Author laralove

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;” Colossians 4:2……. I have a precious new fellow-Christ-follower friend who shared with me how the Lord has used a fiery trial he has faced on and off for years to teach him an awesome lesson I believe many if not all of us need to learn and put into practice if we have not already. For years, it seems, his prayers were centered on someone specific in his life. His concern was for that person as well as I would imagine for himself because of how that person’s challenges affected him. Then the Lord opened his heart to see there are countless people facing the same fiery trial or a similar one anyway to the one he faced as well as his loved one. So he began to pray earnestly for others in the same situation. But he didn’t stop there. He asked others to pray for them as well. What began as a brother-in-Jesus praying in a way he didn’t look much beyond his loved one and himself became an opportunity for the Lord to give him a deep compassion and sensitivity and care for countless others with a resolve to love, care for, and pray for them, too. How easy it is with our sinful nature when we face struggles or love people who face struggles to not see beyond them and ourselves. How beautiful it is to see how the Lord can use our struggles to lead us to love, care about, care for, help, support, pray, etc. for many, many others. This world is in dire need of Jesus, in dire need of hearing the Gospel message, in dire need of seeing His love directly from Him and through His followers, and in dire need of receiving help in beginning a relationship with Him and forever following Him. Let’s not be consumed with ourselves and our struggles and those closest to us. Let’s open our hearts and eyes and love and help any the Lord desires all in His name all for His glory, AMEN!

THROW IT AWAY “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” 1 John 2:17 “Throw it away,” the Spirit of God said simply, clearly, and firmly to my heart. About something He wanted me to toss in the trash. Hmm. Maybe? Possibly? I could. Or not. Should I? Or shouldn’t I? Yes, it’s appalling. When God tells us to throw something away, should there be any debate? Should we consider our wishes, ways, and wants? Or should we consider JESUS CHRIST IS LORD and we are to LIVE FOR HIM? Sometimes the Lord tells us to throw away something we are totally ready to let go. Other times, we desperately want to hold on. Sometimes we simply feel like picking a fight. Or whatever. Seriously. It’s amazing how capable we are in one breath of saying, “I believe Jesus Christ is Lord.” And in the next breath saying: “No way! I will NOT throw that away.” Or, “let me think about it.” Some people are hoarders. They hold onto everything. Others pick and choose. Some keep barely anything around. Minimalists, I believe they’re called. Sometimes God tells us to throw away wicked thoughts. Bad relationships. Unwise decisions. Wrong jobs. Even good stuff. Nothing wrong with the stuff, but it’s simply not His will. Bottom line? My heart’s cry is to have no resistance to the Lord – ever. To be totally submitted to Him. To not question. To have in my heart something like this: “Yes, Jesus.” Yes, Lord. And in my actions? Obedience. For those who love Jesus obey Him. And when He says throw it away, there should be no question. If we’re clear it’s the Lord speaking, and He only and always speaks in line with the Bible, then we know what to do. Love Him. And obey. For the glory of Christ, AMEN!

365 BLESSINGS is a devotional book the Lord has led me to publish piece by piece even as I’m writing it rather than waiting until it’s in print to share it. Please join me & be blessed as I write my latest book…! Blessings 133-141 “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me. But those who seek my life, to destroy it, Shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword; They shall be a portion for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him shall glory; But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.” Psalm 63 When I was young, I learned like many young people to play games during long car trips to make the trips go faster. But this isn’t a game. Not in the least. It’s a reality. The Bible is so filled with blessing after blessing a lifetime would likely not be enough to find all the blessings within the Lord’s Word! But oh, what a joy it is to discover the Lord’s bountiful biblical blessings – and to keep our hearts and eyes open for them. Just because I share with you those I find in certain scriptures doesn’t mean there aren’t numerous more. I so encourage you to let the Spirit of God who lives inside Jesus’ followers to teach you God’s Word and how to live by it – and to find the blessings within and to be oh, so very thankful! Psalm 63 has so very many blessings within it. For example, like these: The Lord is God! The one true God is Lord! We can seek the Lord early – and all the day and night long! He is available to all who repent and call upon His name! We can thirst and long for Him and be filled with and refreshed by His Spirit! He is all powerful and more glorious than anything or anyone in the universe, and we can see manifestations of His power and glory here on this earth. One day, when this world is gone and we have the new heavens and the new earth, we who follow Jesus will be in His face-to-face forever glorious and powerful presence. Yes, forever! We can praise, bless, and glorify Him day in and day out, and He is worthy of all glory all the time – forever! His lovingkindness is so precious there are no human words to adequately describe the wonder and  wonderfulness of His lovingkindness! We can meditate – think about, consider, ponder, and, yes, rejoice! – on the Lord and His Word and His goodness, sovereignty, love, and majesty even as we fall asleep at night, even as we’re up in the night and can’t sleep, and again in the morning and all the day long. His love and goodness never come to an end! He is our help and holds us up and strengthens, empowers, loves, forgives, and saves us when we turn to Him in repentance and faith that He is Lord forever! We don’t need to seek vengeance on our enemies. The Lord will deal with them if they do not repent and turn to Christ as Lord!

