Happy Thanksgiving !!!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a " Safe and Happy Thanksgiving ". What are you most thankful for ? What and how do you place the most value upon something or someone and why ? How do you choose what or whom is most important to you ?


I have many things to thank God for. First I am thankful for God, the Lord Jesus Christ for giving His life on Calvary for the redemption of His children's sin. He knows who will accept Him and who will turn Him away. I thank God for Jesus dying on the Cross of Calvary. What an awesome Love God has for us. No greater Love is there than God's Love. No Love can compare to God's Love.

I thank God for my family, not only in genetic family but also my family through and in the Blood of Jesus Christ. God has truly blest me with one awesome Family. I have so many siblings in the Lord and when we get together and pray, have faith and believe, some awesome things happen. God is true, He is good and He is Real.

I thank God for my children. They are a true blessing to me from God above. He has blest me with two children who have given their own heart, soul and life over to Him. They know what is the most important thing in this world and that is God. Being in service to God and dedicating one's life to God is what has to be done in order to receive the Promise, of and from God. Only by accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord of your life, by living your life as God's laws dictate, can one have eternal life in Glory with God. There is no other way to obtain eternal life in Glory with God except through Jesus Christ and living a life acceptable and befitting ,of and, to Christ Jesus.

I thank God that we have the opportunity to do this through Jesus. Without God/Jesus we would all be in death and in hell, come the end time. For us gentiles there would have been no hope except for Jesus. Just as there is no hope for those who refuse to accept Jesus and for those who turn from God/Jesus unless they repent and turn again unto God/Jesus.

I am so thankful for my Lord and Saviour. I have so many wonderful blessings to thank God for. He knows of them all. The most recent blessing is that He gave me the strength to overcome the attacks that the devil and his workers were trying to attack me with. God gave me the strength to say , " No More." I stand upon the solid rock foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ and I shall not be moved for I am planted like a tree beside the water which roots have taken and hold fast to the Life giving waters that can only come from the Lord Jesus Christ. If one has Christ in their life they too can claim the power of God the Father as their shield and buckler. For He is my strong Tower, my Fortress, a very present Help in times of trouble. If I lose all that I have, on earth, I know that my God will lift me up and restore me and that in and through Him I shall overcome the enemy and all that the enemy seeks to do. For the enemy's arrows shall fall short of the mark just as God says they shall . Just as God told King David to trust in Him and in Him only so too shall I trust in My God.

I Love the Lord with all my heart. I hope and pray and wish upon each person who reads this message that soon you too shall come to know the joy and peace of the Lord. For there is nothing that can compare to God's peace and Love within one's heart and soul. With God all things are possible, with and through God the enemy will be defeated and we, God's children, shall come forth, through the fire, as silver refined.

Have a blessed and safe Thanksgiving.

Compassion

The Lord tells us to have compassion one for another.
1 Peter 3:8-9
8)Finally, be ye all of one mind,having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
9) Not rendering evil for evil,or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

Think on the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible.Luke 10:30-37 Here was a man lying in a ditch, hurt badly. Some passed him by but one had compassion towards him and that was the Good Samaritan who had compassion upon this person who was injured so. It shows that not everyone has compassion. They have hardened their hearts towards others so they lack compassion for their fellow man.

Some people do lack compassion. But it is our duty as a Christian, a child of God, to have compassion on and for others. Just because someone else does not return our compassion for them does not mean we are exempt from extending our compassion towards them.

I mean look at the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us at Calvary. He did this because He loves us and He has compassion upon us. Now think about how many people daily, reject Jesus/God. Even though these people turn their back on Him , He is still willing to be there for when they come unto Him. He is always here for each one of us but we are not always here for Him.

Sometimes we have to be here for others even though they do not want to be here for us. Sure we get hurt by others, so did Jesus. We get persecuted by others, so did Jesus. We have our feelings hurt by others, so did Jesus. We are rejected by others, so was and is Jesus. But it is worth it, just to know that maybe, just maybe, by our being there for someone else, they might have a seed sown in their heart that will eventually lead them to Jesus. Even those who profess to be Christians, who do not walk as true Christians, may see the difference in us and themselves and want to change to be more like us if we truly live and work for the Lord.

We never know that the seeds we sow, whether they will fall upon fertile, barren or rocky soil. The main thing is that we are sowing the seeds as God would have us to do. Sometimes it is a thankless job being a friend but at least you know that you tried, even when those said friends do not return the favor. They lack compassion. The best thing to do is pray for them.

Peace

It is a good feeling, peace is. Do you have that wonderful feeling of peace of knowing God and knowing that all is well with your soul ? Do you have the peace of God within your heart ? If you do not, then you are missing out on the most awesome feeling there is. The Love, peace and joy of the Lord dwelling within one's heart and soul is the most wonderful feeling one will ever know in their entire life. There is nothing that can compare to the peace and Love of God dwelling within your heart and soul.

It is something that is far above anything this old world has to offer. This world can not give you what God can. Nothing that this world or the devil has to offer can compare to the wonderful feeling of peace and love from God. It is something to rejoice about and to share with others when you have obtained that feeling of peace from God within you. Everyone should want this peace from, and of, God dwelling within them.

It is something God gives you if you truly want it and seek after it. It is awesome and it is only given by and through Jesus/God. It can not be bought with money or with worldly goods. It was bought and paid for with the highest price and most precious price ever paid and that is the Blood of Jesus Christ !!! It is the most wonderful gift and blessing one will ever receive. My heart and my soul rejoice with this peace. I know that no matter what lies ahead of me in the path I trod, that God/Jesus is right here with me seeing me through it all. I have His promise and His reassurance in this. To me that makes it so much dearer is that God/ Jesus is true to His Word. He is true to His promises and when He says it will be, it shall be so. And I praise God for His Word. I praise God for His great Sacrifice at Calvary. I praise God for saving my soul. Our God is awesome.

Do you feel the peace of God in your heart and soul ? If you can't please seek Him , His forgiveness, and you can feel His peace within you. Sometimes we get down in the valley but do you know that even in the valley God will give you His peace if you truly seek it. His peace passeth all understanding. Philippians 4:7 tells us of this, and His peace will keep us if we truly have His peace dwelling within us.
Philippians 4:7
7) And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding , shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I have this peace. It came over me the other day, after I gave something over to God, and realized it was something God had been wanting me to do for a long time. I had kept this burden within me, my heart, my soul and I did not give it completely to God as I should have. But when I gave it over completely to God , His peace filled my heart and soul. No matter what happens , no matter what I am faced with I know that God will see me through it. He is with me just as He is with each of His children. He is standing there waiting for us to learn this lesson.

How many times have you been in a situation that you just couldn't let it go, you had to make the other person see your way, make them know how you felt or how what they had done to you made you feel ? That was wrong. I have done this myself. I am guilty of this myself. I finally realized that this is wrong of me and any of us to do. Yes, tell someone how you feel, share with them your feelings but then let it go. Give it to God. Don't keep harping on the situation because it will make things worse. Speak your piece and then let it go.

