A Voice In The Valley

Create In Me A Clean Heart Renew A Right Spirit

2007-12-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

The blood of the Lamb cleanses my heart , so gratefully I receive.
Renew a right Spirit , I do not want this wrong attitude in me. Just like my sins for which I can not remove myself , my attitude is also dependant upon His gift. I ask with hope that will not disappoint. I ask knowing He has redeemed me and the right Spirit for which I ask shall come.
I just do not know what to do for certain , what I should do while waiting.
For my sins , I waltz and dance with Him in His fields of grace. A right Spirit seems to be flowing out to me but not to all of the areas I desire.
As best as I can see, the objective is to not quench the Spirit , or grieve the Spirit or not deny the power of the Holy Spirit in any way.
I can not claim to be Spirit Filled until I see His Spirit of Love flowing out of me always. Certainly to say more Lord , more, is not a selfish cry but a cry of need . If I am to have an overflow that aids and helps my fellow travelers how then can I if my own Spiritual fountain is running low.
Yet I find that to give what I have does not deplete my fountain but seems to help the underground spring flourish more. Yet sometimes when I try to share it looks to me as though I have handed them a mug full of muddy water instead of the clear sweet flow of His Spirit.
I could pray the Father send them a sweet flow filtering system , open the eyes of their hearts Lord. Help them to see me the way You see me.
Open the eyes of my heart , more Lord ! Help me to see them even more clearly , as you see them . You did so much for them , you have done so much for me. It is not that I want to take from my source and keep it flowing. It is that I want them to learn of the true source so they to might be ready when the bridegroom cometh. It is so important and the time is so short.
Renew a right Spirit within me Lord, oh yes Lord I will receive.

Vision....My people perish for lack of vision.

2007-03-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

What really matters ? The normal cares and concerns of this world ? Or would you say, "the kingdom" ? His kingdom coming and His will being done on earth, as it is in heaven. Would this not be seeking the kingdom first ? And His righteousness. This is obtained only by receiving the blood sacrifice made for us, right ?
As you see, before I start talking to you about vision, I am trying to help you see if you are one of us , or not.
The "us" I have a word for. We are not done yet. We have come a long way. We have seen a lot and we have done a lot. We have found our way through valleys and over mountains. Deserts and oceans we have learned to accept as companions. We have been ready to go through the waters and fire. But we are not done yet. We have one more road to go.
We must have vision.
Vision is required when you lead. Yet many accept leadership positions and do not have it.
It is not necessarily your fault. I do not think it came in the leadership 101 manual. And for goodness sake, don't stop being a leader because you think I am right.
We need vision. I do . You do. I am praying for you to receive vision so don't give up, it may come upon you this very day. The people are perishing because we lack it. It is not the will of our Father that any of His little ones should perish, so surely my cry for vision will soon be heard.
How will we know when we have vision?
This is my humble speculation. I would welcome others opinions.
Visionaries do not assume they know what God's will is . They find out.
When they speak to little ones or mature ones they look at them and talk to them as though they know where they are going. They have found out what the will of the Father is for that individual and agree with the Father that His will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. That if it is the will of the Father there is no doubt that it can be done on earth as it is in heaven, so to know His will is the most valuable bit of information you can have. To know who that person is in God's plans and kingdom helps everyone concerned. To know yourself and how God knows you probably is going to precede the former criteria .
Once you start stepping out and believing to be what He says you are the earth begins to quake and you wonder if this is really okay that you are out here? You decided to take the bushel off your light and look what's happened now.
If you are identifying with any of this , my guess is you are asking the Father for vision. Keep asking. I am asking too.
I don't have it, but I know to ask for it. That has got to be a plus on our side.
Who do I know that did not have vision ?
The Bible is a history book full of their stories. The people who were suppose to go in and check out Canaan land for Moses and his group. We have 10 with no vision and 2 that did.
Peter had some vision, he knew who Jesus was but he did not see the purpose of the Father for Him on earth. Later Peter's vision became fuller.
The friends of Paul who knew Paul was a vessel sent by God but could not see that he was suppose to go to Jerusalem and then to Rome.

