Psalm 23:3

“He restoreth my soul.” 

This verse was written after David's sin with Bathsheba. David’s soul at this time was cast down because of all the troubles he was passing through (Psa. 42:11). His son Absalom had forced him to flee Jerusalem and was chasing him, seeking to kill him.

“Cast down” is an old English expression for a sheep that has turned over on its back and cannot get up. If he is left in this condition, he will either become a victim to wild beasts or the gases that build up within his body will cut off his circulation and eventually kill him. To restore a sheep that has been cast down, the shepherd has to massage him and gently talk to him so that he will want to regain his former walk and demeanor. 

We can liken this example to the a Christian who has fallen away. The shepherd goes out and finds his lost sheep. When he finds that lost sheep "cast down" he must be gentle and take care of that sheep. If the shepherd (Pastor/spiritual leadership) shows too much rebuke that will kill the Christian. The shepherd is to supply to the sheep what it needs because it is helpless. The casted down sheep does not need an abundance of rebuke, but correction with gentleness and instruction to keep them on the right path.

“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” 

One truth must not predominate the life of the shepherd and the sheep. Overgrazing a certain area can destroy the land and the sheep. Going in the same old ruts, the sheep always turn into the old paths and thus ruin the pasture land. The key is to continually lead the sheep into new pastures and then back again into the old pastures that have now become refreshed.

As teachers and leaders, we must continually lead our flocks into new truths in the Word of God, fresh manna, and regularly refresh their memories concerning the old truths. As it says in Matthew 13:52, we must be able to bring forth out of our treasure things new (fresh) and old. We must lead our flocks in the paths of righteousness, making straight paths for their feet. We must show them the direction in which way they should walk.

"For his name’s sake.” 

The state of the flock is a reflection of the shepherd who looks after them. Therefore, it is to the glory of God that we should walk in the paths of righteousness, performing the works that the Lord has ordained before the foundation of the world that we should walk in, for in so doing we bring honor and glory to His Name (Eph. 2:10).

Psalm 23:2

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” 

One of the most difficult tasks that a shepherd has in caring for his sheep is to get them to lie down, because they are so restless.

Four things are essential before sheep will rest or lie down.
1.) They have to be free from fear because they are very timid.
2.) They have to be free from friction with other members of their own flock.
3.) They must be free from torment by flies or other parasites.
4.) They must be full. 

These four areas can be applied to our self, sheep's of Christ.
Fear is torment, but perfect love casts out fear (1 Jn. 4:18). We need the deep love of the Shepherd of our souls. In other words, to have an awareness that He loves us and watches over us will free us from fear. We need a personal assurance of Hebrews 13:5, that the Lord will never leave us or forsake us.

Next, we must be free from friction with other Christians. We should make every effort to live in peace with all men without compromising our standards. Understand that contention only comes by pride and an inflated ego (Prov. 13:10). Therefore, if we walk in humility and meekness, others will not cause us to lose sleep or our peace of mind. The key is to not be people conscious, but to be Christ centered. We must be kind to others and forgive them when they do us wrong (Eph. 4:32), not always insisting on having our own way.

We show true kindness when we have seen and experienced kindness ourselves. Anyone can be kind, but to be truly kind is when you have the history and experience of another showing kindness to your.

Sheep will only lie down when they have been satisfied with good food. Green pastures are only obtained by careful planting, deep plowing, and watering the ground well. A good shepherd (pastor or teacher) has to spend much time and energy to find good pastures in the Word of God to feed to his flock. He (Pastors & spiritual fathers) takes great care of the product that they feed their sheep. We have to study earnestly and set in order many proverbs for our flock to feed upon (Eccl. 12:9). Everyone who is used by God to teach must constantly be seeking the Lord for fresh truths from His Word and be constantly meditating in His Word.

One large reason for spiritual leanness in the flock is because the pastor (shepherd) is feeding the flock the same diet every week, teaching them only about salvation, water baptism, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. That is the description of an uncaring shepherd. Looking at Christ as the example, He takes care of what His flock eats and encourages them to eat daily. Like Ezra of old, we should aspire to be students of the Word who are able to open up the Word of God so that people can understand it. We should have knowledge of every verse of the Bible, making them crystal clear for people as we teach (Neh. 8:7-8).

How important it is to deal with the simplicity of God’s word. We not only have the milk and feed on the strong meat of the word so that we are strong in the Lord. Know the things of the word of God and do not occupy yourself with the things that God does not want to show you. As a sheep of God cry out before you study, something like this, "Lord what do you want to show me? What do you want to teach me?" Listen to what He says to you and lay the other things aside.

“He leadeth me beside the still [or quiet] waters.” 

There are three sources of water for sheep: dew on the grass, deep wells, and springs or streams. It should be noted that 70 percent of a sheep is composed of water. Thus lack of water will cause dehydration, disease of tissue, and general deterioration of health. Therefore, a good supply of water is essential for healthy sheep.

1.) Dew is upon the grass prior to sunrise when it is still dark outside. The dew satisfies the thirst of the sheep, enabling them to lie down contentedly all day as the heat of the sun rises.

The Lord rose early every morning and spent time with His Father in prayer. He heard Him speak every day. David said in Psalm 63:1, “Early will I seek thee.” It is noteworthy in Church history that all those who have ever had a major impact upon their generation and the generations to follow rose early in the mornings to meet with the Lord in prayer.

2.) Often shepherds would obtain water from deep wells in dark cavities carved out in underground caves. This speaks of treasures of darkness that we obtain when we pass through the valley of trouble.

3.) The other source of water for sheep was from springs or streams. Achsah cried out to her father Caleb to give her the upper and nether springs (Judg. 1:15). This speaks of the double portion of God’s Spirit. These two springs represent the rivers of living waters that will flow out from the Lord’s people in the last day revival during the Feast of Tabernacles (Jn. 7:2, 38).

Psalm 23:1

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” 

A sheep’s welfare is dependent almost exclusively on the shepherd’s character, although it is also important for a shepherd to have the ability to provide for his sheep. 

There is a new relationship between the sheep (Christians) and the Shepherd (Jesus Christ). Here David says, "The LORD is my Shepherd" this shows the sheep taking possession of the Shepherd. When we see how precious we are to the Shepherd, we do not look else where for affection or attention. You feel wonderful when you see how much your are valued--there is a humbleness and a drawing closer to each other.

The other side of this is that the shepherd owns his flock. He has paid a price for them. Likewise, God bought us with the price of the death of His own dear Son—the greatest price any shepherd could pay for his flock. This is what Paul said in First Corinthians 6:19-20: “Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price.” Therefore, Christ could say in John 10:11,15 that He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. He knows each of His sheep by name (Jn. 10:14). The shepherd is so identified with his sheep that he even feels their frustrations (Isa. 63:9).

Moving on to, “I shall not want.” David says that because of the greatness and goodness of his Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not lack any good thing, spiritually or naturally. We see that one who is a sheep of the Good Shepherd has contentment. They look no were else because the Lord has given them everything: value, relationship, laid down His life for him, etc.

Sheep are utterly defenseless and they lack any sense of direction. As Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray.” They need a good shepherd who will provide for them. Whom we choose as our shepherd (pastor or spiritual father) makes all the difference. The thought of “not wanting” is more than just not lacking natural or spiritual care. It speaks of a deep sense of contentment—a peace so deep and a serenity so profound that even the shadow of death cannot disturb us.

May this verse be our daily pray, that we may declare the Lord as our Shepherd and also find peace and contentment. 

The Secret to Life is Having Conviction!

I apologize for taking a while to post what the Lord has been putting on my heart. Sometimes there is a never ending flow of things the Lord speaks to me and then there are other times where there is just one thing that goes over and over in my heart and mind. I want to be attentive especially when those moments occur because that may be a key my Father is giving to me for something ahead.

My father spoke a message today at a church in Jamestown, NY. I will try my best to give you a summary of it because he preached it exactly the way I wish to write it. One of the things my Lord has laid upon my heart to mediate and re-mediate upon is this, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Rom. 12:2 [KJV]).

The worlds mentality is to go out and find yourself and who you are as quickly as possible. That is not a mind set God our Father desires us to have. The secret to life is not finding yourself or expressing yourself, but it is finding the convictions and holding true to them. If you do a study on the end times you will see that the big issue in the church will be on compromising. We must learn convictions now and hold true to them! That we may not be deceived and conform to this world and the image it holds to. Body, soul, and Spirit--those are the three areas we battle with in our Christian walk. (1) the body: that is submitting our self as a vessel of honor for God; the changing of ones conduct. (2) the soul: this is a major battle because it involves our heart, emotions, and desires. Be not compelled to follow your heart or led by your emotions. My grandfather use to say this to his children, "At the end of the day you kids do what you want to do!" It's not wrong to have desires, but may we not be led by them. (3) the spirit: This is very hard for all man-kind because this is  where the human pride lies. God resists the proud and we do not want to listen to the world which will tell you to find that pride for there is no harm in it. This area is also where one must learn to surrender his intelligence because there will be times where God will ask you to do something that is not practical. We see examples of this all throughout scripture: Moses parting the red sea, Abraham sacrificing his son, etc...