If you have God/Jesus in your life you can make it through anything. You can lose your home and everything you own and you will still be okay and you will bounce back as long as you have Jesus/God as your Lord and Saviour. But if you don't have God/ Jesus in your life then you don't have anything. You can have all the riches of this old world and of the devil but if you don't have God/Jesus as your Lord and Saviour you don't truly have anything. Because without God in your life you are lost and doomed to eternal damnation and torment in the Lake of Fire. With God/Jesus in your life and with Him as your Saviour and Lord you have all that truly matters.
When His peace and love fill your heart and soul you will know this to be true. For without Him you have nothing but with Him you have everything.

Yes trials will come, temptation will come, testing will come. But with God and Jesus in your life you will make it through all of these and come through it a better person if you learn the lessons that God is teaching you. God wants to fill you with His peace and Love. It is a precious gift from Him that He wants to bless each of His children with. Please reach out to Him today and seek His forgiveness and ask Him into your life as your Saviour and Lord. Learn the lessons He is teaching you and come through it all holding on to His unchanging hand and you will come out with His peace and Love instilled in your heart and soul. Believe me it is well worth it. For what God/Jesus has to offer you is far better and far out weighs the wages of sin( which is death and the eternal torment of the lake of fire). God/ Jesus offer eternal life in Glory with Him in peace, Love , joy, eternal worship and service to God Almighty, the great I Am.

Let the peace of God enter in to your heart by accepting Him into your life and living your life for Him. His peace is awesome. Nothing compares to what God can give you. Jesus is the best and what He offers His children is the best. He wants the best for His children and He delights in His people. I love God/ Jesus and I thank Him for His glorious peace that dwells within my heart and soul. This , God's peace, is what I want all to know for it is awesome. Our God is awesome.

Autumn

Here it is Autumn again. Another season past. Another year gone by. Time that is behind us can not be regained. The things that we did in our past can not be undone. The things that we have said or done to harm others can not be taken back . We, our self, can not make up to someone what we have done to them willingly to hurt them. Think before you willfully choose to hurt another person.

God can help us to try to seek the forgiveness of someone we have intentionally or willfully hurt in the past. We each need to come to God to first seek forgiveness for the wrong we have done to someone else. Then we need to seek their, the one we have chosen to hurt, forgiveness. Whether it is by sending a letter, an email, making a phone call, paying a visit to them or however the Lord leads one to try to make amends for the wrong they have done someone else, it is time to do that.

We never know how much time God has given us. We are not guaranteed no time past the present moment we are living in. Do you want to die without making things right between you and the one you chose to willfully hurt ? Do you want the one you willfully hurt to die before you have had a chance to make amends with them ? This is something you , each of us, needs to think about ? Do you have a brother or sister that you have not spoken to in years because you had a misunderstanding ? Do you have a parent you have not spoken with in a while or visited in a while because of some slight one of you did the other ? Have you a husband or wife whom you chose to hurt and not sought forgiveness from them yet they have sought your forgiveness ? Do you have a child you either no longer talk to or visit or they do you in this same way ? Have you a friend or family member who you hurt or they hurt you that you have not tried to make things right with ?

I encourage each of you to please seek to make things right with those you have chosen to hurt or those who have chosen to hurt you.At least try to make amends. Let them know of how you feel and that you are trying to understand them and how they feel. Let them know that you bear them no ill wishes or harm even if they do not accept it or even if they were the one that chose to hurt you. We have to forgive those who have chosen to hurt or harm us even if they do not seek our forgiveness. The Lord tells us that if we do not forgive then He will not forgive us.


Matthew 6:14-15
14) For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15) But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fledglings

Have you ever watched birds tend to their young. After they are hatched they supply their young with food. The parents go out and find food to feed the little hatchlings. They tend to their needs . As the baby birds grow and start to get their feathers they become fledglings. Fledglings are soon to leave the nest but they are not ready to be out on their own yet as their parent birds have not taught them how to survive or the necessary things they need to know. So the parent birds take the fledglings from the nest and teach them to fly , they teach them how to find food. They also teach them the right foods to eat and which foods to leave alone. They also teach the fledglings what to fear because it may cause them harm, what to stay away from. So many things that could harm a fledgling that it must learn by watching it parents. But sometimes the fledgling have to learn things on their own that for one reason or another the parents were not able to teach them of. But the parent birds gave the fledglings the basic skills to survive in an uncertain world.

This applies also to us , mankind, who have children. When our children are young we tend to their every need because they are unable to care for themselves. We teach them as they grow and try to feed them the proper nourishments for their body. Also we are to teach them of God and God's Word, the Holy Bible. The Bible says to train a child in way you would have it to go.
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

This is sound wisdom. If you want your children to grow up to serve the world you will teach it of the world and the devil and the worldly ways. But if you want your children to grow up in the Lord teach them of the Lord and His ways. We have the perfect guide book for this to teach from. That book is the Holy Bible. If you truly love your children you will teach them of the Lord and His Word.

We are to teach our children. They do learn by watching us, their parents. How do you want your children to live their life ? For God or for the devil ? Your children are watching you regardless of what you think, they see you as others do not for they are in your presence every day. Teach them the right way so they can know the Lord Jesus and be assured of a Home in Glory with Him.

There comes a time when we, just as the parent birds had to leave their fledglings, we too as parents have to release our children out into this world and into a life of their own. How are you preparing your child for eternal warfare ? How have you prepared your child to live in this sinful world ? Have you taught them of Jesus and His Love ? Have you taken the time to set a good example for your children to follow that will lead them on the right path ? Or have you lived a life that has taught them the road to destruction and hell ? Have you prepared your child for the battle for their soul ? If you love your children, truly love them, then you will prepare them for the most important battle that they will encounter each day of their lives. That battle is the battle for their eternal soul.

I encourage each parent that if they have not shared God with their children to please do so. It will be the best and most important lesson for you to share with your children. Your children will thank you when it is all said and done and the last trumpet sounds. With God in their lives they have an armor that others do not have, to fight against the devil and his regime. Those who are not with or for God are against Him. When it comes to the end we will all have to answer for how and what we chose to teach our children and how we lived our life before them.

If you want your child to learn of God then teach of Him. If you think you can't then take them to Church so they can learn of Him. There is no excuse for not teaching your children about the Lord. As the fledglings leave their parents side so to will our children leave our sides, in time, to pursue a life on their own. I intend to give my children what they need to help them fight against this world and to hold onto Jesus/God. I have taught my children of the Lord and I still am. One never quits learning in and of the Lord for He shows each of us, who are His children, new things each day. Please prepare your children for the time when they, like the fledgling, are ready to leave the nest and live on their own. Prepare them with, in and of the Lord.

Tapestry of Life

Each one of us lives a life that is woven to become the tapestry that tells the story of our life. Others can look at the way we live, the way we do things, how we speak, the way we use our words, whether they be for good or wrongful use, the way we treat others in our life, and see some of the tapestry of our life. Our life's tapestry tells our story.

How do you want others to see the tapestry of your life ?

