By Roy Lessin

If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing]. James 4:15 AMP

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Matthew 6:34 AMP

Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. May Your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. Psalm 143:10 NLT

One thing you can be certain about in the coming year is that you can’t be certain about what is ahead. This is a great blessing, because you do not need to know. To know what is ahead and the details of what will happen would be too great a burden to carry and too great a responsibility to bear.

What you do need to know about the future is not what is ahead of you, but Who is ahead of you. It is the Lord who goes before you, is ahead of you, and is preparing the way for you. Your future is in His sure, strong, caring hands.

I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you. Genesis 28:15 NLT

As you pass through the door of 2011 and enter the door of 2012, here are six of the needs you are certain to have…

1.     There will be the need for prayer:

Until you get to heaven, there will always be the need for prayer. In every prayer as a believer, you will be speaking to the living God, your loving Father—the One who invites you to come, the One who hears your cries, the One who answers your prayers, and the One who will work all things together for the good according to His will and purpose.

2.     There will be the need to trust:

God does not want you to be fearful or worried about what is ahead. He will give what you need when you need it; He will tell what you need to know when it is time to know it; He will show what you need to see when it is time to see it. When He is silent about any matter, be at peace about it and do not become anxious.

3.     There will be the need to obey:

You will never outgrow your need for obedience. To obey the Lord is to please the Lord. He will always give you the provision, the time, and the opportunity to do what He has asked you to do. If He is not asking you to do anything new or different at the present time, continue to do the last thing He asked of you.

4.     There will be the need to forgive:

No one will ever act perfectly or speak perfectly to you. Even those who love you will not perform perfectly. Forgiveness is an attitude of the heart and a choice of the will that you must walk in each day. Some people carry hurt, bitterness, or resentment in their hearts for years, never wanting to let go of the past. As you go through the door of 2012, drop at the entryway, all the hurts of yesterday and carry them no more.

5.     There will be the need to be faithful:

In 2012 you will need to press on in the will of God for your life; you will need to walk on through the valleys and over the mountain tops that you will face; you will need to carry on in your service of love to others; you will need to live on in the will of God with a thankful heart, with praise upon your lips, and with zeal in your spirit.

6.     There will be the need for Jesus:

Every day, in every moment, through every circumstance of 2012, you will need Jesus. You will need Him fully and you will need to trust Him completely. You will need His grace to enable you, His Spirit to empower you, His strength to support you, and His counsel to instruct you in all the will of God.

by Charles R. Swindoll

Read 2 Samuel 7:18–29; 1 Chronicles 22:1–6

What a father! He may have been weak at other times, but at this
moment, David stands tall. “Lord, I know You don’t want me to fulfill the dream,
but, Lord, I’m going to set apart as much as I can to support my son as he
fulfills the dream that was on my heart.” What an unselfish response.

I see two simple truths in all this. First, when God says no,
it means He has a better way, and He expects me to support it.

Second, my very best reaction is cooperation and
humility. He doesn’t call everybody to build the temple, but He does call
everyone to be faithful and obedient. Some of you who are reading this are
living with broken dreams. Sometime in the past you had high hopes that your
life would go in a certain direction. But the Lord, for some mysterious reason,
has now said, “No.” And you’ve moved along in life and now you’re up in years,
and you find yourself slowly becoming shelved, and the younger ones are taking
charge and moving on. How quickly age takes over!

Just about the time we get our act together, we’re too old to pull
it off. And so we release it to the Solomon in our lives. It takes genuine
humility to say to that person, “May God be with you. I’ll do everything I can
to support you in seeing that it gets accomplished.”

Do you identify with David? Did you have your hands full of your
dreams and your visions, ready to present them to God on the altar of sacrifice?
Did you have your plans all prepared and thought through, only to see them
crumble at your feet? And now you’re standing there, empty-handed?

Know this: God is ready to fill your empty hands like you would
never believe, if you will only lift them up to Him in obedience and praise, as
David did. God is still alive and well, and He knows what He’s doing. To some He
says yes. To others, no. In either case, the answer is best. Why? Because God’s
answers, while surprising, are never wrong.

My Grandpa Hull was a Baptist preacher, and I was fortunate enough to sit in his congregations several times….at least that I remember. He died at the age of 65, November 1963. This year I turned 65, and recently found this Bible (that was given to me by my Grandma Hull), and had renewed interest in this wonderful Bible. Grandpa Hull was a worker of God’s word up until he died. It got me thinking when I brought this down from the attic….what I have I done that will count for eternity? What a legacy he left….without really knowing it. This Bible reveals so much about him.

You can see that he took apart his Bible so that he could insert his notes within the words of God…they were his notes.

These are notes he wrote regarding what he gleaned from Psalm 39:4.  Ah, this then is his answer to me, these 48 years later…..about what I can do that will count for eternity. One thing he wrote that struck me in the heart: “Our waking hours must be faith hours…..and if we don’t leave a trail behind us, who can follow?” Oh my, Grandpa! Thank you for reminding me that being a Grandma now, has great rewards! The trail I can leave behind can include drops of faith, leaves of prayer for my grandchildren. What a legacy that will be one day. I pray it will.

