HAPPY THANKSGIVUKKAH

Something very unusual will occur this year as Jews in America celebrate Thanksgiving.  Their mashed potatoes will be replaced by potato pancakes  (latkes), a transitional Hanukkah treat.  Why?  for the first time EVER , the first day of Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication, falls on Thanksgiving Day.

Thanksgiving Day is always the fourth Thursday in November.  The latest it can be is November 28th.  The earliest Hanukkah can be is November 28th.  According to the Jewish calendar, the last time the two holidays coincided was 1861. However, Thanksgiving was not formally established until 1863 (by President Lincoln). 

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah will never coincide again because the Jewish (lunar) calendar is very slowly getting out of sync with the solar calendar, so that eventually the earliest Hanukkah can be is November 29th. The next time Hanukkah falls on the 28th is 2146, which happens to be a Monday.The two holidays will converge again in the year 79,811 on the Jewish Calendar. So...This is a special year!  Some are even calling the event "Thanksgivukkah."

I  personally love Thanksgiving.  It is a constant reminder to give thanks in all things. The holiday often gets lost in all the preChristmas music, decorations and of course BLACK FRIDAY. 1Thess.5:16 says,"Rejoice in all things, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." To experience the joy of the Lord, I believe it is directly related to giving thanks.   Giving thanks is always an act of faith, more difficult in trying times, but always pleasing to God. It makes a way for the joy of the Lord to be present, despite adverse circumstances. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVUKKAH!!!!!     

A MYSTERY REVEALED

How does the Lord take a man and a women and make them one flesh?  Have you ever noticed after years of marriage how a husband and wife often look alike? They know each other,s thoughts before they even speak.  How does this amazing mystery develop?  I don't know.  It just happens.

My husband and I have been a part of this GREAT MYSTERY for 55 years, and more is still being revealed to us. We have our problems, discouragements,and misunderstandings,  but the Lord has preserved our covenant of marriage.

We were NOT believers when we were married in 1958.  By the grace of God we were born again in 1970 and our whole marriage began to change.  We had so much to learn. But the Lord was faithful to bring us year by year into a greater love for each other. 

There are many good books written about marriage. But, this one truth that is often quoted at weddings, we have valued the most. It is Ephesians 5:32. "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.  However, let each one of you LOVE his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she RESPECTS her husband."    This has been the key in our relationship that has turned our heart more and more to each other.  Men need to be RESPECTED and women need to be LOVED. 

The world has this upside down.  It can not possibly understand God's ways, (1Corinthians 2:14, 1John 2:15). The world wants everyone to be equal and fair in their own eyes. Selfishness  reigns in the center many marriages, which only leads to failure.  But when the wife respects her husband, with a growing sense of gratitude in her heart, her husband will respond in love. The children receive the overflow of their parent's love for each other and are emotionally more mature. 

If you are a Christian and believe in holy matrimony between a man and a woman, your marriage is special.  You have entered into a holy covenant of marriage with Almighty God. He will keep HIS covenant through the many storms of life, even when you think you have failed.  He is faithful when we are faithless. (2Timothy 2:13).  His forgiveness will heal many wounds of the heart and His love will restore lost affections.

We would  like to recommend to you a great book, which we believe will help you understand more of this great  mystery of marriage.  It is called  "LOVE AND RESPECT" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. I know you will be blessed.

THE TRUE ABUNDANT LIFE

As an American christian ,it is easy to think that the abundant life is a new house, a bigger house, a new car, fancy designer clothes, an Ivy league college education, an influential circle of friends and a 6 figure salary. It doesn't get any better than that.  Thank you Jesus.  But, what if you were living in Africa, India or South American?  Would you feel that the Lord didn't care about you and was giving His leftovers to you?  What is the abundant life that the Lord is speaking about in John 10:10?

I would like to propose the real abundant life is not a WHAT, but a WHO.  Jesus said in John 14:6 that He was the way, the truth and the LIFE. I believe that Jesus is the abundant life and that His desire is to give to ALL His children, in every nation, Himself, if only we would believe His Word." Jesus came to give us life, and life more abundantly. Is this eternal life?  It could be at some level, but He didn't say, I have come to give you 'eternal' life,  but an 'abundant life'. We already have eternal life through our new birth, and no man can snatch us out of His hands.

 However, we are still on earth with trials and tribulations.  Is Jesus enough to take us through our testing times? When we are sick, struggling with a disease, or a besetting sin is Jesus enough?  How can He help us.?  Where is this abundant Jesus? It is written, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth  and the truth will set you free."  Free from what?  I believe we are free from the consequences of Adam's sin, which is sin, sickness and disease. Jesus is our redeemer, healer and deliverer. We are NOT under the Law, but under Grace. We are children of a New Covenant, born again in Christ Jesus.  That doesn't mean we don't sin, get sick and contract some disease.  The Good news is  Jesus has overcome the world.  He died and absorbed into Himself all our sins, sicknesses and diseases that we inherited in Adam. By faith in His resurrection He gives to us His abundant life. Truly, it seems like an uneven exchange, but it is true.

It grieves my heart when I sin to know that it cost My Lord His life.  There is only one answer I know, "It will cost me my life," and I can't continue to sin.  I hate my sin.  It is wicked. I am very grateful for the gift of repentance and being able to take responsibility for my sin of unbelief, rebellion, self-righteousness,, self-pity, pride, arrogance, unforgiveness, hate, anger,  and complaining. The list goes on and on.  I don't feel condemned, but graciously forgiven and am being changed from the inside out from glory to glory.

Yes, Jesus is the abundant life no matter where we live. He has 
overcome the spirit of  the world, our flesh (sin nature) and the devil. Satan no longer can hold us in bondage to our sin, but only what we consciously or unconsciously give Him.  Apart from the Lord, we can do nothing that is holy, righteous and good. He is the new life in us that produces the fruit of  love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness,kindness, goodness, and self-control. He is our health, our provider, our righteousness, our wealth, our hope, our faith, our love, our forgiveness, our mercy, and our ABUNDANT LIFE no matter what nation we might  live in.

95 YEAR OLD BILLY GRAHAM PRAYS FOR OUR NATION

This is a prayer that we all can agree with before our Father in Heaven.  Billy Graham at 95 years old is still interceding before the Throne of Grace. THERE IS POWER IN AGREEMENT. Let us pray in agreement with him. 

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.  We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.  We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.  We have killed our unborn and called it choice.  We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.  We neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem.  We have abused power and call it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.  Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from sin and set us free. Amen!"

Also, I believe the Lord is saying " It is time to take back our land from the enemy.  Satan has no right to America."  Jesus paid the price for our country with His BLOOD. As the body of Christ arises and joins the Head, (Jesus),we will march through this land on our knees and watch the Lord restore its godly heritage. Jesus needs His body to pray, NOW!.  How can a body exist without the head? or a head without a body?  We must be one body; THE BODY OF CHRIST.

Together by faith, if we repent and turn fully  to Jesus, He as the head will continue to instruct us how to pray His heart and give us back our Nation. America belongs to the church and the church belongs to the Lord Jesus.

LEARNING TO SIT AT THE FEET OF JESUS

One morning , I was reading the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42, when the Lord gave me this revelation.  It is helping me so much and it really is a THOUGHT TO PONDER. You probably know the story and how Martha was busy in the kitchen, while Mary sat at Jesus' feet.  Martha  needs help in the kitchen, but Mary needs help for her soul.  Who is right? Jesus said that Mary had chosen the best portion, which will not be taken away from her. Why did Jesus say a thing like that?  Didn't He care about how much Martha is serving Him working so hard in the kitchen? Of course, He appreciated her efforts, but how much more it would have meant to Him, if Martha first desired was to sit with Mary and cook later? 