Coming

2006-12-04T07:20:00.000-08:00

There on the beach stood a boy. As he looked out upon the waters he saw far into the distance the sunlight reflect upon the glass of a bottle. It's bobby up and down upon the waters caught the sun ray once in a while and he could see it was coming in on the tide.
As it would bob up and down , to and fro it's progress looked almost hopeless . The boy busied himself with other things . Then he would remember the bottle and look out to see where it was now.
The waves would crash into the beach . Sometimes leaving sea weed and shells. Drawing back with great force and coming in again , sometimes to take back what had been left before and leave others in it's place.
The bottle he knew would eventually come to the seashore, just when he did not know.
He just knew it was coming.

There's A Place Where Religion Finally Dies Part 2

2006-11-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

I heard him then, asking for help to set up the tables. I heard him say , if only a few of you would volunteer to do just a few things around here it sure would be appreciated.
I heard myself say, (inside) how can I do these things and not cause that religious spirit to kick in again ? Should I just do it , and hope it won't ? I think of the harm others are doing when doing is their form of godliness . I think how awful it must be for the hungry to come and seek bread and find none. Only a stiff hand shake because this is what I am suppose to do. I will talk to you, because I am suppose to. I don't want to do that. Yet everytime I've tried to be active in the service of our church that spirit of pride , raises it's ugly head.
There was a glimmer of hope when I remembered Psalms 51. My request for a replacement of my sin would not go unanswered for ever. I began again , and realized , my feet were being washed. The ones who have been faithfully setting up the tables. Even the ones who have been religiously doing their duty. They have been doing it the best they can. Like it or not , they have been washing my feet.
Can I receive it ? Or am I going to respond like Peter's first response to the LORD's willingness to do humble work ?
I have grieved because my offers for foot washing have gone unheard , but have I been hearing theirs ?

There's A Place Where Religion Finally Dies

2006-11-17T05:27:00.000-08:00

Darrell Evans offers hope in his song, Dancing With My Father God In His Field of Grace. The startling truth that religion had still a hold of me slapped me in the face the other night . Now slaps can range in the hurt factor from mild to almost a slug. This was like, "wake up, are you asleep" .
It was suggested that we (our church) burn this church pew that was taking up room in our fellowship hall. They are going to have a wiener roast Sat. for the youth and why not use this old, (in very good shape ,I must add) church pew for the fire ?

The good thing about this story is that I realized what that was that came up. God certainly never set aside church pews to be holy. He never even said reverence my church pew. I never read anywhere in the Bible where it said, "Honor, my church pew."

What a fine line that is though between , honoring , reverencing and it becoming a religious rite .

About 6 weeks ago I began to feel impressed to honor the LORD on the Sabbath. A lot of people who are struggling to be set free , or claim to be set free, (wait until they hear about the church pew burning) from the religious spirit , kind of acted like they didn't know what to think about me doing this.

I could understand why they didn't understand. What they didn't seem to understand was I don't care about their understanding of what I do . I was only inviting people who felt impressed by the Holy SPIRIT to join me anyway.
However, whenever I feel impressed to remind them I am doing this "honoring the Sabbath thing" feel welcome to come over to my house and join me. They feel inclined to give me excuses. I am not trying to get them to do a religious thing.

What is the point of this ?

To the religious all things are religious and to the set free, all religious pride is to be flung into the fire !

Thank-you , Heavenly Father, let's go dance in Your field of grace.

Into His Presence I Come , Without Any Works I Have Done

2006-11-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

But by His grace and His grace alone, Into His presence I come.
The words of this song ring dear and true for me , as I see that my striving to do works from my own strength is in vain.
How wonderful it is to know that there is another way.
How wonderful to know that grace can be given for all the time I was still striving. How wonderful is our God and King, that He should die for me.
How wonderful that He would want me to know the fullness of His gift for me.
How wonderful that as I am willing to accept the gift, more is given.
How wonderful that I do not have to look back but forward.
How wonderful that life and life more abundantly waits for me, as I hurriedly discard these old garments . He adorns me with His righteousness that I may be dressed properly when my bridegroom comes.