He took this Bible, I would imagine, whenever he would travel to fill in for another pastor. I love the typewriter he used. He typed just his beginning thoughts….but never finished them as all he needed was just the beginning of his thoughts. With these beginning thoughts, he could complete teaching what God had taught him.

“Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am” ~Psalm 39:4

Today, my heart is submerged in His loving-kindness. I am at a loss for words to describe His character. Can I really absorb the fact that He is my Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord my healer…….that He is my Jehovah-Shalom, the Lord my peace? Can I really fathom that He has already answered me in the day of my distress? That He gives me richly all things to enjoy?  That He enjoys giving songs in the night for me to hear? That He has given me great joy today. He is my merciful God.

Why, then, why do I doubt Him?

Because I think on a human level and cannot understand His loving and compassionate ways. I want to learn more Who He is, about His ways and then I can start to see Him as my Jehovah-Go’el, the Lord my Redeemer!

As I found this scripture this morning….it became to me a glimpse of Who He is….

‘Yet even now,” declares the LORD,
“Return to Me with all your heart,
And with fasting, weeping and mourning;
And rend your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to the LORD your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And relenting of evil.
Who knows whether He will not turn and relent
And leave a blessing behind Him,
Even a grain offering and a drink offering
For the LORD your God? “   ~Joel 2: 12-14

Slippery Elm is a large tree, 50 to 65 feet high that is one to four feet thick. The bark is reddish-brown with the bark deeply furrowed in a strait perpendicular manner that is very rough. The part that is used medicinally is the innermost layer that is next to the wood that is white with a fibrous texture.

This is probably my favorite herb…so healing and one of the safest too. Slippery elm bark is good for the digestive system…… neutralizing acidity, protecting and coating the mucous membranes along the GI tract.  It also buffers damaged, inflamed, and irritated wall linings of the stomach and intestinal tract. Slippery elm bark has a lot of life sustaining nutrients.  I’ve heard that it can help the following symptoms: indigestion, nausea, cramps, ulcers, colitis, gastritis and kidney problems.  And one thing I learned as a bonus….it helps keep you very regular!

If you have stomach problems, excessive flatulence, or intestinal problems, Slippery Elm is a godsend. Needless to say, I love Slippery Elm and have found it to be a great, healing herb.

The King of herbs, Reishi Mushrooms benefits  your health in many ways.  Known in China as an “elixir of immortality”,  researchers have found this mushroom to strengthen your immune system, fight viruses and bacteria, reduce cholesterol and help prevent fatigue. Reishi is a purely medicinal mushroom and not usually used in cooking  because it is hard and it tastes very bitter.   You probably will not find Reishi mushrooms at your local supermarket, but they can be found as concentrated extracts and in combinations specifically formulated to improve your immune system.

• You are pregnant or breast-feeding.
• You have low blood pressure.
• You have a blood clotting disorder.

I feel I need to list the above, even though I have never had any of those side effects. If taken as directed on the bottle, I doubt that you will have much problems. It is indeed the King of Herbs.

DANDELION

Years ago, my Grandma Hull gathered the Dandelion leaves along with some of the unopened buds to cook and eat as you would greens. We sprinkled vinegar on top and enjoyed. At that time I didn’t realize the benefits of the whole herb. Today, my focus will be on the roots of this popular weed….yes! weed! By the way, we Americans spend thousands upon thousands of dollars killing this wonderful herb! So to continue about the benefits…..the medicinal actions of dandelion tea seem to target the digestive and eliminative systems of the body. The dandelion is an agent for stimulating the release of bile from the liver into the gallbladder, hence aiding in the digestion of fat. Other benefits:

Dandelion Root Tea is an excellent all around herbal tonic for anyone!

HAWTHORN BERRY

I have used this very safe herb quite a few years ago when I was experiencing heart palpitations during my menopausal years. I read that is would help ease those palpitations. Wow…did it ever work. I also learned that doctors in Germany prescribe this herb (that is usually in a blend) to treat their heart patients. The United States is far behind in herbology. Most US doctors do not get this training as part of their study. Too bad, because here is what it can do:

Used to promote the health of the circulatory system, treat angina, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia and has been found to strengthen the heart. Hawthorn is widely regarded in Europe as a safe and effective treatment for the early stages of heart disease and has been used for a number of ailments including angina, myocarditis, arteriosclerosis, nervous conditions like insomnia, and diarrhea. It has also been indicated for strengthening blood vessels, vascular insufficiency and blood clots, restoring the heart muscle wall, lowering cholesterol and to aid digestion.

And I do need to add that if you have a heart condition, don’t use hawthorn without the recommendation of your healthcare provider….especially if you take other medications…..

Which leads me to a point that I want to stress. The reason that these herbs work so well is because they are powerful. Just because they are “natural” does not mean they won’t cause a problem. They can be safe taken in the amounts listed by the manufacture. But be careful if you take other medications.

Next time I will tell you about SLIPPERY ELM and REISHI MUSHROOM. Stay tuned!