THE LIGHT AMIDST THE RAGING STORM

Have you ever been in a blinding snowstorm? The snow is coming down so fast that you can't see your hands in front of you? It is scary. You are lost in the midst of it wondering how to get out.

If you live in a warm climate you probably cannot fathom this experience.  However, if you are a born again Christian for any length of time, you will experience another kind of blinding snowstorm, a spiritual snowstorm. The only cry in your heart will be,"Where are you Lord?  I can't see you and hear you?"

When I listened to this song," praise You In This Storm",  1 Thessalonians 4:17 came to mind. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all CIRCUMSTANCES for this is the will of God concerning you in Christ Jesus.". I am grateful that the Lord is in me and that I am in Him, because that means He is IN all my circumstances. I can trust Him to deliver me from any impossible situation. Please enjoy the song.  May it bless you no matter what situation you may be in.. The Lord is your peace.  He will keep you in the midst of any  storm.

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. 

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.

The Crown of Glory, His Victory

Last evening, I was in a time of prayer and praise with some dear brethren, when the Lord called my attention to a particular brother who looked like he was really suffering from a migraine head ache. Migraines are miserable things to deal with, as those who suffer will attest. He had his head cupped in his hands and bent over in his lap. Fortunately we both were seated in the back of the room.  As prayer continued, I made my way over to him. My spirit was grieved to see him hurting so badly.  I felt like the Lord told me to go over and lay my hands on his head and take authority in the Name of Jesus over the migraine and release His peace of mind to my brother. Another brother and sister prayed also with us, as the Lord led them, for the blood of Jesus to bring healing and deliverance  


While the singing continued and the Word of encouragement was spoken for the whole body, my brother rested in the Lord.  Slowly, he began to reach out for the Lord.  His hands fell from his head in a posture of receiving healing. Within a short time, my brother stood to his feet, with hands raised, praising  the Lord in a loud voice. What a beautiful victory the Lord brought to him and a rich blessing to the Lord.

During that time I received a word for my brother, but it encouraged me too.  "Jesus wore the Crown of Thorns to consume the consequences of Adam's sin, which was sin, sickness and disease.  To experience a migraine or any head pain is to acknowledge the suffering of the Crown of Thorns, Christ wore for us.  But, the truth doesn't stop there.  It is one thing to share in His suffering and another to experience His victory.  Today, our Lord wears a Crown of Glory, seated at His Father's right hand and extends His healing and deliverance to those who suffer such  pain. 

 1John 5:4 says, "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world,  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."  Jesus has overcome the world and all its consequences of sin. 1John 4:17 also says, " As He is, so are we in this world,"  Is Jesus healthy?  So are we in this world. Is Jesus victorious over sin? So are we in this world. Is Jesus victorious over diseases? So are we in this world.

I am not saying that you and I will never get sick, have a migraine or some disease  Jesus said that we would have trials and tribulations, BUT, He had overcome them all, (Psalms 34:15-19) Jesus paid the price to overcome the consequences of Adam's sin and by our faith in His finished work at Calvary, we can believe and say, " AS HE IS, SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD" and let His truth manifest itself. It may not come right away, but if God said it, it will happen, it will come to pass. We have so much to be thankful for. Jesus paid it all. IT IS FINISHED!!

Our bridegroom is coming for His bride very soon. His love for us  is amazing. He never takes His eyes off His own. When we hurt, Jesus hurts and He feels our pain. However, He doesn't leave us there.  He leads us to His cross for us to remember that, "by His stripes we are healed" We are healed spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. He exchanged His CROWN OF THORNS for His CROWN OF GLORY that He is wearing today for us. May the Name of the Lord be praised forever and ever.

A True Story

Have you ever been face to face with a Doberman Pinscher?  That dog is scary. I don't mean to offend any owner of a Doberman, but I have a true story to tell. It all started one evening when I got a phone call from a friend who was crying out to the Lord.  She was in very deep waters and wanted Jesus, but was being hindered by a spiritual stronghold. We agreed to meet in a parking lot close to her home. As we sat in her car discussing her situation, she told me that she had been in parapsychology, and that she was finding it difficult to concentrate on the Lord Jesus. We talked together for awhile and I explained to her that she had the power of the Holy Spirit in her and that Jesus wanted to deliver her. By the grace of God, I took authority in the name of Jesus and claimed the power of the blood . My friend passed out, but I  kept proclaiming the name of Jesus and the finished work of the cross over her until she recovered.


When she recovered, she was a new person. The spirit had left  and her mind was very clear. She had been so blessed by the Lord's presence that she wanted me to come back and pray through her house.  I accepted.  She told me to wait until she first went into the house to get control of her dog.  When I entered, that  DOG lunged at my throat. He hated me. He was vicious.  His hair was falling out, and my friend was having a difficult time handling his behavior.  Without thinking, I put up my right hand and said,,"In the name of Jesus you back off and be healed."  He backed down enough for my friend to get him under control and put him in the basement.

We continued to talk, as we prayed through the house.  I left and we told each other we would be in touch. Two weeks after my encounter with the Doberman, my friend called and invited my husband and I over for lunch.  We were delighted, but my first thought was, "oh no NOT that dog again".  We accepted.  When we arrived, fortunately, the dog was nowhere in sight. We all sat down to eat a lovely lunch, a green salad and a tuna fish sandwich.   In the middle of the lunch, my friend left the table and went to open the cellar door. I held my breath.  Out came the most beautiful Doberman. He was now so gentle in spirit and his hair had all grown back.  He very calmly came over to me.  I was in shock. I held out my hand with a piece of tuna fish sandwich and he received it graciously.   The Doberman had been completely healed and delivered.  My friend said that she had wanted me to personally see for myself what the Lord had done. AMAZING.  I have to admit I now have a special place in my heart for that  Doberman.