“With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes.” Psalm 119:10-12 I was walking slow old Abigail and a little disabled Gracie, two of my precious sweet streets ministry doggies, in New York City when a really bold ad on a truck caught my attention. It was an ad for Chobani Yogurt, and I believe it said something like this: “IF IT’S NOT REAL, I’TS NOT IN IT.” I don’t eat Chobani Yogurt, but I bet it’s delicious and I sure do love yogurt. But yogurt wasn’t on my mind when I saw that ad. The Bible was. And is much of the time. And I’m quite concerned too many people, Christians included, don’t read it. And I’m equally concerned at the numbers of people who don’t live by it whether or not they read it. I did both for years – as someone who professed to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord. Friend, THE BIBLE IS REAL. THE BIBLE IS TRUE. THE BIBLE IS TRUTH. There is NOTHING more important and necessary IN THE UNIVERSE than THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY and THE BIBLE. NO PERSON no matter how much we love that person is more important than Jesus. And NOTHING no matter how much we love it no matter what book, author, movie, magazine, article, Christian commentary, etc. is more important than THE BIBLE. When I finally started reading the Bible, I wanted to pick and choose what to read and what to believe and what to do based on my wishes, wants, ways, desires, etc. THE BIBLE IS GOD’S TRUTH. Everlasting life is for those of us who turn from our sins, believe in Christ as Lord who died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and was raised from the dead, and turn to God and His ways. If we are truly following Jesus, we have His Spirit living inside us and leading us – and THE BIBLE at the forefront of our lives. Nothing like a yogurt ad in New York City to get me to do what I love to do most. Love and follow Jesus and tell the world about Him.

Dear friend, ………. What an incredible weekend. I didn’t do ANYTHING I spent years convinced would make me happy and fulfilled. I spent the weekend – and am spending my life now – doing my best to do what I believe will make the Lord happy and fulfilled. I am living to love and please Him. And, in so doing, I am blessed, humbled, privileged, and joyful beyond measure. Oh, sure, my flesh sometimes is screaming that it wants to go in a different direction. But when I choose the ways of the Lord, oh, how blessed, how incredibly blessed I am. Following Jesus doesn’t mean I don’t get to enjoy life. The Lord blesses me with plenty of chocolate (yum), friends in Christ, wonderful walks praying to Him and listening for His voice, snuggle time with my handicapped streets ministry dogs, and, best of all, time alone with Him and the Bible and tons of time doing my streets ministry work with and without the doggies and writing and publishing Gospel tracts, devotionals, and books. Oh, how I LOVE LOVE LOVE SO LOVE the Lord & telling the world about Him! Following Jesus isn’t a boring life. It’s a rich, vibrant, humbling, beautiful one. Beautiful in Him. Beautiful for Him. Oh, how beautiful is the blessed Lord! Are you living your life for the Lord Jesus Christ? That’s what we were created to do! Please do, friend, please do! What He calls you to do in the life He’s given you may look much like what He’s given me, or your life for Him may look totally different. Doesn’t matter. What matters is we humble ourselves before Him and live for Him! IF YOU NEED HELP BEGINNING OR PRESSING ON IN A FOREVER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT AT 843-338-2219 OR lara@GoodNews.love love & blessings, lara

TODAY’S LITTLE LETTER FROM LARA Dear friend, Pride is dangerous. It can be deadly. Worst of anything at all, pride is SIN AGAINST GOD ALMIGHTY and MUST be repented of. We need to confess it as sin, get rid of it, and TURN TO JESUS CHRIST AS LORD. I struggle with pride every day of my life, and my sense is we probably all do in one way or another. Prideful thoughts can be SO subtle. And God sees our every single thought. One of the endless blessings the Lord has given me is He has answered a big prayer I prayed some time ago that His Spirit who lives inside His followers would bring conviction every time I fall into pride – right down to my very thought. When the prideful thoughts come, and He shows me, I get rid of them. Please do the same! Pride is an abomination to Jesus. In loving Jesus, and living for Jesus, let’s obliterate pride! p.s. Today, by God’s grace, I finished writing my 7th book. I am thrilled for a number of reasons which I will share if, when, and as the Lord leads me. One of the reasons I am compelled to share right now. I LOVE the fact the Lord has taken me to a place in which I GIVE