encouragement – Page 3

Kay Cude Art: Everything according to its season

Posted on August 3, 2025 by elizabethprata

We worship an orderly God, whose prophecies, whose seasons, whose mankind progresses according to His will. What a blessing it is to know we submit to a God who is perfect, whose mighty hand is outstretched to make Himself known and His works, including the animal world, are a wonder.

Below is a poem by Kay Cude. Right-click to enlarge in new tab. Or read below-

“Foamy crystal drops of damp, and he alights with ease;
to rest upon a liquid bed, his heart content and pleased;
To linger there and end his day, the journey hard and long;
the banks call out to lay upon, his heart by rest made strong.”

1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven—
2A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

Kay Cude is a Texas poet. Used with permission.

encouragement, love, repent, salvation, sin

Our sin is not too big for God!

Posted on July 24, 2025 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

“I was sinking deep in sin…” goes the first line of an old song. (Love Lifted Me, 1912)

No matter how deep in sin a person is, no matter how low…no matter if they are in the gutter, or even one foot down the shaft of the gates of hell (like I was)

God’s arm is not too short to lift you from it!

He won’t make you wait. He won’t toy with you. If you call out to the Lord to save you and forgive your sins, He will, instantly. If you are saved but have sinned or strayed, and you call out to the Lord to forgive you, He will, instantly.

He was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:29-31)

bible, encouragement, scripture

Encouragement: The Road is Long and Winding Road but ends at Jesus’ feet

Posted on July 14, 2025 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

A short burst of encouragement from a verse, with photo.

Friends, the road is long. The road is winding. We cannot see around the curve. We know there are dangers, roils, and snares as well as blessings and joys. However, we know the end of the story. It ends in glory. Keep walking the road in Jesus’ name, rejoicing as you go.

What glories await! There are things now conceived of, inexpressible and majestic! Paul was overwhelmed with the vision of our future home and the surpassing greatness of the revelations he was blessed to receive.

A song by Matt Papa and Matt Boswell at the Getty’s site, “Almost Home”. Every day that passes is one day closer to seeing Jesus, our eternal Rest, and reunion with loved ones. Hang in there, walk joyfully toward the Great Light!

encouragement, Uncategorized

The truth about grace

Posted on July 13, 2025 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Grace is a concept. But it’s not just a concept. Grace is a gift, but it’s not just a gift. Grace is a force. Think about how powerful grace is. Think about its power as it exists in Jesus, as it is delivered to the saints, its common state as it covers the world, and its special state as it enlivens the saints to do our work.

Here is an excerpt about grace from a sermon from John MacArthur called, Strength Perfected in Weakness, looking at this verse: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In speaking of the linchpin part of the passage, ‘my grace is sufficient for you’, MacArthur said,

But grace is not just an inert sort of concept; it is a force, it is a power. It is a power that transforms us. It is a power that awakens us from sleep. It is a power that gives us life in the midst of death. It is a power that is dynamic enough to transform us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s dear Son. It is the power that saves us. It is the power that keeps us, the power that enables us, the power that sanctifies us, and the power that one day will glorify us. You have to look at grace as a force, a divine force that God pours out into the lives of His people at all points to grant them all that they need to be all that He desires.

Grace is a gift.
Grace is a state.
and…
Grace is a POWER.

encouragement, theology

Believers will not die

Posted on July 12, 2025 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

There is a song with the lyric,

One in himself, I cannot die…

Now we read in the Bible in 2 Corinthians 1:22,

and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

We have His seal, the deposit of the guarantee of the Spirit in us for…what? Some versions say for what is to come. So…what exactly?

It’s a big subject but today I want to leave you with one short thought.

A guarantee of eternal life. We cannot die because He that is in us cannot die. We have the Spirit in us, the third Person of the Trinity, IN US, and since He is eternal, we are eternal in life.

The Greek word pledge in the 2Corinthians verse means, earnest-money, a large part of the payment, given in advance as a security that the whole will be paid afterwards.

Sure, all souls who ever lived, even for a few weeks in a womb, all the way to the end of a long life in the triple digits, die physically. We will awaken at the end of all things. Some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt, says Daniel 12:2.

Those of us who are in Christ cannot die spiritually, when we are awakened by His trumpet call it will be to LIFE eternal, the Spirit guarantees it! We cannot die. The eternal Spirit in us cannot die, so we will not die.

There is no guarantee, no deposit, more sure than the Third Person of the Trinity, making a pledge of His own self, for the promise of life eternal in glory.

encouragement, psalm

The Psalms are comforting: rejoice in God’s love!

Posted on July 6, 2025 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Lately, people really need encouragement and grace more than ever. Let’s give it to them just as we would like to receive it from other people when we are in a bad way.

Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)

As for my other security blanket in addition to prayer, it is reading His word. There is nothing like it. The recurring refrain in the Psalm is:

“his steadfast love endures forever”

He loves us–(a gift in itself!)
His love is steadfast; faithful, immovable–(amazing!)
His love is forever; speaking to His eternality. (FOREVER!!)

My oh my, what a gift. No wonder the psalmist spends so much time in exhorting thanks! The Psalm continues to outline His attributes and His works. It is just beautiful. I posted it below so you can read it here. Friends, if you are going through something, or hurting, or just plain weak and tired, read the Psalms. Read the word. Pray. Here is Psalm 136. I hope it blesses you.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

2 Give thanks to the God of gods,

for his steadfast love endures forever.

3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,