http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEJnePjJZaM
Can you say goosebumps!!!!!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Groundwire
GROUNDWIRE: I highly recommend GROUNDWIRE. For those who want to volunteer to talk to chatters about their problems using spiritual life coaching and the bible, don't be doubtful. I know that we are fraught with self-doubt and think we don't know enough or can't remember enough or aren't good enough to do this, but this is exactly what others need. We can always research scripture for the answers and pray about our service to others, but there is no greater need in the world than this; To serve one another in love. It is online chatters that need someone to listen. It is on your time and no set schedule. If God is speaking to you to apply for this, please do it. So many hurting people out there. So very many. If you decide, God will provide.
As if He were watching
If only we could live each moment as if He were watching, interact with others out of Love and see the world from His heart... ah, but that is why we need Him. We are incapable of that kind of complete understanding, lack of selfishness and pure love because we are human. |
Fill our children
I was watching John Hagee Ministries this morning and heard a story about the greatest faith. As the family sat at the dinner table, the daddy said he didn't feel well. Immediately the little child went over to her daddy and prayed over him and promptly went back to her seat, trusting immediately that God heard and answered her prayer. Can you imagine? What would it be like if we fill our children with God's word and power so much that they instinctively look to Him for answers and not the world? Luke 18:17-"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” The power of innocence having such faith that the evil one cannot fill with doubtful thoughts. |
My Hope
myhopewithbillygraham.org
Let us team up to make a difference in the United States. Changing the world starts with one step by each of us and ripples through the world like the waves of the ocean. Check it out. Don't doubt. Tell your church. Let us do what we can to turn the hearts and souls of the lost and hurt to Jesus. |
I don't need no stinkin' badges... lol
What
do you think about this? I read the bible on my tablet using a certain
software. The software is great and allows me to switch between KJV or
ESV versions, make notes, bookmarks, share passages or comments with
others online.
However, it 'rewards' me for reading the bible
with various mile marker awards. The software sends me rewards for going
through various plans or reading and meeting
certain markers. I don't know what they are. Is it odd for me to not
like the rewards? I think that it is an okay concept but then people who
are deeply rooted in the bible for the right reasons will start to
notice the rewards rather than the intended purpose. In other words, I
could see myself, and others, getting all happy and maybe even proud
over a silly reward and start looking for that as my goal instead of my
closeness of Him. Possibly even rushing through it instead of gleaning
the message it was supposed to impart of us.
I don't know, I
just wish I could shut that feature off. My reward is in the knowledge
and enlightenment and connection with God, not a silly award for doing
what I crave to do....
No high
There is no high like the high of the Holy Spirit. There is no peace like the peace that comes from knowing Christ is in control. Hallelujah
Water
John
4:7-15: [A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her,
“Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy
food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask
for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings
with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and
who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me
a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living
water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water
with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you
greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it
himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her,
“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever
drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.b
The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water
welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this
water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw
water.”]
Understand that any water we use to sustain us in this
world can never fill us up like that of the living water Christ speaks
of. We could replace the word 'water' in this scripture with the word
'beauty' 'food' 'drug' 'alcohol' 'friend' 'lust' 'cigarette'... nothing,
and I mean nothing, can refresh and bring peace and love like Christ.
Help for addictions and alcoholism
I watched an old Jimmy Swaggert show today dated back in 1984. He mentioned the founder of Teen Challenge David Wilkerson. Praise God for this man and all those that choose to serve God in this way. Miracles happen at the Teen Challenge facilities. And for those of you who don't know, because of the name, it is not just for teenagers. It is for people of all ages and addictions/dysfunctions. |
Praises and training
[Exodus 34:7 English Standard Version (ESV) 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands,[a] forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”] I am grateful to technology because I love you enough to speak His truth to you so you can have the peace and joy that follows the faith in Him. I pray that God sends the Holy Spirit to you so that you will read His word and know Him in your life. Let Him move you to change, to faith and to peace. |
If only
If only all people could see how Christ can transform them with His mercy and love, the world would be filled with light instead of broken people groping blindly in the dark. |
Empowered
Can you imagine, being so empowered by the Holy spirit that:
|
How many times?