EVERY OUNCE OF GLORY TO THE LORD for anything and everything good in me and that comes through me writing included. I won’t take any credit for anything good in my writing. May ALL the glory go to THE LORD! “And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” Matthew 23:12 TODAY’S 365 BLESSINGS 365 BLESSINGS is a devotional book the Lord has led me to publish piece by piece even as I’m writing it rather than waiting until it’s in print to share it. Please join me & be blessed as I write my latest book…! Blessings 129-132 “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.” Psalm 57:1 Four more blessings. First, we can cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, and His mercy is for us when we turn to Him in true sorrow for our sins and genuine belief that He is Lord! Second, we can place our trust in Him! Our hearts and lives we can place in His kind and loving and everlasting hands. Third, we can find refuge – shelter – in the shadow of His magnificent eternal wings! Four, we can stay safe and sound in the shelter of Christ until evil has passed us by! Does this mean life is always easy? No! That we won’t face challenges? No! That bad things won’t happen? No! But for those of us who believe in Christ as Lord, who have entrusted our very lives to Him, who have sincerely devoted our lives to Him and are dedicated to living according to His ways, we are promised forever with the Lord! Forever and ever, yes, AMEN! And, even on this earth, even when we go through incredibly tough times, times so tough we don’t think we’ll make it through, we know the Lord is right there with us to help us, to guide us, to carry us through. Amen, yes, AMEN! P.s. Looking back at what I had written so far in this book, I found I had written on this scripture twice! Not only that, but I was getting ready to write on it again! Better “edit” the book, make it “perfect”, and get rid of “the repetition”. After all, I was educated and trained as a writer and editor. But my most important education hasn’t come from the world, friend. It has come from the Spirit of Christ and the Bible. That said, I feel compelled to leave “the repetition”. Perhaps somewhere in the double mention of this verse is a blessing, or multiple blessings, for a reader. Maybe even you! Be blessed, then, be blessed! TODAY’S THE CROSS DEVOTIONAL “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 I LOVE to snuggle with my sweet paralyzed doggy Mr. Simeon. I love all 4 of my streets ministry handicapped doggies just as I have loved all the blessed rescued dogs the Lord has placed in my life through the years. I most assuredly have fallen terribly far short in loving them the way they deserve at times, and I thank God for His mercy and the doggies for their forgiveness. That said, as I no longer have up to 19 rescued dogs at a time to care for, I get with only 4 left now to enjoy little snippets of time unwinding between stretches of ministry work – and, well, doing whatever. Like snuggling with paralyzed doggy Mr. Simeon. Snuggling and cuddling are two such sweet blessings from the Lord. Snuggling with special doggies most assuredly. Cuddling with people we love absolutely. With husbands, wives, children, elderly grandparents in wheelchairs, etc. But there is nothing in the world more wonderful than opening up the pages of the Bible, setting everything and everyone else aside, and snuggling up with the Lord and diving deep into His Word as His Spirit loves us, teaches us, transforms us, and leads us forward in believing in and forever following Jesus Christ as Lord. I beg of you with all my heart to make the commitment I did years ago to READ THE BIBLE EVERY DAY ALONE WITH GOD NO MATTER WHAT. Cuddling with Jesus and the Bible? Spending time alone with the Lord? Utterly amazing. Life-giving. Life-changing. Astonishingly unfathomably beautiful. Please make the commitment – and follow through! TODAY’S SERVING JESUS IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Mt. 28:19-20 One of my memories from long, long ago was I seemed to “fall in love” with young man after young man in my obsessive search for a boyfriend, and I was equally obsessed with telling anyone who would listen about whatever “love of my life” I had at a particular time. Reminds me of someone who finds a new restaurant and feels compelled to tell the whole world – non-stop mind you – about how awesome the pizza is. We do as humans have a tendency to want to tell just about everyone what and whom we love, don’t we? The most important way in the world to serve the Lord Jesus Christ is to LOVE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEARTS – and to TELL THE WORLD ABOUT HIM! If we truly love Jesus with all our hearts as we are commanded to do, we