God's Life Lessons...

He has heard your cry....

2011-11-10T06:52:00.001-08:00

I love the Lord, for He heard my voice, He heard my cry for mercy. ( Psalm 116:1 )

God's Word gives us hope when we feel utterly alone and hopeless. We can take comfort in knowing that God does not allow a trial in our lives that is too great for us to bear. - Carol Baldwin - Women's Devotional Bible Calendar

And remember, through ALL of our trials and tribulations, He is there to walk with us, to give us guidance and strength for His Word does not say that we will be free of such things, but rather that the afflictions of the righteous are many, but He is there to see us through them all!

Blessings in Obedience

2011-11-10T06:35:00.000-08:00

Deuteronomy 28 tells us that if we obey the Lord & follow His commands that God will set us high above all nations of the earth and many blessings are ours. The following is rewritten for us to confess over our lives, based from this passage.

I love and obey God, therefore...
I am blessed in the city & blessed in the country.
My children are blessed and I am prosperous.
I am blessed in the field & blessed in my basket.
I am blessed going out & blessed coming in.
The Lord grants me victory over my enemies.
Everything I put my hand to prospers.
The Lord has established me holy.
All the people will see that the Lord is my God.
The Lord grants me prosperity of my children, my job & my home.
The Lord opens the heavens to bless my life & all the works of my hands.
I lend to many & borrow from none.
I am the head & not the tail.
I am above only & not beneath.

The Bible also tells us to speak the things that are not as if they were. Meaning that even when we do not "feel" that the above is true, speak it anyhow! Words are very powerful in the spiritual realm ( God spoke & the world was! ) and we are first spiritual beings. When you want to say, "I am sick" instead speak the Truth, "I am healed!" This works for all things for we will have what we speak!

Psalm 90

2011-11-10T06:23:00.001-08:00

The Bible is full of God's promises. There are many passages that we can use to pray to God and speak against the enemy just as Jesus did. The prayer below is based on Psalms 90: 1-2 ; 12-17

Lord, You have been my dwelling place throughout generations.
Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth & world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
Teach me to number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.
Have compassion on me, Your servant.
Satisfy me in the morning with Your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy & be glad all my days.
Make me glad for as many days as You have afflicted me, for as many years as I have seen trouble.
May Your deeds be shown to me, Your servant, Your splendor to my children.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon me; establish the work of my hands for me.

What is coming out of my mouth?

2011-06-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a thought but decided it was something that didn't need to be said? Or maybe looked at a situation and wished that you could say something positive about it or maybe even say the very opposite of what you saw? Then it may be time for you to ask yourself, "What is coming out of my mouth?"

The world is filled today with people and their affirmations. New Age religions are all about the self and the power one has within themselves to change their lives. But did you know that God addressed this from the beginning of time? The major difference is that we, as Christians, know that we are powerless without Christ and no matter how many times we say " I Can", we can't if it's not in Christ!

Just like affirmations, or confessions, can turn things around into positives, so can negative words we say everyday...... " I'm too short." ; "I'm too slow" ; "We don't have the money" ; "I'm not worthy" ; "He's not smart enough" ; "She can't understand that"

EVERYTHING we say has an impact - either positively or negatively!

The next time you being bombarded with negative thoughts and feelings, try looking at things through the eyes of Faith instead of fear. Remember the promises throughout the Bible that God gives us for our lives. Read Psalm 91. Read the Psalm 91 books written by Peggy Joyce Ruth & Angela Ruth Schum- available as donation only copies, not to be sold. In fact, if you'd like a copy, contact me and I will get one to you free! For more info on the books, you can visit Peggy Joyce Ruth Ministries. And then begin to make Biblical based confessions such as:

" No weapon formed against me shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against me in judgement I condemn"

( Isa. 54:17 )

"I am established in righteousness, and oppression is far from me"

(Isa. 54:14)

"I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son"

( Col.1:13 )

"I do not have the spirit of fear but power, love, and a sound mind."

( 2 Tim 1:7)

These are just some examples of the millions of prayers and confessions that come straight from God's Word! He equipped us from the start!! Ask God to show you.....

"Lord, we thank You that You have already given us the equipment we need. All we have to do is pick it up and use it in Faith and in the Name of Jesus! We thank you, Jesus that Your blood covers us and protects us. We thank You for Your provision, protection and power! Lead us and guide us in using all of these how we should. In Jesus Name we pray - Amen"

Care2Causes

2011-06-18T07:17:00.001-07:00

This is a site that I just found. I'm obviously a little behind in the times because it appears that it's been around for a while, but it's new to me! I'd like to encourage everyone to check it out and get involved! It's FREE and important!!! Check out Care2Causes today!

Excellence of the Restored Nation

2011-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

I asked God to show me a passage in the Bible that I could share here tonight, and boy did He answer! This is God talking to Jeremiah about Israel and basically how they would be over taken by Nebuchadnezzar but then also how He would restore them.

Jeremiah 33:

3 "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'

4 "For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of this city and the houses of the kings of Judah, which have been pulled down to fortify against the siege mounds and the sword:

5 ' They come to fight with the Chaldeans, but only to fill their places with the dead bodies of men whom I will slay in My anger and My fury, all for whose wickedness I have hidden My face from this city.

6 ' Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heals them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.

7 'And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return and will rebuild those places as at first.

8 ' I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me.

9 ' Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.' "

His promises continue on and on, in fact, I would highly suggest taking some time to read and study Jeremiah, I know I am!

Now, what do I get from this? HOPE!!!!

God's promises to the nation, aren't just for the nation, but for us - individually, our families, our communities!

Sometimes, when we have strayed so far away from God, when we have let the enemy, the devil, have control over us - many times not even realizing it - God may decide to let an opposing force win a battle over us, just to get us on our knees! Then He can begin the healing...

" Behold I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth" - Remember Jesus is referred to as the way, the TRUTH and the life and He is also the Prince of PEACE. He came not to condemn the world to bring us life - more abundantly!

He then restores us, bringing us back to how we were when we first came to accept him... " And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first" We are those captives and those places are our lives!

"I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me." - He cleanses us from all unrighteousness just as soon as we turn back to Him!

Then He will gain the Honor and praise when others look at us and see where we have been, where we are and where we are going! " Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it."

God wants to prosper us, in all ways, not just in the financial sense of them word, but in all that we do, in all that we are!

If you have been touched by this, or if God is speaking to you about this, please feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!

" Dear Heavenly Father, our great Provider and Healer. We thank You that even when we have turned away from You, we still have an opportunity to come back to You and know that You will welcome us with open arms. It's never too late! We thank You, Lord for Your undying love and never ending forgiveness. We praise You that when You forgive us, it is forgotten! As far as the East is to the West, that's the depth of Your forgiveness! We thank You that You bring healing to our lives and set us free from the bonds of sin and death! We want to bring You praise and honor and be a joy unto You, Lord! In Jesus' name we pray - Hallelujah and Amen! "

A Warning to our Nation....

2011-06-09T13:43:00.000-07:00

....but not just our nation, any nation, and to us individually.

Isaiah 30: 1-3

" 'Woe to the obstinate children,' declares the Lord, 'to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh's protection, to Egypt's shade for refuge. But Pharaoh's protection will be your shame, Egypt's shade will bring you disgrace. ' "

OBSTINATE ( From Thesaurus.com )

Main Entry:	obstinate
Part of Speech:	adjective
Definition:	stubborn, determined
Synonyms:	adamant, cantankerous, contradictory, contrary, contumacious, convinced, dead set on, dogged, dogmatic, firm, hard, hardened, headstrong, heady, immovable, indomitable, inflexible, intractable, intransigent, locked in, mulish, obdurate, opinionated, opinionated, persistent, pertinacious, perverse, pigheaded, recalcitrant, refractory, relentless, resolved, restive, self-willed, steadfast, strong-minded, tenacious, unalterable, unflinching, unmanageable, unyielding, willful
Antonyms:	agreeable, amenable, cooperative, flexible, helpful, submissive, willing, yielding

When we take matters into our own hands and do not wait upon the Lord, we are not only being disobedient, but also: stubborn, cantankerous, contrary, hardened, inflexible, pigheaded, self-willed, unmanageable and unyielding.

Has life thrown you a curve ball and you're not sure what to do? Ask God to show you, go to HIM for your shelter and your protection, not some outside force. When we do this, we are instead being agreeable, cooperative, submissive, willing and yielding. And by allowing HIM to take care of us as He has promised He will do, we are also being helpful even in our own circumstance. He can not move in our life if we do not allow him to do so.

When we as a country turn to other leaders, other countries, and move outside of God's grace, we are in a dire situation! We form alliances that are not made by God, not endorsed by Him and in turn we begin to make our situation worse and worse.

Remember, God can lead us through anything, but we must allow Him! For our country, we must stay on our knees in prayer, and make a stand for what we know is right! In our own lives, we must also allow God to move as He see's fit. We must run to HIM for safety and let Him be our shield and our protection!

" Abba, Father, Daddy - We thank You that You are our shield. You are our provider, Jehova Jira. Anything we may face, You already have the answer to. Any storm that may come our way, you already have the shelter. We ask Lord that You would help us to remember to always seek Your face. To always seek Your will. We ask that we would not go about things our own way and try to solve things in our own fashion which only leads us to more and more sins, but that we would turn to You. We thank You, Heavenly Father , that You are always there for us. You are the Alpha and the Omega and there is no one like you! In the name of your precious Son, Jesus, Amen. "

Will vs. Want

2011-05-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

"I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name. In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." Psalm 138:1-3

Many times throughout the Psalms , David states how he WILL praise the Lord. Perhaps he was making a purposed statement. There are plenty of times that I know I do not "feel" like or "want" to sing praises. Perhaps I am too tired, perhaps I am too busy, whatever the excuse, I believe God is telling me in this verse that I must make a stand and a statement. I must purpose to praise Him even when I do not feel like it. I believe that the Lord honors these praises even more than when we "want" to sing to Him and praise Him. When we can begin to praise and worship God for who He is, all the time, we ignite something. When we give Him the glory, He in turns blesses us even more!

Think about it this way.... If you are a parent and you give your child a present, you bless them with something they have been wanting or needing, and they don't even bother to say thank you. They toss your gift to the side, or use it as the case may be, but they show no gratitude, do you think you would want to bless them again any time soon?

Now if you bless your child with the thing they have been wanting or needing and they show sincere gratitude and appreciation for this thing, how quickly will you want to bless them again?

We should never praise God just so we can get something more out of Him, don't get me wrong. I am simply stating that through praise and worship, we unlock a realm of blessings. And although His simple everyday blessings that we may even miss throughout the day are enough, He will choose to open the windows of Heaven and pour out His blessings when we show our appreciation.

Of course, we show our gratitude through many ways, praise is just one. Other ways are things like : obedience, generosity and love to others.

Have you taken time today to say thank you? Have you purposed time in your day for praise? If not, now is the perfect time!!!

"My Abba Father, I thank you so much for each blessing that you generously give us each day. From the clothes on my back, to my job, my friends, my family and that traffic light that kept me from getting into that accident. I pray that I might take the time to praise you everyday and to tell others of your grace and love. I thank you Father for your forgiveness and your mercy. I thank you Lord that I may be a blessing to others, through You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen!"

A need?

2011-05-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am not very good at keeping a blog. Let me just admit that fact right up front! But I have noticed one thing. Although this blog has not been updated in quite some time, I still get a lot of page impressions. That tells me that people are looking for lessons from God. People need to hear from God. Do I think that I have answers for them? No. But God does. And maybe, just maybe, something that He teaches me will help others if I just write about it here!

So, I am going to keep this blog more updated and use the gifts God has given me for His Glory. I must make the time. Life is very busy and hectic for me. I run the catering division of a successful privately owned restaurant and when I am not busy on a catering, I work in the restaurant as a manager. I have two teenagers at home, and one who lives with his father several states away. Add two cats, two dogs and a landlord who wants to sell my home, and yes, it's a crazy busy life! But if I can not take time out for God....... Just a few minutes a day to listen and hear what He places on my heart. Just a few minutes a day to find quiet and be able to type..... If I can not do this, do I really deserve His goodness? No way! Truth is, even if I do these things I do not deserve His goodness!

That's the wonderful thing about God and His goodness. We don't deserve any of it, but He freely gives it anyhow.

Sidewalk Prophets put it great in their song " You love me anyways "

"I am the thorn in Your crown

But You love me anyway

I am the sweat from Your brow

But You love me anyway

I am the nail in Your wrist

But You love me anyway

I am Judas’ kiss

But You love me anyway

See now, I am the man who yelled out from the crowd

For Your blood to be spilled on this earth shaking

ground

Yes then, I turned away with this smile on my face

With this sin in my heart tried to bury Your grace

And then alone in the night, I still called out for You

So ashamed of my life, my life, my life

But You love me anyway

Oh, God… how you love me"

Have you been cut off?

2010-12-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

"...my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children." Hosea 4:6 (NIV)

According to Strong's Concordance "destroyed" means "cut off". God tells us that His people, that's me and you, have been cut off because we lack knowledge. Knowledge of God and His Word. Our Number One defense against attacks of the enemy is God's Word. When we feel as if we are down for the count, when the rug has been pulled out from under us, when we can't possibly go on..... what do we do? Do we have knowledge of the Word to know how to speak against and war against the devil? If we don't then we should. I do not want to be cut off from healing, or be cut off from prosperity, God's love, peace, etc... I DO NOT WANT TO BE CUT OFF!

"Rejected" means "Not believed" according to Strong's Concordance. So God tells us that because we have not believed He will reject and not believe us. Because we have not believed and therefore ignored His law, His Word, then He will ignore not only us, but our children!

Our actions TODAY affect TOMORROW!

Are you facing lack? Sickness? Divorce? Whatever you are struggling with in your life, God is BIGGER than the problem and HE is the SOLUTION! Get into the Word and find every verse dealing with your situation and start speaking the Word. If the Word says, "By His stripes we are healed." then, by God, YOU ARE HEALED! Speak it, walk it and BELIEVE IT!

Be Blessed.

Wow... I just had to share these pics!

2010-10-20T20:59:00.001-07:00

The above photos are from SmashingMagazine.com and there are plenty more there!

The above images are from webdesignerdepot.com and were shot with an infrared camera. There are many more to see on their site!!

I hope you all have enjoyed these photos as much as I did!

Opinion Outpost

2010-10-19T20:02:00.001-07:00

Troubled Times...

2010-10-19T19:47:00.001-07:00

It amazes me how life can be going along, all is well and then....WHAM!!! We're hit upside the head with something that completely changes everything!

For example.... Last year, my family and I had to move because the people who owned the house we were rented wanted to sell the home and I wanted to move on our own timing and not theirs. So, we found a new home and on the day we moved, my husband lost his job. That was so devastating! For 6 months he didn't work and we were sinking more and more. All I had was faith that God would bring us out of it and that He would always provide, which He did. I still say that had it not been for God and His Provision, we wouldn't have ever made it.