How
many of you have watched God enter a life and heal them of, not only
addiction, but of broken dreams, broken families and broken
relationships? How many of you thought that NOTHING but death would
release you or that loved one from their pain and torment? And how many
of you discovered that God worked miracles through teen challenge?
I woke this morning with a dream in mind, but then after God reassured me on that, He put in my heart to say this:
Loved ones, graduates, volunteers, interns of the Teen Challenge Program, and those who have family lost in addiction, listen,
Your lives have been changed, your families restored, your future
returned, your chains are broken. How much would you give to show your
love and support to the program that saved your life? You know as well
as I do that every little bit helps. When you see the look of joy in
your child's face because you are present in relationship and they feel
secure, how much is that worth to you? Do you pray for and hope for a
better life for those you see lost in addiction? Do you wish for an
answer to your prayers with that addict that just doesn't learn? Why not
trust God for it? Why not support the program that can take them off
the streets and let God work on their hearts?
For those who
have been redeemed and restored, teen challenge still has women and men
every day coming through those doors who have little or no sponsorship.
Yet, teen challenge doesn't turn them away, just like they didn't turn
you away. How much can you give a month to support someone else who
needs your encouragement? Your restoration is done but another's has
just begun. Imagine if every graduate just gave back a little bit each
month to save someone else! Wow! We could save the world one broken soul
at a time!
Let God touch on your heart what you should do to
support the program that saved hour life and restored your families and
quite possibly, as in my case, is restoring generations. The blessings
to pour out are enormous when we trust God. Pray about it. He has put
this on my heart to say, so whom among you needs to hear this and can
continue to support others throughout our lifetimes for their salvation
and healing?
God bless you all. Thanks for letting me share what he put on my heart.
Acts
"The world tends to disrupt, divide, and build barriers. The Holy Spirit broke down barriers as the Church prayed together, worked together, evangelized together. Nature tends to disperse, scatter, and break down. It takes a higher energy to unite, and more wisdom and power to build up, than to tear down" from Acts: A Logion Press Commentary.
The Evil one
I
can't stress it enough. Don't let the world pull you down and away from
Him who made you. The evil one is always working to make you fall. But
God will lift you up out of pain and bring you peace. Ephesians 6:10-17:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on
the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the
devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of
God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your
ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm
then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with
the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to
all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all
the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and
the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Saltiness
Think about your saltiness in life. In order for salt to have the greatest possible impact, it must be potent enough to have an effect...must be full of flavor. But for any impact to take place, salt has to get close to whatever its supposed to affect. Tell me, is it all your Christian friends who need that salt or is it those lost in the world? Read "Becoming a Contagious Christian" and find out more! |
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Does God make mistakes?
Does God
make mistakes? It is a question that seems silly to ask because we would all
answer no. God does not make mistakes, humans do. I also know that we are made
in His image. The bible says so:
Gen 1:27: “So
God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and
female he created them.”
God didn’t
make a mistake when he created us. We are made in His image, perfectly made and
are beautiful in His eyes. But, alas, we are human and with that comes
insecurity, pride, vanity, jealousy, envy… all of your common place sins. If we
know God doesn’t make mistakes, why can’t we understand that He made us in His
image and we are beautiful in His eyes? Rather than show off God’s natural
design and beauty, we cover over it with paint. That is like slapping paint on
an original Picasso.
In ancient
history, only the prostitutes and pagans wore make up and dressed in immodest
attire. It was a type of vanity and pride, which as we know, are sins. They
would attempt to make themselves more appealing for their trade and/or show
themselves as more important in society than others. Some say it was the advent
of television and movie stars that caused the explosion of makeup for the whole
of society. We saw them painted to the
extreme and became conditioned to think that was ‘normal’ and attractive. (Much
like it desensitizes us to other deceptions in life.) In truth, it didn’t take
much to sway us to believe that painting ourselves is better because, as a
whole, we humans are insecure and see ourselves as less than what God made us
to be. Our natural beauty, the unique shape of our eyes, the color of our iris’,
the form of our face, our cheeks, and lips… just aren’t good enough to be seen
in public.