Loving Not Our Lives Even Unto Death

2006-07-31T06:29:00.000-07:00

Finding Jesus in a bad world. It is not long after finding Jesus that you realize He now wants you to find Him in others. "There I am ", He says,"in the least of these." "In the prisons, in the highways, in your grocery stores, sitting in your parks, in your everyday life, those ones you ignored before. I am there." (My paraphrase.) At the very same time , up comes the Elder Brother and says, "what do you think you are doing ?" "Well, I am going out to find Jesus ," you say. "What ? Jesus, do you think He is out there ?" "Why do you think He is there ?" he says. Then you say, "because I know He is here," you point to yourself .
It really makes them mad. I don't mean angry. I mean mad. I think they lose the ability to think rationally.
If you can make it past the Elder Brother and into the party the Father invites you to. I think you can make it on out to the fields.
I have to try.
Jesus you are out there, and I have to try to find you today. I know You will be with me as I look. Tell me what to say to the elder brother who wants me to quit believing that what You said was true. Show me how to let the light within me shine. Also show me what to say to the dear hearts whose light has been dimmed by other Elder Brothers. Please help me not join the ranks of the Elder Brothers to be popular.
There is a field of grace. I thank God for His grace. It is His grace that our message is about. It is His grace that the elder brother does not want to receive. It is His grace that we must share with all who will listen.

Please read Acts 6:8 -Acts 7:56 Acts 6:15 And all that sat in the council,
looking steadfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. Acts 7:51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost : as your fathers [did], so [do] ye.

The light was there because he, Stephen let it be there. He was not stiffnecked and uncircumcised in his heart and ears, and he did not resist the Holy Ghost.

Go Forth, Go Forth Into the Ripened Fields They Are Ripe Unto Harvest

2006-07-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

There are some famous "going forths " in the Bible. I will share only a few , lest I lose your interest in this blog. Gen 8:16 Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee. You realize of course , at the time Noah went forth into the ark it took courage. For one hundred years, he knew this day was going to happen. For one hundred years, he trusted in God's sovereignty to protect himself and his family in THE DAY to come. Finally the time came to go forth into the ark with his family.
I dare say there are alot of people aware of what DAY this is right now. Some are joyfully anticipating being taken up out of this world soon.
Almost all that speak of it have one lament. Oh if only , (put a loved one's name in here) was ready to go.
May I suggest to all who are ready to go at anytime that we have some going forth to do. If the Spirit of the LORD is upon you , you will have some idea of what going forth will look like.
For me it is preparing for the Feast of Tabernacles even when it does not seem to be the popular thing to do this year. My children need the opportunity to partake of sacraments with me. They may not go to church with me but that has nothing to do with breaking bread and drinking grape juice in remembrance of what JESUS did for us. My house will do just fine. So many times we refer to "going to church" as the building we go to on Sundays. My church is right here in my home, it is in me , where ever I go , church is with me. When ever I find another person who will let me talk about Jesus, here we are, at church.
I would like to invite my children to go on a camping trip with me and celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles together. Right at this time the best I feel I am going to be able to do is have a sleep over, everyone bring a sleeping bag.
We will go out in the middle of the night and look up at the stars in the sky and I will remind them of how God took care of the children of Israel in the wilderness. I will add that I fully believe He, this same God, is our God and He will take care of us in the days ahead.
They have been watching this God take care of me for many years. They have witnessed a miraculous healing in my life. They have heard me say," I had this vision when praying for you" and found it to be true. They know this God I am telling them to trust in , is real. Now as I tell them ,"Let us go forth into the ark," I hope they will respond. At the same time I am seeing many being bid , "go forth" and need a little encouragement. That is the gift the Holy Spirit has given me , so whatever struggle they might be having , the Holy Spirit will surely give me a word of encouragement for them.
If you have a loved one that you wish was ready to go , may I encourage you to seek the kingdom of God first and His righteousness. While going into this ark of refuge , invite your loved ones to come with you. I know it might seem strange to have a communion supper with them in your home. What if it makes the difference between where they spend eternity ? What if it is the opportunity they need to see a visual aid of remberance of what Jesus did for them? Even if you partake while they watch, what better way for the Holy Spirit to begin to speak to their hearts? Go forth ! Go forth ! Go forth ! Pray and seek Him for boldness. Better that you do one thing that the HOLY SPIRIT lead you to do and have His Spirit give you boldness than you do a hundred things I tell you to do.
For me it is to do as I suggest above . May it be that the HOLY SPIRIT give you another "going forth" so be it. Here am I to encourage you.
Go forth !

