Labor day???

! FRIDAY

"So the Lord must wait for you to come to him
  so he can show you his love and compassion.
For the Lord is a faithful God.
  Blessed are those who wait for his help."

Isaiah 30:18

Is there any area of your life where you've wandered from God? The clue is a lack of peace. Anxiety that "looks to Egypt" rather than God for help. If there is any such area of anxiety in your life, confess it. Return to God, rest in him, and trust him alone to take care of your problem. Quietness and confidence in him is the answer. Rest in God today as you wait for him to act, rather than running off in your own strength to "Egypt."

Ahhhh

This is what you need..right?

"God has told his people,
'Here is a place of rest;
  let the weary rest here.
This is a place of quiet rest.'
  But they would not listen."

Isaiah 28:12

What does God long to do for his people, as expressed here? Give them rest! He does not desire that they be oppressed by enemies all the time. He desires rest, peace, for his people. The reason they did not experience this was that they would not listen. God wants to bless you! He wants to give you rest. If you believe anything else, it's a lie. Don't be dull of hearing; listen for his voice. He's speaking to you right now—through this word, through the Spirit's gentle invitation: "Come and rest. This is a place of quiet rest."

We are off!

Smile

Just SMILE!

"But for those who are righteous,
  the way is not steep and rough.
You are a God who does what is right,
  and you smooth out the path ahead of them.
LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;
  our heart's desire is to glorify your name."

Isaiah 26:7–8

Is God's way easy or difficult? This verse suggests that it's actually easier because he smoothes the way for those who trust and obey and have the heart attitude described in verse 8: to glorify God's name. The natural fruit or result of this heart attitude is obedience. We don't have to try to obey; when our hearts are bent on loving and trusting God, obedience will flow easily.

Be at peace

"You will keep in perfect peace
  all who trust in you,
  all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
Trust in the LORD always,
  for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock."

Isaiah 26:3–4

If you keep your eyes on Jesus, if you trust in him alone and always, he will keep you in perfect peace. All you need to do moment by moment is ask him what he wants of you, and then do it. This is security. This is freedom. This is peace.

Trust only God

"O God, listen to my cry!
  Hear my prayer!
From the ends of the earth,
  I cry to you for help
  when my heart is overwhelmed.
Lead me to the towering rock of safety,
  for you are my safe refuge,
  a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me."

Psalm 61:1–3

Ever feel overwhelmed? This is the prayer for you. Cry out to God, express yourself to him. Picture yourself running to a fortress on a towering rock that no enemy can penetrate. This is what your God wants, this level of trust, for he will keep you safe.

Consider buying a home?

Wise Choices. Improved Finances. A Better Life.

Are Your Ready For A Mortgage?

Part Two: What Size Mortgage Can You Afford?

Before you begin shopping for a home (or a mortgage), it’s vital to evaluate your personal financial situation, how much debt you carry, how much money you make, how much you spend, and how much you pay out in living and lifestyle expenses each month. To do a complete evaluation:

Analyze your personal financial situation.
Determine your maximum mortgage amount.
Review your credit score.
Gather and organize the information lenders will require.
Previously, we analyzed our finances but today, we will focus on the second part of a typical mortgage lender’s evaluation:

Determine How Much You Can Afford

Unless you have a bad credit history or bankruptcy, most lenders prefer that borrowers have a mortgage with a monthly payment less than one-third of their monthly pre-tax income. So if your pretax income is $6,000, you’d likely get approved for a mortgage with a monthly payment of up to $2,000. Even that can be a financial stretch.

Should You Get the Biggest Mortgage You Can?

Flat out – NO! Approval does not equal affordable. On a personal note, I was approved for a mortgage that was 50 percent larger than the one I took out. By doing so, I made certain that my mortgage expenses weren’t out of control and in the event I had a drastic change of income, I wouldn’t necessarily lose my home.

To decide whether you can afford a particular sized mortgage, consider these factors:

Your current financial situation
Your future job prospects
Your plans for children
Your plans for aging parents
Home maintenance and repair costs
These factors help you personally determine the amount of risk that you can tolerate and should help you decide, for example, whether you should consider a riskier mortgage, such as an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), or stick with a safer, more predictable option, such as a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

You alone should determine how much you can afford

Never rely on a lender to tell you how much of a mortgage you can afford. Always determined this information yourself. Keep in mind that real estate agents, brokers, home sellers, and possibly even the mortgage lender want you to take out the largest possible mortgage. After all, they’re paid a percentage. When one of these pros tries to convince you how large your mortgage can or should be … I personally consider that a conflict of interest.

Instead, always assess your financial situation yourself (Part One of this series!) and arrive at an amount that you feel comfortable borrowing – the amount of debt AND payment that you would feel comfortable with.

Again: Never rely on a lender to tell you how large your mortgage “should” be.

Subtraction method

One way to determine the mortgage you can afford is to subtract your total monthly expenses (excluding your rental payment but including everything else) from your total monthly income. The difference should equal an amount that exceeds the monthly mortgage payment you expect to take on by at least several hundred dollars. For example, if you have $1,500 left over after paying all your monthly expenses, you should feel comfortable getting a mortgage with a monthly payment of $1,000–1,200 at the most.

200 times your rent rule

If you currently rent your home, this general guideline could also help you estimate what size mortgage you can afford, but it assumes you’re already maxed out on your rent.

Multiply your rental payment by 200. This rule states that most home buyers can afford a mortgage worth 200 times their current rent payment. For example, if your current rent is $1,100 a month, you can likely afford a mortgage of 200 × $1,100, or $220,000.

How much mortgage can you afford?

Only you should determine that number, whether you “back into it” by calculating your payment at one-third your monthly pre-tax income, use the subtraction method, or the 200 times your rent rule. Always do your own assessment and never let a commissioned salesperson convince you to take on more debt or a bigger mortgage payment than you feel comfortable with.

Vitamin gw66

ther great addition to your faith:(smile)

"How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?"

Galatians 3:3

It's an easy trap to fall into: trying to become perfect by our own human effort. But life with God begins with faith in Christ's work on our behalf, and it must also continue that way. Being dependent on God for every aspect of your life is not spiritual immaturity. It is exactly what God wants of us.

Pride

Good morning all who are still fighting the good fight of faith.

"Who has brought this disaster on Tyre,
  that great creator of kingdoms?
Her traders were all princes,
  her merchants were nobles.
The LORD of Heaven's Armies has done it
  to destroy your pride
  and bring low all earth's nobility."

Isaiah 23:8–9

What God hates is human pride—the kind of pride that says, "I don't need God." The kind of pride that seeks to be great apart from God. Again and again in Scripture, God says he opposes the proud. He wants us to be like trusting children, looking to him for every need, every breath we take. That kind of attitude goes against the world … but reaches God's heart every time.

A must read

TGIF

ITS FRIDAY! LEGGGOOO

"Between the city walls, you build a reservoir
  for water from the old pool.
But you never ask for help from the One who did all this.
  You never considered the One who planned this long ago."

Isaiah 22:11

The people of Judah were very busy preparing for war in every human way. Their plans were of no avail because they were not doing the one thing that could save them—asking God for help, seeking his way (which was repentance). Are you making feverish plans rather than asking God for help? Plans should come only after seeking God's wisdom.