Now, it's happened again. My husband lost his job a few days ago and for a moment, I panicked. Then I remembered how God cared for us before and He will do it again. I actually have a very good feeling about this and am thankful that my husband is no longer working with the group of men he was working with because they are very bad influences and I saw changes in my husband that I was NOT happy with. Just within these few days of him not being around them, it's amazing just how much peace is in my home and how little we have been arguing!

My point to all this is.... In troubled times, we need to seek Jesus. Maybe sometimes He allows things to come into our lives to get our attention again because it's when our world is turned upside down that we come to Him the most. When things are good we tend to go about our lives maybe without as much thanksgiving as we should and without spending as much time as we should in His presence.

So if you are experiencing a difficult time, look up and keep your eyes on Him. Know that He will provide, if you'll let Him. We try to do everything on our own, but there are some things that we just can't do! Let Him do those things for you!

As for me, I am believing that God is making some awesome changes within my husband and in our lives. I believe that He will provide a job that my husband is happier in and is more of a financial provision than we have ever had. I believe that He will provide us with the security I have been so desperate for! All we need is His love!

2010-09-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Crown of Thorns

2010-09-28T18:17:00.001-07:00

Remember back in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve ate the fruit and God cursed the land? "...Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,..." ( Genesis 3:17-19)

Since then, mankind has been living by the sweat of his brow. Life has not been easy and for many, it is full of poverty. However, when Jesus was taken before the religious and political authorities and they placed those thorns upon his head...no wait. "Placed upon his head" is not descriptive enough. When they shoved the thorns down deep into his flesh, hammering them in place, Jesus bled.

The symbol of poverty, the thorns, were placed upon his head and he shed his blood for the redemption of our poverty.His blood covered our shame, our sin and our poverty. Jesus came to set us free and to give us life more abundantly. He died so that we may be prosperous, in many ways.

The devil wants us to stay poor and impoverished. He wants us to believe that as Christians, we should be poor. This is what traditional religion has taught us. This, however, goes against God and what He wants for us.

We can't give what we don't have.....

( To learn more, please read "Free at Last" By Larry Huch )

Passion - At the Whipping Post

2010-09-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Stripes that Heal

2010-09-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

The second place that Jesus shed His blood was at the whipping post. Under Jewish law, a prisoner could be given up to 40 lashes, but often they were only given 39 because 40 was often fatal. This is why it is believed that Jesus himself received 39 lashes. These 39 lashes represent the root of every disease. He took them all! Every blood disorder, every mental disability, every physical and mental disease, He took them all!!

Some say God doesn't heal anymore, but the Bible says," Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)

Some say God *can* heal, but does He want to?Think about the man with leprosy who came to Jesus and begged Him, " If you are willing, you can make me clean." ( Mark 1:40-41 ) Did Jesus turn him away and say "Nah, not today. I'm not willing to do that anymore."? No he did not. Instead, He touched the man and said, " I am willing. Be clean!"

God, and therefore Jesus, is not a respecter of persons, meaning He does not favor one over another. If He did it for one, He will do it for all. We must come boldly into the throne room and call our healing in! "If it be thy will" is the same as not knowing the will of God. Jesus came so that we "may have life and have it more abundantly." Jesus brought us life, not death, blessings, not curses. It IS His will that we live and be healthy.

Our salvation starts with the forgiveness of our sins, but it doesn't stop there. It goes further into deliverance, healing and freedom!

Again, this is based on "Free at Last" by Larry Huch. This is only a quick overview, some highlights if you will. Please experience the total revelation!

Prayer: " Oh Lord, that we may truly understand the depth of Your love. That You came to earth, walked as a man and took upon Yourself not only the pain and agony of being tortured and killed, but You took on the shame and humiliation of sin in all forms so that we may be free. Let us begin to experience Your freedom! Thank you Lord Jesus for your wonderful salvation. Let us never take it for granted, but always strive to become more like You. To love like You, to live like You. In the Name of Jesus I pray and plead the blood of Jesus over my life today. Amen."

Free at Last!

2010-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Do you feel as if you can't seem to change? Do you have habits that you want to break, but just don't seem to be able to? In his book " Free at Last", Larry Huch shows you the Biblical means of doing just these things and so much more!

This book shows you how you can live truly free.... free of generational curses, and fully in the promises of God! It reveals the power behind the 7 places Jesus shed His blood and how they apply to all of us, right where we are today. It is these 7 places that I want to share with you.

Today I will discuss the first place, but before we get to that, let's travel back into the Garden of Eden. Remember, although Eve was the first to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she was deceived. It was Adam who sinned and handed over the dominion over the earth to the devil. When this happened, mankind lost many,many things. One of the things that Adam handed over was willpower. He did not exert his willpower when Eve asked him to eat the fruit. Instead, like a sheep who must be led, he laid it down and ate the fruit. The good news is that Jesus took back that willpower for us! How? It happened when he first shed His blood....

On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Not a surprise, but have you ever really looked at that story? I was in awe when I read about this. Jesus had given up His "godhood" to become a man when he came to earth. Yes, he was the Son of God, but He was not God while on earth. He still ate, drank, slept, He even used the bathroom. Yes, Jesus was a man. A man filled with the power of the miracle working God who sent him as the second Adam. As a man, Jesus felt pain when He stubbed His toe. If His mother needed something, He was sure to help her. So on this night, He knew that He was about to endure pain beyond the imagination and though His spirit was willing, He knew this was something He had to do, His flesh was weak and He really didn't want to go to the cross.

Jesus prayed so hard in the garden that night, that he actually sweat drops of blood. Now if you think this was something just made up, that people can't really do that, think again. It has been a proven fact that under extreme duress, the blood vessels and capillaries expand and burst, causes it to come out through the pours and therefore causing one to sweat blood. Although Jesus asked for the cup to pass from Him if possible, He also stated " Not My will, but thine be done." In other words, " God, if you could find another way to do this, please do, that would be great! But I am ready to do what I have to do, to put You first!"

If that wasn't a battle of willpower, I don't know what is! So even as Adam lost our willpower in a garden, Jesus, the second Adam ( the one to fix all the mistakes of Adam and redeem us from the death that Adam's sin condemned us to ), won our willpower back in a garden.

The next time you have to go to the in-laws and think you just can't sit there through another dinner with them, think of that night in the garden. With Jesus on our side, we can do anything!!

If you're trying to quite smoking, or quit eating junk food, and think it's impossible, think again! It's already done! If Jesus can go to the cross and be tortured and finally be killed, surely, we can do these small insignificant things. If He had the strength and willpower to not run and avoid the cross, I believe He will give us the same strength!

Prayer: " Thank you Abba Father, for the love you showed even me when you sent your son to earth. Thank You Jesus that you give us the strength we need to get through even the toughest situation. Thank you that through you we can accomplish anything! I plead the blood of Jesus over my life and ask for your protection, love and grace to be shown in my life and through my life. In Jesus' name, Amen."

PS: If you'd like to know more about Larry Huch and his ministry, please check out: http://www.larryhuchministries.com/

Back again!

2010-09-15T18:21:00.000-07:00

You know, life can be so hectic and crazy, sometimes we just lose sight of the things we enjoy doing and trade them in for the things we have to do. I'm afraid I did just that when I set this blog aside. Many, Many things have changed in my life since I last posted here! I will not go into boring detail here, but suffice it to say God is always leading us in new directions!

I apologize to those of you who have left me comments that I did not respond to. Believe it or not, I just realized they were there! Ok, so I am not the most computer savvy person, but I am trying!!

I have many things that I want to share with you! Starting tomorrow, I will do an overview of a very powerful book by Larry Huch called "Free at Last". This book is inspirational and informative, I can't wait to share it with you!

Now that I know where to find the comments so I can respond, please do not hesitate to send me your comments!

For now, take care and God Bless!!

Promises of the Bible to help through our troubles...

2009-06-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

The enemy has a way of 'getting under our skin' when we are not walking very closly with God. I, myself, have been experiencing this lately and I'm positive that I am not alone. I know that there are others who need encouragement just as much as I do and therefore I have turned to the only good and true source of just such a thing - The Word - The Holy Bible. All throughout God's Word we can read His promises for us. And first of all, I would like to share one to show that we can never stray so far away from God that He can not reach us and we can not return to Him -

"I myself will be the Shepherd of my sheep, and cause them to lie down in peace, the Lord God says. I will seek my lost ones, those who strayed away, and bring them safely home again. I will put splints and bandages upon their broken limbs and heal the sick. And I will destroy the powerful, fat shepherds; I will feed them, yes--feed them punishment! " Ezekiel 34:15

God is always seeking those who have lost thier way. Some may think that this only pertains to those who do not know God at all, but this is not true. God wishes for ALL of His sheep to be close to Him. He wishes for us to be at peace, as the above verse tells us. He wants us safely home with Him and He will destroy anything that stands in His way - if we will only follow Him. He will heal our brokeness, our infrmities caused my our time away and He will restore us! Here are some other verses to help you get through tough times....

"For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear: I will help you." Isaiah 41:13

So, do not fear, God is still there and He WILL help you.

"For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts, and tells us that we really are God's children." Romans 8:16

We are children of a KING! Listen to the Holy Spirit, follow His ways. That is God leading you and comforting you.

"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

One of the many promises of the Bible. And one that we ALL must remember!

"So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need." Hebrews 4:16

Are you a child of God? Then you have full authority to come before His throne and recieve his abundant grace and mercy. He wants us to turn to Him in our time of need. He wants to give us all that we need, just like any good father. Let Him.

I hope that this has brought some comfort and inspiration to even one person. I know that it has helped me. God is so good and I know that even though it looks like I am down and out right now. It may look like I am down for the count and that the enemy has conquered many areas of my life, I know that is a LIE because satan is the father of lies and God is the one true God, the God of Truth and my Redeemer. All that the enemy intends for evil, God will use for good. Hallelujah!!

From Worship Leader to American Idol

2009-05-21T11:45:00.001-07:00

You may wonder why I'm writing about American Idol here on God's Life Lessons. Well it's simple really. If you watched the show, you already know that there were a great many talented people on it. My personal faves were, of course, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta. They all have phenominal voices, simply unbelievable. I believe they will all get record deals and become super stars before we know it, but what did Kris Allen have that the others didn't? Why did Kris Allen, labled "The Dark Horse" come out on top, beating even Adam Lambert who seemed to be a 'sure thing'?

That answer is also simple: God and Jesus Christ.

Did you know that Kris Allen was a Worship Leader at New Life Church Maumelle, Arkansas and at the Chi Alpha Campus Ministry at the University of Central Arkansas? Yes, it's a man of God who has been chosen as America's next "Idol". He has done missionary work around the world and is a devout Christian.

Isn't that wonderful?? That just shows that God is still in control.

I am not trying to knock anyone, but the final decision was between Kris and Adam Lambert and although Lambert's voice is absolutely amazing and he can really belt out those notes, of all ranges, God , and apparently the majority of AI fans, were not willing to name Lambert as the winner. Adam's 'choice' of lifestyle is not the role model that America needs now - nor , in my opinion, ever. Though I do love his voice and pray that he will come to know Jesus and realize that his lifestyle is a choice, and one that he can change.

What happened to Allison Iraheta? I'm not sure myself, but obviously she was not America's choice. I seriously look forward to her album when it comes out, however. And what about Danny Gorky? Only time will tell, I suppose. His story was beautiful and heart warming. If you do not know his story, let me sum it up for you. His wife was his inspiration for trying out. She passed away and this was sort of his way of his way of keeping her memory alive, I believe. I applaud him for doing so. And he has a great chance out there too. When he comes out with an album, I will listen to it as well!

I can not say anything about any of the other contestants as I didn't start watching until it was down to the four ( Kris, Adam, Allison and Danny ).

And I am just so thrilled that a man of God is now America's next "Idol"!!

Hope Cambodia

2009-05-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

A little over a year ago, God placed Cambodia on my heart. At first, I simply wanted to hop on the next flight and head there myself. My husband put the brakes on that as he did not want me to go to a place with such civil unrest, especially alone! I still think that I WILL go there one day, but for now, I will wait. So, since I must wait to personally go there, I am trying to spread the word to others about Joyce Meyer Ministries' "Hope Cambodia". They offer the people of Cambodia so much!

Could you imagine that the only water around could possibly kill you if you drink it? What about your child's teeth rotting to a point that when there is food for them they still cry because it hurts so bad? Would you want to have children just to watch them die from hunger? These are things that most of us could not imagine ever having to deal with, but there are millions around the world who live this very scenario everyday.

Think that theres nothing that you can do? Think again! We may not all be able to join a mission trip and go build a hospital or well, but what we can do is support the ministries that can and do do these things. Joyce Meyer ministries is an excellent choice if you want to be a part of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and sheltering the homeless. Please watch this video all about thier ministry in Cambodia.

Want more?

They also have a Dental Truck Outreach...

Please partner today at www.joycemeyer.org

*NOTE: This is NOT a paid announcement and this site and author of this site have no affiliation with Joyce Meyer or Joyce Meyer Ministries ( except to support ).*

Cell Phone -vs- The Bible

2009-05-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat ourcell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several time a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.. Makes you stop and think, where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!

Have tongues passed away?

2009-04-15T09:28:00.001-07:00

( Continued from Joyce Meyer's book "Filled with the Spirit" )

...As for prophecy ( the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose ), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [ it will lose its value and be superseded by truth]. - 1 Corinthians 13:8

Some people and even some churches teach that the gift of speaking in tongues has passed away. They base this argukent on Paul's first letter to the Corinthians in which he said that one day the spiritual gifts would no longer exist.

However, we know that prophecy and knowledge have not passed away. Those gifts are accepted today by almost all believers and are practiced in some form in almost all churches. Knowledge is sought for worldwide. It certainly has not passed away. Why then should we believe that the spiritual gift of tongues has passed away?

One reason some believers and some churches are opposed to speaking in tongues is that they have seen them abused or misused. But that is nothing new. The same thing was happening in Paul's day. That is why he wrote to the believers in Cointh, instructing them in what he considered the proper operation of the gifts of the Spirit, including speaking in tongues.

In 1 Corinthians 14:40 KJV, Paul instructed the Cointhians on how the spiritual gift of tongues should be exercised in the church service - decently and in order. But nowhere did he say that this gift had passed away or that it should not be recieved and exercised by all believers. In fact, in The Amplified Bible translation of verse 39 he said,...do not forbid or hinder speaking in [ unknown] tongues.

Yes, Paul found excess in the exercise of the gift of tongues, and he dealt withit. But he did not command or even suggest that tongues should be done away with to get rid of the excess.

Some people teach against things they don't understand or have not personally experienced. This is sad and robs many people of God's fullness for them.