I was thinking about this and I thought to myself, "How many times have I tried to serve Jesus myself without even asking what He wants me to do? I just want Him to bless my agenda and hope it is His.  Could many of my works to serve be considered wood, hay and stubble?  That made me sad and I knew I was missing something. Mary was building on gold, silver and precious stone, by first letting the Lord serve her.  Mary wanted a deep relationship with him. 

Learning to walk in the spirit and not in my flesh (old nature) is an every day trial for me. The Lord is so patience, kind and gentle in His ways. I am grateful to be a CHILD of God, because He doesn't expect a CHILD to know everything or to do everything right. Children are learners and I have so much to learn about His ways.

Mary sat at His feet and let Him FIRST serve her.  THAT WAS IT. Her desire was to first sit before the Lord and not be so anxious to do, do do, but to be, be, be with Him, and then she would know what He wanted her to do, do, do.  Did He not say, "even as the Son of Man came NOT TO BE served, but TO SERVE and to give His life as a ransom for many."  (Matthew 20:25-28). 

As the Lord continues to bring His body together in the last day, it will be more and more important for each of us to learn to wait upon the Lord.  Why are we so anxious to serve the Lord, when we don't even know what we wants us to do?  If He is the HEAD and WE are HIS BODY, than how can we do anything that is holy , righteous and good apart from the Head.

 In our physical bodies, it is not the head that tells our body what to do and it responds?  How many times I have found myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off the head, only to find it may have been a good thing, but it wasn't what the Lord wanted me to do. What kind of a foundation am I building upon,gold, silver, gold and precious stone, or wood, hay or stable? A thought to ponder.

DON'T WASTE YOUR BREATH

So many times I have taken for granted the very air I breathe. I hardly ever think about it.  It just do it. It's natural, so I think.  But is that true? Is it really me that keeps me alive? Am I really in control of my breath?  Am I truly aware that the breath He gives me has a divine purpose? 

 Psalm 150:6 says it the best. " Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."  How amazing is this! Have you ever noticed how tree branches grow upward towards the sun and how the birds sing their different  morning and evening songs? Even the wind has its soft whispers of praise, as the flowers turn their lovely faces towards the sun. All this praise surrounds us all the time.  It is so easy to ignore it and to seek the praise for oneself instead of praise for our creator.

There was a time in my life when I hardly ever recognized God's splendor.  I was too busy seeking my own glory. I was so blinded by my own self importance that I never took the time to delight in the beauty of nature around me.

I will never forget the day when the Lord graciously told me, "My daughter, your pride is stealing My glory." I was stopped  dead in my tracks!  The sin of pride in my heart was seeking its own praise and glory, because I wanted to feel accepted and important. It was the truth. I was so blinded seeking the praises of men.  It wasn't until the Lord opened my eyes with the gospel, that I realized that I was born to glorify God. Adam lost God's glory that once clothed him in the Garden, when he choose to rebel.  Christ purchased it back for His bride, the church, to wear His glory forever. There is no competition between God's glory and man's.  It is all God's glory and pride surrenders to the cross.  The sinner must die.

As a born again Christian, there is no greater purpose in this life then to glorify our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been given back spiritual breath, so that we can join with all of creation and sing with King David,"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."  Don't waste your breath on this temporary world that is passing away. Let our praise resound in heavenly places until He takes our last breath from this world and we enter our eternal home. To Him be all praise, honor, and glory forever and ever. 

A GOOD CHUCKLE

I had to chuckle, even though at the time it really wasn't funny.  One of our grand daughters, when she was three years old, stood with her hands on her hips announcing to the whole family,"I don't want anyone telling me what to do!"

 I thought to myself, "What was that all about.?" It came out of nowhere. I wish you could have seen the expression on my daughter and son-in-law's face. In moments like this, I love being a grandmother.   I removed myself into another room, while the parents dealt with it.

Why am I chuckling. That same rebellious and independent spirit in her, was also birthed in me. 

 My little grand daughter  became a major prayer request. When she was a teenager, she was born again. Later she attended college, received her associate degree, married, and today she has three little sinners of her own being carried in her heart to the cross.

As a parent, grandparent and now a great grandparent, I walk daily on my knees, grateful for the prayers of the many saints who prayed me into the Kingdom.  

The world is ugly and getting very evil. Will you join me and pray for our Nation's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren across this land?  The Lord Jesus Christ is our only hope for the coming days and we need to prepare. 

 Remember the word of the Lord in 2 Chronicles "If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" 

This is the Lord's conditional promise for any Nation, if His church will pray.  Let us walk together on our knees before our Holy God and bring glory to the Name of His Son ,Jesus. 

WHERE IS YOUR IDENTITY?

When I was a young Christian, it took me many years to understand true repentance.  I was taught to confess my sins, because I was a sinner and that Jesus had forgiven me. But, why did I still feel like I was going around and around in a circles and never free? It seemed like the same sins were always rearing their ugly head. Where was the FREEDOM and POWER of the cross to change me more and more into the image of Christ? (Romans 8:29) Something was missing

It wasn't until I understood this truth.  I SINNED because I was a SINNER. Sin was natural for me.  I had to identify with Adam's sin before I could identify with Christ resurrection. ADAM'S SIN was MY OWN ALSO. It was called the Original Sin.  Without true repentance of the the Original Sin of Adam (including Eve), I was like a dog chasing his own tail, Satan loved me confessing sin over and over again, but he sure did not want me to know the power of the cross that crucified Adam!  As I continued to ask God for more revelation of Adam's sin as my own, He gave me analogy to helped me to understand the POWER OF THE CROSS and what happened when I was born again.

"I was living in a house all alone, back in the hills of West Virginia.  Down in my basement was a machine making 'moonshine' by the gallons,and I was storing it in quart bottles, hiding them in closets, drawers and under beds throughout my house. No one would ever have known that I was making and selling moonshine, so I thought.  Then one morning the door bell rang.  I answered it. It was the law.  The officer entered, rushed by me and headed  for the basement.door. He went down the cellar stairs and quickly went right  to the distillery. He took a huge sledge hammer and totally smashed  it to pieces," It is finished." He declared. " That machine will never produce an ounce of alcohol  again.  I know that you have bottles hidden away, but the choice is now yours to drink or not to drink. As you hand  bottles over to me, I will smash each one of them and will continue to smash every bottle, because I know you have a many hidden .  This house has been sold and it has a new owner.  He said that you can still live here, but first he has to destroy the distillery. He said that He would help you to get rid of the bottles and replace them with a healthier drink."

For the first time I understood salvation.  The house was me, and the distillery was my Adamic sin nature. The bottles were my hidden SINS (plural) that I was trying to keep hidden to look religious. I was supposed to be a Christian, but it was so hard.  For the first time I realized that I needed to repent of the sin of Adam as my very own sin.  It was the Adamic nature that was producing all the sins in me and now I was beginning to understand the POWER OF THE CROSS.  The cross was the sledge hammer that crushed the Adamic nature. I was free from  the  power of sin and I knew what I had to repent of!  It was my identity in Adam.  I was conceived in sin in my mother's womb  (Psalm 51:7) and born into this world a sinner.  Then I was BORN AGAIN by faith into Christ became a saint. (One set apart to God)

I am forever grateful for Jesus, I now have a new identity. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus and all things have become new. Positionally,  I am no longer in Adam,(1 Cor 5:17) . The only difference is that when I sin as a believer, and I still do,  I DON'T WANT TO SIN.  Now I can go to Calvary and by faith receive God's unconditional forgiveness without any condemnation.  What wonderful grace and mercy has been extended to me and to whosoever will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They too will be saved and made new.