should WANT to tell everyone about Him. You might be surprised by how few people I’ve met through the years that believe in Jesus Christ as Lord feel led and are willing on a regular basis to go out and tell people that Jesus Christ is Lord and the only way to a forever relationship with God. Yes, I am called as an evangelist. I’m called to go from place to place doing streets ministry and writing and publishing Gospel tracts, devotionals and books with my streets ministry handicapped dogs in tow. We do not all have this calling. But all those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord are called to tell others about Jesus. This may be as simple as telling friends and co-workers, it may involve going on missions trips yearly, it may involve giving Gospel tracts to co-workers, or anything else the Lord places on our hearts. Let’s not miss the point. Nor the opportunity. We are all called by the Lord to help spread the Gospel message. That Jesus is the only Son of God, died on the cross to pay our sin penalty and was raised from the dead, and that we need to turn from our sins and turn to Him as Lord with our hearts and lives truly devoted to Christ and His ways! LATEST MINISTRY UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST Just because I finished writing my 7th book by God’s grace alone doesn’t mean I’m finished with my writing. Not only has the Lord spoken to my heart I need to do a light edit on the book and then get it ready to publish and distribute as He leads me, but I have a stronger sense than ever that He has loads more writing for me to do – in the way of Good News Daily devotionals online, pocket-sized tracts and devotionals in print, and books. I leave the details up to Him. I am utterly in His hands. I want to do only and all that He wants me to do ALL for HIS GLORY not mine. That said, it’s not like I’m going on a long vacation now – to say the least. I’m in New York City. I’ve already been out on the streets today since finishing the writing talking to people about Jesus. I’m still caring for my beloved streets ministry handicapped doggies. And I have plenty of catching up to do with telephone ministry work as well as email ministry work. So if you’re led to keep praying for me and this ministry, and if you’re led to help and give in any way for the glory of the Lord, I would be thankful beyond measure. love & blessings, lara

PLEASE CLICK ON READ MORE & THEN SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO SEE THE WHOLE ISSUE!!! TODAY’S LITTLE LETTER FROM LARA……. Dear friend, ……. I am SO exhausted! That’s what I get for being madly and passionately in love with the Lord Jesus Christ and totally devoted to Him and to telling the world about Him and to taking on this ministry He has given me. Being on the road for Jesus to do streets ministry and write & publish Gospel tracts, devotionals, and books with my little crew of beloved handicapped streets ministry doggies is EXHAUSTING. Being in my current location in New York City is EXHAUSTING. Being deeply in the thick of writing my latest book along with everything else is EXHAUSTING. And I am SO THRILLED, SO HUMBLED, SO BLESSED, SO THANKFUL, SO EXCITED, SO PRIVILEGED, SO HONORED, and SO ON FIRE to press on in my life’s calling for Him! This all makes me want to ask you this question. Are you living the life THE LORD JESUS CHRIST desires you LIVE FOR HIM? Or, as I did for decades of my life, are you living for yourself according to your own dreams and desires? Have you surrendered yourself TOTALLY TO JESUS AS LORD, or are you doing what I did for years and years during which I was “lord” of my own little miserable life? Please surrender yourself TOTALLY to the Lord Jesus Christ. Please live the life God almighty has given you FOR HIS GLORY. And please join me in being ECSTATIC about the BLESSEDNESS of BELONGING TO JESUS FOREVER and about getting to tell others about Him and how to have a forever relationship with Him! IF YOU NEED HELP BEGINNING OR PRESSING ON IN A FOREVER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT AT 843-338-2219 OR lara@GoodNews.love love & blessings, lara TODAY’S DAILY INSPIRATION RESURRECTED “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 If you’ve ever seen a person near death brought back to life, it’s pretty amazing. Especially when no doctor is involved. Especially when you are standing right next to the person witnessing a miracle of God. Yesterday, I felt strongly compelled to go early to where I was meeting some fellow evangelists in New York City. I was tired and thought it might be better to go later or not go at all. I went in obedience to Jesus. I thought about walking there and getting exercise and doing streets ministry along the way, but I was totally