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Wednesday, October 29, 2014

An Answered Prayer


An Answered Prayer

I know that this is such a simple thing and maybe it will seem like nothing compared to some of the great things, some people see the Lord do.  I was just out taking pictures and I said "Lord, give me something wonderful to take a picture of".  Just a couple minutes passed by when I looked over and saw a green head looking up a hill at me.  A mallard duck of all things.  He was a surprise because I had been to the park so many times and have not seen a duck.  We moved back to Ohio seven years ago and visited the park once before we bought our home.  I have visited there many times and not one duck.
At that time I didn't know anything about a mallard.  At first, he stayed his distance from me but I sat down and watched him for a little while.  He finally made his way over to me and sat in the water right in front of me as though he knew me.  I knew he was an answer to my prayer, but then questions came to my mind.  Why is this little guy here?  Is his wing hurt?  Shouldn't he be flying somewhere for the winter? 

So I started researching and now I know He's only going to be here until his wings are finished molting.  He's shedding his old feathers and growing new feathers at the same time. 
The next time I saw him he was standing on a rock and opening his wings.  I wanted to get a picture of it, but I missed it.    Eventually, He made his way over to me and then a dog scared him a little and he swam away but headed back to set in front of me at the water's edge.  

Then a couple teens were walking by and I asked " have you seen the duck?"  I told them about how I prayed the Lord would give me a wonderful picture to take.  I told them that he opened his wings, but I missed getting a picture and how I wished that he would do it again.  Then he came to shore and opened his wings about a foot away from me and then got back into the water.  I still missed the picture because my camera card was full. 

Today I was able to get pictures of his wings outstretched and also see him fly across the pond.  The fall leaves and colorful reflection of the sun have made everything about these photos look so beautiful.  It was an effect all by itself, especially on the evening the sun was setting. 

  It was very interesting to see him try to catch a dragonfly and watch him suddenly completely vanish under the water. Then suddenly he reappeared flying across the pond.  I think something was biting him because He was going under the water and shaking his feathers as though He was standing on an anthill.  I guess I should understand that because that actually happened to me once.  I was picking up apples in our backyard as a preteen when I found myself upon a red ant hill.  They were everywhere, believe me when you have red ants in your pants, there's sudden moving around alright and wearing pants no longer become a problem.  If you can picture that, you can picture what the duck was doing because he was doing some moving. 

I was so happy to see the Mallard and to be blessed by him.
 I cried by the water's edge because:
Sometimes God does things,  just to show us that we are loved and we can tell other people that God still cares about the little things.  Because sometimes God, uses little blessings to do something you'll never forget.  Little blessings can turn into really big blessings

Susan Nikitenko
October 28th, 2014

Corrected September 13, 2020



Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "treasurebox18@yahoo.com" All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Keep Your Helmets On - Football Devotional


Keep Your Helmet On

Could you  imagine having a whole football team playing without a helmet?  It would be a disaster.  As rough as the game can get there would be injuries.  Just this past week I know one of the guys got his helmet ripped off his head and had an injury of some sort and was bleeding.  I'm  not saying he didn't put it on properly, but could that make it easier  for the enemy to rip it off his head?
In not wearing a helmet they wouldn't be keeping their head safe, they would be risking their own mind. Even if they had a helmet on, but did not put it on correctly, it still would not keep them completely safe.
A helmet was made to keep a football players head and mind safe from injury, but if they choose not wear one it doesn't work.  Any kind of head gear is to keep a person's safe from  injuries.  A person for example riding a motorcycle without a helmet would be at a greater risk for a permanent head injury than a football player.
The bible tells us to put on the helmet of salvation.  God tells us to put on a helmet because we are in danger without one.  Knowing we are in a spiritual battle as a people, we know God's not speaking of physical injuries in this passage.  Salvation is what  we put on when we accept Christ as our  personal Savior.  We become safe  or saved for eternity through what Christ has done for us.  Because we are sealed by what Jesus did for us.
We are to keep our minds in Christ Jesus and not allow satan to have any strongholds in our thought life.  We are to fill our minds with the Word, knowing that the devil  has taught many to play mind games with the unsuspecting and in deceit can collect information, posing as a friend.  We know this because we know Judas did this to Jesus.
It is vital not to let contrary ideas enter our minds as fact knowing the bible opposes the idea.  To do so would be the equivalent of a football player receiving an injury which causes brain damage.
Remember to keep your helmet on , put it on correctly and don't let anyone try to rip it off your head.  Cause  in the spiritual battle the devil wants to get to your head, but don't let him.  Keep your helmet on straight.

Football Devotional
Susan Nikitenko

Keep Your Helmet On Straight

Ephesians 6:17

 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Ephesians 4:30

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.



Poetry And Other Materials On This Site Can Be Freely Used For Christian Bible Centered Non-Profit Ministries And must Remain Unchanged In Any Way. All Other Purposes Are With Permission Only. You May Make Requests At "treasurebox18@yahoo.com" All my poems with stories are both real and fictional designed to illustrate a biblical truth. All Rights Reserved. Please Include Site Name And Link Back To This Blog. Thank-You.

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