Category Archives: Greatfulness

November 8th 2017 -Depleted, but not Defeated!

There are sometimes times in our lives when we have been hit by blow after blow, and we feel defeated and depleated. During these occasions, it is easy to lose all hope. God does not want us to live out our daily existence discouraged or hopeless, so He has given us his word as a source of blessing and encouragement.

(Deuteronomy 20:4) “for the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.”

We all have battles that we fight even in today’s modern world. It might not be a physical war against other human beings, but rather our struggles may be against our own thought patterns, bad habits or weaknesses.

Sometimes these situations and circumstances that we face that are out of our control. Whatever the case, this verse in Deuteronomy can fill you with hope and courage. The author reminds us that it is the Lord who goes with us to fight for us against our enemies—whoever or whatever that may be. God not only fights for us, but he also gives us the victory.

(Deuteronomy 28:7) “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.”

(Matthew 19:26) “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

(Romans 8:37) “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

One of the most encouraging thoughts for you to know is that even when things seem the worst, that God is in control. He starts from a point of victory in every situation, and he easily overcomes what feels impossible to us. Every time I struggled with feelings of loss and defeat, Like I felt this morning. We have to remind ourselves so our hope can be restored.

(1 Corinthians 15:57) “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

(1 John 5:4) “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

God does not want us to ever to be overcome by feelings of defeat and despair in spite of the crushing blows we receive. He has given us His powerful word full of encouragement and hope to strengthen us instead. Ultimately, His will for us is that we live our lives in victory.

“When your lost and can’t seem to find your way, seek God for guidance, encouragement and hope!”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask You to replace sadness my with joy, defeat with victory, and weariness with praise. Help me when I feel defeated, weary or sad to focus on Your blessings in my life rather than on my circumstances. Remind me to praise You the Father at all times so I may obtain life and hope. I ask that You bring all things to my memory that concern You and Your plans in my life. Holy Spirit, please increase my hope as I focus on Your Word. Help me to not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of my mind. Strengthen and renew me in my innermost being. Destroy the fiery darts of the enemy that attempt to pierce my souls. May always always hear Your voice and obey Your will. Father, help me to overcome today fears. Thank You for the ones in my life that Love me. I praise You and Love You Lord in all circumstances. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Here is a list of crisis numbers for 24 hour help line. Click on the link for help —-> Broken Believers

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 7th 2017 – Someone That Cared

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“Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.” (Acts 13:3-5)

In the book of Acts, the progression of the life of Paul is revealed. Initially, we see Paul fighting against God. Paul is living out his life doing his ‘own thing’ when he meets God in a very real way. Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus began this progression where we see him begin to give his life over to God. The book of Acts allows us to watch first hand as we see this man give his life away. One danger is to look at Paul’s life and think, “Wow, that was great for Paul, but can my life really make a difference?” I used to ask myself the same question, but not anymore.

You see, one of the beautiful truths of God’s Word is that God will work through anybody who is willing. He is not looking for ability, but for availability. Throughout the Bible we see men and women accomplishing great and incredible things. These men and women had some of the same weaknesses and wanderings we do, yet the Lord used them to touch many lives. The most difficult part of this journey is the first step. I encourage you to take the first step. Step out in faith and begin to walk the incredible journey God has planned for you. You will look back in amazement at what the Lord will do. I know I do every day.

“We all should be ministers and make a difference in this world.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, You tell us to pray for workers in the harvest. Lord, I want to pray that You make me a worker in the harvest. Whatever my gifts and abilities are I lay them before You now and ask You to work through me to help change this world. I know I am not saved through these acts of service, but because I am grateful for Your forgiveness, I desire to serve so others may come to know You. I am a Christian because someone cared. Now it is my turn. In Jesus’ precious and glorious name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 6th 2017 – Your Uniquely Gifted

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“For what gives you the right to make such a judgment? What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

God has uniquely gifted you in special ways because He has special things for you to do. Enjoy the calling God has gifted you with, but be careful where your eyes wander. It can be easy to begin coveting another’s gifts. When we get wrapped up in envy, we can neglect our own calling, pridefully telling God that He gave us the wrong gifts. Ask yourself, on who does pride misplace your reliance? Pride is a dangerous thing, and it has wrecked many a man despite the best intentions.

(Romans 12:3) “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”

So, how do you explore your gifts? You won’t unearth much sitting on your couch. Pray and ask God how you can help. Through serving the Lord, you will begin to identify those things God has equipped you to do. As you use your gifts, you will discover and develop skills you didn’t know you had. Gifted musicians spend hours practicing; the more you use your gifts the more gifted you become. Are you faithfully using your gifts?

“We have all been given gifts by God. We should develop our gifts for the glory of God and to bless others.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for uniquely gifting me with talents and resources. Lord, I want to use my gifts for You. I want to experience the joy You have for me. Lord, I know I have been ungrateful for the gifts You have given me. Forgive me. Forgive me for being so distracted by what others are doing and not focusing on what You have blessed me with. I offer You all of my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

November 1st 2017 – An Important Privilege

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“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father Amaziah had done.” (2 Chronicles 26:3-4)

If you were to take a poll of the world’s most important jobs, you would no doubt find teachers, policemen and others like them at the top of the list. While those in these positions are indeed important, I wonder how many would place parents at the top of that list. God tells us in His Word that children are a blessing from the Lord and yet many parents today seem to see children as a hindrance. Children are not a hindrance to abundant life but can be a catalyst for mothers and fathers to experience life to the fullest. The key is to see parenting as the sacred task that it is. When we do, we realize the importance of guiding our children into the arms of Jesus.

(Proverbs 22:6) ” Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Each person’s life will impact the world in some way. It may be good or bad depending on choices made, but it will impact someone. When a mother and a father dedicate their lives to demonstrating Jesus to their child and speaking about the things of God, they are adding years to their lives impact. The legacy left to their children will echo throughout their life and on into the next. In fact, it could be said that the influence we have on our children echoes into eternity. We see this clearly in the passage above. Uzziah was crowned at sixteen and because his father led him in the ways of the Lord, he was prepared to lead the people according to God’s Word. We may not be over kingdoms, but how we lead our children can impact their lives and the lives of their children and their children’s children forever.

“Parents you have been given a sacred task in raising their children in a godly manner.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your love and for the opportunity to be Your child. Lord, I thank You for the children You have given me and for the honor of being a parent. Help me to come alongside my children to raise them according to Your Word. Give me wisdom and insight in how to encourage and discipline rightly so that they may see Jesus in me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 28th 2017 – The Journey

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“Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep.” (Genesis 28:10-11)

Jacob had quite a journey in front of him. He would be traveling hundreds of miles to eventually reach his destination. Even though Rebekah and Isaac sent him to find a wife, the reality of his brother Esau wanting to kill him was there. This journey was not like the journey we would be taking today. This would be a journey in a wilderness, traveled by foot. At this point in the journey Jacob had been walking all day. He was tired enough to lay his head on a stone and fall asleep.

Right before this journey we see that Jacob received a promise from his father. He was told that he would have the fat of the land, plenty of grain and wheat, people would serve him, and that he would inherit land. Now in the wilderness, on the run from his brother, that thought had to be conflicting. It would be to anyone? Jacob had been told that he would inherit the promise, but the promise was yet to come.

Do you find yourself there today? Has God given you a word for your life, but you are stuck between the promise and fulfillment of the promise. Take heart because God is using scenarios in your life to do an amazing work in your life. God will fulfill His promise in due time. In the meantime He is doing a transformative work in your life.

“When you find yourself in the place between the promises and fulfillment, Take heart that He is doing a transformative work in you.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for always working on my behalf. Give me the strength to Trust You in the good times and bad. I am thankful You are always faithful even when I question or don’t understand. Continue to do Your work in my heart. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 25th 2017 – Stop the Whining

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“But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” (1 Corinthians 10:5-6)

Have you ever seen a child watching their cartoons? They sit happily watching the colorful characters they love on the screen. But, it’s interesting to watch what happens if you were to shut off the show. That once happy child turns into a loud, demanding whiner. “I want to watch it,” they demand as they kick and scream when they are told “no.” I wish this picture stopped at childhood. Sure… we’ve toned it down a bit, but how often do we find ourselves discontented and whining for the next job, house, car or spouse? This is not a new phenomenon by any means. In fact, Moses was threatened many times by a mob of angry whiners.

(Numbers 11:5) “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

The children of Israel had been receiving supernatural food from heaven and yet they were whining for something more. God has provided all eternity for us through Jesus. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we can be forgiven. Because of His great love we can have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. With this Truth forever on our minds, how could we ever whine again? Instead, we should live content, thankful lives because the God of all creation loves us unconditionally.

“We need to stop the Continual Whining and take notice of our Blessings.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the life You have given me. Lord, forgive me if I have whined or complained about life when You have blessed me in so many ways. Help me to see the amazing blessings all around me today and to share those blessings with others I meet. Fill me with Your Spirit and use me to reach others with the message of the Gospel. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 23rd 2017 – Falling Short

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“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” (Psalm 15:1)

It’s an excellent question to ask ourselves. When we see the rest of the verses in Psalm 15 we see how we all fall short of God’s glory.

(Psalm 15:2-5) “He who walks uprightly, And works righteousness, And speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
He who does not put out his money at usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.”

The truth is that none of us can dwell in God’s presence. None but Jesus that is. Yet through Jesus we can partake of His forgiveness, and through His forgiveness we can partake of the power of Christ, that raised Him from the dead, to walk in the ways of the Lord. All of us have failed to speak truth, have failed in loving our neighbor and speaking to our neighbor the way Jesus loved us. Yet, as we partake of Jesus, we can partake of the newness of life and as we do we can walk in the promise:

(Psalm 15:5) “He who does these things shall never be moved.”

Jesus wasn’t moved away from God’s will and as we trust in Him we won’t be easily moved outside of His will either.

“We could not go to God on His Holy Hill. God came to this earth from His Holy Hill, to die for our sins, so we can be declared righteous and innocent, and then we can go to God’s Holy Hill.”

Prayer:

Havenly Father, I thank You that You were able to walk to that Holy Hill to die for my sins. Now by Your power I can have Your freedom and forgiveness and stability. Please give me Your power to walk in it continually. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 21st 2017 -You Are God’s Masterpiece

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“And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.” (Jeremiah 18:4)

A mound of clay, by itself, is not a very beautiful thing. It may have some minimal value but in the end, it’s still a pile of dirt. That is, until the potter gets a hold of it. Once the potter gets involved, this pile of dirt begins to take shape. As the potter presses in, the clay becomes thinner. The potter then reaches into the center and is able to scoop out all the excess clay within. While the clay began as a formless pile of dirt, it ends up as a beautiful masterpiece.

(Ephesians 2:10) “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

When God found us, we were like the clay – dirty and formless. We may have tried to mold ourselves but only the potter is able to mold the clay. Once the Heavenly Potter came into our lives, He began molding and shaping us into the image of His Son, Jesus. With each firm press of His hand, we are changed. With every scrape of His tools, sin starts to fall from our life. This is our Heavenly Father at work and while it is painful, it is worth it. God knows what we need and He is the perfect potter who’s loving hands will sculpt our lives into something far greater than we could ever understand. All we have to do is let Him.

“God desires to make a masterpiece of your life.”

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I am sorry for my resistance to Your hands in my life. I know that I need to be molded more into Your image, and I ask that You would place my life onto Your potter’s wheel. Carve off the sin in my life and shape me into a vessel that can be used for Your Kingdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart or want to recommit. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 13th 2017 – The Marriage Test

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“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)

Have you ever found yourself irritated with your spouse – not happy with him or her very much – even though you know you love your spouse? Most of us have had those days! It’s perfectly normal. No two people can live together for any length of time without once in awhile rubbing each other the wrong way.

What’s important is how you handle these kinds of times. If you let those feelings of hurt or disappointment take over – your marriage will suffer. You will create a rift in your relationship. So you have to make a choice. You have to decide to love. You may not feel loving, but if you decide to love, the feelings will follow.

You have to learn to demonstrate unconditional love to your spouse. Unconditional love is necessary for a strong marriage. Are you practicing unconditional love in your marriage? Here are some questions to consider:

* Have you accepted your spouse’s failures or weaknesses?

* Do you support your spouse, or do you see his or her weakness as projects to fix.

* Are you afraid to be honest because your spouse might not accept you?

There is a huge difference between unconditional love and conditional love. Conditional love blames a person, expects things in return, and asks for more. Unconditional love accepts the person, expects nothing in return and sacrifices.

Conditional love says:

* I will love you only if..

* I don’t know if I can handle the tough times. If things get too bad I’m outta here.

* I might not be able to forgive you if you tell me.

Unconditional love says:

* I will love you even if…

* I will stay with you no matter what. I will always love you, even in the tough times.

