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.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Thursday, August 8, 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
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.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
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.
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.
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