Simple faith of a Child

In 1978, my youngest daughter and I were having lunch in a Deli, when we met Barbara. She was at the counter, buying a pack of cigarettes. She was wearing short shorts, high heels, with a T shirt tucked up under her bra, and a bandanna around her cropped curly hair. She had a cigar hanging out of her mouth. 

Earlier that morning, I had prayed to experience loving the unlovable with unconditional love. This was the moment!  I loved her.  My heart saw beyond her appearance, and I felt only the Lord's unconditional acceptance for her. I asked her to our table, bought her lunch and invited her home with us. I shared the gospel with her and she received salvation.  That was the beginning of a friendship that went on for the next five years.

 A month after we met Barbara, my husband and I got a telephone call at 1:00 am. in the morning  from the police. "We have a young 14 year old girl at the station who says that she knows you. Do you? " We answered that we did and asked "What did she do?"  The police described a very serious situation.  Barbara had thrown her grandmother down the stairs and out the front door. The police were called and Barbara was headed for the Juvenile Detention Center, unless we took her in.

As long as we were willing to house her, the police released the warrant for her arrest. However,the police were not clear as to how long!   We had no idea what we were getting into, but as a family we all felt a love for Barbara and wanted to help her where we could.  Our three daughters received Barbara as a sister. Our middle daughter graciously gave up her bedroom and dared to move in with her older sister.  It proved to be good for both of them. We all were impressed with Barbara's singing.  She did have a beautiful voice. Oh, how she loved to sing praises to the Lord. We had Christian music on most of the time, and I think Barbara learned just about very song on the record. Her favorite song was "To God be the Glory".  She would sing that song time and time again throughout the day.

For the rest of the school year, Barbara had been suspended. As a result, Barbara and I had more time to talk about Jesus.  As I began to work with her, I soon realized that she had a VERY SIMPLE FAITH.  It blessed me so much to see how uncomplicated she was. If the bible said it, she believed it!   She didn't need to understand THE WHY'S OR THE WHY NOT. She just believed God for the His word.  It was refreshing to share with her. I had a set of bible picture books, the kind you might find in a doctor's office, before 'political correctness' took hold. She particularly loved the picture of Jesus on the cross.  We would talk about how He died for her sins, was buried and raised from the dead and how His blood brought healing to her, body, soul and spirit.

Every night when I would go into her room to say goodnight, I noticed that she would sleep with the bible book under her pillow with  Jesus on the cross.  I asked why she slept this way and she told me that she wanted Jesus to heal her mouth.  At first I thought she meant inappropriate words, but she really meant the abscesses on her gums.  One morning after my husband had left for work and the girls had gone to school, Barbara was upstairs taking a bath.  She preferred the tub to the shower.  All of a sudden I heard this tremendous cry from the bathroom, "Mom Mom," that is what she liked to call me, "Come quick, I am healed."  I raced up stairs to see what she was talking about.  With blood running down her cheeks, Barbara kept repeating, "See the blood, see the blood, Jesus healed me."  I didn't know what to think. I knew that I had to quickly get her to a dentist. I helped to clean her up and called  for an emergency appointment.  Gratefully, I could get her in and to my surprise, everyone of her abscesses had been broken and she was amazingly healed. The dentist and I were in shock! Her simple faith in the healing power of the blood of Jesus had healed her.  Barbara stayed with us for the next three months,  until she was able to return to her family again.

Shortly after she returned home, we were suspicious that Barbara had more than just a violent temper. Our suspicions were verified when her mother had to place her into a mental hospital.   Her parents were alcoholics.  The mother had abdicated her place in the family to the grandmother, while the father was relegated to the basement. As a little girl, Barbara had been mentally and emotionally abused by her grandmother and she hated her. The hospital proved to be a safe place for her. Her behavior, however, was calm and controlled around our family. As a family, we would bring her out of the hospital for the holidays. Between visits to our home,we visited her at the hospital at least once or twice a month. The State of Pennsylvania  released her after five years, and she quickly disappeared into the streets of  Philadelphia. We lost contact with her, when we moved out of the area. However, we still remember the young girl we knew, who moved mountains with her simply faith.

MY WILL VS. HIS WILL

Many years ago, at a family gathering,  our three year old grand daughter, with her hands on her hips, stood in the middle of the living room floor announced to the world  "I don't want anyone telling me what to do!" Where did that come from?  All the adults were stunned, accept her embarrassed parents. They looked at each others, took their little lady by the hand and said, "God will tell you what to do and you will listen to your mother and father and obey.  Now you go to your room and we will talk about this later."  She left the room with her little head hanging low.  Her self-will pride had just been crushed .  It would not be the last time!

Self-will pride, is it NOT in every human soul?  Our little grand daughter was only acting out what was in her sinful heart.  Our rebellious pride dies hard in all of us, at least it has in me. It will still fight to control  for its right, its opinion, its will, insisting on its own way.   The only power against this pride is to reckon it dead in Christ and walk with humility totally dependent upon our Holy God. Jesus demonstrates this humility to us  as a believer in the garden, when He said to His Father,.  "Not my will, but thy WILL be done." It is not as easy as you think. Jesus sweated blood to do the WILL of the Father.

When I was first born again, I didn't honestly understand the importance of surrendering my will to the Lord.  I wanted to, but, truthfully, it was a bit scary to feel out of control, especially, because I had trusted in own self rule so long.  It took time to grow in the spirit, to know the Lord personally, and to trust Him with my life. Just as when I was a  child, I had to learn to trust and obey my parents.  It didn't happen overnight.  Of course, my parents were not perfect. But the truth is, that my heavenly Father is PERFECT and that there is no one like my "daddy".  His forgiveness, wrapped in His love, is forever engraved in my heart for the Lord Jesus. 

Recently I was in prayer discussing "my will". I was so blessed with His response. "My daughter, I will never break your SPIRIT, but your WILL I must continue to break.  Why do you think that your will is any better than my WILL for you?"  He left me with that question and I have mediated on it for days.  He is right. Why would I ever want my own will, when His WILL is always the best. Now, in the mornings it is so much easier to surrender my will, and to ask Him for His WILL to be done that day.  It is an unmovable peace, eternally placed in the my heart.

CEASE STRIVING AND BELIEVE GOD.

Have you have ever tried to please God by keeping the Law? (The Ten Commandments). Striving to keep the Law is an easy way to fall under condemnation.  What really pleases God, is our FAITH, Hebrews 11:6,"Without FAITH it is impossible to PLEASE Him, for whoever would draw near to God must BELIEVE that He exists and that He rewards those who seek him" It is NOT by trying to keep the Law.  

The Law is good, however, although it is totally impossible for man to keep. Keeping the law is just one more incredible work of grace that Jesus did for us. He perfectly fulfilled the Law, by keeping  all Ten Commandments as the Son of man, where Adam (man) miserably failed. Jesus lived totally surrendered to His Father's will, Adam  (man) desired only his own will.  