I say this all to encourage you to examine your life. Do you have convictions? Are you holding true to them? To know Him--that is our quest! Do not compromise and be conformed to this world. Be transformed by allowing God to renew your mind daily. Walk in the Holy Spirit and be not ruled by your body or soul!

God bless!

Poor in Spirit--Seeing Your Self Just As You Are

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

Being poor in Spirit is to see our self just as we are. It's having the humility and a healthy view of our self. As we walk with the Lord, we can see our wretched nature. When He shows us something that is in our heart, He is showing it to us because He loves us. He brings it to the light in His time to correct us. We then have a greater love and dependency on the Lord. The greatest ability is dependability in the Lord. God saw us all the time the way we are. Nothing is new to Him, but when He brings it to light, that means it is time to deal with it! The law is made to show us who we are and Gods grace shows us who we will be. Although man-kind has tried all throughout history, even up to today, to change the law. Why is that? Because the law shows us who we are and man does not want to change that image. 

Jesus is our pattern. Have not a demanding heart and  attitude. We have no other hope but that which is in the Lord. The just receive because they were humble and allowed God to change them to become more like Christ. Often times we do not see the work that God has already done. We must believe that in the process of being humbled, there is a progression occurring. As we walk and see what great things He has done in our lives, our love grows and our dependency in Him grows also.

We are what we are for a reason. Are we good because of Gods grace? or Are we rebellious and stubborn because of our bitterness? Remember there are blessings God promises in His word, but no where in His word does it state, "Blessed are the rebellious, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" or "Blessed are the bitter, for they shall see God" or "Blessed are those who demand things, for they shall inherit the earth".

God Bless!

Judgment Is Coming Upon This Nation!

Recently we have heard news concerning gay marriages and gender changers. This only reveals to us more and more of how far America has trotted away from the nation it once was, under God! Many people even go as far as to denying that it ever was a nation founded under God.

When Israel forsook Gods law, He forsook them; Even as Solomon who forsook Gods law, and Rehoboam who forsook His law – God forsook them. God raised up enemies against them and brought judgments against them. Even now we see that this is a nation that is on trial.

Know that the decisions that are being made in this country by the judges and the counselors - they shall answer to God the King of kings and the Lord of Host. This judgment is coming upon this nation because of the judgments that have been made. Even now God is stirring up enemies that will come against this nation. Even now God is preparing judgments against this nation; and He is looking to the church and speaks to His church to prepare a covering, that they would prepare an "ark"; that they would prepare themselves for a time of trouble. To be a place of refuge in a time of storm. For truly God is judging this nation, a nation that is forsaking His law and is forsaking His way, and a nation that is called by His name.

We are living in difficult times! I want to encourage the saints to not give in. Don't compromise and give up eternal things to accept sin. Wars are never easy! Saint of God, be bold, be strong, for the Lord of Host is with You! Be not afraid or dismayed, but walk in faith and victory. Christ did not come and die on the cross so that we can accept sin, but He came to pay the price of sin so that we can be made free from bondage (sin). Don't back track and accept sin. We are to accept the sinner, but despise the sin. 

God bless,

Thank you for reading my blog!

It's Winter Time!

Lately I have been getting back into studying the Bride of Christ. While I was studying, the Lord brought to me a word of encouragement. It seemed that for a while I have been feeling like there has been no growth in my life right now. It has been rough and at various times discouraging to myself. I was praying to the Lord this morning that I need understanding and wisdom. My thoughts were not His thoughts and I needed them to be His thoughts. He brought me to a certain page in a book entitled, "The Bride", Dc. Brian J. Bailey. On this page the authored talked a little bit about the seasons. He says this, "We know that they repeat themselves--the spring brings rain and thus, new growth; the summer is the season where the crop matures; the fall brings the harvest; and the winter when there is apparently no growth, yet during which time something unseen is happening deep within the earth" (Bailey 5).

In the natural, there are a lot of people who do not like winter. In-fact many people move to the hotter climates so that they don't have to put up with that season and all that it brings. Whether we realize it or not it is the same in the spiritual. We may not know immediately when it is spiritually summer, spring, fall, or winter, but over time we will know what season we are in. Many do not like winter because it is the time where a hidden work is being performed. Very few people like not knowing what is going on. Man-kind tends to be one who likes to always have all the cards laid out right in front of them so that they can see everything.

I say this to you all because I am going through the winter period right now. I want to encourage any one else who may be in this season (spiritually) too--do not give up! Keep trusting in the Lord and allow Him to do that hidden work in you. For those who are married, you want your spouse to trust you when you make a decision, right? When you first get married this process of trust is a learning process. It is obtained over a period of time of being together. Just as it is in the natural so it is in spirit. Christ too wants His Bride to learn to trust in Him and not doubt His every action. We learn to trust the Lord most during the winter time when we cannot feel or see anything.

Dc. Bailey continues to say this, "In our own spiritual lives, this is a very important principle we have four seasons that continually revolve. Within these periods God never does exactly the same work in our lives, but continually changes that work with the seasons" (Bailey 5). During this period we will struggle with many different things. God doesn't deal with the same thing in us for the rest of our life. He does a work in one area and as we submit that area to Him and allow Him to do that work, the next time it will be in a different area.

In my conclusion I want to bring in Romans 6:6. Christ wants His Church to experience being crucified with Him. He wants us to know when an area of our lives has been crucified with Him and to proclaim it! We must keep our eyes opened and set on Christ. The enemy desires to undo the work that God has completed in our lives. Keep your eyes set on Him. We are the Bride of Christ and we must Never, Never, Never Give up!

God Bless!

If you are interested in studying this yourself and want to order your own book, "The Bride" by: Dc. Brian J. Bailey, go to: http://www.zcpublishers.com/bride.html it is only $8.64 (including tax).

Spending More Time With Him

"Imagine there is a bank account that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening the bank deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course? Each of us has such a bank. Its name is time. Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to a good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no over draft. Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If you have to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no drawing against "tomorrow." You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the most."

I found this paragraph and I wanted to share it first because it says what I want to say. In concluding this post I want us all to think and remember to ponder this often. We have time and we must spend it wisely. Throughout scripture it says plainly that wisdom cries out from every corner. Are you listening to the heavenly wisdom as you spend your time? I'm not writing this to guilt trip everyone because i'm the last person on this planet to do so! I know there is plenty of time that I waste and I do not say this proudly. We always want gifts and yet we fail to appreciate the gift of time that is renewed and given to us every day. Life is a gift from God and we must remember that! We are able to set our priorities straight as we spent more time in the presence of Jehovah, God Almighty. Troubles vanish, hearts are mended, and peace is imparted to our souls. We hunger for that and we can obtain that as we spend time in the presence of the Lord.

You have 86,400 seconds. How are you going to spend it? Will you spend it with Him? and will you help others to spend it with Him? The choice is yours!

God Bless You All!

Desire to be Fruitful...Invest Now!

I usually only post my images on my tumblr account, but I wanted to share this on my blog as well :)

Stop and Breathe In the Freedom

After we come through a trail, what honestly is the first thing we do? After we have gone through it and have come to the end of that trial, try to take the time to stop and breathe. Recognize that you have indeed been set free from something. "If the Son, therefore, shall set you free, ye shall be free indeed." Take a moment to let that thought soak in to your mind. Often times the enemy comes in afterwards to bring confusion and even doubts of whether we have been set free. Proclaim it!

Using the Children of Israel as an example: after they were set free from their captivity with Pharaoh in Egypt, they were more worried about the next step. Moses took the time to proclaim that the Son of God has set them free and praise Him for it. We see the children set a continual pattern of focusing on something else after every trial. We too might find ourselves doing this--worried about our next trial or something else, but let us take the time to stop and think. We pray for God to do something new in our lives and the truth is, He does, we just don't take time to pause and recognize that something new has happened. Breathe in the air of freedom from something and realize that it's something new in our life. We have to get use to it and of course Satan does not want to, but he wants us to fall back into that pit.

Stop, breathe in the new freedom & life divine and thank Him for what He has done!

Blessings to you all!

God Uses Stress for Our Good

Different types of stress on these plates creates earthquakes and other geological conditions. A rock's response to stress varies according to the type of rock, the surrounding temperatures, duration of the stress and the type of stress.

Compression Stress
Compression stress = squeezes rocks. This is the most common stress. Rocks squeezing together where plates are moving toward one another causes them to fold or break. These are called faults. Faults are cracks in the crust that cause earthquakes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the stress factor on a surface, such as a fault plane, results from "forces applied perpendicular to the surface or from remote forces transmitted through the surrounding rock."

Tensional Stress
Rocks pulled apart are under tensional stress. Tensional stress is the major type of stress that occurs at plate boundaries. This type of stress happens when rocks stretch and become thin in the middle.