Bread , All I Have is Bread, and Two Fishes, Here LORD

2006-07-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

You may think you have nothing to give but the Word of God is nigh thee even in thy mouth. Speak what ever He would have you to say. Smile a smile, shake a hand. Give a pat on the arm. He who is faithful in the little things He will make ruler over much. It isn't much. Writing a letter, leaving a tract somewhere, calling someone just to say hello. Do it today. If you feel He has said do it, or even if you are not sure . How much will harm if you are wrong ? How much good will it do if you are right ? It could be the two fishes and five loaves of barley bread that was needed to feed five thousand . Don't hoard it . Give it away .

RIPPLES,Ripples,ripples, yes you make ripples too.

2006-07-10T05:29:00.000-07:00

Your purpose on earth is to be a living stone . When God throws you out on the waters you will make ripples . Only God knows the plan for the ripples . You may expect a similar reaction to those ripples today that you saw yesterday . However, He our ever knowing God Who knows all things , knows the depth of the pond , the rocks and debris in the pond , the wind velocity , and the other things being thrown in that pond that could cause ripples of their own .
Yesterday I was with others who desire the Bread of Life . There was a living stone thrown in our ponds . Yet I was the only one who produced ripples that looked like mine . I could not understand it until I remembered the parable of the sower and the seed .
Not all soil is the same . Not all ponds are the same . Theirs may have different looking ripples , it does not mean I am better . I am different .
Blessed am I for understanding the parable of the sower and the seed . Matt. 13:3
It is making for joyful ripples today .

A Light At The End of The Tunnel ,Oh So Dimly , I See a Light

2006-06-23T05:38:00.000-07:00

Tunnel is not an appropriate analogy. A sailing boat out in foggy unfamiliar waters headed for a new destination, desperately in need of some sense of direction . A better analogy, and now I can dimly see a light . The light of course is Jesus . How I long to be more like Him . Yet I am assured, like Him or not , I am just as loved by the Our Father , as if I were .
It is huge to accept that , and the only way that I know of to become more like Jesus , is to do just that . Accepting His unconditional love ,yet knowing that He is fully looking at all the unrighteousness left in me . Fortunately for me He does not give me His full view but allows the Holy Spirit to convict me . With love , I know what He sees . With love , I know He has made a way for that to change . With love , I know I can be made more into the image of Jesus .
I did not say it would not hurt .
Have you ever read about circumsion of heart ?
As we read Deuteronomy 30:6 we find that God was talking about circumcising hearts . I try to think what it must of been like to live back then . I know our God was trying to get a message across to us even then .
Deut. 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine hear, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live .
Now here is what I want to remember, God will do the circumcising , I have to hold still .
When stuff happens that I do not find comfortable , it means that I do not run off . It means that I do not just assume that God certainly would not want this to be happening so it's the devil . It means that I do not listen to my friends who say, "you must of sinned, that is why God has let this happened to you." It means that when the only way to make this feel any better is to leave , I do not do it .
Now how you stay is important to .
Do I complain, "Oh this hurts, oh this hurts, stop hurting me ?" Well, it does hurt . I think the part about ,"Oh this hurts," is okay because Job did not make any bones about his dilemma being uncomfortable .
However , do I let it hurt in faith ?
Do I look at how it hurts and look to my LORD and say, "Blessed be Your name ?"
I am here to tell you, if you do that long enough there is a light that begins to appear . His name is Jesus . Just one dim light is enough to get excited about . His light is special . You know you are not imagining it or that it is some trick of the sun . It is Jesus and you know if you head towards that light your likeness of Him will be increased .
Yes , as you are going towards Him ,
you decrease , as He increases .
It hurts , but it is bittersweet . Oh for the joy of being like Him . It will be worth everything it costs .