Does this mean that we don't have to keep the law any more?  God forbid.  How then do we keep the Law? As we grow more in love with the Lord and appreciate His redemptive work  in our lives, we will find ourselves being MIRACULOUSLY changed,from glory to glory. In our inner new man, a deeper DESIRE to keep His law is being written on our hearts. Hebrew 8:8-10, speaking to believers, says" Behold the days are coming declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt'...............'I will PUT MY LAWS into their minds and WRITE them on their HEARTS and I will be their God and they shall be my people."

This is amazing and a great mystery.  God's holiness has been completely fulfilled in Jesus Christ. We can CEASE striving to perfect our own in holiness in our own strength, and by faith believe  that the good work He started, He will finish. Through our continual repentance and a grateful heart for His death and resurrection, the sinner is crucified and is raised to a newness life, free from condemnation forever.  Let's enjoy the journey together. We are heading home.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS WRITTEN FOR CHILDREN

The following Ten Commandments were written in poetry for children many years ago to help them to memorize more easily. I pray it will bless you and any child that you might like to learn the Ten Commandments of God.

One day the world will be judged by the Ten Commandments. But the GOOD NEWS for us, who are in Jesus Christ, is that the law has already been kept on our behalf by Jesus in our place. Out of a deep heart of gratitude for what our Lord has accomplished, we do desire to keep the Law,  but realize we do not perfectly keep it every day.  By the grace of God we can repent and be changed. The Ten Commandments are like a school master to teach us right from wrong and to show us that we can't perfectly keep the Law.  We need a Savior. Children need to know this truth today and especially that Jesus fulfilled the Law for them.  It creates a deep appreciation for the finished work of Christ.

  TEN COMMANDMENTS

Have not other God but me

Before no idol bend the knee

Take not the name of God in vain

Do not the Sabbath day profane

Give both thy parents honor due

Be sure that thou no murder do

Abstain from works and deeds unclean

Steal not though thou be poor and mean

Tell no wicked lie nor love it

What is thy neighbor do not covet

  

WHO'S IN YOUR BOAT?

Have you ever got up in the morning, because the phone is ringing, or someone is pounding on your front door, because the door bell doesn't ring. Maybe you forgot your mother-in-law was coming for breakfast. You are still in your pajamas and your hair is a bedhead. Maybe the children are up early, because the phone or the door bell woke them up? Good morning world! You take a deep breath and your day has started.

After years of greeting the morning with such ordeals, I realize one thing.  It is important for me, even before I get out of bed, to first connect with my Lord.  It is not a fancy prayer or something I read, but just a "good morning Lord.  Thank you for bringing me safely through the night and I desire for to do your will today not mine. I surrender my will  to your plans today, knowing that your will is the best for me. I ask for your wisdom and understanding to work out any problems that I might face today."  It is short.  Some mornings, it is longer than others. It all depends upon what is greeting me in the morning.

I have found,  that as long as Jesus is in my 'boat',so to speak, He is there to calm the storms of that day. It is too easy to forgot that Jesus is in me and with me. The day can get very frustrating trying to accomplish my plans on my own, ignoring the presence of the Lord. Jesus said that He would never leave us nor forsake us.  He is with us all the time. When the seas of life get rough and the winds begin to fiercely blow against our sails, it is good to remember WHO IS IN MY BOAT and not keep trying to climb out.  Jesus is  NOT asleep, but waiting and watching for me to give up and call upon Him.  My job is to stay in the 'boat' and let Jesus calm the storms of life pressing in around me

If you have found yourself today standing at the helm of your boat shouting at the winds and crashing rain against your sails STOP! LOOK! AND LISTEN!.  God is speaking to you, "Be still and know that I am God".  You will be amazed how quickly the Lord will answer your need.  Psalm 91:15 "When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him."  Tomorrow morning when you awake let us meet together in the throne room of our God and thank Him that He is in our boat and that He will keep it from sinking.

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

One of the first things that the enemy does when he attacks a nation or a people, is to close the churches.  Satan HATES churches. Every church on this earth, even a so-called "dead" one, is a sign, and symbol to him of the Living God.  He hates anything that reminds him of God because he knows his fate. He seeks to destroy the works of God every chance that he gets.

If Satan cannot use the Communists to close the churches like he has in many, many nations, then he will use other methods.  He will use the laws of taxation. 

Only the prayers are keeping the churches of our nation from being taxed now.  But the devil is causing the money-hungry men to look with eyes of greed upon the churches, the institutions which  God's people have built for His glory. Satan covets their money and would like to use them for his own cause.

Satan will also use compromising shepherds and the indifference and lukewarmness of the people to take over the churches for warehouses, etc. He would like them to just stand empty and be falling apart because of disuse.  Whether by disuse or misuse,  he seeks to destroy all churches and keep them from being houses of worship.

Our heritage as a nation is our churches.We were birthed out of a religious persecution seeking a new land to worship the ONE TRUE GOD. Now we have become a nation of many gods. We must guard our liberty and freedom and integrity. Let us not be deceived. We must be awake to the enemies intention against the church.  Satan has a plan to abolished every church  in every nation. But the GOOD NEWS is God's PLAN IS GREATER!  He is building His church with living stones, brick upon brick. The true church may be hidden from view today, but it is growing more and more powerful in every nation all of the time. The Holy Spirit is continuously  setting us apart to Christ alone.  

We do not need a building to worship, we are a temple, individually and collectively, and as we gather together, it is the Spirit of worship that draws us to our God and one another.. Wherever two or three are gathered together in His Name, the Lord is right in our midst. 

This is not a day to be asleep, wandering around in the world trying to find yourself. If we are a true born again believer, we have already been found and the Lord is setting us apart for His glory. Amazing days are ahead for those whose God is the Lord Jesus Christ.  When the days get darker and His judgement more evident, by the grace of God He will hide us in the cleft of the rock and care for His own. His care for us will be sufficient for us to reach out and supernaturally care for others in need. I have read the back of the book and we win!!!!  OUR GOD IS A GREAT GOD AND GREATLY TO BE PRAISED.

THE BEST WAY TO TRAVEL

Last night I took a journey
   to a land across the seas,
I did not go by boat or plane
   I traveled on my knees.

I saw people there deep in sin,
   Some of whom were my kin,
Jesus told me I should go
   "See how many I could win!"

I said, "but that's not possible 
    For one such as me."
He answered quickly, "Yes, you can
  Travel on your knees."

He said, "You pray. I'll meet your need.
   You call and I will hear."
So I knelt in prayer and felt at ease
   as I knew that he was near.

"Yes Lord I know I can do the job
   My desire is to please."
I will heed your call as you have asked
   And travel on my knees.

                 Based on a poem by Gladys Folden
                      Westminister, MD.

Peas in a Strainer

One evening while  I was cooking a package of frozen peas for our evening meal, the Lord  unexpectedly revealed to me the most amazing analogy. Right before my eyes the Lord so clearly explained Calvary. I have never forgotten.

When the girls were young, peas were not their favorite vegetable. But now that  our nest is empty,  my husband and I do  enjoy the small sweet peas that we can mix in with our mashed potatoes.This  night when I poured the peas into the strainer, this revelation hit me ," The strainer was the cross of Jesus Christ, the peas were all my sins.  They staysd in the strainer, while the water passed through Just as in my new birth. I was free from the power of my sin. That was it!!! The peas in the strainer represented all my sins and every time that I sinned, I could repent and be free from guilt and shame.  The cross is a living power in my life that keeps me separate from my sin.  I am so grateful for the gift of repentance and a new life in Christ.. 

