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~ June 2025 ~
~ June 26th, 2025 ~
God's Will Be done
I love reading various devotionals. Of course Charles Spurgeon is my favorite. This one is from Streams in the Desert. As I read it I always think, "Oh, how true"! My friends, if you are not doing it because of God's will, it is not worth doing for it adds nothing to the Kingdom!
"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Philippians 4:11).
Paul, denied of every comfort, wrote the above words in his dungeon.
A story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning, and found everything withered and dying. He asked the oak that stood near the gate what the trouble was. He found it was sick of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. The pine was all out of heart because it could not bear grapes, like the vine. The vine was going to throw its life away because it could not stand erect and have as fine fruit as the peach tree. The geranium was fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac; and so on all through the garden. Coming to a heart's-ease, he found its bright face lifted as cheery as ever. "Well, heart's-ease, I'm glad, amidst all this discouragement, to find one brave little flower. You do not seem to be the least disheartened." "No, I am not of much account, but I thought that if you wanted an oak, or a pine, or a peach tree, or a lilac, you would have planted one; but as I knew you wanted a heart's-ease, I am determined to be the best little heart's-ease that I can."
"Others may do a greater work,
But you have your part to do;
And no one in all God's heritage
Can do it so well as you."
They who are God's without reserve, are in every state content; for they will only what He wills, and desire to do for Him whatever He desires them to do; they strip themselves of everything, and in this nakedness find all things restored an hundredfold.
Yes, to God be the glory!
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 25th, 2025 ~
God Is At The Window
I saw this story posted on social media many years ago, titled "The Duck and the Devil", and thought how true it is. In the Bible it states in the book of Genesis that after Adam and Eve sinned and ate of the apple that they hid from God. Hmm, I believe today many of us think that we can hide from God whenever we do something that displeases Him, called "sin". Read the story below about a duck and how the devil easily can deceive us. How are the words from the Thought of the Day that the writer states after the story.
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with, out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved!
In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.
Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."
Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.
Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Thought for the day and every day thereafter?
Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.
He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.
Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember:
"God is at the window!"
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 18th, 2025 ~
Faith
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
If You Believe You Can, You Can
If you think you are beaten--you are.
If you think you dare not--you don't.
If you want to win but think you can't,
It is almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose--you've lost.
For out in the world we find
That success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all in the state of mind.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.
Neil T. Anderson once wrote:
This poem, whose author is unknown to me, reflects the popular view of life known as the power of positive thinking. The Christian community has been somewhat reluctant to buy into this view and for good reason. Thinking is a function of the mind which cannot exceed its input and attributes. Attempting to push the mind beyond its limitations will only result in moving from the world of reality to fantasy.
The Christian, however, has far greater potential for success in life in the power of positive believing. Belief incorporates the mind but is not limited by it. Faith actually transcends the limitations of the mind and incorporates the real but unseen world. The believer's faith is as valid as its object, which is the living (Christ) and written (Bible) Word of God. With the infinite God of the universe as the object of Christian faith, there is virtually no limit to the spiritual heights that positive believing can take you.
Prayer: Lord, You have said that I can accomplish great things with faith the size of a tiny mustard seed. May my life today be marked by the power of positive believing.
I thoroughly agree with Mr. Andersons statement and know for a fact how my life has been changed because of my faith in Jesus and the Word of God. I was blessed with this poem titled "I Live By Faith".
I Live By Faith
I live by faith
and God’s true Word.
I speak His gospel,
so it could be heard.
I live by faith,
through His great love,
to share with many,
His blessings from above.
I live by faith,
yes, sight unseen.
I am Spirit led,
for on Christ I lean.
I live by faith,
not through worldly eyes.
For it is by faith,
He hears my cries.
One day will come,
I know it’s true,
because of my faith,
Lord, I’ll be complete in You!
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 17th, 2025 ~
The Clock Is Ticking!
I want to share a posting that a Facebook friend shared with me one time. For sure I believe it is relevant for today’s times. My friend wrote;
Do not be deceived! The time is approaching for our Lord to Claim His Bride. Be Ye Ready.
Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
2 Thessalonians 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
There is still very little repentance from the church and there is very little time left. There is so much pure evil in the earth, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah - what makes us think we are any better than they with all that is taking place in the world today.
2Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
Ezekiel 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
We will pray for Israel, America, and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in America and believers.
Joel 1:14,15 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD, Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
God's People must Pray as Never Before! We must get back to the old paths - holiness has gone out of the window. Pray people pray!
~ Betty ******** ******
Now my friend also wrote the following before closing;
You Will Not Have Time to Pray
I will Love You Lord , more with each passing day. Teach me Lord, for I have much to learn. I have read the book and this much I know: Your Promises are Yea and Amen! This tells me that every Promise in the Book is Mine, Every Verse. Every Line. I can believe in His Promises. I believe in the Promise that Jesus is Coming Back just Like He Said He Would. Repent, O Sinner - Know you not that He will Come as a Thief in the Night, You will not Have Time to Pray.