Shear Stress
Shear stress occurs when forces are parallel but move in opposite directions. This is the most common stress found at plate boundaries. Rocks are pushed in different directions, causing them to slip apart or change shape. Shear stress manifests as a seismic body wave that shakes the ground.

Read more: Three Types of Stress on the Earth's Crust | eHow http://www.ehow.com/info_8468366_three-types-stress-earths-crust.html#ixzz2UWO20dlN

The reason I posted these facts about stress with rocks is because God has been revealing something to me. We all are brought through different types of stress and  just as a rock responds to stress so do we. There are various types of rocks and there are various types of people. The temperature on earth changes and so does the heat of our trials change. 

God brings stress into our lives not to create an earthquake, but to create something beautiful. However, an earthquake can happen if we resist His work in our lives. God uses a shear stress to slip apart wrong relationships that would destroy us. He brings tensional stress to thin us of our self and stretch us to be able to stand the pressure of the future. Lastly, compressional stress may be used in different ways. It can be used to squeeze together a married couple on the mission field, to break a stubborn/rebellious mind and unite them with authority. 

It is amazing how we can learn more about God through studying His creation. All the earth bows down and sings praise to His name. May we remember to sing praises to His name during times of stress in our life.

God Bless!

He Paid a Debt He Did Not Owe; I Owed a Debt I Could Not Pay!

I want to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day. May we remember not just those who died for our country, but more importantly the greatest Man who ever lived on earth. The One who sacrificed His life so that we may have life and life abundantly, Jesus Christ. The shedding of His blood was the only way for us to be one and have life.

Be one with God and one with man; for we cannot say we love God if we have bitterness or hatred in our heart towards another man. Let it go! Allow God to work love into your heart. May we see the people all around us through the eyes of our Lord and not through our own eyes. Our eyes criticized and condemn others and put them and our self in bondage. I know that I have struggled with criticizing those around me, but thank God that He loved me enough to deal with me in this around of my character. Christ did not die so that we can criticize one another, but He died so that we can be ONE. Every situation we face has a different response we must play out. Seeking God in every situation is so very important.

Understand that we cannot be covered by the blood of the lamb if we are bruising a member of Gods body. God cares greatly for His body and its member's. One does not take his one foot and stomp on the other nor does he take a knife with one hand and stab the other with it. Yet we the church are doing this and may God open our eyes today to see what we, as an individual, are doing to another member.

If we desire, as captive ones, to be set free, then sometimes it will require ourselves setting others free. We set others free when we let go of the bitterness, hurt, pain, criticism, etc that we hold against them.

God Bless You!

God Gave Us Someone to Intercede for Us!

Ever feel like there is no one out there who cares or is able to help you right here right now? Well I want to remind you or maybe tell you for the very first time that this feeling is false. God became man so that He could be able to go through our experiences, overcome them and help us through it. Christ left, but when He left His Holy Spirit came. The Holy Spirit intercedes for the people of God. He knows their needs and He intercedes for us. What a wonderful thought! God cares enough for us that He sent us someone to intercede for us!

The Godhead (God the Father, Son & Holy Spirit) has deep feelings (Eph. 4:30; Jn. 11:35). He does care for us and the truth is He saved us and received us knowing all of our flaws. We only discover them day by day, but God knew about them before we even discovered they were there. God has feelings and He gave to us a Holy Spirit to intercede for us.

Do not push the Holy Spirit aside because He cares for you and is helping you. The Holy Spirit is a friend that sticks closer to you then a brother. He leads us, comforters us and intercedes for us. This is the kind of friend you want close to you! He can take something very difficult and make it easy to understand. He can untangle every knot. Take encouragement, take hope, take comfort in this truth. He is there for us and knows what we need before we even see it. 

Remember this, recite it to yourself and don't let the enemy blind you to this beautiful truth. The Godhead sees and intercedes for His people. 

Amen!?! Be encourage for the Comforter Intercedes for us.

God Wants Us to be Fruitful!

God is glorified when we bring forth fruit! If we were to have a chart that shows how much spiritual fruit we have produced up to this point, would we be disappointed with our selves? If we love God and are searching for a way to please Him, then go out and produce fruit when He tells you to do so. There are seven keys to producing fruit and much fruit. I know that I want to try my hardest to have a garden full of much fruit and not weeds and fruit that is dead. 

(1) Be planted in the right place--being planted in the wrong place is like being planted in a pot, you are going to produce very small fruit (Ps. 92:12-14).

(2) Be watered daily--you have to be watered in order to grow (1 Cor. 3:4,9). Being watered comes through the Word. Rain: Word; Spirit and we need both in order to grow (Deut. 32:2; Lev. 26:2). No rain, no growth!

(3) Be cultivated--digging around the plants to get the weeds out. Allow others to dig a little in your life and we too need to do a little bit of digging (Hosea 10:1). This may require seeking on your own and a breaking. Seek the Lord and allow Him to break up the fowl ground. We sometimes have to fall on the rock and be broken. 

(4) Be fertilized--God gives it to us to enrich our soil and this is fallen man that God uses to accomplish this (Lk. 13:6-9). North wind - adversity; South wind - pleasant experiences (SoS. 4:16). We need both experiences in our lives! 

(5) Be connected and stay connected to the True Vine--prayer life, communion with the Son and Holy Spirit, etc...Keys to be fruitful is to meditate upon the law (Word/Christ) day and night (Jn. 15:4). We have to abide, we have to remain in the source of true life.

(6) Be Pruned--Fruit, more fruit, and much fruit (Jn. 15:2-5). As we obey there is a pruning that takes place. God does not force us to do anything we are not willing to do. There are points in our life where God will say, "It's time to move away from this and on to this." Those things He asks are sacrifices to us and if we wish to become much fruit, then we must sacrifice what He asks. 

(7) Realize that it's All God!--In the end, all the fruit that we have was gained by God. He is the one who brings the increase of fruit into our lives (1 Cor. 3:7)! There are people who are here a season and gone, but God is looking for those who have remained and are willing to allow Him to perfect their life. Those are the ones whom God will bring an increase of fruit into their lives.

God Bless and be ye Much Fruitful!

Exodus 19:10-11

"And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:"

Meditating on Exodus 19:10-11, God quickened a thought to me. When His Son returns, we are going to be doing what we are doing now. What a scary thought! If we are preparing ourselves and preparing others, then we will be busy doing that when He comes. However, if we are sitting, not using our gifts from the Lord, and wasting the time given to us, then we will not be ready. We wont know how to use our gifts and it will be hard to help others because we ourselves are not ready.

We want to be a ready people that God can use to sanctify and prepare just as God appointed Moses to do in these verses. We must be ready, but we must also practice preparing others. We do not receive a reward for doing nothing and being unprepared. We receive our inheritance through accomplishing what God is requiring from us.

I hope you are encouraged to go out and continue or start preparing the way of the Lord.
God Bless!

We Are Gods Masterpiece!

When I saw this, I had to share it because this is us. I know that many of us have, are and will struggle with this. The way they talk things through, it is very helpful and I pray that this impacts you.

God Bless you all!

Stand in the Gap!

In our Wednesday Night Service, my Pastor spoke on, "Standing in the Gap." This really came to live in a new way to me and I wanted to share it with you. 

While Pastor was speaking, the thought came to me of Abraham and Lot. There was a point where Abraham pleaded with God that if there were any righteous men in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, would God spare them? God said yes, but the thing is there was not even ten righteous men in the land. If Lot would have guarded his family better by not running after that which was appealing to the eye, then there would of been enough righteous men in the land to save them from destruction. Lot had the choice between two pieces of land and he went after land that was appealing to the eye. In the end he lost his family to the world and his wife who turned to look at the cities destruction and she became a pillar of salt. 

We are in a land that is like Sodom and Gomorrah. America is a land that is very appealing to the eye and many seek to come to this land. We, who are already in this land, must allow God to use us to stand in the gap for this land. Instead of focusing on that which is appealing to the eye, may we seek to intercede and stand in the gap for this land. We see it now, little by little America is losing its sovereignty. There is no way for America to turn around accept for revival and when that time comes we will see America humbled and crying out to God. But before that happens there must be those who are willing to stand in the gap and God is searching even now for those people.

Abraham pleaded with the Lord for Sodom and Gomorrah and God heard His requests. We must not accept the attitude of, "America is doomed and there is no hope for this country." If we will humble our self and pray, then God will hear us and will answer. 

May we be one that God can use to stand in the gap for others and for this land!

Blessings!

"Draw Me", Crieth My Heart

This really is quiet short, simple and to the point; it is not possible to draw close to God until we are drawn by Him. He will not draw us unless we have an open and willing heart. God does not want to draw those who are annoyed and disobedient, closer to Him.

May we be a vessel that is willing to have God search us and remove all that are hindrances and food to the disobedience. If you want to draw close to Him, then observe your response to Him. May we be one whom God desires to come to and draw us closer to Him. May our heart cry out, "Draw me, O Lord, that I may run after thee!"

God Bless!

Question for those who are following my blog:

I want to post a question for all who are following my blog: What has the Lord been speaking to you recently? 

Sometimes I feel that the Lord speaks so much to me and I fail to take it all in. Other times I ask myself, "Why isn't God speaking to me?" and a couple minutes later I realize He has been, it's just that I haven't been re-meditating upon it. So, if you wish, please share what the Lord has been speaking to you recently?

Every Day is Trash Day

Have you struggled with over thinking about all your short comings? Just like I said in my last blog post, it's only by Gods grace that we can accomplish what concerns us each new day. We have a bunch of "trash" that builds up within us; that is part of life that is lived in the world. I am ashamed to say that it is so easy to be drawn to the trash, but we want to seek to be like Jesus and resist. We see in Matthew 4 how Satan came and tempted Jesus with earthly temptations and so does Satan attempt to tempt us. This is why it is so very important to make sure that we come daily to the Lord and surrender all of the filth we have in us to the Lord.

One other thing that must be considered is this: once we remove something within us, we now have an empty and vacant spot opened up. As we wait, may we allow God to throw away that garbage we collected and replace it with His desires. Sometimes we may be very busy with working all the time, but we must find that time where we can come away and just sit and allow God to do that work in us.

God bless!

Truly it is Only by His Grace!

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."    Romans 15:13

May we never cease to forget that all that we are was only accomplished through His grace. There is a hope that we can hold onto for the future. We may have our flaws, but as we keep moving forward in Christ we will be able to overcome. God can do things in our lives without us even seeing or knowing it. One day, something will happen and God opens our eyes to see that our flaw has been worked out of us. Trust in Him and continue to cry out for His grace in every situation.

Blessings to you all!

"Don't Stop! Keeping Filling me Up" cries my Heart

Sense school has ended and I have returned back home I find myself in between two battles. It did puzzle me, but I find that if I ask God then He will answer me the truth. I have been wondering, "What is my heart hungry for?" I find myself always on Facebook, always checking my email, and always checking my phone to see if by chance anyone has sent me a text. By that I would think that my heart was hungry for something temporal and unsatisfying. Then again, I find myself more and more drawn to the living word and studying it and knowing it more and more. By that I would think that my heart was hungry for something eternal.

The fact that I forgot and was the key to understanding this is simply the old man and the new man. I sometimes tend to forget that the old is only on the cross and I can take him off the cross anytime I want. That hungry for something temporal is a scented smell of temptation to bring him down. I don't want to feed that though and so every time I felt drawn to Facebook (even though I was on it five minutes ago) I choose to cut that and do something else.

We may, at times, find our hearts drawn to something that shocks us. Don't except it as that's who you are, but remember that we are trying to be drawn off course. Drawn off from our studying, drawn off from our Heavenly desires and drawn towards the wrong things. We are in a race to pass that which Satan has failed and he will try his hardest to draw us away from what we are suppose to be doing. What are we suppose to do? We find that out as we study, sit in the secret place, and listen to the voice of the Lord that is telling you what to do.

I am not saying that Facebook, email, texting, etc is bad, but I do want us all to be careful. Don't be consumed with temporal things because over time it can steal our hunger away.

I hope that this encourages you all.
Blessing be to you all!

Earthly Priorities v.s. Heavenly Priorities

Well, the Christian walk is one that is all black and white! There is a race in this life on earth: a race to win all that we want and a race that hits the mark and wins Christ. We must understand that there are choices and the choices you make will determine the end results. What is the cause of us making a choice? It is because we look at our priority scale and we determine from that. We lean more towards doing that which is on the higher part of the scale. I chose to entitled this post "Earthly Priorities v.s. Heavenly Priorities" because this is probably in the top ten battles that man-kind faces.

When we were little, most of us had desires of what we wanted to be when we grow up. Some wanted to be just like their teacher, some wanted to be a President, a super hero, and others a red Fire Truck or something silly and impossible. As we grew older that vision grew dim and eventually died. In-fact we may reflect back on that and have a little laugh about it now. Now we find ourselves older, most of us are not what we dreamed to be when we were younger, and waiting to be a somebody someday.

I was reading in the Gospel of Luke 2 today and the last section of this chapter (v:41-52) has always interested me. For those of you who aren't too familiar with Luke 2; it talks about Jesus at the age of twelve and he is at the temple with his parents. His family heads back home, but Jesus remains at the temple. It took them a day for them to realize that he was still at the temple; they had to return to the temple and find him. About three days later they find him and Jesus' response to his mother Mary always stuck to me. His response was this, "How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" Interesting, isn't it? Jesus clearly understood at age twelve that He was the Son of God and that His Heavenly Father's business took priority over that of His earthly parents. Some people may read this and interpret it as, "I know my calling so forget my parents, forget the authority and what they say, I'm doing this!" That is rebellious and not of the Lord! We must seek the Lord and understand what our Heavenly Father's business is for us (little Christs). Make sure that we keep it as our priority and not just as a "maybe" option. I hear many people say this and I find myself sometimes saying this too, "I really need more hours because I need to earn money". If that is our priority then we must stop what we are doing right now. This is not a priority, in-fact it shouldn't even be our main worry. Gods priorities are what we must seek out and find. He will bring in the finances, the training, and all that we need.

Matthew 10:33 says, "But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." If we have things in line, then we will not deny the Father before man. If we do find ourselves denying the Father in a certain area of our life, then thank God for opening your eyes to this and surrender it to Him. Allow Him to deal with it as He did to the Apostle Peter. Peter denied the Lord three times before man and yet we see with his repentant heart that Jesus restored Peter and lifted him up to the position God the Father had planned for him.
Let us deny ourselves and take up the cross and learn from Him (Matt. 16:24; Mk. 8:34; Lk. 9:23). There is a time to learn, a time to sow, and a time to reap. We must learn as much as we can in the time that God has appointed to us to learn and be trained. When it is time to sow, know this that we never will stop learning for every situation we are brought through is different. Lastly, when we reap may we not find ourselves filled with sorrow because we did not have the right priorities. The things of this earth will pass away and grow strangely dim, but the things of Heaven are eternal and everlasting. May we be stable, having a personal vision that is given to us from the Lord. Setting our faces as a flint and allowing Christ to progressively widen us in Him.

God Bless!

Be Careful about Complaining!

Mornings, I don't usually enjoy waking up especially when it is freezing cold, I only got a little bit of shut eye, or I have sore joints. A few months ago, I became aware, through the kindness of the Lord, that I would wake up and complain (in my head) about various things. As soon as I realized this I became ashamed of myself. God gave me a new day and each new day I started it out with complaining and not having a right attitude anything. Does anyone ever "enjoy" listening to someone complain the moment they first walk in to see you? I know I would not enjoy that and yet that is what I was doing to my Lord. He gave me a new day with new grace and new experiences and learning's and yet I would immediately say, "Oh why can't I sleep until 9?"

It is so easy to complain now a days about anything and everything: "This person isn't driving fast enough" or "Oh no, not him/her, I hate talking to them". Be careful about complaining and especially about complaining where you are at in your life. If you know that you are in the place that God wants you to be, then rejoice that you are in the center of Gods will for you life right now. It isn't easy, that is for sure, but it is precious to our Father. He delights in us when we choose to bless Him name and praise His name, even when it isn't easy (Ps. 34:1).

I want to bring joy and delight to my Father, not complaints and bemoaning about someone/thing. God is the only one who remains faithful in our lives and we do not want to push Him away. Let us be drawn unto Him and that is only through Him coming and drawing us to Him. God will not come if we just complain and talk about everything that is going wrong in our life.

I think you get my point. Let us all be encouraged and strive to do the hard but right thing. It takes three days to break a bad habit and three days to make a good habit. The beginnings usually are not easy, but if we have a vision for the end, then maybe it will make it a little easier to press through the difficult parts. Set your face as a flint, as Jesus Christ did, and press onward, blessing the name of Jesus and praising Him all day long.

Blessings to you all!

Arise O Bride of Christ

God is looking for more Davids, Moses', Elijah's, Jobs, Abraham's. Why? Because they were all men who had hearts that hungered and thirst for more of Him. They were men who had problems (just like every human has problems) and yet they didn't allow those problems to prevent them from moving forward. God brought them into their own unique ministries and are a tremendous example to us all! Jesus is drawn to those who have hearts that are hungry and thirsty--for those who are not content staying where they are at, but longing for more.

Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him.”

He wants us to have a personal and fresh revelation of who He is. Don’t be content with hearing from others who He is, but seek, hunger, and thirst for His righteousness to be filled in you. Taste and see that He is good!

Arise, Bride of Christ! If you believe in Jesus Christ, then what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get to know Him in new ways. Think not about what the world may think of you, for we were not sent here to worry about what the world thinks. We are here to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord. Our King is returning for us soon and we MUST be ready!

Those men were well aware that their Savior was coming and what did they needed to do! They prepared the way and we must stop being stagnant and start believe God to move in us and through us in NEW and MIGHTY ways that we have not seen or known before.

Limit not our Father for if you only think Him capable of doing that which humans can do, then why, may I ask, do you believe in Him? He is the Creator of Heaven and earth and may we truly believe that nothing is too difficult for Him! I say it again, Arise O Bride of Christ and shake the dust off of you and start moving on in Christ! Dare to be all that God has planned for you to be!

God Bless! 

One Day Our Heavenly Father Shall Defend us

What do we do when trials come our way? Our souls can sing one of two songs: "Poor me, why is this happening? Life isn't good to me" or "Praise You Lord, I choose to believe that You are working things all out for my good."

David spoke to his soul in Psalms 42:5, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance." We too must learn to speak to our souls and not allow our emotions to take control of us.

May we choose to say, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Ps. 34:1). Everyday we have a choice to make; people say that God isn't fair, but He is! He doesn't force us to do anything. Therefore, God is fair and we are the ones who decided to do the wrong thing(s).

Our attitude is the number one important thing that we must be careful and watch, especially when we are in the middle of a trial (testing). Our attitudes will decided whether we allow God to make us better or bitter. God does not make us do anything we do not want to do. Using Pharaoh as an example: God did not make Pharaoh hardened. Looking at Pharaohs life we can clearly see that he made wrong choices on his own. God didn't harden Pharaohs heart just because He didn't like Pharaoh. No, God confirmed Pharaoh in the path that he already chose to be on. Pharaoh was a man who hated the Israelites and the Israelites are the children of God. Therefore, he had that which was of God. This is a beautiful part for the children of God to take great hope and strength in. God avenged His children, they suffered, but God avenged them. We see that there were plagues that were released upon all of the Egyptians and many might say that these plagues were too extreme, but put yourself in this position. You have a child who is bullied and suffers greatly, one day the time comes where you now are able to avenge your child. What would you do? I would say that God showed some mercy on the Egyptians because if they were would children we would probably take all of their lives.

My reason in saying all of these things is this. Our sufferings, although they may seem like they are many and long in length of time, are really only for a short period of time. In due season our Savior is going to come back to earth and avenge all that the enemy has done to His people. Remember this while you are in a trial (either big or small) and choose to bless the name of Jesus instead of groaning and complaining. Be encouraged that God sees what is going on and He is going to avenge us one day.

Amen

It All Hangs on One Thing

“Jesus said unto him"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

If you want to major on what God majors on, then major on these two things: Love the Lord thy God with your whole heart, soul, and mind and love thy neighbor as thyself.

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”  Matthew 25:40

How we treat people is a reflection of our heart toward God. You cannot separate loving God and loving people. Loving people is loving God and loving God is loving people.

“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutes: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks."    Acts 9:4-5

Mistreating Christians is mistreating God and He takes it personal. We cannot separate how we treat God with how we treat people. Injuring people is injuring God.

“If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loves God love his brother also.”    I John 4:20-21

There is no grey area concerning this matter. When we stand before God He is not going to say "what are we going to do about this area? You didn't love and you didn't hate me?" No! There is no grey area about hate, hate is everything that isn't love.

If you don’t love your brother then you don’t love God. You cannot separate loving God from loving people. If they use their tongue to say that they love God, but then they use that same tongue to gossip—this is revealing that they are liar. There is a certain hate in their heart towards God. Injuring people is injuring God! If you don’t love you brothers then you don’t love God.

Seek Christ behind every face! Know what He thinks about our brethren and even about those who are unsaved.

“For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that touches you touches the apple of his eye.”    Zechariah 2:8

The eye is the most sensitive part of the body. Would you like to be around someone who is always pocking you in the eye? Do we want Gods presence in us? Do we want Him in our home? Then be careful what you say about someone in your home. God hears what we say and it is like pocking Him in the eye when we talk poorly about one another. We want Gods presence, but if we are pocking Him in the eye (by saying things about one another that is not pleasing) He will not come.

“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”    Matthew 7:12

How do we treat others? This reveals our heart towards God; treat others the way you want to be treated. The practice of this would put everything in right standing with God. Everyone giving everyone their best. That means doing to others what we would want done to our self and giving to others what we would want given to us.

The greatest mark of maturity is the ability to get along with others. We must major on relationships! If you have planted hundreds of churches, but you have failed in relationships then you have failed. If we fail in the area of relationships then in a real way we have failed. We are always going to encounter people who are different than us but we must overcome the difficulties and flow together.

Be careful of this attitude of complaining about those who rub you the wrong way. You will find that God uses difficult people to reveal certain areas in our lives that God wants to deal with. He uses those people to rub against us and to cut certain edges or characteristics out of us (Prov. 27:17). If we allow God to do His work in our life it also brings us up to a new level of maturity because you have learned to get along with one another.

So, instead of complaining look at the situation in a different light/angle; ask yourself, “What are they rubbing in my life that God wants to remove?” Have lips that are transparent (Rev. 14:5). This all hangs on one thing: love! We want the best and so give others your best and you will be giving God your best.

God Bless!

Be sweet and Kind as the Lord our Savior is to us!

If we are to partake of the sufferings of Christ, then we must be betrayed, just as He was. We have to know the brokenness of the heart of the Father in order to have fellowship with Him! We should be sweet and kind to everyone, treating all mankind with the same gracious manner as the Lord Himself would.

Unforgiveness & Circumcision

"And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin."
Why did I write that verse? It is because I want to talk about circumcision and how it is still relevant in our generation. We seem to have a thought that circumcision is only for a certain age. It is never to late nor to early for the Lord to operate on our hearts. In the Old Testament we see it represents the Old Covenant and that covenant referred to the fleshly action. After the blood of Christ was shed we have been given a New Covenant and this covenant refers to the spiritual aspect. This passage in Genesis refers to the flesh, but we can apply this to the spiritual side. No matter how old or young we may be, God can still circumcise our hearts if we all Him to do so.

We have many holidays fast approaching: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We tend to go from Halloween straight to Christmas and completely skip the holiday of thankfulness. We must be careful to not put our minds so far in the future that we loose sight for the present things. We must be careful to not loose the thoughts of thanksgiving.

A Pastor explained the heart in a way that opened my eyes and helped me to understand it a little more in the spirit. Our hearts have many chambers and that is the same concerning our spiritual hearts. Each chamber has a name and a purpose of flow. When one has a heart attack it is because a chamber has been blocked and nothing can go through anymore. One of our chambers is called unforgiveness.

In Isaiah 28:10, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:" We tend to let go on the "little things" and not realize that a lot of little things over time will cause a blockage in the chambers of our hearts. If we don't practice forgiving people in the little things, when the big trial comes we will not be able to forgive.

Mark 11:25-26, "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." There are many who are called to pray (Jam. 5:16). Did you know that if you have a blockage in our life that it will effect your prayers. Take heed to what the Lord says to you. We can pray, but if we have a "clogged artery" in the chamber of unforgiveness, then it will be a hindrance. Once that hindrance is removed, then our prayers may be lifted up.

When God is showing to us His mercy and making a way for us to give to Him our problems, then we must be quick to respond (Ps. 103:8). Make sure that you are practicing your quick response to the Lord. We should not take what the Lord has to say lightly because He sees what is ahead and knows that we need to remove this hindrance otherwise we will have unnecessary scares. Those who do not listen and obey immediately a lot of time suffer unnecessary battle scares. Take heed to the warning of our Heavenly Father no matter how hard or painful it is. God has the grace and strength and if we ask Him for it and seek for it, then He can remove it.

Don't be so focused on the promises that when God puts His finger on an area of our life we aren't paying attention.

God Bless!

Arise, Joshua Generation!

We are living in an Age like no other! We are the "Joshua Generation" who will soon obtain our inheritance. We need to be a ready people so that when the time comes we are not just standing with ignorance on our faces. Joshua was one who sat in the back and learned all of his qualities in the secret. When it was time for him to arise and lead the children of Israel into their inheritance, he was a ready vessel.

Moses was able to enter into the presence of the Lord and receive the answers immediately and leave. Joshua, instead of looking at Moses and being discourage that God wasn't doing the same thing with him, waited. He waited patiently in the presence of the Lord for the right answers. He allowed God to bring him into the proper maturity in the proper season.

For example: one doesn't plant a peach seed and shout at it to immediately be a fruitful tree. The proper cycle is to plant, water, give it proper sun, and wait. That is the same cycle for us, we are seeds who are planted and we must be patient and allow God to water us, give us the proper weather and we will bloom in the right season.

Everything we do here on earth is just a preparation for our eternal life. If we waste our time here on earth with the temporal things, it is possible to still make it to Heaven, but we will not be a ready vessel to do what God has for us to do in Heaven. We can do anything, but our hearts desire should be to do what He has predestined us to do and be. Joshua could have forced himself to be in leadership while Moses was still alive, but he didn't. He took advantage of all the season of preparation and allowed God to make him a ready leader.

Some have sought to find out what their calling is at a young at and that is good, but we must not try and make things happen in our own time, strength, and way. The peach seed may be a peach tree, but there is also a proper time to pick that peach of the tree. We don't want to be picked or pick ourselves off during the hard and bitter tasting staged, but during the proper juicy stage.

The last days are drawing near quickly and we are on a verge of a breakthrough in Revival. A revival that no man has ever seen; we God's people will be busy helping the lost come to Christ and establishing them in the right ways. We cannot do this if we haven't allowed God to do that in our own lives. If we are not fully established, then we cannot help others to be fully established in Christ. If we don't read the Word daily, then we cannot minister in the streets of hunger souls without a Bible. If we don't hide in the refuge of the secret place, then we cannot tell others of how wonderful God's presences is and what He is/means to us.

We are the "Joshua Generation", those who will lead the people into their inheritance, but we must be prepared ourselves. Are you ready? Are you presenting your hearts wholly to the Lord daily? Forget about yourself and don't think of the pain, but allow the light to shine into your heart. Let God deal with you now here on earth, instead of later when the judgment will be eternal.

Amen!

Women in the Book of Ruth

In studying the life of Naomi we see that she is an excellent example of what a godly woman is. Examining her life, it can be said that she stayed the course that God had set before her no matter the circumstance. When everything earthly was taken away from her, her true spiritual identity was revealed. She lost her earthly love, Elimelech (Ruth 1:1-2), her only two sons Chilion and Mahlon (Ruth 1:2). She lived in a foreign land (Moab), and no longer had any earthly security. Her affections were set on things above and not on things from this earth (Col. 3:2). We also learn from Naomi that those who endure to the end shall receive peace and security. Her earthly security was stripped completely away, but she kept her trust in the Lord, held her peace, and received Heavenly security.

Naomi represents Christ. Christ, while He walked on earth, sought continually the Fathers will. Naomi sought out God’s will in everything she did. She also secured her daughter-in-law, Ruth’s, future with Boaz. She counseled Ruth and guided her down the right path. Christ came to earth to not only make a way, but show us how to live the life.

Naomi, I believe, can also represent a female Job. She was striped of everything. When she lost much on earth, we see where her eyes truly were set. Her eyes were set on things above and not on things of this world. She lost her earthly security, husband and two sons, but her eyes were on Jesus and she trusted in Him. She went where He wanted her and stayed where He wanted her to stay. She is one woman who is a perfect example of one who put her complete trust in Jesus in every trial and situation that faced her. She praise and gave thanks to God in the pleasant and rough times.

She was the mother-in-law of Ruth and Orpah. In the first chapter we she Naomi’s love was equal towards Ruth and Orpah. As the chapters’ progress and we see Orpah went back to her home land and Ruth stayed and travelled on with Naomi. Naomi’s love increased for Ruth. She felt that she had to secure Ruth’s future and find her a proper help mate. She always looked for what was best for her two daughters-in-law. As life unraveled itself we see Ruth stayed with Naomi and Naomi’s focus then was solely on Ruth’s future.

Her trust was solely in Jesus Christ, Son of God. When a situation arose, she sought the Lord for His will. When she lost her two sons and husband she didn’t get bitter towards everyone. Her love for her two daughters-in-law remained the same and equal. It is important to seek the will of God in every situation. So many lives depend on what we do and what we need is found in God and God alone. We must hold our peace and let the Lord fight our battles. He guides us through speaking through other people, scripture, and through speaking to us personally.

In studying Ruth we learn six levels of consecration and we can narrow them down to three basic truths: submission, acceptance, circumstances. She submitted to Naomi and to the God that she served. Ruth had a complete consecration and submitted herself under Naomi’s authority, covering, and God. She accepted her situation that she was a widow and didn’t live in the past. She followed Naomi and choice to ask for Naomi’s permission to work in the fields.

I’m sure that it was a struggle for her when she made the choice to remain with Naomi. When she was tested three times to go back to her “carnal” nature, we are shown where her heart truly was. She was consecrated and loyal to Naomi and the God of Naomi. We know that it takes a commitment to be used by God. Examining Ruth’s life we see that she committed her life to follow and to take care of Naomi and through that God was able to use her.

Ruth represents the Gentile Church. She was a person who entered into the same covenant with God that was promised (Gal 6:16). Just as Ruth followed after Naomi and her instructions, the same is towards the Gentile Church. The church follows after Christ and His instructions to us. Her relationship with Naomi and Orpah changed as circumstances changed. She had a love for her sister-in-law and her mother-in-law. As the tests began to arise in hers and Orpah’s lives we see that she drew nearer and closer to Naomi. He love for Orpah was cut off as Orpah made the decision to go back to her native land. Ruth knew very little and that I think was an aid in helping her to draw closer to Naomi and putting herself under Naomi’s authority.

In studying the Ruth’s life and all the choices she made, I find a lot of truths that apply to my personal spiritual walk. Lately God has been speaking to me about being totally consecrated unto God and Naomi. She chose to submit to Naomi’s authority even though she had the youthful strength. She accepted the people of Naomi’s native land and the God of the land.

Another application is on circumcision. God has been speaking to me lately on the circumcision of my heart, lips and ears. Ruth allowed God to cut the gods from her native land out of her heart. To cut everything, from her old life, in Moab out of her heart. She gave up everything and allowed God to bring her to something new. God wants to do that same thing in my life and reading how Ruth allowed God to do His work, it helps me to give up my will and allow Him to cut those things He does not want in my heart out. Never once did I read of Ruth complaining or criticizing Naomi nor the people of Israel. Her home land, Moab, was one of Israel’s enemies. We know that her lips were circumcised because she did not criticize the people or complain. For me it is easy to complain about anything, but God wants to cut that off my tongue. He has called me to the nations and He wants to cut that nature out of me so that it will not hinder the will of God.

Lastly, the circumcision of the ears, Ruth was listening to the right voices. She asked for Naomi’s advice or correction, she saw that Boaz was a godly man and she listened to his instructions. There are many voices in this world today and it is important that our ears are circumcised to hear the right voices. If Ruth did not listen to Naomi and Boaz, if she listened to the voices of the people who hated her, then she would have lost the best that God had planned for her. She would have received the second best.

It is said to say that there isn’t much to say about Orpah. She settled for God’s second best in her life. She start out on a good path and was heading in the right direction, but then when her heart was tested she fell back. She did not break away from her hearts desires and she turned back to Moab and is never heard of in scripture again. She settled for something lesser than what God had planned for her. The beginning is not what matters the most, but it is how we finished. Orpah began well, but her heart was towards her lands gods and so she turned back and settled for something less.

She represents someone who was on the fence and when her trial came the fence was shook and she fell on the side her heart desired the most. She is the example of what I said earlier, those who settle for second best. They will make it to Heaven, but when they arrive they will have a certain sorrow in their hearts because their heart was before God and they settled for something lesser. We have a choice: to have our hearts desires before God or to give our hearts desires to God?

She had just a common mother-in-law daughter-in-law relationship. Orpah loved Naomi, but her desires were above Naomi. We see this when she was being tested on their way to Bethlehem Judah. She was given a chance to go back and stay in Moab with her family, gods, and find another husband there. She reacted according to her hearts desire. God gave her continual opportunity to follow after Him and He had something in-store for her, but she chose to go different way. We will never know what God had for her, but we do know that if we don’t listen to what God is touching in our lives daily, then there will only be a time where He will give us what we want.

She chose to look at the situation too much. Her focus was too much on earthly security and pleasures and when rough times came her way, she didn’t look to the Lord to satisfy those areas. Naomi told to her that she cannot fulfill her needs and that is all Orpah saw. Ruth saw that yes, Naomi cannot fulfill her needs, but the God she serves can. Ruth sought after that, but Orpah sought after the tangible.

In my own personal spiritual walk, I want to continually make sure that my ears and my heart are open. Listening to which door God is knocking on and using my lips to pray the right prayers. I don’t want to end up like Orpah who looked at her situations and thinking of tangible solutions. I want to look at my situations in the eyes of the Lord. To have His perspective of the situations in my life, not mine own. Lord, not my will, but Thy will be done!

The Way to Holiness

To understand the message of holiness we must first understand what holiness is. Holiness is holy living through Jesus Christ. It is through the cross that we can become Holy and be presented Holy before God. Holiness is an attribute of God that He wants to work in His people. He tells us this in I Peter 1:16, “Be ye holy for I am Holy”.

There are two requirements of holiness. One requirement is the choosing to be holy. In the end, we always have a choice and we will be judged according to what choices we made and what God required of us. The second requirement is that Holiness must be tested. We were not born holy; so as we grow and mature in Christ, we must also grow on the attributes of Christ. We can only know how far we are when we are tested.