I believe that Jesus doesn't want us to stand looking at the cross, but by faith to know that we have been consumed  in His death, burial and resurrection. That he has separated us from our sins.  As a new creation,  we are no longer sinners, but saints that can choose to sin.  It is quite a difference to think of yourself as a saint, one set apart to God being transformed into His image every day, rather than as a sinner in need of a Savior all of the time.  That need has been satisfied in Christ Jesus.  His sacrifice has produced in me a daily deep gratitude for the cross, because by faith through grace, Jesus has set me free from my physical birth in Adam to a new spiritual  birth in Christ. If it cost Him His life, it will cost me my SELF-LIFE, my lower nature.  It is no longer my will, but His will that is important to be done.  It is all about Jesus and not about me. What a freedom I feel every day, as He is working out my salvation!!!  

Every time I cook a pot of peas, and drain them in a strainer, I think of this analogy. We have been separated from the power of our sin by the grace of God.  St. Paul acknowledges this struggle with his flesh in Romans 7  "Now if I do what I do not want, IT IS NO LONGER I WHO DO IT, but SIN ( my lower nature) that dwells in me." God's grace enables us to repent and turn from any sin that might entangle us.  He finally concludes the answer in Chapter 8 verse 1, 2. "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."  We are the most BLESSED people in the whole universe.

The Most Misunderstood Person

I believe God the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood person of the Godhead!  The Godhead consists of three persons;  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Our God is three persons, one God.  All three are equal is essence, but different in function.  In the beginning of creation, God the Father was the designer, God the Son, the creator, God the Holy Spirit the life giver. It was He, who breathed LIFE on all that was created and spiritual life into Adam.

When man was created,  again all three were involved. "Let US make man in our image." Together, they created man to be the greatest expression of their glory.

When Adam willfully choose to sin, his glory was taken from him. He was found naked, lost and alone. Man became a broken image of God's glory.  The consequences of his sin was sickness, disease and death and it continues to plague mankind even today. This is just a short synopsis to bring us to ask ourselves " what happened to to the human spirit, when Adam fell?"  Physically, we all  still  daily function as human being very nicely.  We  hardly ever think that we are sinners and far to familiar with sickness, disease, death.  We expect it. Yet, we still fight to live, even on our death beds!  Our bodies have a long memory and strive to maintain the eternal life once experienced before the Fall.  It doesn't give up easy. Physical death will come. 

All this leads me to another question.  If the Holy Spirit still sustained physically life after the Fall,  why isn't man  full of the Holy Spirit  worshiping God today? He can't.  He is spiritual dead. eternally separated from God.  God could have washed His hands of mankind and started over.  What would of happened to you and me?  We are not after thoughts of God.  He knew us before the foundation of the world.  We would have been judged along with Adam and forever LOST.  

But again, God the Father had a plan, God the Son would implement it and God the Holy Spirit would give back to man his SPIRITUAL life, to be able to communicate with his creator as it was in the beginning. God is a spirit and man is a spirit being also, made in His image. Only by our spirits can we worship God in spirit and in truth, (John 4:24)  But how can he worship Him if we are spiritually dead, separated from God?   We can't.  Our spirits must be born again. The blood of Jesus has cleansed us from all our personal sins and paid the penalty of Adam's for all who believe, but without the work of the Holy Spirit, there is still no spiritual life.

 Jesus told His disciples that He would not leave them as orphans, I will come to you." (John 14:18) That promised was fulfilled after Jesus' resurrection, when He appeared to His disciples in the Upper Room. "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.  And when he had said this He BREATHED ON THEM and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Spiritual life was restored to them as a testimony of the finished work of Christ. Fifty days later at Pentecost the POWER of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples to enable them to go into all the world to prech the gospel of God news. Adam's sin has been paid. It is finished!!!

The same promise is for us today. " Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." By faith we have been saved, born again to a newness of life. The Holy Spirit is breathed back into us and by faith,  we receive the power of the Holy Spirit, the testify that Jesus is alive and the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. Because he lives, we live also in Him. (John 14:19,20)  

A Desert Place

Have you ever wondered why it took forty years for the Israelites to cross over the Jordan river into the Promised Land, when they were ONLY ELEVEN DAYS away! One would think,"that's crazy, how could that ever happen?"  But, it did. The Israelites wandered in the desert because of their fear and unbelief. 

Have you ever experienced a kind of desert place in the Lord and wondered how you got there? Your devotions are dry, your fellowship with the Lord is distant, and reading the word is dull?  Somehow' you feel cut off and  cry out to the Lord, "Where are You?" and the response is silence. 

If you are wandering in a desert place, I understand exactly how you feel and it is a hard to understand how you got there.  At times, I have wandered for days and even weeks!  The cry of my heart is, " Why is this happening?  I miss you Lord. I don't understand?  If this is a test of my faith, then I have failed miserably."

Over the years, I have come to learn two things about a desert place. I am sure that you could share many more with me.  The first time I experienced the desert, the Lord spoke to me about His people Israel in Numbers 13 and 14.  When Moses sent out the ten spies into the promised land, only Caleb and Joshua BELIEVED what the Lord told them even BEFORE they went out.  The other eight spies were filled with fear and unbelief and cost the whole Nation the opportunity of living in the promised land for forty years.  They doubted God's word and their unbelief grieved God's heart.  He wanted to give them a new home land with all kinds of possibilities.

As I pondered this story, I am very grateful that I was are not living back then. My unbelief isn't any different than theirs.  I have God's written word speaking to me every day. But when the trials and temptations come, where is my faith? I have doubted God's Word!  My doubt has lead to unbelief and unbelief led to discrediting God's character, who created me. The only way out of this horrible dry place, is to confess my sin of unbelief and not try to excuse myself pretending I believe God for everything, because I didn't.  The Lord had to reproved me, and that was a good thing. My confession was the road to freedom. I was now more acquainted with the spirit of doubt and unbelief and able to recognize its voice and rebuke it. 

The same voice of the devil that spoke to Eve in the Garden is in the world today  questioning God in everything, "Did God say". I am continuing to learn, when I hear that voice, to stop and question,"IS IT GOD'S WORD OR THE DEVIL'S LIES!"

Faith in God is a gift, we receive when we are born again.  It is like a muscle that has to grow through trials and tribulations. James 1:2 says, " for you know that the testing of your faith, produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

My second thought about being in a desert place doesn't have to do with doubt and unbelief.  Once the Lord spoke to my heart, "The desert place doesn't have to be a hard place.  It is a time of testing and a time when you grow the most in your faith.  Have you ever seen a desert flower?  They are some of My most beautiful flowers.  They have learned to grow in a dry place because they know that I care for them. You are My desert flower".

Brother and sister, if you are in a dry place, and you are trusting God with His plans for your life, you are becoming one of His most beautiful desert flowers. A delight to His eyes, as you increase in your faith.  God will be able to do the impossible through you. He is perfecting your faith and you will lack nothing.  You will be able to believe Him for anything, because in the days ahead, it will be a good thing that your faith has been exercised.

The Death of a Moralist

 I was raised from childhood to read my bible. I memorized the 10 commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the 23rd Psalm when in grammar school. I loved the Christmas and Easter story and believed that Jesus was a very unusual and a different kind of person, who once lived and taught mankind how to govern themselves. I remember many of the sayings from scripture that my mother tried to teach me, like "turn your other cheek" or "do unto others as you would have them do to you."  Honestly, I didn't understand either one.  Who wanted to turn their cheek?  You could get hurt!  Of course I thought I was a Christian.  I had to be. I went to church every Sunday, and lived in a Christian Nation, the United States, right? WRONG! I was a CHRISTIAN MORALIST.