This is a question that I often ponder, because I try to live a life that is not false. I know that what truly matters is what God knows of us and what He sees in us and how He sees us. Nothing is hidden from Him. I try not to do anything that I know is wrong because I know that God is watching me in everything I do or say. Not only God is watching me but others as well. I have two children and several nieces and nephews, not to mention my extended family and friends that I want to be an example of the Lord to. I don't always set a good example but I try to. Sometimes I do fail at what I know needs to be done or I may say a wayward word or offend someone not intending to. I always pray that the Lord will forgive me for anything I may have said, thought or done that may have offended someone or caused another to stray. I am not perfect, far from it.

Everyday we each need to be aware of the people in our lives. Not only our family and friends but also anyone that we may come into contact with in the course of our day. We never know how what we do or what we say may affect someone else. We, as Christians , need to be ever mindful of this. We are supposed to be an example of Jesus Christ here on this earth. We are to try to do as He asks of us according to the guidelines He has set forth for us in the pages of His Holy Word, the Bible. As long as we try, God knows we are trying, to do the right thing, to live the right way. He knows if we truly want to serve Him and to help others come unto Him by spreading His Word to others. He knows of it all.

He knows when one is pretending and putting on a show in front of others to try to make a good impression. God knows of everyone who is false just as He knows of everyone who is true and trying to be true to Him. We need to stop and think about our motives in how we live our life. Are we living our life for the Lord or for self ? We need to examine our selves daily. It is easy to fall into the trap of serving self. But if one stops and examines their life, they can see how the story unfolds, how the picture is woven in the tapestry of their life.

Have you examined your tapestry of life lately ? It is how you have lived your life up until this very moment. More is waiting to be written into and woven upon your tapestry of life. How you live your life is what writes and weaves the tapestry of life. It reflects you, your story. It is a recorded history. Again the question, how do you want others to view your tapestry of life ?

Your children's teachers, the lady in the check out line at the store, the pharmacists, the mail clerk, the postal service deliverer, the delivery people, your housekeeper, your children, your family, your friends, your Pastor and Church family, the old man you passed by on the street, the neighbor who waved at you today, the child who smiled in innocence, the animal you saw as you drove by, all of these were and are watching you. So many more, as well, daily watch you whether you are aware of it or not. Examine your self and see if what you did in the course of your day could have reflected upon you negatively in the eyes of any of these.

I encourage you to examine your tapestry of life and see where it needs to be mended and minded. Each one of us have places within our tapestry of life that needs tending to. Thankfully the Lord Jesus has ways of making us aware of when and how we need to attend to things that are not as they should be within our tapestry of life. The Lord God is a wonderful mender. He is the Master Artist and is great when it comes to repairing the tapestry of our lives. He is the only One who can truly help us to mend and repair the wrong that has occurred in the writing and weaving of our tapestry of life.

Have you examined your tapestry of life ? How do you want others to view your tapestry of life ? Search out your tapestry and talk to the Lord , seek His face and forgiveness and He will mend your Tapestry of Life.

Wonderings

Have you ever wondered ? Just set and wondered ? Allowed your mind to just take you where it wanted to lead you ?
I have. My mind tends to wonder after God and to God. I want to learn more about the Lord. I sit and meditate, pray and commune with the Lord God/Jesus. I let my mind wonder to Him and in Him.

By allowing my mind to wonder after the Lord I can grow closer to Him. He wants each of us to have a closer walk/relationship with Him. In order to do this we each have to spend alone time with Him. We also need to find others who will help us grow in the Lord. If someone you know is hindering your growth in the Lord it is time to let them know that they are hindering you from growing as you want to grow in the Lord. God wants us to grow in Him, to flourish, to bear fruit, to and for Him. If someone is hindering you from being what you desire to be in the Lord then they are hindering you from bearing the fruit that you need to bear. You need to let them know this so they can either choose to change to help you in your growth or they can choose to turn away from you.




In our journey in our walk with the Lord we cross paths with many people. Some we learn from , some we lose things to, some we have with us for a life time, some choose to leave us and never return. But in all of this we have had the opportunity to make an impression upon each person who our path may have crossed with. Did you try to share God/Jesus with that person ? If so did they heed what you had to say or did they turn and walk away ? We have to each give account of our self unto the Lord one day. For each soul we led astray, we have to give account for it. For each soul we helped, each life we enriched, each life we harmed or hurt in some way, each smile we brought to someone's face, each tear we made someone cry ( whether in joy or sorrow, heartache or hurt, happiness and love), each laugh, each hug, each heartache, each sorrow, in what ever way we touched these peoples lives we will be accounted for. Wouldn't it be better to have done all the good and right we could have to each person instead of doing harm and wrong ?

I know I fall short, many times, of whom God wants me to be. I pray to the Lord daily to help me become the person that He wants me to be, not the person that I want to be, but whom He wants me to be. Oft times I have to ask His forgiveness because we never know, in the course of our day, how we may have offended or hurt someone by a hastily spoken word, a look taken the wrong way, an offense taken that we did not intend to give. I ask God daily to forgive me for anything that I may have done, said, or thought that may have caused harm to someone or that may have led others astray. We are not perfect. As it says in God's Word, we all sin and if we say we have no sin then we are liars.

No Longer Blinded

No longer blinded. I have been foolish for too long and have been played the fool for far too long. It has stopped. I will be played for the fool no longer.


God has strengthened me to overcome the adversary and the lies the adversary speaks and tries to speak.I listen only to the Lord and not to man. Man works in deceit and tries to claim they are without sin or they have not sinned. When one does not see the sin they have done and continues to deny any wrong doing and claims they do not and are not lying, when in fact they are lying, when one does this it shows the deceit they have deceived them self with. Lies beget more lies and the maker of the lies denies their lies, only to make it worse upon their self.

When one is caught in their lies and continues to deny they are lying, the whole while one knows they are lying, it makes that person who is lying seem more so wrong, because they fail to see them self for what they are and so that one tries to deny their lying or tries to cover up the lies with more lies.

This is not of God , for certain. Nor is one who does this of God. God does not work in deceit and lies and He holds no part with those who work in deceit and lies. God hates lying and those who lie.

Thankfully God does forgive if one humbly ask it of Him. But if one continues in the sin of lies and deceit after God has forgiven him then that one is a reprobate. One who denies his sin is also a reprobate. One who is caught in his lies yet claims he is not lying and has not lied is a reprobate.


Oh that God would open the eyes of such people so they could truly behold what they are, then maybe they would change and turn to God. My heart breaks and my spirit is grieved at all those who daily believe in their own righteousness all the while living in sin and committing and continuing in sin. If my heart breaks how much so more does God's/Jesus' heart break? How much more does He groan in His Spirit at this ? I am torn because I can not understand how someone can claim to be good, without the sin they are committing, when they are committing it. I know that the Father is more so grieved than I am. Prayer is what I can do and so pray is what I shall do. I shall make my petitions known before the Lord and He will hear me and He will answer me. For He is God the Father, Holy of Holies and I cry out to the Father God in heaven to hear my plea, hear my call and answer me, in Jesus Christ's name, Amen.

