Psalm 61

1 Hear my cry, O God;          Attend to my prayer.  2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You,          When my heart is overwhelmed;          Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.            3 For You have been a shelter for me,          A strong tower from the enemy.  4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;          I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.  Selah              5 For You, O God, have heard my vows;          You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.  6 You will prolong the king’s life,          His years as many generations.  7 He shall abide before God forever.          Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!            8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever,          That I may daily perform my vows.

Psalm 120

My struggle with the human race. I call out the ANONAI, He hears me. I struggle with myself still. Am I true or false? My words can be firey darts. Oh, my affliction, that I live among these peoples. My spirit has existed with one who has an aversion for peace. I speak peace, they speak war. I am for peace!

Psalm 120 (New King James Version)
1 A Song of Ascents. In my distress I cried to the Lord, And He heard me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips And from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the warrior, With coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I dwell in Meshech, That I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul has dwelt too long With one who hates peace.
7 I am for peace; But when I speak, they are for war..

Where does your peace come from? Not self. Not someone else.

Only God gives peace!

Faithful Attraction?

I made the 1st mistake in marrying an unequally yoked man who had no intentions of becoming so.

To continue reading please click here.

Faithful, an overview [20100712]

Matthew Henry said: When we look forward, with an eye of faith, we shall see no reason to envy the wicked. Their weeping and wailing will be everlasting. The life of religion is a believing trust in the Lord, and diligent care to serve him according to his will. It is not trusting God, but tempting him, if we do not make conscience of our duty to him.

Welcome to the blog. This lesson will focus on faithfulness. If you'd like to see other posts in this series just click here.

To get a grasp of this word: faithfulness, we need to see the definition. It's a lot. Please be patient.

faith·ful (fāth'fəl)
adj.
1. Adhering firmly and devotedly, as to a person, cause, or idea; loyal.
2. Engaging in sex only with one's spouse in a sexual relationship.
3. Having or full of faith.
4. Worthy of trust or belief; reliable.
5. Consistent with truth or actuality: a faithful reproduction of the portrait.

Today we'll focus on worthy of trust or belief; reliable. Everything ties into trusting and believing.

God's word says this:

Psalm 37
³ Trust in the LORD, and do good;
         Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

How trusting of the Lord are you? If you can trust the Lord I believe one feeds on His faithfulness. If God can trust us then why wouldn't we trust Him? Trusting is believing. If we believe in the Lord then we trust Him.

Did you get that: Trusting is believing. If we believe in the Lord then we trust Him.

What am I trusting the Lord with? I should trust Him in all ways. He loves and cares for me. Therefore, I can trust Him, right? Some of you are shaking your heads at me right now. That's ok. Faith is serious business. Many people don't have much faith. God's word says we only need faith the size of a mustard seed.

Matthew 17
²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Mustard seeds are about one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter. I read somewhere that they are smaller than poppy seeds. They're almost like a speck of dust small. That's all it takes. So, my unbelief and untrusting nature is holding me back.

Faith to me is trusting. For example: When I sit in a chair I have faith enough to trust that the chair will hold me up and not go crashing to the ground taking me down with it.

Another way to look at this is being reliable. A confident certainty. Reliable suggests consistent dependability of judgment, character, performance. Consistent dependability of character. Hmph.... will you look at that! Am I consistently dependable? No... I'm not. And neither are a lot of people. We are flaky undependable beings.

Well then... I better get my act together. What about you? Will you join me in this challenge and work on becoming a consistent dependable person in being reliable and trusting God being a trustworthy person for God? Standing firm and upright for God?

Leave a comment on how this post touched you. I know someone out there is going to be touched by this.

Eternity

Live For Eternity Video

The video speaks for itself.
Please...take a few minutes and watch it!

"I Surrender All"

Have you surrendered all to Jesus? If not, why? What's holding you back? What have you to lose in surrendering? You lose the self pity, shame, doubt, fear and all those negativities that satan deceives us with. I've been there! Romans 12:1 says: And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

God is waiting for you to just reach out to Him and lay it all at His feet and leave it there with Him. Let Him envelope you with His mercy & grace to fill you and overflow you to spill out around you. His love is so deep and powerful none can compare! Praise be to HIS Holy Name!

Prayer: Dear Jesus, Father God, there's hurting people out there. I lift them to You Father to meet their needs in a way only You can do Father. It is undeniably You who meets our every need. I seek healing in all ways for these hurting people Father. You know each one personally... because You created them. You knew them before they were even known. I lift their souls to You Father pleaded for their mercy. I pray that You use me in whatever way You need to Father. I'm a vessel for You. In Jesus' name, amen!

Next step: Now it's your turn. Will you seek God and surrender your all to Him? Pray to HIM and give your burdens to Him. He will gladly take them. You can't have them back. When you give them to Him, they stay with Him. Stop your self pity and get up... take your bed... go; your faith has healed you. That's what Jesus told those who sought Him for healing. Seek faith in God.

Redeemed - [20100404]

Psalm 111:9
He has sent redemption to His people;
         He has commanded His covenant forever:
         Holy and awesome is His name.

Romans 3:21-26
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Colossians 1:13-14
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

The Real Reason for Easter - Revelation Song

Thank You Jesus, Father God,
for Your gift of salvation.

Peace - Security & Protection

Ephesians 6:10-20 The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Last time we talked about Peace of Mind.

This week is the end of the series on peace. Next week, We'll begin a new series for April using a new word from my word list: Longsuffering (enduring persecution).