I was raised to think that Christianity was all about being good, following the ten commandments, which I failed many times, and being like Jesus.  He was a very moral person.  He didn't argue with His mother or Father, or fight with His siblings.  He was forgiving and kind and went to synagogue every Saturday.  Jesus was my good example to follow.  I survived through grade school and high school until I entered college.  College was a different world. I found it hard to be good!  There was drinking, swearing, dating, and cheating on exams all around me.  I had a big problem with my Christian worldview.  My faith was challenged.  I soon found out that my faith was in a RELIGION call Christianity.  I didn't know that Jesus wasn't religious and that I could have a personal relationship with Him.

After one year of  college, my Christian faith was shaken to its roots. Fortunately, I was dating a "christian moralist" and he asked me to marry him.  Knowing what I know today, "It was a God thing". We kept each other on the straight and narrow path. We have been married now for 54 years and the eyes of our understanding have been enlightened to see that Jesus is not religious or a moralist. He is God,  resurrected, alive, and living His life through His body the church by the person of the Holy Spirit.. 

Once the Holy Spirit started to open my eyes to the Living Word of God, the bible took on a whole new dimension.   The Gospel of John became my favorite book and later the book of Romans . John Chapter 16:12-15  says "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.  When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak and He will declare  to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.  All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you."  WOW, I never realized until then the importance of the Holy Spirit and that He was a person, not just a spirit floating in the clouds.

As I continued to read the bible,  it was as if God was speaking to me personally for the first time.  Growing up, I had never heard  anything about the person of the Holy Spirit.  He was the missing link. I now realize that without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to understand or to interpret the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and a very important person of the Godhead.  I never want to quench Him because He is the one who continues to reveal the  Risen Lord Jesus Christ to me. He is not an "IT". He is a person, who has come to replace Jesus on earth.  The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin and opens our eyes to see our need for a Savoir and to bring us safely home to the Father, as the bride of His son Jesus.  THE RELIGIOUS MORALIST HAS DIED IN JESUS CHRIST and NO LONGER LIVES.
 
" I have been crucified with Christ Jesus.  It is no longer I that live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:19,20, 

Security and Angelic Care

Everything we receive from our Lord is received by faith.  Faith in who He says He is.  It is not just faith in faith, which is futile and empty. Faith is in the person of our great God, Elyon, the Most High God. If the Lord says it in His Word "that settles it!"  His Word is true and every man a liar.

Psalm 91:9 continues with reassuring promises to those who have made the Most High God, the LORD, their dwelling place and refuge.  He is our deliver from every possible type of affliction. Supporting this truth is Psalm 34:19  "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them ALL." 

Psalm 91:10 contains both a personal and family promise: " No evil shall befall you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling."  While we need to claim this promise by faith as protection for our entire household, sometimes what we see as evil is a blessing in disguise.  As Joseph said to his brothers:  Gen 50:20,"But as for you, you meant  evil against me: but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

We are in a war, and God has given us His Word as an offensive weapon.  In the midst of the battle, we have the LORD, (Elyon) as our security, our resting place, our rock.  "Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle." Ps. 144:1)  We have the Name of Jesus to come against every foe, that has to bow at His Name.

The promise of angelic protection in verse eleven is very comforting.  This verse can be translated in the following ways: "For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."  "For He will order His angels to care for you and guard you wherever you go."  For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways," and "For He will give His angels (especial) charge over you, to accompany and defend and preserve you in all of your ways,  ( of obedience and service)."  It is encouraging to know that our Father personally protects us with His heavenly angels and His strong right arm, His Son. Angels are God's messengers and they will do God's bidding and obey His commands.  They act on our behalf.

Psalm 90:13 promises us that we will trample or tread upon the lion, the cobra and the sepent.   This a a promise of victory over evil.  God has given us, through Yeshua, authority over the works of the enemy.  In His name, we continue His mission.  "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).  The Father of Glory has put all things under Jesus' feet (Eph. 1:22).  As we abide in Him, the enemy is under our feet as well.  "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall be any means hurt you."  Luke 10:19)

God's Protection

Psalm 91 is so full of promises and an intimate relationship with the Lord. It is a Psalm that the Lord has lead me to pray over my family and to memorize through meditation.  May the Lord bless you too.

        verses 1-4
       "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
        Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
        I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
        My God, in Him I will trust.
        Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
        And from the perilous pestilence.
        He shall cover you with His feathers,
        And under His wings you shall take refuge.
        His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

It am very encouraged by making this Psalm personal, as I am memorizing it.  For instance, If I dwell in the secret place of the Most High , I shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of my Lord, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in You I will trust.."

One thing I am learning is that dwelling in the shelter or secret place of Elyon, the Most High God, does not just happen.   It is a choice by FAITH to dwell there.  I must decide to make Elyon my dwelling place, to forsake the world and ONLY to Him be true. Secrets are not generally shared with strangers.  Intimacy of relationship is involved. It involves my heart to willfully  surrender to His control and come under His protection. I love to confess "There is no one, higher or greater than YOU , my LORD, in all the earth.  I choose YOU, as my place of shelter and safety. I will trust in YOU."  In a way, it is like the marriage vow, I took before God when I was married, 'To forsake all others and only unto my husband be true.'

"I shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."  Have you ever tried to walk in another person's shadow? It is very hard to do.  You are in and out all the time. When I thought about this picture, I felt the Lord showed me a GREAT BIG bird with a huge wing expansion hovering over me making its protecting shadow to shield me from evil.  I felt safe and secure under His wings.

"Surely He will deliver me from the snare of the fowler" The fowler is the devil.  How often he tries to  deceive us. The Lord   delivers us from his lies and schemes. He will talk to you as long as we will listen. At times, the voice of the enemy is very overwhelming, but when you cry out to Him, like the claws of an eagle catching its prey, He delivers you from the danger.

"You shall cover me with Your feathers and under Your wings I shall take refuge." Again this is another picture. This time it is a picture of a mother bird protecting her little fledgling from unknown danger.   God's protection is a powerful force for us in this fallen world.  

"His truth is like a shield and buckler". A shield and buckler are two pieces of armament worn by Roman soldiers to protect themselves.  In battle, the soldiers would gather tightly together and hide behind their shields to fend off arrows raining down upon them. and then  with a smaller shield, the buckler, be ready to fight man to man.  As a believer, we can hide behind  the shield of God's truth.  By faith, we are protected from the wiles of the enemy. When we are called to take a stand against our foe, God's truth is our buckler.. Every lie of Satan can be put down by the Word of truth. If the devil tries to condemn you, you can turn to Romans 8:1 and confess, "there is NO condemnation in Christ Jesus.  You lose devil.  Jesus is Lord and that settles it." "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the  righteous run into it and are" SAFE. Proverb 18:10.

In 2 Chronicles 20:17, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was in an impossible situation fighting against his enemy. He cried out to the Lord and the Lord answered Him, "You will not need to fight in this battle.  Stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf."  I am grateful that God's character will never change.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is our defender, our protector.

As children of God and heirs to His Kingdom, we are Abraham's spiritual seed and children by adoption into the promises of God. We can stand by FAITH on these same words given to King Jehoshaphat, as he stood and watched the Lord confuse the enemy.  This same victory is ours today.  I John 5:4,5, "And this is the victory that HAS overcome the world" --- OUR FAITH. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God? He has won very battle for us.

