator, Himself, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfiYWaeAcRw

Shoulders ~ for KING & COUNTRY

©Heather Potts 2021

Strength Found

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_FUHFbyWwU

Strength ~ Melissa Helser & Cageless Birds

 He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound]. [II Cor. 12:9.] ~ Isaiah 40:29 AMPC

The other day, after watching MercyMe’s latest video, “Say I Won’t”, which is a powerful message about persevering in the face of great odds, my thoughts strayed. The video portrays the incredible work this man, a quadruple amputee, has done to still enjoy life with his family. But I noticed that, while his wife was there, they didn’t tell her story…

I will confess, I let my thoughts linger there a little longer than they should have, as I have been the wife who has supported, encouraged, cared for, and prayed desperately for a husband who’s faced struggles over the years. Thankfully, Holy Spirit was faithful to remind me my strength failed quickly, and that it was His strength I was drawing on because He was always with me—with us.

Friend, if you are the spouse, parent, or even child of someone who is walking through major challenges, I can empathize. But I don’t just want to empathize with you. I also want to encourage and challenge you to not rely on your own strength. It’s an easy trap to fall into, one carefully laid out by the enemy, to keep your focus off your hope and help and onto yourself: your wants, your needs, your feelings, your exhaustion… Psalm 121 reminds us that our strength comes not from mountains, which seem so strong, but from God, who made heaven, earth, and the mountains, (vv.1-2).

If you are feeling weary, it’s time to turn back to the One who will refresh you and cause your strength to abound. God knows what He's called you to and knows the journey that lies ahead of you. When you lean fully on God, He will strengthen you to follow Him.

Praying for your journey!

©Heather Potts 2021

My Strength & Song

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_FUHFbyWwU

Strength ~ Melissa Helser & Cageless Birds | 18 Inch Journey Live Worship Moment

 

Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation. ~ Isaiah 12:2 NASB1995

 

On Thursday evening, I received word that my dear friend, Andrea, who’s been battling cancer off and on for over a decade, had seizures again last week. The doctors said they’ve done everything they can for her and feel her body is just tired of fighting, so hospice has been called. I will not lie; the news came as a blow and shock. Regardless of how bad things have looked, God’s always stepped in, in mighty ways. But hearing that they were giving up left me struggling for words. Nevertheless, I went to God and He reminded me to trust and not be afraid, because He is my strength and song.

 

Why am I telling you this and sharing her story? Because we’re all battling something, and we need the reminder that there is hope and help. Regardless of the battle, the solution is the same: Jesus!

 

Isaiah 12:2 says the Lord is our strength, which reminds me of a young child dancing on her daddy’s feet. You are that young child, invited to stand on your Daddy’s feet. We are called, not to stand in our own strength, but to take each step in His! The verse also says that He is our song. There are numerous scriptures of singing praises to God. The one that stands out the most to me is Psalm 149:6-9, which says that praising God takes the chains off you and puts them around the enemy. The imagery reminds me of a story Joyce Meyer told, in Battlefield of the Mind, of a man who’d been sick for many years. He’d been praying to God for healing, but was about to give up, because he was still sick. Then God gave him a vision, showing that a messenger of Satan was sent to speak lies to the man. But when the man spoke the Word of God, a sword and a flame came out of the man’s mouth to attack the messenger.

 

There is power in our praising and strength in our God! Father, I ask that You would continue to strengthen us. Lord, I pray for healing for Andrea and all of us. Lord, as Jesus sent out all doubters from the house before he healed the girl who was thought to be dead, we banish all doubt from our minds and our homes! Let only praise be heard in our houses and on our lips. Father, I thank you that You are our strength and our song, and we will win our battles in You! In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen!

©Heather Potts 2020

Hope in Darkness

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIS0ToE3Pl8

I Exalt Thee ~ Jesus Image Worship

 

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

 

The message in Jeremiah 29:11 is one of hope for a dark season. But what many of us don’t realize is that it wasn’t given on Monday and then by Friday, everything was sunshine and bubbles. The message of hope, in this verse, was meant to light the path down a long, dark tunnel that lasted several more decades. That’s exactly why God sends messages of hope. He knows that we’ll need His promises to endure our long, dark seasons—some lasting longer than others, and all lasting much longer than we’d like.

 

Yesterday, we heard that a friend is very sick. Even though this sickness appeared suddenly, God wasn’t surprised. The same is true in our darkest moments and toughest days: they may take us by surprise, but God knew they were coming and planned strength and encouragement for us in these times.

 

When the battle is raging, fears are mounting, winds are howling, and the lion is roaring, it can often feel like this season is you against all of them. But after tightening the Belt of Truth, taking up the Sword of the Spirit in one hand and the Shield of Faith in the other, standing firm upon God’s promise, knowing Holy Spirit is with you, and God’s angel armies are your rearguard, you suddenly realize it’s US against them!

 

Regardless of the length or darkness of your season, remember that God is with you. He’s surrounding you and He’s giving you the encouragement and promises you’ll need to persevere.

©Heather Potts 2020

Just Passing Through

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkHo70DeiMM

Yes and Amen ~ Patt Barrett | Bethel Music & Housefire

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Passing through the Valley of Weeping (Baca), they make it a place of springs; the early rain also fills [the pools] with blessings. They go from strength to strength [increasing in victorious power]; each of them appears before God in Zion. ~ Psalm 84:5-7 AMPC

I’ve been studying Psalm 84:5-7 for a while. Though I picked it apart, Holy Spirit had something more to reveal before letting me advance. Beth Moore’s The Quest said we—Christ followers—should journey like those who have a specific destination [the highways to Zion]. But the enemy doesn’t want us to reach our destination. He especially doesn’t want us to bring others along, so he sends multiple distractions, hoping to turn the purposeful into the wandering. Ephesians 4:14 describes wandering Christians as “infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” The wandering may reach their destination, but they waste a lot of time, allowing distractions—both good and bad—to carry them far from the path. But upon finding their way back, the Lord draws them “from strength to strength” until they make it home, (Psalm 84:7).

God sent us on this journey, so we’ll influence others—family, neighbors, co-workers—who are already watching us. They’re watching, because they’ve heard of how God walked with us through the hard times [Valley of Weeping], and then turned our “mourning into dancing,” (Psalm 84:6; Psalm 30:11). After passing through the valleys, we’re able to look back and see how God has increased our faith and drawn us closer to His side. Others see it, too, and are drawn to it, like a sweet fragrance. 2 Corinthians 2:14-15 says we—Christ followers—are the fragrance of Christ and God uses our lives to spread His fragrance everywhere.

When others question your hope, peace, and joy while the rest of the world is in chaos and disarray, with bold confidence, you can say, “This world isn’t my home. I’m just passing through – would you like to come along?”

©Heather Potts 2020