Jerimiah 4:30: “And
you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn
yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain
you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.”
Not long
ago, and for many decades since I was 14, I wouldn’t be caught dead in public
without makeup. I couldn’t even run to the store without hurrying to paint my
eyes, eyelashes and face. I felt ugly or homely without it. I couldn’t see my
natural beauty to save my soul. The same goes for flashy immodest clothes that
accentuated what I shouldn’t have been revealing. Essentially, when I revealed
myself in that way, I was flaunting my insecurities and sins for the world to
see. (Who knew?) You see, I always believed in God, I just
never believed in me. I never lived FOR God, I lived for ME. THAT was a long
worn out road before I discovered the err of my ways.
1 Timothy 2:9-10: “Likewise
also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty
and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,
but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.”
As I got
older, I wore make-up less and less, but not for lack of wanting. I would go ‘out’
with it on, but I could go without it to the store and to run errands. For
practical reasons I didn’t always wear it: it got in my eyes, it would run, I
was less adept at it, couldn’t see as well, my drive or motivation lessened etc.
I began to wear more ‘natural’ make up and less color but still couldn’t go
without it. My hair has been dyed since my 20’s, long before it actually turned
grey. I always curled my hair because my hair wasn’t good enough. I guess I
thought God made a mistake with mine. Ha ha
At some
point, I had decided that I wanted to be alone in life because the alternative was
too difficult. I had already been able to step out of the house without makeup once
in a while when my mentality was, “Who cares, I am not trying to impress
anybody anymore.” That statement alone indicates that in my mind, I feel I DO
have to wear makeup to impress someone. However, I always carry that ‘I am less”
feeling when I am without makeup and see others with makeup that I think looks
better than I do. To this day, I still feel that way, especially the older I
get.
Now I am
married. The first part of my marriage, I would wear makeup all the time, even
on weekends, afraid somehow I wouldn’t attract him if I didn’t. It always got
in my eyes and interrupted my peace and our active lives. My husband would say
that I am so beautiful and ask why I hid behind dyes and makeup. He says, “Why
not let people see who you really are?” Then he spouts off a pretend bible
verse that says something like, “thou shalt not paint yourself and hide your
natural beauty.” (Yes, he is a dork and I love him so.) Then he proceeds to
tell me that I don’t need all that stuff he thinks I am beautiful without it. He admires women who have natural beauty and
naturally grey hair. He thinks it is adorable that we actually grow old and
look it, together.
Why do we
work so hard on the outside and ignore the beauty from within? Have you ever
seen someone who is plain looking but once you get to know them you start to
notice how beautiful they are? I have. What you are seeing is their inner
beauty radiate to their face. Please understand that we all have that ability
and the more loving, kindness and joy we express the more beauty we possess.
1 Peter 3:3-4: “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding
of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let
your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of
a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.”
And quite
the opposite is true as well. I have met those who look stunningly beautiful,
but when I got to know them, their vanity, selfishness, negativity or
hatefulness could not be hidden behind the paint that they wore. They became
ugly and sometimes evil in my sight.
Romans 8:11: “If the Spirit
of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus
from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who
dwells in you.”
We possess
the Spirit of the Holy God within us. Why in this dark world would we think
that we need any kind of help beautifying what the Lord made beautiful? We are
made in His image, we are beautiful and are to adorn ourselves in modesty. Our
natural beauty, though it may take you a long time to accept and appreciate it
as such because of the conditioning you accepted from the world, is perfectly
made. The more beauty we possess on the inside, the more it glows on the
outside. No makeup or hair color can hide the person that you are, so why not
work on your internal beauty and trust God for the image that He has made?
I feel a
sense of freedom in not being chained to an expectation or image of myself… not
to mention how quickly I can get ready for work or other events. J Try it, a little at a time if you
must. Go without blank for one day, then another, then another. When you
feel comfortable, shed another layer of paint and before you know it, you will
like yourself just the way you are. You will appreciate the beauty that God
made you and you will learn to work on the inside.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Heavenly Father, I am here. I praise Your name for the blessings I have received and so undeservedly so. My years have been wasted in the world. My time in human years is not long on this earth. I ask that You use every single drop of me that is left to serve You. I long to bring others to Your mercy and grace.