Pathway To The Gate

Lo, behold the pathway.
It is narrow .
Brambles grow and try to obscure it from sight.
Look closely and you can see the faint outline of footprints.
Whose footprints have trodden upon this lesser taken path ?
Why do the tares and brambles grow so thickly trying to hide the way ?
Why are there bits of clothing scattered among the thorns ?
Who is that man standing,beckoning me to come towards the gate ?
Why doth He hold out His hand ?
I have such a compelling urge to go to Him.
The look of love on His face,
He glows with a light that I do not understand.
I must go to Him to find out why He glows with this love.
I must know why He beckons me onward towards Him.
I fight my way through the brambles and tares.
They snag at my clothes trying to keep me from Him.
The more they grasp hold on me the harder I fight to reach Him.
I hear the tearing of my garments as I gain ground.
I feel the bite of the thorns as they nip my flesh.
But onward I go.
I reach for His outstretched hand.
I touch it and feel the warmth of His glow flow through me.
This feeling I know.
It is God's love.
I look at the hand I am holding.
I notice the nail scars.
I cry out for my Lord stands before me.
I fall down at His feet and ask Him to forgive me.
His tears fall upon me as drops of blood when He lifts me,
With His nail scarred hands.
His love flows through me,
Cleansing me and making me whole.
I am covered by His blood and made anew.
I look upon His precious face and see the love,
The acceptance and the forgiveness.
I thank Him for beckoning me to Him,
I praise Him for the forgiveness that He has graced me with.
I notice that where the thorns had torn my flesh,
All was made whole.
I asked Him how this was ?
How had I been made whole from my journey ,
Through the tares and brambles as they vexed me so?
He smiled and said unto me,with His love all aglow,
"My child, as you walked along the path to me,
The one I beckoned you from,
The tares and brambles that tore at your garments and flesh,
The ones that left you bruised and bleeding,
Those were the sins that were keeping you away from me.
Those were the people who tried to turn you from me.
They caught at you and tore you, your heart, your soul.
But I saw you struggling along.
So I reached out my hand to you.
I knew that you were in the place and time,
That you needed me the most.
So I beckoned to you and you answered my call.
When you made your way through,
The tares and the brambles of sin,
I was here waiting to forgive you ,
To take you in.
To wash you free of sin and make you whole again.
Look behind you.
The pathway to the gate is narrow.
The tares seek to overcome it.
The footprints are few and oft times faded.
But now you see where you trod,
A new set of footprints line the pathway.
This pathway to the gate will always stand.
For it is the pathway to the gate of Heaven.
The clothing left behind on the tares and brambles,
Are the reminders of what everyone,
Who has trod upon the pathway have come through,
In order to come to me when I beckon them.
It is not an easy pathway to the gate.
I call many but only a few make it all the way to me.
By your so choosing to come unto me,
You have left a trail for others to follow upon.
They too, as you did, will look upon the less trodden path,
They will wonder why the tatters of clothing line the way of a faded
path.
They will look up and see me beckoning unto them.
Some will turn away,
Some will start towards me,
Only to find the pathway to the gate too hard to travel,
Some will choose to come as you did.
When they arrive and touch my hand ,
As I before them stand,
I will wash away their sins and make them whole ,
From all the thorns that have pricked their flesh,
Their heart and their soul.
I will ease them and give them rest,
Just as I have you.
Enter ye into the Kingdom of Heaven, My Child,
As thou hast followed the pathway to the gate."

Given to me, NancyJean, by God this
2nd day of April,2005. Thank You Lord
for your blessings upon me.

Ripe For The Harvest

I was picking Blackberries, yesterday, when the Lord gave me a revelation. I had just stooped down to pick a berry that appeared to be ripe for the harvest. Yet when I pulled the branch out, that the berry was attached to into the sunlight, I saw that the berry was not fully ripe yet. It hit me then, the message from the Lord.

We are like this blackberry. To others we may appear to be ripe for the harvest. Yet God sees us as others do not see us. God sees through the shade and His light is cast upon us revealing whether or not we are ripe for the harvest.

So many people , daily, put on a false front to others. They want others to see them for how they want to be seen. Fortunately God has a way of revealing what people try to keep hidden from others. God knows everything about everyone. Just like the blackberry that appeared to be ripe while it was hidden in the shade. When pulled out into the light it's flaws were revealed. It was not ripe for the harvest. Just as we, who strive to be God's children, God brings us out into His Light and it shines upon us revealing our flaws, showing that we are not ripe for the harvest.

Thankfully the Lord makes us aware of our flaws. The convicting power of the holy Spirit of God lets us know when we have and are doing something that we should not be doing. He chastises His children when we err from the path He has put us upon. Not everyone will turn back to the Lord but those that do are preparing to become ripe for the harvest. Those who do not prepare and stay in their flawed (sinful) state will be passed over and left behind because they were not ripe for the harvest.

The Lord tells us in His Word, the Holy Bible, to prepare, to watch lest we be caught unawares.

Matthew 24:42-44
42)Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43)But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44)Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Matthew 26:41
41) Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.


It is the same with a rose. When the rose is but a bud it is held tightly bound in itself. It takes time for that bud to open. The elements of the weather come against it. The heat, the wind, the rain, dust, bugs and more try to keep the bud from opening. So many things beset this bud trying to keep it from reaching it's full potential. That is much like we, who strive to be God's children. The forces of sin come against us. We have to daily fight against sin, the devil and all his workers to keep in the Light of the Lord. So many of the devil and the devil himself do not want us to reach our full potential for the Lord. But just as that bud, when it opens in full bloom and reveals it's glory, we too, who are God's children, will one day shine forth with God's glory when we are truly ripe for the harvest.

We all have the beauty within us but it is not truly revealed until the Lord enters into our life. The Lord sees us as no one else does and knows us as no one else ever will, unless they take the time to know us, as God does. This is a poem that God blest me with to write sometime ago. It has been published. It is entitled " The Beauty Within ".

The Beauty Within

A bud blossoms at birth,
It is given the breath of life.
It is nurtured with love,
It starts to grow.
A protective force covers the delicate bud,
Trying to shield it from the harm of the world.
Angels stand guard over it.
Wars come and go,
Trials and tribulations try to toss the soul,
Yet the bud continues in it's growth.
Milestones passed,
Evening shadows have been cast.
New day dawnings have brightened,
A world where true beauty lies hidden in slumber.
Awaiting to be awakened when mature.
Still it waits,
Silently gathering strength,
Growing in abundance of love, joy and peace.
Erupting forth into full blossom of a beautiful soul,
Exposing the beauty within.

Nancy Jean , November 8,2005

We all have that beauty within. Prepare so you will be ripe for the harvest when the time comes. Let the Lord help you to be ready for the harvest for that is the only way to truly be ripe for the harvest, is with and through Him. Let Him reveal the true beauty within.

Today

Today. What significance did today hold for you ? What did you do with your day ? Did you make certain to spend some alone time with God today ? Did you spend some alone time with your family today? Did you spend some alone time with your husband or wife today ? Did you take the time to tell your spouse or your children that you love them, today ?