clear the Lord wanted me to take the subway. Soon I found out why. Just minutes after getting off the subway, I saw people congregated near a homeless man who appeared to be unresponsive due to a drug overdose. Police awaited the ambulance. The man would not respond no matter how much a homeless woman tried to shake him awake and no matter how much she and the police officer talked to him. Led by the Spirit of God, I told them I wanted to pray. I prayed from a distance. Then I walked closer. But still from a distance. Then the Lord put it on my heart to lay my hand on the man and pray. Normally in situations like these it’s hard to get near the person due to police, family, friends, whatever, whomever. I met no resistance. I won’t tell you what I prayed, how I prayed, or how exactly I interwove the Gospel message into my prayers. The details aren’t the point. I only know I prayed according to the Spirit of God in the strength of God with the courage He gave me. Suddenly, the man who was unresponsive started to speak. Sounded like gibberish. Until one word was clear. JESUS. Then he sat up. Next thing I knew, he stood up and walked to the ambulance when it arrived. I had asked the homeless woman to put my Gospel tract in his backpack so he would have it for later. And I strongly told him he needed to give his life over to the Lord Jesus Christ. The life God had just saved. Not so he could go back to a lifestyle of sin. So he could repent and believe in Jesus as Lord for God’s forgiveness, the promise of everlasting life with Him, and the commitment to live henceforth for Jesus. I don’t know the final outcome of this story. Many whom the Lord brings back from something like this go right back to a lifestyle of rebellion against God headed ultimately for hell and the lake of fire. Others turn to Jesus as Lord and will spend forever in heaven with Him. This man was given an opportunity to make the right decision. To turn his heart and life over to Jesus. Where do you stand, friend? Have you given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ for now and eternity? Does your faith show forth in your lifestyle? Are you truly and totally His? May this very moment be the beginning of a sold-out life. Totally sold out – to Jesus forevermore! AMEN! TODAY’S 365 BLESSINGS 365 BLESSINGS is a devotional book the Lord has led me to publish piece by piece even as I’m writing it rather than waiting until it’s in print to share it. Please join me & be blessed as I write my latest book…! Blessings 129-132 “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.” Psalm 57:1 Four more blessings. First, we can cry out to the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, and His mercy is for us when we turn to Him in true sorrow for our sins and genuine belief that He is Lord! Second, we can place our trust in Him! Our hearts and lives we can place in His kind and loving and everlasting hands. Third, we can find refuge – shelter – in the shadow of His magnificent eternal wings! Four, we can stay safe and sound in the shelter of Christ until evil has passed us by! Does this mean life is always easy? No! That we won’t face challenges? No! That bad things won’t happen? No! But for those of us who believe in Christ as Lord, who have entrusted our very lives to Him, who have sincerely devoted our lives to Him and are dedicated to living according to His ways, we are promised forever with the Lord! Forever and ever, yes, AMEN! And, even on this earth, even when go through incredibly tough times, times so tough we don’t think we’ll make it through, we know the Lord is right there with us to help us, to guide us, to carry us through. Amen, yes, AMEN! P.s. Looking back at what I had written so far in this book, I found I had written on this scripture twice! Not only that, but I was getting ready to write on it again! Better “edit” the book, make it “perfect”, and get rid of “the repetition”. After all, I was educated and trained as a writer and editor. But my most important education hasn’t come from the world, friend. It’s come from the Spirit of Christ and the Bible. That said, I feel compelled to leave “the repetition”. Perhaps somewhere in the double mention of this verse is a blessing, or multiple blessings, for a reader. Maybe even you! Be blessed, then, be blessed! TODAY’S THE CROSS DEVOTIONAL OUR NEED, HIS STRENGTH “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 “I will give you every ounce of strength you need to finish this book,” the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me. He was speaking to me about my latest book I’ve been writing. He knew, of course, how tired I’ve been. He knew I could easily have come up with numerous excuses to not continue. After all, it’s not as