Lord, I need to be close to You every day. I need to constantly let go of me and my wicked mental state and turn to You, in all things, for all things, above all things. Lord I love You, worship You and crave your Word. Please guide me in the path for the rest of my life so that I am seeking your will first, and put aside any will of my own. Don't let the worldly temptations take me from Your path for me. Money, power or material gain, does nothing for my soul. It consumes and takes me from Your will.
Lord, You know satan is a fool and tries to knock at my door. I hear his voice and I answer with Your name. Always give me the foresight to laugh at his attempts and to seek Your favor. Lord, there are so many who fail to recognize the battle in this world. They have no ears to hear or eyes to see the implications of the things they choose or pass by. Lord, help me to help them see the Truth in the world, the darkness swallowing their lives, subtly but surely as fire destroys life.
Keep me close to Your heart and make my path perfect in Your Will. Your will be done, Lord, not mine. I am Yours.
Lord, I need to be close to You every day. I need to constantly let go of me and my wicked mental state and turn to You, in all things, for all things, above all things. Lord I love You, worship You and crave your Word. Please guide me in the path for the rest of my life so that I am seeking your will first, and put aside any will of my own. Don't let the worldly temptations take me from Your path for me. Money, power or material gain, does nothing for my soul. It consumes and takes me from Your will.
Lord, You know satan is a fool and tries to knock at my door. I hear his voice and I answer with Your name. Always give me the foresight to laugh at his attempts and to seek Your favor. Lord, there are so many who fail to recognize the battle in this world. They have no ears to hear or eyes to see the implications of the things they choose or pass by. Lord, help me to help them see the Truth in the world, the darkness swallowing their lives, subtly but surely as fire destroys life.
Keep me close to Your heart and make my path perfect in Your Will. Your will be done, Lord, not mine. I am Yours.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
The Holy Spirit and other voices in my head
The Holy Spirit and other voices in my head 6-5-13
Do you believe the bible? Do you believe every bit of it? I do. As I read through it, I wonder why people say they believe it but act as if they don’t. I keep asking myself, if they could do that back then based on the power of the Holy Spirit, then why can’t we do it now? I can’t find anywhere in the bible where it says, ‘but God doesn’t do that now’ or ‘the Holy Spirit doesn’t work like that now.’ Where does it say that we can no longer work miracles, heal or speak from the power of the Holy Spirit?
I had some other religious sect knock on my door before moving here to Flag. She asked if I knew Christ and I said something to the effect of “Know Him?? I have a great relationship with Him! I love Him. Why, I have seen Him work miracles in my life and that of my family! I have seen people healed.” And she said, with a very flat tone like she sympathized with me for not knowing this, “Oh, He doesn’t do that anymore.” Well, I forget how it ended because I was painting my house and she was lost for words, I think. But tell me, truly, do you believe the Holy Spirit is alive in you and can perform miracles through you?
My first experience with hearing His audible voice in my head happened back in about 2004. I had always believed in God but lived like I didn’t, based on my behavior. What I knew of the bible was told to me through others, and some not knowledgeable at all... or worse, knowledgeable enough to be dangerous but have not love. I was deep in sin my whole life and had just discovered I WAS in a certain sin by reading the bible. I immediately stopped living in that sin the moment I read it and I repented whole heartedly. But I couldn’t leave yet. I had to make sure someone else was okay before I left. I didn’t know much about praying in reverence. At the end of my day, I was tired and would lay on the bed to pray. I laid there on my back pleading with Him to bring this person back to Christ before I left. (Some very backwards, disciple driven, home schooling on the bible had driven this person completely away from God.) And as I lay there pleading for their salvation, I heard an audible strong, firm male voice say, “Get on your knees.” And with it came the thought that I was being lazy and disrespectful considering I had lived my life in sin and was asking for mercy and grace. (Not in those words mind you, but the overall impression was that.) So, I hurriedly got down on my knees, and even pressed my face to the floor, remembering the reverence I had read about in the bible, and continued praying. God was to answer that prayer. I could elaborate but you wouldn’t want to read it all. He wiped my sin clean as if I never had the inclination and he saved my friend who was still in it. God DOES speak audibly, He can be the voice inside your head and He does compel.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I don’t like it when it isn’t audible because I can’t tell if it is coming from Him, me or the evil one… except the evil one always leads you in the wrong path; the one that you know common sensically not to take. I have felt compelled before and followed that feeling and it never came to fruition. So it is difficult to distinguish sometimes… most times. I always tell God that I have to be hit with a brick to be sure it is from Him. Especially now, when all I want to do is serve Him, I don’t want to be sidetracked by my own ideas, even if they seem like good ones.