How did you spend the time, that God gave you, today ? Where did you go ? What did you do ? Did you share the Lord with someone today ? Did you share the message of God's Love with another who crossed your way ? That man , who had the down cast look about him, did you smile and say hello to brighten his day as you passed by his way ? That young mother, with the small children who looked so exhausted, did you share a kind word and smile with her to ease the tension she was feeling while her children whined ? That little child, that was crying on the playground because another child had bullied it, did you stop to help out or just look and walk away ?Did you share with someone something they needed to know about their child or another family member so they could help them with a problem they have ? That store clerk who looked so tired and weary , after a long day at work, did you smile and share a kind word with them or did you just complain about how long you had to wait in line before you were checked out ? That person behind the register in the fast food restaurant you ate at today, did you give them an encouraging word or did you complain about how long it took for them to serve you ?That person in the convenience store who cussed right beside you, did you say something to them about their language being offensive to you or did you just look the other way and pretend you didn't hear what they had to say ?

Today you were given the opportunity to make a difference for the Lord. Today you were given an opportunity to share God with someone. Today you were given the opportunity to help someone. Today you were given the opportunity to make a difference in someone else's life. How did you use the opportunity God gave you of today to serve Him ? I encourage each of you, every day to use the opportunity God presents you with, a little more wisely, for and in God's service.

God's Blessings

God is awesome. His blessings are truly something to shout about. We have been in drought conditions here in Kentucky for quite some time now. Yesterday God blessed us with a nice rain, which helped us out some. Today however God blessed us more so. I am jubilant. That is the word, jubilant, that describes how I feel at this very moment. It has been a slow steady rain for over 4 hours now. I praise God for this blessing.

Sometimes we have to get to a certain point in order for God to bless us. If you search within yourself you know this to be true. Maybe we, our self, are doing something that is hindering us from being blest by the Lord? Have you ever wondered about this ?

Have you ever got to the place in your life where you wondered if you were doing the right thing ? Say if you were in a situation that kept you down trodden and beaten low ? Have you ever wondered, within yourself, if that is what God wanted for you ?

Truthfully what God wants for His children is for them to be happy. He wants us to rejoice in Him. He does not want us to be down trodden nor beaten low. He wants the best for us. God has our best interest at heart. He wants His children to prosper, to work for Him, to spread His Word and to help others in showing them the way to Him.

We are tested as God's children to see how we will react in certain situations. He strengthens us to overcome. In our time of need all we have to do is cry aloud to the Lord and He will hear us and He will help us. He told us that we would not be tempted past that which we could bear for He would provide the way out for us. This is so true. Jesus Christ/God is the way out of every trouble, trial, or situation that keeps you down trodden and beaten low. All you need is to on His name call. He knows each of His children's hearts and He knows how much each one of us can bear. When it gets to the point to where we can not take anymore, if we cry out to Him, He will help us. I know this first hand. We just have to get to the point to where we cry out, from the depths of our heart and soul, to Him for the help we need and then He rescues us and He blesses us. He does not put more upon us than we can bear. As I said, God knows how much each of us can bear.

I realized, yesterday, that I had to be at the point to where God wanted me to be. When I reached that point and cried out to Him from the depths of my heart and soul,He heard me and He strengthened me. He gave me the strength that I needed and then He blest us. I am so very thankful to Him for His wonderful blessings. I know that whatever I am faced with, down the road, God will be with me through it. He is my strength and my fortress, He is my shield and my buckler, He is my help and He is my God.

Psalms 121:1-3 1) I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

2) My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

3) He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

God is awesome.

Thank You Lord Jesus Father God in heaven for Your many wondrous blessings. Thank You for the rain , especially, and for strengthening me when I call out to You. Thank You for hearing my cry and for hearing and answering the prayers of myself and of so many others. Thank You for dying at Calvary for a wretch like me. I Love You Father God and I thank You and give You the praise, the honor, and the glory in Jesus Christ's Precious Holy Name, Amen and Amen .

Praise And Thanks

Praise ? How do you praise God ? Do you give God the praise due Him ? Do you thank Him for the blessings you receive everyday ?


Psalms 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.


I know in myself , I find that I do not always praise God as I should. I sometimes get downtrodden and feel sorry for myself. There is no other word for it but feeling sorry for myself. I am sure that you do this also at times. But I know for fact that I do, on occasion, feel sorry for myself. The question is, is it right to feel sorry for oneself ? Truthfully we should not feel sorry for ourselves. However, we are human and we do.


Psalms 7:17
17) I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high.


Ephesians 5:20
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;


I Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Psalms 106:1 Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. We are to praise God in all things. We are to give thanks to God in all things. Even when we are downtrodden,feeling sorry for ourselves, having test and trials we are still to praise the Lord and give Him thanks. Yes, we often fail this but did you know that if you start praising God in the midst of whatever it is that is besetting you, that you will start to feel better and soon you will be uplifted in the Lord. Give it all up to Him. God knows of all you are going through and all that has befallen you. Give it to Him and praise Him through it all. Be thankful to Him for everything that you have, for all the blessings He blesses us with each day , we should praise Him and thank Him. As the verse in the Bible,God's Word says,He does not allow us to be tempted past that which we can bear. 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. We are to praise Him and give thanks to Him through it all. I fall short of this, oft times. In truth we all do. I encourage you that the next time you start feeling sorry for yourself to start praising God and thank Him for all the He has done for you and all that He has blest you with. So what if life isn't going as we want it to. What truthfully matters ? Yeah it hurts when things don't go as they should or as they were promised , one gets disappointed when promised things are not delivered. But in truth when promises are broken it hurts the one who made and broke those promises worse than it does you. The one is not being true as they should, you can't help what someone else chooses to do. You can only pray for them, as you should, and let them know how you feel about the disappointment. But in the long run of things you can't change it. It is up to them to make things right. If they choose not to make things right then they have to give account for what they did. We each have to give account for what we do, no one else. It is better to praise god and give Him thanks through all things and in all ways, even in the face of disappointment. If we face it by praising God and giving Him thanks for the opportunity to learn and grow, as we should, we are in fact growing closer in our walk with God and learning the lesson He is trying to teach us. We have to give account for ourselves so I intend to start praising Him through it all. The next time I get disappointed, start feeling sorry for myself, I will start praising God and stay true to Him because I don't want to be a person who allows the disappointment and sorrow of what has happened win. I want God to have the victory and in order to do that I have to praise Him and give Him thanks through it all. I am not going to allow anything else to take the victory that belongs to God. I urge you to do the same. Stand and praise God, give Him thanks in the face of adversity and give God the victory as He deserves it . He deserves all the praise, the honor, the glory and the thanks in all things.

Good Steward ? Good Servant ?

Good Steward ? Good Servant ? Are we truly a good steward and a good servant for God ? My question is the time that God has given you, do you use it wisely or unwisely ? The parable of the servants who were given talents by their Master comes to mind . Matthew 25:14-46. Even start reading from the beginning of the Chapter for it all speaks the same message Matthew 25:1-46 are you using what God has given you wisely ?


From the time we sought and accepted Jesus Christ's forgiveness time was no longer ours to do with as we wanted to. Our time is God's time. We, who are His children, owe our time in service to the Lord. We are His servants. He bought and paid for us with the highest price , His precious blood at Calvary. Our time belongs to Him it is not our own. We are supposed to spend our time being in service to our God.