Each of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is important and each has a role to play in the life of the believer. These gifts are bestowed upon us for a reason and a purpose. Open your heart to the Lord in faith and trust, allowing Him not only to fill you with His Holy Spirit, but also to impart to you the particular gifts He wants you to have - including the gift of tongues.

Tongues as a Wonderful Gift

2009-04-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

( Continuation in Joyce Meyer's book " Filled with the Spirit" )

I thank God that I speak in [ strange] tongues ( languages) more than any of you or all of you put together.
- 1 Corinthians 14:18

This passage tells us that Paul was grateful for the wonderful privilege of praying in tongues, and he practiced it a great deal in his life.

So should you and I. Once we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we can speak or pray in tongues anytime we choose. We don't have to wait for some special feeling to come over us and move us to do so. Just as we can pray in our native tongue anytime we choose, we can pray in tongues anytime we choose, but the two ways of praying are not the same.

In 1 Corinthians 14:15 Paul clearly shows that praying with the spirit ( by the Holy Spirit ) is not the same as praying with the understanding: Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [ by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding...The great apostle Paul said that he prayed with his mind or understanding, but he also prayed with his mind or understanding, but he also prayed with his spirit.

Of course, it is possible to pray Spirit-led prayers in your own native language, and that is a valuable and right thing to do. But that is not what Paul was talking about in this verse. When he said he prayed with his spirit, he meant that he prayed in other tongues.

Next.... "Have tongues Passed Away?"....

Why Speak in Tongues?

2009-04-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

( This is continuing in "Filled with the Spirit" by Joyce Meyer. )

"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."
John 7:38,39 NIV

By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to recieve....

In this passage Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit, Who had not yet been poured out upon believers. When He spoke of the "streams of living water" that would flow from anyone who believed in Him, I believe He was referring to the spiritual language that should be flowing from each of us who have recieved the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Some people say that speaking in tongues is for some believers but not for all. Although it is true that not all believers speak or pray in tongues, I believe all of them could, if they would. As we have seen, all of the believers present in the Upper Room spoke in tongues on the Day of Pentacost, and I believe all believers today can and should do the same.

Why don't all believers speak in tongues today as they did at Pentacost? I don't believe it is because they can't; I believe they are afraid to because they have been taught not to or they think tonngues may be nothing but emotion.

While it is true that some believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit and do not speak in tongues, I don't believe that is God's best for them. If God has poured out His Holy Spirit upon you, I encourage you to receive all the spiritual gifts and abilities He wants to impart to you. God has made them available to you, so you should want to receive them in thier fullness.

But why should all believers receive and exercise the gift of tongues?

As we saw in 1 Corinthians 14:2, when we speak in tongues, we are speaking secrets and mysteries to God. We are saying things in a spiritual language that our enemy Satan cannot understand.

We are also edifying ourselves, as we see in Jude 20: But you, beloved, build yourselves up (founded) on your most holy faith [ make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit.

When we speak in tongues, often we are prophesying great things over our lives, things that we might not be able to accept if we understood what we were saying.

Finally, when we pray in tongues, we are assured that we are praying as we should because the Holy spirit is praying through us...in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

I want to encourage you not to be afraid of the Holy Spirit and His gifts just because you may not have experienced them. When you ask Him to give you one of His gifts, He will never give you a bad one. To be very honest, these things are hard to explain to anyone who has not experienced them, but once you have experienced them, there is no denying the reality of this wonderful gift of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Next -" Tongues as a Wonderful Gift".....

Differences in Tongues

2009-03-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

( continued )

For one who speaks in an [unknown] tongue speaks not to men but to God, for one understands or catches his meaning, because in the [Holy] Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things [ not obvious to the understanding].

But [ on the other hand ], the one who prophesies [ who interprets the divine will and purpose in inspired preaching and teaching] speaks to men for thier upbuilding and constructive spiritual progress and encouragement and consolation.

I Corinthians 14:2-3

In the study Bible compiled by well-respected Bible teacher and scholar Finis Jennings Dake, there is a note on Acts 2:1-8, which is the account of the disciples speaking in tongues on the Day of Pentacost. Of this incident Dake writes:

"This [ the speaking in tongues] was similar to the Spirit speaking through the prophets in thier own language...only here it was with different languages."

In other words, just as God can speak to us through prophets who are speaking in our own language or a language we can understand, He can also speak to us in unknown languages or languages we do not understand and which jabe to be interpreted for our benefit.

Dake continues, " Though speaking in tongues is done through immediate inspiration by new recipients [ofthe Holy Spirit] when one has this received the gift [ of speaking in tongues], it then becaomes a part of his mental make-up so that he can, if he desires to do so, exercise it without direct inspiration..."

That is, although we may speak in tongues by inspiration of the Holy Spirit at the time we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that does not mean we cannot continue to speak in tongues on our own whenever we choose to do so, such as when we pray.

The reason I included this note from Dake is that many people who speak in tongues at the moment they receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit think they can never exercise that particular gift again.

That is wrong.

Once you receieve the gift of tongues, it is yours, and you can exercise it at your ill, which you should do regularly - especially when you pray. But that does not mean that you have the gift of speaking out in tongues in a worship service, which would require interpretation so that everyone who hears can understand the message and be edified by it.

According to Dake, "This is why the vocal gifts of prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues is commanded to be regulated and even judged as to whether it be under direct inspiration or whether the person is exercising a gift of himself."

We must remember that a distinction occurs between tongues as a prayer language and a message from God that is delievered through tongues and interpretation in a worship service.

( To be continued...)

Is Speaking in Tongues for Today?

2009-03-26T09:22:00.000-07:00

This is also from Joyce Meyer's book "Filled with the Spirit" and is the next chapter. Enjoy!

And they were all filled ( diffused throughout thier souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other ( different, forgein) languages ( tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words]. Acts 2:4

[ In an easrlier chapter] we saw that the Holy Spirit was first poured out upon believrs on the Day of Pentecost when the disciples were all gathered together, waiting for the gift that Jesus reminded them God the Father had promised them.

It is important to note that when the gift of the Holy Spirit was given to the assembled disciples, all 120 of them began to speak in tongues. That gift of speaking in tongues has never been revoked; it is still available too all believers who will receive it today. As we have seen, it is part of the whole range of gifts that are given us through the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Does Everyone Have All of the Gifts?

Now you [ collectively] are Christ's body and [individually] you are members of it, each part severally and distinct [ each with his own place and function].

So God has appointed some in the church [ for His own use]: first apostles (special messengers); second prophets (inspired preachers and expounders); third teachers; then wonder-workers; then those with ability to heal the sick; helpers; administrators; [speakers in] different (unknown) tongues.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all have the power of performing miracles?

Do all possess extraordinary powers of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?

I Corinthians 12:27-30

The obvious answer to all these questions is no. What Paul is saying here is that not everyone operates in these gifts - in the church. However, that does not mean that not everyone will receive any one particular gift.

Since that may be confusing, let me explain by giving an example. Not everyone has the gift of healing in the sense that they launch into a full-time ministry of healing people. But, remember, every believer does have the power within them to lay hands on the sick and believe they will recover, as Jesus taught in Mark 16:17,18: And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages;...they will lay thier hands on the sick, and they will get well.

Are you a believer? If so, Jesus plainly says in this passage that one of the signs that will accompany you is that you will have the power to drive out demons, speak in tongues and lay hands on the sick and they will recover. That is part of the universal faith in which all of us as believers are empowered to operate in, in our everyday lives.

In James 5:14, 15 we are told that we can anoint the sick with pil and pray the prayer of faith over them, and they will be restored to health.

So you and I do not need a special gift from the Holy Spirit to exercise our faith to lay hands on the sick. The same is true of speaking in tongues.

Not everyone has the gift of tongues - to stand up in a congregation and speak in tongues with interpretation, which would equal a prophecy given the church or worship service. But every believer who receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit has been given the ability to pray in tongues and to speak to God in our own individual prayer language.

Next we will look at "Differences in Tongues"

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

2009-03-24T08:18:00.000-07:00

The following is from Joyce Meyer's book " Filled with the Spirit". I just love Joyce Meyer and her teachings. She really knows how to break it down in a way that one can understand it. I hope you enjoy this too!

Now about the spiritual gifts ( the special endowments of supernatural energy), brethren, I do not want you to be misinformed. I Corinthians 12:1

I attended church for many years and never heard one sermon or lesson of any kind on the gifts of the Spirit. I did not know what they were, let alone that they were available to me.

Many people are afraid of receiving the Holy Spirit because they don't understand either the Holy Spirit or the gifts of the Spirit. For that reason, I would like to share with you some important Scriptures on this subject.

In I Corinthians the apostle Paul wrote to the church that he had established in the city of Corinth to explain to those new believers something about the nature, operation and purpose of the gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows upon people.

In I Corinthians 12 he begins by telling the Corinthian believers that he does not want them to be ignorant of these things. Then he goes on to explain the gifts to them.

A Variety of Spiritual Gifts

Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments ( gifts, extraordinary powers distinguishing certain Christians, due to the power of divine grace operating in thier souls by the Holy Spirit) and they vary, but the [Holy] Spirit remains the same.

And there are distinctive varieties of service and ministration, but it is the same Lord [ Who is served ].

And there are distinctive varieties of operation [ of working to accomplish things], but it is the same God Who inspires and energizes them in all. I Corinthians 12:4-6

Paul tells the Corinthians that there is a variety of spiritual gifts and that they are distributed to different people in the church according to the will and purpose of God.

Although the spiritual gifts are distinct one from the other and operate differenlt to accomplish different purposes, they are all under the direction of God, who gives them life and energy.

The Gifts Defined

But to each one is given the manifestation of the [Holy] Spirit [ the evidence, the spiritual illumination of the Spirit] for the good and profit.

To one is given in and through the [Holy] Spirit [ the power to speak] a message of wisdom, and to another [ the power to express] a word of knowledge and understanding according to the same [ Holy] Spirit;

To another [ wonder-working] faith by the same [ Holy] Spirit, to another the extraordinary powers of healing by the one Spirit;

To another the working of miracles, to another prophetic insight ( the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose); to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [ the utterances of true] spirits [ and false ones], to another various kinds of [unknown] tongues, to another the ability to interpret [ such] tongues.

All these [gifts, achievments, abilities] are inspired and brought to pass by one and the same [Holy] Spirit, who apportions to each person individually [ exactly] as He chooses. I Corinthians 12:7-11

So we see that when God gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him, the Holy Spirit distributes among them different spiritual gifts to be used for different purposes.

Generally, these gifts are known by the description of them found in the King James Version of this passage: word of wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues.

Remember, the gifts vary, but they are all from the same Holy Spirit.

The word of wisdom is a form of spiritual guidance that lets an individual know supernaturally by the Holy Spirit how to handle a certain issue in a way that is beyond thier natural learning or experience and lines up with God's purpose.

The word of knowledge operates much the same way as the word of wisdom. There are a number of different interpretations of the word of knowledge, but the one believers generally follow is this: We find it valuable because suddenly an individual knows something that God reveals to them about thier life or about what He is doing in another person's life that there is no natural way for them to know.

I believe there are certain individuals to whom God gives the gift of faith for specific occasions such as a dangerous missionary trip or a very challenging situation. When this gift is operating in people, they are able to comfortably believe God in or for something that other people would see as impossible.

The gifts of healing work with the gift of faith. Although every believer is encouraged to l ay hands on the sick, pray and see them recover, God may choose to use certain individuals in a special healing ministry. In other words, as believers, we can always pray for the sick, but the gifts of healing may not always be present. We canalways pray in faith, using the measure of faith that the Bible tells us God has given to every person, but the supernatural endowment of faith is given as the Spirit wills.

Miracles are things that cannot be explained, things that do not occur through ordinary means. We all can and should believe God for miracles in our lives, but God will choose certain individuals to have the gift of the working of miracles flow through them. It is up to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit whether it occurs once or a few times or on a regular basis.

Prophecy concerns the will of God, and while it is instructive or edifying, sometimes it may bring correction. One may prophesy to another individual or to an entire congregation of people. Sometimes the prophecy is more general; at other times it is very specific. It may come through a prepared message or sermon, or it may come by divine revelation.

Some people say that the discerning of spirits gives people supernatural insight into the spirit realm when God allows. They believe that it is not exclusively the discerning of evil or demon spirits but also of divine spirits. Other people believe that discerning of spirits also helps us know the true nature of who we are dealing with, whether they are good or evil, and what the motivation is behind a person or situation. In other words, it involves following our heart and not our head.

There are all abilities, gifts, achievements and endowments of God's supernatural power by which we believers are enabled to accomplish something beyond the ordinary. We experience this power as we use our gifts.

Speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues are part of these nine gifts. The best and easiet way to describe tongues is to say it is a spiritual language, one the Holy Spirit knows and chooses to speak through us but one we do not know. It is the Holy Spirit speaking directly to God through is. We do not understand it with our minds. It is a spiritual thing.

Since all nine of these spiritual gifts are given individually by the Holy Spirit to different people, this question almost always arises: "What if I am baptized in the Holy Spirit, but I am not given the gift of speaking in tongues?"

Speaking in tongues is probably one of those misunderstppd of all nine gifts of the Spirit, so although we have already mentioned it, we are going to take a closer look at it in the next chapter ( or in our case, next blog!)

Love Him & be saved!

2009-03-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

Todays passage is Psalms 18:1-3:

“I will love thee O’Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.”

This time is not easy for many people, in fact, most people are having struggles and difficulties in these times of economic distress and worldly upheaval. Hallelujah! There's one that we can always rely on - our Heavenly Father!

Often times I think of things between me and God as they are between myself and my children. For children, especially when they are very young, the parent is almighty. They give thier children strength to do difficult tasks, they keep them safe from harm and in a child eyes, they are worthy of praise. Of course sometimes when teenage-hood hits, this isn't as readily admitted by those same children, but just wait until they are grown, they'll admit it again.

Just as we want to be there for our children, God is there for us. Just as we encourage our children and hold thier hand when things get scary or rough, God holds His hand out to us as well - and we don't have to only hold it then, it's always there! As parents you want all the world for your children. You don't ever want any harm to come to them, though you know it's inevitable. Since you know that it's part of our earthly humanity to face hardships, we simply must stand beside our children and be strong even when they are not. This is how our Heavenly Father is too, only He's even more reliable and trustworthy.

Unfortunatly, in this world, we see many children without the love, strength and support of even one parent, let alone two, but even they can have all that they would ever need in God. We never have to worry if He will be able to come through on a promise or if He'll be there in case we fall. He will always come through because we learn that His Word does not return void. This means that He does not lie.

You say that you don't physically hear his voice booming from the sky? That's okay, neither do I. In fact I think few people would believe anyone heard God in this manner, though He is certainly capable of making that happen! Instead, you must listen to that still small voice, often times called your conscious. You have to read His Word and then claim the promises within as your own! The Bible is His biggest way to communicate with us today, if we'd only take the time to read it and listen to what He has to say.