though I weren’t serving Him in other ways also. Daily. Always. Because I love Him so exceedingly much. Because He is Lord, and I live and breathe to love and glorify Him. But He’d already spoken to my heart a number of times about persevering with writing this book. With being faithful. With finishing what I had started. What He had called me to do. So now had come the reminder. For me. And, perhaps, for you? THE LORD WILL GIVE US EVERY OUNCE OF STRENGTH TO DO WHAT HE CALLS US TO DO. He provides ALL we need to do His will. And we can do ALL that He gives us to do THROUGH HIM. We don’t need to live in our human weakness. We can learn through faith in Him and our lives submitted to Him to live in HIS ALMIGHTY STRENGTH – for HIS AWESOME FOREVER GLORY. AMEN! TODAY’S SERVING JESUS IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE “Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”” Mark 12:29-31 “We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 How dare he! How dare the other one! How dare them! How dare these guys! What kind of friends are they? They were supposed to meet me to do some streets ministry. I was so excited! Well, I was on the tired side, I confess. But I looked forward to seeing my brothers in Christ. To be out on the streets together for Christ. But then it all fell apart. They let me down. Oh, how they let me down! One never showed up at all. Turns out he was headed somewhere else. Maybe I misunderstood. I thought he was coming. The other one had been so clear he would arrive at a specific time. The nerve of him. I got an apology hours later about why he couldn’t make it. Friend? Real friends? Honestly. Honestly? HOW AWESOME IS THE LORD! HOW BLESSED ARE HIS FOLLOWERS! HOW HUMBLED I AM BY THE LESSON I LEARNED! Know what happened in reality? I was delayed because the Lord sent me on the way to the man I wrote about in the devotional above who was near death and whom the Lord saved right in front of my eyes. One of my friends I thought I was meeting had felt led to go to a church prayer meeting somewhere else. The other friend never made it because the Spirit of God moved on his heart and gave him an opportunity to share the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ with someone practicing a false religion. See the common thread in this? OUR FRIENDSHIP WITH JESUS, OUR OBEDIENCE TO JESUS, OUR LOVE FOR JESUS, OUR SERVICE TO JESUS MUST COME FIRST IN OUR HEARTS AND LIVES! None of us meant to hurt anyone. None of us meant to let each other down. None of us was rude and disrespectful. Each of us PUT THE LORD FIRST! Oh, how thankful I am the Lord has given me siblings in Christ who LOVE HIM WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS and others as themselves. Please note the order of God’s two greatest commands. FIRST IS TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEARTS. Our friends and family must NOT come first. JESUS MUST BE NUMBER ONE – now and forever, AMEN! LATEST MINISTRY UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST I need rest. Big, big, big rest. Truth is I’m not good at resting. My mind rarely slows down. And given too much time without my ministry work which I so love to do, my mind starts mulling over stuff it shouldn’t. Then backward and downward I go to the past, to hurts, to this thing or that thing. By the time I’ve had my “rest”, I’m more tired often than when I started off. Needless to say, with the life’s calling and lifestyle the Lord’s given me, I most assuredly need serious rest along the way. If you’re led to pray for me in the area of rest, I’d be so very thankful. And if you’re led to help me and this ministry in any way the Lord leads you to take some burden off my shoulders, please feel free to let me know. Thank you for your love & prayers! love & blessings, lara

PLEASE CLICK ON READ MORE & THEN SCROLL, SCROLL, SCROLL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO READ TODAY’S WHOLE ISSUE!!!!!!!………. TODAY’S LITTLE LETTER FROM LARA……… Dear friend,………. Yesterday I was blessed to spend some time with a friend visiting from out of town for a work trip. We had just a little while together, but it was wonderful to catch up in person. My friend ended up crying hard twice over some difficult stuff she is having to go through, and how incredibly blessed I was to be able to be there for her to love her, hug her, encourage her, and pray for her – and, most importantly, talk to her about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Bible! I know she probably would have loved, hugged, encouraged, and prayed for me if I had been struggling with something. I have come to see the greatest blessing when it comes to friendship is when we can love one another, encourage one another, pray for one