How do you spend the time God has given you ? Wisely ? Unwisely ? When you have time on your hands, how do you use it ? Do you go out and do things that bring you fleshly or worldly pleasures, pleasures that fulfill the lust of the flesh and mind ? Or do you spend that time serving the Lord by helping others or by studying your Bible, reading an inspirational book, in prayer, in quiet communion with the Lord ? There are so many ways to serve God by spending the time, wisely, that He has gifted you with.

Is your mind and heart truly set on serving the Lord ? This question will help you to answer the other question of, do you spend your time wisely or unwisely ? If your heart and mind are set on truly serving the Lord then you will spend your time wisely in service to the Lord. One has to examine them self to see where their heart truly lies. If one finds more pleasure by doing worldly things that satisfy the lust of the flesh and mind than they do in serving the Lord, then something is not right. Set your heart and mind on the Lord. God can and will give you what you need that fulfills what needs to be fulfilled. The things that truly are good are things of the Lord.

When the Lord comes back do you want to be as the 5 unwise, foolish virgins who did not prepare as they should have ? Do you want to be as the unwise servant who hid his talent instead of using it for his Masters service ? Or do you want to be as the 5 wise virgins and as the wise servants? They used their time wisely as befittingly they should have in service to their Lord and Master. Which of these people do you want the Lord God/Jesus Christ to see you as when He returns ?

I encourage each of you to spend your time wisely in service to God/Jesus as He asks us to. Be ever watchful for not one of us know when our time shall end and then we will have to give account of the time we spent, whether it was spent wisely or unwisely. The wise servants ,whom served their Master as they should have will enter in to the Kingdom but those unwise and foolish servants who chose to spend their time as they wanted to instead of serving the Master will be cast into hell and then into the Lake of Fire.

You are faced daily within every moment of everyday, that God has saw fit to give you, with making the choice of spending your time wisely or unwisely. Which way will you choose ? Be it wisely ? Be it unwisely ? The choice is yours, but remember whom you have to give account of your time to and whether you spent your time wisely or unwisely that He gave you to serve Him.


As is spoken in Joshua 24:15
15)And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Truly Loving Your Children

There are people who have children and then there are parents. Among those parents there is a sub category of parents. Parents who truly love their children and care about where their children's soul will spend eternity.

We , as parents, have the ability and the means to teach our children about God/Jesus Christ. If we truly Love our children as God wants us to, then we will teach them about God/Jesus. The Bible, God's Word, tells us to raise up a child in the way he should go.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

This passage tells us that we, as parents, have the responsibility to teach our children about God/Jesus. The responsibility to teach our children right from wrong. To teach them what they need to know so they can make decisions on their own, that will benefit them in their future life as a Christian, here on Earth. Also to teach them the things they need to know that will ensure them of having a Heavenly Home with Jesus one day. We have that responsibility and if we , truly, Love our children then we will teach them the right way, God's Way.

For example, the way we ,us parents, live our life, each and everyday, shows whether we are true Christians or whether we are pretending to be something we truly are not. If you go around cussing and swearing or drinking, having sex with someone other than your spouse,view pornography, say things to your child like," Wow did you see the way that girl/guy looked wasn't that sexy", if you lust after others other than your spouse and you let your children see or know any of these things then your children are learning by the example you are setting for them. Just as what you watch on television or listen to in the form of music says. You are teaching your children to learn by the example you are setting for them. You, as a parent, are the first and most effectual examples that your child will ever focus upon.

Just as if you live your life by going to Church, reading your Bible daily, saying prayers, blessings over food, praising the Lord out loud , singing gospel songs, doing things that will benefit others, actively serving God in whatever you do, not being afraid to serve God and share Him with others.If your children see you doing this for the Lord , they will learn by your example. By living your life , as a parent, for the Lord and in God's service you are teaching your child to learn by the example you are setting before them. Again you, as a parent, are the first and most effectual examples that your child will ever focus upon.

Other people can look at you and tell whom you live your life for, whether it be for God/Jesus or for the devil/world. Just as people can see how , the way you live your life, affects your children. You reflect upon your children , just as your children reflect upon you. Children learn by example.
Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

In all of this , if you truly Love your child and care about where their soul will spend eternity ,you will teach them of the Lord and the Lord's ways. You will live a good godly life before them.There comes a time in every parents life, when they have to step aside and let their children go out on their own. It is best to prepare that child, for when the time comes for it to go out on it's own, to be prepared in and of the Lord. With God in their life they will know how to live for the Lord instead of serving the devil/world and the ways of the devil/world. For we live in this world but we are not to be a part of it. Yes, that can be done. And we, as parents, if we have taught our children of the Lord, armed them with the Full Armor of God, then our children are prepared to live in this world/devil but not be partakers of the world/devil and it's ways. We have prepared them to be able to live and work their way as a Christian, a true Christian, if we have set the proper example before them and have instructed them as God directs us to in His Word, the Holy Bible.

If you Love your child you will teach them of God/Jesus and the right Way, the only Way, to live their life. By doing this you have insured them with God.

Learning To Listen

Learning To Listen To The Voice Of The Lord

We all must learn to listen to and for the voice of the Lord. He does speak to us. But we do not always hear Him or else we do not listen as we should when He does speak to us. It says in His Word that His sheep shall know His voice. Yes we know His voice but we do not always listen to Him when we should.

On Friday, the 27th of April, the children and I were leaving our house to go check the mail at the Post Office. As I locked the door , I heard a voice say," Go back in and get the camera." I heard it distinctly. But I did not heed the voice, which I knew it was the Lord prompting me, yet I did not heed . I went ahead and walked to my SUV and headed out to the Post Office.

On the way I usually take the road that goes by the Lake we live near. As I was driving by I noticed , out of the corner of my eye, a large bird perched on the limb of a dead tree that was sticking up out of the water. I pulled up and stopped the vehicle and my breath caught as the bird was a Bald Eagle. I knew right then and there that I should have heeded the Lord's voice. The children were all excited because it is not every day that one gets to see a Bald Eagle. So I said a pray. I said, " Lord if You keep the Eagle here I will drive back to the house and get my camera so I can get a picture of it. And from now on I will listen when I hear You prompting me to do something no matter what it is."

So I drove back to the house, ran in and got my camera. We drove back down the Lake road and the Bald Eagle was eating a fish it had caught and was perched on the same tree branch. I thanked the Lord for keeping it there. The children were ecstatic as was I. We watched it for a while before I decided to get out of the vehicle and try to get some pictures of it. Of course I only have a small digital Kodak camera that does not zoom in too well. I took a couple of pictures of the Bald Eagle perched on the tree branch before it noticed me. I walked towards it a little more and spooked it because it took to flight. It was so awesome to see this amazing bird take to wing. It rose in the air spread it's wings and turned in the opposite direction from me and flew. I saw the sun glistening off of it's white head and white tail feathers and I was in awe. I did not get any close up pictures but just being able to see the Eagle in all it's glory was enough. I was praising God that I got to see His creation, this magnificent Bald Eagle.

