Changed by the Spirit

By Gail Rodgers on March 3rd, 2009 at 12:01 am in Devotional, Devotional For Women

3 Comments

Our series of diverse online interactive Bible studies can help you reconnect with God’s word.

There are places and times when we feel we need extra wisdom, insight, guidance and strength. We long for understanding in situations that seem confusing. We need revelation when truth is being hidden or skewed.

God provides all these things to His children through the Holy Spirit. Paul the apostle, prayed for believers to receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so they could know God better.

This prayer is still for us today. It reflects what is available to believers … to you and me.

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you
• may know the hope to which he has called you,
• the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and
• his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” (Ephesians 1:17-20)

Why do we allow ourselves to live in confusion and even chaos when we can be equipped by the Holy Spirit of God? Do we miss the wisdom and revelation we can have from God because we drown out that quiet voice of the Spirit by our busy lives? In so doing we are actually choosing the chaos and confusion. Think about it. This is not God’s plan for you. Know He wants to equip you to walk in wisdom, revelation, strength and power right where you are. He wants you to know Him better.

Think of one area where you are experiencing perplexity, confusion or chaos and invite God right now to begin to show You His wisdom in this situation.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you that Your Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. Thank you that Your Spirit will lead me to know You better. Fill my spirit afresh today with the wisdom and revelation, the strength and comfort I need to walk in the areas that perplex me. Quiet my heart to hear Your Spirit specifically in (name your own perplexing circumstance) . Thank you that You equip me by Your Spirit. I pray these things in the name of Jesus, amen.

Questions: How do we sometimes “miss the wisdom and revelation we can have from God”? How can freshly we seek God’s wisdom and revelation?

About this Author: Gail Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Blessed are the Peacemakers, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

One Another

By Suzanne Benner on March 4th, 2009 at 12:01 am in Devotional, Devotional For Women

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Talk with other Christians and whoever else ends up in our online chat rooms, almost any time of day!

Is the body of Christ an abstract concept to you?

We are not simply individuals; we are part of a group, a group that is to be characterized by loving interactions.

The Bible is loaded with instructions on how Christians should respond to each other. These “one another” statements form the framework for the body of Christ:

Love one another (John 13:34)

Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)

Live in harmony with one another. (Romans 12:16)

Accept one another (Romans 15:7)

Agree with one another (1 Corinthians 1:10)

Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)

Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)

Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. (Colossians 3:13)

Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)

The body of Christ is a place of acceptance, service and love. It is a community full of compassion, encouragement and harmony; a group devoted to humility, forgiveness and unity.

How is such a community developed? One “one another” at a time.

Imagine the impact our lives would have if we focused on practicing a different “one another” each day or the same one for a whole week. What would happen if in the midst of an argument or an interaction with an irritating person, we paused to ask ourselves which “one another” we should be exercising at that moment?

I believe that not only would we be changed, but so would those around us. The body of Christ would be an attractive and transforming agent in our world.

God, I want to live how You have called me to live. Help me begin treating all believers with love, compassion and forgiveness. Show me how to humbly serve those around me.

Questions: Which “one another” do you need to exercise today? Why is God so concerned about how we treat one another?

About this Author: Suzanne Benner

Daily audio podcast: Hear today’s daily devotional One Another read aloud, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Pursuing God

By Gail Rodgers on March 5th, 2009 at 12:01 am in Devotional, Devotional For Women

3 Comments

Go deeper in your faith and pursuit of God by talking with an online mentor.

The demands of life can become front and center in our lives. It is easy to postpone quiet times with God. Will Bruce, in Guidelines for Praying for Your Pastor states, “life’s pressures will always result in spiritual decline unless one is careful to maintain a close walk with the Lord.”

We all experience that decline from time to time as pressures mount in our individual lives. It is because we know this happens that we strive to encourage and build each other up.

God makes a promise:
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

What do you need to do today to actively choose your relationship with Jesus over the many important and busy tasks that call for your attention? He longs to bring that freshness to your soul! Make a choice to become active in pursuing God.