So anyway, the other day I was praying with a woman in church about her daughter being an addict. Her daughter is 59. Her daughter’s name is Paula. [Please put her on your prayer list.] So we finish praying and went back to our seats. This is going to sound weird- it does to me, but while we are singing praises, I was praying for Sarah and Paula. I prayed in tongues as I felt compelled. I started singing, then praying, etc. Then an overpowering feeling came over me and said, in a strong male voice “Sarah! Your daughter will be healed because of your faithful service.” And with that came the compelling urge to spin around and calmly state that from where I was in church. (I was in the front, she was in the back.) In fact, I couldn’t help but look back several times and literally fought the urge to make a fool of myself in church. I stood frozen having that conversation you have with Him when He is prompting you to action and you are trying to compromise so that you don’t scare people to death. It is then that He reminded me that I should be bold in my faith. And in the back of my mind I thought, ‘what a hypocrite. I sit there reading the bible for all its worth asking why it isn’t possible today and saying I believe it is, then I chicken out in church because I think others will think I am nuts.’ So to compromise, because that IS what we do, I went to her during the song and whispered what He said, then went back to my seat. After church, I felt I should tell her the whole story and I did. She never really looked at me. I think she thought I was nuts. So I hope that the truth didn’t make her doubt His power or promise.
Do you see? We can’t help but be human and hypocritical. I really feel that God might have wanted to prove to this church, maybe someone specific in the church, maybe a spiritual leader who is struggling? that He does do miracles and isn’t ‘dead’ like we act like He is. We act like He was some distant God that rose from the dead and doesn’t really do that any more. But that is such bull! Don’t you believe for one minute that he can’t speak through you in some manner to heal others, to bring others to Christ, to build bridges, restore relationships, to save the world…. Don’t doubt His power and DO NOT doubt the power of the Holy Spirit.
That being said, I still sometimes doubt myself and my ability to distinguish between the Holy Spirit and the voices in my head. There are two voices against the Truth in me. One is me doubting myself and the other is satan trying to talk me out of my faith in His power. But I KNOW the Holy Spirit lives. I KNOW there is healing and miracles all over the place because I have SEEN it for myself, most recently in the Teen Challenge Home of Hope. And I KNOW the Holy Spirit has, can and will use me again to speak life into another soul. Whether they believe or want to lock me up is on them. I will speak boldly in the Word and Faith. And I KNOW He can and will use you if you are open to it.
Stay in the Word, stay close to Him so He can speak to you through the Holy Spirit, then don’t doubt for a second that He can and will speak through you when you open yourself to Him as His vessel. I have no idea how this Sarah thing will work out, but I know that Paula will be healed and come to know god, preferable in Teen Challenge as I told Sarah all about it. Pray to God for her Faith and healing.
Do you believe the bible? Do you believe every bit of it? I do. As I read through it, I wonder why people say they believe it but act as if they don’t. I keep asking myself, if they could do that back then based on the power of the Holy Spirit, then why can’t we do it now? I can’t find anywhere in the bible where it says, ‘but God doesn’t do that now’ or ‘the Holy Spirit doesn’t work like that now.’ Where does it say that we can no longer work miracles, heal or speak from the power of the Holy Spirit?