He Prepares Our Days

In the year two thousand and four, my world was turned upside down.  You might think that after your children are married, that you don't have to worry about them any more, but that is NOT true.  It is just different. I found my "mother's heart" could be still very affected when I heard about my daughter's serious illness.

My husband and I had built a new home near our middle daughter  and her family, so that she could help us to meet any needs we might have caring for my elderly parents living in our home. It was a rich blessing for many years, as our daughter reached out by caring for her grand mother and grand father, when I was not available.

One day, my mother was in the hospital recovering from pneumonia and I was on my way to bring her back home. While I was waiting for the nurse to physically check my mother and to sign the release papers, I started to read  Psalm 118 :17, 18, "I shall not die, but I shall live,and recount the deeds of the LORD.  The LORD has disciplined me severely but He has not given me over to death.,"  I thought to myself, "WOW,what a great promise to share with someone."  I tucked that away, brought my mother home, settled her down for her nap, and then headed over to fellowship with my daughter.

My daughter was sitting on the front porch looking so dejected and confused. It wasn't like her.  She has never been prone to depression and I was deeply concerned. Graciously, as always, she offered me a cup of tea and said that she had something to share with me.  "Mom, I just got back from the doctors and the lump on my breast needs attention."

When I heard this, my mind started to go in a million different directions.  I sought hard to control my own thoughts, and not to upset her any more. "Lord help me." I silently cried in my heart, and then this still small voice said to me, "Share the verses". I immediately thought of Psalm 118:17:18.  Had the Lord already prepared my heart?  Was that scripture for my daughter NOW?  The Lord knew this moment between a mother and her daughter and He so  graciously provided a word of encouragement for both of us, "You shall not die, you shall live."

How much the Lord loved my daughter.  She was truly His. He was going to discipline her, not out of His anger towards her sin, because Jesus had already paid the price at Calvary.  But now she would begin to experience the cleansing power of the Word of God, as she grew in her faith.

 She drew very close to Jesus and He became very real to her.  She and her husband took communion every day believing in the healing power of the body and blood of Jesus.  Their marriage was  strengthened, along with the faith of her children, in the Lord. 

The trial of her faith effected many people around her.  The Lord encouraged my faith, as the Lord led she and her husband through the steps of healing. There is no fear in LOVE and where the Lord is, there is liberty. 

By the grace of God, our daughter has been clean of breast cancer for ten years. Cancer is only one of the consequences of Adams sin and it could happen to any of us, but Jesus was willing to come to earth, to take upon Himself the consequences of all of Adam's sin in EXCHANGE for His healthy body.  Psalm 107 says," He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction."   There is a name HIGHER above cancer and His name is JESUS. Our daughter's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and cancer is not welcomed.  The Lord choose to heal her in this life, and continues to use her to reach out and encourage other brothers and sisters in the Lord, who are struggling with cancer. 

Looking back, the Lord was so kind to prepare me to hear my daughter's diagnosis. His Word kept both of us from being overwhelmed and released faith for the days and years ahead.

A Key to Hiding God's Word in Your Heart

In the early seventies and eighties, when I was a young Christian, TM (transcendental meditation ) was very popular in the secular world and many people were carried away with it. For many years, I was afraid to explore biblical meditation because of the association with the idea of meditating.  I found it hard to memorize verses. It seemed as if my mind was always filled with other thoughts.  I was getting older, starting later in life, and I wondered if I ever could memorize scripture. I knew that memorization was important.

It was such a big LIE.  I have to confess that I  let the enemy deceive me.  He knew the POWER IN  MEDITATION and was very successful with his subjects.  I soon learned that the devil would do anything to keep the believer from  BIBLICAL MEDITATION, because he knew the key to hiding God's word in my heart was MEDITATION. It would be a powerful confrontation to Satan's Kingdom. Jesus demonstrated this power in the wilderness when He was tempted and assailed by the devil.  He quoted the Word of God and Satan backed down.  From childhood, Jesus learned the Word of God and hid it in His heart.  The word was there when He needed it. He knew its power through meditating day and night.

Just for fun.  Take a simple verse that you would like to memorize and meditate on it.  Chew on every word, like a cow chews its cud. Take one word at a time and thinking about it.  You might like to look up the Hebrew or Greek meaning of each word in a Strong Concordance.  Before you know it, you will have not only memorized the verse, but allowed the Holy Spirit to feed your soul with a deep truth through meditation.  It will be in your heart when Satan tries to tempt you.  "Submit to God, resist the devil, (with the Word) and He will flee, James 4:7.

 Memorizing scripture through meditation is a very healthy way to meditate.  It renews your mind to think God's thoughts after Him and FAITH will rise more and more in your heart. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the Word of God, ( Romans 10:17)


Then I remembered the key to hiding God's Word in my heart was NOT just to MEMORIZE the Word, but to THINK and to PONDER, one verse at a time. For instance, take one simple verse like "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old  has passed away behold the new has come."  What is God saying about you?  Is He saying that you are completely a new person?  That verse alone is enough to ponder for days. The Holy Spirit will lead you into more and more verses to support that truth.  

MEDITATION IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO MEMORIZE THE WORD. Memorization is a good thing, but if we first meditate on a verse and on it's context, truth will be revealed and we will begin to hide God's word in our heart. The key is simple, MEDITATE  on the Word and it will change your life.

A "Bubble of Peace"

Have you ever been challenged with an illness, believing God to heal you, but don't understand why He hasn't? Your mind begins to play all sorts of games with you and even will accuse God of not caring about you.  It is an ugly place to be. It is not true.  God wants us to be healed, but by His way, at His time and at His place.  Sometimes it is a miracle, sometimes it is a process, sometimes it is a promotion home. Whichever, I believe the truth is that my God wants me healed. I dare not be presumptuous, telling my God how to do anything.  God is good and He ONLY knows how to do good things.

My first experience learning this truth was when I needed an operation and I prayed for a year and a half to be healed.  I stood in prayer lines, had hands laid on me, and fasted and prayed, but I still needed an operation. My blood count was getting lower and lower, and if I  wasn't miraculously healed or had the operation I was in serious trouble. One morning while I was in prayer, I asked the Lord why He wasn't healing me?  I will never forget His answer. "My daughter, do you want a miracle or do you want to know Me?"  I felt at that moment that I had a decision to make. The choice was mine. In my heart I had been crying out to know Him more, so I said without thinking, "Lord, I want to know You." He answered, "Than go my way."  I knew exactly what He meant.  I never again asked.  I set up an appointment for the operation and prepared my heart. I can't say that I wasn't disappointed, but I had His peace. Now, I don't want you to think that I heard the Lord audibly, I didn't.  It was just a witness to my spirit that the Lord had spoken to me. (John 10:27) It was His peace.

The day I arrived at the hospital I was checked in and taken to my room. I didn't know what to expect.  Nurses came in and out poking me with needles, and before I knew it I was put on a gurney, rolled out into the hallway and left there. Doctors and nurses walked by, picked up my chart, looked at it and moved on. I didn't see my doctor for over an hour, but I had the most incredible peace.  I don't like hospitals. Honestly, that was the real reason I wanted a miracle.  I didn't want to deal with  my fear.  But, what I experienced was the Lord's most amazing PEACE through my whole stay. It was like I was living in a BIG BUBBLE of PEACE. Jesus NEVER left my side.  He was there the whole week.