Are you reading the instructions?

2009-03-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

In today's world few people truly have time to stop and read a newspaper, let alone an instruction manual. Just like the importance of a manual on your new printer, we also have a manual for how to live here on earth and how to be ready when it's time to go home to heaven.

Yep! You guessed it. It's called the BIBLE. Now I am certainly NOT perfect in the area of reading my Bible the way I should, so it's even better that I bring this to you. Often God will place something on my heart to talk about here because it's something that He needs to show me and deal with me on.

Throughout the Bible we find so many wonderful stories and inspirations, but they are so much more than just that. Have you ever read a story from the Bible and just closed your eyes and really imagined it as it happened? Has it dawned on you that this stuff is real? That the people of the Bible really existed? Well, it did really happen and it really happened to real people. And if it can all happen to real people, then why not you??

My point here is this. God is the Word and the Word is God. And just like God is still alive and well today, the Word has not passed away either. This is His Holy Living Word in which He uses to speak to us and through us. The more we read, the more His Word is hidden in our hearts to come against the enemy in all his many forms. Whether it's simple affirmations when you begin to feel negative or when you're seeking real guidence in a situation, God gave us His Word to help and to guide us.

Not only can we find some wonderful and inspirational stories, but we can also begin to discover just how much God loves us. We find hope for tomorrow, joy within the tears and peace when we begin to fear. So if you have noticed distance between you and your Heavenly Father, or perhaps there has become a lack of peace within your life, there's only one thing left to do....

But by the grace of God...

2009-03-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them- though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." I Corinthians 15:10

This verse actually says a lot to me. First of all, I see the point that we are what we are because of God's grace. I, like others, have days when I'm unsure of myself. Maybe I dont really like myself very much, or maybe I just hate being overweight, etc. Well, that's when I first need to remind myself that it's not so much about what I look like on the outside, but the condition of my heart and then I need to remind myself that I am what I am because of God's grace. Just what is grace? Let's look it up in the dictionary. Here are some of the meanings for Grace:

elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action.

a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment.

favor or goodwill

a manifestation of favor

moral strength

the excercise of love, kindness, mercy, favor; disposition to benefit or serve another; favor bestowed or privilege conferred.

The divine favor toward man; the mercy of God, as distinguished from justice; also, any benefits His mercy imparts; divine love or pardon

We could go on and on, but this is enough. So let's replace 'grace' with some of the other words used in it's definition.

But by the 'favor' of God I am what I am.

But by the 'love' of God I am what I am.

But by the 'mercy' of God I am what I am.

But by the 'pardon' of God I am what I am.

Now we know that to be merciful is to hold back what is rightfully deserved in judgment. To favor one is also to be merciful and to pardon someone is to show undeserved mercy. So could we say that we are what we are because God loves us and wants to keep us from judgment? I think we could.

Let's look at the next part of the first sentence: 'and His grace toward me has not been in vain.'.

and His love, favor, mercy and pardon towards me has not been in vain.

To be in vain means : 'without affect or avail; to no purpose ; in an improper or irreverant manner."

I think we could safely say that God's mercy then has a purpose and does affect our lives! But do we allow His purpose for us come to fruit? God wants to use us. He has a purpose for each and everyone of us and that is to do His will and promote the Kingdom of God. Now, we know that we have His grace which allows us to do this, but do we do it?

The next section speaks of working harder than others, BUT we must also remember that no matter how hard we work for something, it's God's grace that brings us through it and to the purpose.

Now God's overall purpose of the advancement of His Kingdom translates differently for each person because we are each made in different ways with different skills and gifts. And these skills and gifts are bestowed upon us with God's grace, mercy, love, kindness, favor and pardon. Some may have a real gift for children - teaching, loving, playing and just overall a good report with children. Now to use that for God could be to volunteer in the church nursery or children's church. To teach children of God's love.

For another perhaps thier gift is being able to cook. One could use that gift by helping in a soup kitchen that delivers the word of God, or maybe by taking food to the needy themselves along with a prayer. Or maybe God would have them in a resturaunt in the community where they can pray over the food as they fix it and therefore pray over the one about to consume it. There are many ways in which God could use this person. My point here is that whatever your gift or your hope for your future, it can be used for the glory of God.

So remember, God loves YOU so much that much like an earthly parent, He only wants the best for us. He demonstrates His love through his grace, mercy, kindness and favor. Instead of condeming you to the life that sinners deserve, He gives us a way out - His Son, Jesus. When we accept Jesus and become co-heirs to the Kingdom of God, then we also become heirs of his grace. He pardons us from eternity of fire and pain, replacing it with everlasting joy, happiness and peace unspeakable. And the next time to want to put yourself down for some little flaw, remember you could have many many more flaws if it werent for God, and then ask Him to help you in your troubled area. He will.

2009 and Believers

2009-03-10T07:12:00.000-07:00

In the world of numbers, the Bible gives us significant insights if we look.

The number 7, and thus the year 2007, marked spiritual perfection and completion. This was the last day of the week and marked the completion of the earth and is mentioned many, many more times in the Bible with this sort of significance.

The number 8, and thus the year 2008, is a number of resurrection and new beginnings. the Feast of Tabbernacles is 8 days long, the transfiguration took place on the 8th day, and there are 8 resurrections in the Bible besides Jesus and the saints, plus many more refrences to the number 8.

That brings us to 9, and thus the year 2009. This number signifies a few things, including: Divine Completeness from the Father, The End, Conclusion and Judgement. For those who are of this earthly world, this can bring about great fear for those who believe in the power of the number. Especially given the world today, one could easily assume that these are truly the last days, and I , for one, believe that could very well be true, but unlike the unbelievers, I am excited!

You see, judgment is reserved for the wicked ( unsaved ) and not for those who follow Christ. The Bible tells us that Jesus stood in place of our judgement. He was the pure and spotless lamb given in our place as a sacrifice to end all sacrifices. He took our judgment and once we accept Him as our Savior and His Father as our Father, God's judgment toward us is cast aside and in it's place stands grace and mercy. The judgment that awaits us is for what we have done and not done to promote the Kingdom of God. It is when we will be rewarded, not condemed. God is not here to condem us, but to save us from our own condemnation. By not following God and accepting His plan of salvation, we are condeming ourselves. So.... believers, REJOICE! This is a time of harvest for us, this is our time of Divine completness from the Father!

We must remember, it is God who gives us the victory, as we read in Zephaniah 3:17 " The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory." He is here today, alive and well in each of his followers and it's His strength which brings us the victory over evil and negativity. Instead of reminding yourself that you, like so many others, are struggling with finances, remind yourself that you are rich in the Kingdom of God and that as a believer, you do not live by the world's economy, but by God's - and by the way, He owns it ALL! No matter what struggle you are facing right now, if you simply trust God and give the matter to Him, he will bring the victory!

Here are a couple websites about numbers and thier Biblical meanings. It's quite interesting!

1. http://www.asis.com/users/stag/godcount.html

2. http://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/introduction.html

I need prayer....

2008-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

There is something very serious that has entered my mind, time and time again. I really want to quit my job and be a stay-at-home mom. The urge is growing stronger. I know that if I had more time to work my AVON business I could make a lot more money than I am making right now, but it would take time and , initially, money. But I KNOW that I could do it. By staying home, there is actually a LOT that I could accomplish. I have been working on my family genealogy for a couple years now and , lately, have really fallen behind on adding new info and researching. I also began homeschooling my oldest son a couple months ago, which has proven quite difficult when I work 40 hrs a week too. My daughter doesn't go to school until after I leave for work and this has been a problem a couple of times because she has fallen back to sleep and missed school. I also feel that when the weekend rolls around, I am often overwhelmed by all the "catch-up" house work I have to do and I don't get to really enjoy the weekend or the time with my kids and husband.

So, I would be able to work with my son, make sure my daughter gets to and from school, have housework done daily, work on my genealogy project and still bring in an income through AVON. If I made myself a schedule for homeschooling, AVON and my project, I could accomplish it all easily. Homeschooling would a couple hours each day, and then I could alternate days between AVON and the Family tree. Or insteadof alternating, maybe it would be better to take one day for the genealogy and the rest for AVON. I could canvass neighborhoods, drop off books at businesses, talk to people about the AVON opportunity and build my downline.

But, I also know that my husband would be opposed to this. The only way this could be possible is if it was what God was wanting for me and He prepared my husband's heart and mind. I would even work a couple days at my mom's restaurant, if she needed the help, but she doesn't, I don't think.

So, this is why I need prayer. I need clarity from God, if this is an idea from Him. If He's the one telling me that I can make a real go of AVON and still be there for my children and such or if it's the enemy trying to trick me into a long hard road. I know that God would be there for me even if it was the enemy, but my husband would not agree to let me do this. I need to know.....

No matter who wins Presidency....

2008-11-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

I have come to a realization today. It doesn't matter who wins this election. Before you get mad and start thinking that I'm crazy, let me explain myself.

I am speaking from a Christian stand point here. Personally, it is extremely important to me to stand with the nominee who Christ would stand with. And for what I see, I have already expressed that is John McCain and Sarah Palin. But what if Obama wins? How will I deal with that? How would I feel? These were the questions that were posed to me.

Well, to begin with, the very first thought that I had was, it doesn't matter who controls this nation because God still owns and controls it all. All of this, everything in our lives, are gifts from God. Everything belongs to Him, including this nation and it's people. Do I really doubt that God would continue to walk with me and His children if Obama were President? No. In fact, when you study the stories in the Bible, victory often came out of defeat. This is God's way of turning what the enemy made for evil, and using it for His Glory and His Goodness.

Another very important issue came to mind as well. The bible also tells us that we are to pray and interceed for those in authority over us. That doesn't just mean parents, teachers and pastors, but our leaders - our President. When this was written, they didn't have a democratic government in effect. Quite often there totalitarian leaders who persecuted and killed Christians and yet, they were told to pray for them - and respect them.

Whether we agree or disagree with the person who sits in the office of President, whether we love thier policies or condem them, we still MUST respect and pray for the OFFICE. The degrading and complaining about the president, must not happen. After today it will not simply be McCain, but President McCain - or perhaps not Obama, but President Obama. Like it or not, the President deserves our respect.

Now with the election here, our job is NOT done. In fact, our job is only beginning. It is up to us, as Christ followers, to pray our leaders through thier decisions. If they do not already know Jesus, then it is absolutely our responsiblity to pray for thier salvation. I have been praying for a leader that would lead this nation from the position of being on his knees. That our leader would take everything to God in prayer long before a decision is made, and even before the public may know about something happening. It does not matter who gets elected , this will continue to be my prayer.

My views on the Presidential Nominees

2008-11-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

You may call me a right-winged- extremist, and that's ok. Maybe I am. But the one thing I do know is that if I do not stand up for what GOD says is right and just, if I do not stand up against what GOD says is a sin and an abomination, then I, in fact, am in sin and not doing the work of my Father. If these things were true, then I would not be much of a Christ Follower - which is the meaning of the word Christian.
Ok, so McCain isn't promising all the tax breaks. Can anyone tell me a president who was able to truly come through with all thier promised tax breaks in the past? Maybe there's one that I am not remembering, but I know that many of these politician's make huge promises and then if it's not the senate that doesn't pass a bill, then it's simply that the President never got "around to it". At least McCain's not making some great promise that he knows that he can not live up to. Besides, if we are Christians, then who's economy are we living in?? I tell you now, I do not live in this world's economy. My father is the King above all kings and He owns ALL the riches of ALL the lands. When we follow His will, then He is sure to bless us to overflowing. You can read all of His promises in His Word. The Bible is not old and outdated. It is the LIVING WORD of our LIVING GOD. That means what was good for yesteryear is good for today! So why are we so worried about the financial future of a world that is coming to an end?
NObama is asking us to say it's ok to kill babies - real live human beings - but thinks it's murder when a baby seal is killed. He is even for partial birth abortions! Let me say this... I do NOT believe that it's ok to kill a baby. I don't care if that baby is only 6 weeks along inutero or lying in an incubator having just been born. A human life is a human life. If God has given us a child, even through rape or incest, there is a purpose for that child. If it is too great of a reminder and one doesn't feel that she can raise it without these thoughts - which is understandable - then how about all the people who want to be parents and can't? He is also asking us to say its ok to be gay. God says this is an abomination. No where does He say, well in a couple of thousand years, you can go ahead and let man marry man and woman marry woman, it's all good. NO! He tells us in Leviticus that it is simply an abomination. And do we really think that NObama will be able to come through with all of his tax cut promises? I tell you the promises that are at the top of his "to-do list". Those are the promises made to his terroist friends. The promises that put us as America in so much danger. We won't have to worry long about terrorists because if left up to NObama, he'll have them everyday in our lives, soon we wouldn't even see them as terroroists, but as the guy next door who likes to blow stuff up.
Do we really want to hand our country over to the enemy? Both the seen and unseen enemy is just sitting on the edge of thier seat waiting.
And what about the prophecy given to Sarah Palin? Personally, I believe that she may very well be an Esther that God has sent to this great nation. God is trying to show grace and mercy. He is trying to give this greedy, self-centered nation another chance. But are we listening? I hope so.
If you would like to read blogs on this from a GREAT blog writer, check out this link: http://ww2.yuwie.com/profile/?id=91507

One last thing... PRAY!

"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from thier wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive thier sin and heal thier land." 2 Chronicles 2:17.

Prayer is not our last option.... it is our only hope!

Clear out the debris...Let the river flow!

2008-10-07T06:22:00.000-07:00

Today's messege comes from Joyce Meyer and her web site at joycemeyer.org. I believe that many of you will benefit from what she has to say. .....

Deep inside each of us, there is a river—a river of life. This river is a wonderful gift given to each of us by God. It refreshes, renews and revitalizes our lives. I'm sure all of us have known people from time to time who defied all logic and stayed alive years longer than they should have. Or you may have known people who've been able to keep a positive outlook on life even though terrible things happened to them. Their river ran strong and didn’t stop flowing. On the other hand, there are those who always seem to be down, whether physically or emotionally. No matter what they do, they can't seem to “snap out of it.” Their river has been stopped-up, and only a little trickle seems to pass through. God places this river in every one of us. It flows with good health, a positive outlook on life, and a generous and forgiving attitude. Ideally, this river flows freely through us. When we allow this flow and keep our well from getting plugged-up, there's a peace or an ease—a current that takes us along—and everything seems easier. Good things come our way. When wonderful opportunities are presented to us, we're ready for them. Many people, however, have allowed their well to become stopped-up. Years of neglect have caused the river, which used to flow powerfully, to become choked down to just a small stream. Everything's hard—nothing comes easy. People with a stopped-up well have to strive for things that come easily to others. It's as if they've become mired in a mud hole and every step is a struggle. Do you know people like this? Does this sound like your life? I once had a stopped-up well in my life. I struggled to tap into the river that I knew was in me. I was constantly digging dry wells—working on projects and chasing ideas that were disappointing and unfulfilling. I believed that if I could just make something work, I would be happy; I would find peace and fulfillment. I would strive after these things every day, but never found the peace I was looking for. I found that over the years I had allowed my well to become stopped-up with “stones” and “debris.” The river no longer flowed freely, and I was miserable. Although I didn't realize it at the time, I really struggled with issues like unforgiveness, anger, selfishness, offense and disobedience. These issues became like stones, dirt and debris that had caused my well to become stopped-up. With God's help, these issues are being dealt with one by one in my life. It's been a long process, but the stones are much smaller today than they used to be. The river in me flows much stronger now. Are you tired of your life being dry, confused and without direction? Are you weary of having to strive for everything in life? Just remember, until you're able to get your well cleared out and unplugged, everything will be difficult, disappointing and unfulfilling. No matter what you try, you'll be unable to taste the water from that river. And that water satisfies like nothing else. Remember, God put a river of life inside each of us. We just need to tap into that stream by clearing up what blocks its flow. God can help you forgive, see the needs of those around you, and let go of past hurts or wrongs. He wants to help you deal with the “stones” and “debris” that are stopping up your well. Make a choice today to stop spending your life fighting, struggling and trudging through the mud with every step. Stop taking inventory of what you've lost, and take a good look at what you've got left. Ask God to help you clear out the debris. Then enjoy the satisfying flow of the river of life!

The Widow's Oil

2008-06-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

2 Kings 4:2-6

" Elisha replied to her, 'How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?'
'Your servant has nothing there at all, ' she said, ' except a little oil.'
Elisha Said, ' Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to the side.'
She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, ' Bring me another one.', But he replied, ' There is not a jar left.' Then the oil stopped flowing."

In the natural we find a widow woman who needed to put food on her table andGod, through Elisha, gave her an abundance of oil to sell, but what else is God trying to tell us?

God has given us a mighty gift! He has given us His Son as a sacrfice and His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. Even if we think that we have nothing to offer God, no talents, no money, nothing....we still have God's Spirit and therefore His anointing OIL.

We must step out in faith, without question, and seek those empty jars which are lost souls. Our neighbors are not mearly the people to the right and left of our home. They aren't simply the people who live across the street, but they are the people we come in contact everyday! We must gather the empty vessels and tuck them away for God. We must go before God, shutting the door to the ways of the world and allow His Spirit to move upon the empty jars. Let the LORD fill the jars through us and then set them aside, for Him. We must do this over and over and over again... staying locked away from the worldly ways and committed only unto God as we bring every empty vessel before Him to be filled, until each and every person has been filled with the Holy Spirit! Then, and only then, will the anointing stop flowing. It may stop, but it doesn't go away! When the woman was done filling all the jars she could find, did the oil dry up? Did the jars suddenly become empty again? Did her own jar ever empty? No, No and No! It was God's goodness, His Glory that continued to fill and pour out from her jar and it was His Glory that continued to fill each jar once they had been filled. His Glory, His Goodness, His Anointing Oil continues to fill us! That oil is still ever so precious and valuable. It never depreciates!

The LORD is looking for the "widow women" to go out in faith and spread his Word, bring in his sheep and fill his empty jars! It is the time of filling, it is the time for His Spirit to be poured out among all the land. He wants to show us the lost, He wants to bring them to us, but are we willing to close the door and do His will?

Prayers for the Leaders of our Nation

2008-06-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

The President

Dear Father, in Jesus' name I lift up our president to You. I know that our leader's heart is in Your hand, so I ask You to guide the head of our nation in the way You would have him to go.

Father, I pray that You would surround our president with wise councel - men and women of integrity who place Your agenda and the good of this nation above thier own and whose motives are for that which is right.

I pray that You would give our leader discernment, understanding and knowledge so that our nation may know stability internally and abroad.

I give thanks for our president according to Your Word and thank You for working in and through his leadership so that we might lead peaceable lives in godliness and honesty.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Scriptual refrences:

1 Timothy 2:1-2 ; Romans 13:1 ; Proverbs 28:2 ; Proverbs 21:1 ; Proverbs 16:10 ; Proverbs 8:15

" Direct my thought, words and work, wash away my sins in the immaculate Blood of the Lamb, and purge my heart by Thy Holy Spirit...Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ. " - George Washington 1st US President

Prayer and our Nation

2008-06-19T05:59:00.000-07:00

Probably one of the biggest complaints I hear on a daily basis is either negative comments about our President or the state in which our economy is in. These things are cetainly a concern for all, and there is plenty that we can do. We can vote, we can petition, we can boycott and ban, and we can PRAY!

Individuals praying can have amazing results, but imagine if we formed intercessory prayer groups that focused specifically on our nation?? The following is taken from a small booklet called " Pray for our Nation : Scriptual Prayers to Revive our country " published by Harrison House. You can find more info on this at www.prayforournation.com . I would like to follow this post with specific prayers from the book. I hope that you will join me in prayer for the United States, if you live here, and keep your own country in prayer if you are elsewhere.

"Faith, courage, and prayer birthed our great nation and guided America through more than 200 years of wars, natural disasters and nation crisis.
Prayer is a freedom guaranteed to us by our Constitution, and a God-given right to all humanity. The opportunity to pray is a privilege, honor and sacred duty.
History has proven that forces will wage war against our freedom. Terroism has shed blood on American soil. Violent crime has invaded American homes and schools. Drugs and alcohol abuse rage against the innocence of our youth. Forces of darkness threaten our morality, integrity and faith. Prayer for our nation is our defense.
Now is the time to be resolte in our defiance against the forces of destruction - to unite as a nation and not succeumb to fear. Americans must stand strong and remain bold in faith, courage and prayers.
The nation needs your prayers. The president, his advisors, Congress and all local and national leaders need your prayers. The armed forces, firefighters and law enforcement personnel need your prayers.
Often people are unsure how to pray. This book ( the following passages ) is designed to provide answers to your questions. It is the sincerity of the heart that determines a successful prayer, not the length, eloquence or level of vocabulary. Each prayer is based on biblical scriptures so that you can pray in confidence, knowing you are praying God's will for this nation. ...
Make a commitment to pray daily for your nation. Pray the prayers included within these pages with heart, purpose and passion. Minutes can change crisis into hope when you take the time to pray. Your heavenly Father is listening. He loves you and this nation."

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from thier wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive thier sin, and will heal thier land. - 2Chronicles 7:14

Rend your heart!

2008-06-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Joel 2: 12-13
"Even now, declares the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity."

Let's start with the definition of "rend" :
To tear or split , usually clothing or hair, as a sign of anger, grief or dispair. It can also mean to lacerate mentally or emotionally. Or to pierce with sound.

In Biblical days it was common for one to tear his clothing as a sign of grief, anger or dispair. We may not see this so much these days, but this still applies. It's second nature, or maybe first for some, to put on a face that goes along with what we say.... such as when you appologize for bumping into someone, your face usually matches your words....until you look away and then many times thats when the grumbling and finger-pointing starts. " Well maybe if you knew how to stay on your own side you wouldnt be running into people! ", you may speak harshly under your breath. This is exactly what the Word is talking about here.

To rend the clothing ( or put on an act ) is an outward expression and doesn't always ring true to what the heart is doing. The Word is calling for us to cry out and lacerate our hearts, with true repentance, removing the sin which holds us. He wants our TRUE repentance and wants us to turn from our ways and back to Him.

You may think that weeping and fasting is an outward expression, and it is, to a degree. But they are also emotional and spiritual. When we fast, we are making a sacrifice, and when done properly and for the right reasons, there is a change made in our hearts and spirits.

Are you rending your heart? Or have you simply done the actions? The LORD simply wants us to turn to Him with all of our hearts. Just as He commanded us to love him with all our hearts, all our minds and all our strength.

The Disciple's Fast

2008-06-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

The purpose of the disciple's fast is "to loose the bands of wickedness" ( Isaiah 28:6 ) - freeing ourselves and others from addictions to sin.
This could be an addiction to drugs, alcohol, smoking, sex, food.....whatever has control of your life. You know those times when you say, " I just couldn't help myself!" ? This is an example of an addiction that has control of your life.
Something to remember when you are considering a fast. FASTING DOES NOT MAKE GOD HEAR US BETTER OR ANSWER US FASTER! Then what's the point of fasting, you ask? For one thing it's symbolic, but while being symbolic, it can have a real effect on our life. When we fast, whether it's food or TV or whatever, we are making a sacrifice of ourself in order that we may grow closer to the Lord. In growing closer, you reap several benefits, one of which is learning His voice. Fasting also helps us to discipline ourselves and our bodies. In other religions, Fasting is used to search one's own soul and for inner reflection. In Christianity, Fasting is used to search out God and reflect upon Him.
These "addictions" are also known as besetting sins. They happen when we unknowingly believe the enemy ( satan ) and his lies. Many Christians are in bondage to such besetting sins, and they are any sins that can not be broken with ordinary "willpower".
Jesus tells us in John 8:44 that " He is a liar" speaking of satan. In besetting sins, Satan gets us to believe one of the following three lies ( otherwise called "compulsions" ):
1. I tried before, and can't break it.
2. I don't want to do this, but can't help it.
3. I need an answer, but can't find it.
This is contrary to what the Word tells us, which is, "All things are possible for those who are in Christ Jesus and are called according to His purpose". Believing God instead of Satan isn't always that easy, however. Satan has convinced us that we are powerless against that sin which we are under, but " He who the son set's free is free indeed"! We are NOT powerless, but with Christ, we are ALL POWERFUL!
The Disciple's Fast is then a good way to break this chain which binds and show yourself that through Christ, you are NOT powerless!
You make a life-freeing CHOICE to be delivered!
You recognize that an external power is responsible for your bondage.
You confess your previous lack of faith.
You specifically state your besetting sin.
Write it down! Write down the thing that you are fasting for. And now, it's important to also note that you should fast for one thing at a time so that your prayer time can be better focused. And when you write down the thing you are fasting about, things begin to happen...
* You strengthen your will by stating what you want.
* You focus your energies on the problem.
* You build up anticipation to break the problem.
* You build up your faith in God to expect an answer.
Fasting is not a one time, cure-all, problem solver. It may take many times or it may only take once, but you keep on doing it!!
6 Steps to Freedom:
1. I renounce...( besetting sin / counterfeit control )
2. I acknowledge... ( self deception )
3.I forgive...( whoever you need to forgive, so that you may have forgiveness and freedom )
4. I submit...( God's authority and those He has placed over you. )
5. I take responsibility...(for your own part in your sin. We must confront the problem with humility )
6. I disown...( sinful influences. That may mean the sin of others and thier influence in our lives - past, present and future. )
There is so much more that I would like to share, so much I am leaving out from my findings and studies! Let me give you one more thing which is an outline of what you can write down to prepare for this fast...
AIM: Achieving freedom from addiction, or from a besetting sin.
AFFIRMATION: I believe there is no earthly temptation that can ensalve me, but that God has a wat of escape for me ( see 1Cor 10:13 ). I believe in the power of the blood of Chirst and in the strength of the name of Christ ( see Acts 3:16; 16:18). Therefore, I am fasting because I want the Son of God to make me free indeed ( see John 8:36 )
VOW: God being my strength, and grace being my basis, I commit myself to the disciple's fast outlined here.
FAST: Foods from which I shall abstain:________________________
BEGINNING: Date and Time I will start fasting: __________________
END: Date and time I will stop: _______________________________
PURPOSE: I am fasting to: _________________________________
BIBLE BASIS: " To loose the bands of wickedness" ( Isa 58:6 )
RESOURCES NEEDED: __________________________________
______________________________________________________
Signed: ____________________________ Date: ______________

( Taken from "Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough: A guide to nine Biblical fasts " by Elmer L. Towns )

The LORD stands firm!

2008-06-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Psalm 9:7-10
" The Lord reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment.
He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice.
The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."

When I first read this, I thought " Hallelujah, He is my stronghold! " , but as I re-read it, I realized there was much more to this! You see, our Lord is a righteous, just ruler and judge. He has come to establish His kingdom. We, as His children, are a part of that kingdom. Not only can we always turn to Him for strength but also for refuge.

According to Websters Dictionary refuge is a noun meaning:

1. shelter or protection from danger or distress
2. a place that provides shelter or protection
3. something to which one has recourse in difficulty

This means that we can turn to Him for protection and shelter when there is danger or when we are in distress! And when we look at recourse, we see even more....

According to Websters Dictionary, recourse is a noun meaning:

1. (a) a turning to something or someone for help or protection (b) a source of help or strength.
2. The right to demand payment from the maker or endorser of a negotiable instrument.

The "Right to demand payment..." Now we don't tell God what to do, because then it would be "my will be done" and not "thy will be done", but according to this..." The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,..." If you are a child of God, then you have no reason to be oppressed and with God as your refuge, you have the right to demand to be set free! ( Which our freedom is found through Jesus Christ! )

Essentially the above says: The LORD is something to which we have the right to demand payment from as the maker or endorser of a negotiable instrument which is Jesus Christ.
God sent His son, he used Jesus to buy us. Jesus was the "check" which bought our freedom from sin and if we will simply claim what is already ours!!

This is a great enough point, but let's add to it. It also says " Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD have never forsaken those who seek you." (verse 10 ) Those who know the LORD as thier refuge, those who have demanded thier freedom and thier protection from thier distress and sin will trust Him because they know, they KNOW that the LORD will never forsake them. They know that when they cry out, He always answers.

Even when we wander away from God and start making choices without Him. Maybe we begin to go our own way and eventually get so far away from Him that we think there's no way He's even close. When we think that we have moved so far away that there's no hope.... that's when we have the most hope!!

We can NEVER go too far away. Even when we make the wrong choices, He is there. He is always close by, even if we can't see Him for the clouds ( sin and confusion ), He is like a mighty mountain unseen in those clouds, but He is still there. He is still our pillar of strength, our strongtower, our rock and our recourse and refuge. He will answer if we will just call out!

What do you believe will help you?

2008-06-15T13:55:00.000-07:00

You're probably wondering what in the world I am talking about, right? Well, I wont leave you waiting too long. But first, I have another question for you. What do you do when you feel fat? What about when you get stressed because there's so much month left at the end of the money? What do you turn to when you feel depressed? Well, I can't answer for you, but let me tell you my answer.
I have found that when I'm sad, lonely, depressed, scared, uncertain, and even when I feel fat, I turn to FOOD! How dumb is that?? Oh gee, I'm fat so I guess I'll have a bowl of ice cream! Until I really began to think about this and until God laid this all on me, I had no idea just how silly that really was. You see, I turn to this stuff for comfort. Do you know what finding comfort in something is liken to? It's like having faith in something. You take comfort because you have faith that something will be a certain way.
Now, can that food take away my obesity? Certainly not, but it *can* make it worse. Can that food take away my sadness and truly make me happy? Usually I ended up even more sad because I think of the calories I just ate. Can food make me any safer, can it protect me? If so, let me tell you, I'd be the most protected woman I know! Can food help me to discern what to do, make me more certain? No, but I can certainly eat plenty while trying!
The point here is this: When we are feeling any of these negative emotions, when we have an upheaval in our lives, when things don't look so bright, and when we aren't sure of our next move we need to turn somewhere that can actually HELP us! What would life be like if we turned to faith in God and His Word? How would our life change? Wouldn't it be wonderful to not worry? For me, I know that I am going to try to remember where I need to turn.
Every time I eat when I get upset, all I'm doing is adding to the reasons I am upset! What is your faith being put in? Now not everything can be bad, per say, as long as it's not overdone, but if we are turning to something time and time again to quell our fears or other emotions, I dare say it's overly done. Do you go jogging and thus, run away from your worries? Maybe you bake or clean. None of these things are bad on their own, but they can be if you are obsessive about them. And certainly if you smoke, drink, do drugs, etc... we all know that these things are not healthy alternatives.
I challenge you to change your focus. How about going to the Word before you do what you usually do. How about taking the situation to God in prayer before you try to drown the thoughts? How soon will it be before you don't need to turn to your normal ways? Wouldn't it be great to have a clear mind to find answers rather than give yourself something else to worry over?? I will do my best to keep you informed of my own journey, let me know about yours!

Confessions and Affirmations

2008-06-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

( PLEASE NOTE: This is a list of confessions developed by Joyce Meyer. They are based on scripture and she began confessing them over her life in the early 1980's. I found this on her website: joycemeyer.org )

* I love all people, and I am loved by all people.
* I prosper in everything I put my hand to. I have prosperity in all areas of my life - spiritually, financially, mentally, and socially.
* All my children have lots of Christian friends, and God has set aside a Christian wife or husband for each of them!
* All my household are blessed in thier dees: we're blessed when we come in and when we go out.
* I take good care of my body. I eat right, I look good, I feel good and I weight what God wants me to weigh.
* I operate in all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are tongues and interpretation of tongues, the working of miracles, discerning spirits, the word of faith, the work of knowledge, the word of wisdom, healings and prophecy.
* I know God's voice, and I always obey what He tells me.
* The love of God has been shed abroad in my heart by the Holy Ghost.
* I do all my work excellently and with great prudence - making the most of all of my time.
* I am creative because the Holy Spirit lives in me.
* I love to pray. I love to praise and worship God.
* I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. I will speak forth the righteousness of God all the day long.
* I have humbled myself, and God has exalted me.
* I am a giver. It is more blessed to give than to recieve. I love to give! I have plenty to give away all the time.
* I cast all my care on the Lord for He cares for me.
* I don't give the devil a foothold in my life. I resist the devil, and he has to flee from me.
* I don't have a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.
* I am not afraid of the faces of man. I am not afraid of the anger of man.
* I am a new creature in Christ: Old things have passed away, behold, all things are new.
* I have died and been raised with Christ and am now seated in heavenly places.
* I am dead to sin and alive unto righteousness.
* I am a doer of the Word. I meditate on the Word all day long.
* I am not passive about anything, but I deal with all things in my immediately.
* I do not judge my sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus after the flesh. I am a spiritual man and am judged by no one.
* I take every thought captive unto the obediance of Jesus Christ, casting down every imagination, and every high and lofty thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
* I am a responsible person. I enjoy responsibility, and I rise to every responsibility in Jesus.
* I have been set free. I am free to love, to worship, to trust with no fear of rejection or of being hurt.
* I have compassion and understanding for all people.
* I catch the devil in all of his decietful lies. I cast them down and choose rather to believe the Word of God.
* I am anointed by God for ministry. Alleluia!
* Work is good. I enjoy work. Glory!
* I have a teachable spirit.
* I do not think more highly of myself than I ought to in the flesh.
* Pain cannot successfully come against my body because Jesus bore all my pain.
* I am a teacher of the Word.
* I lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
* I do what I say I will do , and get where I am going on time.
* God opens my mouth, and no man can shut it. God shuts my mouth, and no man can open it.
* The Law of kindness is in my tongue. Gentleness is in my touch. Mercy and compassion is in my hearing.
* As a man thnketh in his heart, so is he; therefore, all of my thoughts are positive.
* I do not allow the devil to use my spirit as a garbage dump bu meditating on negative things that he offers me.
* I am a believer not a doubter.
* No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper, but every tongue that rises against me in judgement, I shall show to be in the wrong.
* I am slow to speak, quick to hear, and slow to anger.
* I cast out devils and demons; nothing deadly can hurt me.
* I never bind a sister or brother with the words of my mouth.
* I am always a positive encouragment. I edify and build up; I never tear down or destroy.
* I will cry to God most high who performs on my behalf and rewards me.
* My son/daughter ( name ) has a sweet personality, and is not rebellious.
* I don't speak negative things.
* My children love to pray and study the Word. They openly and boldly praise God.
* My children make right choices according to the Word of God.
* I am an obediant wife, and no rebellion operates in me.
* My husband is wise. He is the king and priest of our home. He makes Godly decisions.
* I use my time wisely. All of my prayer and study time in wisely spent.
* I waslk in the Spirit all the time.
* My car is paid for.
* I am rich - very rich
* I love to bless people and spread the Gospel.
* I am an intercessor.
* I recieve speaking engagements in person, by phone, and/or by mail everyday.
* My daughter / son ( Name ) operates in Godly wisdom and discipline, and is full of energy.
* We have all the new furniture we need. We have a new car.
* I never get tired or grow weary when I study the Word, pray, minister, or praise God; but I am alert, and full of energy. And as I study, I become more alert and more energized.
* I will to study the Word of God. I will to pray.
* I do not hate or walk in unforgiveness
* I do not fear. I am not guilty.

NOTE: These are simply the things that Joyce Meyer confessed over her life. Some of these may not apply to you, and then again, there may be things that you need that are not on here. You do not need to confess each of these, unless the Lord leads you to and He may show you other areas in your life in which you need help. Let the Spirit guide you!

The Deborah Anointing

2008-05-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

Since May 26th I KNEW that the Lord had plans for me. I KNEW that there was a calling on my life and I KNEW that I received an anointing while at The Florida Outpouring in Lakeland, FL. There was no question in my mind about that. My only question was what was the anointing for? What did God want me to do with my life? I began to feel a STRONG tug to pray for people. All the time, in every situation, day, night, it didn't matter. When controversy arose, I heard God tell me to go to the Word and take councel from Him, not the world. All of this just drew me closer and closer to God and into a realm that I never wanted to leave!
There's something that many of todays Christians either do not realize or do not accept, and that's the spiritual side of life. Spiritual warfare is VERY real and it's happening everyday, all day and everywhere! This is something that I began to learn about about a year ago or so, but never really got serious about. I guess I figured it wasn't for me. Then the other night at this church that I recently began to go to with my mom, I had a prophetic word spoken over me which concerned me and the Deborah Anointing.
The what? Well, if this was your reaction, you're not alone! I had no idea what they were talking about, but I was excited to find out! I knew that Deborah had been the only woman judge , I knew she was a prophetess, and that was about it. So, I hit the 'net. In doing so I also found where I would find her story in the Bible ( Judges 4 and 5 )
The things that I have found out are amazing! But before I tell you some of the things that I have learned, let me tell you a bit about my past, give you some knowledge of where I've been so that where I'm going may make more sense to you.
I went to a Baptist private school from Kindergarden until 7th grade. I went to the same church until I was probably 15 or 16 I think. I hated this church, however, I had to go to it until then. At that point we changed churches and I was dating a guy who went to a different church and I went to his quite often. Anyhow, the Holy Spirit was at work in me. I loved the Lord and even started a Bible study group after school, but the enemy was quick to sneek in and I wasn't equipped or ready for him. I was 17 when I left the church, vowing to never go back, and I stepped into the world of the occult for the next 10+ years.
Now as I learn about this anointing, I can see where the Lord has either readied me for it by sending certain things my way, or I can see where perhaps I had already walked in it long ago or even where God has used circumstances to bring this anointing about. I can also see where certain things about the anointing simply fit into my personality.
Deborah, as we have said, was a prophetess ( Judges 4:4 ) and she was a judge with an anointing of wisdom, councel and discernment. [ I've often been the one people have come to in order to settle disputes and when I was in the occult I was referred to as the crone because of wisdom.]
The Bible tells us that Deborah sat between Ramah- which means "high place", the place where idolatry was practised - and Bethel - which means " house of God." . Deborah sat between these two which is a symbol of standing the "gap", or of high-level warfare and intercession. [ Something I had already begun to practice, though not devotely ]
Deborah was called " mother in Israel " which denotes an apostolic anointing which recognizes, nurtures and releases the anointings and giftings in others. I will go further into the apostolic anointing in another entry and I have devoted time to researching this one as well.
The name Deborah means " bee, in the sense of it's orderly motion". Since names in Biblical times often represented the person, this would denote that she had her life in order and walked in maturity with Christ. Jesus came 1st in her life. The presence of Jesus was with her wherever she went and people were blessed by her because of Him [ Something I pray for on a daily basis ].
She was a strong leader who possessed authority that she could only get from God. She walked in the confidence of Christ. She knew the Lord's voice and was quick to obey it. [ This is something else that I have been praying for! ]
The part that stands out the most for me is the spiritual warfare. I was ( and still am ) so repentant about the many years that I spent on the wrong side of the track , so to speak, and now He is using that time to His benefit! Now I get to war against all that I used to war for! Of course, I didn't realize back then that I was waring against God. I honestly thought that I was okay. I'm sure glad that He showed me otherwise!!
So even though satan just knew that he had won when it came to me and he probably figured that I would always be held back because of it, God just laughs, and uses me anyhow. Isn't God SO Good and SO amazing?!?!?!
Check back often as I actually have a lot that I have been learning about and would love to share with you as I go. I can already think of at least 2 more posts coming - and that's just from today's research!!!

Tattoos

2008-05-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you just joining us , please read the previous post for a full understanding of what we're talking about.

Now, on to Todd Bentley's tattoos....

I have heard so much garbage about this, and some of it is just down right ridiculous! Of course, much of what I have heard against Bentley and this movement is ridiculous, but let's start with his tattoos. There is one tat that I am unsure of on his leg. It does look a bit odd to be on a evangelist's leg, but if I asked Todd why it's there, I'm sure I would understand his answer - I trust his judgement, as a man of God, he would not put something on his body to distract and desecrate his body as it is a living temple to the Holy Spirit ( for those of you who do not believe that he is a man of God, keep reading and pray for wisdom, understanding and insight. ) You can see pics and read thier version here > http://www.scribd.com/doc/2909690/AN-ANGEL-CALLED-EMMA

**As I stated before, this blog is not meant to offend or discredit anyone who is opposed to Bentley or the Florida Outpouring. I am simply supporting him and this movement and giving the answers that God has given me as I have studied all that has been said, read The Word and sought after God and His guidance. If you have not done these things, then I suggest that you do. Do not let man sway you one way or the other, simply look straight ahead to the Father and his will **

1.On his right forearm is a Star of David ( Jewish Symbol - Star with six points ) that has been called a pentagram. This is FAR from the truth!
2. Even the ring on his middle finger of his right hand ( Lion ) has been linked to the occult by some. I have a REALLY big problem with this considering that Jesus himself is described as being a mighty lion, and THIS is what Bentley is symbolizing here.
3. The Hebrew letter stands for "The Spirit of the Lord." It symbolizes Divinity and Gentility. This letter appears twice in the full Name of God and, together with yod, forms the Divine Name YAH. According to tradition, the World to Come was created through utterance of the letter yod. This World was created through the sound of hey, which is pronounced as a mere exhalation of breath, requiring little movement from tongue or lip.
4. Flames shooting down towards his hands - Many people have described the feeling they have when healed as "fire"
5. Revelation 4:7 - and this is bad , why??
6. The all seeing eye(?) First of all, we can not see the full context from which this was taken. Secondly, there are many symbols which were once used for things of God that got twisted into pagan ideas.
7. They claim that there is an inverted cross on his left hand, however, that depends on how you're viewing it now doesn't it? It sure looks right to me.
8. "On thumb letters can't read them." FAITH - across his fingers it say's " Love " and " Hope" respectively.
9. "An alien gray by the watch" I don't know how people come up with this stuff sometimes! I see NO alien and the only thing that could even possibly be askewed enough is called tribal, in blue.
10. They speak of a rose being an occult symbol - I'm really beginning to think that they could find an occult definition to go with virtually anything that we give 'em.
11. "King of...Lord" - It's King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
12. A demonic face (?) The only thing I see thats questionable is the one on his leg that I've already addressed.
13. They also mention the eagle on his arm, and at least they don't completely call it pagan. I think of it as symbolizing freedom which we have through Jesus Christ.
14. They even have something to say about the sun.

The point here is this - Each of these things COULD be translated into a few different things, so why must we assume that it's the wrong one? Honestly, I think that there is so much controversy because of a few things.... I believe that it's the more conservative branches that are picthing a fit because it's something different. I remember when I was a kid and went to a fundamentalist Baptist church, I thought they were going to pass out when we have a revivalist come in and people raised thier hands to praise and spoke in tongues! These things are spoke of in the Bible! But we'll get to that. I also think that this is such a controversy because the enemy is making it one. God is showing His people His power, He is showing the lost miracles and proclaiming his territory through healings and salvations, and the enemy simply can not stand that so many people are realizing who they are in God. So many Christians are finding that through the blood of Christ, there is power! They are realizing that they have the authority to proclaim healing and take charge of thier lives through Jesus. The enemy is using us against ourselves, and we are letting him!!

Let's move on to learn about the Holy Spirit.

Many believers are resisting this movement and calling it a work of the devil because it is unfamiliar to them. They only see demon possession as being the answer to people shaking or simply lying down. Do we assume that the devil and his minions are so strong that they can do this to a person and the Holy Spirit isn't so strong? I sure hope that's not what anyone would think. The thing is that demons overtake a person by force, they often times kick them out, so to speak, in that they ( the person ) doesn't even know what they are doing and have no control at all. The Holy Spirit comes when asked. Yes, He resides within us at all times, but we do not feel His presence all the time. When we ask, and praise and desire the Spirit to show himself, he does. This affects each person a bit differently. For some people it may be such a strog feeling that they pass out for a few minutes, but most of the time, they are aware and are not passed out, but instead simply basking in the presence of God, knowing they are safe and not wanting to move. During fervent prayer and worshiping, I sometimes find my hand shaking, and I know that I rock back and forth when seated while praying and worshiping. Anyhow - The Spirit may make Himself known in any number of ways, it depnds on how you open yourself to Him.

The Bible tells us many times of the Holy Spirit. Let's look at a few of those passages.

On speaking in toungues and groans:

" In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." Romans 8: 26-27

"Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues." 1 Corinthians 14: 39

On The gifts of prophesy and tongues read 1 Corinthians 14: 1-25

" For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants." Isaiah 44:3

" And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both mena nd women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." Joel 2:28-29

" I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandles I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." Matthew 3:11

On visions of Jesus, we have Stephen..." But, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God." Acts 7:55

Acts 8:15-19 "When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might recieve the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptitized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed thier hands on them and they recieved the Holy Spirit.. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said," Give me also this ability so that everyone on whome I lay my hands may recieve the Holy Spirit." Now we know that we can not buy the Spirit and Simon was told as much too.

The Word is full of passages on the Holy Spirit. We should remember that Gog can and will show himself any way He so chooses.

I've heard a lot saying that a revival isn't for the believers but to save the lost. I must differ here. First of all, it's for both. The revival itself helps to fire up the believers. The word "revival" means to bring back to life, to revive.... such as to bring the life back into the body of Christ. Without life in the body, the body can not grow. Without the church and it's members being on fire for God, then souls will not be won and lives will not be saved!! I believe that these people have confused revival with evangilism. Evangelism is spreading the gospel to unbelievers so that they may know the Lord, but Revival is bringing life back into a lifeless church, by the conviction and guidance of the Holy Spirit in order that they may have a closer walk with God.

We'll cover what revival means and what it looks like more later. We'll also examine other facets of this current revival that some are uncomfortable with. Please feel free to leave me comments, ask questions, etc.. Thank you!

" Dear, Heavenly Father, I come before you now, lifting up all those who read this blog, Lord. I thank you, and I praise you for each person, I thank you for Your Spirit which works in them for them to read this. I pray Lord for Your Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation for each of us. I pray, Abba, for Your Spirit of Truth and Understanding, that we may see, and recognize all that is of you and rebuke all that is not of you. Thank you, Daddy, for all that you are, and for all that You make us through your Son, Jesus. It's in His name that I pray. I plead the blood of the Lamb upon my family and upon my readers, open closed eyes, heal wounded hearts and save lost souls, in the name of Jesus, I pray, Amen. "

Learning....

2008-05-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

With all the hoopla against the Lakeland revival, I've been really trying to learn. I have read quite a bit of information - and needless stabbing - on the 'net and have also been delving into The Word for some REAL guidance. Let me list some of the issues some sects of Christianity have against this movement. And I will also list the answer that God has given me to those issues.

Todd Bentley is the man who has dedicated his life for the past month and a half to revival for God. He is from Canada, is married and has 3 kids, I think. He runs Fresh Fire Ministries ( www.freshfire.ca ) up in Canada and has been a world wide evangelist for about 10 years now. The plan in Lakeland was for a 5 day revival, it's now been , I believe, 49 days. For more information on this revival and for testimonies, please check out the Fresh Fire website ( listed above ) and/or www.god.tv . This revival has been like none other. Hundreds, if not thousands of people have given thier lives to God and at least the same number have experianced miracles and healings.

I'm attempting to write this without stepping on any toes, but I am also going to put things plain and simple, so if you are offended, please know that is not my intention.

Many denominations of the Christian religion are more conservative. These appear to be the ones who have a problem with this movement. They list things such as ....

1. Todd Bentley has tattoos - yes, he got them AFTER his conversion - Time and time again, I have seen Leviticus 19:28 quoted as to why there is a problem with his tattoos.... " Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord." ( NIV ) ( KJV: " Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you. I am the Lord." )

I would say that this is a good point..... but there are a couple problems with this logic. First of all, this is part of the law in which Jesus came to set us free of.
Romans 8:1-4 " Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." ( NIV )
Galations 2:16 " know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Jesus Christ that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified."
Galations 3:12-14 " The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, ' The man who does these things will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed in everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."
Galations 3:19 ; 23-25 " What, then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whome the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect through angels by a mediator." " Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law."

If , for some unknown reason, a person would rather live under the slavery of the law instead of simply receiving God's gift of His Son and His mercy, then let's take a look at the other laws in Leviticus 19. There are many laws here, and some of them we know from the Ten Commandments, and some are simply one's that we are taught such as " Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. " ( Lev 19: 11 ) So let's look at the other, less obvious ones.
" When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the Lord; that person must be cut off from his people. " (verses 5-8 )
So according to this , we should still be making physical, edible sacrifices. I wonder how many people actually do this....
" Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight." ( verse 13b ) Oh boy, we're ALL in trouble!
"Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material." ( Verse 19b ) Does this need comment?
" Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it." ( verse 26a) How do you like your steak cooked?
" Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." ( verse 27 ) And I can assume that everyone throwing verse 28 up is Orthodox Jews and follow this one, right?
" When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. " ( verse 33 -34a ) I wonder if this works for the states too, not to mention others who come from other countries.
And finally, " Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the Lord." ..... I'll take the heavenly grace please!!

Next, we can discuss whats said about the tattoos he has and move on to the next point that has been made against this movement and Todd Bentley.

My Vision

2008-05-07T07:42:00.000-07:00

God has given me a vision for my life. No, I am not saying that suddenly I saw a visual sight before me, but He has made clear some of what my future holds.

I have wanted a child for quite some time now - I have 3, but I want another, since my husband doesn't have any of his own - and I know that I will bear another child, I believe it will be a son. He will be used by God in many ways and God has a great plan for his life, if he will only submit. After I have this child, I will not return to regular work. I believe that the Lord will make it so I do not have to work outside the home in a conventional way. I believe that the Lord will help me to increase my customer base with AVON and I believe He will move me into a ministry position for Him - I don't know where and what. I don't know just how God will make this all happen, but I know that He will.

He will also make a way for a new car, one that is reliable and nice. He will give us a home to call our own as well. We will have the finances to pay our current bills and we will climb out of debt . We are children of a King, Princes and Princesses , and the Lord wants us to have provisions as such. I am the head and not the tail, I have set my feet upon the solid ground of the Lord and I will not be moved. In Him, I find my treasures. He is my first and greatest Love and as long as I commit to Him first, He will commit to me first!! As a child of the King, I am due a great inheritance. An inheritance is something that is already owned, you don't have to work for it, you'll get it simply because of WHO YOU ARE! and I know who I am! And in the wonderful, glorious name of Jesus, I claim this inheritance and His blessings. I proclaim that His goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life! I renounce the spirit of poverty and debt! I renounce the spirit of struggle! I renounce the spirit of low-self-worth! I renounce the spirit of slavery to the enemy!

Through His love, His grace and His mercy, my cup is overflowing and I have more than enough! More than enough money, more than enough love, more than enough fire, more than enough of everything that I need or desire that is aligned with His Will. I will not struggle, but dance on the head of the enemy! I am a child of the King and I shall act like it, that means that I am special, I am loved, I am worth something to my Daddy, the King! I will not be enslaved to the flesh and to the enemy because Jesus has removed my chains so that I can praise Him, He's removed the shackles from my feet so that I can dance, He has made my heart free to follow Him, and He has made my entire life free for Him. In Him, I am truly free! Free from worry, anxiety, dread, slavery, sadness, dispair, doom, anger, sickness, depression, uncertainty, confusion, nervousness.... I am free from every negative hold that is placed on my life!!!

This freedom is not just for me! This nobility is not just for me! You can have all of these things too! All you have to do is ask Jesus to forgive you and ask Him into your life.....Just pray the following:

" Lord, I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth, and was crucified in my place. I believe that He rose from the grave and lives today so that I might live in You also. I ask that you send me the Comforter, Your Holy Spirit. I ask that you invade my heart, my mind and my body. I give my life to you, Lord, that I might know you more. I thank you, Father. In Jesus name, I recieve your salvation- Amen"

If you've just prayed this prayer for the first time, please contact me so that I may help you or even just know and celebrate with you! Please do not hesitate in contacting me for any questions also.

His Plan

2008-05-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

I love it when I can look back on life and see just where God was using my circumstances and people to influence and change my life. As I look back over the years, I can see many times that I just didn't know where in the world I was headed and what I was doing, but now I see that God did all the time.

It's even more wonderful when I pay attention to the everyday and see just where God is moving and working in my life. This entry will be a sort of testimony unto God for how good He is !!

Looking back, He's placed just the right people in the right place at the right time in my life. Many times I had no idea what type of influence they would have on my life, but it has been substantial! My adoptive mom became a major part in my coming back to Jesus. That woman not only gave me a good and Godly example, but she prayed continuously for both me and my sister Daphne. I am so very thankful to God for how He used something so tragic - my parents dying - and brought me out better than ever!

In daily life, I have tried to develope continual graditude. What do I mean by this? It's the little things that count!

Yesterday I had mediation for a car that I had failed to finish paying off. It had been bought from a private owner, and they wanted thier money. Who wouldn't? Well, I had my reasons and my situations that had caused it so that I had not paid this off, but it all really boils down to excuses. So, I knew that I owed this money. I told them as much and was very honest with them. Of course, before we even got to the court house ( actually before we even left the house ), my husband and I prayed for guidance and favor. The creditors ended up dropping the late fee and we settled for what was owed on the car plus court costs. No, we didn't come away rich. We didn't come away without having to pay, they didn't drop the case either. But God had done what I asked and He moved on thier hearts and softened them. He allowed them to come to a workable agreement on payments and everything!! Praise the Lord!! Now this is only one thing that happened yesterday. We had counted pennies just to be able to get some gas. Yes, things have been THAT tight lately! Well, so we each had a few dollars in our wallets, plus the pennies, and we had nothing in the bank ( though I thought we had $10 ) and we were able to get enough gas to get me to work and back for the next couple days.

Now, my husband had wanted to go to Quiznos and get one of those $5 sandwiches that they are advertising and I had to stand up against him. I felt that if we would only be good stewards and be responsible and thankful with and for everything that the Lord gave us, He would multiply it. So, I explained this to my husband. No, we couldn't go but food from a restaurant, no matter how cheap, no matter how much we wanted it. That same $5 could buy a loaf of bread, and some lunchmeat for the week. Thank God he saw my point and agreed. When the mail came yesterday, I made my usual trek out to the mailbox, expecting more bills, but instead, I found a package from Neilsen's ratings, I had forgotten all about this coming! Inside, I found the TV logs and $30 cash! God is GOOD!!!!

I believe this happens more and more, when we give HIM the glory!! So remember this as you walk through life. Be thankful for all that you have because He owns it all and gives it to you out of His goodness and mercy. Without His provisions, we have nothing!

"Dear Heavenly father, I pray that right now you would touch all those who read this post. I pray that your Holy Spirit would move upon thier hearts, touch thier lives and I pray that they would kow You more. I thank you , Lord, for all of your gifts, your blessings and especially your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior. I thank you for my friends and family and I pray that you would bless and keep them today and everyday. In the name of Jesus, I claim my inheritance and blessings, and thank the Giver of Life and all things. Amen"

New Leading...

2008-04-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

I know it's been awhile since I wrote in here. I've gotten distracted with so many things. The bad thing is that most of them were not God-related and really didn't benefit me at all. I've tried all sorts of different money-making schemes and it really comes down to, don't bother with any of them - except maybe Yuwie ( social community ) and that's not a 'get rich quick' scheme at all, but it is fun.

Let me go back in time and start with a little history of who I am and where I've been.

I was born the 7th child to my mother and the 8th child to my father. My mother had been married before my dad and she had 2 other daughters and 4 sons. My father had been married twice before and I had 6 sisters from those unions, the one son he had had was still born. I was not planned , by my parents, and was quite a shock as my mom was 42 and my dad, 50. They may not have expected me, but God did.

They were great parents, and according to my siblings, completely different with me than with any of them. I guess that's what they mean about the baby being spoiled :)~

I started school in a Fundementalist Baptist Church and School. I attended "Faith Baptist" from Kindergarden until the middle of 7th grade. I also attended the church and Sunday school. My parents, especially my dad, were not religious people. I don't ever remember my dad even stepping foot on the church and school property, and it was a rariety for my mom to do so. But I know that my mother loved God, and I believe she was saved, and so did my pastor. My dad, however, as long as he meant it when I begged him to ask Jesus into his heart and he finally agreed, then I know that I'll see him again one day!

Although my roots were pretty solid in the faith, I ran from this at an early age. My dad had passed when I was 8 years old and my mom went home when I was 12. I rebelled. I began to drink, smoke cigarettes, smoke weed, have sex, party, you name it. I wanted to run as far away from God as I possibly could. He wouldn't let me though.

After my sister decided that I was too much to handle ( and she was the only one that I knew where she was and was able to take me in ) I went to live with a friend from Faith Baptist. Those next 5 years were horrible! The emotional abuse that I endured pushed me even further away from God because these people were pure hypocrites, but while being hypocrites, I was still made to go to church, so even though I hated it, His Word was still getting through. And I even enjoyed one church that I went to. I was engaged to a future youth minister ( I messed that relationship up! ) and I began my own Bible study at school ( now a public school )

I was 17 and finally out on my own when I left the church ( we had now switched churches too ) and vowed to never come back. Again, this was due to the hypocracy of the church in general, and my very bad experiances with it. And I held true to this declaration for many years. I became involved in Wicca, which is a pagan religion that I really thought was ok. I had long since told God that I didn't want to run from Him, but His church. I figured that as long as I didn't deny God, then being wiccan was okay.

I had rationalized this and justified this over and over in my mind. I basically rationalized my way through wicca for more than 10 years.

**During those horrible 5 years of teenage-hood, I had made bestfriends with the girl next door and her parents became like my own parents. I got to go on family vacations with them and really felt like I belonged. ( I believe God had made sure of this ) And during that time, I also lost touch with most of the biological family I had - it didn't help that my brothers were famous for thier drinking, drugs and lies. So now, when I refer to my 'mom' or my 'dad', I am speaking of the adoptive parents who got me through adolesence.**

My mom never gave up on me. She had long since re-found the Lord and began her walk with Him, and she continued to try and talk to me about what I was doing and where I was headed. Eventually she got me into church and the rest, as they say, is history. Or is it?

My walk has never been easy, or quick. I had no idea what I was doing, I was lost and I was hungry. Having been raised Fundamental Baptist, I was in shock when I saw people dancing, shouting, lifting hands and praising. What were these nutballs doing and why was I still here?? I often watched or listened wide-eyed as I compared some of the things I saw and heard with things I learned on my pagan walk. Over time I learned how God was the source of these things and they had been twisted into what I had known. I began to learn a lot about the Lord and I began to walk closer with Him, but I was still very much dependant on others ( namely my mom ) to help me stay on track.

I fell off "track" more times than I can count. I went back to the flesh and the world so many times! But do you know what the wonderful thing is?? God forgave me and took me back EVERY TIME!!! He is more loving and gracious than the best parent that you can think of. He is more faithful than even the sun, even when we aren't. He is ALWAYS there, it is not He who gets lost, but us. All we have to do is reach out to Him, call to Him and He will answer us, and bring us home. Isn't that wonderful???

Anyhow, there's quite a bit that I'm leaving out, but you get the jest. Amazing Grace - how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I am now listening, watching and waiting upon the Lord. I want to continue to share my hopes, dreams, inspired insights, and God's plans with my life, right here in my journal. I do hope that you come back and see what unfolds! You can also find me through Yuwie.com, check it out , and if you join under me, please be sure to also join my club : Prayer Chain.
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Working for the good

2008-03-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called accroding to his purpose." ( Romans 8:28 )

First of all, I would like us to look at the part, " who have been called according to His purpose." Many people may first think of what the Lord would have them do, what THIER purpose is, but is that what this says? In many places throughout the Bible, we hear about God's purpose. God has a purpose on this earth: to have his creation believe in Him and join Him in heaven. He wants His Word to be spread, for more and more believers to be born again. His purpose to see us in His Heavenly Kingdom. So, does that mean that we shouldn't do what we think God has called us to do? Does that mean that we should ONLY focus on His purpose? Well, actually - Yes. If we are called according to His purpose in spreading His Word and bringing lost souls unto Him, then we must use the our purpose towards that. What's the difference you ask? We have each been gifted with different things. Some people may feel that they are called to minister on the street, feed the homeless and cloth the poor. Some may be more led to become a youth pastor. Some may feel they belong in a Prison Ministry. Another may be a public school teacher, and another may be led to be a waitress. Not all of these callings are glamorous, but they are all ordained by God. He knows what our strengths and our weaknesses are and He wants us to use them for His Glory and His Kingdom. We must use our purpose to fulfill HIS purpose. If this is not clear enough, please feel free to leave a comment or email me, and I will be happy to talk further with you.

Now for the next part of this verse that I want to speak on. " And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." How many know that the "good" may not always be the "want"? Another very important point.... "of those who love Him" God is a loving God and Father. He loves us unconditionally, but do we love Him? He is not going to work things for good for someone who does not love and follow Him. But for His children, He will move mountains. We may think that we need a new car, or a new job, or what have you, but that may not be God's plan and it may not be what's best for you. You can pray and pray for that new car, but if God knows that this would not be best, he will not give it. If you are in a situation, God knows the way out. When you don't know what to do, or even when you think that you do, pray it through. I say this because again, He knows whats best. If you want a new job, ask Him to show you if it's His will. If it IS His will, ask Him to lead you.

God has our own good in His heart. He wants only whats best for His children, much like an earthly father. He will not lead us astray, He will not lead us down the wrong path. Even when you have hit a bump in the road after praying on a situation and you know that you only moved in the direction that He said, this is for a reason. He continues to raise us, to strengthen us, to encourage us and to love us. If we would just trust in Him, the way He asks, we could be lifted atop the world!

Life's ups and downs

2008-02-14T06:14:00.000-08:00

I write this hoping that I can at least bring some hope to someone. I am not a pastor, I am not a theologian and I hold no form of doctorate or degree. I am simply one of God's own who wish to spread His Good News and help others. Today I wish to talk about life, and our response to it.

It's easy to praise God and smile when things are going our way, would'nt you say? Of course. When the traffic lights are all green when you're running late, when you forgot to take something out for dinner only to come home and find a gift card to Outback that you forgot about, etc. These are the times that it's easy to praise God ( or at least say ' Thank God! ) but what about when those lights are red? Or when your boss is breathing down your neck to complete a project that you're struggling with? Maybe the finances are too tight, or it seems that one thing after another is happening. These are the times when it's most important for us to praise Him! It's definitely harder to do so, but it's very important!

I can speak from personal experiance when I say that it's a life changing experiance to praise Him in the storm. When things around me seem like they are falling apart. When I think that everyone has forgotten me, when I think that financially I'm sinking and there's no life vest... Just to change that thought process and start thanking my Heavenly Father for the blessings that He bestows on me, changes it all. I'm not saying that if you say thank You that all your problems will disappear. Saying Thank You does, however, make you aware of what you have. Just like a parent on earth, our Heavenly Father likes to be appreciated too, and sometimes He may give us a break when we show true appreciation.

When I think about how our relationship with God parallels our relationship with our children, it is amazing! I have 3 of the most wonderful kids ever born. I truly believe them to be gifts from God that He has intrusted me with until He returns. There are times that they make me want to pull my hair out, of course, but I am so very thankful for them. That wasn't my point, however. My point is this.... those children can take things and people for granted, very easily. I often feel like they could care less and I'm always telling myself how I should just stop doing stuff for them until they learn to appreciate me and what I do for them. Of course, I then turn around and fold thier laundry or something . When they do say thank you and / or show true appreciation, it blows me away! I will then do just about anything for them. To know that they love me and are thankful for me and what I do, well, it's a most wonderful feeling! Now think of this with God.

The Lord giveth...and giveth...and giveth.... Are we doing all we can to not just take, take, take? How it must break His heart to look down at His most loved creation ( mankind ) and see such hatred, death, destruction, jealously, greed, dishonesty, lust, etc. And how it must delight Him when He see's one turn away from this. How it must fill His heart with joy when one looks up towards the sky and truly thanks Him for His goodness. How it must feel to know true appreciation. How He must feel when He knows He has truly captured our heart. How about your heart? Has God truly captured your heart? I'm not talking about asking Jesus to come into your heart, though that is the first step. I'm talking about truly letting Him have control. Are you letting God make His changes within you? Are you showing the Lord your greatfulness? Are you greatful for your blessings?

It doesn't matter how small or big a blessing is, it's still a blessing! The smallest one's are the ones we overlook the most, but should be most thankful for. You may really dislike your boss, or maybe co-workers, but are you thankful that you have a job when so many people are unemployeed, and not by choice? Your car may be rusting and creaks as you drive down the street, but have you thanked God that you aren't walking? Or maybe you ARE walking, could you imagine being in a wheelchair? Maybe you are in a wheelchair, then thank God that you have the strength to sit up in it. I could go on and on and on. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for, and if we will just open our eyes and hearts to His Goodness, He is sure to pour more of His blessings upon us.

Lord, I pray that each person reading this would know Your love. I pray that they would know Your sacrifice. I pray, Father that You would bless them according to your will and that all that they touch would prosper. I pray dear, Lord, that you would fill every void in thier life, that you, Abba, would heal thier hurts and fill thier needs. I pary that your Holy Spirit fill thier lives, and that You would lead them in all that they do. Father, I thank you so much for your blessings. For each person reading this right now, for each of my children, my husband, my family, my home, my car, my job and each thing that I may not even notice everyday. I pray , Father, that you would make these small blessings known to us, that we may praise your glorious Name. And now Father, I thank you for your Son and I pray that Your grace and mercy be with each of us as we go on our way, with You forever by our side. In You Son's precious, holy name I pray. Amen.

Humility

2008-01-30T05:25:00.000-08:00

Jesus tells us that we are to come to him as little children, but what does this mean? How does a child come to a parent? They come with a humble heart, they come depending upon and needing the parent. They come with love and respect. This is how we should come to our Savior. We must admit that we need Him, that we are dependant upon Him. We can not do things on our own, but need our loving Father's strength, mercy, grace and guidance. We must come humbly before God, not just in words, but in heart, in spirit. We must KNOW that He is God and we are imperfect. We must know that we are sinners and we can be made whole by the Blood of the Lamb.

I'm not saying that we walk with our head down with sac cloth and ashes all the time. Because after we come to our Father and turn our lives over to Him , knowing that only He can lead us and guide us, He then washes us clean and we are His Children. We are royalty! We are to walk with our head high, but not so high that our egos enter a room before us. We are to be proud of our heritage ( Jesus Christ ) and proud of our inheritance ( Heaven and all God has to offer ), but not so proud that we can not help the poor.

Though we become the heirs of the greatest treasure of all time, we are to remain humble and not haughty or proud. We are to still have a humble heart and know that all we have is b/c of the love of the Father. He gives to us so that we may give to others. He uses us as a tool, as a witness, if we will only allow Him. When we surrender humbly to God, He will fill our lives with all that He has to offer. Just as a parent wants to give everything to thier child, so God, Our Father, is with us. As a parent, there are things that we must teach our children. There are lesson they must know and things they must go through in order to make them stronger and wiser. So, too, we are with God. When you look up to the Heavens and ask Why.. Why God wont you just fix this? He answers, probably through teary eyes.. Because my child, you must grow, you must learn, you must shine brighter for Me.

So don't be afraid to bow your head to floor and worship your Father. Don't be afraid to humble yourself and praise His Holy Name. He is the Alpha, the Omega, The first and the last. He is the All in All and He is your loving Father - if you will only accept his discipline.

God's Faithfulness

2008-01-28T07:01:00.000-08:00

The biggest thing I am reminded of almost daily is God's faithfulness. The symbol He has given me to remind me of this is the sun. As faithful as the sun is to rise everyday, God is even more faithful to stay by our side in all that we do. Even the sun will one day not rise, but as a child of God there will NEVER come a day that our Lord and Savior will not be by our side.

Just as God made a covenant with Noah, He makes one still today with us.
( Gen 6:18 ) "But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark - you and your wife and your sons and your sons wife with you. "

God was faithful in His word, His covenant, with Noah by delivering them through the flood and He then set the rainbow as a reminder of his promise to never flood the earth again. The rainbow is still a reminder of that promise and of His faithfulness. Since God puts such faith is us and is so faithful to His word, perhaps we need to reflect on our faithfulness to Him.

In Gen. 28:15 we read, " I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you. "

This extends far beyond the situation here in this chapter. This promise applies to us even today. As we follow the Lord and study His Word, we find many promises to us, His children. Many times, we must have faith in Him before His faithfulness can truly be seen. Think of Moses and his survival. Moses was instrumental for God's plan and even though he , along with all the other male babies, was to be killed, God had a plan. Had Moses' mother not had faith in her God, then God's faithfulness could not have been realized.

Sometimes, we must really make a leap of faith. Perhaps you are faced with a great decision, and you feel a tugging to do something that could potentially make for a great mistake. Pray. If that tugging continues, the Lord just may be asking you to make that leap of faith. And I am a firm believer that if you truly feel it is God's plan and will, even if you are wrong, He will be faithful to guide and protect you through it. He has told us that he will never leave nor forsake us. Sometimes it means that we must ' be still ' and know that He is God. What does this mean? It means- Have Faith in the Lord, He is God, and He is in control! Place that situation you are facing, that decision, that child, that friend, that co-worker...place them in His Hands. Lay them on the alter at His feet and KNOW that He is God.

God has been so very faithful in my life, even when I was not so faithful to Him. He loves us. Let me say that again, HE LOVES YOU! Something that God showed me one day, He doesn't love us because he made us. Rather He made us because He loves us. Think about that. If you have children, you may be able to relate easier - when you gave birth to that child, was there an immediate love? For most people, they would say, Yes of course! Well, imagine, you creating that child because you already love them. Long before we were a thought in our parents mind, God loved us and he set forth the plan for us to be created. If He can love us this much, if He can love us so much as to sacrifice His own son, how could He not be faithful to us? Man is unreliable, and imperfect. Man is known to walk away from promises and commitments and this is one barrier for many people when it comes to believing in God who never leaves us. We must keep our eyes upon Him, the Holy Lamb, the Son of Man, the Holy of Holies, the God above all gods, Lord of Lords and King of Kings. If we keep our eyes upon Him and trust Him in all situations, He will be faithful. I hope that this is something that you will think upon, pray about and come to know for a fact.

Dear, Father, I thank you so very much for each person reading this today. I pray that they would know Your love and faithfulness in a new way. That they would be filled with Your Holy Presence, and know your abounding grace. I thank you, Abba, for Your Word, I thank you for your faithfulness and your promises. Most of all, I thank you for your sacrifice. In Jesus' precious name - Amen.

Aren't we SO very lucky?

2008-01-25T12:09:00.000-08:00

So many people chalk up " luck " to fate. I know that "luck" is anything but a simple coincidence. Have you ever really needed some extra cash and lo and behold, you find a $20 tucked inside the pocket of a jacket that you hadn't put on for months? Woo Hoo! What luck! .....WRONG!....

If our lives depended upon simple fate, then what a mess we would be in! God is instrumental in all of life's ups and yes, even downs. I am not saying that God MAKES bad stuff happen to us, but what if he allowed it sometimes? I know that in my own life, I have seen my share of troubles. I have endured some things that I would not wish upon my worst enemy, and those very things make me praise the Lord! He will not give us more than what we can handle and He is always there to guide us, if we will only listen and obey. Let me give you some examples out of my own life.

My parents died when I was very young. I was 8 when my dad died and 12 when my mom died. The death of a parent is a horrific thing for a child to go through, but to go through it twice?? I rebeled. I smoked, drank, partied.... and yet, God protected me. He had a plan for my life and unfortuneatly there were things that needed to happen first. I still believe that this made me strong. The next 5 -6 years made me even stronger. But during those years, I had met people who would be extremely important in my life...for the rest of my life, thus far. And I may have never met them otherwise. These people have provided the love and support that only parents can give. In fact, I'm sure that my real parents would approve of them completely. They are each so much like my real parents, respectively. They taught me love, discipline and more strength and helped to build the foundation in my life, even after I was grown. And it has been those 'adoptive' parents who have helped me through a great deal of struggles in my adult life.

As a child, I did not realize all of this was going on, of course. In fact, I was well into adulthood before I came back to God ( in part, thanks to my adoptive mom ). It was then that I looked back on my life and fell to the floor praising the Lord. He had brought me through so much. So many times I couldv'e died from the choices I had made. So many times my life could've really gone in a down spiral, but God protected me. He was molding me, shaping me, like the Master Potter that He is.

This strength, HIS strength, has gotten me through legal matters and through my own son being kidnapped by his father. It is now getting me through my other son's bipolar disorder. You see, God doesn't deliever us FROM many things, but He delivers us THROUGH them. Like a piece of steel being made into a beautiful sword blade, we too, must endure the heat and flames. Sometimes we must endure a beating and just when we feel that we can not take it anymore, the heat cools, the flames disappear and the beating turns into a polishing cloth. We are stronger, we are more beautiful and it is all because of Gods molding.

So the next time you think that you are at your wits end and that you can not possibly keep going - look up. Look up to God and then fall upon your knees and praise Him and know that His strength is yours, if you will only accept it. His grace and mercy is much more than we deserve but it is ours for the taking. All we need to do is accept His son, Jesus Christ. And then it's a simple matter of following Him. Jesus took away our weakness, our self-doubt, our fear, our regret, our shame... He took it ALL! We are to be the light in the darkness. And I pary that you, too, know this Light. That you know the peace that only the Son of God can provide. If you need help in this, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and want to know more, please do not hesitate to contact me. ( aimoore2007@yahoo.com )