• Actively choose to spend time in His presence
• expose yourself to music that inspires
• turn off the TV and read something that will feed your spirit
• invite Him into every decision
• ask Him which fruit of the Spirit He wants to cultivate in your life today
• pray in a quiet place and not just on the run
• listen for His voice
• read his Word and to ask Him to teach you.

He will be true to His promise! He will come near and refresh your soul.

Father God,
Thank you for each woman You have brought to this site today. Give each one a fresh desire to pursue You. Grant them insight, wisdom and revelation from Your word as they take the time to be refreshed in Your presence. Bless them today in the powerful name of Jesus I pray, amen.

Questions: In which ways do you feel comfortable drawing near to God? Reading? Serving? Singing? Quiet contemplation? And which ways do you find uncomfortable?

About this Author: Gail Rodgers

Daily audio podcast: A second daily devotional, Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread, today on the Men’s Devotional Blog

Prayer to Put on the Armor of God

By Gail Rodgers on February 24th, 2009 at 2:00 am in Devotional, Devotional For Women

Are daily battles of life overwhelming you? Too much stress? Take this Study to help you.

Paul uses the symbolism of the Christian as a soldier who engages daily in the battle with evil. The armor of the soldier is given as the protection in battle.

As Christians, we need to remember that we can have this protection daily as we face the various challenges of our lives. Each morning you can pray through the symbolic pieces of armor and invite the specific help of the Holy Spirit, who the Lord said He would send to be your help and your comforter and your strength.

Prayer to action this in my life from Ephesians 6:10-18:

“Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand…

“Stand firm then with the Belt of Truth buckled around your waist,

(Lord, please give me understanding of what is true and right in every situation I walk into today

“With the Breastplate of Righteousness in place,

(Lord, I thank you that I am loved by You and that You have washed my sin away and covered my doubt)

“and with Your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace.

(Lord, remind me today to be open to what You want me to do, use my hands and feet and show me people You would have me do something for today)

“In addition to all this, take up the Shield of Faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

(Lord, I thank you that by faith in Your power I can be protected from temptation and wrong desires today. Guide me and protect me. Keep me from temptation and increase my faith in You)

“Take up the Helmet of Salvation

(Lord, I celebrate the fact that I am Your child!)

“and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

(Lord, give me the desire to read your Word. Help me not to just read it but to obey it as well.)

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

(Lord, guide my day and gently remind me to bring my problems of the day to You as they arise)

“With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

(Lord, keep me alert and focused on You today for You are my hope!). Amen

Questions: Tell us about a time when you neglected to put on the armor of God? How can one know what it is that God desires us to do? What can you do to help you in your daily battle with evil?

About the Author Gail Rodgers

Loving & Letting Go

Loving and Letting Go

By Charlene Friesen on February 23rd, 2009 at 2:00 am in Devotional, Devotional For Women

Are you hurting from the pain of losing a child to the distractions offered by the world? We care and want to pray for you.

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man. The Lord delights in those who fear him; who put their hope in his unfailing love” (Psalm 147:10-1).

I am a mother, a wife and a daughter. At times I am a counselor, a listening ear, or a cheerleader. Most importantly, however, I am a prayer warrior who chooses to battle on her knees.

Praying on bended knee is an act of stillness, of submission and trust, for no amount of running interference, offering advice or encouragement will orchestrate the ideal situation.

My son, I was there when you wrestled with polynomials. Shaking your fists in the air, vowing never to take a math related job, I suppressed a smile. Good luck, for math is all encompassing.

My son, I wasn’t there the moment you cracked the code of math. But I was there for future “aha” moments that boosted your confidence.

Mom, I was there when you struggled with the emotional effects of cancer, succumbing to depression and quarreling with the one who stood by your side for forty-two years.

Mom, I wasn’t there when you and dad finally agreed to work as a team, but I was there to witness the respect, trust and love that was forty-two years in the making.

My cherished husband, I was there when your faith seemed to lose its edge. The zealousness diminished somewhat and the hunger seemed to abate. My heart ached as you wandered this journey alone, restless. I could not fill that void.