I turned and walked back to the SUV and the children were so excited. They had the SUV bouncing because they were in there bouncing up and down. I opened the door and they were praising the Lord also, for getting to see the Bald Eagle. We were so in awe and praiseful. I handed the camera to Elizabeth and then we drove on to the Post Office.

As I was driving I told them about me not listening to the Lord when I should have, when He spoke to me about going back into the house and getting my camera. I told them , God gave me a second chance to do His bidding but He does not always do this. Sometimes if we do not heed His voice , we will not get a second chance. I shared this with them so they would know that they need to heed God's voice when He speaks to them.

It is not always something great that God wants us to do when He speaks to us. He speaks to us to see whether we will heed His voice or not. We are tested in this way by the Lord , sometimes we pass the test but we also fail it sometimes. I failed that test but God gave me another chance. I and all of us need to learn to heed God's voice when He speaks to us because we may not get another chance.

I learned my lesson and also my children got to learn through me, by my sharing with them about me not heeding God's voice. God allowed me to use what I did , to turn it into an opportunity to teach my children. I make mistakes, I am not perfect and God knows this. Yet He still loves each of us and if we are repentant He accepts us and forgives us. I encourage each one of us, that the next time we hear God's voice urging us to do something, no matter how odd it may seem to us, to please heed His voice. Because we may never get another chance to make right what we did not listen to from the Lord.

Watching

I was looking out my window this morning watching a Mourning Dove that had perched upon my wooden swing, that is in the backyard. I have three bird feeders in my backyard and this Mourning Dove was watching the other birds at the feeder and the birds that were on the ground looking for any dropped seeds. It was as if the Mourning Dove was watching the others to see what they were doing. He just sat there as if he was pondering them. He made no attempt to fly to the feeders but was content, for a while, to just watch the other birds interacting and feeding. Eventually he decided to fly down and intermingle and eat with the other birds, chasing some away that got a little too boisterous or aggressive while eating in peace with others.

It struck me that God watches us in much the same way as this Mourning Dove was watching these other birds. God observes us to see how we are going to react when faced with a situation in which we have to struggle, or in which we are tested and tried. He watches to see if we give in to the harassment and demands of others and run from or give in to the trials or to see if we stand and seek Him for help. He watches us to see whether we withstand the test that we are being tested in. If we seek Him, then He will come to us and help us. Just as this Mourning Dove chased off the birds, that were being boisterous and aggressive towards it and the other birds, God will intervene and help us in the situations of trial, temptations, testing, the very battles that we face in our life.

God comes to us but we have to seek Him. We have to become humbled, to the point, to where He knows we are earnest in our seeking Him. God will help us, He will uplift us. He will hear our cry for help when the world and it's ways seek to encompass us. Trust in the Lord and He will deliver you.

Remember He is watching. He is in the Heavens watching us to see if on His name we do call when we are in the throes of temptations and battles or if we give in to those temptations and battles. He is just waiting for us to seek Him and ask His forgiveness and help. When we become humbled unto Him then He will come down to us and forgive us and uplift us from the midst of the battle and out of the temptations that seek to drown us.

God is watching.

I got an email from a dear friend today. I replied in email to my Little Brother and I thought I need to share this with others, the way the Lord led me to share with him, I also need to share with others what God gave me to share with my Little Brother. He is in some ways wiser in the Lord than I am. God blesses us with others in our life to help us in so many ways. That is awesome.


God is awesome. He is teaching me some things I need to know and some of them have not been easy to accept as I have had to eat humble pie, so to speak. I thought I was humble at the time but God let me know I needed to be humbler. And so He showed me this and I did as He asked of me and He is at work. I have had to reach the depths of the valley to get humbled to where He wanted me to be and put self out of the way. Once I did this He made known to me what He wanted to.

I had to take a deep look at myself and see myself as He saw me. And some of want I saw about myself made me realize that I am a harsh person in some aspects. I know when it comes to Him and His Word we have to be disciplined and strict but I had allowed this to carry over to other areas of my life. Too much so it seems. But now that I know this I am working to change me. I can't change others but I can change me to be more of who God wants me to be.

Sometimes the lessons taught by the Lord are hard to take but I know that He only wants what is best for us, His children. God has lifted me up so many times and once again He lifted me up . I still have a ways to climb and a lot to learn but one day after while I am going to be with Him. I look forward to that day.

Sometimes we have to do a little sacrificial living in order to be at the point to where God wants us to be in order to fully realize what God wants of us. Sometimes this is what it takes for us to listen to Him, for Him to get our attention. I am a selfish person. When I gave up to God the one thing that I wanted most and left it in His hands, He started taking action. I thought I could help Him but I truly realized that it was I who was hindering Him and what He wanted to do. So I gave up what I wanted and said to Him to do as He wanted things to be and He is working. I see Him working and I am repentant first for thinking I could change things when truthfully I never could on my own, and thankful that God is a forgiving God and that He after I gave up what I wanted has started to work on it all. I had to give it up for Him and to Him and then He let me see the awakening of what He wants to be done in all of this. I have to be submissive to God and follow His lead and His will for my life for without Him I have nothing. I am thankful that God saw fit to chasten me. I am thankful also that I realized that He was chastening me and letting me know to let go and let Him do as He knew was best for me.

How Are You Praying?

Have you ever asked God for something and you did not get the thing you asked for ? Was the thing you asked for something that would benefit you in a worldly way ? Would what you ask for bring you wealth that you might misuse to fulfill your own lust ? Did you ask for God to give you a specific person as a potential spouse and God did not give you that person because you only wanted to fulfill your lust for this person ? Was the thing you asked for something that would strictly benefit you and allow you to fulfill a lust or hunger that you had that was not of God ?

Well there was a reason that you did not receive that which you asked for. It tells us why we sometimes do not get what we ask for , if we ask for something that is wrong to ask for, within the pages of the Bible. The below verse tells us why we do not receive when we ask for things that will feed our own lust.


Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
your lusts.
James 4:3

So the next time you pray and ask God for something weigh it in the balances, what it is that you seek to receive. Make certain that you are not asking something of God that you will use to satisfy your own lust. For God holds no part with the world nor those who seek to serve the world and themselves. Be careful of what you pray for and how you pray for it.

Running From God ?

Are you running from God ? Are you not fulfilling the promises that you made God ? Are you avoiding, doing what you told God you would do in order to do what you want to do ?

Do you think that God does not know you are avoiding doing what you promised Him you would do ? Do you think God has forgotten about what you promised Him ? Do you think God allows you to change your promises to Him ? The Bible, God's Word says that a man is bound by the promises he makes until death. This means that if you make a promise then you are bound to keep that promise until you die. If you do not keep that promise then you are lost. Knowingly making a promise to God and then breaking that promise is knowingly committing sin and it will cost you in the end.

I know of a Preacher, who is a friend of mine. He promised God a long time ago that he would preach for the Lord. But before he got started preaching, even though he had promised God that he would preach for Him, he decided that he couldn't. That he was just not ready to keep his promise to God that he had made. My friend thought that he could run from doing what he promised God. He thought that he could do things his way. That he could do things when he was ready. It did not matter that God wanted him to keep his promise , he wanted to do things his own way and in his own time. But he found out the hard way that if you make a promise to God and you run from that commitment, God will set you down and chastise you in a way you don't want to be chastised in.