A good example is the life of Simon Peter in John 21. He thought that his love (phileo) was greater and holier than the other apostles. What he thought was in fact greater than what he really was. God, in His sovereign love (agape), showed Simon that he was looking through his own eyes. It is only through the cross that we can become holy and be presented Holy before God. To be holy means to be separated from the world, flesh, and the devil. It doesn't stop there, but goes on to be separated unto God the Father.

Paul liked to write letters to all the churches. He had a love for the people and cared for them and their relationships with Christ. He writes this letter to the church in Colosse because there were five issues that needed to be addressed.

The first issue was on ceremonialism, circumcision, and traditions (Col. 1:16). The people believed that through the circumcision, abstaining from eating pork, and not drinking blood they were holy. The people were stuck in the patterns of traditions and thereby limiting God in what He could do. Their knowledge of Christ was limited through their own stubbornness of not breaking traditions.

The second issue was of asceticism (Col. 2:21-23). By the renunciation of worldly pleasures it is possible to achieve a high spiritual or intellectual state. They focused too much on the outward cleanliness. I believe Paul brought this issue up because he wanted them to realize that God is not one who looks on the outside. He wanted the church to come to the realization that nothing we do on the outside will help us gain anything eternal.

Third issue was on angel worship (Col. 2:18). Paul was warning them not to get caught up in angel worship; their primary function is to be a ministering spirit and not a god. One third of heavens angels fell with Lucifer and so we must not put them at the same level as God the Father.

Fourth issue was on the minimizing of Christ (Col 1:15-21; 2:2-3). The Colossians thought of Christ as just a good man. Paul is explaining that He is more than a “good man” or a mighty prophet. Paul portrays Christ, “Magnificent One”, as this: He is before all things, by Him all things consist, and he is more than a good man or a mighty prophet. Jesus does not say that He was God the Father, but He tells us that He is the express image of the Father. If you know the Son, then you shall know the Father. This is not the characteristic of a mighty prophet or some “good man”, but of the Son of God (Jn. 14:8-9).

The last issue Paul writes to the church is on the issue of Gnosticism (Col. 1:9). Some were pursuing “secret” knowledge and would see themselves above others. Many of the people were over spiritualized things. Paul was warning the people of over spiritualizing things and limiting God with their own laws and terms. God desires for His people to grow on knowledge and wisdom, but under His law and under His terms not our own.

The message Paul is speaking to the Colossians is significant to our day because we still are faced with those same issues. We see in our day and age people who try and over spiritualize themselves and put them above other people. They do not eat meat and they stick to all of the traditions of the later church, but God dwells not in their heart.

Reading about their issue of Gnosticism, we look at the life of Joseph Smith. He was a man who desired so strongly to discover something new and spectacular. He opened himself up to much and when something false came to him, he was easily deceived. This is something that new teachers and even new pastors should really heed. One who wants to always have something new and amazing to say in every message or teaching need to be careful. If he isn't rooted deep in the truth, then he can easily be deceived when he gets a visitation. Be content with what God speaks to you and don’t seek to try and find something new all the time. Our knowledge comes from the Lord and we must trust that in His time and season, He will open up the new and hidden truths.

If we limit God and only allow Him to do things in our way and on our terms, then we will be easily deceived in the last days. Satan will tempt those kinds of people and say that there is an easier way, but in reality there is only one way and that is through Jesus Christ, our Savior. A good example would be Eve in the Garden of Eden. The serpent talked with her and began with the truth, and then over time he twisted it; as she continued to listen to the truth as it was being twisted, her mind began to believe it. She believed that there was another way and she fell into the temptation.

All true wisdom and all true knowledge originate from God (Col. 2:3; Prov. 4:7). We must be rooted and grounded in the truth so that we may be able to stand in the last days. In the last days man will not endure good sound doctrine because it was not in their heart and they will seek teaching that will be easy to receive (2 Tim. 4:3). They won’t want to change, but we need to listen to what God speaks through Paul to the Church in Colosse. We are not to harden hearts, but we should ask God to change us. We want to make sure that we seek true wisdom and true knowledge from the Lord.

Proverbs 4:26

"Greater is He that is in me, then he that is in the world!"

What is the one thing man-kind has been doing sense the first sin was down? It's running away from God because of fear. We cannot hide anywhere in this world from Him! God is not deceived, like man. I say, just take the easier road and open up your heart to Him. All He has is plans to prosper us, not to harm us (Jer. 29:11). We do something do something wrong and we sin and try to hide it so that God cannot see it. He never sleeps nor does He slumber! He knows and loves us! We can cry out to Him at all hours of the day/night. He has a plan for us and us hiding those shameful things will cause us to continue to stumble and fall. He wants to help us remove it, to get out of the snares we fell into, so that we can continue to press on further into the things He planned for us.

We are born weak, but He has the strength for us. It's new everyday and He has it and waits for us to ask Him for it. One thing about God is that He doesn't just ask, ask, and ask from us, but He asks and then has the supplies ready for us. Funny thing is, all we need to do is ASK :-D (ask, seek, and knock).

"Greater is He [God] that is in me, then he [the enemy(s)/man-kind] that is in the world!"

Do you believe it? God supplies us with the power and victory before the battle has even started! "If God is for us, who can stand against us?" The answer is, NO ONE!!! Do you believe it?

I do not wish to hear God say to His army, "Oh ye of little faith..", but I wish to have the kind of faith that can move mountains! God has it and can supply it to us all and wants to. Do you believe? "Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!"

Arise ye children and press on ye young men, raise up the army of God ye Fathers of Zion! Let us press onward and Never, Never, Never Give up!!!

I pray for those who read this blog and hesitate to say, "Yes, I believe..Amen!" That you would "test" God and open up your hearts, even if it may hurt. Open up your heart and see what God does in your life! May God increase your faith and may we press on towards Mount Zion!

God Bless!

Forgiveness

What is:
The hardest thing to give away?
The last thing on your mind?
Goes to those who don't deserve it?

The opposite of how you feel when the pain someone caused is just too real.
It takes everything your have to say it?
It will clear the bitterness away?
It can even set a prisoner free!?!
There is no end to what its power can do?

Forgiveness!

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." ~ Eph 4:32

I John 3:20 & Proverbs 3:5-6

"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God....Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Leadership Volume III By Dr. Brain J. Bailey

"The Lord is a God of love; and He is looking for love. He is looking for the "Abrahams," those who are faithful friends of God, who know His ways, who are strong in Him, and who will raise up a godly seed--teachers of righteousness who will turn many to righteousness."

# 153

Something I learned tonight in my studies:

There are 153 references to Zion in the Bible (the same # of fish Peter and six other disciples caught and brought to Jesus)

153 is a product of 17x9.

17 - A separation from evil and a joining unto righteousness
    10 - the keeping of the Law

     7 - perfection or completion
9 - The fullness of the gifts and fruit of the Spirit.

I never had a favorite number before, but call me crazy I found one tonight and it's #153 :-)

I John 3:20-22

"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

My Pastor brought this verse out in our Sunday evening service. It was the Lord speaking right to me with this verse. Our hearts are so condemning, but God is not a condemner but an He is encouraging. He get into a snare or a trap on a road path and we put ourselves down. God is biding us to stand up, telling us it's okay, and wants us to press on.

When this verse talks about "heart" it's not talking about our physical heart, but our spiritual heart. One thing my God has taught me about the spiritual heart is that what is in it comes up to our mind and what is in our mind we tend to speak.

The next time you go through a trial and find yourself condemning yourself and putting yourself down. Say this verse to yourself!

God IS greater than our heart! Do you believe this?!?! If God encourages us to press on, then be encouraged and press onward.


God Bless!

Romans 12:6-8

‎"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching; Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness."

Staying Hydrated in the Word

I just returned from my missions trip to Shiroles, Costa Rica. While I was there the Lord taught me a lot of things. One thing I'd like to share is on hydration. For those of you who have never been to Costa Rica or may not know much about this country, here are some brief facts about the climate. The nation's climate is classically divided into two major seasons: rainy and dry. The dry season runs from January through May and the rainy season from May to November and December. Locally, the seasons were named by the early Spanish colonizers, who compared them to their own Mediterranean climate, calling the dry months "verano" or summer, and the rainy, grey and gloomy months "invierno" or winter. It is interesting to note that some of the coldest temperatures are registered during the early dry season or "summer". Lastly, it is very easy to lose your hydration even during the rainy season. While I was in Costa Rica, I did not keep up on drinking water and so I became dehydrated.

The Lord taught me a valuable lesson through this experience. The lady missionary informed me that most Americans live on a mild dehydration and they don't realize it. The thing that Jesus spoke to me is that, many of His people are living on a mild dehydration of His Word and they don't realize it. I was amazed when Jesus opened my eyes to see this. It is so very important, especially in this day and age we live in, to stay hydrated in His word.

