My Strength and My Song ~ A Personal Journey

Be Anxious for Nothing How to From Philippians 4:4-8

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Sat, 23 Jun 2018 00:24:00 +0000

It may not seem like it at times, but it is actually, honestly possible for us to "be anxious for nothing." Here are some key points to meditate on from Philippians...

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
~Philippians 4:4‭,6‭-‬7

As with many passages in the Word of God, this one packs a lot into a few lines, so I made these graphics to help me highlight and meditate on key points. I hope you find them helpful as well. Coming soon: how to keep the "peace that passes understanding" by choosing where to focus our hearts and minds.

The Quickening

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 17:21:00 +0000

Romans 8:11

Quicken is not a word we use much in our modern English vernacular, in fact if you Google the title of this post you will find mostly just references to Sci-Fi and Fantasy stories. The word basically means "to make alive" and is usually rendered that way in modern translations of this verse. I prefer the old word tho...possibly because I am somewhat of a nerd, but I think more because it is a vibrant, healing word and it "quickens" this verse for me :-).

Meditations on Romans 8:11

The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead LIVES IN ME!

He is ever working to make me alive, not just my spirit, but also MY MORTAL BODY!

I can RECEIVE the healing He has already placed within me.

Translations of Romans 8:11

"When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!" (MSG)

"And if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up the Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you." (JUB)

"Does the Spirit of the one who brought Jesus back to life live in you? Then the one who brought Christ back to life will also make your mortal bodies alive by his Spirit who lives in you." (GW)

"And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you." (AMP)

"And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." (Romans 8:10-11 NKJV)

NOTE: Bible verses and translation abbreviations are from The Bible app available free for mobile devices and on desktop as well. Visit http://bible.com/app for more info.:-)

Perfect Protection Series by Keith Moore

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 03:14:00 +0000

Perfect Protection is one of Keith Moore's best series on the subject of fear- when you understand what the bible teaches about God's protection and how to walk in it, fear becomes a thing of the past!

Note: All of Keith Moore's teaching series are available online absolutely free through Faith Life Church websites:

Faith Life Church Branson, MO
Faith Life Church Sarasota,FL

HopeFaithPrayer.Com ~ The Mechanics of Faith

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 18:14:00 +0000

God has been stirring me recently to establish begin a more scheduled routine for this blog and Im hoping to begin again in April, after our first big Renaissance Fair of the season.

In the meantime I stumbled upon a wonderful resource/blog this morning and want to share it with you all. HopeFaithPrayer.com deals with "the mechanics of faith" and features original posts as well as a wealth of articles by many of my most loved heroes of the faith: Smith Wigglesworth, E W Kenyon, Kenneth E Hagin and many more. Please stop over and take a look- and tell them I sent you;)

How to be Bold as a Lion

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Mon, 27 May 2013 16:59:00 +0000

Understand your breastplate of righteousness...Jesus died so WE could be righteous. If we understand we ARE righteous, it's easier to act like it:)

"The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion."
Proverbs 28:1 NKJV

Plenty to Share

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Sun, 26 May 2013 16:23:00 +0000

Yes, God wants to bless you...He wants YOU to be able to bless others :-)

What Wondrous Love is This?

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:53:00 +0000

I love music, and I love Jesus and I love how God gave us song to praise Him with!

I first heard the beautiful hymn What Wondrous Love is This on one of Oysterband's recent recordings, The Oxford Girl and Other Stories, and instantly fell in love with the stark contrast between the joyful lyrics and the haunting modal harmonies. I decided to find out more about the origins of this song and came across two beautiful versions on You Tube (my favorite resource, lol).

The first one I found is a very informal "session" filmed on an Irish clifftop several years ago. I LOVE THIS~ like a little taste of what Heavenly jam sessions will be like:)

I have no information about who these people are, or anything else but would be happy to post it here, so if anyone knows please get in touch with me! The mandolin the young man is playing is an old Gibson A style, probably from around 1915-1920- it is very similar to the one I own (and fairly rare, so a cool coincidence;)

Some of the comments on the above video lead me to explore the Appalachian roots of the song. From the Hymnopedia site I discovered that it was originally published in both a Methodist and a Baptist hymnal in 1811, and the author is unknown. From the page entitled Hymns:What wondrous love is this O my soul O my soul , I was interested to learn that the hymn was also included in several Sacred Harp hymnals in the mid 1800's.

Sacred Harp, or shape note singing is an Appalachian a capella style of group singing that was designed to allow even untrained singers participate in choral harmony. I first heard about it when a friend and I were in Cades Cove TN and got to actually participate in a sing at one of the historic pioneer churches there. We sang Amazing Grace and other songs with a group of powerful voices in one of the places I had loved since I was young- talk about goosebumps! Sacred Harp singing is still practiced by many traditional singers, and sings and conventions happen all around the country every year. Here is a video of What Wondrous Love is This being sung at one such event last year in Minnesota:

This version is much closer to the Oysterband version and I LOVE the harmonies! There are a lot of different variations of the lyrics, but here are some of my favorite verses:

What wondrous love is this,
O my soul! O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this
That caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse,
For my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse, for my soul.

When I was sinking down,
Sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down;
When I was sinking down,
Beneath God's righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown,
For my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside his crown, for my soul.

Ye winged seraphs, fly!
Bear the news! bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly! bear the news!
Ye winged seraphs fly! bear the news,
Like comets through the sky,
Fill vast eternity
With the news, with the news,
Fill vast eternity with the news!

To God, and to the Lamb,
I will sing, I will sing,
To God, and to the Lamb, I will sing;
To God, and to the Lamb,
Unto the great I AM,
While millions join the theme,
I will sing, I will sing,
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death we're free,
We'll sing on, we'll sing on,
And when from death we're free, we'll sing on;
And when from death we're free,
We'll sing, and joyful be,
And through eternity
We'll sing on, we'll sing on,
And through eternity we'll sing on.

Yes, when to that bright world
We arise, we arise,
Yes, when to that bright world we arise—
When to that world we go,
Free from all pain and wo,
We'll join the happy throng,
And sing on, and sing on,
We'll join the happy throng, and sing on.

Thanks for following along my little musical praise journey this morning...What are your favorite hymns or praise songs? Feel free to share in the comments and maybe I will include one of yours in another exploration one day:)

A Masterpiece of Divine Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:16:00 +0000

Reinhard Bonnke is a powerful evangelist and a dear saint of God. I ran across this series of brief (less than 2 minutes) videos on his You Tube channel and wanted to share one with you. He only says a few words, but the love and the power of Jesus and the New Birth are conveyed Spirit to spirit! He says simple, powerful things here:

"A true Christian is a piece of Divine workmanship,
Someone who is born again is not just renamed or re-christened.
The work of Christ is not just a touch up job or a new coat of paint!"

"God does a glorious work, each convert is a masterpiece of Divine grace"

I pray that this will bless you like it did me, and if you are not yet a Christian, I pray you will allow God to speak to your heart through the anointing on this man of love! Peace be upon you:)

For more information about becoming a Christian from Reinhard Bonnke, go to Godscall.tv

The Great Kansas Word War

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 04:13:00 +0000

I know this is a wee bit off topic, but Im so excited! My husband just posted his first expanded short story 'book' on Kindle today and I wanted to share with you:). The Great Kansas Word War is an expanded version of a short story that he won his first award with a couple of years ago and is a heartwarming glimpse into a day in the life of a particularly difficult and charming grandfather.

I had a lot of fun watching this story grow. Ian has a fascinating way of bringing a lot of little elements in our lives together to tell a completely new story. This isnt based on actual events, but there elements of the familiar sprinkled throughout. The grandma is named Bethel just like my own grandma (who was one of Ian's biggest fans), and Grandpa is similar in many ways to Ian's own Scottish grandpa- just transplanted into a Kansas farmer.

He originally thought to find just a generic photo of a barn to use as the front cover, but he does like to paint (pure Bob Ross style, but bless his heart he loves it;)and decided to do just that for a cover. I love the way it turned out, very old fashioned looking, reminds me of book covers from the 40's and 50's and really sets the tone for the story.

Its a very quick and easy read, designed to be read in an hour or so and only $1.97 to download on Amazon.com. You dont have to have a Kindle to read it either- Amazon offers lots of different FREE Kindle Reading Apps here ;)

The Rapture: Rockabilly Condensed Version a la Marty Stuart

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 05:53:00 +0000

Most everyone probably heard all the secular news stories about that silly fellow who decided he knew when The Rapture was going to take place this year. It was amazing and rather distressing how many misinformed folks decided to chime in and give their two cents worth.

As a general rule, I believe we need to be very careful how we handle interpretations of last things-there is a reason why the book of Revelation is in the BACK of the Bible! I also know that the phrase "the rapture" is nowhere in the Bible, but the idea behind it is there. With that in mind, when I came across this delightful video of Marty Stuart's original song Its Time to Go Home this evening I thought-

THERE IT IS, in a nutshell! The Rockabilly condensed version of the Rapture, complete with scripture reference and AMAZING Fender guitar playing! Give a listen:

Lyrics to this song can be found on Marty's Fan Website

The DVD this is from can be found here~ Bill Gaither Presents: Country Bluegrass Homecoming Vol. 1

Or this and other original Gospel songs by Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives can be found on their CD~ Souls' Chapel

Are You Hurting? Answers From The Word Of God

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Thu, 26 May 2011 19:27:00 +0000

The word of God has answers for hurting people!! Here is a very useful collection of free teachings on specific topics that people who are going through difficult times might be facing:

1. I feel alone
2. It seems nothing is working.
3. I have symptoms of a physical problem.
4. I feel like giving up.
5. I've experienced financial difficulties.
6. I need help in my marriage.
7. Someone close to me has died.
8. I need deliverance from addictions.
9. What does it mean to be born again?

The teaching What Does it Mean to be Born Again? is a great message for anyone who has questions about going to heaven, and/or how to become a Christian.

These are from Keith Moore, Pastor at Faith Life Church in Branson,Mo. He is an excellent teacher of the Word and all of the teaching series' he does are always available at no charge (now thats faith in action;) on the Faith Life Church website free downloads page

Judge Not- of Planks and Specks

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Fri, 20 May 2011 04:34:00 +0000

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?" ~Matthew 7:1-3

Recently, I have observed more than one person bring up this verse in an attempt to defend a "to each his own", "tolerance" sort of position regarding sin and faith. While I knew in my heart that was not the point Jesus was trying to make here, I decided to study it out some rather than just ignore the discussion. I figure that is part of considering the plank in my own eye;)

My first thought was, if they are accusing me of judging when I am quoting scripture, then by their definition of judgment, they are judging me when they quote this scripture, so it becomes a great paradox. I dont believe this is what Jesus taught, for He is not the author of confusion.

As I studied, I used one of my favorite bible study resources, Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary . (available for purchase by clicking the link, or you can also access many of the notes at no charge through Andrew's Website). When I looked at all the individual scriptures in this note, it helped me to see the bigger picture of biblical judgment:

Life For Today Study Bible Notes
Note 46 at Mt 7:1:
On other occasions, Jesus told people to judge (Lu 12:57 and Joh 7:24). The disciples told people to judge (Ac 4:19; Ro 14:13; 1Co 5:12, 6:2, 10:15, 11:13, and 14:29). Paul judged (1Co 5:3 and 2Co 5:14). There are many examples of people judging. Paul prayed that our love would abound more and more in all judgment (Php 1:9). In the light of these scriptures, it is evident that there must be a right and wrong type of judging.

In Lu 12:56-57, Jesus used the words "discern" and "judge" interchangeably. As defined by the American Heritage Dictionary, "judge" can mean many things from "condemn" to "to form an opinion or evaluation." There certainly is nothing wrong with discerning or appraising a situation or person. Quite the contrary, we need to try the spirits (1Jo 4:1). Judging, when done as discernment, is good.

It is the condemning type of judgment that is wrong. This is denounced in other scriptures (Ro 14:4, 10, 13; and Jas 4:11) because of the reasons stated in Mt 5:22. We can defer to God passing sentence on people and know that He will have perfect judgment (Ro 2:2 and Re 20:12-13).

Also notice that in these scriptures, Jesus was not forbidding judgment; He was warning us to be careful with our judgments because we will be judged accordingly. This same principle is stated in Ro 2:1-3 and Jas 2:12-13. There are certain cases where we have to pass a condemning sentence, as Paul did (1Co 5:3-5 and 1Ti 1:20), or as a judge would today. Pastors and elders are charged with rebuking and even disciplining church members (1Ti 5:20; Re 2:12-16, and 18-20), but it is not something to be done lightly. This warning constrains us to be certain that we have heard from God and are not simply venting our own frustrations.

—Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary

So what do I gather from all of this?

There is a pervasive doctrine in the world today that refuses to believe in absolutes, but that doesnt change what the Word of God teaches. There is right and there is wrong. There is Truth and there is lie. If I call myself a follower of Jesus, I cannot ignore what He says when it is uncomfortable HE said "I am the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father except by Me". Saying that the Bible says something is wrong is not hate, unless it is done in a hateful manner. You can be wrong til the day you die and I will still love you. On the other hand, telling someone they are okay when they are not is not love.

How to remove the plank?

There are some things I need to remember when handling the uncompromising Truth of our beloved Father:

1) Its not MY truth or YOUR truth, its HIS truth. The thing about Truth is that it may not be optional for salvation, but it is a choice- proclaim Truth when and where appropriate, but never try to force it on someone.

2)There is nothing I can do in my own strength to convince someone to believe- God tells us to speak, preach, teach, exhort, but it is the Holy Spirit who will do the convincing. Its also NOT about me being right and someone else being wrong.

3)Just because I know something is right or wrong, doesnt mean I always have to say it. Speak when the Holy Spirit tells me to, keep silent when He tells me not to speak.

To sum it up, here are a few scriptures that support these ideas:

But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
~2 Timothy 2:23-26

Behave yourselves wisely-living prudently and with discretion-in your relations with those of the outside world (the non-Christians), making the very most of the time and seizing the opportunity. Let your speech at all times be gracious, pleasant and winsome, seasoned-as it were- with salt, so that you may never be at a loss to know how you ought to answer anyone who puts a question to you.
~Colossians 4:5-7 (Amplified)

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human[a] wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
~1 Corinthians 2:4-5

...let our lives lovingly express truth in all things- speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, Christ the Messiah, the Anointed One.
~Ephesians 4:15 (Amplified)

Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it.
~Ephesians 4:15 (Amplified)

But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith-make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher- praying in the Holy Spirit; Guard and keep yourselves in the love of God; expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ which will bring you unto life eternal.

And refute so as to convict some who dispute with you,and on some have mercy who waver and doubt. Strive to save others, snatching them out of the fire; on others take pity but with fear, loathing even the garment spotted by the flesh and polluted by their sensuality.
~Jude 20-23 (Amplified)

AMEN~ SO BE IT :)

Who Do We Think We Are?

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:36:00 +0000

PHOTO: Fairy Bridge on the Isle of Skye ©2005 Thyme2dream

"(I pray) that God may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation-of insight into mysteries and secrets-in the deep and intimate knowledge of Him, By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you..." Ephesians 1:17-18

I have become convinced that most problems we face as Christians are, at the root, just knowledge problems. We have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us and once we learn how to submit to God, get out of the way and allow that power to flow through us, victory will come.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the above prayer from Ephesians is one I have prayed for myself and others ever since I first read it in the word nearly 30 years ago. Although I have spent a lot of time listening to good teaching and learning about "who we are in Christ", the Holy Spirit has recently been prompting me to personally delve deeper into this understanding by focusing on specific passages in the word that talk about us being "in Him" or "in Christ".

Since there are many ways that is phrased and the verses can be hard to find in a regular search with such common words, I have been using a great little resource that Kenneth E Hagin published years ago, called In Him (available from Harrison House publishers) In the booklet there are a couple of chapters introducing the concept, and then lists of all the verses on the subject. My project is to go through verses one at a time, copy them down in a journal and spend time meditating on each one as I go. This morning as I was starting to think about my blog, I decided that I would also like to start a series of sorts here along the same theme. So over the next few weeks/months I will aim to do at least one post a week along this line. This should be a great learning process, and I invite you to post comments if you like to contribute to the study so we can go through it together:)

Springtime Rejoicing!

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 23:05:00 +0000

Im OH so ready for Spring!! The Lord of the Dance is a wonderful old folk song with joyful lyrics which always remind me of Easter and Spring!

Here is one of my favorite versions done by Scottish folk singers The Corries. I love the image of Jesus leading us all in a joyful dance after His resurrection:)

On Peace..and hellooooo Im still here:)

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 05:35:00 +0000

My goodness I havent posted since APRIL?? We have had an amazing and delightful summer- working hard, spending a lot of time with my grandson. The above photo is from our recent excursion to the Kansas Museum of History for his very first visit..we had a lot of fun:) Im still smack dab in the middle of busy season, but wanted to pop in and let you know we are still alive and rejoicing!! As usual, I have some favorites from the living active dividing between my soul and spirit breath of Almighty God and source of my strength and my song (yeah you guessed it, THE BIBLE:) to share with everyone. Today's subject= PEACE- in Hebrew "shalom", the wholeness, completeness that comes from resting in our loving Father:)

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
~Psalm 4:8

I will hear what God the LORD will speak,
For He will speak peace
To His people and to His saints
Psalm 85:8

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength
Isaiah 26:3-4

For the mountains shall depart
And the hills be removed,
But My kindness shall not depart from you,
Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,”
Says the LORD, who has mercy on you.
Isaiah 54:10

(Really, ALL OF ISAIAH 54 is wonderful:)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God: and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7

And finally~ A prayer for us all:)

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." ~Romans 15:13 :)

Earth Day Birth Pangs

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:47:00 +0000

Sedona, AZ © Karla Hall 2010

I dont live on an old, decrepit Earth! I live on a gloriously alive and beautiful place created by God that rejoices in its Creator and is pregnant with anticipation of the joy thats coming next! The idea that our earth is old, wheezing and barely making it is really silly...yes, its groaning, yes, we can do things to be good stewards of our home here, but I feel the guilt and finger-pointing Messiah complex that is often associated with "Earth Day" totally misses the point.

Romans chapter 8 is one of the most amazing places in the whole Bible, and The Message translation really brings out the relationship we have to the earth..hopefully it will help explain better than I can:

"This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!"

Sedona Az, © Karla Hall 2010

"That's why I don't think there's any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what's coming next. Everything in creation is being more or less held back. God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens."

"All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy."

~Roman 8:15-25 (The Message translation)

Skye Portal © Karla Hall 2005

Resurrection Victory

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:40:00 +0000

Happy Resurrection Day everyone:)!!

This year I have been meditating on the POWER of His resurrection. I have heard it said that the resurrection of Jesus was the single most powerful thing God ever did...creation was amazing, but in the resurrection God was also bringing all His power to bear to break the horrible bondage of sin and death and defeat it forever!

To sit and think of all that was accomplished with Jesus' death, the three days in the earth and His glorious resurrection truly is awe-inspiring, but the absolutely amazing thing to me is that the Holy Spirit through Paul says that power is now at work IN US:

"...(That you may) realize how great is the hope to which He is calling you- the magnificence and splendor of the inheritance promised to Christians- and how tremendous is the power available to us who believe in God. That power is the same divine energy which was demonstrated in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and gave Him the place of supreme honor in Heaven- a place that is infinitely superior to any conceivable command, authority, power or control and which carries with it a name far beyond any name that could ever be used in this world or the world to come" ~Eph 1:19-23 (Phillips)

We live in a transition time, between earth and Heaven. As we move forward towards the return of our King, we walk on this earth as kings & priests unto our God:

"Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." ~Revelation 1:4-6 (NKJV)

As believers He is calling us to realize that the resurrection power at work within us can be allowed to flow out from us. These Rivers of Living Water can move in our lives and the lives of those around us to affect TRUE change and to bring the rule of the Kingdom of Heaven to flood the darkness of the world around us with LIGHT, PEACE, and VICTORY!!!

When Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah and proclaimed "today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing", He was proclaiming our purpose on the earth, our calling, our destiny:

The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
       Because He has anointed Me
      To preach the gospel to the poor;
      He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
      To proclaim liberty to the captives
      And recovery of sight to the blind,
      To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
       To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD
~Luke 4:18-19

Read those words aloud- YOU are the ME in those verses! If you are born again, then you are" His body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence". When you allow the rivers of living water to flow out from you, you are a light bringer, healer, deliverer through the power of the resurrected Messiah that lives in you!

Let us pray for one another to understand and walk in this truth, as the Holy Spirit showed us to pray in Colossians:

(I pray) that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

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

~Colossians 1:9-13

Amen, so be it:)!!!

Nothing New Under the Sun- Yes, People Will Think You're Crazy

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 05:57:00 +0000

So yeah, there are a lot of people out there these days who have no fear of reviling the Only True God of all Creation and/or His followers... in fact take great delight in doing so loudly!

They have this idea that if they reason Him away and can write a lot about it, and debate people and win arguments, He will not exist and they can do whatever they want with their lives. They use everything from seemingly tame phrases like "everyone has a right to their own beliefs" to outright nasty insults that anyone would be so simple as to believe in a Creator and/or even need saving from anything.

There are also people in my own home town who stand on the street corner and blaspheme our loving Father by saying that they REPRESENT Him while spewing their hatred- when its obvious to anyone who has ever read more than a couple verses in the New Testament that they have no idea who HE really is.

This is nothing new under the sun:)

Whenever you as a believer feel attacked assaulted, insulted, isolated or outnumbered, I hope you can resist the temptation to be drawn into a fleshly argument with the perpetrator of such an attack. The only thing that will win in a situation like that is the POWER of God..as Paul said:

My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. 1 Cor 2:4-5

The best thing to do is step back and look at the glorious truth of God's Word, step into His presence and receive His direction for how to handle the situation(sometimes He will even tell you to just walk away-see Luke 10:8-12)....this sort of thing has been going on for thousands of years and God certainly isnt feeling threatened by it. Saddened, yes- threatened, no.

There are a couple of examples in the Word that I love to look at in this sort of situation...first is Hezekiah's response to the blasphemous threats of Sennacherib in 2 Kings chapter 19. Sennacherib was boasting about all his conquests of other nations, how their "gods" didnt help them,saying ‘Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you' and threatening to annihilate God's people. Hezekiah had every right to be terrified! In the natural sense, this was a fierce enemy that his people had no real way to defeat. But he did just exactly what the great fathers of faith before him had done- he brought it all before "Him who judges justly" and presented his case! He took the letter that Sennacherib wrote, spread it out on the Altar of the Living God and prayed this AWESOME prayer:

“O LORD God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim,
You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made heaven and earth.
Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear;
open Your eyes, O LORD, and see;
and hear the words of Sennacherib,
which he has sent to reproach the living God.

Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands,
and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods,
but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them.
Now therefore, O LORD our God, I pray, save us from his hand,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD God, You alone.”
~2 Kings 19:15-19

See what he does there at the beginning of that prayer? HE SPEAKS THE TRUTH ABOUT THE LIVING GOD!! He doesnt repeat the threats or dwell on them, he focuses on GOD and who He really is. He then calls upon Him to judge and to act. He says 'yeah I know they have destroyed other nations, but WE are not just any nation, we are YOUR nation" again, reminding himself of the Truth in the face of the lies that Sennacherib has shouted so loudly!

If you want to really be blessed, go to 2 Kings 19 and read God's response;-). I have often thought about this phrase when I watch people reviling God

"I know your dwelling place,
Your going out and your coming in,
And your rage against Me.
Because your rage against Me and your tumult
Have come up to My ears,
Therefore I will put My hook in your nose
And My bridle in your lips,
And I will turn you back
By the way which you came(v 27-28)

And you know, before someone jumps in here and says something about how violent the old testament was, let me remind you that God is NEVER pleased with having to mete out judgment on the wicked:

As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live! ~Ezekiel 33:11

One of the most intense emotional pains I have ever felt was at the funeral of a friends brother who died cursing God..as the "pastor" droned on about how maybe this young man was a star in the sky now, my gut wrenched with the sorrow of our loving heavenly Father who had lost a child forever.

(for a great teaching on the difference between the Old Covenant and the New see Andrew Wommacks series The True Nature of God)

NOW, on to a New Testament example of how believers dealt with reviling threats! In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John were called before the religious leaders of the day and told to quit preaching in the Name of Jesus (they were in trouble because someone got HEALED who had been lame for 40 years, and they were talking crazy talk like someone had actually been risen from the dead!!). They went back to their "church" and told them what happened and here is the prayer they prayed together in response:

“Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘ Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the LORD and against His Christ.'

“For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done.

Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. Acts 4:24-31

Can you see the similarities here? They start by STATING THE TRUTH about who God is, and in this case, who their enemies are. They then 'lay their threats out on the altar' so to speak and ask God to notice them..then they pray for the New Testament way to victory..not that the enemies would fall down dead, or even that they would be silenced, but that THE TRUTH would go forth with boldness, strength and with SIGNS AND WONDERS to back it up!! And the Holy Spirit SHOOK the place:)

Christians, we dont need to get stuck in the flesh and wallow around in the muck with unbelievers! We need to come before our loving AWESOME Father and ask for boldness and power to "speak the truth in love" (eph 4:15), to KNOW "what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe"(eph 1:19), that "amazing abundantly above all we can ask or think" POWER that works within us (eph 3:20)

There are many other verses I could use in this article, but Ive gone on a lot already:). What biblical examples can you think of that address these situations? Feel free to share, debate or otherwise comment below if you have thoughts on this topic!

Worshipping our Holy, Awesome LOVING Father

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:28:00 +0000

"Jesus, your Name is power, breath and living water,
Such a marvelous mystery"

So often as we are "doing praise & worship" in a church setting, we end up just singing about God and faith etc...thats not always a bad thing- songs are a wonderful way to put the Word of God and His principles deep in our spirits. BUT, we also need to spend time loving and truly worshipping Him in spirit and in truth. Revelation Song written by Jennie Riddle is one of the best I have heard in a long time that does just that. In The Story Behind Revelation Song, she explains how the song came to be:

"The songs being sung by the Bride at that time were focusing on need. My heart longed to focus on something far greater than my need, knowing that all needs would be satisfied with just one glimpse of Him.

Therefore, I asked the Holy Spirit to help me write a song that painted Him; a song that the angels and creation were already singing, so that we could join in with One Voice, as One Bride, to One King."

I love that!! When we are focused on need, our prayers and worship are so limited- when we focus on HIM all our needs are met and our spirits are joined to one another and love and peace flow freely:)

Here is a beautiful version of the song sung by Kari Jobe from the Wake Up the World DVD by Gateway Worship. Take a few minutes and enter in to the throne room of grace and mercy in worship to our wonderful, awesome LOVING Father and Lord of Lords Jesus our King~

Revelation Song Lyrics
by Jennie Riddle
Worthy is the,
Lamb who was slain
Holy, Holy, is He
Sing a new song, to Him who sits on
Heaven's Mercy Seat

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You…!

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore You!

Filled with wonder,
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus, Your Name is Power
Breath, and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore You!

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come,
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And – I - will - adore YOU…

Come up lift up His Name
To the King of Kings…
We will adore YOU Lord…
King of heaven and earth
King Jesus, King Jesus
Aleluya, aleluya, aleluya!
Majesty, awestruck Honor
And Power and Strength and Dominion
To You Lord,
To the King, to King
To the King of Glory

You can also download the MP3 of this version here:

A Joyful Day at the Baby Office

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:08:00 +0000

My grandson is having a busy day in the baby office today, but as you can see he's going about things with a lot of joy.

Anyone who has read my blog for very long knows that joy is one of my favorite subjects in the Bible- I did a post just a few weeks ago on Joy Bubbles , and I think with all thats going on in the world, its good for us to be able to keep focused on this very important source of strength!! Here are some more JOY verses to brighten your day:

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
                           ~Psalm 16:11

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
       with joyful lips my mouth will praise you.
                                             ~Psalm 63:5

Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation.
                           ~Isaiah 12:3

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
~Luke 15:10

And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full."
                          ~John 16:23-24

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

~Acts 13:52

...for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

~Romans 14:17

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

~Galations 5:22

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

~Philippians 4:4-7

Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.