My friend thought he had got away from keeping his promise to God. Well my friend is married and has 3 daughters. His wife is a daughter of a Preacher. His wife knew what he had promised God and knew that he was running from God, even though he pretended he was not.

Well their oldest daughter got sick and had to be hospitalized. The doctors and the specialist discovered that she had a rare form of Meningitis . She was to the point of death. They said they had done all they could for the girl and that it was in God's hands now. My friend was driving to the hospital when God spoke to him. In his car driving down the freeway, God spoke to my friend.

God said to him," You are running from me. You did not do what you promised me you would do. And now where are you ? What is wrong with your child ? You promised to serve Me, to preach My Word, yet you did not do as you said you would. Where is your child, now ? She is in my hands. Her life is in my hands."

My friend had to stop and pull over to the side of the road. He cried out to God and repented of his sin against God of not keeping his promise. He said to God ,"I will preach for You, heal my daughter please. I will no longer run. I will do that which I promised, just save my daughter."

My friend got back on the road and continued to the hospital. His wife and the doctors, the specialists met him. It seemed his daughter had made a miraculous recovery and was no longer in danger. God had touched her and healed her. He rejoiced, he told his wife what had happened on his drive to the hospital. She wept tears of joy. Their daughter came home a few days later and my friend started preaching for the Lord God that next Sunday. He got a second chance to correct and follow through on what he promised God. But it took him almost losing his daughters life ,over not keeping his promise to God, before he opened his eyes up and stopped running from God.

Don't you be in the position that my friend was in. Don't put yourself in that place. My friend almost lost his daughter because he wanted to do things in his own way and in his own time. But God corrected him. Not everyone who goes against God gets a second chance. I encourage anyone who has promised God things, to keep those promises because if you don't you will lose your soul to hell. You may not get a second chance the way my friend did. That would be horrible if you made promises to God and did not keep them and ran from God and what you promised Him and never got another chance to atone for the wrong you did God.

Can you say that you have been true to God ? Can you truthfully, beyond the shadow of a doubt, say that you have been true to God and the promises you made Him ? If you can't then it is time to repent and do that which you promised God you would do. He is waiting with open arms to take you back in. Don't turn Him away ,you might lose something or someone you hold dear by not keeping the promises you made to God. God does not take promises made to Him lightly.

God never said it would be easy serving Him. In fact He told us we would suffer for Him. I worry for anyone who has made promises to God and decided not to keep those promises to Him. I would not want to be in that person's shoes come judgement day. Don't make promises to God unless you intend to keep them. Because if you don't keep them you will forfeit your soul to hell. If you keep them, then God will use you and bless you in your doing what you promised Him. You can't run from God. You can try but sooner or later God is going to set you down and you will be chastised by Almighty God.

Heartfelt

Have you ever had a heavy feeling in your heart. One that lets you know that someone you care about is in need of prayer. That they are burdened by something and your heart is burdened for them. I had this feeling this morning when I awoke and so I prayed.

I always pray when I have this burdened feeling on my heart because I know that God is urging me to pray for someone. Prayer is our way of intimately communing with God. God gave us prayer for a purpose and that was to use it to pray, to petition, to thank Him and just to talk with Him when we feel the need to.

Have you ever awoken at night with the feeling that you need to pray, or just with a heavy feeling of burden on your heart ? If so, how have you handled this ? Have you gotten up and prayed ? Have you laid there and prayed ? Or did you just turn over and try to push it out of your mind and heart and go back to sleep ?

When I am awoken, in the midst of the night or early morning hours, with this burdened feeling I get up and kneel beside my bed and pray. Sometimes I do not know who I have this burden for , while at other times God makes it clear for whom I am praying at the time. But I have to get up and pray because if I did not I would be doing God an injustice as He placed it upon my heart to pray for another. If you feel this urging, this burden upon your heart and do not know why, pray about it and ask God to help whomever is, in need of prayer. He will listen. He is the one who burdened your heart to pray in the first place.

Don't turn away from what God is urging you to do. After you pray the burden will be lifted from your heart. God is using you in His service to pray for others. He will visit this burden upon you at different times. Sometimes during the day, sometimes at night God may burden your heart to pray for someone. That someone could be yourself or it could be a friend, a family member or even someone you do not know. But please when you feel the burden in your heart to pray even if you do not know who for or what for, pray to God. Talk with Him about it. He knows the why, so take it to Him in prayer.

There is nothing that can take the place of heartfelt prayer. When you feel something in your heart it is heartfelt. That is why your heart feels burdened with prayer, it is a heartfelt burden and nothing better to treat a heartfelt burden with than heartfelt prayer. I urge you , the next time you feel this burden in your heart to pray, to please pray and not turn away from what God is calling you to do.


Remember there is nothing better to treat a heartfelt burden with than heartfelt prayer.

Keeping you all in my prayers.

Beauty

The children and I went on a walk today. There is a field of wild Daffodils blooming a short distance from our house and we decided to walk there and take some pictures of them. It was so beautiful to just look at the flowers with their yellow head bobing in the breeze. We took several pictures of the flowers . I posted the link below to the site I posted them on if anyone wants to view them.

http://www.christian.net/messages.php?forum=252&topic=13574

If the link doesn't work by clicking on it just copy and paste it into your browser and it should work. If not let me know, please.

But what struck me is the beauty of God's design. These flowers are growing wild in this field and in the surrounding woods. They have spread overtime to cover an area about a half an acre across. This made me think about the parable in the Bible that Jesus spoke of concerning sowing seeds on stony ground and on good ground. Some take root and some grow while others whither and die. These flowers were planted and left alone to see whether or not they would grow and multiply or whether they would die. These flowers grew and multiplied.


Now the parable that Jesus used of the seeds was about sowing the Word of God. To see whether the Word you shared with others about the Lord would grow and multiply or whither and die. Just as these flowers grew so too does the Word of God when it falls upon a fertile heart. A heart and soul that is ready and willing to receive what God has to offer it. Just as these flowers received the nourishment they needed from God in order to grow and multiply so too will and does anyone who turns their life over to God. God will prosper you and make you to multiply if you stay true to Him and His calling for you. It is truly amazing to see things grow over the course of time. But think how much more it means to God to see each of us, His children, grow over the course of time.

God is amazing. It is wonderful to help sow the seeds of God's Word to others and to watch it take root within them and grow. It is amazing to witness with your own eyes someone come to Christ and to help and watch them grow in the Lord. The flowers receive the rain, the nutrients they need to grow just as a child of God receives the instruction , love and all that they need to grow in Him.

It is wonderful to be a part of God's creation and even more awesome to help others to grow in Him and through Him. The Lord has wonderful plans for His children. He will prosper and multiply us , His children. This He says in His Word, the Holy Bible. I Love the Lord and I am His child. I thank Him for such a wonderful day to be able to view the beauty of the creations that He, Himself has made. God is Awesome.

Luke 8:5-18

Luke 8:5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.

17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

18 Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.