During this time there was another kind of miraculous healing. I received an emotional healing between my mother and I. When I grew up, my mother had to teach school to keep food on the table. Whenever I got sick , my mother had to work and I missed her. My father was always around  somewhere on the farm, but I was alone in the house with a little kitty to amuse myself.  Oh, how much I wanted my mother to be with me, but it was impossible. For years I had stuffed  resentment down in the heart towards my mother. I didn't understand the family's financial stress.

 Now, I needed an operation and how much I wanted my mother to come and care for me and the children.  The most amazing thing happened. Only God could do it. My mother decided to come down from New England and stay with me for TWO WEEKS!  That was huge. Her willingness to come all the way down to care for me and my family was a surprise blessing. It helped to take the hurt away.  God had healed my heart. Now, I began to understand why God had said to me, "Do you want a miracle or do you want to know Me?  I had to got through the trial in order to experience the Lord's presence and especially His PEACE.  By His grace, I was able to forgive for my mother.

Everyone couldn't believe the peace that I had.  I couldn't believe it either. I even healed in half the time and was up to doing my regular routine within two weeks. When I think back, I am so happy that I chose to go His way and have the operation and not just a miracle.   The Lord knew my heart and personally, I think He was more interested  in the healing between my mother and me.  I received God's healing His way that was best for me.

Since then, I know to ask for His healing and to wait upon His timing.  He is my healer and He is my health.   God 's ways are good for each of His children.  His peace to me was the the essence of His presence. A peace that released me from all my worry, anxiety, and fear of the hospital. A peace that brought a deep healing between my mother and I. The Lord knew what I needed to continue to know Him.  I am very grateful that I chose to go His way. In my heart of hearts,I believe it was a MIRACLE. 

The Storm

Years ago, a pastor was on a long plane flight and resting very comfortably, when the warning lights came on, "Fasten your seat belts."  Then, after awhile, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence.  Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive.  Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time.  The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke.  The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies, and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean.  One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of of air; the next, it dropped as if it were to crash.

The pastor confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed.  Some were praying.  The future seemed ominous and  many were wondering if they would make it through the storm.

Then, the pastor suddenly saw a little girl.  Apparently the storm meant nothing to her. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat; she was reading a book and everything within her small world was calm and orderly.  Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid." The minister could hardly believe his eyes.

It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, the pastor lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.  Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The sweet child replied, "Sir, my Dad is the pilot, and he is taking me home."


Physical, mental, financial, domestic and may other storms can easily and quickly darken our skies and throw our plane into an apparently uncontrollable moment.  We have all known such times, and let us be honest and confess, it is much easier to be at rest when our feet are on the ground than when we are being tossed about a darkened sky.

Let us remember:
OUR FATHER IS THE PILOT
HE IS IN CONTROL AND HE IS TAKING US HOME!!!!!!!

Isaiah 43.
Author unknown

When your faith is challenged

 Martin Luther was one of the great religious reformers of the 16th century.  His faith was challenged many times.  The following is a response to the devil when the enemy accused of being a sinner.

"When the devil accuses us and says, "You are a sinner and therefore damned,' we should answer, 'Because you say I am a sinner, I will be righteous and saved.'  'No,' says the devil, 'you will be damned,'  And I reply, 'No, for I fly to Christ, who gave Himself for my sins.  Satan, you will not prevail against me when you try to terrify me by setting forth the greatness of my sins and try to bring me into heaviness, distrust, despair, hatred, contempt and blasphemy against God.  On the contrary, when you say I am a sinner, you give me armor and weapons against yourself, so that with your own sword I may cut your throat and tread you under my feet, for Christ died for sinners.  As often as you accuse that I am a sinner, so often you remind me of the benefit of Christ my Redeemer, on whose shoulders, and not on mine, lie all my sins.  So when you say I am a sinner, you do not terrify me but comfort me immeasurably."

I love it.  Satan lost.  Salvation is ours and we can stand up and proclaim from the roof tops, "It is finished"  Jesus won the battle and we are to stand and occupy until the Lord comes again. The earth is the Lord's and the fullness there of.  Jesus won back what Adam lost. The Holy Spirit is with us and in us to stand fast in the truth.  The enemy hates us, and that is a good thing.  The Lord is our protection and on our side.(Psalm 91)  The devil has NO authority over us.  We belong to the Lord Jesus and to Him alone. Rise up church and proclaim our God is great and greatly to be praised.  He is above all gods. There is no one but OUR GOD!  May He continue to enlarge our hearts to contain more and more of Him for the glory of God, and turn America back to Himself.

An Angel Unaware?

A very dear sister in the Lord and I have been sharing in a forty day journey of seeking the presence of the Lord, by fasting from sugar, desserts and walking thirty minutes four times a week. We were on our thirty fourth day when this truly happened to her.  You be the judge.

"I went to the park that I have been going to for weeks now to walk after work.  I started walking and was just plain NOT wanting to do this. I even said to myself," I am only going around this one time and will have to figure out something else".  As I walked I said out loud, "Jesus, please help me get through this'.  I kept walking. As I was coming to the finish line of my first lap, out of nowhere this woman walks up to me, starts talk with me, and walks with me.  She talked to me about everything under the sun and before I knew it, I had been around the park and finished my walk.  I told her how nice it was to walk with her and wished her God's blessings.  As I went to get in my car, suddenly I could not see her. Perhaps something could have been blocking my view. I couldn't be sure. It has been interesting to me how every day when I have walked in this park, people just pass by and say hello. 

 I have been marveling all night that God would do this for me.  My heart says, "Jesus, sent me an angel!"


Hebrews 13:2 says, "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."  You never know these days.  There are angels all around us all the time.  They love to hear us worship and praise the Lord, and will join us in our holy praise.  We may not see them, although some people have. But the Word of God says,"Are they not all ministering spirits (angels) sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?"
We are not to worship the angels, but, they have been sent to us in times when we are in serious trouble and we don't even know that they are angels. Psalms 34:7 says, "The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear (worship) Him." 

The color is RED.

Have you ever wondered how our Heavenly Father can possibly sees His children through Christ colored glasses? If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, the following is an amazing story to demonstrate this truth. 

Once there was this farmer, who bought an expensive crate of baby chicks hoping that they would produce abundantly healthy eggs. He diligently cared for his little chicks as they grew to maturity.  However, when they started to lay eggs , the farmer had a serious problem!  For some reason, if one of the hens had any appearance of blood showing, all of the other chickens would start to "peck it to death".  The farmer was so frustrated and could not figure out why this was happening.  He was losing money because the chickens weren't laying eggs like they were suppose to. Then he thought, if the chickens see blood and get all freaked out, why don't I change the light bulbs to red and put red cellophane in the windows? So, the farmer made the entire interior of the hen house, red.  His problem was solved.  It was amazing. The chickens all settled down without any fear of being "picked upon" and his egg production increased immensely


I have often wondered how it must grieve the Holy Spirit  to hear God's children  still "picking on each other".  Were we not purchased at great expense by the blood of Jesus to cover our sins? Yet  at times, we still don't get it.  How gracious and patient God is with us as we continue to mature in His image and likeness. The way we act at times with one another, it is hard to imagine that the Father sees us  "through  Christ colored glasses", but He does, and the color is RED.  Amazing, isn't it. I am very grateful for the mercy and forgiveness of our Lord. He doesn't deal with us as our sin deserves.  We have a great God and a great salvation.