Should I Boast ?

2006-06-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

I can make my boast in God . He is the One Who has put His light in me . He is the One Who is showing me how to let that light shine . Rom 2:29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.

Why ?

2006-05-31T05:06:00.000-07:00

Our boats are ready . We are on the water, our sails have been cared for and made ready for a long trip. (allegorical analogy , water : accepting Jesus as the Way . sails : minds filled with God's word.)" Go ye out and be fishers of men, " comes the cry. So out we want to go . Is our boat moving ? Well, slowly , I seem to be rowing instead of sailing. Could it be that my sails are not up ? Could it be that I by myself can not raise them high enough to fully catch the wind ?
When I am with others and I pray a wonderful thing happens . As one begins to pray and then another and another their words are coming up as mirrors to line up with the will of our Father. My turn will come, "what should I pray ?" I think of a prayer and decide when the time is right , I will say my prayer. A silence, I hesitate, someone else begins to pray. She is praying the prayer that was in my mind to pray. She is saying the things I had thought about to say. Oh, how wonderful and joyful is my soul. The Holy Spirit had given me a prayer that would line up with the will of our Father ! In my mind and heart I readily agree with her and in our spirits we are of one accord. There is "Joy in the Holy Ghost !" There is joy when we allow the freedom for the Holy Spirit to flow !
What if we never prayed together ? Of course it is not a must. You can row a boat even if it is made for sailing.
Another wind giving opportunity is when we share the bread of life with one another. I belong to an online Bible study but if the others in the group do not participate soon, I feel the life that could come by doing this study together will be lost. Because I do have a prayer partner in the group and one who participates by sharing there is life for me but it is the others who had said they would join that I am concerned. I really think we need a time to pray together . I will pray that each one who joins will find herself a prayer partner and also at least one person in the group she is willing to share with. I will have to not worry to much about other people's boats . I will just give words of encouragement when I feel led !

Cover Me

2006-05-26T05:33:00.000-07:00

Who will cover me ? Who will spread out his cloak as Boaz did for Ruth and cover me ? Who will heal my rebellious heart ? Who will separate me from my oppressors ? Who will spare me and my household the wrath of God ? Who will take note of the scarlet rope placed in my window and know that as for me and my house, we serve the LORD ? Today I raise up a banner and declare, the battle belongs to the LORD !
We are not naked ! We have our covering from the LORD ! We are not desolate ! We have our refuge in the LORD ! The LORD my God is a shield for me , He is the glory and the lifter of my head ! He will not leave me nor forsake me ! He will cover me with His Spirit ! His steadfast Spirit will cover me ! For His righteousness endures forever ! His promise to pour out His Spirit upon us is kept ! Whom shall I fear ? None but the LORD . In awe and fear I bow down and let Him cover me . For He shall protect me from mine enemies ! He shall stand in the gap for me and send them on their way ! He will turn them back around that where they came from, they will now be , no closer to me than they were ! For my household belongs to the LORD ! Just as Noah's children and family were safe within the ark, so shall my household be with me ! Let us come now and serve the LORD with gladness ! Let us remember the goodness of the LORD our God ! Let us take comfort in His precepts ! Let us abide by all His laws ! Let us not worry about what we will eat or what we will drink ! He will take care of us, even as He cared for the children in the wilderness . Even as He gave them food and water . So shall He meet our needs. A cloud by day and a fire by night . He covered them !
Consider the words from Isaiah 30:1 Even though it is an admonishment as to what we do not want to do , we can see clearly what to do . If we are doing as He has said, then surely all that He has promised will be so.
Isaiah 30:1 Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:
May the HOLY SPIRIT guide us as we hear these words . May the SPIRIT of the LORD be upon these words as they are driven into our hearts . May we rejoice together as we realize , we who have submitted to His voice, that we are covered by His Spirit ! With His SPIRIT upon us , may we go and sin no more ! May we walk in a path of righteousness , for His name's sake .