My cherished husband, I wasn’t there the day you met the “iron man.” This new friend, a man with solid Christian values, was divinely appointed to cross your path. He is not only an encourager, but has also been encouraged by you. Your friendship is the essence of “iron sharpens iron.”

My youngest son, I was there when you confided of fair weather friends and endured the taunting of those so-called friends because they didn’t have the courage to stand on their own two feet.

My youngest son, I wasn’t there the day you found a reliable, encouraging group of friends at school. But I was there to hear the tales of school fun and camaraderie.

I have trusted God for my salvation; surely I can also trust Him with my prayers for my family in their individual struggles of faith and relationships. I love them enough to let go and give them to God.

I will not always be there. But God will be.

Heavenly Father, You have called us to encourage one another and offer Godly advice. Yet may we also remember that You alone are the source and the solution. May we love enough to let go, thereby inviting You wholeheartedly to have Your Sovereign way.

Question: What or whom do you need to let go and give to God?

About the Author Charlene Friesen

Halloween Candy Corn

Written October, 2006 by me (Kris)
Any similarity of any others on the web is a pure coincidence.
Please do NOT take my tutorial and claim it as your own.
If you would like to share this tutorial with friends,
Then by all means send them to my blog!

~ Any settings that aren’t shown are default ~

~ What we’ll make ~



~ What we’ll need ~

PSP (I used 8)
EyeCandy 4000 (optional)
Tube: Candy Corn
Right click and save this one or use a tube of your own…


Mura’s Meister – Copies Filter – Download HERE
(Need help installing the filter? Then go to my tut HERE)
A mask of choice
(I’m used mask 187)
~this was already in the program~
Font of choice
(I used CK Pitch)

~ Let’s Begin! ~

1.
Open PSP; open your candy corn or tube of choice
File/Export/Picture Tube
Enter the name of the tube file.

2.
Now you’ll want to open 2 new images
File>New>400 x 250 pixels, transparent

3.
Grab your tube tool
Put a bunch of candy corn onto one of your images
I put 12 onto mine, put as many as you wish…

4.
Now, you’ll want to go to;
Effects/Plug-In/Mura’s Meister/Copies
Settings:
Random
Tile
Behind
All the rest are default settings J

Minimize this for now… J

5.
Go to your next image;
Grab your text tool
Choose a dark color from the corn for the foreground.
Set your background to patterns
And find the candy corn image we made earlier.

In your Text Tool Options;
Settings:
Create As: Vector
Size: 90
(Depending on size of text)
Stroke Width: 2

Type your text and hit apply.

6.
Selections/ Modify/ Contract by 1

Effects/ Plugins/ EyeCandy 4000
Settings:
11.81
75
Inside Marquee
3
0
30
0
30
Click ok

Deselect (CTRL D)

7.
Effects/ 3D Effects/ Drop Shadow

Settings:
V & H: 2
Opacity: 50
Blur: 4.95
Color: Black
Click Ok

Now back to your candy corn image. J

8.
Adjust/Gaussian Blur:
Radius: 8

9.
Layers – Load/Save Mask
Load Mask from Disk…
A box will pop up
Mask: Choose one of your choice
Create Mask From: Source Luminance - checked
Orientation: Fit To Layer - checked
Options: Invert Transparency - unchecked, Hide all Masks – checked
Click Load

Layers/Merge/Merge Group J

10.
Copy this image
Go back to your text image
Paste as a new layer
Now go to Layers/Arrange/Send to bottom
Set the opacity on this layer to 60%
Now Layers/ Merge Visible

11.
Grab your tube tool again
Put some candy corn on your image around your name
Putting each one on a new layer, so that you can move them around if need be

Once you’re happy go to Layers/Merge/Merge Visible

Add a new raster layer and add your water mark at this time.

Layers/ Merge/Merge All Flatten

Save as & you’re done!

Here's another I've made:

Thanks for trying my tutorial.

I hope you’ve enjoyed trying and have learned something.

Feel free to email me with any questions you might have!

Autumn Leaves

This tutorial was written September 29, 2006 by me (Kris),
Any similarity you find to others is a pure coincidence.
Please do NOT take this tutorial and claim as your own.
If you would like to share this tutorial with friends,
Then by all means send them to my blog!