Revival is drawing near and God needs a prepared people. Those who are ready, properly equipped for their calling, prepared, and hydrated. You cannot win anything if you are dehydrated, weak, and unfamiliar with the equipment you are to wear and use. Before and during revival many people are going to have their eyes opened up to how thirsty they are. We are to have enough in ourselves so that we are able to be full cisterns; ready to be used to pour out into the lives of those who are lacking. They aren't going to know what they are lacking and so we, God's people, will need to help them and supply them with what they need.

People who don't know or understand things will be coming into the church and we must be prepared. If we are empty vessels, then it only makes sense that the Lord cannot use us. We want to be prepared vessels that the Lord can use continually.

How do we make sure that we are hydrated and prepared vessels for the Lord? By setting a pattern of filling ourselves up before each day begins, allowing God to pour that water out to other people throughout the day, filling ourselves up with pure worship, allowing God to pour that out. Listening to contemporary music and ready the modern fantasy books are just like one drinking a cup of coffee. When you drink coffee there is a lot of water that exits your body. The same happens to our spiritual body when we listen to modern music and read modern books. Maybe you are reading God's word daily, but what are you also taking in that counteracts it?

I share this with you because I want to encourage everyone to stay hydrated in the Word of God daily! Help each other to set a pattern and to stay on that pattern. There's times where I need reminded to drink water and that applies also in our Spirit lives. Learn from our Master, apply to your life, and then go and teach others what you have learned. There are battles and if you find the battle is to strong for you to fight, then cry out to God for His grace to drink of His word.

God Bless!

Choir Special at our 2012 Spring Convention

He's Alive! Hallelujah! He lives in me!

Who am I to doubt Him? He showed me His strength when He stayed on the cross. He showed to me what He loves and what He hates. How? It's all found in His Word. 

He teaches me how I should treat His creation. Most important, He showed to me His Agape love when He died on the cross for me! He rose from the dead and He lives! He is living in me and I pray that Christ is living in you too. 

All we must do is come to the realization that we are a sinner who has a debt, one that is too big, to pay. Christ is the only way to pay the debt and through our repentance (turning from that which we were walking in before) Christ may enter into our hearts. 

Blessings!

The Tide is Turning!

Lately, in our church services, God has been speaking to us of the tide that is turning. When God repeats Himself, then it is most definitely important and we must listen, obey, and believe.

What does it mean, "The tide is turning?". It means, that the waves are going the opposite direction of what it once was going. Sometimes, when the tide turns, it changes slowly and other times it changes quickly and forcefully. We have no control over when it will happen or how it will happen [slowly/quickly]. Our Creator is the only one who does know and He warns His people. That is why we must be listening patiently, obedient to what He tells us (both corp. and personally), and believe that what He says is true.

Three biblical examples:
1.) Noah - He listened to what God said, he showed his trust and obedience by preparation (building the ark, warning the people, gathering the animals), and he believed that what God said to Him will come to past. It took years and years, but He remained faithful, obedient, patient, and loyal to his Lord. He waited patiently and suddenly the tide turned and the rain came down just like the Lord had told Him. This had to of been stressful to Noah; hearing all the cries of the people he warned. It was a drastic change, but the Lord was faithful to His obedient servants and He watched over them.

2.) Joseph - He experienced the life of a prisoner for many years. He lived in darkness for a long time, but that did not stop Joseph from trusting the Lord. Suddenly, the tide had turned for Joseph. In an instant he was free from prison and living in the palace. The Lord watched over him while he was in prison and Joseph prepared himself and waited and was ready for that sudden change. We must learn from this that we don't know the time, but what we do need to know is are we ready? When that tide does turn will we be found ready? or will we be found a waster of time?

3.) The man who was made whole (Jn. 5:2-9) - for 38 years this man lived in this condition, but one day without knowing what was going to happen, suddenly the tide turned for him and Jesus made this man whole.

The Lord has spoken that the tide is turning and we must believe. If you don't, then pray the prayer of the father in Mark 9:24b, "... Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." There's a short song we sing in our church and I want to end this blog by sharing the lyrics with you all and trust that the Spirit that we accepted into our hearts will make these words alive to you all:

"The Tide is Turning"

Author: Sarah Humpherys

The tide is turning

And His Glory is coming

Healing streams will Flow

We believe the tide is turning now

God Bless!

Draw Nigh to God

The question shouldn't be, "How close can I get to this world?", but, "how close am I to my Lord?"

James 4:8a (KJV) says, "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." Don't fill yourself with earthly things because they are all temporary and unsatisfying. You buy clothes or shoes and you find yourself having to buy replacements for them every couple of years. Is that what we want to be running after? One thing and a couple years later another thing? Running after the world and the things thereof is just like eating something with a lot of salt in it. It only leaves you craving for more and more and never truly satisfies you.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away"  (Lk. 21:33, NIV). Fill yourself with our Heavenly Father and you'll experience a satisfaction that cannot be explained nor found in any worldly possessions. You'll discover that your understanding and idea of God is SO minute.

There will be a time where we all will meet Him face to face. Do you want to go before Him knowing that you ignored Him and ashamed that we didn't put much effort into your relationship with Him? or Do you want to go before Him knowing that He is pleased because you sought out what pleased Him and did it!?

"Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need" (Mt. 6:33, NLV). I want to encourage myself and everyone around me to keep your focus on Him. He has something special for each of us and we must seek in order to find it.

Just as this song goes: 

"We're Pressing On"

By: Norman Holmes

We're pressing on, 

Towards the goal of being like Christ. 

We've heard the call, forsaking all. 

We run towards the prize. 

Looking unto Jesus 

Looking face to face.

Through the finish line,

To go within the veil,

And be perfect in His grace.

God Bless you all!

My Jehovah Jireh

Sense 2012 has begun God has been speaking to me everyday! It really is amazing and I hope that I will be able to explain it all so that you can connect things and understand it all.

God opened my eyes up to the little things! Learn the little things! Little things that please Him and continually do them. Make them a habit in your life. One of these little things for me is listening to the songs God gives to me to prepare and strengthen me for the new day that He has given to me. I found that as I would bag the customers groceries and they weren't talkative I would suddenly have a song in me.

Another thing God has been speaking repeatedly to me this year is Seek Me, be obedient to My Word and trust in Me. He wants me to seek Him more and more so that He can know me more and I Him. He wants to speak to me, to guide me, and to save me from snares and unnecessary bondage's. Disobedience towards Gods law causes a bondage over our lives. God gives us commandments because He sees the whole picture. Those commandments were give to us so that we may be saved from bondage's, pits, and snares. When we make that choice to be obedient we must trust in Him. When He speaks to me and I see it impossible, hard to do (because of fear of man), or what He asks does not make sense to me. He asks me to simply put my trust wholly upon Him. He is not man, who disappoints us all the time, but He is always there! "He will not let your foot slip--he who watches over you will not slumber;" (Psalm 121:3)

Thirdly, God has been teaching me about His presence. Showing me all the requests that have been placed at His altar and that I must enter into His presence. It's in His presence that these requests are fulfilled, that healing is given, joy, strength is renewed, true peace given, imparting of His love, and the restoration of faith. I lately have felt that God wants me to come to church now with expectations. I want something, but I late faith of it happening because I never come with an expectation that He can/will do it. I usually think about camps and long for those moments of meeting with God, but I never expect those things to happen at church. I have gone to church services now with expectations and God has been 100% faithful in meeting those expectations. I share these things because I want to encourage whoever ends up reading. God wants to meet with us!

Think of it like this: You're at work and you have a team meeting and the purpose of this meeting is here the thoughts of the employees. Everyone shows up and the boss sits down and asks them what their thoughts are and everyone just sits there starring at him. Kind of awkward, wouldn't you agreed? That's how I see church now. We all gather together to meet with God, He comes, but we have brought nothing and expect nothing. He can do nothing until we talk to Him and tell Him what we expect. He is always faithful and meets those expectations. When God has immediately answered/meet our expectations, what do you do? Give up? or press in harder? When God gives it to us strength is given and when He doesn't immediately answer/give we still are strengthened in a different way.

Last, the one that continually brings such joy to me. God - Jehovah Jireh! He has been SO faithful at being my Jehovah Jireh - LORD MY PROVIDER. The end of last year He gave me a new job, He is taking care of the plans for my trip this July to Costa Rica, and He is providing me with hours at work that I need. I have been at my job for six weeks and they usually want us to stay in that position for at least three months. My team leader already has approached me and talked to me about moving me to a better position.

We must get to the point of complete surrendering to Him! In the movie "Soul Surfer" one point in the movie sticks with me. The youth leader was speaking to the youth and she was talking about "Perspective". God has the whole picture/plan laid out before Him. All we have are the past pictures and bits and pieces of the future, through promises and prophecy's. Surrender yourself fully to God! It's the least one can do. He gave us His Sons life and all He asks is that we believe, are obedient, and completely surrender our trust to Him.

Many are called and chosen, but few are found faithful. Do you hear the call of the Master? He is biding His people to come. Come into His presence and we will be changed! He is faithful!

Amen!
God Bless!