another, and, best of all, help one another to find and forever follow the Lord Jesus Christ. When we place our friendships in the hands of the Lord, and dedicate our friendships to Him, and give and receive and share in our friendships what pleases the Lord, and what glorifies Him, oh how very blessed we are! Is this making you think about your friendships? Any changes you need to make? Pray to the Lord, listen, and obey. For the glory of Christ, AMEN! love & blessings, lara IF YOU NEED HELP BEGINNING OR PRESSING ON IN A FOREVER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT AT 843-338-2219 OR lara@GoodNews.love TODAY’S DAILY INSPIRATION THE LORD STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS”And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:5-11 “This is not what I want you to write,” the Holy Spirit told me. “This is bitterness. Empty your heart of it.” That’s essentially what He said. Almost word for word. As best I recall. Ouch. Yes, ow. Truth? I couldn’t even see as I was writing my heart was filled with bitterness. Old bitterness. Hurt. Amazing how I didn’t even recognize it! But that’s exactly what can happen with sin if we’re not careful. We can get so accustomed to it dwelling in our hearts or spewing forth in our actions that we don’t even see it. But the Lord in His love, mercy, grace, wisdom, and perfect will brings correction by His Holy Spirit in line with His Word. Just like He did that day. Know what I needed to do? Oh, sure, I needed to get rid of that little piece of writing. But, most importantly, I needed to respond to the Lord’s chastening with REPENTANCE. So I sat on my little bed, stopped typing on my laptop computer, and asked the Lord to forgive me for what He showed me needed to be purged from my heart. Sadly, the junk in my heart on the particular matter in which He was correcting me had festered there – and built up there – for years! Happily, when I humbled myself before the Lord and sought His forgiveness, He mercifully gave it to me! The result was a clean heart and a readiness and excitement to go forth in my life and ministry – writing included. Not to go forward according to my own ways, but to go forth living for Jesus! Is the Lord bringing anything to mind in your own heart and life He wants you to address with REPENTANCE? Please don’t look the other way. Please don’t walk the other way. Please humble yourself before the Lord and do as He shows you. For His name’s sake, AMEN! TODAY’S 365 BLESSINGS 365 BLESSINGS is a devotional book the Lord has led me to publish piece by piece even as I’m writing it rather than waiting until it’s in print to share it. Please join me & be blessed as I write my latest book…! Blessing #128 “Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.” Mark 10:46-52 Jesus could have said he was too busy for the blind man who called out to him once he heard Jesus was walking by. Jesus could have said he had better things to do than heal a blind man begging on the side of the road. Jesus could have said he didn’t want to respond to a man who instead of being quiet when people told him to be silent became even louder. But instead, Jesus called the blind man to him and asked what he wanted. Then Jesus gave the man his sight as he wanted. Then Jesus walked off without the man, right? No! The man followed Jesus. So Jesus turned him away, right? No, Jesus allowed the man to follow after him. Love, mercy, healing, and grace. Kindness and compassion. Patience, hope, and peace. Fellowship. Comfort and company. Jesus loved, gave, and sacrificed. His time and heart. Jesus didn’t hold back anything from the man who came to Jesus. How blessed we are by all Jesus offers us. How blessed we are by Jesus. Will we come after Him? In faith as the blind man did? It was faith that drove the blind man to Jesus. Faith Jesus would respond. Jesus responded in love to the man’s faith. Let us in faith, in love, in trust, come to the Lord and receive and be thankful for all the blessings we receive from the heart and hands of precious Jesus. AMEN! TODAY’S THE CROSS DEVOTIONAL “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2 I have never met anyone in my life as obsessed with men as I once was. Specifically with finding the right man and the right relationship and ultimately the right marriage not because I wanted to love the Lord with all my heart and love others as myself and love a man and have a relationship with him in a way that was glorifying to God. But because I was consumed with myself, my desires, my needs, me, me, me, it was all about me. Today, I am so in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, and so devoted to Him and to helping people to find and forever follow Him through my ministry work, that I would