* I know I’ll still love you if you tell me.

Our spouse isn’t perfect and we were blessed to get to know them intimately and on a deeper level then others. We are the ones who sees all his or her faults and fears. What do you do with what you know about your spouse?

* Do you tease your spouse with hurtful words?

* Worse, do you tease your spouse with hurtful words in front of others?

* Do you put your spouse down?

* Do you withhold your love until your spouse corrects certain faults?

If you answered “yes” to a majority of these questions, you are loving conditionally and creating a huge rift in the fabric of your marriage. If you continue loving with conditions, it can at any moment become a large tear between you.

Conditional love creates a marriage in which each spouse is more concerned with getting his or her own way, instead of showing their spouse grace and love.

Your response and connection to your spouse are crucial to the health of your marriage and family. Your expression of unconditional love and acceptance is the force that will hold you together in the midst of the testing times in your marriage. Your standing with each other in the painful times as well as the good times is one of the primary elements of a great marriage.

If you love each other conditionally, you’ll end up living like two immature children – each trying to get your own way and resenting the other person when you don’t. You may still be married, but you’ll miss our on the joy of a great marriage. Also, husbands and wives who don’t get unconditional love in their marriage may look for it somewhere else. And while they’re looking for that unconditional love – they’re pulling away from their spouse.

Learning unconditional love is worth it, but it’s not always easy. Giving your spouse the security of your unwavering love requires grace, patience, affirmation of the good things, encouragement, respect and time. Even when you don’t feel like showing love, do it anyway. You need it; your spouse needs it; your marriage needs it..

Here are some tips on how to keep your dream marriage alive.

Talk through the issues. Communicate freely with each other and keep no inappropriate secrets.

Love each other deeply, without strings. Forgive your spouse when you are wronged and seek forgiveness when you offend.

Begin each day by asking, “What can I do for you?” Eagerly seek to discover and meet each other’s needs.

Hang tough. Pray without ceasing. Instead of caving in to difficult circumstances, face and conquer them.

Focus on Christ, and love your spouse. Consciously guard yourselves against threats and temptations that could pull your marriage apart.

Pray together daily. Stay close. Work at maintaining emotional, physical and spiritual closeness.

Keep the chemistry with your spouse alive. Be committed to keeping your relationship fresh.

Keeping your marriage strong, vibrant and fresh isn’t always easy. But if you put in the time and effort, you’ll discover how truly amazing your marriage can be.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29)

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, Even before we got married, we had dreams for our future. Our lives were planned out. But soon we discovered that things tend to change. Life happens, and every once in a while you’re given a detour. Some of those detours were quick and easy. Others had us wondering what You were up to, where You were taking us, and how soon our trials would end, but through every change and every trial, Your love remained constant. Help us to trust in Your plan when it doesn’t match ours. Give us the strength to hold onto our faith when we can’t see the path. There isn’t a trial we can’t endure when we’re leaning on You. There isn’t a weight we can’t bear when You carry us through. Keep leading the way, Lord, and make our steps steady and sure, and Thank you for my spouse. In Jesus’ we pray. Amen.

SPECIAL NOTE

“Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife Tina today. (In picture above) I Love you. I am so blessed to have you in my life”

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you have never asked Jesus into your heart or want to recommit. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

October 7th 2017 – Open Doors

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“And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.” Then he invited them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.” (Acts 10:22-23)

In Acts chapter 10, we see the doors opening wide for all of humanity to hear the Gospel. Until this time, only a select few knew of the Good News about Jesus. That was about to change, drastically. The Good News presented and accepted by this group of gentiles would impact all of mankind. The world would never be the same.

Now that we have heard the Good News, we have the privilege to help others hear it. In Genesis chapter 4, Cain posed the question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is a resounding ‘yes’. We are responsible for reaching this generation with the Good News that God loves them and died for their sins.

“We should work together to reach the world.”

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, Thank You that because I asked You to forgive me, You have indeed forgiven me. There are still many people who have not accepted You as Lord and Savior. Lord, please give me a burden to reach people. Lord, I will join together with my brothers and sisters to reach the world. Help me to care about whether they come to You or not. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you are in need of prayer for yourself or others, please Click Here

If you are seeking Jesus in your life or want to recommit your life to Him. Click here to learn more.

Rob Lavallee

Scriptural Seeds Ministries

http://www.scripturalseeds.org

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