What I find interesting is a reply to my friends posting from another friend;
This is spoken in Profound Truth...We are living in times that are as Sodom and Gomorrah and He will take us down just as He did them. I pray the same prayer as above, Lord. As I must each day. Amen
Thy will be done. On earth as it is in Heaven.
~ Sharon ********
My friends, how true what both ladies wrote and of course what the Word of God states. All you have to do is look to what is happening in the world today. Good is being replaced with evil. It may appear that satan is winning but all you have to do is read what the Bible says in the Book of Revelation to understand the outcome!
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 16th, 2025 ~
Trust God
I want to share two stories that I believe stress the importance of putting our trust in God. Though we may not see exactly how He is working in our lives we must always believe He knows the best outcome for us. Both of these stories are true.
Thank you, God, for the fleas!
While in Ravensbrück concentration camp, Corrie ten Boom and her sister, Betsy dealt with dreadful conditions.
This women’s labor camp “dorms” were crammed into three high trough like sleeping barracks with rancid hay as their bed.
The cramped conditions and lack of basic sanitation lead to a lice and massive infestation of fleas.
Corrie wondered how they could endure such a dreadful place.
Betsy prayed and told her sister they must “give thanks in all circumstances”.
But the filth and the fleas?
Corrie wondered How she could possibly ever be thankful for the lice and the fleas?
Several weeks later, one of the supervisors was called in their barracks to view something Betsy was working on.
The supervisor refused because the place was crawling with fleas.
Betsy then reminded her sister that it was the fleas that had allowed them so much freedom to form a bond with and pray and teach about Jesus to their entire barrack with little infringement from their captors because neither the supervisors or guards wanted to be in their barracks because of the lice and the fleas.
This is when Corrie realized how she could be thankful even for a flea.
Every time I read this section of the true story “The Hiding Place”, I’m so humbled by the raw and real way God used these amazing, brave sisters in such a horrific situation.
He even used the fleas.
What challenge or difficulty have you found gratitude in that you never thought you could?
And…
The soldier and the spider!
During War 11, a US marine became separated from his unit in the dangerous terrain of Okinawa, Japan. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.
Alone in the hills, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed. Unless he was rescued by a miracle.
As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen.”
After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one…” Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.
As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.
“Ha,” he thought. “What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor.”
As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, the Japanese soldiers moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. “Lord, forgive me,” prayed the young man. “I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is as strong as a brick wall!”
The marine was spared, and lived to tell the tale.
When we face great crises in our lives, it is so easy to lose hope in what God can work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways.
Always place your hope in God, for with Him, a mere spider’s web can be a brick wall of protection. With God, all things are possible.
Now, if you can stop for a moment and think back of "all" the times God has kept you safe from what could have made for a very bad day? Always remember to thank Him! Yes, He loves to hear you say it!
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 11th, 2025 ~
Someday
I like this writing by Henry Rollins. As I have now gotten older, being a "senior, senior" as I like to call it, I understand what the gentleman was writing about. All through life's journey there is something that reminds us of our childhood. Our journey starts at home and we like to think it takes us back there, to our innocence of childhood. At the end of Mr. Rollins explanation I share a link to a poem I was blessed with titled "Going Back". It is narrated by Jamal West who has narrated all my poems. If you like you can see and hear all my poems on this website by clicking on this link "From God's Heart, to Mine, to Yours". Also I share a link to the song "Somewhere" which to me reflects a time when we will be going back home. Yep, "someday, somehow, somewhere!"
"Someday, I would like to go home. The exact location of this place, I don't know, but someday I would like to go. There would be a pleasing feeling of familiarity and a sense of welcome in everything I saw. People would greet me warmly. They would remind me of the length of my absence and the thousands of miles I had travelled in those restless years, but mostly, they would tell me that I had been missed, and that things were better now I had returned. Autumn would come to this place of welcome, this place I would know to be home. Autumn would come and the air would grow cool, dry and magic, as it does that time of the year. At night, I would walk the streets but not feel lonely, for these are the streets of my home town. These are the streets that I had thought about while far away, and now I was back, and all was as it should be. The trees and the falling leaves would welcome me. I would look up at the moon, and remember seeing it in countries all over the world as I had restlessly journeyed for decades, never remembering it looking the same as when viewed from my
hometown."
~Henry Rollins
Here is the link to the poem "Going Back"!
Here is the link to the song "Somewhere"!
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 7th, 2025 ~
Growing Old
I always enjoy reading or hearing (well, not with my ears) of people growing old. I enjoy it for I realize now that I am there. Yep, I am in the growing (hmm, maybe "going") old stage of my life. Now I want to share what I found posted on Facebook about aging.
Victor Hugo once said;
They say I’ve grown quiet, distant… not the person I used to be. But I don’t think it’s age that’s changing me.
I think it’s wisdom.
Well, for me I would love to think it is wisdom but I have always been quiet and distant!
I no longer live to make others happy.
Now, I try to be kind to myself.
No, I have always "tried" to make others happy. In doing so it makes me kind to myself.
I’ve let go of things that hurt me—memories, people, and places that made me feel small.
Not out of anger, but because I deserve peace.