Knocking Idols Down

2006-05-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

My walk with the LORD is a very visual one. However, I do not picture Jesus in my mind ,like some do. What I do picture is where I am, as a sheep being led by a shepherd. Only a person sheep . Every now and then when problems come I say to the shepherd, "where am I ?" This seems to be a good thing to do because when He answers, I have peace. Just as I have today. Some time back I was asked some questions that I went to the LORD with and prayed for His guidance. When I gave my answers , I did not feel that I had His anointing on me, but I answered anyway, thinking that the HOLY SPIRIT in me was guiding me to say what I said. These answers it would seem did not help ,but hinder the kingdom of God.
Now because of my answers, I find myself in a place that I would not be if I had answered differently. It is okay though. The other place that I should be now. The LORD has provided a way !
What is most delightful is that I know why I answered the way I did.
There are idols in my life , that even though I declare that I do not want them there and suppose they have been knocked down. Up they come, as if on some spring that catapults them up again, after I thought they had been destroyed. These idols seem to be able to influence my life choices and it isn't until after I travel a while in a direction that I realize, oh, they have managed to get me off the WAY again !
Oh sweet surrender ! How glad am I that my LORD does not stop loving or helping me because of my mistakes. There is nothing better than being able to surrender to HIM and HIS Will for my life. Soon we will be back on the Way and I will find my place again, in the sheepfold that He has called me to.
Those idols that seem to keep coming up after they have been knocked down. I do not know what to do about that. However, I do know this.
If a person has decided in their mind that Jesus is something that He is not, but refuses to accept new and revealing information about His Wonderfulness, they have made an idol. Wrong thing to do and very harmful to a growing relationship.
Jesus is Who He is and I can not make Him be anything different.
He accepts me like I am, and I better accept Him like He is, or I am going to find myself way off somewhere eating on grass that He did not lead me to. The good news is , that He will lead me back to my place , with such love and no condemnation.
As I ask Him to help me kick those idols down again, I hope He has shown me a way to resist letting them come up again. As I ask for His strength to do more and more, surely there will come a time when I can say, there are no idols on this land. They have been ground into powder and they are no more.

Do We Have To Have All The Answers ?

2006-05-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

That compulsion to have all the answers all the time must come from PRIDE . Although I have asked it to leave many times, he seems to find a way to stick around. However, when I do not have the answers and I give it to Jesus, I think it really defeats PRIDE. I think he really knows his time is short and that he won't be able to hang around here much longer.
There is something different though between having the answers and "getting it." There are truths in God's word that are basic bottom line truths that if we do not "get it" a terrible calamity is bound to be fall us. These truths I find difficult to not want to give as answers to people who ask questions. When to these people ,it would better serve them to teach them how to "seek truth."To know how, to be a seeker of truth is such a blessing. Also knowing other believers who seek to know the truth adds to the blessing one hundred fold. Sometimes finding truth takes time. Sometimes there are stumbling blocks that have kept us from the truth that need to be taken away. Sometimes there is a fear of knowing the truth. Sometimes there is just a reluctance to know something new that might change our comfort zone. There have been times in my life that I have cried, "Oh, that the bones that Thou hast broken would rejoice."
Most importantly when seeking truth, one must be ready for what it will cost . Words like "much fine gold" and "sweeter than the honeycomb" do not adequately describe what I have found.
The most wonderful truths can not be explained but must be experienced.
If it has been a while since you were able to "taste and see, that the LORD is good." I exhort you this day to stop and "draw nigh unto Him, because He will draw nigh unto you." He is no respect of persons. That means He has not decided that you belong to some group that He won't come to . "Who soever will may come."