only have a relationship with a man again if it were God’s will for me and if the whole purpose of the relationship would be to glorify the Lord and to help the world to know and follow Him. Why the change? How the change? Simple answer. The Lord Jesus Christ. When we place our hearts and lives totally in the hands of the Lord, and fully commit ourselves to Him, yielding ourselves to His Holy Spirit and to the ways of God as we learn in the Bible, then the Lord changes us into the men and women of God He created us to be. Friend, your story may look entirely different than mine. That’s absolutely fine! What matters isn’t what we all have in common or what is different about us all, but what matters is that we turn from our sins, believe in Christ as Lord who died on the cross to pay our sin punishment and was raised from the dead, and FULLY DEVOTE OURSELVES TO GOD AND HIS WAYS AND IN HIS LOVE, GRACE, MERCY, AND STRENGTH FULFILL HIS WILL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF OUR LIVES! Please join me in giving yourself wholly to Christ – and to living the life He has for you. And may your heart’s cry and my heart’s cry be to live day in and day out to bring love, pleasure, joy, praise, honor, obedience, service, reverence, and glory to the Lord, AMEN! LATEST MINISTRY UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST Dear friend, “How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” Isaiah 52:7 Okay, here’s my confession. I have one pair of sneakers, 1 pair of pink comfy shoes, 1 pair of rubber rain boots handed down to me, and one pair of extremely old winter boots that need a serious renovation or replacement. I am so blessed the Lord took away my materialism, and I love to have very little stuff as He leads me around the United States to do my ministry work for Him. That said, my confession is my sneakers are TOO SMALL. Ouch. They’re quite uncomfortable, my legs have been doing some hurting at times, not to mention my feet. And I walk ALL THE TIME as I do streets ministry and love to pray and listen to the Lord as I walk not to mention take my doggies out and talk on the phone at times. I have a tendency to get so excited and consumed with loving and serving the Lord that I don’t necessarily take the time to rest, to unwind, and to take care of personal needs like getting sneakers that are comfy and good for my feet. I have looked at sneakers at a few stores and have yet to find the right pair. But truth is I waited weeks and weeks before even looking. Would you please pray if and as the Lord leads you for His direction, timing, and provision for me in every necessary area not because I desire to live a life of comfort and luxury but because I want to be of maximum availability and strength and service for my precious, beautiful, amazing, indescribably awesome, everlasting Lord! Thank you! love & blessings, lara

THE LORD STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS……………. “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:……….. “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:5-11 “This is not what I want you to write,” the Holy Spirit told me. “This is bitterness. Empty your heart of it.” That’s essentially what He said. Almost word for word. As best I recall. Ouch. Yes, ow. Truth? I couldn’t even see as I was writing my heart was filled with bitterness. Old bitterness. Hurt. Amazing how I didn’t even recognize it! But that’s exactly what can happen with sin if we’re not careful. We can get so accustomed to it dwelling in our hearts or spewing forth in our actions that we don’t even see it. But the Lord in His love, mercy, grace, wisdom, and perfect will bring correction by His Holy Spirit in line with His Word. Just like He did that day. Know what I needed to do? Oh, sure, I needed to get rid of that little piece of writing. But, most importantly, I needed to respond to the Lord’s chastening with REPENTANCE. So I sat on my little bed, stopped typing on my laptop computer, and asked the Lord to forgive me for what He showed me needed to be purged from my heart. Sadly, the junk in my heart on the particular matter in which He was correcting me had festered there – and built up there – for years! Happily, when I humbled myself before the Lord and sought His forgiveness, He mercifully gave it to me! The result was a clean heart and a readiness and excitement to go forth in my life, ministry – writing included. Not to go forward according to my own ways, but to go forth living for Jesus! Is the Lord bringing anything to mind in your own heart and life He wants you to address with repentance? Please don’t look the other way. Please don’t walk the other way. Please humble yourself before the Lord and do as He shows you. For His name’s sake, AMEN!