I had some other religious sect knock on my door before moving here to Flag. She asked if I knew Christ and I said something to the effect of “Know Him?? I have a great relationship with Him! I love Him. Why, I have seen Him work miracles in my life and that of my family! I have seen people healed.” And she said, with a very flat tone like she sympathized with me for not knowing this, “Oh, He doesn’t do that anymore.” Well, I forget how it ended because I was painting my house and she was lost for words, I think. But tell me, truly, do you believe the Holy Spirit is alive in you and can perform miracles through you?
My first experience with hearing His audible voice in my head happened back in about 2004. I had always believed in God but lived like I didn’t, based on my behavior. What I knew of the bible was told to me through others, and some not knowledgeable at all... or worse, knowledgeable enough to be dangerous but have not love. I was deep in sin my whole life and had just discovered I WAS in a certain sin by reading the bible. I immediately stopped living in that sin the moment I read it and I repented whole heartedly. But I couldn’t leave yet. I had to make sure someone else was okay before I left. I didn’t know much about praying in reverence. At the end of my day, I was tired and would lay on the bed to pray. I laid there on my back pleading with Him to bring this person back to Christ before I left. (Some very backwards, disciple driven, home schooling on the bible had driven this person completely away from God.) And as I lay there pleading for their salvation, I heard an audible strong, firm male voice say, “Get on your knees.” And with it came the thought that I was being lazy and disrespectful considering I had lived my life in sin and was asking for mercy and grace. (Not in those words mind you, but the overall impression was that.) So, I hurriedly got down on my knees, and even pressed my face to the floor, remembering the reverence I had read about in the bible, and continued praying. God was to answer that prayer. I could elaborate but you wouldn’t want to read it all. He wiped my sin clean as if I never had the inclination and he saved my friend who was still in it. God DOES speak audibly, He can be the voice inside your head and He does compel.
Now, I will be the first to admit that I don’t like it when it isn’t audible because I can’t tell if it is coming from Him, me or the evil one… except the evil one always leads you in the wrong path; the one that you know common sensically not to take. I have felt compelled before and followed that feeling and it never came to fruition. So it is difficult to distinguish sometimes… most times. I always tell God that I have to be hit with a brick to be sure it is from Him. Especially now, when all I want to do is serve Him, I don’t want to be sidetracked by my own ideas, even if they seem like good ones.
So anyway, the other day I was praying with a woman in church about her daughter being an addict. Her daughter is 59. Her daughter’s name is Paula. [Please put her on your prayer list.] So we finish praying and went back to our seats. This is going to sound weird- it does to me, but while we are singing praises, I was praying for Sarah and Paula. I prayed in tongues as I felt compelled. I started singing, then praying, etc. Then an overpowering feeling came over me and said, in a strong male voice “Sarah! Your daughter will be healed because of your faithful service.” And with that came the compelling urge to spin around and calmly state that from where I was in church. (I was in the front, she was in the back.) In fact, I couldn’t help but look back several times and literally fought the urge to make a fool of myself in church. I stood frozen having that conversation you have with Him when He is prompting you to action and you are trying to compromise so that you don’t scare people to death. It is then that He reminded me that I should be bold in my faith. And in the back of my mind I thought, ‘what a hypocrite. I sit there reading the bible for all its worth asking why it isn’t possible today and saying I believe it is, then I chicken out in church because I think others will think I am nuts.’ So to compromise, because that IS what we do, I went to her during the song and whispered what He said, then went back to my seat. After church, I felt I should tell her the whole story and I did. She never really looked at me. I think she thought I was nuts. So I hope that the truth didn’t make her doubt His power or promise.
Do you see? We can’t help but be human and hypocritical. I really feel that God might have wanted to prove to this church, maybe someone specific in the church, maybe a spiritual leader who is struggling? that He does do miracles and isn’t ‘dead’ like we act like He is. We act like He was some distant God that rose from the dead and doesn’t really do that any more. But that is such bull! Don’t you believe for one minute that he can’t speak through you in some manner to heal others, to bring others to Christ, to build bridges, restore relationships, to save the world…. Don’t doubt His power and DO NOT doubt the power of the Holy Spirit.