His Grace Is Sufficient For Me

2006-05-01T07:45:00.000-07:00

I CAN NOT DO AS GOOD AS JESUS WOULD

BUT

I CAN RECEIVE HIS GRACE

THAT MEANS HE IS

WILLING TO TREAT ME AS THOUGH

I DID AS GOOD AS HE WOULD

The question is not:Can I be sure I will not sin today ?

The question is : Can I be sure He has forgiven me and given me His righteousness ? If I am sure, then I can know He will treat me , not as the sinner who still sins but the person who has received His righteousness.

He Is A Good God

2006-04-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

When we are having a joyful season ,a time filled with abundance ,it is easy to know He is a good God. Usually this is when one is likely to give a testimony . Learning He is a good God , all the time has benefited me more than all my years of Bible Study. In order to learn that He is this God, a God who is good all the time, requires : knowing Him, not about Him. Although the latter is not in vain, as it helps to know as much as you can about anyone who you desire to "know." Still I can not assume my children will find their way to "knowing God" without a word of my testimony. That means in all seasons and not just the seasons when we see fruit from our labors. As the seasons are revealed to my children I hope to say, "Blessed be the name of the LORD, bless His Holy name. He gives and He takes away. Bless His name."

Just A Little Irritating Isn't It ?

2006-04-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

I know it is so . Whenever I am having a really good sleep and someone comes in and turns on the light. It not only awakens me but it is irritating. So it is with the light of Christ. Eph 5:14 says, Wherefore he saith, Awake sleeper arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. I know that people do not always want to be woke up from their sleep. However, some are aware that something is wrong and ask to be woke up. Yet ,when you let them know what is wrong, they may at first be irritated. To let them know that the eyes of their understanding need to be enlightened to know the hope of His calling, may irritate them at first. Just how irritating one dares to be is truly questionable. We are told to not cast our pearls before swine. Someone explained to me that the reason for that is, swine don't eat pearls. In other words, tell people something they want to eat, I mean hear. Oh wait, you might be getting the wrong idea here. Tell them what they have asked to hear. If they get a little irritated, back off a while, give them time to wake up.

Praying More

2006-04-25T05:40:00.000-07:00

Our speaker Sunday said that he found if he did not have time to get everything done in a day, he would pray more and then find he got everything done. He was trying to share one of those odd things that seems to happen when you follow Jesus , and I could not agree with him more. The world's way would be : if you are short on time to get everything done, cut your prayer time short. This morning when I woke up an hour early I thought, oh good, I'll have an extra hour to pray. Only it occurred to me to pray this prayer first. Lord, you know how many times I have come before you and prayed for hours. And all through those hours I have felt as though you were on the other side of a lake and I was trying to get a message across the lake to you but not really sure you were hearing me. What can I do so that my usual hour of prayer would not be like that today ? Then I waited. I picked up a book I had been reading and decided to read a while. When I would see a foot note, (you know those little numbers ) I would go to the back of the book and see if it was scripture related. Sure enough several times they were, and I would look those scriptures up. Before long I felt as though a communion between myself and the Holy Spirit was in process and it wasn't long when my usual hour to pray came that I was ready. All it took , was a little more time.

Let There Be No Dam

2006-04-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

For out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water. Lord help us not dam it by quenching the Holy Spirit. Sunday, I thought a song was going to come from my lips. I was hearing that portion of the scripture ,for out of our bellies shall flow rivers of living water and feeling as though I wanted to be able to just flow everywhere. It is such a feeling. The love of the LORD is on you and it is like, this surely will help someone . I do not think very fast so just how this anointing or love that I am aware of being poured down on me can help others I am not sure. Yet , a song, now I have heard some very anointed songs lately. Songs that the people were just giving all praise and glory to our King. Please check out this blog site if you haven't already. http://letmebealight.blogspot/ Besides the song on the left hand side there if you scroll down you'll see a blog titled anointed Song. So I guess my faith was increased to think that perhaps a song was going to flow through my lips as I was worshipping our LORD. So I allowed my mouth to open and offered up my voice , only it was not an English worded song that came , it was of tongues that I suppose angels use when speaking to the King. It felt as though some beautiful something had been poured into me for me now to pour back upon our KING's feet. I thought of golden water for some reason. Yet , I knew that this kind of worship could distract the others who were there so I kept it quiet and tried to whisper it. The reason I am sharing this is because knowing such experiences exist for us common folk is very important. Also that no special evangelist needed to come to town and pray for me. No special anything was required but my open willingness to draw nigh unto our LORD and praise Him. Please do not fear being close to Him. He is all loving and totally merciful and giver of grace. We can never be worthy of being in His presence , so don't wait for "a good day." Today would be a good day to draw nigh unto Him and receive a blessing that you will find yourself pouring back to Him , I am sure.