I am not sure how Victor did that but I found I never let go of the hurt but since 1997 I give it all to God. In doing so I have "peace"!
I don’t chase loud nights anymore.
I spend my late hours learning, dreaming.
Well, to be honest I now spend my late hours "sleeping"!
I’ve traded makeup for honesty, and empty smiles for real joy.
Hmm, I now found I could probably use makeup. Honesty and real joy we all have to work at.
I don’t need a glass of wine to feel alive—I find comfort in quiet sips of coffee.
I wish I realized this many years ago when wine became my best friend. The friendship stopped when I did not want my mother to pass on knowing her youngest was "hooked on it". That was 1/1/1991!
I stopped pretending life is perfect, and started loving it just as it is.
Me too Hugo! One of my favorite sayings is, "It is what it is"!
It’s not age that slows me down.
Being in my 80's please tell me what it is then?
It’s the wonder of seeing beauty in small things—a bird’s song, morning light, a kind word.
I wake up early now, not because I must, but because each day feels like a gift.
Very well stated!
I stay silent more often, not because I have nothing to say, but because I now choose words that matter.
No, for me I am just a quiet person!
𝗡𝗼, 𝗜’𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗹𝗱.
𝗜’𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.
𝗜’𝗺 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗜’𝗺 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗜’𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗜 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲—𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁, 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.
Also well stated but for me I realize "I am getting old!"
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 4th, 2025 ~
Three Things
Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity
Three things in life that can destroy a person -
1. Anger
2. Pride
3.Unforgiveness
Three things in life that you should never lose-
1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Honesty
Three things in life that are most valuable -
1. Love
2. Family & Friends
3. Kindness
Three things in life that are never certain -
1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams
Three things that make a person -
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work
Three things that are truly constant -
Father - Son - Holy Spirit
I ask the Lord to bless you, as I pray for you today;
to guide you and protect you, as you go along your way.
God's love is always with you,
God's promises are true.
And when you give God all your cares,
you know God will see you through.
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 2nd, 2025 ~
Your Hands
I recently saw an article posted on Facebook titled "Have you ever just looked at your hands?" It really did make me stop and think about it. Maybe it will with you also. How true it is. Here is the article:
Grandma, some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the patio bench. She didn’t move, just sat with her head down staring at her hands.
When I sat down beside her she didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if she was OK.
Finally, not really wanting to disturb her but wanting to check on her at the same time, I asked her if she was OK. She raised her head and looked at me and smiled. ‘Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking,’ she said in a clear voice strong.
‘I didn’t mean to disturb you, grandma, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,’ I explained to her.
‘Have you ever looked at your hands,’ she asked. ‘I mean really looked at your hands?’
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point she was making.
Grandma smiled and related this story:
“Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life.
They braced and caught my fall when as a toddler I crashed upon the floor.
They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child, my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They held my husband and wiped my tears when he went off to war.
They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They wrote my letters to him and trembled and shook when I buried him and my parents.
They have held my children and grandchildren, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand.
They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer.
These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of life.
But more importantly, it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of God.”
I will never look at my hands the same again.
God reached out and took my grandma’s hands and led her home. When I stroke the face of my children and husband I now think of my grandma. I am certain that she has now been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.
Author unknown
Well, I don't know about you but I am sure waiting for the day I hear Jesus say "Well done good and faithful servant!", and then be "stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God."
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
~ June 1st, 2025 ~
Just A Dog
I am always looking for something that I can share that touched my heart and pray it will touch someone else's heart. To start off the month of June Heart Messages, I found this posted on Facebook. Hmm, it showed it was written by Richard A. Animals and it was titled "Just A Dog"!
Now being a dog lover (all of God's creatures really) I was in such agreement of what was written. On my Testimonial page on this website you will find what I wrote about two of my dogs. They were/are not just dogs, they were/are family. If you check out my Facebook page you can see photos of Buddy, Taylor and Rescue.
Now here is what Mr. Animals wrote on Facebook:
From time to time people tell me “chill out, it’s just a dog” or “it’s a lot of money just for a dog.” They don't understand the distance traveled, the time invested, or the costs incurred by "just a dog".
Some of my proudest moments have occurred with “just a dog.”
Many hours have passed being my only company "just a dog", but not for one moment did I feel despised. Some of my saddest moments have been because of “just a dog,” and on those gray days, the gentle touch of “just a Dog” gave me comfort and the reason to get through the day.
If you also think “it’s just a dog”, then you’ll probably understand phrases like “just a friend”, “just a sunrise” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.
For "just a dog" I will get up early, take long walks and look forward to the future. So for me and people like me, it’s not “just a dog,” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the memories of the past, and the absolute joy of the moment. “Just a dog” brings out the good in me and takes my thoughts away from myself and daily worries.
I hope one day they can understand that it’s not “just a dog”, but the one that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a human.” So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog”, just smile because they “just don’t get it”.
My Buddy passed in 2010, he was 13 1/2 years of age. Taylor passed in 2022 at the age of 14, and Rescue is still with me and is now 15 years old. Were/are they just dogs? No, they were/are my "furry" kids!
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott