Monica's Blog

Shemot | שמות | "Names " Jan. 14 2012

2012-01-16T03:33:00.003-05:00

My study is taken from the Torah Portions from First Fruits of Zion, http://torahportions.org/. This week's scriptures are: Luke 5:12-39, Exocuds 1:1-61 and Isaiah 27:6-28:13 & 29:22-23.

Connections:
I like to find connections in my scripture readings and this week is no exception.

The Torah Portion title is "Shemot" (שמות),which means “names.” Generally, titles for each Torah Portion can be found within the first verses of the portion. That being said, we find that the Exodus reading begins by giving the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt.

My study habits have transformed from being satisfied with just surface knowledge into seeking to know more about the author and finisher of my faith, My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I have grown accustomed to asking deeper questions at the onset of my study. One question has become, "What is the greater importance of the title and how is this connected to the scripture readings for the week?"

I have been taught that there is no Hebrew word for coincidence. This just means to me that God's plan doesn't allow for coincidence. Since there are no coincidences then there must be a reason for the order and format of my study. Now, everyone will not agree with me on this matter, but that's okay. I'll move on anyway...

I began by looking at the scriptures from Luke and questioned how "Names" was connected. The scripture is interesting in that the the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this...?" They seek a name, an answer to know who is it that does all these healing miracles? Without realizing, they are seeking The Name above all names. The answer is not clearly given to them, but with a deeper than surface understanding, we can see that The Name is Jesus, the Son of God. Hallelujah!

· Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy …But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. 16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Word of mouth drew the people to Him for what He could do for them, that He could heal them…

· Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man…Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal… And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” Yes, with the crowds, even the scribes and Pharisees came. But they came not only to see but to condemn. This reminds me that there will always be those around who do not understand and do not want to understand when God is moving. Those who think they know everything will not be willing to see God because they will have blinded eyes and deafened ears!
· Jesus Calls Levi (Matthew) …a tax collector named Levi…Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Still the scribes and Pharisees stand in judgement…

· A Discussion about Fasting “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink.” And Jesus said to them, “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days.” I wonder who is asking this question. Could it be one of the scribes and Pharisees or just someone who has taken notice? Is the qustion asked in judgement or from the perspective of a sincere desire to know? We do not know the answer to this. But God knows and there is a reason that it is recorded for us. Is the bridegroom with us? Isn't He supposed to be spiritually speaking? Or does it mean, physically? Has the bridegroom been taken away from us? Questions to ponder...

Next, I read the Torah Portion and the title emerges: Now these are the names (shemot) of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob (Exodus 1:1). Each son came with his own household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. As we continue to read, we find the people, enslaved, being mistreated and mistrusted by Pharoah and the Egyptians. They cry out to God. Various events take place and God raises up Moses to act on His behalf. But Moses is hesitant and questions God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” This is the Name above all names! At the end of this portion, the promise is given: But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” Although in this portion, the people are not delivered out of Egypt yet, but God has not abandoned them. The upcoming readings reveal the story. Much of the surface of the story, we all know. But what of deeper meanings? How can the life of the people of Israel be likened to the people of the United States or even of any country? How are we like Moses or Aaron, or not like them? How are we like Pharaoh or the Egyptians, or not like them? What lessons are here that reveal our relationship to God Almighty? Each of us must answer these questions on our own...

Many things stand out in these scriptures, but the points highlighted in color were the most important to me during this study this time and represent the basis for my understanding.

· Exodus 1:1

Introduction ~ the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt…

· Exodus 1:8
The Israelites Are Oppressed …the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad…they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves… birth sons were to be killed…

· Exodus 2:1
Birth and Youth of Moses …saved for a greater purpose, raised in the Pharoah’s home, raised as royalty with all the advantages

· Exodus 2:11
Moses Flees to Midian …after killing an Egyptian, hides away and makes a new life… the new life is one of hard work and few advantages

· Exodus 3:1
Moses at the Burning Bush …God reveals Himself to Moses

· Exodus 3:13
The Divine Name Revealed …“I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” “I Am has sent me to you.”

· Exodus 4:1
Moses' Miraculous Power …the staff of Moses becomes a serpent…that they may believe… the leprous hand was cleansed… the water of the Nile turned to blood… God send Aaron along with Moses to be his mouth…

· Exodus 4:18
Moses Returns to Egypt …the people believed and wanted to worship & sacrifice to the Lord

· Exodus 5:1
Bricks without Straw …but Pharaoh punishes the people

· Exodus 6:1
Israel's Deliverance Assured …God promises the people will be delivered

Last, the reading of Prophets: Isaiah 27:6-28:13, 29:22-23. Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob:“Jacob shall no more be ashamed, no more shall his face grow pale. For when he sees his children, the work of my hands, in his midst, they will sanctify my name; they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and will stand in awe of the God of Israel. Again, there it is the Name above all names!

· Isaiah 27: …The time is coming when Jacob’s descendants will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit!

· Isaiah 28 …A Message about Samaria…proud people brought down… the Lord will send a mighty army against it…

· Isaiah 29 …A Message about Jerusalem…Suddenly, in an instant, I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, will act for you with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm and consuming fire. All the nations fighting against Jerusalem* will vanish like a dream!

My Study of Sarah

2011-08-01T16:42:00.017-04:00

I’m working on a Jewish roots study exploring the lives of Biblical women with a goal to uncover valuable truths and apply what I’m able to understand to my life. As you read with me, let’s ponder over the lessons, seek His guidance, and ask more questions. Let’s pray for His divine understanding and wisdom and finally let’s help one another during the process of our learning and the overflowing revelation to others that we may all be better people (and in this case women).

I must first lay some ground work, in case you are unaware before getting into the study. In Judaism, it is believed that Torah includes all rabbinic teachings. This means that the words of the rabbis are held along the scriptures themselves as inspired teachings. The scriptures of the Torah were handed down in both written and oral form. The written form is what most of us understand as the Old Testament. The oral form was written down much later to become what is known as the Midrash and Talmud. (Learning from these oral traditions is not unlike us when we read Bible commentaries. We, as Christians, can find commentaries in book form separate from our scriptures, but often these commentaries comes right in the Bible we choose to study from.)

Much of what is understood about Sarah from the Jewish perspective comes out of the oral traditions. (I'm not going to debate using oral tradition with anyone, but open it up and look at it. In past times, the baby has been thrown out with the bath water and I just decided I was going to pick up that little baby, instead of leaving it there.) So...

The points I’m about to make are mainly based on an article from http://www.aish.com/ HA’AISH ~Advanced-level Illuminations on the Weekly Parsha~ Chayei Sarah (Genesis 23:1-25:18) By Rabbi Ari Kahn. I’ve also used Internet resources such as dictionaries, Jewish encyclopedia, and previous teachings too numerous to expand upon.

Point 1:

Sarah lived to be 127 years old. If you look at a Bible translation for Genesis 23:1 that says simply that Sarah was 127 years old then this translation misses the Jewish perspective which says “The lifetime of Sarah consisted of one hundred years, twenty years and seven years.” Now, this doesn’t seem to be so great a difference but it is taught in Judaism that her life can be broken down into three stages. It is further believed that she maintained the quality traits of each stage. Most people pass from one stage of their lives to the next, leaving the previous stage behind, perhaps taking with them some fond memories. But Sarah maintained her innocence as a 7-year-old. She had the strength of a 20-year-old and the wisdom of a 100-year-old.

When we look at scriptures; we see that Sarah is often regarded as a beautiful woman even when she is old and past child bearing years. My pondering mind wonders if this isn’t an outward appearance of a 20 year old. Could it be that because she always had the purity of an innocent 7 year old that she was unable to see the problems that would take place when she came up with the plan for Hagar to have a child for her? Personally I think that her wisdom was attained over the years from her own life experiences and that of her vast household. May God grant that my thoughts be innocent, that I have strength and youthful stamina and that my actions always reflect a wise heart.

Point 2:.

Sarah & Abraham were known as a team, together. His biblical life doesn’t really start without her and we see that Abraham seems to disappear after Sarah's death. The mantle of leadership passes on quickly to Isaac and Rebecca.

As soon as Sarah’s burial and mourning period ended, Abraham sent out for a replacement for Sarah in the family camp. It was important to establish a continuation of what God had birthed within them. A wife for Isaac was of the greatest urgency because someone had to fill the matriarchal role in the Hebrew nation.

Point 3:

Abraham & Sarah converted many to the belief in One God (monotheism). This is not something that we usually are taught or understand. We don’t think of Abraham as being on mission to convert. In Abraham’s day, the world was worshipping, but they were worshipping all kinds of gods (polytheism). Abraham and Sarah were on mission to convert the world to the One True God! They started with those of their own household, but in order to affect the world they had to move away from family. This may be the first time you’ve “heard” this nugget. (Read it again. I did at first.) They were “going forth” to affect the world for God. Abraham was a sojourner in the land and as he moved from one place to another, he would be seen to build an altar to God. This act of worship was seen throughout the pagan land. They were all watching! They saw him being blessed by God and in this Abraham was blazing a path for the world to God.

We must remember that the mission of “going forth” never stopped. It just transferred to us from the mouth of Jesus. It wasn’t a new mission. Jesus wasn’t something new, He was the fulfillment of scriptures. Our Lord Jesus was from the beginning with God. That isn’t new. Jesus was, and is and is to come! This is a hard concept that is only seen in faith. Abraham moved in response to God the Father. We move in response to God the Son and through the nudging of God, The Holy Spirit. We cannot proclaim God to the world until we realize and believe that Jesus is! The first proclamation is that God is one. We don’t have many gods to serve. We have just One God seen in three persons! Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord. We can go forth as Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Matthew 28: 19-20 Hallelujah!

So the first mission "to go" was given to Abraham, and of course included Sarah. The Midrash states: "Abraham converted the men and Sarah converted the women." Thus Abraham and Sarah were equals & teachers. To this day, devout Jews believe that their job is still to point the world to God. Tikkun olam (Hebrew: תיקון עולם‎) is a Hebrew phrase that means "repairing the world." They were meant to be the light to the world in order to repair. Tikkun olam is a huge teaching in Orthodox Judaism.

Point 4.

The Jewish story behind Hagar. The Midrash gives biographical information about Hagar: "Hagar was Pharaoh's daughter. When Pharaoh saw what was done on Sarah's behalf in his own house, he took his daughter and gave her to Sarah, saying, 'Better let my daughter be a handmaid in this house than a mistress in another house'" [Midrash Rabbah, Genesis 45:1)

So Hagar was royalty & an aristocrat. Sarah saw Hagar as an appropriate partner for Abraham. She believed if Abraham was to have a child, that child must be the greatest child possible and Hagar, a Pharoah’s daughter would have been the finest choice. (Well, it’s hindsight but don’t we see how naive her thinking is? Isn’t this like the innocence of a 7-year-old? She can see the end result, which was a longed for child, but she didn’t think of the ramifications of her plan. Sometimes we are all very naive and we don’t wait on God. She knew she was past child-bearing and she knew God had promised children. She must have been thinking, “What could possibly be wrong with giving Hagar to Abraham, after all Hagar is mine to give?)

Genesis 16 relates that Sarah, in an act of complete self-sacrifice, invites the beautiful Egyptian princess to become a partner with her husband. Has anyone ever thought that it was self-sacrifice on Sarah’s part? Really stop and think about this for a moment. Could she have thought, “I’m willing to give up my husband so that he might be a father because it is clear that I will not be having a child.”? If we look at it in this light, it is self-sacrifice. God saw her heart and I haven’t found where He ever condemned her for her plan. Now, Sarah’s actions had a huge negative result but did God condemn her for it? It appears that God saw the attitude of her heart. God didn’t stop her from her plan. Did Abraham consult God on the plan? Should Abraham have stopped the plan? What does this tell us????

Let’s look at Hagar. She was given to Sarah and would have been discipled by her. Once Hagar becomes pregnant and bears a child, she concludes that God has now chosen her over Sarah and thinks that Sarah is an unworthy partner for Abraham because Sarah has no child. Where would she have gotten this idea? I believe she would have gotten it from Sarah, herself. Sarah may never have uttered a word in regard to her actions but we all know that actions speak louder than words. Hagar may have thought, "Your God won't give you a child so you, Sarah, aren't good enough. But I must be good enough. Look at what God did for me!" How many of us have thought things like this in regard to our prayers? "If I were just good enough, God would do... (fill the blank)." No, God doesn't operate that way. Read the word closely and discover Him for yourself. Don't just take my word for it!

So Hagar eventually becomes confused as to her role in the relationship between Sarah and Abraham. She begins to think of herself as a wife because she carries and gives birth to Abraham child. Isn’t she a second wife? In her confusion, Hagar tells the other women: "My mistress Sarah is not inwardly what she is outwardly; she appears to be a righteous woman, but she is not. For had she been a righteous woman, (she would have conceived) see how many years have passed without her conceiving, whereas I conceived in one night." [Midrash Rabbah 45:4]

We should remember that according to her birth as Pharoah’s daughter, Hagar must have believed she was born to lead. Taken from a luxurious life to be wandering around in a tent, Hagar must have felt that she was given the opportunity to rule in Abraham's house and be more than a simple handmaiden. She believed that she had received a divine sign that she, who was born to be queen, would indeed be the queen. We are not told if she believed in the One God of Abraham, she would have been raised to believe that her very father was a god. She is confused from the beginning, thinking that her father (a god) would have given her over to another man who worshipped another god.

Along with Hagar’s confusion, she was also mistaken when she assumed that Abraham alone led the people. She failed to recognize that it was a partnership, the combination of Abraham and Sarah, which was the basis for the great movement that she herself had become a part of. In giving Hagar to Abraham, Sarah responded, not out of selfishness, nor out of jealousy, but by understanding that she was an equal partner with Abraham. When Hagar gets carried away with her personal beliefs and starts mocking and making fun, Sarah informs Abraham that it is time to send Hagar away. Scriptures say that Abraham finds it quite difficult. But, we see that God confirmed that Hagar was to be sent away. God said to Abraham: 'Whatever Sarah your wife says you shall listen.'[Genesis 21:12]

Point 5.

The next area of understanding of Sarah comes from a supernatural phenomena. [Midrash Rabbah-Genesis 60:16] as explained by Rashi: "As long as ... Sarah was alive, there was a candle lit from Friday night to Friday night. Her dough was blessed, and a cloud was tied to her tent. When Sarah died, all these things ceased. When Rebecca entered the tent, all these phenomena returned."

Years ago, I ran across an explanation about God's blessing of the candles and the bread. Sarah was the first to light the Sabbath candles and it is said that God honored her by allowing her candles to burn continuously from one Sabbath to next. The second blessing was that of the dough that would not go bad from one Sabbath to the next. The last blessing mentioned was a new one for me. I hadn't heard of it and here’s the message of the cloud.

There is only one use of the phrase "a cloud tied to her tent" in the Midrash. But a the Midrash tells that a cloud is tied to something else. Mount Moriah would be the location and it was concerning the impending sacrifice of Isaac. Abraham looked up and saw a mountain with a peculiar cloud tied to the mountain. Isaac shared this vision, but the others who accompanied them saw only the mountain.

[Abraham] saw a cloud tied to the mountain, and said: "It appears that is the place where the Holy One, blessed be He, told me to sacrifice my son." ... He then said to him: "Isaac, my son, seest thou what I see?" "Yes," he replied. Said he to his two servants: "See ye what I see? " No," they answered. [Midrash Rabbah , Genesis 56:1-2)

The servants saw only the mountain, the physical reality, and not the cloud which represents the metaphysical, Abraham tells them to stay behind with the donkey. It’s interesting that the Hebrew world for "donkey," chamor, is related to the word for "physical," chomer.) Only Abraham and Isaac see the cloud tied to the mountain, and only they will continue the spiritual journey. They were able to see beyond the physical.

Abraham is described as one of three who "rides" on a donkey. The other two are Moses and the Messiah. The description of the coming of the Messiah riding a donkey is in the writings of Zechariah. So the physical realm is revealed with the Messiah in this passage. But we need to look not only at the physical but at the spiritual realm, from Daniel, “And behold, one like the son of man comes with the clouds of heaven”.

In Jewish thought, there is no tension between the physical world and the spiritual world. The physical is to be elevated and used in spiritual contexts. The physical is a means toward an end. The problem has been that many have seen the physical as an end unto itself. They must see all in the physical in order to believe, but without faith you cannot believe. Abraham and Isaac saw the cloud and ascended Mount Moriah alone for they were in touch with something beyond the physical.

Point 6

Nothing stopped with Sarah. We know her as the beginning matriarch of the Hebrew nation. Sarah understood more than the physical realm and had faith. She worked side by side with her husband Abraham all her days. It's interesting to note that the death of Sarah is given in many verses. She was a most respected woman and given great honor. Abraham would not use a burial place without paying for it even though he was offered one without payment.

The place of burial is known as Hebron and its name is interesting. The name Hebron comes from (habar) meaning be joined, coupled, allied. Derivatives are: (heber), meaning company, association; (haber), meaning associate, companion; (hoberet), a joint (a connection, such as used in the tabernacle Exodus 26:10); (habbar), associate, partner; (mehabbera), binder, clamp. So Hebron was the place where the first matriarch was laid to rest and later Abraham was laid to rest there beside her, as well as Issac and Rebecca when their burial times came.

After Sarah, Rebecca stepped into her position of authority because of faith. A cloud was tied to her tent. Although neither Sarah or Rebecca are said to have been on the mountain top, they had faith that God was with them even in their tents. In spite of living in a physical world they knew they were connected to the spiritual world of God and lived their lives knowing this. From Abraham and Sarah to Isaac and Rebecca the torch was passed. As women, we are to continue learning and living with the knowledge that we are connected to the spiritual world of God and not only connected but we are to walk in the center of the spiritual with God leading!

Please, I am no means finished with my study of Sarah. This has been the first leg of my journey. Many things were viewed here that I'd not thought of or known before. Since this post represents more of a Jewish perspective, my next step is to look at her from what has been taught in a Christian perspective. After this, I'll compare and contrast the perspectives in order to better comprehend the overall representation of Sarah and what she is supposed to mean to all of us, both Jew and Christian. If you strongly oppose this article or any portion of it, oh well. Remember it is my study and I am not finished. God knows my heart and my questions are not doubting him but my hearts' desire is to know him better each day. I hope you were sparked to research on your own... but don't forget while researching, you need to pray for understanding and wisdom. God bless you.

My Study of Hannah

2011-06-23T18:00:00.006-04:00

I recently began teaching a Women's Bible Class. We started a few weeks ago with Proverbs 31 and now are in the study of Hannah. I believe that I'm typical of most Christians and most of us generally skim and don't actually study scripture. It's easy to read something and say that we've finished with it. My second graders at school react just this way, too. They will read a selection but have no idea of all the things that the author meant for him/her to see. Comprehension is very different than just reading. I pray that we all slow down a bit and actually ligner and meditate to comprehend God's intent for us. In order to know Him, we must aquire a heart knowledge and not just a head knowledge. In my case, my goal is to adapt more faith for my day to day journey by gaining a heart knowledge of God through the lives of the faithful. We are all given a measure of faith, but what do we do with it? I seek to expand it by using it. That sounds strange but with God, love and faith grow when we use them and share them.

Now, another thing is that many times we focus so much on the very strong and obvious faith of a Biblical character that we forget that they are human. We must remember not to put them up on a pedestal because of their faith. We need to observe them as we are, human. Then we need to look at their faith in God as they approach life as a human being. In doing this, the first thing that I discovered about Hannah that I hadn't noticed before is that she must have been very sick and tired of her life before she fell at the alter where Eli, the Priest, heard her prayer.

Although, I usually use either the King James, New King James or The Living Translation, this time I find that The Message Bible is my selection. My brief summary from 1 Samuel 1:

At first we read who Elkanah is and then we discover that he is not only Hannah's husband, but also husband to Peninnah. Peninnah has children and Hannah does not, which she is quite upset about. To add to Hannah's pain is the fact that Peninnah taunted her and rubbed it in that God had not given her children. So every year, Hannah had to endure the shame of going to the sanctuary without children. According to 1 Samuel 1:9-11, we read of what took place there. She prayed and was blessed by Eli. Time passed and eventually she had a son, Samuel. While still a very young child, and after weaning him, she dedicated him back to God as she had promised. Samuel was left with Eli for trianing.

Sometimes when we read this, we think of it only as a miracle story and don't really meditate upon it for long. I pulled it apart in my study and found some parallels to my own life, perahps there are some things that ring a bell with you, too.

Sick and Tired
Have you ever been sick and tired over something? This is exactly what I think happened to Hannah. Take a look at all the things that I think she must have been sick and tired of.

Hannah was possibly tired of being the second wife. I say, she is second because she is mentioned second and also becasue a wife with children would have been considered the more important wife in the Hebrew culture. The firstborn son inherited from his father so this mother would have been considered more important than a childless wife. (This fact is true even though Elkanah loved Hannah and favored her at times according to scripture.) Now, perhaps you have never been the second to another woman but have you been second to your husband's friends, family, job, or hobbies? You can relate to Hannah in this way if you have ever felt second place to a loved one for any reason.
Hannah was tired of being pitied. After all each year she would have to endure the pain of not having a child with her so that she and her child could receive portions of meat from the sacrifice. She was given a large (choice) amount not only because she was loved by her husband but because she was pitied and childless. Have you ever felt pitied?
She was tired of watching Elkanah lavish fatherly care for his children. She must have been tired of watching Pennah grow in pregrancy and give birth. Then watching her nurse and care for her babies. Have you ever desired something so much that you were envious?
She was tired of hearing compliments to Peninnah and Elkanah for thier children. Have you ever felt if you had to hear something one more time that brought you pain, you would vomit?
She was tired of empty arms and an aching heart. She had to endure Elkanah's love that she interpreted as pity. It didn't matter what he might say, it was how she felt that mattered. She must have been tired of feeling guilty before God and her husband for not producing a child.
She had to be tired of crying and feeling sick. There had to be moments that she was tired of arguing her pain with Elkanah because he just didn't get it.
She had to be so tired of being misunderstood and at times tired that God would not hear her and do something. She must have been tired of the bitterness and anger in her heart.
She was tired of being tired and exhausted in her sorrow and grief.

Well, I don't know about anyone else but I have been tired of being tired and exhausted so I can relate.

I used study questions from James Knox and found that these questions and verses led me to discover great promises for us, when we are tired and impatient. In these verses, I'm going to just write down the promises that I've discovered. I challenge you to go to each verse, read and meditate upon it and discover what might be there for you. Through the years I've found that he gives us what we need when we need it. Here are the promises that I found for me. I've personalized them in print so that I can linger in His majesty as a little child adoring her royal father who loves her so much, he gives her all things that are good for her.

God says:

Psalm 31:19 I have stored up goodness for you. I will protect you.
Psalm 111:10 I will give you wisdom.
Psalm 112 I will give you joy.
Psalm 147 I'll always love you!
Job 23:1-12 I will listen. I will make you pure.
Jeremiah 24:5-7 I won't uproot you. I care for you. I will give you a heart to know me. You will be mine. You are mine!
Jeremiah 29:11-14 I have great plans for you. I'll give you a future and hope. I hear your prayers. I am here for you.
Jeremiah 31:10-14 I will pull you to me. I will give you great love and much more. I will give you a party. We will have a feast. I will exchange your sadness for rejoicing. I will give you good gifts.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 I will give you comfort.
James 1:2-4 I will make you perfect, needing nothing.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 I will give you glory that lasts forever.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 I will give you grace. I will give you power.
1 Peter 4:12-14 I will make you a partner with Christ. I will give you wonderful joy of seeing His glory. My Spirit rests on you!

I've looked at Hannah with a different perspective and just as Hannah was tired of certain things in her life. I have my own list... But when I trust in God and believe in His promises. When I seek Him to guide me and obey what He has commanded, then being tired isn't the object of my thoughts but being with Him is. Once I realize that I can't do much (if anything) about what I'm tired of AND trust God for help, change my attitude then He'll teach me to to overcome.

Pray like Moses

2011-04-22T02:01:00.000-04:00

It is amazing to me that in Exodus 33, the script begins with God telling Moses, “Get going and take the people you brought up from the land of Egypt.” They were to go and claim the land that God had promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But God told Moses that He wouldn’t go with them, because if he did he would destroy all the stubborn and rebellious people along the way. He was sending his angel before them to clear the way so that they may claim their inheritance.

But what a horrible thought that God would rather stay away than to watch his children enter into their sinful ways of disobedience toward Him! When the people heard these words that God would not be with them, they went into mourning... But was their mourning only to serve themselves and not because they truly wanted God's presence with them?

God told them to remove their jewelry and fine clothes that they had brought out of Egypt while He decided what to do with them. Moses would go to the Tent of Meeting that he had set up outside of camp. They would all watch as Moses entered the tent and the pillar of cloud would come down and hover over the entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses face to face.

Moses’ Intercession:

“If I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight”

The Lord answers him…

Moses continues to say, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in our sight, I and your people? Is it not in our going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?

The Lord answers him…

Moses speaks again… “Please show me your glory.”

The Lord answers him…

Moses speaks… “The Lord, The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”

Moses bows and worships and says… “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

After this God’s Covenant was renewed…

Let me follow this example of Moses and pray not only for myself but for God’s children everywhere and especially those that I know personally. We have on the jewelry and fine clothes of the world so that we look and act no different than the world. This is our Egypt. We have become desensitized to how much the world has rubbed off on us. We need to be sanctified and separated to His Holiness and become holy because He is holy!

We need to realize that God is not with us when we are disobedient. He is around to hear us when we repent and call but evidently just as the Bible reveals here, He will not walk with us when we are walking away from Him. We must turn back and walk with Him! He does not chase us down but waits for our return.

O God, I desire to find favor in your sight. Please show me your ways in order that I may find favor in your sight by following your ways.

And if your presence will not go with me, O Lord, I will not go but if your presence is with me I will go where ever you desire me to go. Not only myself Lord, but my brothers and sisters need your presence. Teach us to listen and obey your in all things and not take matters into our own hands but to fully trust in you. Let your presence cover us and may we find favor in Your sight at all times. May we be known not because of who we are but because of who You are, O Lord.

O Lord, please show me Your glory. Please reveal Your glory to all who call on You as Savior.

Just as Moses said, I say…

You are The Lord, My Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.

And If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please go in the midst with me where ever you lead. Forgive my wayward self and pardon my iniquity and sin, and the iniquity and sin of my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. As we give ourselves to your, take us for your inheritance.

May your covenant be renewed in me...

Amen and amen!

EVEN THROUGH THE SEA OF IMPOSSIBILITY, GOD WILL PROTECT AND SAVE US IF WE BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIM

2011-04-09T13:33:00.012-04:00

In case you may wonder as you read this, today is 5 Nissan on the Jewish calendar. http://www.jewfaq.org/current.htm

We have entered the month of Nissan on the Jewish calendar. It is a time of transformation in the natural as buds and blossoms and the signs of spring are everywhere. It is a month of breaking away from the cold and gloom of winter and entering into the warmth of a new season. It marks a time of freedom and making new choices. It is a time to simply leave the past behind and move forward to a greater faith in God and dependence upon Him. We can remember and experience this time as Passover begins on our calendar, April 18th (which on the Jewish calendar is the evening of the 15th of Nissan.)

This is a time to remember the Exodus described in the Torah… a time when the children of Israel left Egypt. They did not escape, but just walked away when the time was right for them to do so. They were ultimately set free because of Passover. When you follow the story, the enemy tried one last time to recapture them, but God had other plans. When we are finally free, the enemy will try to recapture us as well, but we must continue to follow wherever God leads us even if its through the sea of impossibility. God will protect and save us IF WE BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIS GUIDANCE.

Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt and through the wilderness to Mount Sinai where the God of Israel gave them the law. They entered into a covenant with Him so that in exchange for their faithfulness, God would give them the “Promised Land” of Canaan. It was a complicated journey that had to start with Passover. When we remember their story and its importance, we can see the preview that was to come of The Messiah, Our Lord Jesus.

Few of us in America, are slaves to another with physical shackles on us. The only people near this description would be those who are locked away in jails and prisions. The plight of these people is different in some ways than those of us who have never been in jail or prision, but are the things that bind us any different? Perhaps an addiction to an illegal drug caused someone we know to be arrested and put behind bars? This person may have been caught and convicted, but what about those who depend upon drugs to get them through each day, whether it be illegal drugs or alcohol. What about the person who is abusing prescription or over the coutner drugs? Is the person behind bars any different than the one walking around in public except for the fact they are behind bars? What about the person that took another's life and have been convicted and behind bars or facing execution? Is this person any different than the one who has rage in his/her heart and gets angered enough that thoughts of death and murder run through their mind when they become enraged? What about the anger that wells up and causes them to speak against another? Isn't this the same sin of anger whether we are behind bars or not? Aren't we all guilty? We may not shoot off a gun or weld a knife but how many of us have shot off our mouth or cut the hearts of others with our sharp tongues????

There is an answer for all this. It is Jesus! Jesus is the answer. He was and is the Lamb that sets us free so that we may walk away from (not run away in escape) but walk away from the things and people that hold us in bondage. We must be willing to walk away! We must be willing to walk away! We must be willing to walk away for He will not force His Will upon us. We must choose for ourselves the way we will go. Jesus has given us a choice by His sacrifice. It is our choice to stay in bondage or our choice to go freely. It is our choice to serve self or our choice to serve Him.

The Egyptians held the Israelites in a long period of slavery but God liberated them from that slavery. He is willing and waiting to liberate all of us. Let us lay down our bondage (whatever it is) on the alter. Pick up our things quickly and follow Him where He guides us.

God will never tell us where Point B is until we exercise faith in going to Point A first. In my personal journey, it is often something that I need to pick up at Point A that helps me when I get to Point B. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? This is what I can tell you: read the Word of God, worship and pray to Him and follow Him in the things that you already know you are to do (this is Point A). Then when you do these things, He will then send you to Point B and you will know it is the Lord who sends you.

God bless you and may your mind be free of clutter, your heart, ears and eyes be open to spiritual truths and your hands and feet swift and ready to go where He calls you to go. Amen

Exodus 12:1-14 (The First Passover) 1 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. 4 If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. 5 The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.

6 “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. 8 That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. 10 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning. 11 “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,* wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. 12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! 13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.

John the Baptist said: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).
Jesus is the true Passover lamb. All other Passover feasts were only rehearsals of what was to come. Amen.

Living the Christian Life in the End Times

2011-03-02T15:39:00.013-05:00

Why are Jews and Christians always on the chopping block? Why do the nations despise and hate the Jews? Why does the media find great pleasure in “slandering” pastors, evangelists, and other men and women of God?

There may be some Jews who have been false and not righteous. Their lives may have been slammed across headlines of recent days. It seems the world has need to blame someone for all their misery, and as a group, it has always been “the Jews” to blame. After all they have always been a little different and we can’t have that. (What ridiculous reasoning! Yet, it is taught to children around he world to hate “Jews”.)

Then Christians, who are truly Christians, come along and are the second most hated people. Don’t believe me? Just listen to how the secular world jokes about Christ and in so doing are joking about us. You don’t poke fun at that which you honor and love, but only that which you trample beneath your feet. Think about it…

Look at laws that have been created in the past and that are even now being created. The issue of separation of church and state is always at hand. It’s interesting how when tax money is the question, it can be debated that churches should not be tax exempt. Oh, so in essence lawmakers are saying that church and state are not separated! Hmmm. But, on the other hand we are to maintain a secular atmosphere in our public and government buildings and grounds, so in essence lawmakers are saying the church and state are separate. You can’t have it both ways. Political man speaks with forked tongue! Think about it…

Well, back to my original thought, there are some who are “falsely” proclaiming to be Christians. There are some who were once on fire for God, but have fallen away and their lives have been scrutinized. There are some who stand up and say things in the name of Jesus, but they don’t know Him. We are all judged by the world according to the ones who have failed or fallen. But there is an ultimate judge who will be honored above every other judge or king. He is the only one that is worthy of honor! But we live in this imperfect world now, what can we do about this injustice now?

First, realize that the true Christian leaders are being hindered by what seems at first glance to be ordinary men and women. But principalities and powers are driving these men and women. God is the light and darkness is trying to hinder the Kingdom of God. These principalities and powers may cause havoc and we may experience great turmoil around us in the dark. But God says we are to be light! When we obey Him then we are the light. When we obey Him, then we will know the peace and strength that comes from none other than our Jehovah Jireh, our Great Provider.

Second, we must study to understand fully that we were not promised that life will be easy; knowing that the more we walk forward sharing the good news of our faith, this light of God with others, that the more darkness will try to hinder our ministry. (Yes, we must understand that it is a ministry to spread the light of God.) Our strength comes from the Lord. We must continue to commune with him daily through every circumstance whether these times are good or bad that we go through. We must read His word to find the “rehmah” word that is meant for us. He will provide understanding when we search. He will bring clarity to a muddy situation.

Third, then we are to always continue with the admonition that we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. It is not our job to point fingers and ridicule others. It is our job to seek out from our Father what words he would have us use. If we are to continue obeying Him and saying nothing, then let’s be obedient. If we are to speak, then let’s be obedient. Each circumstance is different and He is to guide. He can’t lead us until we are willing to follow!

Fourth, God tells us we aren’t to be concerned with the circumstances that are ripping the atmosphere around us. He tells us that we are to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. His chosen people are not perfect but He is perfect. We are to obey. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, it is because God revealed Himself to us and we had a choice of whether to repent or not.

I cannot explain faith to anyone, but when the Lord God reveals Himself to you, anyone or me then there was, is and no longer will be any excuse to disbelieve.
I can only give testimony of what he has done for me in my life. I cannot through my words alone make anyone else believe in the Lord Jesus. I cannot make my family and those I call friends believe. But, I know that when my Father is ready to reveal Himself and draw them to Him, not even my bloodline will have an excuse not to honor His calling. There won’t even be an excuse that all of us have been hypocrites. When dealing with us as individuals, God will not look at others. He will be looking straight at us as individuals.

God is not a hypocrite. He is Holy. I know Him and exalt Him above every person or thing that I have ever encountered in my life, even my own family, whom I love beyond imagination. Yet, I can love my family and friends more because He has taught me to love. I can love Him above all others because that is the way in which he desires it to be and I understand the ultimate outcome of that order of loving. He has loved me unconditionally. I haven’t arrived at that state in my walk with Him yet. I am on my way. The first step was forgiveness, but that’s another devotional entirely…

Lastly, we are to grow in faith, wisdom and understanding of the Kingdom of Heaven. Preachers are leaders but in actuality all Christians are called of God and are to be leaders in this dark world. So get ready leaders because the blessings of God begin in the house of God.

· Stop saying you’re too old… God says your best is yet to come.

· Stop saying you’re the wrong color or background… God says whatever your color or background, you are made in the image of God! You are made perfect and God is no respecter of persons!

· Stop saying if I were a different gender… God says that you’re a woman in His world… God says… Men be men in My world.

· Stop saying anything that sounds like put downs against others. Quit saying things against “those ____ people”

Remember that somewhere in the past parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and beyond have prayed for you. Christ, Himself prayed for you. He has given us power and authority to have restored health and wealth in this life. It is to be used for the glory of God, not just for ourselves but for God.

Why haven’t we been told this or understood this before? Why haven’t we utilized this information before? Why haven’t we been healed and made wealthy before? It’s all about God’s timing. When we begin to understand God’s timing, he reveals more and more to us and we will be blessed more and more...

Study to learn. Grow in wisdom. We are beginning to understand Purim. If you don’t know what it is; ask God to reveal through your study what it is.

Study to learn. Grow in wisdom. We are beginning to understand Malachi 3… Three times in a year we are to come to God and bring Him our due and offerings. He says come unto me and I’ll come unto you. Jesus told us give and it shall be given to you.

Taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8

When we understand and do the things that honor God, He will honor us with blessings that we cannot begin to contain. The blessings will overflow us. When we study and learn these things, He will bless us in our coming and in our going. We are in the end times right now! Just look around.

Our Jewish roots are important. Read the scriptures… we have been grafted in and God dwells in the secret place! We must go there and dwell with Him. Jesus says, But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6

The secret place is when you are hidden in your closet, hidden in your tent, hidden under your tallit… I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. Isa. 45: 3…

If others aren’t going into the secret place, we are to do it for them. Go as an intercessor so that God might be revealed to them. As we receive His abundance let us share it.

Interesting Information and Food for Thought:
February 27th, this year was the beginning of the Hebrew month Adar. This year is a Jewish leap year. Here’s the explanation. It’s truly exciting knowledge! Enjoy the revelation. This was supposed to be here especially for someone reading this today!

The Torah says that Passover has to be celebrated in the spring. So, the second month of Adar was added for this reason to the Hebrew calendar. It is considered a leap year, but its not just a day that is added but an entire month. This means that seven times every 19 years, we have two months of Adar. (The Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle. It has 354 days. So by having leap months occasionally, Passover occurs in a completely different season.)

"Mishenichnas Adar, marbim b'simchah - "When Adar begins, we increase in joy." (Babylonian Talmud, Taanit 29a) Simchah, or joy, is a necessary ingredient in Jewish life. This is especially true during the month of Adar when we celebrate the miracle of Purim. Tradition teaches that simchah (happiness) comes from k’dushah (holiness), whereas sadness and dejection come from the "other side."

My devotions were motivated by the teaching of Larry Huch. http://www.larryhuchministries.com/media/stream/#WatchVideo

The World was Created for Me!

2011-01-23T13:26:00.008-05:00

(I've addressed this devotion to the Christian believer to have a deeper understanding of our purpose on earth.)

"The World was Created for Me" is a concept in Judaism. In it’s revelation we discover that we are each unique and significant to God. We are valuable because we simply exist. We don’t need to prove ourselves worthy because we are already worthy! God created us worthy to begin with!

But that's just on the Surface...
Many times our problem is that we don’t think we are worthy. Perhaps we had an upbringing where we were always judged or a relationship where we got the idea that we weren't "good". We learned to think of ourselves as "bad". When we think that way and don't acknowledge the worth that God placed on us, we are miserable. We spend our days constantly trying to prove that we are good enough to everyone else. But God created us worthy and in His plan He created the world for us! What a wonderful thing to know! We need to breathe that in. We need to embrace that thought and bring out our light and share it with others. Indeed we are worthy, God made us that way!

Now someone might be thinking that this is wrong and against the biblical teaching that says all our righteousness is as filthy rags. This doesn't take away the fact that God first created us worthy enough to have fellowship with Him.

You know the story... sin entered into Eden and man was cast out. We needed to be redeemed. We couldn't perform anything to bring us to righteousness. There isn't any deed that can be done to put us at that status. Only by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus can we be redeemed and saved from our sinful ways. Once we receive Him then we hopefully begin to grow... spiritually grow...

So, what does it mean~"the world was created for me"

What more does it really mean? Is the world ours to consume without responsibility? The late Rav Noach Weinberg taught that the world having been created for me means it is “my responsibility”. How can that be?

What can I do for the world when I am such a tiny part of it? How can the vastness of the world’s problems such as the genocide in Darfur, poverty around the world, violence and death, hatred, and crumbling families be my responsibility?

The very fact that any of us think in these terms of how small we are shows that we recognize our responsibility. Usually the very thing that we do first is to excuse ourselves because we are so small in comparison to the problems of the world. What we forget to consider is that God is with us when we strive to make a difference. He is not only with us but for the believer He is in us. He is ready to empower us to care for His world when ever we finally realize our role!

But how?

Identifying the pain of others near us is the first step in taking responsibility for the world. Consider Moses, when the Torah says in Exodus 2:12 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens… Moses left Pharoah’s palace not only to see the pain of his brethren but to identify with their pain. After all, even though he had been raised in the palace, he still had his Hebrew heritage and the influence of his mother. He knew he was Hebrew and he wanted to identify. This was the foundation that his leadership was built upon. When we start to identify with the pain of another, that is when we begin to understand our responsibility.

It isn’t enough to just identify with the pain. If someone is hungry we are to feed them. If they are thirsty we are to give them a drink.

Wait, we just jumped from talking about the world to talking about our neighbor! You may think that the problems and issues of the world are too big. We see the problems and our reaction is that it requires too much of us to make a difference. There are just too many needs. So we sometimes rationalize and instead of trying to help anyone, many people (even Christians) just give up and end up helping no one. Our thinking is wrong here! It isn’t about us… we must consider that we can’t lift a finger without God giving us the power to do it. Even if we just help our neighbor, it is God who is the giver. If we try to take on this responsibility alone, we are wrong on many levels. We need to ask our Heavenly Father to help not only those in our immediate reach but to give us the understanding, power and resources to affect the world. He can show us that by reaching out to those near us, we are truly effecting a change in their world and in the greater scheme of things the world. But we have to be willing to move forward... How do we begin?

Pray for Understanding

Back ground knowledge is important to understanding new concepts. If we don’t have any background for a new topic then learning will be limited. We need to have our spiritual senses open in order to understand. There are places in the Bible that says “having eyes but not seeing and having ears but not hearing”. These are the most simple of senses to relate to when trying to understand our role as Christians.

Sight and hearing are just two areas, but the sense of smell, taste and touch are just as important. How could we ever understand physical joy or pain if we have never experienced some sort of it? How could we begin to understand longing for the Lord’s presence if we have never sensed Him near us? The scriptures are loaded with references related to our senses to help us understand. Have you ever read the psalms of David and felt his weakness when he was weary or felt his strength when he was trusting in the Lord? Have you noticed the smell of the oil that was poured out on Jesus’s feet or that he was wrapped in when prepared for burial? Could you taste the difference in the wine at the wedding where Jesus performed his first miracle? The scriptures reveal it but do you comprehend it?

Ask the Lord to reveal all aspects of the scripture for you to build your background knowledge so that when you encounter each new day, you’ll recognize the scripture and bring His Word to remembrance in your walk. (Understanding is knowledge but it is not wisdom. Keep that thought because I’ll return to it.)

Pray for Love, Power & Glory

There isn’t anything that you or I can do in our own power for the Kingdom of Christ. In order to honor Him most, we need His love, power and glory in our lives. Look how Jesus prayed for us in John 17.

Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Does the love, power and glory strike you from His prayer? He prayed these things for you and me. He didn’t just pray for those who walked with him in ancient times. He prayed for us love, power and glory. Think about it…

Resources

We generally think about money and material possessions when we think of resources, but I’d like to suggest that we are confused as to the importance of these things. In our world today, we have been taught that the world revolves around money and things. To the Christian, we need to remember that our world revolves around Christ! We are not of this world but we are to be ambassadors for Chirst in a world that doesn’t know Him.

We have many resources. One resource is our head (mind) to be used to gain knowledge and wisdom. The knowledge is definitely the things we know but wisdom comes from listening to God. Another resource is our hearts to be purified by His blood that we might bring honor to His Name. When our head and our hearts are ready then we can begin to use the other resources more effectively.

He will tell us when and how to best use what He has given us. Another resource is our eyes to be used to see beyond what the surface shows that we might realize what He desires for us. Another resources is our hands to use to help others and create for the Kingdom of Heaven. Another resource is our feet to be used to take us quickly where He wills us to go. What about time? The clock that we view and the schedules we keep are all man-made and in order to live in this world we have had to adapt to them, but time really belongs to God!

Let’s pray that we understand more and more in the Spirit,. Let’s pray that we cultivate love, power and glory for His honor. Let’s pray that we learn how to use our resourses wisely namely: our time, heads, hearts, eyes, hands, and feet. When we do all these things then we will realize even more how the world belongs to us. It belongs to us to care for just as Jesus cared for us we are to care for the world’s people.

Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds. Psalm 9:10-12 (in Context)

1620

How to Care for Your Soul

2011-01-18T13:14:00.006-05:00

We all need a refresher course now and then to keep us on track when it comes to living the Christian life. My pastor gave such a refresher this past Sunday and I thought I’d share it today along with my take on it. So Pastor Bob, thanks very much!

Now, most everyone knows these things, but sometimes we get rusty and need some fresh oil applied. So get out your drip cloth and expect to be oiled up.

1. Read the Word for yourself!

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.

· We sometimes need our ritual habits cut away by the sharp edges of the sword. The soul’s “I want, I think, I feel” weights down the Holy Spirit so that we are not free to live as He wants us to live.

· We need to understand the difference between the hard joint and the soft marrow. Our joints are flexible and meant to move either by back and forth, side to side or rotating. The marrow keeps the bones alive by sending oxygen to all parts of our body and fights disease and germs. God must be allowed to get to our marrow. Sometimes He has to do surgery to get there... If we are to be alive, we need to read His Word. If we are to be healthy, we are to read His Word.

· We need our thoughts and desires exposed by the light of His Word. Perhaps it’s the purposes for which we decide to do something that needs to be examined. His Word is alive and powerful to reveal the status of our inner being. We will know Him better by reading His Word for ourselves.

2. Prayer is the gate we open and He comes through!

Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable.

· Nothing is hidden from God. God is omniscient! He knows everything. We might think since He already knows everything, then why should we pray. But “He” knows everything and “we” do not. We can’t embarrass or shock God. He loves us and He already knows what we have done before we pray. He knows every fear that we have and all the trials we have faced and every temptations known. He knows all of it even before we realize it!

· Prayer will reveal our motives even more clearly to ourselves when we articulate them in prayer. We might find ourselves repenting for our lustful desires and pride. 1 John 2:15-17 Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

· We must give an account. He wants us to be honest with Him.

3. Confess to an accountability partner.

James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

· We need accountability in our motives, marriage, ministry and our mind. We don’t need to confess our sins to the world. The world doesn’t need to know our faults and weaknesses. When we discover our sins, faults and weaknesses during our own reading of the Word or prayer time, then we need to make confession to a trusted fellow believer, so that they may pray with us as scriptures reveals.

· Making confession to someone else won’t do anything but allow them to love and pray for us. It is not their forgiveness we need. When we have sinned and repent we tell God who has the power to forgive us.

o Confession allows our accountability partner the chance to come into agreement with us in prayer. It helps to heal the broken spirit and gets us back on track again.

o Confession allows our accountability partner the chance to hear how easily some sin has captured us and may help them to refrain from making the same mistake.

· Pray for forgiveness of our faithlessness in our motives, marriage, ministry and our minds.

4. View everything in life that "all things" work together for good.

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

God allows things to come into our lives so that we can go to Him. We are not to go by our means of rescue (example to borrow money) and we are not to go to others to provide the need before we have gone to God. God wants us to come to Him. (This is not to say that we should never borrow, but it is God who will direct if that is the path we are to follow. The point is that we are to go to Him and find out from Him what He desires of us! Your walk with Him is your testimony. We never know who may be watching us live out the Word. Do we have a faith in the Lord that is showing on the outside? Or do we have only Sunday morning faith? )

Strength Building Scriptures that point to God first!
Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. God will take care of me.

Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! God will take care of me.

1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. God will take care of me.

Acts 20:35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ God will take care of me.

Proverbs 22:7 Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender. God will take care of me.

5. Learn to enjoy our relationship with God.
Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

[Two words need to be examined closely: “delight” and “desires”. This verse is often misinterpreted by Christians and taken to mean that God will give me whatever we want (i.e. earthly blessings) if I delight in Him. But the Hebrew word translated “delight” (עָנַג, pronounced aw-nag) literally means to be delicate or feminine (Strong’s, עָנַג.) It carries the idea of being pliable or sensitive. In this particular context, it means to be dependent upon God and to derive one’s pleasure from Him. Does this describe us? Would we rather spend time communing with God (in worship, the Word, prayer, even in our vocation) or with other people, engaged in other activities? The verb translated “delight” is an imperative in the Hebrew, meaning this is a command. Does this put a new twist on the meaning for us? Delighting in the Lord is not a helpful suggestion, but a command from the pen of the inspired Psalmist. We are to strive to delight completely in God.

The term translated “desires” (מִשְׁאָלָה, pronounced mish-aw-law) refers to petitions or requests (TWOT, מִשְׁאָלָה.) In Hebrew thought, the heart was primarily the seat of the inner man. It was the source of the will. In other words, the Psalmist tells us that God will honor our delighting in Him by graciously giving us what we are asking of Him from the very depths of our being. If we are delighting ourselves in God… then what are the desires of our heart? If we are relying upon God and deriving our primary pleasure in Him, then He is the desire of our heart. The promise here is not that God will give us the things of this world if we delight in Him. The promise is that God will give us Himself, if and when we delight ourselves in Him. The greatest blessing which we can ever receive is to know God intimately. Jesus said that eternal life is ultimately all about knowing God and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. John 17:3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.
The greatest blessing imaginable is for God to make His face to shine upon us. Numbers 6:22-27 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 24 ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. 25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. 26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’ 27 Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” This highlighted text including the Hebrew tranlations is from MBC Globe ~ Pastor's Blog: http://mbcpastoringlobe.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/delight-yourself-in-the-lord-%E2%80%93-psalm-374/ ]

If you love Him and are faithful and honest… if you love the people of God then God looks on you and says, “What is it that you want?”

o Our attitude must turn. We must no longer think in terms of ‘I have to read my Bible. I have to pray. I have to go to church, etc.’

o We must think in terms of ‘I get to read my Bible. I get to pray. I get to go to church, etc.”

This is when true intimacy with God occurs and this is how we are to care for our souls. So find your Bible and dust it off, invest some effort into making a place to study and pray in your home. Think of an accountability partner and perhaps more than one for the various areas of your life (motives, marriage, ministry and mind). Always remember that you are a child of God and He is in control. There is nothing that happens that He isn't aware of. You may be going through something to teach you a lesson or so that someone watching will turn to Him through the testimony of your walk! Last, but not least, be perfectly happy and joyous in your relationship with the Lord. Your life will just get better and better as your love grows deeper and stronger for Him who loves you!

Our Father, forgive us for forgetting you and help us to apply the truth of your Word to our lives daily. May we reflect your honor, power and glory every day!
In Jesus' name. Amen.

Scriptures above are taken from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.

1599

Praise & Prayer

2011-01-08T22:15:00.007-05:00

I truly enjoyed a wonderful time of prayer and worship Friday night with a small group gathered just to bring honor to the Lord. It was a last minute invite, brought together by a sweet young woman who felt that God had told her to open her home for a meeting so she called those that were brought to her mind. Before the night was over there were twelve of us in attendance and great revelations were pouring through as we shared some of our personal devotions with one another. It's amazing how God speaks to His children. We found that each of us was learning the same lesson as everyone else but in a unique way meant just for us. God is so good!

During that time, God revealed the great importance of praying once again. I've prayed ever since I accepted the Lord Jesus as Savior years ago.  Over the years I’ve listened to many messages on the subject of prayer and read a multitude of books about praying. I've belonged to prayer teams and Intercessor groups, but this revelation was somehow different. This time the urgency of God's children coming together in prayer was more like a strategic team of warriors.

The Weapons of Warfare!
In my mind’s eye, I saw angels with bowls, hurling them down to earth and the contents were prayers. Prayers are the weapons of warfare. This image came to alert me to that very fact.  Our prayers are important. God hears them all and stores them for His use. Before the throne of the Lord Jesus right now are created beings and elders. I pray that you can understand that as we pray here on earth, our prayers are received as holy incense filling the bowls that the angels hold. If you are unfamiliar with any of this, seek Him in the scriptures for yourself. I'm still learning as I go. New revelations are gathered as little by little the scriptures are read.  We can’t get what He has for us with only listening to a message once in a while and saying a prayer when we need something. We must be renewed daily in His word just to have the strength to carry on another day.

And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. Revelation 5:8

The harps show the praise and the golden bowls represent our faith-filled prayers, for if we did not believe then we would never have prayed. The two are in company together.   The revelation to me was that we are to pray more often and in belief. The golden bowls need to be filled. God has an angel army. These are not the little Renaissance cherubs we see painted on the walls and in portraits. These are mighty warriors. Scripture says we activate them to aid. The way we activate them is through prayer. (This is an entirely deeper subject to be studied further. I would suggest searching the scriptures and also reading books by Perry Stone and Ron Phillips on the subjects of angels and of demons.)

Pray with our hearts!

How many times have we said a “functionary” prayer? You know what I mean, it’s meal time and so we bow our head and say a few words of grace with our lips but our hearts are not involved. We have a routine and follow it as a ritual and prayer is included but once again where is our heart? We may say, “Oh, how devoted that man is because he prays five times a day.” But God is not impressed. 1 Samuel 16:7… But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God knows our hearts!

Pray with Thanksgiving!

So let us be fervent in prayer that we may fill the bowls in heaven with holy incense. If you have never thought of prayer as a weapon, start thinking that way today! Prayer is our weapon of choice. The first thing we must remember in prayer is to be thankful and give praise to our God. Psalm 69: 30-31 Then I will praise God’s name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving. For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves.

Prayer for ourselves!
Usually the first prayers we pray are for ourselves. It's easy to ask God to help us and give us things. When we make supplicaton to Him, believing that He is able to help us with our requests, this honors Him. We pray knowing that God the Father willingly gives to His children. But we must realize and acknowledge that God knows what is best even in our prayerful requests. We might not get what we want. We might think we know what we need but God doesn’t always answer every prayer the way we think He should. We need to pray as Jesus did with this attitude, “Not my will, but thine, be done.”

Phillipians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

What about intercession?

This is standing in the gap for someone else. There are many to pray for during. We are to pray for our enemies. Yes, you heard that right! (Read Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28) We are to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ. (Acts 12:5 and 1 Thessalonians 5:25). We are to pray for the sick and those who need healing (James 5:14)

We are to pray for one another. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16.

When do we pray?

We must learn to do it all the time. (Romans 12:12 and 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Why do we pray?

Ephesians 6: 12-19 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

Praise Him and Pray

Praise (“Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever” Revelation 5:13)

Prayer (“The prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects,” James 5:16)

These are only two weapons of our warfare. There are more weapons available. He grants the use of these weapons that are housed in His arsenal (His Word) when we seek Him out.

So dress for battle and be ready at His call! You will need the belt of truth (this is the ministry of God’s Word going forth into the world), the breastplate of righteousness (this is the ministry for acts of kindness that we bestow because of Christ’s blood covering on us), sandals of peace (this is the ministry of reconciliation ~ peace with God and peace with man), the shield of faith (this deflects the fiery arrows of doubt and despair that the enemy fires upon us) and the helmet of salvation (this is the protection of our mind to fight against discouragement from within us) and the sword of the Spirit (this is the double edge of God’s revealed truth).

Being ready for spiritual warfare is not a one-time thing but a way of life for the believer. As we learn to wear our armor and use the armaments, we can resist satan and his demonic forces. When the fight is over we will be standing because that is the place God wants us to be while on the battlefield. Stand!

1526

Covenant & Communion

2010-12-28T14:52:00.002-05:00

Many believe that the word covenant is the same thing as contract. Perhaps it is but the focus is usually on the other party’s duty to give us what we want. The contract is signed knowing there are days of grace, in case we are late on our promise. In a secular contract these “Days of grace” are numbered. Spiritually speaking, God has already given us days of grace. We live in these days right now and these days of grace are numbered.

It takes nothing but my belief that Jesus Christ died for me and that I accepted Him as Lord of my life to have eternal life. Jesus is God’s gift to all mankind. The invitation is open to everyone. Yet again we are focusing on what He has done for us, but what is our part of the covenant? Have we really thought about our promise? What did we actually promised Him? Do we even know how to be in covenant with our God and Father? Our promises to Him are as highly important as His promises are to us. If we are in covenant with God, we do our part and He does His part. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He doesn’t change and He will keep His promises. But if we don’t do our part the covenant is broken!

This is what we promised, plainly speaking. Serve God! Say nice things! Do nice things!

If we are in covenant with God, we must stop and judge ourselves. Determine if we are serving God with all our hearts. Determine if we are saying nice things. Determine if we are acting nice and glorifying God before others. God takes us on our word! It’s an exchange of promises! It’s a covenant! The blessings (promises) of God die when we don’t keep our promises. So think again. Are we pointing others to God or are we pushing them away? Are we grumpy or positive? Do we strain at the gnat and swallow the camel? Do we love God by loving people?

When we first believed we were transformed into a new creature at that very moment. If we followed in believer’s baptism, we were launching out into the covenant and perhaps we didn’t even know it at the time. We were telling the world. I am a Christian. I am the light. I serve the Lord. We were making public our declaration that we are followers of Christ. Our baptism was a picture of sin and past failures being buried and left behind in the tomb. We were raised to a new likeness, a holiness based on God’s righteousness through the Lord Jesus. Amen. But this is just where our walk began…

In order to be in covenant, we must serve God. He is #1. He is more important that soccer, your job and even your family. Our part is to serve God with a sincere heart. God sees the heart! Next, we need to realize that out of our mouths is the power of life and death. We shouldn’t go around spreading evil gossip but we should go around speaking life to those around us. Are we supposed to tell them all the things we think they are doing wrong? No. We are to love them and through kindness show them the better way. Last, we need to be nice in our actions so that when anyone sees us coming, they see Christ and they can identify us as followers of Christ. Do they see Christ now when they are looking at you?

No matter if you are alone or in a group, you can take communion in remembrance of what God has done for you in the work of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Here are a few more thoughts to enhance your understanding. It was Passover when Christ had his last supper on earth. He said that he would not drink wine again until he drank it new with us in our Father’s Kingdom. Read the words…

Matthew 26:26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant* between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. (New Living Translation)

Let’s go a step further in understanding this time of the last supper. It was Passover. The first part of the communion was the breaking of bread. Bread symbolizes abundance. We are in the world but not of the world. Let’s not forget that. We know what happens with us in the scriptures. God has and will always be our provider. He is our Jehovah Jireh. It doesn’t matter what happens to the world. Everything around us may fail and fall (even America), but everything we put our hands to do will prosper. We must remember that! Eat of the bread that is Christ. We will be satisfied. His body was broken for us so that we could be made whole in every area of our lives. God is our provider...

Father, you are our provision. We come in covenant. We exchange promises. As you bless us; we will keep our word to you to build your kingdom as you have taught us. We will love in word and action. Amen.

Remember it was Passover and there were actually four cups of wine. Here is the revelation of the cups.

Cup #1 is the Cup of Sanctification. It’s the cup of becoming holy. Though our sins are as scarlet, the blood of the lamb makes them white as snow. Satan reminds us of our sin but God doesn’t remember it, if we are in covenant with Him. So don’t listen to the whisperer because there is no condemnation. Those who are forgiven much will love much. Condemnation blocks the blessing and we become as double minded person if we listen to the lies of Satan. The spirit of condemnation is to be rebuked in the name of Jesus. Jesus (the carpenter) builds up while the enemy, Satan is the destroyer who tears down. Don’t listen to the accuser any longer. Listen for the Word of the Lord.

Cup #2 is the Cup of Deliverance. (Some call it the Cup of Iniquity.) Placing your finger in the cup and sprinkling the wine onto your plate represents the High Priest sprinkling the blood of the lamb that we may be delivered of the curses. The number ten represents the number of curses that block the blessings of God from our lives.

· The curse of the tongue that speaks evil and death (Proverbs 18:21)

· The curse of evil actions (Galations 6:7)

· The curse of anger (Genesis 49:7)

· The curse of poverty (Luke 6:38)

· The curse of witchcraft (anything honored before God is witchcraft) (Galations 3:1)

· The curse of harming the innocent (Proverbs 6:16-19)

· The curse of unforgiveness (Matthew 6:12, 14-15)

· The curse of racism (Matthew 12:25)

· The curse of religion (Galations 3:10)

· The curse of dishonor for father and mother (Ephesians 6:1-3)

Remember, although we may have been freed from a curse, we are never really free if there is someone else who is still suffering under a curse. We are to go into the world and help to relieve suffering. Spread the gospel by word and action.

Cup #3 is the cup of Redemption. The blood of the lamb redeems us and when we can fully embrace this then every blessing is released. We will receive love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in abundance. These are known as the fruit of the spirit. These are also blessings that are promised to us. Just think of the abundant harvest we can have when we receive these! I like to think the fruit of the spirit as varieties of various fruits. Think of it like this, there are more than 7,000 different kinds of apple in the world. All these varieties are good and serve specific purposes. Each apple comes in different sizes, colors and shapes. Some are sweet and others are tart. But the amazing things is that they all are part of God's abundant harvest. His blessing pour out onto us as numerous as these varieties of apple. Overflowing! What are we to do with all this abundance--share it! The more we share the more it flows!

Cup #4 is the Cup of Completion. When we read the scriptures, we find that Jesus didn’t drink this cup at the table. He said he would not drink it again until he would drink it anew in the Father’s kingdom. Jesus went to the garden. It was here that he was arrested, after which he was led about, beaten, nailed and died. In the garden, he prayed, “Father if there be some other way—take this cup away. But not my will but thy will be done. I drink this cup!” Although the cup was not taken at the table, Christ drank form the cup of suffering. It was the cup of Completion. In his final hour he shouted, “I thirst.” It wasn’t just a physical thirst but it was a spiritual thirst. He took the cup of obedience and at that moment He was without God’s presence. He thirsted to be reunited. He cried out, “It is finished!” It was the cup of Completion.

Whatever Jesus begins in our lives, He will complete! He is often waiting for us to catch on or catch up. Let’s begin our new year, 2011 with a mission to further His Kingdom here on earth. As we honor our covenant with Him, let us thank Him that He honors His covenant with us. Let us have communion with Him.

How privileged we are to be known as His children. Praise Him! Amen.

1475

Something to think about...

2010-12-18T11:58:00.007-05:00

I thought I'd share this devotional that came to my inbox today. The email actually comes to my husband, which he forwards, and it's only signed "Pastor" so we really don't know who this "pastor" is but his devotionals are often inspirational and give me something to think about. Most have heard the story of the woman with the issue of blood from the Bible. Today I was struck by an important fact that I'd never seen before. It's the fact that in her day she was considered unclean and shouldn't have been anywhere near the crowd surrounding Jesus. Read on and perhaps you'll see her in a different light...

[Take A Stand…” "And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years….came in the press behind, and touched His garment”. (Mark 5:25,27). The more you consider this woman with the issue of blood, the more you understand that she had to be stubborn. Under the Jewish law, she was considered unclean. When a woman with an issue of blood came out in public, she risked being stoned. As if that weren’t bad enough, notice whom Jesus was walking with at the time: “And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name” (v.22). Jesus was on His way to Jairus house to heal his daughter when He perceived that power had flowed out of Him and stopped to find out who had touched Him. As a ruler of the synagogue, Jairus had authority to have this woman stoned. The woman had to be tenacious, stubborn, resistant to flow. She had to overcome her fear and go against religious leaders. You know, some ministers say, “Well, you just can’t be healed. God doesn’t do that anymore.” When that happens, people have to override what those ministers are saying about healing in order to receive their healing. This woman had to overcome unbelief, fear and weakness. She had to decide that no matter what came against her, she was going to receive her healing. We have to get to that same point and make the same decision: “I don’t care what anyone says. I don’t care what it looks like, seems like or feels like. I’m taking a stand on God’s Word, and that’s all there is to it. I pray for you to have a great weekend. God bless you today and this weekend in Jesus name.     Pastor]

Now for my take on it and more...
When we read the Bible, we find that God really wants us to be well. Jesus always showed God's mercy and compassion by healing those who came to Him with even a little faith. Jesus showed us the way. The apostles and early church followed. We are to continue today. No excuses....

God wants people well and scriptures reveal this to us all through the text of the Bible. There are many websites that have healing scriptures, songs, poems, etc. I've visited many and have drawn personal strength and used them to pray. Here is just one you may want to check out... Joyce Meyer Ministries Healing Scriptures

But why...
I truly cannot say why some people are healed and some are not, but I will continue to read His Word, listen for His voice, give Him praise and prayer as well as speak blessing over the sick. The Bible reveals this is the duty of every person who claims the name of Jesus as Lord and Savior. We are to be His disciples and walk His way and even greater works than He did will be done!

Jesus speaks in John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!"

But, what about these thoughts and ideas...

"It's not always God's will to heal."   (This reveals ignorance of the healing power of the Gospel. Read the Word and find the scriptures that tell us God wants us well.)

"Our church doesn't believe in outward traditions like laying hands on the sick and having the elders pray. We all just pray." (This reveals that this church only believes what they want to believe of the scriptures and is neglecting the covenant blessing of God. Churches, this means everyone and not just the pastors, need to preach the truth so that faith for healing will be restored.)

"Well, we don't believe in all this Holy Spirit stuff at our church."  (This reveals that the teaching of the Holy Spirit is being neglected in this church. The Holy Spirit cannot possibly work where there is no belief. The Holy Spirit must be honored, after all Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us to help us until His return.)

"I don't believe in church so I don't go. They are a bunch of hypocrites! I can believe on my own." (This reveals that reliance is build upon self and not upon God. Scriptures reveal that we are not to forsake assembling together. We cannot function spiritually on our own, but we are to come together to be assembled. We are just a small but significant part of the greater machinery that is the Lord's Church. When we are assembled by Him then we can be fully used and bring honor to His Name.)

"I'll be sure to go to hear _____. I don't want to miss what he/she has for me." or "I'm going to this doctor because he/she can heal me with different techniques and medicines." (This reveals that faith is trusting and looking to someone or something else. Now, it is not my intent to say that we should not go to a special speaker or visit a doctor when we are sick, but the Great Physician is God, through the Lord Jesus! Individuals may be greatly used of God as ministers and physicians, but they are not the healer, God is!)

"I'll do what ever I want to. It's my body!" (This reveals that we do not respect that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We are to take care of these temples by eating right, excercising and staying away from substance abuse. We are to take care or we will reap what we sow in our bodies.)

I'm sure there are many other points that I have left out today, but the truth to be revealed is Anything is possible if a person believes. Mark 9:23

Our Father,
You know my friends and family members who are sick better than I do. You know their burdens are heavy. You know their hearts. Lord, I ask You to be with each of them now, working in their lives. Let Your will be done. If there is sin that needs to be confessed and forgiven, Lord, please help them in Your wisdom to see the need and confess. Lord, Your Word says I should pray for their healing. I believe You hear my earnest prayer. I have faith in You to heal, and I trust the plan you have for our lives. Lord, I don't always understand Your ways. I don't always understand the why of suffering, but I trust You. I ask that you look with mercy and grace toward my friends and family members. Nourish their spirits and souls in this time of suffering and comfort them. May they know Your Presence. Let them know You are there through each step of difficulty. May Your Holy Light shine in the darkness around my friends and family members who are going through sickness and disease right now and may You be glorified in all of it!
In Jesus' name, Amen.

1430

I asked the Lord...

2010-11-20T15:33:00.000-05:00

Today is different than most days. I'm in Boston with Kristi and it is good to be here. It has been good to talk and catch up. I am thankful for my family~all of them everywhere...

This morning, I asked the Lord to help me to know where to direct my Bible reading and I continually felt that I should go to Psalm 27. The words are exactly what I needed to hear. I know the Lord is always with me, but today has been a little different and His Words wrapped themselves around me as if His strong arms were wrapping themselves around me. I am blessed beyond measure and joy fills my being. We may walk in places we have never gone before but the Lord is guiding us each step of the way. Thank you Jesus!

Psalm 27

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me to devour[a] me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall.

3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.

4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

7 Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.

8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.

9 Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.

10 Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.

11 Teach me your way, LORD; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors.

12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Yes, I will wait for the Lord.
Yes, Jesus.
Yes, Yeshua.
Yes, Salvation...

Amen.

Leaving… just moving on or running away?

2010-11-13T13:53:00.004-05:00

I run away from…

I move on to…

How might we finish these sentences? If we make a list of all the things that we run away from and all the things that we move to, what do we begin to understand about ourselves? Try it sometime. You will be amazed at the way it sounds when you read it back. Do you find negatives or positives in your list or are the things you mention rather neutral?

Well, when anyone leaves a place, there may be many reasons but only one of two basic motivations; either we simply want to go to a new place or we are getting away from an old place. Sometimes these motivations are so intertwined that it is hard to say which one is the most forceful in our desire and action to leave a place and go to another.

My devotional thinking comes from the Torah Portion entitled, “Vayetze (He went out)” from the Genesis 28:10-32:3. It is the story of Jacob when he left home as a young man. I see him running away to keep from being killed by an angry brother and I see him moving on to a new life. He dreams at Bethel, later meets Rachel, marries Laban’s daughters and prospers at Laban’s expense. I see a mirror of his lying (when he was younger) manifest over and over into his adult life through his father-in-law. I can see to some extent that he reaps what he has sown, but I also see God’s blessing on him as he builds a huge family and prospers greatly! God never left him although I’m sure he must have felt alone.

Jacob runs away again with all his family and prosperity, only to be overtaken by Laban. In this episode of his life, I read about a covenant made between Laban and Jacob and I see that he had to make peace with this part of his past. He had to make peace with it in order to go home again. At this point, he does not know if he will be accepted at home or perhaps be killed. He only knows that he must return home.

All of us must face the return home someday.

We must face either God (whom we don’t know)

or our Heavenly Father (whom we know).

My heart is in tune with others who have shared their various concerns with me. My prayers are lifted up for those that are physically sick, financially burdened or overwhelmed with more to do than can possibly be done well, because of an overload of duty. My prayers are for those who know the Lord already and for those who don’t know my Lord. I pray for those who don’t know the peace that He alone provides when we believe in Him and trust on Him. My prayers are that they may all know what God desires in every situation. Some of us are dreaming of, praying for or simply waiting to move on. Right now we either lack the courage, security or the word from God to go! In this respect, those that have shared with me are no different from me. The circumstances in their lives may not be anything like mine, but the thought of and the desire to move on is strong.

Through this season in my life, I’m learning that this desire to go doesn’t make me bad or unworthy. There are those in my path who sometimes would see me take guilt for my desire. But I will not take guilt because this desire is a signal for me to determine why I want to move on or run away in the first place. It is a signal for me to examine if the desire is godly or if it is merely my own flesh wanting what it wants. No one can determine this for me, but I must look within myself to find the answer. Am I like Jacob, in that sometimes he chose to run away? Would God have had a different way to have him meet Leah and Rachel? We do not know. We only know what is recorded. I make many choices. If I look back I see when I moved because God wanted it and when I did so because I wanted it. God’s moves were always best. The point I must remember daily: God’s moves are best!

It is good for us to know what is motivating us in all the things that we do, for God knows us even better than we know ourselves. He wants us to know Him so that He can reveal Himself to us to an even greater degree. I cannot know myself without God. I would only see something distorted as an image in a dim, antique mirror. His light is needed to shine in order that I might see clearly His reflection instead of mine!

He hears me as I lift my hands and say, “LORD, I am ready!” I do not need to add “ready for what” to the end of my plea. I only need to listen for the next step that He has prepared and take it when He says to take it. Others may see me staying in place, running away or moving on but it doesn’t matter what they think if I am in the will of GOD. So this I must remember daily that I must not judge others. God's Word says I will be judged according to how I judge. I must not judge because it is not my place. The reason I make this a huge issue is that being misunderstood and judged by others, especially Christians, is the saddest state that I have ever known especially when I know that I am in the will of GOD.

Now, that He has led me through this valley let me remember that I am not to judge others. I need to remember especially not to judge other Christians when they believe they are in His will. Let me remember to pray for them. If it seems they are acting against God’s Word in some way, let me pray for their discernment. Let me look again at His Word because often it is not God’s Word that is in conflict but man’s interpretation of His Word that is causing the conflict. God will show me if I look. God will answer if I ask. Whatever the case, let me love others to the point that they know I love them with agape love, for we are to be known by our love.

In this world, where we are ambassadors for Christ, let us remember as the song reveals:

King and kingdoms will all pass away.

But there’s something about that Name!

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!

Master, Savior, Jesus

Like a fragrance after the rain.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let Heaven and earth proclaim.

King and kingdoms will all pass away.

But there’s something about that Name!

“Yes, I am coming soon!”

from Revelation 22: 20

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! I am ready to move on!

1362

OKAY, NOW WHAT?

2010-11-06T15:17:00.003-04:00

I’ve come to the end of Look Great, Feel Great by Joyce Meyers and read quickly through her final keys of the journey. So what am I going to do with what I’ve learned?

PRACTICE…PRACTICE…PRACTICE…PRACTICE…PRACTICE…AND PRACTICE SOME MORE…

If you are a Christian, in more than name only, then I’m sure you’ll understand what I’m about to say. I would love to say that in this earth suit that I wear, someday I will be perfect. But that just isn’t true. I know that the body that I have is a temporary one.

But there is hope in His Word, the Lord Jesus promised to return! His Word promises that some day we will have glorified bodies if we believe in Him. Those future bodies won’t wear out and they can transport in instant time and do amazing things that we can only dream of now. What fun that will be!

But, let’s come back to reality just now. In this life, I have to take responsibility. I must make the most of what I have and that means I have to take care of this body I live in. It is with this body that I can be the hands, feet, and voice for my Savior. It is with this body that I can feel and touch the heart of someone who is hurting or happy or just taking it one day at a time. It is with this body that I can sit and read of Him and the plans that He has for me, and that I can kneel in prayer and talk to Him and know what He desires of me. It is with this body that I can worship, sing and dance for Him! The choices are mine to make. I can either continue to step up and change things for the better or not. No one is forcing me. It’s my responsibility.

I need to be very careful that I understand my limitations. I will always need to self-evaluate what the next step is and make a way to get there, remembering to ask Him if that is truly what I am to do next. You see I have to surrender to my Lord every day! When my wants get in the way, I have to call on Him to help me find the way of escape. When others demand more of me than I can accomplish, I have to call on Him to deliver me. But He is not there just for me to call on when I get into a pinch. It’s all about my relationship with Him and He needs to know that I love Him with all my body (physical), soul (mental) and spirit (spiritual). My body must worship Him in song, dance and prayer. My mind must feed upon Him in reading His Word, studying and praying. My spirit must be allowed to soar with Him and not be hindered by any bondange from my body or soul. It is the spirit of God that lives in me that influences others whether I speak or do His will. He must know my love for Him as much as I know His love for me.

I am to be a holder of His light. Others will be able to see clearly because I am the "lamp light" holder. I can’t do everything that I can imagine to do. I need to take small steps and remember never to push too far ahead. God wants me to be in the right place at the right time for the right people. He wants me to shine for Him. He wants the same of you!

During all this, I need to have a good attitude. When I make a mistake, I need to get over it! Moping around all gloomy will not correct mistake! Sometimes I just need to chill out and laugh at myself for some silly thing that I should have known better about. Laughs are contagious! It’s amazing to me but since I started this journey with Joyce Meyer, I have actually smiled and laughed more than I have in a long time. I can’t explain why other than that feeling better makes you want to smile and it’s easier to have fun. I feel so much better than I did a couple of months ago. I only wish you could feel the difference I’ve experienced.

Oh my, and another thing that I’ve noticed is that the things I used to think were so important are really not so important. I mean things like this; fixing holiday meals for your family completely from scratch or serving processed foods that are full of empty calories and sodium just because it's quick, when I can grab a bag of prepared salad greens and top it off with quick chopped and shredded meats and cheese with a light dressing. (I’m not talking about going crazy here and just dumping on calories, we must measure and get used to the correct portions.) The thing is we are all busy and there are ways to do things without spending so much time doing them. We just have to look for the shortcuts that are still good choices and stop feeling guilty if we change a “family tradition”.

Lastly, I think about my own children and those who have looked to me as their teacher. What have I instilled into their lives? Are they better people for having known me? Did they grow (or are they growing) in positive ways? Will my lessons still ring in their ears when I’m gone? I’m sure it won’t be the things that I’ve said so much as the things that I’ve done and taken action for that will ring in their memories. I pray that God grant me the strength to keep holding the “lamp light of Jesus’ love” high for others. I pray that God grant me the courage to do what it takes to clean the lens of the lamp even when it’s dangerous or just not easy to do so. I pray that it will be soon that others take up their own “lamp lights” to help those they have an opportunity of influence for going in the right direction.

Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. James 1:22

May God grant all of us the power and the glory

to do His will and for us to shine brightly

in all of our callings from Him

in His Kingdom here on Earth and for His Kingdom we have yet to see!

Amen.

1313

What Do You See?

2010-10-30T14:15:00.009-04:00

You wash your face in the morning and look in the mirror. All you can see is insecurity in your eyes. It is difficult to bring a smile to your gloomy expression. In your forehead are furrows as a result of physical pain and dread reflects in the glass.

Automatically you proceed to dress for the day. Your mood dictates what you decide to wear and so you choose something that doesn’t stand out and draw attention. Your choice is in sharp contrast to the brightness of the day and without your realizing it, you will stand out. You don’t feel like eating and so you skip the fuel your body needs to function. Your steps are heavy and labored because of the burdens you’ve allowed to gather and rest on your shoulders. This causes you to walk slightly bent down beneath the weight of it all.

It’s still early and the sky is dark, there is no sun yet on the eastern horizon as you lock your back door. You get into your car and start the engine to drive off and face….

Come on Christian; wake up from your sleep! Tell me what excuse you have to start your day in such a manner as this? Now I know that I am scolding, but do you realize that it is “me” that I’ve been scolding right along with some of you?

Each day is a new adventure.

God has allowed us to be a witness for Him just one more day! There are many who are in despair not because they are having a bad hair day but because their hearts are hurting and they don’t yet realize that it is the Savior, Jesus Christ they need. They look at you in your walk of doom and don’t have a clue that Jesus even exists. Shame on us for days like this…

You know, they don’t need a preacher. They need a beacon of light. They don’t need condemnation to be convicted of sin. They need a sign for which way to turn. They don’t need a lifeless tract, leaflet to an event or even a Bible handed to them. They need a breathing human being, whose eyes are focused on the Lord, walking just a slight step ahead of them so they don’t have to run to keep up. They need to be able to have someone close by so that they might grasp a helping hand. They need a Christian who is acting as an instrument of peace and love. Yes, that is what they need! Christians, we need to step into our calling everyday. We won’t need another message hammered into our heads again to go out and be a witness if it is a habitual way of life for us. Lord, forgive us for missing the mark on this one.

“Right Vision” is the chapter focus for me this week from Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great, Feel Great. The scenario I described above is the way I used to be most every morning. My day would start in a big “Ho-hum” sort of way. It was always a challenge to get up and get going. Rising like that was my habit and it was a very bad habit! You see, when you start your day like that it will only seem longer and gloomier as the day moves on. I can speak this way because I have learned a lesson or two and I hope to help anyone who is going through times like these to come out of the darkness and walk in the light before the world.

A Verse to Feed Upon...

Joyce says we need to develop a “right vision” by thinking and speaking our reality into existence. Her words are confirmation to me. Recognizing that the spirit and the flesh are at war and that many things from our past and our present situations influence our attitudes is the first step to a “right vision” in my opinion. The things we think about before we go to bed, when we wake up and during the day all determines how we will walk through them. Just because we may have had a lousy past or the present is overwhelming doesn’t give us an excuse to mope around.
1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience and God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

I know that I need to believe this verse and act upon it everyday remembering that the Lord is there for me. He is the champion and I am on His side! Many times and in many circles I hear that He is on our side and I don’t think that is entirely correct. I need to be on His side! He is the commander. I need to be even more aware of the battle that goes on (not out in the world) but the one inside my head. I need to banish thoughts that depress me, keeping me in bondage and making me mad whether it is from the present or the past. As I look over my relationships today with others, I need to determine what part I’m playing in making them better or worse. So the “right vision” is first becoming aware of what I am thinking and why I think this way. Now as I ponder this, I need to ask the Holy Spirit to help me to become stronger and more courageous in my daily walk. I know that’s just one of the things I need to do. Over time I’ve become better at this but I still must make a conscious effort to do it daily, hourly and even every moment!

When I’ve made my choice to walk this life consciously, then I can go to work to make changes for the benefit of my Lord. I need to arrest my attitude that creates my feelings and put these in a holding tank to examine them. In reality, I put myself in “time-out” in order to deal with controlling my emotions. God doesn’t want me to live by my feelings. I believe He gave us feelings to understand the compassion that we are to bestow upon others. We have turned this gift around and focused only on ourselves for the most part. Sometimes we walk about with our “feelers” out just looking for someone to pounce on because they offended us. If I go looking for something to be offended about I will certainly find it. Proverb 14:29 says that “People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” If we have understanding, even if we become angry, we will control our anger and not take offense. When we take offence it reflects poorly on our testimony before the Lord. Taking control of our emotions is the positive change that should follow becoming self-aware of our thinking.

Just about everyone I know tends to assume the worst when we are faced with an unknown future. Why do we do that? This is the world’s response. The world has greatly influenced our thinking and reacting. But we have been adopted into the family of God so we need to stop thinking like the world and begin to be positive and assume the best. It will not be natural for us to reverse our thinking but we must. List all the negative words that affect your life and then think of its positive opposite. We are to be positive. Look at all we have to look forward to. It will be worth it all when we see Christ! It will! We need to realize that we are a part of God’s bigger picture. The world doesn’t revolve around us. If you can't see it yet, believe me that one day we will all see that everything revolves around Him and Him alone!

So what do you see?

As for me, I have changed from the gloom of despair to a better attitude. Somewhere in the first few moments that I become fully awake, I begin my walk and talk with the Lord. Moving down the stairsteps has become a time of thanks that I am able to get up and that my husband is still peacefully sleeping in the bed I've just left. It's quite interesting that at this early time I often think of people that don't normally cross my mind. I've come to think that God sends them to me on purpose so that I will pray for them and lift them up to Him. Gettting ready in the morning isn't so much about how I feel but the thinking has changed into what can I do to help others. Sometimes I even send an email in that early time to someone who is going through a tough time or leave a scripture on FB for my family, friends and even to remind myself that He is the reason we have one more day. As I go out the door and get into my car, I'm not gloomy. Often I will put in a CD or turn on the PositiveHits station for spiritual companionship on my commute to work. My work day begins and there isn't much time to think of anything but what must be done at the moment. I have little things surrounding me that remind me to whom I belong when things get a little tough. By lunch time, I'm able to once again listen to uplifitng music that helps to carry me through to the end of the workday. So, generally I have changed my morning and workday thinking.  This habit has become natural.

I'm in transition now.   My evening hours from around 6 PM onward until bedtime are not very consistent. This is where I need to focus my efforts. I know that I need to have my supper at a regular hour and that my bedtime needs to also be at regular hour but I'm just not completely there yet. Often by the time I drop exhausted to my bed, I'm not very positive. I know it's mostly because I'm tired and haven't developed a good routine. It's taken me since June to turn my morning and day activities into a positive reality and it will take a little while longer to establish my evening to bedtime habit. Right now, this area is usually dictated by what I'm able to accomplish during the day. I haven't learned yet to just lay aside things that aren't finished at a reasonable hour and get my rest.  It will happen. I'm working on it. When I've moved into better habits here I'll be sure to post it. LOL

Now, my questions are these:   Do you see yourself changing? Do you see yourself waking each morning thinking about Him instead of you? Do you see the future? Do you see the Great I AM?

I've been blessed by this wonderfully worded musical message by Eddie James. I hope it blesses you, too. Turn off my player at the bottom of this post before you click on the URL to view.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHz2_HLw7fg&feature=related

I AM by Eddie James

I AM the Lord, I AM the Almighty God.
I AM the One for when nothing is too hard
I AM the Shepherd and I AM the Door
I AM the Good news to the bound and the poor
Chorus: I AM …

I AM the righteous One and I AM the Lamb,
I AM the Ram in the bush for Abraham,
I AM the Ultimate Sacrifice for sin,
I AM your Redeemer, the Beginning and the End
Chorus: I AM …

I AM Jehovah, and I AM the King,
I AM Messiah, David’s Offspring,
I AM your High Priest, and I AM the Christ,
I AM the Resurrection, I AM the Life
Chorus: I AM …

I AM the Bread, and I AM the Wine,
I AM your Future, so leave your past behind.
I AM the One in the midst of two or three,
I AM your Tabernacle, I AM your Jubilee.
Chorus: I AM …

I AM the Bread, I AM the Wine,
And I AM your Future, so leave your past behind.
I AM the One in the midst of two or three,
I AM your Tabernacle, I AM your Jubilee.
Chorus: I AM …

I AM Hope, I AM Peace, I AM Joy, I AM Rest,
Oh I AM your Comfort, and Relief from your stress,
I AM Strength, I AM Faith, I AM Love, I AM Power,
And today I AM your Freedom, this very hour.
Chorus: I AM …

I AM Hope, I am Peace I AM Joy, I AM Rest,
I AM your Comfort, and Relief from your stress,
I AM Strength, I AM Faith, I AM Love, I AM Power,
I AM your Freedom, this very hour.

I AM

1266

HELP! I’M BEING ATTACKED. IT’S BIG! IT’S BAD! IT’S UGLY!

2010-10-23T21:14:00.002-04:00

It’s me! Oh no. It’s me! All at once my heart rate is speeding up and my coronary arteries are dilating. I don’t know what to do. "Quick grab that bag of chips!"

Oh no! My bronchial tubes seem to be closing, my metabolism is racing and I feel an increase of heart contractions. "Hey you, behind the counter, I want that, too. You have to give me that huge candy bar!"

Oh my! My anxiety is off the charts, my gastrointestinal system is working overtime and the rate of my respiration is increasing and deepening. "I have to go NOW and quickly because this isn't enough. I need the largest order of cheeseburgers and fries that I can get my hands on. I have to go. Get out of my way! Now!"

I hear them! They are saying, "Get out of her way. Her pupils are dilated and she’s a crazy woman!”   They don’t know how dry my mouth is and I just want the largest Dr. Pepper on ice I can get (to go with those cheeseburgers).

I hope you laughed a little at this scenario. But the truth is the symptoms that happen in the body above happen to all of us at one time or another.
What on earth has come over me? (or you?) What is it?

It’s stress, and not just any stress. It’s chronic!   Paul tells us that our bodies are to be used as instruments of righteousness to God. Romans 6:12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. How can we be used as instruments of righteousness when our bodies are acting like they don’t even belong to us?

Let’s look at that scripture again from Romans 6, and change just one word. Are you ready? Wow! What a revelation this was for me!

Do not let stress control the way you live; do not give in to stressful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve stress. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.   Did that speak to you like it did to me?

It’s actually pretty amazing!

God made our bodies in an amazing way in order that we might live in this world. We have a mechanism built within us that we’ve come to know as the fight or flight response. That’s exactly what I described earlier. Who knows the reason God first made Adam and Eve with a fight or flight response? Perhaps it was in order to fight or flee from satan. Whatever the reason, we have this mechanism built in and it helps us to maneuver our day-to-day living. The problem is that the move advanced mankind has become the more this mechanism is kicked into high gear. Our bodies don’t have a chance to be relaxed because we are always in a state of physiological alertness. Most of us don’t have any place to run and we certainly don’t know how to fight something we can’t see. What do we do? We compensate by eating or by falling into the trap of an addiction to cope when the body cries the high alert. It has become a major health problem and we know this as chronic stress.

What does chronic stress do to you? If you want a full description, Joyce Meyer gives explicit details and examples of what stress is and what it does to you in the “De-Stress” chapter of Look Great, Feel Great. I went a step further and found a more condensed list at http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/hints/stress1.htm In a nutshell, chronic stress sucks the physical life out of you in every way it can. It can show up as diarrhea, nausea, indigestion, sphincter of Oddi spasms (gallbladder problems), spastic colon, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, colds and sinus infections, vaginal yeast infections, bladder infections, fiber myalgia, arthritis, high blood pressure, heart disease, hyperventilation, asthma, headaches, migraines and more. Do you suffer from any of these symptoms?

Generally, even our doctors don’t talk about chronic stress to us. We are given prescriptions and live off of drugs to cope. The entire time our body is still crying. We may have eased the symptoms but the underlying factors are never addressed. It shows that you eat too much so your doctor says, “Lose it.” You can’t sleep so you’re doctor prescribes a sleep test and then you’re hooked up to CPAP machine. You might be given numerous meds to ease your discomfort so you can finally get to sleep. Your lab work shows high this and high that or this one is too low and the little pink, yellow, green, and white parade of pills are all clumped together in your daily pill box. Oh, and lest we forget there are the vitamins that you must take in order to survive your life in this world. Come on; let’s think about it! Did God ever make a pill tree?

Now, I’m not saying that doctors and medicine is wrong. Many of us have come to a place where we must take a regiment of certain pills to help us. But I am saying that if we do what we should in order to repair our bodies then it will only stand to reason that many, if not all, of the pills we rely on daily can be eliminated or at least reduced. I have witnessed that meds can be reduced and some even stopped. I know people who have decided that their bodies, God’s temples, needed repair. They began the process and asked for God’s assistance. They believed in His healing power and He was able to deliver them even from stress.

So what can we do about it?

Joyce Meyer is so cool, she gives us several ways to de-stress. I have even thought of a few different ones, as I’m sure you can, too. She shares that we need to reach out to others for support. Let your intercessors know that you need to be lifted up in prayer. Seek out others who have some of the same issues that you have and help one another. Even in our sickness, we can be a minister and blessing to someone else. Maybe we can’t run around and do all kinds of physical things just yet. We can still obey God, pray and love others.

Joyce says we need to adopt an attitude of shrugging things off that trigger our stress. We are supposed to cast our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). We also need to get out of the habit of always having to be in control. When we are like that, we create our own stress. This “bad habit” needs to go. After all aren’t we supposed to give it all to the Lord? He should be the one in control. Why are we trying to do His job? Is it because we think we don’t need Him? (Man, I need Him every moment of my life!)

Finally, she says we need to get the right nutrition into our diets and learn to relax. Do some research and find something that you can do for yourself to relax. Maybe it’s a walk with your praise and worship music or favorite sermon being piped in your ear. Perhaps you need the touch of a massage or the company of a friend. Maybe you like to write and off you go pursuing the way words comes together for you. Whatever your stress buster is, believe in the Lord Jesus to help you overcome the tentacles that have wound themselves so tightly around you. Rebuke that stronghold that is weighing you down in the name of Jesus and by His blood. He has already paid the price! You might realize that you are coping with lots of stress but not be able to identify the stronghold. If you need more specifics, take a look at this partial list and compare it to your life. See what's stressing you out...

**Being bullied or exposed to violence or injury. YOU MUST GET OUT OF THIS SITUATION PHYSICALLY IF HARM IS COMING YOUR WAY. DON'T MAKE EXCUSES FOR SOMEONE ABUSING YOU. SEEK HELP, QUICKLY & QUIETLY IF YOU ARE IN DANGER. (My mother was a victim of spousal abuse and she finally got out but only have much physical and psychological
damage had been done.)

**Relationship stress, family conflicts, heavy emotions from a broken heart due to death or separation of a loved one.

**Ongoing problems at work or school related.

**Crammed schedules and not having enough time to manage everything that has been demanded of you.

**Always being on the go and never a chance to rest and relax.

**No time for God. (This one is the most crucial!)

It’s not easy to de-stress our lives, but it must be done if we expect to live a better life.

Some better eating and exercise changes have taken the place of bad habits for me and this has helped me to feel less stressed. I have more energy and feel better than I did six months ago. Another thing is that I’ve noticed if I take time during the week for myself then I feel better for it. Normally, my time is Saturday morning. No, I don’t do laundry or anything if I can get away with it. I usually sleep in and wake up when I’m good and ready. Then I begin with prayer as I dress and get ready for the day. After breakfast, I read devotional blogs or books and listen to soothing music. There are times I’m compelled to worship in song and dance and this is triggered by so many wonderful anointed selections from youtube (Believe it or not!) I often write my blog on Saturday. The point is I try not to do anything that smells of work and I actually like “alone” time.   My DH is at work on Saturday and His "alone" time is Monday. Anyway, Saturday is my day of rest and I have found that I need it in order to face the week.   So it's interesting to me that when the Lord said to ‘Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy’ and I began resting in Him on the Sabbath, my life began to transform for the better. Sunday is a day for others in my life (church and family) and Monday through Friday are my days of work out in the world.    Sorry, I got off track here a little…

To sum it up...
Let’s remember why we are to de-stress. Romans 6:13 … give yourselves completely to God That’s reason enough but the explanation is more than that, here it is… for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body (a de-stressed body) as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

I pray that these words might help you to learn what you need to do in order to de-stress your life. God has reminded me just what blessings He has already granted me on my journey! May you be blessed by His presence this week and hear His voice and feel His touch on your life. Amen.

1200

SPIRITUAL HUNGER, WHAT IS IT AND WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH IT?

2010-10-16T23:52:00.002-04:00

Okay, the title says a lot but not all… We are living in a time of spiritual famine and emotional pain. People walk around today knowing that something is missing from their lives but they can’t identify it. They crave release from negative emotions but don’t know how to gain it. They refuse to admit that they long for God and His healing power. We are hungry for Him, but instead of looking inward to diagnose the problem, we fix a giant meal and eat until we’re miserable.

Joyce Meyer’s chapter, “Curb Your Spiritual Hunger” from Look Great, Feel Great makes me think of my past holidays when all the family was around. Sometimes this was the most stressful of all days in the year. The day that everyone came expecting a huge wonderful dinner and usually that is what each one went away remembering. During the get together, family members stifled their emotions and popped food into their mouths to avoid conflict and confrontations. The positive comments swirled around food but only negative thoughts took place about this person or that person sitting across from them at the dinner table. What on earth makes us eat to remedy bad situations?

We hurt and we eat. What a dumb thing to do! Instead we should be running to God instead of the refrigerator or cabinet. Joyce says this takes a long time to form a habit of running to God and I agree. We have to self-talk to remind ourselves that God is what we need. It is often our spirit that needs nourishment but we often feed our body instead. No wonder we get fatter.

We’re busy and we eat. We live in a world of distractions. There isn’t any time to concentrate on our spirit’s health. Our lives are all about work, making a living and moving up in the world. This is the world’s mindset. Our busy schedule of work and worldly entertainment leaves no time for attending special church services, spending quiet time alone with God, reading His word, praying and listening for His voice. Our spirits are hungry for Him. As Christians, we can even get caught up in attending and doing every little thing in the church and still neglect to nourish our spirit because we become exhausted in the doing of things just like Martha did.

We’re lonely and we eat. Not only do we neglect time for God in prayer, meditation and Bible reading, but also we neglect our fellow Christians. There isn’t any time allowed for fellowship. We might send emails and leave texts and voice messages but that doesn’t take the place of eye-to-eye, voice-to-voice, and hug-to-hug contact. We’re lonely and we eat. So what is there to do except to binge, lie to our selves about what and how much we eat, think about food as a stress buster, or fill the stomach when our heart is what is hungry?

We need to replace this bad habit of neglecting to feed the spirit by prioritizing and making time for God and other Christians. Then we can experience fullness on another level. Our joy will then be full and running over. This is the benefit of nourishing our spirits and who doesn’t need more joy?

Joyce says we need to stop lying to ourselves and identify the areas of emptiness that drive us to eat. When we continually do things like eat too much food or eat foods that aren’t good for us, we feed depression and discontent. This is a vicious cycle. Once we honestly discover these triggers in our lives, we need to ask God to help us. It doesn’t even hurt to say “No” out loud when faced with the temptation to eat. Then remove one bad habit and replace it with a good habit. Replace every negative vibe with a positive one. We should look around for support from others who are willing to help us or even get involved in programs that are already established. Last but not least we need to be patient with ourselves as we learn and grow in a new direction. The saying that Rome wasn’t built in a day has some merit but the whole truth is it didn’t fall in a day either. It took time on both ends, so we need to give ourselves time to nourish our spirits. There are things about our “Rome” that needs to go. Let’s strive to replace the negative with positive reinforcements.

And remember this from 1 Corinthians 1:3-4 …God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others... 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation!

1142

Mindful Eating

2010-10-11T00:57:00.004-04:00

This section of Joyce’s book, Look Great, Feel Great is about the way we view food in our culture. We casually eat and don’t even realize what we have consumed. Of course, this leads to nutritional disasters and unwanted calories, which wreck havoc on our health. We may be able to abuse our systems for a time without problems but eventually there is a breakdown that sometimes is irreversible. The cry of this chapter is to be “mindful” of everything we eat. This doesn’t sound like a tremendously hard thing to do until we actually begin to become aware of each bite we take in.

Think about it. We prepare a meal and we probably eat a meal while we are doing it. We throw snacks into our grocery carts that end up on the kitchen counter and it’s so easy to reach in and grab a handful of something without realizing how many calories we consumed. We mix up something yummy and lick the spoon before washing it. We carry our kid’s plates to the sink and nibble on leftovers. Someone brings in treats to the lunchroom at work. What do we do with those goodies? We don’t drive by, but stop at a fast food restaurant because we are on our way home and it will still be a while before we actually prepare supper. You get the picture. We have an urge to eat and we do it without giving it a second thought.

I couldn't help but think, after reading Joyce’s section, several incidents from scripture. Let me share my thoughts with you here...

· Gen. 2:16-17 …the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

Let’s do some pretending... imagine you’re Eve and your stomach growls. You’re in the garden and the serpent is speaking ever go convincingly. You have this one tree that you are not supposed to eat of its fruit. So you don’t think beyond the initial thought of “I’m not supposed to eat it” and then you indulge. Oh my… what trouble you create… (It was your choice after all no matter what the serpent said.)

· Ex. 16: 2-3 …the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

This time pretend you are here in the wilderness… you are sitting around at the end of a long walk. You are hungry and tired. It doesn’t matter that you saw the plagues come on the Egyptians but not harm you. It doesn’t matter that you saw the Egyptians give you their jewels and send every one of you out. It doesn’t matter that you were being pursued and may have been slaughtered but God parted the sea so that you could escape. What matters is that even though it was difficult in Egypt you can’t remember that so much as right now you are not so sure that you should have left Egypt. At least in Egypt you were fed even if you weren’t free. You have a faulty memory because of the temporary inconvenience on your journey.

· Ex: 16: 4-5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”

Imagine being in this gathering. God is providing you with an abundance of food that will sustain your life. The only thing you have to do is follow God’s instructions. Will you?

· Acts: 10: 9-17 …Peter went up on the flat roof to pray. It was about noon, and he was hungry. But while a meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.” “No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was suddenly pulled up to heaven. Peter was very perplexed. What could the vision mean?

Now, imagine you are Peter. On this particular day you are really hungry but you take your place to pray and you receive a revelation from God that means salvation is for all men and not to the Jews only. This will be the message that you are to proclaim in obedience to God. You have previously been mindful that there were certain foods that were considered clean and unclean but what does it mean spiritually. It was so important that the vision was repeated three times. God really wanted to get your attention and change your self-righteous mind.

The bottom line is that most of the time, we don’t think about eating. We just eat. The flesh cries out, and like a baby who wants his bottle, we feed the flesh. Naturally speaking, we are driven by our flesh and react to it more often than any other source. It is this instinct for survival that sustains us. We have always heard the phrase “survival of the fittest” and this points us to the fact that our flesh drives us.

· I want: I want everything I want when I want it. Does your flesh call out? What is it you want?

· I think: I’m thinking that everything is all about me. Are we thinking only of ourselves?

· I feel: I feel sad and gloomy because no one understands… poor, poor me… Are we having a pity party because we aren’t getting what we think we deserve.

You might chuckle or get mad about the way I’ve written the next part. I’m trying to make a point and it’s not always easy to do. There’s a reason behind these sarcastic paragraphs that follow so stick with me…

Wanting. When we only act and react based on our flesh then we are acting like nothing more than an animal! If we live for our flesh then we won’t be concerned about anyone or anything else. It won’t matter if we weigh a ton. It only matters that we want what we want. We won’t think about how our poor eating may result in weakness or even death. It won’t matter if someone ends up having to take care us. Someone may have to dress, feed and tend to every need because we are unable to get things and do for ourselves. It won’t matter if we die and leave behind a grieving family. It won’t matter because it’s not about what others think. It is only about me, myself and I! Oh boy… This is the most selfish paragraph that I have ever written. There is nothing here edifying or biblical or Christ-like because it’s all about “me”.

Thinking? When does that happen? I think everyone else is wrong and I’m right and I’m going to do whatever I want to do! I don’t care what you think so I’ll talk back to you and down to you. I will make you feel like you are worthless because I already think you are and that’s how I will treat you. You might come to me and want to help by making suggestions, but I’m not ready or willing to listen. I’ll scream at you, get mad and tell you off. Don’t waste your breath talking to me because I just don’t want to hear it! (Remember the Wizard of Oz? “I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowers ~ Consultin' with the rain. And my head I'd be scratchin' while my thoughts were busy hatchin' If I only had a brain.” Well, there’s no point in having a brain if I don’t use it, right?)

Feelings? What fickle things are these invisible entities! My feelings matter more to me than every one or anything else. I need to nurse my offences. I’m ashamed, beaten down, disrespected and embarrassed. I’ve been humiliated, insulted and invalidated. I’m constantly imposed upon, manipulated, powerless and pressured. I feel suffocated and trapped. I’ve been abandoned and alone. I stay confused and disapproved of which makes me discouraged. I’ve been ignored, left out and lonely. I’m totally misunderstood, neglected and rejected. I get blamed for everything and no one ever believes me. They all lie about me and lie to me and most of all they all judge me. I’m abused and afraid. It’s frightening and I’m insecure. I can’t trust anyone and I’m always suspicious. I’ll cry if you hurt me so you better leave me alone. I’ll blame you if I’m sad or mad so you better stay out of my way. You know how I am ~ so deal with it.

MONICA, GET OVER IT! It’s not about my wants, my thoughts or my feelings! The scriptures were given to me to teach me about how I am to conduct my life. So what do I need to take away from the scriptures above and the numerous others that have some reference to this topic?

· I can control my flesh!

I can control my wants through Christ.
I can control my thinking through Christ.
I can control my feelings through Christ.

Our Father, Help me to pay attention and seek your guidance in learning to control my flesh. In regard to my health, you want me to be aware by being continually mindful of all things and especially what goes into my mouth by nutritional content and portion. This new way of thinking is not to monopolize my life forever, but I am to work at this so that it may become a habit that will eventually bring glory to you. If I always remember to thank you for my food, slow down and take the moments you have given me to enjoy this bountiful blessing, then I will be mindful of your provision. Help me to be thankful and not take you and your blessings for granted. May I strive to learn these lessons so that I may be a more efficient Christian who lives to share your love, holiness and power to all mankind. Thank you, Father. In Jesus’ Name ~ Amen.

Water

2010-10-03T13:51:00.005-04:00

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”—John 7:37-38

If out of my heart there are to flow rivers of living water, then there must be a purpose. Could Jesus be saying more than what at first meets our eye in this scripture? Is He saying that our rivers are to flow constantly outward? Is He saying that our rivers are never to be dammed up? Are we to allow others to enter our rivers so that they may benefit, taste and drink from this refreshing source of everlasting life?

So what is a river, really? The dictionary says that a river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, that flows toward an ocean, lake, sea, or another river. Only in a few cases, does a river simply flow into the ground or dry up before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including streams, creeks, brooks, rivulets, tributaries and rills. There is no general rule that defines what can be called a river, although in some countries or communities a stream may be defined by its size.

So if a river’s purpose is to reach another body of water, then spiritually are we striving to reach another? What is happening along the waterway? Are we affecting others as we flow along? Is our water bitter? Is our water sweet? Is our water dying up or turned away from the original body of water that it was flowing toward in the first place? Do we even have a river flowing? When did it begin or when did it end?

But I have an even greater question ~ have we been drying up and gone without sufficient water within our banks for so long that we don’t even notice we’re thirsting for the one we’re flowing toward?

This question is profound because it points to both the natural and the spiritual realms. (I believe God views these realms as one and the same, but we just haven’t come to that full realization yet.)

We can get so used to not having enough of something to the point that we don’t realize we need it any longer! How sad and scary that thought is…

Spiritually, if I go long enough without praying, studying God’s Word, seeking His face and being in the congregation with other Christians then there will come a time that it seems I don’t need to do those things. This would be cause for emotional, mental and eventually physical ailments to surface because I would not be getting what I needed daily to live a healthy Christian lifestyle.

On the other hand...
These thoughts were what triggered within me after I read Joyce’s chapter, “Water Your Life” in Look Great, Feel Great. I’m still thinking on those things as I ponder the more natural side of her message. The message she gave in her book.

Personally speaking, after many years of self-indulgence and abuse, I came to relize that God wants me to act out my faith. He wants me to be a witness. He hasn’t asked me to get up on the rooftop, wave a huge banner and yell about him. He has asked me to be a walking testimony to those around me, to always be able to answer when I’m asked a question about Him and to daily surrender my life to Him. Am I always successful? No, sad to say I am not, but that doesn’t stop me from working toward being the best I can be for Him. I vow not to give up or give in even when it’s hard. Sometimes this path I've chosen is very hard, but He holds my hand!

Back to Joyce and her “Water” chapter… She states many things, but I’m just going to take the part that applies to me and elaborate on it. I’ve found when talking to others that many of us have the same issues when it comes to health and drinking enough water has been one of my issues ever since I can remember. I’m getting better but I still have to remind myself to drink plain, old water throughout the day. I researched several articles after reading Joyce. I knew some of it but here’s more of what I discovered and it was a reminder as well as an eye opener for me; maybe it will be for you as well…

The body is an amazing creation but dehydration causes serious problems. It is dangerous to continually be dehydrated because the entire human body needs water to function properly.

We all need at least one liter of water daily just to maintain basic body functions. Water is lost through the lungs with every breath we take. Water is also lost with daily urination, sweat and stool. If the body doesn’t get enough water our metabolism becomes faulty. We may eat right but the lack of water keeps our body from operating, as it should. Our cells, tissues and organs all depend upon water. Even the neural pathways and other fluids systems of our body depend upon water. Every chemical reaction that takes place in our bodies is based upon this unique liquid. No other liquid meets the standard and no cell or organ can work properly without water!

The brain will not function properly without water. It needs to be hydrated or confusion can set in and early signs of dementia appear. Skin and muscles that are in poor condition are often the result of not having enough water. If the brain doesn’t have what is necessary to operate then it cannot signal the rest of our bodies to function properly either. The body first looks for water within its cells all over the body and then it looks for water on the outside of its cells and finally it takes water straight from the bloodstream. When our body suffers dehydration on a regular basis, it tries to store up water and this results in edema where the areas surrounding the eyes, feet, legs and ankles are most often affected. This extra water storage in the body may cause different disorders and severe life threatening damage.

Some Symptoms of Dehydration include:

· Exhaustion and lack of energy (When the body is struggling to maintain healthy tissue we feel exhausted.)

· Constipation (The intestinal tract needs sufficient water for smooth operation.)

· Eating Disorders (When digestive juices are reduced by lack of water, the body sends false signals of appetite which result in eating disorders.)

· Low or high blood pressure (Blood volume has to do with the amount of water in our blood, if it’s insufficient to fill the arteries, veins and capillaries then the body may react in either low or high blood pressure.)

· Gastritis and/or gastric ulcer (The stomach must be protected from injury by gastric acids and water is that protection.)

· Problems with the respiratory system (Mucous membranes need water to protect the body from harmful substances found in inhaled air.)

· Improper acid-alkaline balances (When the body is acidic: yeast, bacteria, viruses and cancer can thrive; when the body is alkaline: foreign bacteria, viruses, yeast and cancer can not live—but there must be balance between the acid and alkaline levels for a healthy existence.)

· Extra weight and obesity (We often confuse thirst with hunger and overeat because we actually need water. Drinking more water will allow our bodies to burn more calories.)

· Eczema (The body needs to carry off toxins and skin irritants and if the proper water is not maintained then the toxins erupt on the skin.)

· Cholesterol (When the cells lose water, the body tries to stop it by producing more cholesterol—maybe it wasn’t those eggs after all!)

WOW! and this is only part of the symptoms...

The next issue has been that any liquid counts as water. I’ve read a lot about that, both pro and con but the only thing I come away thinking is that there were no soda fountains in the garden for Adam and Eve to fill their cups and the juice was always on the inside of the fruit. Hmmm… I made my decision to start drinking water based on that at first. Then I’m reminded of the scriptures concerning water. Just try putting the name of your favorite beverage in place of water… you’ll have a chuckle I’m sure and hopefully a point will be made for water. (Just look at my verse—out of his heart will flow rivers of Dr. Pepper! LOL)

In the end, as usual, Joyce gives us some tips. Basically, have water available at all times. When you are switching from sweetened beverages to water, go slow and make it taste good. You can purchase slightly sweetened and flavored waters and eventually just have water. She mentioned much, much more… so read it for your self. There may be something else that triggers you to start drinking water…

Now, let’s plan on drinking more water this week and less of other beverages. How about it? Let’s remember that our body, God’s temples are being restored! As we gain health and vitality, others may wonder how and why and our answer may not only be natural but spiritual in nature. Even if they never ask, we will know and be ready to give answer. Have a great week!

Free to Eat

2010-09-26T13:47:00.007-04:00

Yeah… right…duh… Joyce did it again! She got my hopes up and then wham ~ reality! Let's look at the scripture...

You may freely eat of every tree in the garden. Genesis 2:16

What was God saying and what was Joyce Meyer echoing back in part, “We are free to eat.” If you never thought of that before then think it, because however crazy it sounds, it’s really true. We are free to eat! Every bite we take is a free choice, right? Right!

What are the results of freely eating? All we need to do is take a look at our physical selves and examine how we really feel. Maybe we look okay, but do we have stamina to make it through another day, hour, or even minute?

Think of all the different diets most of us have tried in our lifetime. We placed restrictions on ourselves that were not healthy. But, the claims all said these diets and products were healthy. Did we have ticklish ears? Did we want to believe in a counterfiet miracle? Research after the fact of poor diets and dieter’s symptoms including sickness and sometimes even death were some of the results. Many of the dieting supplements or dieting with severe restrictions of essential elements wrecked our bodies. The flip side of all that dieting abuse for most of us was as soon as we took away the products, we ballooned up bigger than what we were when we first began. Most of the time we were even much weaker than before starting those programs.

Oh my, what abuses we were committing, when all we really needed to do was pay attention to what foods God gave us naturally and limit the consumption. Better yet, we could have eaten freely of the foods God gave us and made sure we were active enough to be healthy. In other words God didn’t make us to be sedentary. After all the first exercise mentioned was Adam walking in the garden with God! What a cool thought that is! So it stands to reason that our unused body parts will eventually waste away. It’s called muscle atrophy. Once this process starts, it’s very difficult to reverse. (I'm not sure we can reverse it entirely. I know first hand what wasted muscle mass is and I’m trying to reverse it right now! I don’t have near the strength in my arms and legs that I once had and it is from years of inactivity.)

I just reverted back to last week. Exercise was my last blog topic, but this week it's balanced eating... so...

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t ever eat food combinations with enhancements or never have a luscious dessert or drizzle chocolate or have whipped cream over strawberries, etc. But, God constructed our bodies to be like living machines. We can’t operate unless we feed upon essential nutrients from the natural foods that God gave us. Have you ever seen a donut tree? Do you pick candy from a vine? Do we dig up baklava out back in the dirt? Are processed vitamins growing on bushes? I don’t think so…

Joyce gave many examples of abusive dieting practices in her book, Look Great, Feel Great chapter: Balanced Eating. She spoke extensively of fats, foods that were considered bad years ago, proteins and cholesterol. It is well worth a few moments to read her inspired words. What else did she say? Balance is the key!

We might know that we are supposed to eat more fruits and veggies but we aren’t doing it. We might know that whole grains are much better for our bodies but we aren’t eating them. We might know all the nutrition answers so that we can pass an exam if asked the questions, but we much apply this knowledge to ourselves in order to become strong and useful for the LORD’s work and His ultimate glory!

Think on this story from the first chapter of Daniel.

But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods.
Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”
Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.

Don't go crazy here and think that you have to eat only veggies! It's a story! It's a story to bring understanding to the complexity of eating right. There were other cultural factors within this biblical story but that is an entirely different subject matter.

Isn't it interesting how food can be compared to the various instructions that we receive whether they are good or bad for us. Some of it is digested for our good use, some of it is stored and some of it simply goes out as waste.

Then let's clear our thinking.

Stop! We just need to stop! We need to stop thinking of food as just food. Stop thinking that yummy, gooey, empty fat producing calories is the only thing in life to enjoy. Stop stuffing our faces!

Start! We just need to start! We need to start putting into practice the marvelous things that we already know. Start reading up on more health wise things we aren’t quite sure of. Start taking responsibility for all that we have put ourselves through and make the changes necessary for a higher quality of life.

I'm ready... are you ready?

Good Health Blessing

God fills our cup of life each day with gifts that make us strong,

He hears the prayers within our hearts and always rights each wrong.

God fills our cup of life each day and brings us to His door

To shine His gift of perfect health and fill our cups once more.

May the cup of God's blessing and His presence too

Bring the gift of good health to shine on you. ~ Patricia Ann Emme ~

Exercise

2010-09-18T18:56:00.006-04:00

You know if I had been a close personal friend of Joyce Meyer, I probably would have tried to talk her out of writing the chapter of Exercise in her book, Look Great, Feel Great. You might be thinking, but her book wouldn’t have been complete without this chapter in it, right? Right! We all know exercise is good for us, but most of us just don’t want to hear that message again. Well, you guessed it! Exercise is the devotional topic for me this week.

I heard my pastor say on different occasions how Christians in America tend to view the scriptures. In general, we go about our walk as if we were choosing from a food bar. We pick and choose according to our desires and personal interests. It’s like going to a restaurant. We’ll pick our likes and leave behind the rest. If one restaurant isn’t up to our “standards” then we’ll stop going there and go to another one instead. It’s much the same way in God’s Word. If we don’t particularly like something, then we tend not to meditate on it, pray about it or obey it. If we don’t like the church or pastors, we pack up and go to attend another church. (After all church is normally just an hour or two a week, almost the same as a dinner out. What’s wrong with that picture?)

So if we don’t like it when we are told that God is holy and one day we will stand in front of Him, then we’ll only choose to know verses that keep us fat on God’s love. We will never get healthy on verses that teach us His righteousness. We don’t choose from the things that make us stronger but rather we continue to choose from the same things that keep us weak. But God gave us the entire Word and we aren’t supposed to pick and choose just what we like. We need to be fortified by choosing from all of His riches and that means even including items we don’t particularly like.

Here’s my dislike in the natural: exercise. This week I cannot ignore it... Up until now, each respective topic that Joyce has presented I’ve been able to make peace with and practice. The thought of exercise occasionally came to my mind in the past few months but my attitude normally dismissed it quickly with “I’ll think about it later. I’m not ready now.”

Ready or not… it’s time to make peace and just do it! So my verse of activation is this from Philippians 3:13-14:

· Forgetting what lies behind (that means all my lazy, "don’t have time for this" self-talk has to be forgotten.)

· and straining forward to what lies ahead I press on toward the goal (that means I must make and keep daily goals for exercise and do my best to check them off by the time I’m ready for bed each night.)

· for the prize of the heavenly call (I know that God is calling me out of bondage from myself. My physical chains and my mental blinders have robbed me of His call. I will listen.)

· (heavenly call) of God in Christ Jesus. (Jesus paid the ultimate price to redeem me and it needs to be more than duty that I obey His Word to me. He says, “I gave my life for you. What have you done for me?” With His help I will make changes so that I can physically do more for Him. Amen.)

Again, at the end or her chapter, Joyce gives us five tips to get started. We can choose what best suits our life style but the fact it that we must choose something. Here suggestions are these: a daily walk; indoor exercise, strength training, running or biking, and/or swimming. We all can probably think of others ways to exercise… heavy duty cleaning and gardening are the two I think about. The only trouble with these is that they are pretty much seasonal and I need consistency.

In my research, I find that the best exercise is to alternate something aerobic on one day and strength training the next. It is best to start slow (even 5 minutes is better than none) and work up to more time in the process. In the old days it was suggested to exercise just three days a week. Well, new research says everyday. I’ve made a decision that I am going to alternate days and also devote one day to biblical rest. Here’s my schedule. (Sorry if it bores you, but I’m more likely to do it, if I put it in print here first.)

Sunday ~ aerobic walking
Monday ~ strength training~ upper body
Tuesday ~ aerobic walking
Wednesday ~ strength training~ lower body
Thursday~ aerobic walking
Friday ~ strength training~ entire body
Saturday ~ rest, read, reflect ~ blog

Let’s continue to get healthy for there is much to be done for His glory.

Let us shine for Him!

Maybe We Know This, Maybe We Don’t and Maybe We Just Need Refreshed!

2010-09-05T19:37:00.011-04:00

The post is based on "Mastering Metabolism" from Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great, Feel Great.

James 1:22 scripture says, “ Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.” Some of us look at this and although we see it as a simple enough statement, we know it is not simple at all. How can I do anything that exerts energy when I am not physically able?

You and I have had this experience... Well meaning Christian friends stick their fingers in your faces and tell you “their” story. They tell you that you don’t believe God enough and that you just need more faith and so on… They will say things that they think are helpful but we still come away feeling even more defeated than before. It seems no one is listening and no one understands. We might as well keep our thoughts to ourselves and pretend that everything is just fine. Really?

Are you pretending to the world and at the same time knowing in your body that you aren’t physically able to move. You can’t breathe or your body aches you to tears. Do you sometimes overexert yourself before your friends and family and then find a safe place to suffer in silence where they can’t find you? Are you hiding out?

Metabolism, what does this have to do with being doers of the Word? The answer ~ plenty!

WebMD online has this to say about metabolism:

"Your metabolism, experts say, involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel."

So what does that mean?
I’m learning that I have to know what the “problem” is before I can attempt to fix it. How often have I said I needed to get healthy and just picked anything from thousands of diets and start on my merry way? You and I need to stop that! It’s gotten us nowhere and when we talk to others, it’s gotten them nowhere either.

Last week, we looked at learning how to love our bodies. If you’re participating, we’re asking God to guide us. I needed those beginning chapters of Joyce’s book to get me going mentally! Inviting God to help us needs to be in place before we begin any of the rebuilding process. Without God I can do nothing, but He is not going to do for me what I am supposed to do for myself. If I trust in Him, I know that He will step in when I have done all I could under his direction. He will step in when I am obeying His Word!

This week, instead of focusing first on what is wrong with us, let’s learn how our bodies are supposed to work. Let's get a better understanding about what our bodies should be doing instead of what they are presently doing. (I know I’m speaking as if our bodies are independent entities. You could say they are, after all the body I have is just where my soul lives and the Holy Spirit dwells. It’s a shelter. It’s a house. So let’s learn about it and do our part to rebuild it.)

The body is supposed to break down our food and convert it into energy. All our energy comes from food. Pills and supplements can’t provide what we need as well as food sources can, so let’s not consider them at this point. (There are many who have medical prescriptions and your doctor is your best resource because he/she knows you. The pills and supplements I’m talking about are your across the counter ones that you can purchase without a prescription. We need to be careful what we choose to believe with regard to them. In other words, do your homework.)
The body has it’s own instinctive survival techniques and is supposed to send what we need where we need it and when we need it.
The body is supposed to store any excess energy for future use. (Yes, this is fat.)
The body is supposed to eliminate what is not used.
The body is supposed to be adequately rested in a 24 hour time period.
The body is supposed to be hydrated at all times.
The body is supposed to exert energy for cardio health, strength and flexibility.

Wow! These are only some of the things our body is supposed to do.  We might need to tweak just one thing on this list for ourselves or we might have many. I’m working on several right now, but I’ve been working on them since July. We all need to remember to take it one step at a time. Rebuilding our body will not be easy and it will take time. We all have to consider getting healthy as another job. The difference is that if we quit this job, we die early. Let’s learn to live so we can bring glory to our LORD JESUS by being what He has called us to be.

Joyce says we need these things to boost our metabolism:
1. Exercise 2. Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner (don’t skip meals~ your body needs fuel during the day) 3. Drink water 4. Sleep well 5. “Fidget” by making ways of being more active every day   Interesting list, isn't it?!

You need a “simple” plan to start.

If you need help with a diet plan, you might need to see a doctor, nutritionist or dietitian in the health field. If you need an exercise plan, you might need to see a doctor, trainer or coach , but you can do some research and learn a great deal on your own. (Don’t give up now because it seems overwhelming. It is overwhelming! That’s the point! Most of us are carrying around a ton of “whelm”. I just want to get rid of the “over” so I can eventually get rid of the whelm, too!        LOL (In case you didn’t know, whelm means to cover or engulf completely with usually disastrous effects! Isn’t that what being overweight does?)

No one has to follow my plan. In fact I'd rather you find your own plan because you are different and your needs are different.  My plan came about after many years of stupid dieting, losing and gaining back, and spending lots of $$$ for “miracle diets” My plan started out very simple this past July because I was actually too sick and tired for a complicated "hit it with all my might" plan!

The first thing I did was decide to do something. I looked online and found Sparkpeople to track what I was already eating. No diet at all at first. I was able to see the carbs, protein and fat percentages according to their pie chart. This was a major eye opener. I thought most of my calories came from carbs, but they came from protein. You might be surprised what you find out when you really attempt a truthful examination of your habits.

The next few weeks, I explored the Sparkpeople site and got involved.

o created a health page on that site and included a weight tracker

o made a few online friends and joined some teams such as Inspired and Challenged by Joyce Meyer, Managing Diabetes Group, Flylady:Peace Is Mine, Living Healthy in Our 50s and Beyond, Virginia Sparkers, and 50+ Females. (Just so you know, I had time this summer to explore and get serious so that it’s not as hard now to stick with the plan since I’ve gone back to work! But, right now, I’m not visiting the site as often. Yet I know it's there when I need a boost. Sending little encouragements, etc. to online friends when I get the chance is a great boost for me as well. We all have to figure out what we can handle. By the way ~ the subject matter of this blog is a direct result of the Joyce Meyer team on Sparkpeople.)

o Checked out and cooked up some good recipes

o Read a bunch of articles about health, diet and exercise

o Collected awards and points for fun (You’ll have to check it out to see what I’m talking about.)

o Made a mental plan for the next steps, including getting a full night’s sleep and consistent exercise. I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it. I’d like to be able to walk with my school team at the end of the school year in the Relay for Life to help find a cure for cancer. (You see, this all started in my heart first because I really want to be a blessing to those around me according to what my LORD has directed. Now, it’s just getting my head to comply to my heart’s desire. Wonder if this is where the phrase for being hard-headed came from? I’ve got a lot to work out! LOL)

o Well, Sparkpeople is just one tool you can use.

The main point is that many of us need to make healthy changes for ourselves. We need energy. We need our metabolism to be on track so that we can have that energy. You and I have a lot to share in helping one another and there is much to do! Our LORD wants us to be doers of the Word! Now, we all have an idea about that so let’s start putting positive things into practice. Let’s rebuild this body (His temple) and regain energy to make the world a better place. Let’s think and do things for others out of habit and impulse because we have been renewed. Let’s shine for JESUS!

Lastly, I’d like to thank those of you who have commented on my Sparkpage, sent emails or stopped by and talked to me about how you have been doing with regards to my devotional articles. I appreciate everything you’ve shared and pray for each of you to have an easier walk this week than you had last week. May GOD richly bless you on your journey in His Kingdom here on earth.

This devotional was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great Feel Great.
885

Learning to Love “What”?

2010-08-29T23:36:00.006-04:00

Now, I don’t know about you but when I read the chapter title this week from Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great Feel Great, I choked on it.

Learning to Love Your Body ~ say what? Well, we’ve already explored how important we are to God. He loved us so much that He sent Jesus to rescue us. I think for the most part we get it! But this learning to love your body stuff… well what’s so great to love about it in the shape its in right now?

That’s just it! The message is that we need to love the body we have because it’s the one we’ve got! Our body is not the enemy! If we are Christians, our body is the one that the Holy Spirit chooses to live in. It’s the one that God chooses to use for His glory. Ah… that’s easy to think and say but how do we do it?

Joyce hit the nail on the head when she said that most people don’t like themselves. Maybe we suffer from some of the self-rejection torments that she mentioned. I think most of us have at least one if not more of these mental distractions of self-hate. I’ve listed a few things to think about that were triggered from her book.

Do we live in a constant state of self-rejection and because of this hate our selves (including our bodies) instead of loving our selves? Are we broken from sickness or age? Have we tried beauty products and weight loss “miracles” only to realize that we were ripped off and no miracle happened? Do we look at catalogs and magazines longingly wishing we were different? Did we read scripture and believe that our flesh (body) is despicable and that to live a righteous life we must “punish” it and beat ourselves up for not being “perfect” in the Lord? Are we living with childhood nightmares that just won’t leave us alone that make us feel inferior and useless? What are our reasons for hating our selves so much?

I’m going to be real here. Sometimes just “knowing” that God loves us isn’t enough for us because we don’t feel anything but empty. We feel alone. We feel like we are the only ones in the universe that have experienced our pain and no one knows… no one knows…. but someone else has FELT the same way.

Hear the words of an old hymn, Does Jesus Care? (If you Google it, you’ll even be able to hear it if you like ~ Oh, the wonder of technology!)

The verses:

· Does Jesus care when my heart is pained too deeply for mirth or song,

As the burdens press, and the cares distress, and the way grows weary and long?

· Does Jesus care when my way is dark with a nameless dread and fear?

As the daylight fades into deep nightshades, does He care enough to be near?

· Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed to resist some temptation strong;

When for my deep grief there is no relief, though my tears flow all the nightlong?

· Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye” to the dearest on earth to me,

And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks—is it aught to Him? Does He see?

The wonderful chorus:

· Oh, yes, He cares, I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief;

When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.

There have been those who have gone on before you that felt just like you. There are those living today who are feeling just like you. Yet, the most impressive thing is that Jesus experienced it all! When He died on that cross, He felt it all at once! Can we ever imagine that kind of pain? It wasn’t a single person’s pain but the pain of the entire world through the ages that He endured. Oh, how He loves us!

WE MUST STOP! THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO SLIDE OVER BUT TO THINK ABOUT. Take some time and examine what is wrong. Maybe your problem is not about health and weight loss, but whatever it is, ask the Lord to help you sort out your life. Ask Him to help you put everything into perspective. Ask Him to give you guidance for making positive changes and then put into practice what He directs to be changed. Let’s do it to bring Him glory! Isn’t that what we’re here for?

As always, Joyce has some very practical ways to “nurture self-love.” The book is great and I’m sure you’ll read it in a hurry. This time around on my plan of improvement, I’m taking everything a little bit slower. My desire is to make changes that will have a greater chance of lasting out the rest of my life. I’ve learned I can’t do it all at once. God is training me as I go. Sometimes I’m a good student and sometimes a poor one, but I keep coming to class and trying yet again. He never gives up on me and I can always find acceptance in Him. There are times He pushes me. There are times He pulls me. There are times He just walks beside me. The point is… He is always with me! What an amazing thought!

This devotional was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great Feel Great.

Don’t Give Me Anymore ~~Blah! Blah! Blah!

2010-08-23T01:55:00.006-04:00

I read an article this week concerning the Apostle John. It was told that when John was at Ephesus and well stricken in age, he had to be carried by his disciples in order to teach. At that time, he was only able to put together a statement of a few words and basically taught the same thing each time. “Little children, love one another.” Finally after his disciples had grown quite tired of his teaching, they asked him why he always said the same thing. His answer was this, “Because it is the Lord’s precept, and if it alone is done, it is enough.” (Jerome, commentary on Galatians, from R. Alan Culpepper, John, the Son of Zebedee)

John’s disciples thought that his teaching was nothing more than blah, blah, blah because they had heard it over and over again. Yet, in truth, his teaching was more important than his disciples were aware. It takes patience and practice to be able to apply this principle of God. You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18

Today’s devotional is much the same. You and I have heard it before. I needed to hear it even again. It may sound “blah, blah, blah” to you. But think of this, are you and I applying what we know with patience and practice? Have we mastered this subject area? I wonder!

Entering into Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great Feel Great, I find that she has set 12 keys for great health. Before actually reading anything, I began to think about the significance of the number twelve. It came to mind that twelve was the number of stones on the high priest’s ephod (description from Old Testament scriptures.) Each stone was a different color and signified a different tribe of Israel. This was the founding of a new nation to which, God ruled supreme. So twelve for me represents “government” and in a sense we will be governing our lives to make positive changes if we adhere to the suggestions offered! After I began to read I found that Joyce actually alludes to this governing briefly.

When it comes to the area of becoming healthy, many times we set the stage and go after it on our own. If we need to exercise, we search for the types of exercise to achieve certain goals. We call up our willpower to kick into high gear! We do it ourselves. If it’s diet we need to change, we call upon our own willpower to change our poor eating habits into good ones. There are other habits we sometimes need to change and we determine through our own willpower that we will do it. There’s a problem here! Do you see it yet? What are we actually saying when we use the phrase “our willpower”? You might not like to hear this, but we are saying, “I will do it. I am in control!”

We often don’t realize that we have no power except that which God has given us. Nothing belongs to us. Could it be that the reason we fail so often comes from the fact that we take command when it is not ours to take? Christians, know this, the Kingdom of God is at hand! That means it’s a “right now” happening! It’s not something that is about to happen but it is happening! In this Kingdom, God is the authority. He was the authority, He is the authority and He is the authority yet to come. He is in all these states of being at one time. We don’t know how that can happen because we only understand and experience linear time. But God is in all places at once… past, present and future! What a wonderful mystery! (We don't have to understand it, just believe it!)

Now, here’s where the blah, blah, blah comes in… We are not respecting the fact that God is the authority over our lives. If we want real change, we must commit ourselves to God’s authority.

How many times have we heard this but never really paid attention to it? In my last three blog-posts, following Joyce’s lead messages, I mentioned just how valuable we are to God. But do we get it yet?

What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Matthew 6:26

So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” Genesis 1:27-30

We are created in His image, blessed and given everything just as Adam and Eve. Do we get it yet? We’re valuable to God! Blah, blah, blah…

Jesus speaking to Nicodemus: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Jesus teaching: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10

We are so valuable that God gave His own Son to pay the price for us. We are so valuable that He continues to give us a rich and satisfying life. We’re important to God! Do we get it yet? Is it still just blah, blah, blah…

Now, put the two thoughts together:

#1 God made us in His image and we are valuable to Him.
#2 God is the supreme authority and we need to respect and honor Him by asking for His help.

Joyce Meyer’s says the first key is God. In order to respect his authority, we must not leave God out of any area of our lives. Willpower does not factor into the equation with God since “willpower” is all about our selves being in control. Christians, we have been bought with a price. When we have given ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we are not to have a will of our own any longer but strive to always be in the will of God for He dwells within us.

We say, “Oh no, I can’t do this. It’s too hard!” We are right. We can’t do it, but God can! We don’t have any power in ourselves. This is why we can accomplish something for a while, but then we turn back and make the same mistakes. How long do we have to stay on this lesson to get it? God is merciful and gives us chance after chance to master whatever test is before us. He has make-ups tests, too. We will take the test again and again until we get it… so why do we continue to turn to anyone or anything except God? Why do we do that?

(Jesus speaking) Apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

We are not free to live the life God intended until we break away from the mental bondage that keeps telling us we are in control!

Recognize God’s authority, call out to Him and ask for help. He is concerned with everything about us and knows everything about us already. Yet, He won’t get involved unless we ask for it.

In her book, Joyce Meyer goes into more detail. But words on the pages are just words on the pages. These words will mean nothing if we don’t activate them with believing action. Put your faith into action.

I heard another little story this week, how an old man took a boy out in a boat. He was using two oars to travel down the river. Imprinted on one oar was the word “faith” and on the other was the word “works”. The young boy asked what those words meant, so the old man said, “Watch.” He put the oar that said “works” inside the boat and began to use only the oar called “faith”. Round and round he went, going nowhere. Then he said again, “Watch.” This time he placed the oar that said “faith” inside the boat and began to use only the ore called “works.” Again round and round he went, going nowhere. Finally he said, “Watch.” This time he put the oars called “faith” and “works” into the water together. The boat immediately moved in a straightforward direction at which point the young boy was able to understand and said, “I see.”

Do we get it yet?

I pray we come to realize that knowing God as our authority is not blah... Let's keep making transforming decisions that He ordains, following guidelines that have already been presented through His Word!

This devotional was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s book, Look Great Feel Great.

Who Cares About Me Anyway?

2010-08-16T22:09:00.003-04:00

Bravo, if you’re reading this. You’ve made a choice in search of ways to make your life a better one. Perhaps this will help motivate you and me on to victory over little things that we can manage. Think about the question, “Who cares about me anyway?”

Joyce Meyer’s speaks about reaching two different groups of people in her book, Look Great ~ Feel Great. I think that the characteristics of people from these two very different groups can show up as characteristics in one person during different stages of a life. Certainly most of us probably swing between these two extremes from time to time. Let's examine the groups and compare these to ourselves.

The first group of people are those who have simply given up on themselves. This attitude may not always show outwardly at first. People who have given up on themselves, consider themselves to be of little importance. They stop caring about others first and then they stop caring about themselves. They find no joy in anything and feel that it’s easier not to get involved than to expect anything. They come to this assumption because they do not want to be offended, feel emotional pain or experience disappointment ever again. They live their lives in defeat and depression. Sometimes outside circumstances may cause someone to feel this way, but often it’s something deep within a person rather than circumstances from the outside. When this attitude goes to the extreme, it shows up in the way someone takes care of them selves. Before these people even say a word, we notice that they have stopped taking care of themselves.

The other group of people, are just the opposite and are overachievers at life. They are always in a rush to get something accomplished. There is always a deadline and someone to please. They never learn to say no to anyone. Life is always about someone or something else. Investments are important and money is usually a driving force. The retirement fund has to be sufficient and so they keep working and never rest. They don’t like the slow down of vacation time and most often won’t even take one. They think of exercise and getting enough sleep as obstacles to getting ahead. Their lives are a roller coaster ride. We notice that these people don't take care of themselves either, they just have too much to do.

What is the reason that these two groups of poeple choose not to take care of themselves? Joyce Meyer tells us they lack self-respect.

In many Christian circles, we often hear that our “flesh” is the biggest enemy that we have to defeat. If we are not careful, we will begin to get the idea that we are not important at all because we always associate "flesh" with "sin". That is far from God’s truth. Yes, "sin" is an enemy and our "flesh" is sometimes guilty, but the two words are not synonymous. Joyce makes the statement, “Looking nice is not a sin.” We really need to think about this... and perhaps readjust our understanding and attitude toward ourselves.

God doesn’t judge us based on our outward appearance. He looks deep within our hearts. So the first place we need to look is deep within us. We need to examine why we behave the way we do and base this examination on biblical truth. Have we bought the lie that we are not important? It is time to feed our spirit from the Word of God! When we begin this journey of getting into God's Word, true revelation will come and we will begin to understand His great love toward us. We are not insignificant, He cares for everything about our existence. When we begin to change the way we think of ourselves, then this will show up in our outer appearance. The key to succes in this area is to begin by feeling great because God made us and He doesn't make junk! If we begin to feel great emotionally and spiritually then this will show on the outside and we will look great! (Notice I'm not talking about physically right now. We need to start with our interior, the part that God sees!)

So who cares about me anyway? Well, my heavenly Father does and I should care about myself, too.

If you have any doubts about God’s love, here is a video graced with words from the Bible. Listen and believe it.

(Please scroll down and turn off the playlist music before starting the video.)

Sound track of Father's Love Letter - Father Heart Communications Copyright 1999-2005 http://www.fathersloveletter.com/

These are the Bible scriptures noted in the video:

You may not know me, but I know everything about you (Psalm 139.1)
I know when you sit down and when you rise up (Psalm 139.2)
I am familiar with all your ways (Psalm 139.3)
Even the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10.29-31)
For you were made in my image (Genesis 1.27)
In me you live and move and have your being (Acts 17.28)
For you are my offspring (Acts 17.28)
I knew you even before you were conceived Jeremiah (1.4-5)
I chose you when I planned creation (Ephesians 1.11-12)
You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book (Psalm 139.15-16)
I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live (Acts 17.26)
You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139.14)
I knit you together in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139.13)
And brought you forth on the day you were born (Psalm 71.6)
I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me (John 8.41-44)
I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love (1 John 4.16)
And it is my desire to lavish my love on you (1 John 3.1)
Simply because you are my child and I am your Father (1 John 3.1)
I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7.11)
For I am the perfect father (Matthew 5.48)
Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand (James 1.17)
For I am your provider and I meet all your needs (Matthew 6.31-33)
My plan for your future has always been filled with hope (Jeremiah 29.11)
Because I love you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31.3)
My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore… (Psalms 139.17-18)
And I rejoice over you with singing (Zephaniah 3.17)
I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32.40)
For you are my treasured possession (Exodus 19.5)
I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul Jeremiah (32.41)
And I want to show you great and marvellous things (Jeremiah 33.3)
If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me (Deuteronomy 4.29)
Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37.4)
For it is I who gave you those desires (Philippians 2.13)
I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Ephesians 3.20)
For I am your greatest encourager (2 Thessalonians 2.16-17)
I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles (2 Corinthians 1.3-4)
When you are broken-hearted, I am close to you (Psalm 34.18)
As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart (Isaiah 40.11)
One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes (Revelation 21.3-4)
And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth (Revelation 21.3-4)
I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus (John 17.23)
For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed (John 17.26)
He is the exact representation of my being (Hebrews 1.3)
He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you (Romans 8.31)
And to tell you that I am not counting your sins (2 Corinthians 5.18-19)
Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled (2 Corinthians 5.18-19)
His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you (1 John 4.10)
I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love (Romans 8.31-32)
If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me (1 John 2.23)
And nothing will ever separate you from my love again (Romans 8.38-39)
Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen (Luke 15.7)
I have always been Father, and will always be Father (Ephesians 3.14-15)
My question is “Will you be my child?” (John 1.12-13)
I am waiting for you (Luke 15.11-32)

Now, who cares about us anyway?

Today’s blog was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s ~ Look Great, Feel Great.

http://www.joycemeyer.org/ Joyce Meyer Ministries

Our Grace Gardens ~ His Grace Garden!

2010-08-10T15:26:00.005-04:00

[Growing in grace] they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap [of spiritual vitality] and [rich in the] verdure [of trust, love, and contentment]. Psalms 92:14, Amplified Bible.

It’s so dry and brown out here now in Virginia. The grass is withered and nothing seems to be growing but weeds. Yet when I take the time to look about, there are some who have lush little gardens of fragrant flowers in their yards. There are some who have vegetables growing that are near ready for harvesting. I’ve even seen some patio gardens with ripening tomatoes just ready to pull off and enjoy.

How did they get that way? Duh! They were tended with loving care because someone had faith enough in the tiny seed, or root or plant that these would mature and bear fruit. Would faith alone mature the plant? No! There had to be digging, watering and weeding. But the weeds had to be pulled away when they were tiny enough not to rob the precious seedling of its nutrients. Perhaps the gardener had to apply fertilizer and coat the leaves with some sort of repellent to keep hungry bugs from devouring his precious plant. But eventually one becomes many.

We have been given one body. There will be no fruit if it is not tended carefully. The body’s fruit is to function. We see the outward parts and realize that each one is important to our senses. There are people who have had to deal without sight and/or hearing, but we seldom think of those who have to deal without knowing touch, taste and even smell. Does that sound strange? Well, some diseases such as diabetes or accidents can rob us of our sense of touch. Poor choices can rob us. I know first hand that smoking can deaden your taste buds and your sense of smell. (Praise God I’ve been delivered of the smoking habit!) I’ve also heard that chewing and/or snorting can rob your sense of taste and smell, too. I’m sure there are other things that can cause our senses to become dead. Medical sources are full of information regarding sickness, disease, acidents, etc. The question we must ask ourselves is this: if we have the knowledge to prevent our body from dying early, then why don’t we use it to make the necessary changes to better our present physical lives?

Well, I’ve lived long enough to be able to answer that from my own experience. When I was younger my body would occasionally grunt and groan when I forced it to work without proper nutrition, sleep and/or exercise but it didn’t shut down. So I was able to function and continued abusing it little by little. Now, what I sometimes call old age is nothing more than the previous neglect of what I should have been doing all along. Age doesn’t have as much to do with it as neglect of positive healthy habits that I should have been abiding by, which have caused some partial shut down of my working systems. Oh my! What a revelation God made to me… but I found His promise and when I read it, I knew it was for me. ~  "I will give you back your health and heal your wounds,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 30:17, New Living Translation.

Joyce Meyer testified that during a period in her life, she worked so hard and took on so much that her body was shutting down. She was constantly sick. I am so glad that she spoke the truth in her book and shared how God turned her around and gave her the tools to make changes.

It seems to me that the first thing He restored to her, was a godly mind! She had to accept that she needed to change no matter how much ministering she did for others! God allowed her to see that she needed to get rid of “stinking thinking” (as she calls it). He showed her what to study with regard to repairing her worn out body. Lastly, with this knowledge and wisdom, He gave her the strength to carry out her duty to repair her temple so that she could bring more glory to Him. Hallelujah!

If her story doesn’t motivate us to positive habit changes, maybe we’re almost dead already! I believe no matter where you are at this moment in time, and you are reading this, God has granted you the breath you are taking so that you might have hope! No matter what your health is at this time, you and I have been given another chance with each breath we take to make it better.

In the same way that we are given one body, God in His grace has given us one Spirit and that by His Son, Jesus, who paid the ultimate price. Perhaps you think, as I have sometimes, that when your temple (your body) is ready then you can devote more time to working on the Spirit within you. Whoa! The Spirit is supposed to work on you. You are not supposed to work on the Spirit!

We need to allow the Holy Spirit to work on us through times of worship, study and prayer. You may have said, as I have before, that when you are better able then you will rededicate your life to His service. When you have cleaned up your messes and your temple has been repaired completely, then you will devote your time to Him. Wait a minute! We don’t have to wait to worship and thank Him! He delivers us from temptation and we are often unaware of it. Aren't there things in your life that you felt you had to have in times past in order to live, but now they are not important?   Think about it… He has already brought some deliverance! He knows how difficult temptation is because He was tempted. Let’s remember to praise Him for what He’s already brought us through and for what we know we are going to get through! Amen!

Think on this… when your family or friends send you an email, you can’t hear what they are saying without opening it. In the same way, you can’t hear what God is saying without opening your Bible. The message He will reveal is for you! God doesn’t send chain mail. He doesn't want you to get a little word on Sunday. That won't keep you through the week. So open His word and hear Him speak to you daily! After you listen to Him, then don’t forget to talk to Him, too.  He actually bends down to hear us.   We are His children and He wants to hear from us. We can talk to Him about anything.   ~ Because He bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!   Psalm 116:2 *New Living Translation.

As we tend our natural body and our Spirit in the manner that God prescribes, then we are tending His Grace Garden. The fruit that will be produced will be abundant.

Today’s blog was inspired by Joyce Meyer’s ~ Look Great, Feel Great.

http://www.joycemeyer.org/ Joyce Meyer Ministries

http://www.facebook.com/joycemeyerministries Joyce Meyer Ministries on Facebook

http://www.sparkpeople.com/ Spark People

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp My Spark Page

You are Valuable!

2010-08-03T16:34:00.006-04:00

You are valuable! You ARE the temple of the Holy Spirit who lives within you. God has given this house to you. You are not your own and neither am I. We have been purchased at a high cost, the blood of Jesus! We must give honor to God with our bodies. (my paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 6:19)

Joyce Meyer has given her life in testimony and as encouragement to help all of us attain what God desires for us. As she reminds us, we can’t do this if we do not keep our bodies working properly. We need to make wise choices so that we don’t become sick and unable to serve our Father who loves us so. But where do we begin?

Well, I’ve been on and off like a light switch, as I’m sure many of you have. It’s easy not to think about our health when our bodies are young and working. But as we make poor choices in diet, exercise, work and rest our bodies have a way of reminding us that we have been neglectful of this home our spirit lives in. When our bodies begin to become a distraction, we cannot recognize God’s presence as readily and we cannot experience the joy He has for us to the degree He wants us to know it! Peace does not reign in our bodies when we have to get up in the night because of pain and stiffness. Normal functions begin to dwindle and then we must push ever so hard even to tie our shoes and put on our clothes. We don’t want to look into the mirror to see what we have become. Our bodies become a disappointment and then our emotions wave in great storms over us and we are mentally and physically exhausted. Our temple needs repair.

We let ourselves go and we blame it on age. But was it age that ate all those calories? Was it age that sat on our bum and didn’t move about. Even my pretty cat, Mindy still stretches and runs and she’s considered a senior now. She’s not overweight or underweight, but she’s just right. At one point, her fur looked shabby and her eyes were dull. She was beginning to lose weight. We adjusted her food on a senior diet and now she’s gained back her weight and looks like the Mindycat we used to know. She now has some difficulty grooming and sleeps more than she used to. That's about age according to the vet. But Mindy can still pounce about like a kitten at times.

In early July, I decided that major changes had to be made for myself and my husband. These were only some of the questions I asked myself... (maybe you have the same answers). Have I been sickly? Oh, yeah! Is my blood gluclose out of control? Yes. Have my arms ached when I raise them to do my hair or to praise in worship? Yes. Is it difficult to step into the tub or tie my shoes? Yes.. Is blood pooling in my legs? Yes. Can I stretch and run or even feel like playing as a child these days? Hmmmmm. Something to think about, isn’t it? (If you’re young reading this ~ Be warned! If you’re older~ get up and do something about it!)

Joyce gives her testimony and gives us some basic pointers in her introduction. One of the first things we need to do is get the American media out of our mind! God’s idea of beauty has nothing to do with the world. We are to get up and move our body if we want our bodies to do what they’re meant to do. We must find time for the important things in life, like quiet times with God. We must remember that it’s good to do for others but we must remember to tend to our basic needs as well because we need balance. It’s not all about others. It’s about balance. If we don’t have balance something will break! We need others to help us to be accountable so that we don’t form or keep bad habits. Above all else, we must remember that God values us. We are His daughter or His son. We have a place in His Kingdom that only we can fill.

Let’s do it. Pick something to work on personally and strive to meet that goal. Once you meet it, then readjust and pick something else that needs your attention. One step at a time will get us there. Thank God, He is patient and picks us up when we fall and fail. There is no other who loves us so much. It’s time to make repairs and call on the expert to help us, Our Lord and Savior.

In Psalms 30, David is dedicating the temple. It’s worth reading the entire Psalm but this part stands out in my devotion today:

O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Psalm 30: 2-3

Oh, I'm happy to say that I've begun my journey and my BG is now within my doctor's recommendation. I've lost a little weight and a few inches here and there. I have a ways to go but I'm getting there one step at a time. My wilderness is vast and I don't know how long it will take to get to the promised destination, but I will get there...

This post is based on my understanding for the introduction of Joyce Meyer's book, Look Great Feel Great. I encourage you to take baby steps and seek out ways to better your health. May our God of all understanding and wisdom touch us mentally, emotionally and physically that we might be vessels to bring honor to Him always. Amen

Here's a site that might be of help in your journey to better health, Sparkpeople. It will speak for itself when you visit. I'm making use of the trackers and support availabe and they are all free at http://sparkpeople.com/
My SparkBlog http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp
.

My Garden

2010-07-10T12:48:00.002-04:00

I saw this and wanted to keep it as a reminder, so here it is for me and you... I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

First, I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses.... and the voice I hear falling on my ear... the Son of God discloses...
And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own... and the joy we share as we tarry there... none other has ever known...

He speaks and the sound of His voice is so sweet the birds hush their singing... and the melody that He gives to me within my heart is ringing...

And He walks with me and He talks with me and He tells me I am His own... and the joy we share as we tarry there... none other has ever known...

I must prepare my garden to welcome Him... and here's how...

FOR THE GARDEN OF DAILY LIVING,

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF PEAS:

1. Peace from the Holy Spirit

2. Peace of mind

3. Peace of heart

4. Peace of soul

PLANT FIVE ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash negative thinking

2. Squash gossip

3. Squash indifference

4. Squash grumbling

5. Squash selfishness

PLANT FIVE ROWS OF LETTUCE:

1. Lettuce LOVE the Lord our God with all our heart

2. Lettuce be faithful

3. Lettuce be kind

4. Lettuce be patient

5. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

1. Turnip my face in prayer

2. Turnip for God's appointments

3. Turnip for service

4. Turnip to help others

TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

1. Thyme for the Lord in study, worship, prayer and praise!

2. Thyme for family

3. Thyme for friends

4. Thyme for others

DON'T FORGET TO WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE.

THERE IS AND WILL BE MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW!

AMEN & AMEN

Opposition will come with Opportunity!

2010-07-08T03:22:00.003-04:00

I have learned that whenever I have the opportunity to be directed by the Lord's call and I strive to do the thing He has spoken to me to do, then I will have opposition.

The Lord has made a provision for all of us to become wise in Him. He grants us understanding and allows us to know Him. Who is it that my soul loves and longs for? It is the Lord who watches and waits for me.

I trust in Him because he will guide me in the way of wisdom and lead me along straight paths. Provers 4:11

If I draw near to him, He will draw near to me. James 4:8

Isaiah spoke of a surviving remnant of the house of Judah (Jews) taking root and bearing fruit. The Lord of hosts will perform this and in the last days all the nations (Gentiles) will stream to the mountain of the Lord and they will proclaim Let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us concerning His ways that we may walk in His paths. His path will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. (from Isaiah 2:2-3 and 37:31-32) Together we will praise His name and join together for His kingdom is near... it is here...

Jesus said to us that whoever relaxes the commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in his kingdom. He says that whoever does His commands and teaches others will be called great. I do not have to be great, but I want to do His will and teach others. I want to grow closer to Him. My obedience is what He desires. It does not matter about the opposition, He desires me to obey no matter what. Do I love Him enough to obey?

God's word is to be written on my heart. The Holy Spirit will do this but I have to want His intervention in my life. He will honor my study, devotions and prayers. He will bless!

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He is to be revered above all... 1 Chronicles 16:25

I cannot be a follower of Christ if I don't go down the path with Him in His Word. Fellowship is the key to a spirit filled life. It is not fellowship with men or women that I speak, but fellowship with God that allows us to be open to fellowship with others on His behalf.

Romans 3:2, Paul tells us that the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God... we find out what these very oracles are when we study the scriptures. As we study the scriptures, we know that they point to our Lord, the Messiah. Jesus was trained in the oracles of God as he grew to manhood. All his training was ordained by scriptures as had been taught in the Torah. When we are fully trained, we'll be like Him. (Matthew 10:25) Oh to be like Him! That is my heart's desire.

But to be like him means I will suffer opposition. It means there will be times that I am not understood. There will be times I feel betrayed. There will be times I feel used. There will be times I feel unloved. Still, I must remember that God is my refuge and underneath are His everlasting arms. Deuteronomy 33:27

He loves me in spite of my circumstances. It is not my doing that I am saved. It is the gift of God. Salvation is the gift and His grace is the package it comes in! Jesus must continue to be my focus in all things. He is not some distant being that doesn't care. He didn't come to earth and do a job and just leave. No, every time someone gains a realization of His power and love, every time He is remembered in the scriptures, every time we break bread and drink wine; His gift of salvation is renewed. It is His endless gift of love that can never be fully explained. It must be experienced to understand. We can know nothing without Him... nothing...

Jesus became weary. How do I know this? His flesh was just like ours. He went about doing good and faced opposition. His very disciples could not grasp the magnitude of His teachings. They were unable to comprehend until He was no longer physically there with them. Let's not be weary in doing good, but do good just as He did good, no matter the circumstance We will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galations 6:9

He has promised to be there with us... as a mother comforts her child, so will He comfort us... Isaiah 66:13

Our soul waits for the Lord, he is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20

Amen.

My Prayer is David's Psalm

2010-06-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

May God hear the cry of my heart...

PSALM 143

A psalm of David.
1 Hear my prayer, O Lord;
listen to my plea!
Answer me because you are faithful and righteous.
2 Don’t put your servant on trial,
for no one is innocent before you.
3 My enemy has chased me.
He has knocked me to the ground
and forces me to live in darkness like those in the grave.
4 I am losing all hope;
I am paralyzed with fear.
5 I remember the days of old.
I ponder all your great works
and think about what you have done.
6 I lift my hands to you in prayer.
I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.
Interlude
7 Come quickly, Lord, and answer me,
for my depression deepens.
Don’t turn away from me,
or I will die.
8 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning,
for I am trusting you.
Show me where to walk,
for I give myself to you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
I run to you to hide me.
10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God.
May your gracious Spirit lead me forward
on a firm footing.
11 For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life.
Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.
12 In your unfailing love, silence all my enemies
and destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

Psalm 119 "God's A-B-Cs"

2010-05-21T20:02:00.004-04:00

Aleph*

1 Joyful are people of integrity,
who follow the instructions of the Lord.
2 Joyful are those who obey his laws
and search for him with all their hearts.
3 They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in his paths.
4 You have charged us
to keep your commandments carefully.
5 Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your decrees!
6 Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with your commands.
7 As I learn your righteous regulations,
I will thank you by living as I should!
8 I will obey your decrees.
Please don’t give up on me!

Beth

9 How can a young person stay pure?
By obeying your word.
10 I have tried hard to find you—
don’t let me wander from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 I praise you, O Lord;
teach me your decrees.
13 I have recited aloud
all the regulations you have given us.
14 I have rejoiced in your laws
as much as in riches.
15 I will study your commandments
and reflect on your ways.
16 I will delight in your decrees
and not forget your word.

Gimel

17 Be good to your servant,
that I may live and obey your word.
18 Open my eyes to see
the wonderful truths in your instructions.
19 I am only a foreigner in the land.
Don’t hide your commands from me!
20 I am always overwhelmed
with a desire for your regulations.
21 You rebuke the arrogant;
those who wander from your commands are cursed.
22 Don’t let them scorn and insult me,
for I have obeyed your laws.
23 Even princes sit and speak against me,
but I will meditate on your decrees.
24 Your laws please me;
they give me wise advice.

Daleth

25 I lie in the dust;
revive me by your word.
26 I told you my plans, and you answered.
Now teach me your decrees.
27 Help me understand the meaning of your commandments,
and I will meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 I weep with sorrow;
encourage me by your word.
29 Keep me from lying to myself;
give me the privilege of knowing your instructions.
30 I have chosen to be faithful;
I have determined to live by your regulations.
31 I cling to your laws.
Lord, don’t let me be put to shame!
32 I will pursue your commands,
for you expand my understanding.

He

33 Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
34 Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35 Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
36 Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!
37 Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.*
38 Reassure me of your promise,
made to those who fear you.
39 Help me abandon my shameful ways;
for your regulations are good.
40 I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.

Waw

41 Lord, give me your unfailing love,
the salvation that you promised me.
42 Then I can answer those who taunt me,
for I trust in your word.
43 Do not snatch your word of truth from me,
for your regulations are my only hope.
44 I will keep on obeying your instructions
forever and ever.
45 I will walk in freedom,
for I have devoted myself to your commandments.
46 I will speak to kings about your laws,
and I will not be ashamed.
47 How I delight in your commands!
How I love them!
48 I honor and love your commands.
I meditate on your decrees.

Zayin

49 Remember your promise to me;
it is my only hope.
50 Your promise revives me;
it comforts me in all my troubles.
51 The proud hold me in utter contempt,
but I do not turn away from your instructions.
52 I meditate on your age-old regulations;
O Lord, they comfort me.
53 I become furious with the wicked,
because they reject your instructions.
54 Your decrees have been the theme of my songs
wherever I have lived.
55 I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord;
therefore, I obey your instructions.
56 This is how I spend my life:
obeying your commandments.

Heth

57 Lord, you are mine!
I promise to obey your words!
58 With all my heart I want your blessings.
Be merciful as you promised.
59 I pondered the direction of my life,
and I turned to follow your laws.
60 I will hurry, without delay,
to obey your commands.
61 Evil people try to drag me into sin,
but I am firmly anchored to your instructions.
62 I rise at midnight to thank you
for your just regulations.
63 I am a friend to anyone who fears you—
anyone who obeys your commandments.
64 O Lord, your unfailing love fills the earth;
teach me your decrees.

Teth

65 You have done many good things for me, Lord,
just as you promised.
66 I believe in your commands;
now teach me good judgment and knowledge.
67 I used to wander off until you disciplined me;
but now I closely follow your word.
68 You are good and do only good;
teach me your decrees.
69 Arrogant people smear me with lies,
but in truth I obey your commandments with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are dull and stupid,
but I delight in your instructions.
71 My suffering was good for me,
for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.
72 Your instructions are more valuable to me
than millions in gold and silver.

Yodh

73 You made me; you created me.
Now give me the sense to follow your commands.
74 May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy,
for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;
you disciplined me because I needed it.
76 Now let your unfailing love comfort me,
just as you promised me, your servant.
77 Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live,
for your instructions are my delight.
78 Bring disgrace upon the arrogant people who lied about me;
meanwhile, I will concentrate on your commandments.
79 Let me be united with all who fear you,
with those who know your laws.
80 May I be blameless in keeping your decrees;
then I will never be ashamed.

Kaph

81 I am worn out waiting for your rescue,
but I have put my hope in your word.
82 My eyes are straining to see your promises come true.
When will you comfort me?
83 I am shriveled like a wineskin in the smoke,
but I have not forgotten to obey your decrees.
84 How long must I wait?
When will you punish those who persecute me?
85 These arrogant people who hate your instructions
have dug deep pits to trap me.
86 All your commands are trustworthy.
Protect me from those who hunt me down without cause.
87 They almost finished me off,
but I refused to abandon your commandments.
88 In your unfailing love, spare my life;
then I can continue to obey your laws.

Lamedh

89 Your eternal word, O Lord,
stands firm in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness extends to every generation,
as enduring as the earth you created.
91 Your regulations remain true to this day,
for everything serves your plans.
92 If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy,
I would have died in my misery.
93 I will never forget your commandments,
for by them you give me life.
94 I am yours; rescue me!
For I have worked hard at obeying your commandments.
95 Though the wicked hide along the way to kill me,
I will quietly keep my mind on your laws.
96 Even perfection has its limits,
but your commands have no limit.

Mem

97 Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are my constant guide.
99 Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
for I am always thinking of your laws.
100 I am even wiser than my elders,
for I have kept your commandments.
101 I have refused to walk on any evil path,
so that I may remain obedient to your word.
102 I haven’t turned away from your regulations,
for you have taught me well.
103 How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.
104 Your commandments give me understanding;
no wonder I hate every false way of life.

Nun

105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
106 I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise it again:
I will obey your righteous regulations.
107 I have suffered much, O Lord;
restore my life again as you promised.
108 Lord, accept my offering of praise,
and teach me your regulations.
109 My life constantly hangs in the balance,
but I will not stop obeying your instructions.
110 The wicked have set their traps for me,
but I will not turn from your commandments.
111 Your laws are my treasure;
they are my heart’s delight.
112 I am determined to keep your decrees
to the very end.

Samekh

113 I hate those with divided loyalties,
but I love your instructions.
114 You are my refuge and my shield;
your word is my source of hope.
115 Get out of my life, you evil-minded people,
for I intend to obey the commands of my God.
116 Lord, sustain me as you promised, that I may live!
Do not let my hope be crushed.
117 Sustain me, and I will be rescued;
then I will meditate continually on your decrees.
118 But you have rejected all who stray from your decrees.
They are only fooling themselves.
119 You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum;
no wonder I love to obey your laws!
120 I tremble in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your regulations.

Ayin

121 Don’t leave me to the mercy of my enemies,
for I have done what is just and right.
122 Please guarantee a blessing for me.
Don’t let the arrogant oppress me!
123 My eyes strain to see your rescue,
to see the truth of your promise fulfilled.
124 I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love,
and teach me your decrees.
125 Give discernment to me, your servant;
then I will understand your laws.
126 Lord, it is time for you to act,
for these evil people have violated your instructions.
127 Truly, I love your commands
more than gold, even the finest gold.
128 Each of your commandments is right.
That is why I hate every false way.

Pe

129 Your laws are wonderful.
No wonder I obey them!
130 The teaching of your word gives light,
so even the simple can understand.
131 I pant with expectation,
longing for your commands.
132 Come and show me your mercy,
as you do for all who love your name.
133 Guide my steps by your word,
so I will not be overcome by evil.
134 Ransom me from the oppression of evil people;
then I can obey your commandments.
135 Look upon me with love;
teach me your decrees.
136 Rivers of tears gush from my eyes
because people disobey your instructions.

Tsadhe

137 O Lord, you are righteous,
and your regulations are fair.
138 Your laws are perfect
and completely trustworthy.
139 I am overwhelmed with indignation,
for my enemies have disregarded your words.
140 Your promises have been thoroughly tested;
that is why I love them so much.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
but I don’t forget your commandments.
142 Your justice is eternal,
and your instructions are perfectly true.
143 As pressure and stress bear down on me,
I find joy in your commands.
144 Your laws are always right;
help me to understand them so I may live.

Qoph

145 I pray with all my heart; answer me, Lord!
I will obey your decrees.
146 I cry out to you; rescue me,
that I may obey your laws.
147 I rise early, before the sun is up;
I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.
148 I stay awake through the night,
thinking about your promise.
149 In your faithful love, O Lord, hear my cry;
let me be revived by following your regulations.
150 Lawless people are coming to attack me;
they live far from your instructions.
151 But you are near, O Lord,
and all your commands are true.
152 I have known from my earliest days
that your laws will last forever.

Resh

153 Look upon my suffering and rescue me,
for I have not forgotten your instructions.
154 Argue my case; take my side!
Protect my life as you promised.
155 The wicked are far from rescue,
for they do not bother with your decrees.
156 Lord, how great is your mercy;
let me be revived by following your regulations.
157 Many persecute and trouble me,
yet I have not swerved from your laws.
158 Seeing these traitors makes me sick at heart,
because they care nothing for your word.
159 See how I love your commandments, Lord.
Give back my life because of your unfailing love.
160 The very essence of your words is truth;
all your just regulations will stand forever.

Shin

161 Powerful people harass me without cause,
but my heart trembles only at your word.
162 I rejoice in your word
like one who discovers a great treasure.
163 I hate and abhor all falsehood,
but I love your instructions.
164 I will praise you seven times a day
because all your regulations are just.
165 Those who love your instructions have great peace
and do not stumble.
166 I long for your rescue, Lord,
so I have obeyed your commands.
167 I have obeyed your laws,
for I love them very much.
168 Yes, I obey your commandments and laws
because you know everything I do.

Taw

169 O Lord, listen to my cry;
give me the discerning mind you promised.
170 Listen to my prayer;
rescue me as you promised.
171 Let praise flow from my lips,
for you have taught me your decrees.
172 Let my tongue sing about your word,
for all your commands are right.
173 Give me a helping hand,
for I have chosen to follow your commandments.
174 O Lord, I have longed for your rescue,
and your instructions are my delight.
175 Let me live so I can praise you,
and may your regulations help me.
176 I have wandered away like a lost sheep;
come and find me,
for I have not forgotten your commands.

.

Can two walk together, except they be agreed? Amos 3:3

2010-05-08T15:11:00.004-04:00

Walk with me for a while...

I used to think that I had an unusual life filled with disappointment after disappointment and that everyone else had a good life. I was always longing for something better and envious of others. The older I got and the more people I got to know made me realize that we are all very much alike. Everyone has moments of elation and moments of despair. But it seems like we all tend to focus on the downs and negatives that we experience and hardly remember the ups and positives. Do you know what I mean?

We live in a world where we want everything to be better for us. We can walk through any bookstore and read the titles for self-help books and find never-ending promises and solutions. Here are just a few categories to choose from: aches & pains, co-dependency, diets, depression, family problems, health, marriage & divorce, relationships, job & work related issues, death & grief, parenting, male and female, lifestyles, age related issues. The question is always how can I get ahead or how can I do better? Is your life filled with doubt and problems that need to be solved?

The solution to our problems is more simple than we make it out to be. There are usually several choices to make when facing a problem. Our choices can make it either more frustrating or might solve the problem, but first, we should address the root of the problem and not just try to ease the symptoms.

We are always looking for the easiest way to solve our problems, but here's what I've learned. I don't always have to solve the problem. I'm to give my problems over to GOD. Once I learned how blessed I am then the answers came more easily. In Christ, I realized that I am a powerful person because I'm a joint-heir with HIM. I am a channel for HIS blessings. (I'm not talking about a New Age channel here.)

But how do I go to the root of the problem, because sometimes all I can see are the symptoms.

Well, I know that GOD sees me coming and going. HE knows when I go to the secret place to pray and when I don't. 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. When I realize that I am nothing without HIM, it is then that HE calls me out of darkness. HE addresses my problems and HE fights my battles if I let HIM. The major road block is "Me". When I stand in the way, GOD can't get through. When I pick up the self-helps then I'm not acknowledging that GOD is able. I quench the HOLY SPIRIT when I do it "My way".  19 Quench not the Spirit. 20 Despise not prophesyings. 21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. So my time alone with HIM strengthens me. I can sometimes hear HIS revelation to me if I am patient when I pray.    24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5

Yes, He sees me coming and going. He knows when I open the Bible and when I don't.   Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15. If I get into HIS word and truly search out what HE wants for me then I may get revelation through HIS Word. He will continue to teach me to be a discerner of spirits if I will ask HIM and believe.   HE has promised many things.

Years ago while listening to a message, I wrote these words down in my Bible. Corrie tenBoom (Dutch Christian Holocaust survivor who helped many Jews escape) said that she prayed with an open Bible. She would find "her" promise and pray "Father, you've said it--now, do it!" That may sound full of pride to some, but the truth is that GOD wants us to be this bold! HE has given us permission...

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4.

These ways are so simple that it's difficult for the world to understand. The world says, "How can prayer and reading the Bible change anything?"  Most of us think this way because we must have a logical solution. Faith is not logical by the word's standards. But, Praise GOD, Faith is logical by GOD's standards and that is all that really matters!

We are so used to solving problems. The world expects us to do it and leave GOD out. After all haven't we all heard the saying that we need to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps?   That is what has gone wrong in our America today. We have left GOD out. We need to strive to raise up to meet HIM and bow at HIS sandals instead...

If you don't know the LORD JESUS as your Savior, HE is waiting for you. HE will not force HIMSELF on you, but gently persuades. Search for HIM and you will find HIM. 9 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Luke 11

Once you've believed and received HIM, HE will teach you how to depend on HIM through HIS Word and the HOLY SPIRIT. It's a journey, a path that leads us into righteousness. It is HIS righteousness because we are not right without HIM.

Take time to walk with HIM.

Agree with HIM and HE will reveal HIMSELF to you...

Daily:
Sing praises to HIM.

Thank HIM.
Have a personal Devotional Study.

Take time to pray.

.

Teach us to pray!

2010-05-01T21:39:00.001-04:00

Mark 11: 22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

There it is... Jesus' word!

Have faith in God.

What is your mountain? Is your mountain personal and having only to do with you? Does it have a name like cancer or diabettes? Does your mountain involve the salvation of another? Could your mountain be a prodigal son or daughter? Is your mountain mental anguish over something in the past that you cannot make peace with?

Jesus is talking to his disciples and teaching them how to pray. Now, if we are truly Jesus' disciples we will want to learn from Him. The very same lesson that he taught the first time is still the same one for us today. Nothing can happen without faith.

You must really believe it will happen

and have no doubt in your heart.

Lastly, we have to remember his remaining words here in respect of the promise.

But when you are praying,

first forgive anyone

you are holding a grudge against,

so that your Father in heaven

will forgive your sins, too.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth...

2010-04-24T12:42:00.005-04:00

As you know I have been weaving in and out, learning here and there about my Jewish roots to Christianity. Having been adopted in the natural, I understand the meaning behind “chosen” perhaps more than most. Although I know my natural mother I did not know my natural father. So it is not to be looked at lightly when someone takes on the responsibility of adoption. I believe that most everything that is positive about me came from my adopted father. He was patient with me and was always nearby. I could go to him at any time and for anything. It is a good memory.

Spiritually speaking, I do not question my Jewish roots but I long to understand more. Yeshua (Jesus) my Savior and big brother guided me to know my adopted father, Abba. It was because of my Abba’s (Father’s) love, that He revealed Jesus to me, but for many years I related only to Yeshua. I think perhaps that is how it is with most Christians today. I did not know my Abba. Oh, I accepted the fact that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all One but I did not know my Abba. Today, I can say I know Abba and He continues to show me more of Him everyday as I grow in faith and study especially from Torah. The Torah is where I find Abba most and the Gospels is where I find My Big Brother...

I am trying to cease from referring to my Bible as if it were two truths. I do not want to divide its essence into Old Testaments and New Testaments. The truth is that, my Bible from Genesis to Revelation is one Covenant and what I do with it makes me a part of the One… In other words just as we have the Father, Son and Holy Ghost in our faith, This “One” has shown me that I have the Torah, the Gospels and Me and together we are also one. Hallelujah! This might not make since to anyone but me, but there it is anyway…

We are to learn from the Word and keep it in our hearts but not only keep it but do it!

I understand that my Father is God. He, Almighty and Divine, who sent His son to be born to a Jewish maiden and grew up in a Jewish house. This Son, Jesus, was as human as you or I. He grew up observing the rituals and traditions of the Hebrew faith. He learned that the first action taught to Adam by God was sacrifice. The lamb was sacrificed and the “bloody” skins were put on Adam and Eve to cover their shame. The shame was not that they were naked but that their sin was so great they needed a shield. They thought the shield was necessary so that they could be hidden from God. But the trees and leaves in the garden were not enough to hide behind. God knows everything...

Think about it … Adam and Eve were afraid and they hid. In their hiding they tried to cover themselves with leaves. When you were a child and afraid, did you cover yourself with your blanket? What did you cover up? Did you only cover up your private parts when you were afraid? I don’t believe the pictures of the Adam and Eve are accurate representations of the truth. If you were like me, I was afraid sometimes of the dark. I would be sure that my blanket was wrapped completely around me, from my feet to my head and I only left a small breathing hole by my nose. I believe Adam and Eve were so ashamed and afraid that they tried to become invisible. But God sees everything.

Adam and Eve probably trembled behind the bushes as they answered Him. They probably stayed there behind the bushes because they had broken fellowship with God. They must have watched as the sacrifice for them was being made. They probably cried for the first time and felt pain, not only for the loss of that animal whose life ended before their eyes, but for themsleves. They had not known death before but they learned that death was the price of disobedience. The innocent was slain for them so that they could be covered!

This practice was taught to their sons. Cain and Abel would not have known to sacrifice had they not been taught to do it. I'm sure Adam and Eve's stories were shared with them. I'm sure they taught them that plants would not atone for sin, but only blood can be an atonement. Adam and Eve may not have understood why this was so, but they were compelled to listen and obey.  Just read the Word and keep reading it. The teachings are there for all of us to learn from. Start in Genesis and go where the Spirit leads you to make connections and reflect so that you can live your life to honor Him. I believe if you start in Genesis, that will reveal just how enormous God is and who God is...

In many ways, we have been living in a culture that has has tried to pull God down to be equal to us. We are not to pull God down! We could't do it, if we tried. Our culture was supposedly "enlightened" during the 18th century when everything was centered on reason, science and cultural entertainments. These ideas became the norm for society and this western philosophical thinking has robbed us of intimacy with God.

The truth is that we are to be drawn to Him. Jesus didn't linger by the boats (Matthew 4) when He called Peter and Andrew. He was walking by the sea and called them to follow Him and they did! God will be near and call, then its up to you... We are to be drawn to Him.

When I study, it usually starts with a preacher’s sermon that I listen to in my car, replaying sections that seem unclear but important. When I'm home, I tend to stick to one teacher at a time, reading my Bible along side his/her teachings.   As I study on my own I look up things I’m not sure of in the regular dictionary and concordances. I also check out encyclopedias (including standard, Jewish and Catholic). Sometimes I will Google a topic and read several pieces of information that adds to my stockpile of information and occasionally I will ask a pointed question to someone I respect knows the answer. Many times the answers I find only push me to ask more questions and that is how the Holy Spirit guides my learning.

I must be cautious and discerning when reading anything or listening to anyone. Before I begin study, I need to seek His face and ask that He reveal what He wants me to know and do. Then when I study, anything that I find contrary to the Word itself must be discarded.  You may discover that what you thought you knew wasn’t true at all when you study so don’t be discouraged but believe God to empty out the lies and fill that empty gap with truth.

After I’ve found satisfaction in my study, then it’s time to listen and observe another’s research. I compare notes, glean information and hopefully gain inner wisdom from God. I know when my study is honored by God because He will have someone, somewhere confirm it verbally to me usually without them ever knowing I was studying in that area. Often I hear this confirmation in church on Sunday from the lips of my own Pastor! Praise God... He keeps us all thinking and working together in His kingdom and we don't even realize sometimes how well He weaves us all together!

Jesus said:
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

He said:
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Luke 11:9

So I suppose, today my plea to anyone reading this is…

Get into the Word and study for yourself. Find out what is behind your faith so if you are asked you will be ready to answer. We can't expect God to answer for us from an empty vessel. He has commaned us to be filled and from that filling, He will answer.

Remember, the message of my Savior is simple and clear: He is the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6.
Your study should bring you closer to Him. When you study and find yourself moving away from Him, STOP and do a quick check. Ask Him, "Is this where I need to be?" Ask Him in prayer—perhaps He is leading you to a better understanding, but it may be that you have gone on a goose chase!  I mean this sincerely. We can get so caught up in philosophies, religious thouhts and practices, and the events of the past that it clouds our present and keeps us from our future. Satan loves it when we withdraw to study and never come out to practice it!

But God is there to lead us in our study. We must be sure to ask Him what He wants us to know and how to use it!

Don’t be discouraged because there is so much you do not know, but rather be encouraged that He has taught you so much so far! He will continue to teach you as long as you are willing to do your part and learn it. The day you close the book, stop hearing Him, forget to pray and praise Him—is the day that you walk away from Him.

Stay close to the Father. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

.

Who are we, really? Who is our father, really?

2010-04-10T13:17:00.008-04:00

My prayer is this, O Lord, open my eyes and let me see more of you! Open my ears and let me hear more of you! Open my mind and let me grow gracefully in the knowledge that is you! Open my heart and let me love as deeply as you! Guide my hands and let me serve more dutifully for you! Guide my feet and let me follow your paths of righteousness! I ask these things not just for me but anyone who is seeking to know you more intimately. These things I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Every step of our Christian lives should remind us that we have an important relationship with our Father God, Creator and King of the Universe. Well, this reads great on paper and it sounds great in the pulpit! But what do we do with it?

Most of the time, each of us goes through this life completely unaware of our relationship with Him. We move from being joyful to being desperate based on the events in our lives. All these emotional highs and lows hide Him from us. Now, we could say this is the enemy's way to keep the Lord hidden from us and that satan keeps us on this emotional roller coaster. But come on now, sometimes it's just us and our flesh that keeps the Lord hidden behind a veil. Satan doesn't have to do a thing becasue we are doing a fine job of concealing God all by ourselves!

Well, then we have those brief "emotional" encounters. We may experience a hint of recognition of Him during church or during a conversation with another believer and for that moment we want more of Him.

O what disgraceful neglect! These brief 'emotional" encounters are unacceptable! We need to repent of the shameful neglect of yesterday and today where we didn't get into His word and we didn't pray and we didn't serve Him as we knew to do. So now as we breathe in and out, we must seek His face and ask His help to remember Him [at all times] and we must not neglect Him tomorrow or thereafter! When I say breathe in and out I'm thinking that without Him I'd have no breath. Perhaps I need to learn to be so focused on Him that I'm aware of each breath. For those of you that know, I had a really bad time with asthma these past few weeks and I now know more than ever before how precious each breath is.

Ephesians 5 17 tells us to be careful how we live. Don’t live like fools... Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk but, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to ourselves, and making music to the Lord in our hearts and to give thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I fall short in this area of giving thanks always and keeping Him in my heart by singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. I bet you fall short, too! We have to make a conscience effort to acknowledge Him at all times. I will say it's easier to do than it used to be but I still have a ways to go.

Our main problem is this. We don’t really know who we are, our position or our duty! God desires a relationship with us 24-7, but we give him the scraps of our lives when it suits us.

Here are two examples where someone was begging for scraps:

Remember the Gentile woman from Mark 7? She said,” even the dogs under the table are allowed to eat the scraps from the children’s plates. Jesus was impressed with her words and with that her daughter was healed. Jesus represented the Father in all that He did. There is a spiritual message here. Jesus is impressing upon this Gentile woman that He was sent to feed the children— of His own family, the Jews. He said it isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs. But she waited for a scrap and ended up with a full meal.

In John 4, Jesus said to His disciples previously… I have a kind of food you know nothing about. He had to explain that His nourishment came from doing the will of God. In John 6, He says… I am the bread of life. So this woman got a spiritual meal and not the scraps, when Jesus restored her from an unclean demonic spirit. It wasn’t the given time for the Gentiles yet, but still the Father honored her and gave her the desire of Her heart. She was included in the kingdom at that moment because she believed and had faith.

Remember from Luke 16, how the rich man was in torment and desired that Lazarus dip his finger in water to cool his burning tongue? Could it be that the very thing he denied the poor man when they were both alive was the very measure of torment that he had to endure? The poor man’s hungry tongue became the rich man’s burning tongue. The Bible says that there was a certain rich man, clothed in purple and fine linen, who fared sumptuously every day and that Lazarus laid by his gate, covered with sores. He longed for scraps from the rich man’s table, but only the dogs would come and lick his open sores. The dogs were his only companions. But the angels carried Lazarus into Abraham’s bosom and the rich man went to hell. Lazarus was included among the righteous and I’m sure never hungered for food or companionship ever again.
In both instances, the woman and Lazarus only desired scraps but they ended up feasting at the Master’s table.

If God only gave us scraps that would be enough, but God gives us abundance in this life and we are so “rich” that we are unable to see His mercy and grace toward us. We have become haughty. Would you have the Lord begging for scraps? Would I?   We say "no" but our actions many times prove us liars!

O, we say that's not fair! It's too strong a language! But, let's call an ace an ace. We are sometimes liars. We lie to ourselves. Do you remember waht group liars are included with in the Bible? Remember Revelation 21:8 8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Have you lied to yourself thinking that you are safe because you professed belief in Jesus? Even the demons believe in Him to the point they know who He is, but is He their Lord and Savior? I think not! Stop this insanity! Stop lying to yourself! Check yourself and see if you really are a child of God and Jesus is your Lord and Savior.

The problem is we don’t know who we are.

So who are we?

· We are loved of God so much that He sent His Son to redeem us. (John 3: 16-17)

· We are to repent and believe to become children of God, to be adopted by Him. (Mark 1:15, John 15:15, Eph. 1 3-8)

· We are to receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:22, 1 Cor. 6:17)

· We are to love one another. (John 15:12)

· We are Jesus’ friends. (John 15:15)

· We are sent out to make disciples and teach them. (Matthew 28:18-20)

· We are ambassadors of Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20)

· We are priests and kings. (Revelations 5:10)

This list is just the beginning… We must read and follow him to find out more and more of whom God made us to be. We must think about the responsibility we have been given.

We need to remember…

John 15: 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. 26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: 27 and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

Let’s stop giving Jesus the scraps. He is the King of kings.

.

Passover, The Festival of Matzos, The Time of our Freedom, The Passover Lamb

2010-03-31T03:40:00.018-04:00

Pesach—The Passover lamb
Passover has a deep meaning. We might imagine a floating spirit of death coming to take the first born and seeing the blood then moving on to the next house, but it's much more than this! Pesash is a mixed Hebrew-Egyptian word that means literally to spread wings over in order to protect. Long ago the church studied Jewish roots. A. W. Pink said, "It was not enough that the Lord just passed over the houses of Israel but that the Lord stands guard protecting them, each one who had sprinkled blood on the door. The Lord will not allow the destroyer to come in to you or anyone in your house. " This is the same image used by Isaiah by his use of this verb pesach, in Isaiah. 31:5: "As birds hovering, so will the Lord of hosts protect Jerusalem; He will deliver it as He protecteth it, He will rescue it as He passeth over." The lamb was slain and its blood applied to the doorposts and as the destroyer came by, the Lord's guard hovered there and would not allow death to enter! It is Christ who stands at the door! Hallelujah!

Lighting the candles of Pesach
As we think of our Passover lamb, Jesus, who came to redeem us, may the light of the candles we kindle together bring radiance to all who still live in darkness. May this season, marking the deliverance of our people from Pharaoh, rouse us up against anyone who keeps others in servitude!  But as we think in gratitude of what we enjoy, may we strive to bring about our own freedom and the freedom of all people everywhere.

My Search
In my studies of our Jewish heritage, I’ve been searching for a greater understanding of Passover and wanted to find out exactly when observant Jews honored this day. God is so great and He knows my heart. He’s been watching my search. Last night He directed me, via technology, to a wonderful Passover Seder. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself here…

In the last few years, I’ve thought that Passover and Easter were somehow wrapped together. So last night during the Seder, I was intrigued to see that Passover was being observed on a Monday night. As I spoke to a new Jewish friend, I find that two nights of Passover are observed, an extra night for those who are not able to make it the first night. But, what about Easter, I wondered.  Now, I know there is a Jewish calendar, but I thought perhaps Passover was the Friday night before Easter. Then I learned of a Maundy Thursday service observed by many. Where did all this confusion come from? Jesus even observed Passover so don't say, don't worry about it. I'm not worried. I just want to understand the truth... I've heard it will set me free...  LOL

Finally I've realized that Passover and Easter need to be seen through different eyes. Yet, I also realize that as the Old and New Testaments are really just one covenant of God, one day I will fully understand not just Passover and Easter but the significance of all the mysteries of the Bible. Hallelujah!

Right now, my Greek influenced mindset has to change in order to respect Hebreic thought. So with a new resolve to understand what God has for me, I poured my wine, set my Seder, observed and took part in Passover 2010 with Rabbi Curt and those appointed in his service.

If you interested, you can learn more about Rabbi Curt Landry and House of David Ministries here: http://www.houseofdavid.us/index.html

The thing that motivates me most is knowing that the same God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life is the same God who commands his people to remember Passover.   God is a father and acts just like a father at play sometimes. I have found that He delights in having me search for Him! Sometimes it seems as though I even run away from Him in my eagerness to find Him. It reminds me of the children's game Hide and Seek. Children get very close sometimes and then turn and run in the opposite direction. My heavenly Father sees all of it. He watched me and finally let me catch Him. O what joy and delight was the catching! He called me closer that I could know Him better. There are no words for this feeling… but if you begin to truly seek Him, you will know what I’m talking about! Hallelujah!

As this Passover service proceeded online, I typed as much as I could keep up. This rendering is not represented word for word here. I've even taken my notes and gone back to look up the scriptures mentioned to see if there was yet more to bring edification. The service had already begun when I found it, so I can’t comment on what I didn’t hear and see. This blog entry is long and there are many parts, but may God bless you even more in growth and knowledge of Him through it if you will read on!

________________________________________________________________________________
1. Rabbi Curt-- Circumcised of the Heart!

Exodus 12 gives the story of the first Passover and of the command of the Lord to remember it and teach it to our children. If we were brought up in church and have learned anything, most of us know about Moses and the people of Israel making the exodus from Egypt. But further instructions for Passover occurs in the last part of the chapter concerning circumcision that we rarely have thought much about. Ex. 12:48 And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.

God even had a provision way back then for anyone to come to Him. The word spoken to us today is this… we are to be circumcised of the heart! It is not a formula for do’s and don’ts of the law to get near to God. We can only come near to Him when we've accepted His Son, Jesus and our hearts are purged from sin. In the days before Christ, male foreigners had to show suffering if they wanted to be included. The chosen of God would know these men were sincere because of the suffering they had to endure. It is unlikely that many ever made such a claim in order to be counted with the chosen unless they were sincere.

But just as the leaven was not to be placed in the bread because it represents sin, our hearts must be made pure, too! In this day, and in America—no one has to command us to come to God or follow Him if we are truly children of God and have believed in His Son. We will gladly run to Him and we will obey what He has for us! The witness is within us. It is the Holy Spirit. Christ came to redeem us and the Holy Spirit is here to guide and teach us. If we are sincere, the world will see that we have given Him our free will and only desire to do His will. It doesn't matter what He asks of us.

Joshua 5:2-8 tells of the Lord speaking to Joshua concerning circumcision. This text tells of a time that Israel reaffirmed their commitment to GOD. All those who had come out of Egypt had been circumcised, but now they were all dead. The children born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. As the Lord commanded, they obeyed and because they obeyed the reproach of Egypt was rolled away from them as a nation and the place was called Gilgal.

Gilgal is a town near Bethel (2 Kings 2:1). When Joshua entered there, he had just crossed over the Jordan into enemy territory and this is where God commanded them to circumcision. After their healing, this is where Joshua’s campaigns were conducted. It was the place of obedience!

The message is clear...
Although we can be a warrior for God. We can even go from wandering to possession. But, we find out that we haven’t been circumcised… our hearts are not right. We still have Egypt in us and it must be purged...

We must be able to say… We have obeyed the word and the voice of God and we’ve come into the House of the Lord. We must be able to say... We’re obedient in power and we are mighty warriors of God.
We cannot say any of this if our hearts are not right within us...

Receive the mercy of God. Lay down that sin, lay down that doubt, lay down that behavior. Lay it all down before we take of this Passover table.

"FATHER GOD IN THE NAME OF JESUS I LAY DOWN EVERY WEAK SPOT IN MY LIFE, EVEN THE PLACES I DON’T KNOW AND CAN’T SEE INTO. I APPLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS OVER MY LIFE. I AM SEPARATED. I AM READY FOR TRANSFORMATION."

But we can still be too busy

Exodus 4:24—You can still be too busy… too busy and you forget to circumcise your own children. Even those around you, know that you have not done this. Your spouse knows. Moses’ wife circumcised her sons because he did not.

Bless the Zipporahs! Bless the intercessors. She knew that she must protect her children. She wasn’t called to circumcise them but she did because she knew that was necessary. Zipporah obeyed in the place of Moses with regard to their sons. They were going into Egypt and they didn't know exactly what was going to happen. As our children go out into this world, they go out to war. Many aren’t circumcised. They are not obedient to the Lord. They desire the things of the world. They’d rather be anywhere but with the Lord and in His service. We are the parents, whether biological or spiritual. We have the right to take a stand in the circumcision of our children's hearts.

IN THE NAME OF JESUS, WE LIFT UP OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN. WE PUT THEM UNDER THE BLOOD. WE STAND IN THE GAP NOW. WE CIRCUMCISE THEIR HEARTS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. WE SPRINKLE THEM WITH THE BLOOD OF JESUS. WE DECLARE THEY ARE OFF LIMITS TO THE ENEMY. THE ACCUSOR CANNOT MAKE ACCUSATION AGAINST THEM.

Joshua 5:8 says…they stayed in the place until they were healed! Now, this is the gift of preaching that has been given you, the foolishness of preaching. Don’t fight it, just receive it! Just rest in it, stay in the place and be healed.

(There was a quiet pause in the service at this point when everyone was given time to take in the magnitude of what had been said. Then the service resumed.)

______________________________________________________________________________

The manna on that day will cease.

Israel is a modern nation today... It will not be defeated. It is being weaned of its codependency of the USA.
We, the USA, don’t operate in a Hebraic way and Israel is being weaned from us.

The Bible says that after that day, when the manna stopped, Israel had to eat the produce of the land. She had to learn to live off of the provision of God in a new way. The manna no longer fell from heaven. They were no longer being spoon fed. It was time to produce meat.

If we are to eat the food of the land in America then we must do the same thing. We need peace and blessing on the land. We need to understand how co-dependent we are and learn to turn our dependency upon others and the government back to our rightful owner, God. His word tells us to honor your mother and father that you may have long life and prosper in the land. In order to prosper in the land, it needs to produce as God planned in Eden. We need to expect God's provision is there for us. Honor our fathers and mothers. What about truly honoring God the Father? His ground is holy ground...

We decree the land is holy ground and God has loaned it to us!   Lord, we trust you with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people. You neither slumber nor sleep. You see all that goes on. Lord, we trust you with our nation, even our nation within the nation. That same spirit that keeps Israel keeps us. Your land is holy ground.

Holy Ground

They took off their shoes...

"Do not come any closer," the LORD warned. "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. Ex.3:5

The commander of the LORD's army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did as he was told Josh.5:15

Even in Acts 7, the importance of Moses taking off his sandals is recounted (among many other events) by Stephen before he is stoned to death.  Acts 7:30 ... there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. 31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, 32 saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. 33 Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

There is blessing with authority and power over all the land that is represented here in this room. God deems it to be holy and to be put to use for his will and pleasure. We are to obey and offer it up along with our lives to his glory.
_______________________________________________________________________________

2. Chief Neigel Big Pond

Restoration.
Indian tribes are to be reached in the USA today with the values of believers. This is the will of God and this is the day that God will open up doors. Heads are held high, not in pride but in humbleness to God to restore American to its proper place.

In Isa. 22 we have the prophecy of Jerusalem. It is the valley of vision. What is happening and why is everyone running to the rooftops? Bodies are everywhere, not killed by battle but by disease and famine. This terror is brought by the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s armies. Everyone tries to remedy things in their own power, but none call upon God for help. No one even considered the One who planned this long ago when He said to weep and mourn. But instead they were dancing, playing, feasting and drinking. The Lord will cast away and lift up whom He will... Doesn't this sound like today's time???

Isa. 22:22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

The keys of restoration of the House of David… have been given…

Matt. 16:19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The keys of the Kingdom of Heaven… have been given…

Rev. 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

The keys of hell and death… have been given…

I declare that this treasure (these words) will go home (with you)and (you will) remember as we see things pass this year. We will see … the invasion of the Holy Spirit into the Native Americans this year… It has begun… but it is sudden… and in little things… certain tribes will be the forerunners… this is the day of breakthrough…

Lift your hands to the Lord.

Father, we come in the name of Jesus.

We declare this Passover is our launching pad to see that our nation comes back to God.

The nation and the nations around us, the lifeline of America,

exercises the rights to bring back peace.

Exercises the rights to bring back peace, and find our place strong, tall and united.

This is the kingdom of God, a living body of people.

We will shelter one another as we go forward.

The unity of the body of Christ will shelter in love as we go forward.

We will see all the promises revealed. Amen.

Curt and Jay, both drink from the Kiddush cup, the cup of sanctification.
Your people are my people. The first nations are represented both Jew and Native Americans. We speak let my people go that they might serve the Lord and we come together having a Passover in Indian land and in Jewish land. We are truly one in Messiah.

_____________________________________________________________________________

3. Curt continues with the message:

After the circumcision, Josh. 13, are you for our adversary or us? God is not taking sides with any denomination or group. He is for the Kingdom of God. All people groups need to be for the kingdom of God. What does the Lord say to His servant? There is a principality of entitlement that has been released from hell. It is real.

We cut off every entitlement spirit!

I am a co-heir with Christ.

I am the Lord’s servant.

In this the day, the sandals being taken off represents more than we may think. Social status can even be seen in the sandals someone wears, so if we take off our sandals and we are all barefoot then we are all the same. We are all the same having ugly feet.

Take off your sandals. Take off the "I can't do this because..." There is a blessing for knowledge of our authority to possess our mountains. We must get anointed and let the Holy Spirit do its work. Just take it, take the anointing, it is good. Don’t analyze it. He will give us the opportunity to be blessed. Will you miss it because you have a Greek mindset and must analyze everything?

Old doors will close and new doors will open. Even if my coattail gets stuck in the door, I’ll leave it there. I’m a servant and the Master has need of me. I’m anointed. The kingdom of God lives in me. His word builds a strong foundation.

THIS TABLE IS PREPARING ME FOR AN EXODUS…

             · I agree and say… yes, Amen.

             · We will participate… we will not teach… This is a table of deliverance!

· Parsley and salt water—We need to change this thought... We do everything in the USA to avoid suffering—But Jesus grew in stature in suffering—We need to interact with suffering—when we do this we will be promoted into a new tomorrow—principalities and powers do not give up nations easily.

We are reminded of the bitter root of slavery and the salt of tears as we dip the parsley 3 times—            Father, set me free in my body, my soul, my spirit. Reconcile me supernaturally with the things             I’ve suffered and turn my travails into triumph! We eat this bitterness together.

· The matzah—break off two pieces—in life there are bitter times and sweet times—in the economy of the Lord He never puts more on us than we can take—if you are being trusted in a sickness or disease—you are a spokesman for the Lord right now—share the goodness of God—“if not for the Lord where would you be”

· The apple mixture of cinnamon and nuts—the sweetness of God came when salvation came. Many have experienced deaths in their families. There is sorrow in the midst of loss. But there is sweetness that we will see them again. On one cracker place some horseradish and the other cracker place the sweet mixture. Take this to make a sandwich and eat the bitter and sweet together. As I partake, in the name of Jesus, balance my emotions to be at peace with the sweet times and the bitter times that I might rejoice always.

· We have need to be set free and sanctified.

______________________________________________________________________________

4. Apostle John Benefield continues:

Hallelujah. He has set us apart and sanctified us by the blood of Jesus so then put Him in remembrance of our covenant.

Gal. 3:13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

We have been set apart for the Lord. We are not cursed. We have been sanctified. We have been made holy.

Deut. 8: The entire chapter warns that we should not forget God. We are called to be different than the world. We are sanctified and set apart for the Lord by His blood. Blessings will come on my nation and me, as I am obedient. If we diligently obey the Lord and do His commandments, the grace of God will sustain us. The Holy Spirit will lead us. We can be obedient. We are made righteous by the blood of Jesus. So we can be righteous and there is no excuse for unrighteousness. We are not a slave to sin anymore. The Lord will set us high above all nations of the earth. Blessings will come and overtake us. Did you hear? Blessings… not curses… will overtake us!

Blessed in the city. Blessed in the country. Blessed are our offspring. The increase of our herds and flocks, our baskets and kneading bowls. Blessed when we come in and go out.

The Lord will cause our enemies to be defeated. They will come out against us but we will be seven ways redeemed. The Lord establish us a holy people to Himself if we keep His commandment. So all the people of the earth will see that we are called and they will be afraid of us. The Lord makes us to abound in our body (the church) in our land (America).

Seven ways redeemed. During this service, the seven ways redeemed was not explained, but in past services I've learned much regarding what this might mean. Christ shed his blood at seven different points and each point represents a healing that takes place becasue of the spilled blood. Curses were broken and blessings were bestowed on us by Jesus' sacrificial blood.

(1.) In Gethsemane, Jesus won back our willpower, He said not my will but thine be done. (2.) The stripes on Jesus' back won back our health. It is said there are 39 roots of disease in the body and Jesus' took 39 stripes so that we were healed. (3.) Jesus' crown of thorns won back our prosperity, we were to earn our bread by the sweat of the brow but now that curse is broken. (4.) Jesus' pierced hands won back dominion over the things we touch and create. We won back dominion over our business. (5.) Jesus' pierced feet won back dominion over the places we walk so that we can takeback the lands and possessions the enemy stole from us. (6.) Jesus' pierced heart won back our joy when His heart was broken within Him. (7.) Jesus' bruises won our deliverance from inner hurts and iniquities so that the serpants head is crushed and Christ is only bruised. But none of this was done for us alone, but for His glory to be used in His service!

His good storehouse is full. He gives rain and blesses all the work of the hand. We shall lend and not borrow. We shall be the head and not the tail. We shall be above and not underneath if we listen to the commandments of the Lord our God. We are not to turn to the right or left after other gods. We recognize the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and His kindness, His generosity. He was rich and became poor in order that by his poverty on the cross we might be rich and wealthy.

Lord God we thank you that all the land of the USA and Israel are being saved, transformed and reformed and by your grace, I will do my part.

The shofars blast. The glory of the Lord is sounded. Shouts of warfare are echoed out. When your body becomes a shofar, then you, you are the voice of God!

________________________________________________________________________________

A child asks the questions and his father answers...
The four questions:

Why is this night different from all other nights?

· We get rid of leaven that means no more sin and we have only matzah that represents our freedom.

· We remember how God set us free.

On all other nights we eat all kinds of vegetables, why only bitter herbs?

· We remember in Egypt, our lives were painful and bitter.

· We remember this so that we can understand and appreciate our freedom even more.

On all other nights, we don’t dip our vegetables even once, why dip them?

· Remember the tears of compassion that were shed when we were slaves.

· We dip because we are free to dip; we dip in salt water to remember the tears.

On other nights, we sit, why do we eat recline or lean?

· Once we were slaves and had to be ready immediately to respond to our masters but now we are free.

· In olden days, rich people used to lie on couches as they ate, a true sign of nobility and now we are free.

______________________________________________________________________________

Partake of the first cup of blessing. BLESSED ARE THOU LORD OUR GOD KING OF THE UNIVERSE WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE VINE.

God says,

“ I will bring you out of oppression.”

· On the Seder plate, is the shank bone and egg—we recognize that God is getting ready to cut off the plagues of Egypt. All the plagues had powers and principalities behind them. Each one of the gods were being called out and when God delivers us from our enemies—we cry out that God destroy our enemies by His omnipotent sovereign power.

· It is activation—just because we pray doesn’t mean God answers—it is our fervent prayer.

· God will pass over 5770. God will hover over the this year of government, for 70 stands for government!God’s right hand will sweep across the earth and bring order. He will bring the Seder. (Seder means order).

Remember this as we go along. Baal is the ruler of the demons—

Hosea 1 & 2 tells us that the Lord told Hosea to take a wife of whoredoms. The scripture continues to tell what will happen. The whoredom shows the departure of the Lord. Hosea's wife had children. The first son being named Jezreel, so that it meant that Israel would be broken and there would be no strength. The second child is born, a daughter, Lo-ruhamah, her name meaning no mercy for Israel. Then another son is born, Lo-ammi, meaning you are not my people and I will not be your God.

Then Jezreel (the broken Israel) will ask Ruhama (no mercy) and Ammi (I am not your God) to plead with their mother to put away the adultery. Then in the course of her punishments, she turns back again and is restored. She is not restored because of her love but because of her husband’s love for her.

Oh how we are like Hosea's wife today. The church has turned away and in adultery has birthed children who do not know of the strength and mercy of God. The church has gone so far to say that her last child would not be considered belonging to God. He will not be their God. But Christ's love for the church is so great.... she will reap what she has sown for sure... but she can be reconcilled. It will be her children who cry out for her to stop the insanity and turn back to the one who loves her! Glory!

Hosea 3:4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: 5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Oh how great the love of our Father, for even when Israel has been an adulteress wife, He loved her and restored her. Oh how great the love of the Father, that he give us, as Christians the same message. We are the bride, but take to our breasts the love of the world. Let us seek to be pure for Him who has loved us and gave Himself to save us.

Remember Baal--departure from the Lord led to idoltery and whoredome with Baal...
Dutch Sheets tells us more about Baal and that we need to divorce Baal and be reconciled to Christ, remarried to our bridegroom. Here are some points Dutch makes...
· God has exposed the spirit of Baal as one of the strongmen—perhaps THE strongman over America. Baal is identified as the ruler of the demons and he has many names (Matt. 12:24--Beelzebub)

· Baal-hamon, another name means lord of wealth or abundance. It is this principality that is warring against the transfer of wealth to the church. We must war against this spirit to see our inheritance released. (Jeremiah 51:44 (Bel is Baal)

· Baal-berith, lord of the covenant, meaning husband or marriage. This spirit attempts to break covenant with God. In many ways, America has broken covenant with God and also married Baal just as Hosea's wife did.

o Sexual perversion, homosexuality, adultery are all the offspring of Baal.

o We will continue to see God expose leaders in the church who align themselves with this spirit.

o Pray that the church be cleansed and Baal’s hold be broken.

o Baal goes after the next generation. He is a violent spirit and even requires human sacrifice—abortion is under Baal, so is cutting (1 Kings18:28), the vampire and Goth movement, and the death culture that has so invaded America. Baal is leading the fight to avert the awakening planned for the young generation. Pray against and bind these efforts.

Think on these things and repent... O Church!

______________________________________________________________________________

The Plagues

We spill a drop of wine—the symbol of our joy—from our cups to our plate ten times to represent the plagues of Egypt. But, the pain visited upon the Egyptians will always tarnish our joy. Our freedom will not be as sweet becasue of the punishment of the Egyptians. We must remember this... that as the blood, frogs, lice, insect swarms, cattle plague, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of the first-born were the plagues of Egypt, we have our own plagues today… are they not these?

1. Our plague of blood: Apathy in the face of evil.

2. Our plague of frogs: Brutal torture of the helpless

3. Our plague of lice: Cruel mockery of the old and weak

4. Our plague of insect swarms: Despair of human goodness

5. Our cattle plague: Envy of the joy of others

6. Our plague of boils: Falsehood and deception corroding our faith

7. Our plague of hail: Greedy theft of earth’s resources

8. Our plague of locusts: Hatred of learning and culture

9. Our plague of darkness: Instigation of war and aggression

10. Our plague of death: Justice delayed, justice denied, justice mocked…

O Father, Shekhinah, soften our hearts
and the hearts of our enemies.
Help us to dream new paths to freedom,
that the next sea-opening is not also a drowning,
that our singing is never again their wailing.
That our freedom leaves no one
orphaned, childless, gasping for air.

___________________________________________________________________________

5. Tim Alsbaugh continues:

Dayenu: What does this mean: It would have been enough?

We should celebrate each step toward freedom as if it were enough, then to start out on the next step. It means that if we reject each step because it is not the whole liberation, we will never be able to achieve the whole liberation. It means to sing each verse as if it were the whole song—and then sing the next verse.

Dayenu means "It would have been enough."

Had God... Brought us out of Egypt and not divided the sea for us… Dayenu

Had God... Divided the sea and not permitted us to cross on dry land… Dayenu

Had God... Permitted us to cross on dry land and not sustained us for forty years in the desert… Dayenu

Had God... Sustained us for forty years in the desert and not fed us with manna… Dayenu

Had God... Fed us with manna and not given us the Sabbath… Dayenu

Had God... Given us the Sabbath and not brought us to Mount Sinai… Dayenu

Had God... Brought us to Mount Sinai and not given us the Torah… Dayenu

Had God... Given us the Torah and not led us into the land of Israel… Dayenu

Had God... Led us into the land of Israel and not built for us the Temple… Dayenu

Had God... Built for us the Temple and not sent us prophets of truth… Dayenu

Had God... Sent us prophets of truth and not made us a holy people… Dayenu

Had God... For all these, alone and together, we say… Dayenu

It is enough!
_______________________________________________________________________________

The second cup of blessing— BLESSED ARE THOU LORD OUR GOD KING OF THE UNIVERSE WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE VINE—

God says,

“I will free you from slavery!”

______________________________________________________________________________
6. Chief Neigel Big Pond continues:

I have asked the Over-comer, God to allow us to come into His midst and release us into a place of alignment. We have wanted this. The first-born… first nation… first fruit are coming together for Passover. I’ve not known this to ever happen before… where our Jewish brothers and sisters have allowed us to join them as well as other gentiles… We are full of good news in this land… God’s reign and rule!

We live in a land of cooperation through the Holy Spirit. We stand as one and we stand together…regardless of race and nationality. The power and authority is on us today. The world views us as weak.
We are no longer a Christian nation, they say. But God says we are people in this nation that love the world in the sense that God loves the world.

In the same sense that this nation within a nation loves what God has done for the world. He has sent his salvation. This nation is fruitful and blessed and has been blessed. In this world His grace will multiply. His grace is sufficient.

Great things will change. Remember that one thing that creates curses is fear. Let us dismiss the fear that’s over this nation.

Gen. 1:28 says And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. God blesses them and told them to multiply… be Masters… God said look… I have given… When God looked over all things he had created, He saw that it was excellent! This happened on the sixth day…

Now, we are living in the 7th day of great blessings! This is where God will fulfill his grace and blessings upon us. Bless and be blessed and always be blessed! Remember God blessed the Sabbath, 7th day and declared it holy! It was because that day, He rested (ceased creating). He did not need to sleep and rest in that manner. He ceased creating and gave blessing on the 7th day. It was the day of fellowship with Him and nothing more. That is the purpose to cease creating on the 7th day and have fellowship with Him and nothing more.

The Land was barren.

Natives sung to God on the "trail of tears." Between 1838-39, the Cherokees led the way in responding to George Washington's policy whereby this minority group, Native Americans, was to gradually adopt the customs and attitudes of the dominate culture of the USA. This land they were forced to was barren. There was nothing. It was nothing. We were sent here to die.

Our ancestors worshipped God all the way… from the lands everywhere, singing to God. When they got here the land became fruitful. It’s not in history books anywhere. You won't find it written. But our people were taught and they know the ancestors sung their songs all the way, so that one day, ministries such as this House of David would come together and we would be accepted and not cast away. It is a good day! It is a good day to die to the flesh and live for the Lord!

Innocent bloodshed defiles the land with broken covenants and idolatry. It’s now time to worship God again. He has given us the words. Worship God with all your heart. If you worship me, my enemy cannot enter in! He has no authority in worship anymore.

You who live in fear, start worshipping with all your heart. The enemy cannot enter in… You must know that God’s kingdom is not based on need. It is not controlled by a president. It has no worldly plans. It is not obtained by ambition but by His grace.

God’s kingdom

o is not based on need…

o not controlled by a president…

o has no worldly plans

o not obtained by ambition but by His grace

We break every curse on this land
by the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Let it be broken…

Let the curse be broken…

As we break the matzah:

We break the matzah as we broke the chains of slavery from Egypt, and we break chains that bind us today through the blood and brokenness of the Lord Jesus. Isa. 53: Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Amen.
_______________________________________________________________________________

The third cup of wine is praise—Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine—

God says,

“I will liberate you
with an outstretched arm.”

In the name of Jesus,
I am the healed of the Lord
and the land
and the blessing of unity
is released in my house.
Lift this cup and say l'chai-im,
To life!

As we release the blessing of feeding the poor. We bring our offerings—and mix it with faith. This will release you into the mountain that God gave you to minister.

Ex. 15:26 If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. No, none of the diseases… I am the Lord who heals you…

Mat. 25:23 His Lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Enter into the joy of the Lord!

Deut. 29:9 Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

The eleven disciples went into the mountain where the Lord Jesus appointed them. Don’t hop from mountain to mountain. Hopping is unbelief… Stay in the mountain you have been appointed and move only when He moves you.

Remember that resistance always comes after the word...

Press through… stay in the mountain you have been given…

_____________________________________________________________________________

Now as this Passover Seder continued at the House of David, it was cut short on my internet screen, but I found this interesting story on a Jewish website and leave it for you to think about...

A story... Elijah... Mariam…

Three thousand years ago, a farmer arose in the Middle East who challenged the ruling elite. In his passionate advocacy for common people, Elijah sparked a movement and generations to come would be inspired. He declared that he would return once each generation in the guise of someone poor or oppressed, coming to people's doors to see how he would be treated. Thus would he know whether or not humanity had become ready to participate in the dawn of the Messianic age. He is said to visit every Seder, and sip there from his cup of wine. (It is a Jewish tradition to set forth a 5th cup of wine for Elijah at the Passover Seder.)

But now, we welcome two prophets: not only Elijah, but also Miriam, the sister of Moses to the Seder.
Elijah is a symbol of messianic redemption at the end of time; Miriam, of redemption in our present lives.

Miriam’s cup is filled with water, representing her well, which followed the Israelites in the wilderness. After the crossing of the Red Sea, Miriam sang to the Israelites a song. (Micah 6:4 it says, “And I brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam.” This signifies to us just how important Miriam was to God that she should be mentioned throughout Moses birth and the exodus.)

The words in the Torah are only the beginning of what she sang and danced to:

Sing to God, for God has triumphed gloriously;

Horse and driver, God has hurled into the sea.

So the Rabbis asked: Why is the Song of Miriam only partially stated in the Torah?

The answer: The song is incomplete so that future generations will finish it and that is our task.

I believe "our song" will be in His coming…

______________________________________________________________________________

The fourth cup of wine represents God’s fourth declaration of redemption: Blessed are you, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, creator of the fruit of the vine.

God says,

“ I will claim you for me
as a people,

and I will be your God.”

All Your works shall praise You, our Creator;

the righteous will praise You in joyous song.

We will thank, exalt, revere and sanctify You.

It is good to give thanks to You,
and fitting to sing praises to Your name,

for You are Eternal from everlasting to everlasting.

Blessed are You, Adonai, sovereign who is praised in song!

As all things of passover point to our Savior, our Pesach!
Let us remember Him who hovers and guards us.
It is Christ,
who will never allow death to take us because we have believed.

When God's face turned away from his Son,
it was then that Abba Father saw us, saw me!

He took pity and covered me. He covered you.
We are covered in the blood of His only Son,
that we might live forever.

All this because He loves us!

Stand in awe at His grace toward us!
Bow to His authority!
Lay prostrate in adoration!
Hallelujah!
Amen!

Joy in the midst of trouble… (I've modified my notes taken from Curt Landry)

2010-03-19T21:23:00.002-04:00

Do you know that the wisdom and knowledge of God is directly involved with your joy?

The Bible says the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) but there is more than that…

The joy of the wisdom of the Lord and the knowledge of God gives us joy in the midst of troubled times. God wants to reveal to us what we are to do with our lives, our business, everything. It’s not enough in today’s time to have a Wednesday-Sunday God, but He wants to be the Lord of our lives every day of the week.

Do you need joy in your life? Of course, we all do. There is a difference between joy and happiness. Happiness is like a butterfly. It will light on you and flutter away, leaving you with other emotions. But joy is solid and steadfast, just like the Lord. Joy does not change, just like the Lord. You can experience joy even in the midst of trouble. Joy is a non-wavering calm and peace that engulfs our entire being. There is no fear in joy!

But where does this joy come from and how can we get it?

For the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy… Ecc. 2:26 (Amplified Bible)

His ways bring joy… when we please Him…

Are your ways pleasing the Lord? Are you kind and helpful to others? Are you worshipping and praying with other believers? Are you living out the life He called you to? Are you bringing your tithe to the Lord? Are you giving of yourself to the Lord in service other than the tithe and offering?

The main question is this, are your surrendered to Jesus in all things?

Another thought, are your finances surrendered to the Lord?

Have you given the Lord your house? Dedicate your house to the Lord. Separate everything to the Lord. Thank him that you have a place to live and give that place over to Him.

Thank you Lord, that you have provided me a safe dwelling place to live. This is your house, your house payment, your car, your bills...

When we give everything to the Lord, He is pleased.

He says it pleases me that you are the Lord’s Monday through Sunday

His ways are prosperous… One of His names is Wonderful counselor...

You can go to Him and seek His counsel. If you know Him as your Lord and Savior, He waits for you to come to Him in prayer. He will reveal Himself to you and give you insight as to what you need to do.

He will tell you when to buy, sell, move, stand still. The steps of a good and righteous man or woman are ordered of God. (Psalm 37:23)

Meditate about this and seek God’s wisdom and knowledge. He will answer.
May you prosper even as your soul prospers. (3 John 1:2)

In the name of Jesus.

Misconceptions and Unity!

2010-03-06T21:09:00.011-05:00

It’s true that anyone can and should read scripture everyday. But imagine that all around the world various people are reading the same portion of God’s Word during the same week. Then continue to imagine that the following week they are all reading another text and so on and so on, week after week.

Well, that is just what has happened throughout the ages in regard to reading Torah and it still happens today!

Think of this… Many of us were taught that Torah means simply “The Law” and we came to know the first five books of Moses as “The Law”. That interpretation is not really true. It’s only partially true! Although the Torah contains law, Torah means teaching. There is more than law in those sacred pages! Now that doesn’t sound like such a big deal, but when you start looking at the misconceptions we hold… well, do you get the picture? Think about it… how much of the Truth do we really know? I can already hear you say… Jesus is the Truth. Yes, but how well do you really know Jesus? Be careful what you answer…

Most of my knowledge about the Bible (Old and New Testaments) was gained by listening to preaching. I relied on preachers and teachers to feed me and I learned things that I would not have known otherwise. But, now as I open scriptures, dictionaries, concordances, etc. and study on my own, I find many inaccuracies in my knowledge based on what others had learned and taught me, especially down to basic vocabulary. My knowledge is faulty and I need to study for myself, one word at a time in some instances.

Here’s a word for us: aliya or aliyah.

The Torah Portion (or scripture we read from the books of Moses) is sometimes called an aliyah. There are several meanings for aliyah in Judaism. Aliyah means “called up”. It’s a great honor for a worshiper to be “called up” to read the holy passage from the Torah on Sabbath morning at the synagogue. The passage assigned is subdivided into seven sections so at least seven different people are “called up” to read. This seems like the most likely meaning of aliyah with regard to Torah Portions.

But here are some other meanings for aliyah worthy of notation. Aliyah can mean “going up” as in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. It can mean the Jewish law of immigration, whereby Jews are allowed to return (or go up) to Israel, settle there and gain citizenship. This was legislation enacted in 1950 in response to Jewish immigrants returning from all over the world. This type of aliyah is ongoing and sometimes occurs in waves of great numbers.

Aliyah can also mean the miraculous “going up” into heaven of Enoch (Genesis 5:23-24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). I have to ask this with a smile on my face, are you ready for your aliyah?

So our “calling up” is supposed to happen everyday as we enter scripture reading. In Hebrew, the scripture portion, Ki Tisa is one that many Jews around the world read collectively this past week.

In general, Ki Tisa is Exodus 30:11-34:35. This reading talks about taking a census of the Israelites. Explicit instructions are given regarding the washbasin of the Tabernacle, the anointing oils for the priests and kings, the incense offering, and the Sabbath. We read about the story of the Golden Calf and God’s anger. We read of Moses pleading for Divine forgiveness for the sin of the Jewish nation, the breaking of the 10 Commandments, and the giving of the second tablets.

The words “Ki Tisa” means “When you take”
God commanded Moses to take a census of the Jewish population. He was to collect an atonement offering of half a silver shekel from each. The collected silver was melted down and made into sockets for the beams of the Tabernacle.You’ll have to read the scripture for yourself, for there are many nuggets of understanding here. Some things I looked into were…

· God command Moses to take a census. Now, why on earth would God need Moses to take a census? Doesn’t God know who everyone is already?

· God commanded Moses to collect an atonement offering? Why would HE do that? What is atonement anyway?

· God commanded Moses to melt down the silver and have sockets made for the beams of the Tabernacle. Why go to all that trouble?

Here are my thoughts… take or leave them. However, whatever you do… be sure to read scripture and learn from it yourself. The world as you know it, will change right in front of you when you begin to understand God’s Word for yourself.

First, I see that the people were not yet a nation for God. They were each for themselves and not in unity. Although they all could live together in a community of sorts, there wasn’t anything that united them. So God was preparing a way to draw them to be “His people”.

The atonement offering was not for God, but to remind the people that they had been set free. They were ransomed. God wanted to reconcile His people to Himself but they had to give up something in order for this to happen. Their atonement offering was not meant to be a one time do this and forget it service. This offering was to be remembered because of what was done with it. The offering was another way to remember God. Sad but true, God always wants us to remember Him but we are always forgetting Him. So He gives us ways to remember Him if we pay attention.

Taking of the silver shekel was like taking out a part of what everyone thought of themselves. Aren’t we still like this? When you work and get paid, isn’t the money you receive sometimes how you also value yourself? But, God places a different value upon us than that. We are not the value of our money.

The atonement offering had to be silver and it had to be the exact amount from everyone. God is no respecter of persons, (Romans 2:11) so no one could say I am more worthy than someone else because of giving a greater amount in the offering.

It had to be silver, but why? God’s words are sometimes referenced as silver (Psalm 12:6). Christ, was bought with silver, and paid the price of redemption with his blood. (Matthew 27:3-8) In other words, silver represents holiness.

The silver had to be melted together and made into something brand new. Only when silver was heated to liquid form could it blend with the other silver. It became unified. We must be blended together. Sometimes it is with the affliction that God allows heat to burn away our impurities. The silver was made into something new, so we must be made into something new.

Brand new silver sockets were made to hold the poles of the tabernacle together. Each socket had its purpose and each socket depended upon all the others to maintain the structure and for continual support. The tabernacle was mobile, but once it was in place, it stood as a testimony to the world that God would meet with His people. Each silver socket had to be in place for God to meet them.

Today, the church is in place, it should stand as a testimony that God meets with His people, but does it? The church, in general, is a meeting place for Christians and "wannabe" Christians. Does God actually meet His people in church? Since Christ came to save us, I believe the church (I"m actually talking about Christian individuals and not the building) is to move out into the world and carry the testimony forward. We, are to be a mobile force and the Holy Spirit will go with each one of us! But we must continue to meet together in unity in God's house and seek Him as one body. In our daily walk, we must act as lone ambassadors, but in our worship we are to act as one in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20) We were changed into something new in the Kingdom of God when we received Christ as our Redeemer. I became a part of a whole unit and need to act in unity with other believers. Yet, I am also alone, but complete in Him who saved me. What a beautiful mystery!

We need to remember then that we cannot support God's work unless we also maintain. We have to maintain by remembering what has gone before us. If we fail to maintain, then our part in God’s kingdom will collapse and if it collapses then we will not be able to support the work of God. It is a chain reaction....

Let us maintain by reading scripture, praying, worshipping and waiting on God and this will keep our structure strong.

But let us support by witnessing, doing service for others in Jesus name, and giving tithes and offerings.

We are the church. Let’s act like it!

Book of the Month Club
In our congregaton, we now have a book of the month club! This month you simply are encouraged to read the Gospel of John as many times as you like. St. John is a wonderful book to read in order to get a grasp of the life and ministry of Jesus. Chapter one of John is much like chapter one of Genesis. It speaks of the beginning and creation and Chirst in the midst of it all! I hope you'll consider reading the book of John. Go deep and deeper!

Prayer

Please be in prayer concerning a teacher at our school who had a skiing accident over the weekend. She has a broken back and fractured skull and needs our prayers. Father God, you are the only source of health and healing. May full physical healing be granted to Mary in Jesus' name. May your spirit of calm and peace surround your children as we come to you in prayer. Thank you for what you are about to do. In Jesus' name. Amen
Please also be in prayer concerning my sister-in-law's hip replacement surgery. She came through fine and now needs recovery. We thank you, O Lord, for the good news of a successful surgery and now come to you and ask for a successful recovery. Thank you. In Jesus' name. Amen