I Will Rejoice

2006-04-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

Psa 57:1 [[To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David, when he fled from Saul in the cave.]] Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea,
in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until [these] calamities be overpast.
Psa 63:7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

Although there is no Saul that I am fleeing from , my soul needs to take refuge in the LORD.
He (JESUS) is my peace. He is my righteousness. I can do no righteousness on my own. My fear that I will not respond as He would should lose it ground to stand on , as I see there is nothing that I do in my self. All has been given me as a free gift.
Isa 53:5 But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Healing In His Wings

2006-04-08T05:17:00.000-07:00

Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings ; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. Realizing who you are and then being able to come to Him may be the kind of fear this writer had in mind. Being able to come to Him just as you are can only be done as an act of faith in His eternal goodness and grace. Trusting that He accepts you , just as you are , we approach Him with fear. As I wait for His word I am transformed by His presence . His word gives me strength and hope. Today it was, there is healing in his wings. My cry to be able to love as He loves ,can only be answered when He has healed me of all my diseases. The bitterness in my soul has become disease like and requires His healing so that I can be made whole. Coming to Him,
just as I am , allows Him to spread His healing wings over me. My heart rejoices as I remember the tree that was thrown in the bitter waters of Ma'rah. Verse 26 of Ex 15 ends with these words : for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Come Just As You Are

2006-04-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all [ye] that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
Mar 10:14 But when Jesus saw [it], he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Luk 18:16 But Jesus called them [unto him], and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Jhn 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Jhn 7:37 In the last day, that great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Did Jesus mean that I can come to Him ? What about when my husband has been critical and bitter towards me , and I did not feel loving towards him at that moment? What if some person has pointed out my actions and words were not as Jesus would do ? What if someone seems to always see the things I should do but did not get done , and my feelings are hurt ?
Should I come to Him then ?
It is very hard to come to Him when you feel unlovely. I picture myself someone that He would like to be around , when I see that I have been doing ,"as He would do." However, I know this is not the defining factor as far as He is concerned.
Actually, receiving His righteousness and choosing to come to Him, is all that He has required.

Speaking Rightly of God

2006-04-01T03:23:00.000-08:00

Praying seems like a very good thing to do. Making petitions from our Father on the behalf of others or ourselves. I found some interesting scriptures concerning prayer in Job 42:7And it was [so], that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me [the thing that is] right, as my servant Job [hath]. Job 42:8Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you [after your] folly, in that ye have not spoken of me [the thing which is] right, like my servant Job.
Here is the message I gleaned from this passage and those surrounding it .
Job knew how to speak the thing that was right about God. His friends did not. His friends were told by the LORD to have Job pray for them. The thing that Job consistently said was, "Blessed be the name of the LORD." No matter what, he still said, "blessed be the name of the LORD." A good friend to Job would have also joined in and said, "Yes, blessed be the name of the LORD, He gives and He takes away. Blessed be His name."
I want my my mind to be renewed with God's Word in light of these scriptures. A more religious light (some would call light) might be just like Job's friends told him. "You have sinned Job, God is correcting you for your sin Job," (paraphrased by me.)
It is true that God chastens those whom He loves. However, I really think God's personal conversation with Job ought to be given more consideration. If He was pleased with Job for believing that He was a good God and deserved blessing no matter what, then maybe I ought to do that too.