Today's lesson is gleaned from the above scripture in Ephesians. The Whole Armor of God (spiritual armor against the enemies of their souls). I'll show how we can be fit for battle against the evil enemy. You'll see how each piece of the armor will protect you and keep you secure.

How many times have you come up in battle unprepared wishing you had your suit of armor on? I'm pretty sure at least once. I know I have! So, come along with me as we suit up for battle. Don't be afraid. The Holy Spirit will guide you along and keep you safe. That is if you will let Him. Because all too often we take the sword and rush into battle with this attitude of "I can beat you. I can win." What happens? We get knocked on our bums. Just because we are too proud to allow God to lead us. He does know what He's doing, I promise.

In v.12 it says:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

So then, everything else is a result of this spiritual warfare. The Whole Armor of God is symbolic to what we need to prepare for in a spiritual battle with the devil. Because, he pulls a lot of punches. He does not hold back. Satan is a slick fighter. So, with that in mind let's look at our Armor of God.

• Belt of truth - This piece holds up the rest of the armor. [Like a belt to hold up one's pants.] You need truth/sincerity to go on. Being truthful/sincere is what binds your faith.
  
• Breast-plate of righteousness - Protects us from the fiery arrows of the enemy's wrath.
  Note: righteousness/holiness: (Heb. kedushah). A religious quality or value invested in special objects, places, times, and persons. The root meaning of kedushah and its derivatives is "to be set apart" or "distinguished." The source of all holiness is the holiness of God, "the Holy One, blessed be He." Several times in the Bible, the people of Israel is exhorted to be holy because God is holy (e.g., Lev. 19:2). To describe God as holy in this context means to say that He is totally transcendent. He is the great Other, over and above the universe and all things in it. When the attribute of holiness is ascribed to God, it also embraces His awesomeness. [All that to say be Christ-like, an example to others. Set apart.]
  
• Shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace - We must be ready to march into the battle field. We must go in peace with the knowledge of the Gospel.
  
• Shield of faith - Knowing that, with [Faith, as relying on unseen objects, receiving Christ and the benefits of redemption, and so deriving grace from him, is like a shield, a defense every way. -by Matthew Henry]. God will bring us through to the other side. Having that faith quenches the fiery darts shot at us from the enemy.
  
• Helmet of salvation - [A good hope of salvation, a Scriptural expectation of victory, will purify the soul, and keep it from being defiled by Satan. -by Matthew Henry] Protecting our minds.
  
• Sword of the Spirit - The Word of God [A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary. -by Matthew Henry].
  
• Prayer, witness & testimony of Jesus - Prayer is the fastener that holds all these pieces together. [A vain heart will be vain in prayer. We must pray with all kinds of prayer, public, private, and secret; social and solitary; solemn and sudden: with all the parts of prayer; confession of sin, petition for mercy, and thanksgiving for favors received. And we must do it by the grace of God the Holy Spirit, in dependence on, and according to, his teaching. We must preserve in particular requests, notwithstanding discouragements. We must pray, not for ourselves only, but for all saints. Our enemies are mighty, and we are without strength, but our Redeemer is almighty, and in the power of his mighty we may overcome. Wherefore we must stir up ourselves. Have not we, when God has called, often neglected to answer? Let us think upon these things, and continue our prayers with patience. -by Matthew Henry].

I like Matthew Henry so my post is laced with his wisdom. You'll most likely see many quotes from him in this blog. Feel free to comment with your thoughts and ideas. I'm open to them. We're all entitled to our opinions. A collective work of God's will tell HIS story and reach many. Let's get out there in full suited armor and be ready for battle in God's Army.

As I put this together I couldn't help but think about a scene from the movie "300" when the warriors banded together as one to create one big shield to fend off the enemy.

Join the Army of God! Stand firm! We can do it with God as the leader. The enemy doesn't have a chance. As God's Word says, "It is finished". John 19:30 - So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Satan has no hold on us. When he hears the name of Jesus he falls to ground paralyzed. Let's claim victory in Jesus' name, amen!

Prayer: Thank You Father God for standing with us and giving us Your full armor to fight against the enemy. Thank You for our salvation, and forgiveness of our sins. I pray that we hold up our end of the deal. In Jesus' name, amen.

Song of joy and blessings

Click image
to participate.

Sacred Acre - One Man Changes a Community

Romans 5:1-4
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

My heart is heavy today. I am trusting in my faith that I have peace with God through JESUS, having faith into His grace. I stand and rejoice in God's glory even through my trials and tribulations with the perseverance to build my character having hope in eternity.

Where are you at today?

The below video is a great testimony to God's grace and hope.

Christian Quote for today [1/27/2009]

Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. by Oswald Chambers

Faith -- Temptation

In the following scripture you will read how satan tries to temp Jesus. It would serve us well if we could have to same constitution as Jesus did when he told satan to leave him. I too need much improvement in my faith in Jesus. See video for encouragement.

Matthew 4:1-11
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”
4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’
and,
‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

The four blessed looks

1. Look back and thank God.
   
   
2. Look forward and trust God.
   
   
3. Look around and serve God.
   
   
4. Look within and find God!

"I asked God, 'How do I get the best out of life? God said, Face your past without regrets. Handle your present with confidence and prepare for the future without fear! Without God, our week is: Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday, Wasteday, Thirstday, Fightday, Shatterday. So, allow Him to be with you every day! Life is short, so forgive quickly. Believe slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably. Never regret anything that makes you happy. And have a wonderful journey!"