~Settings that are NOT shown in this tutorial are default settings~

~What we’ll make~



~What we’ll need~

PSP

(I used Version8, but any version will do)
Animation Shop
Patience with me, lol
DSB Flux Filter
Toadies Filter
An Autumn Leaf tube

(the ones I used were built in tubes)
Font of choice

(I’m using Signature)

~ Save Often! ~

~ Let’s begin! ~

1.
Ok open up a new image 500 x 500 pixels

(we’ll crop and resize later)

2.
Grab your tube tool

If you’re using 7 it looks like a little different,

but it’s just above the flood fill tool.

3.
Go to your tool options,

8 opens up right along the top

if it doesn’t go to View/Palettes/Tool Options and it’ll come up,

if you’re using 7 right click on the tool and click on tool options

and you’ll get a little box that pops up.

Click the little window to choose your tube

scroll down a bit and you should find Autumn leaves.

4.
Click on your image and you’ll get your first leaf.

I have 6 leaves for mine,

make a new layer for each leaf,

it makes it easier to move them around if need be.

Once you’ve got your leaves where you want them

go to Layers/Merge Visible.

right click on the layer & rename your layer to leaves.

5.
Now, you’re going to Duplicate the layer so that you have 2 layers.

Layers - Duplicate (or right click in the layer palette & click Duplicate)
Make your bottom layer the active layer and X out the top layer

6.
Now, you want to blur the bottom layer with

Gaussian Blur:

Radius 15

7.
Then you want to go to

Effects/Plug-ins/DSB Flux/Blast
Settings:
Direction:

Left, Percentage: 20, click ok
Do this again, but change the direction to right
Do this again, but change the direction to upwards
Do this again, but change the direction to downwards

8.
Now go to

Effects/Plug-ins/DSB Flux/Blast ‘em!

Settings:
Diffuse: 41

Transparency: 93

click ok

Un-X the top layer and make it the active layer,

move it slightly to the right and up a little with your mover tool.

9.
Add a drop shadow

Effects/3D Effects/Drop Shadow
Settings:
Vertical and Horizontal: 5

Opacity: 60

Blur: 3.95

Color: Black

10.
Now grab your Text tool - look in your tool options

Settings:

Create As: Vector

Size: 72 (depends on size of text)

Stroke Width: 2
Set your foreground to #FEA823
Set your background to #D23D0E

(choose colors from your tube)

Type out your text and apply

11.
X out your text and click on the leaves layer and merge visible
Un-X the text layer and make it the active layer

12.
Duplicate text layer 2 times

to make 3 text layers

Click on the bottom text layer and

X out the top 2 layers

13.
Now you want to go to; Effects/DSB Flux/Bright Noise:
Setting:
Mix: Checked

Intensity: 25

click ok
Do this with the 2nd text layer,

but change the intensity to 30,

making sure the layer is UN-X'D
Do this again with the 3rd layer,

but change the intensity to 35,

making sure the layer is UN-X'D

14.
Duplicate the Merged layer 2 times

so you have 3 Merged layers

15.
Drag your bottom text layer to just above the bottom merged layer
Drag the middle text layer to just above the middle merged layer

16.
Click on the top text layer, Layers/ Merge Down
Click on the middle text layer, Layers/ Merge Down
Click on the bottom text layer, Layers/ Merge Down

17.
Grab your crop tool

Merged Opaque and double click on your image drag the little nodes

so it’s close enough to the image, but not cutting any off, and it’s cropped!

**Now for the Animation**

** Open Animation Shop**

18.
Go back to PSP and click on the bottom layer

copy (ctrl C) go to A/S and paste (ctrl V)
Go back to PSP and click on the middle layer

copy (ctrl C) go to A/S and past after current frame (ctrl shift L)
Go back to PSP and click on the top layer

copy (ctrl C) go to A/S and paste after current frame (ctrl shift L)

And view, resize if need be, if you like it Save As

And that’s it!

Thanks for trying my tutorial.
I hope you’ve enjoyed trying and have learned something.
Feel free to email me with any questions you might have!