That being said, I still sometimes doubt myself and my ability to distinguish between the Holy Spirit and the voices in my head. There are two voices against the Truth in me. One is me doubting myself and the other is satan trying to talk me out of my faith in His power. But I KNOW the Holy Spirit lives. I KNOW there is healing and miracles all over the place because I have SEEN it for myself, most recently in the Teen Challenge Home of Hope. And I KNOW the Holy Spirit has, can and will use me again to speak life into another soul. Whether they believe or want to lock me up is on them. I will speak boldly in the Word and Faith. And I KNOW He can and will use you if you are open to it.
Stay in the Word, stay close to Him so He can speak to you through the Holy Spirit, then don’t doubt for a second that He can and will speak through you when you open yourself to Him as His vessel. I have no idea how this Sarah thing will work out, but I know that Paula will be healed and come to know god, preferable in Teen Challenge as I told Sarah all about it. Pray to God for her Faith and healing.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Fighting Human nature
Fighting Human Nature
It is a very difficult balancing act when you are a Christian. Every
minute of the day, we fight against our own human nature. Human nature
is naturally sinful. You may react to that statement as I first did. I
was defensive and argumentative saying that ‘I am not sinful or evil. I
am a good person and I don’t do bad things, I just make bad decisions
now and then.’ [However, Romans 3:23
says “...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus…”]
If we are honest, we know how many times we
think bad thoughts about others. By nature, we try to be nice but
inwardly we tend to be judgmental, negative, unloving, unkind,
impatient, selfish, rude, superior in thought and acts, oblivious to
those in pain, envious of what others have, jealous, insecure,
self-destructive... to name only a few of the less malicious thoughts.
It isn’t just me, I know. It is every one of us.
We should be
constantly at war with our sinful nature. Taking every moment to
improve upon our thoughts and behavior. We hear the Holy Spirit inside
us warning us not to do that wrong thing, but sometimes we just don’t
listen. [John 16:7-8– Christ told them that He had to go away but
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go
away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to
you. And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and
righteousness and judgment.”] Some of us tend to put on our Sunday best
smile and “Hallelujah’s” when we are in church, but come home and growl
at each other. [Matthew 15:11– “It is not what goes into the mouth that
defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a
person.”]
Don’t be discouraged though. Over our lives we can
work to eradicate the sinful nature by catching ourselves in the act and
immediately asking God for strength and forgiveness. I also find it
easier when I surround myself with God’s word, prayer, sermons (online
or on TV), being giving and uplifting to others as a way to humble my
noisy sinful nature. The more I invest in the God and positive
activities, the easier it is to find the peace and connect with the Holy
Spirit inside me. The best part of it all is that Christ died on the
cross for our sins. [Ephesians 2:8-9– “For by grace you have been saved
through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”] As Christians, God
loves us. He knows we are weak. He knows we need the Holy Spirit to keep
us on track and be our little internal conscience. That is why Christ
died on the cross for our never ending sins, and that is why He sent the
Holy Spirit to guide us.
Until next time, practice putting down that sinful nature.
Warning to America
http://www.youtube.com/
If it doesn't connect to you tube, just search the title. This is amazing insight into the world today... from over 50 years ago
The Power of Faith
Jan 23, 2013-I was watching John Hagee Ministries this morning and heard a story about the greatest faith. As the family sat at the dinner table, the daddy said he didn't feel well. Immediately the little child went over to her daddy and prayed over him and promptly went back to her seat, trusting immediately that God heard and answered her prayer. Can you imagine? What would it be like if we fill our children with God's word and power so much that they instinctively look to Him for answers and not the world? Luke 18:17-"Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” The power of innocence having such faith that the evil one cannot fill with doubtful thoughts. |
My Hope
myhopewithbillygraham.org
Let us team up to make a difference in the United States. Changing the world starts with one step by each of us and ripples through the world like the waves of the ocean. Check it out. Don't doubt. Tell your church. Let us do what we can to turn the hearts and souls of the lost and hurt to Jesus.
Our deepest fear
Marianne Williamson
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is
that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness
that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a
child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is
nothing enlightened about shrinking so
that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to
shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God
that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as
we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our
presence automatically liberates others.”
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