~1 Peter 8-9

And finally, a wonderful prayer & a psalm of praise for all of us:

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
~Romans 15:13

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
      And to present you faultless
      Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
       To God our Savior Who alone is wise,
      Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power
      Both now and forever.
      Amen.

~Jude 1:24-25

Smith Wigglesworth ~Holy Spirit Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:40:00 +0000

Smith Wigglesworth was one of the most delightful, sold out to Jesus men of God the world has ever seen! He was part of the early Pentecostal movement and during his ministry he saw thousands of people saved, baptised with the Holy Spirit and miraculously healed. Born in England in 1859, he was a plumber to trade, with no formal education at all- he began working 12 hours a day at age 7 to help support his family. From an early age he devoted himself to winning souls to Christ on an individual basis, but it was in 1907 at age 48 when he was baptised in the Holy Spirit that his worldwide evangelistic and healing ministry began.

Wigglesworth was known as "the Apostle of Faith" because absolute trust in God was a constant theme in his life and messages. I first became aware of him because Kenneth Hagin referenced him in many of his books on faith & healing. Smith Wigglesworths works in print are all originally taken from sermons preached and lessons taught at various locations around the world. I very rarely read a "devotional" book, but I love the compilation of messages that have been put together in Whittaker House's Smith Wigglesworth Devotional

My copy of the book is FILLED with highlighted passages- many of the quotes I have already used on the blog are from here, and many more I could mention..one of my other favorites:

"I believe God wants something to be in you that could never be unless you cease to live for yourself. God wants you to live for Him, to live for others...The Holy Spirit came to thrill you with resurrection power, and He came so that you would be anointed with fresh oil that overflows in the splendor of His almightiness. Then right through you will come forth a river of divine anointing that will sustain you in the bitterest place. It will give life to the deadliest formality and say to the weak "BE STRONG" and to them who have no might "The Lord of Hosts is here to comfort you". Possibility is the greatest thing of your life!"

~Smith Wigglesworth

This book is available through Amazon.com, and below you will see a selection of other Wigglesworth works available as well... if you click on any of the links from here to make a purchase, a percentage of the sale comes back to help support my blog~ I decided to enroll in their affiliate program, but only plan to review books here that I REALLY love so hopefully it wont seem spammy when I do similar posts:)

A Joy Bubble Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:58:00 +0000

It seems as though the whole world has had a tough couple of weeks, so I thought a smiling face and a few rays of sunshine were in order!

Its been foggy and cloudy and generally "driech" (Scottish word Ian taught me:) here the past week. Friday afternoon we coming back from lunch with our grandson in the back seat when the sun FINALLY came peeking out for the first time in days. Aidan was almost asleep, but when we turned the corner and the sunshine hit his face he giggled and squealed with joy...I think we all felt that way! I had to snap a photo- pardon the quality, my cell phone is a cheapy, lol.

This was a fine example of one of those Joy Bubbles I talked about in a post last year. Joy is always there- the scripture below is an example of the foundation of joy that cannot be shaken- but sometimes it needs a bit of help getting to the surface.

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.

For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 16:7-11

God did NOT send that Earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:11:00 +0000

...and I get indignant that anyone would try to claim He did!!

God is not in the business of sending judgment on people in this day and age...there is a vast difference between the Old Covenant and the New and better Covenant we have with Jesus the Messiah.

There is also a vast difference between a curse and a judgement- which 99% of the people who are upset with Pat Robertson missed..he didn't say that God sent the earthquake, but it sure got twisted up that way in the reporting. Not saying I agree with him talking about it like that, just saying he didnt say what they said he did...

I know there are a lot of people who may disagree with one or both of the above opinions, or have questions about why I believe this way. Rather than go into a long discourse here in the post itself, I invite you to comment, ask questions, or reply with your opinion- politely please! I will answer, I love debate- its healthy for our faith to "reason together" about things like this.

I plan to do a follow up post in a week or so with scriptures and afterthoughts, but for now please add your two cents to the conversation.

ALSO: see my post Dont Blame God for more info and links to a couple of good Bible teachings on the goodness of God.

PS Yeah I know, photo has nothing to do with the post~its one of the photos I took of the delightful fairy frost that we had here last week (meteorologists called it hoar frost, but I think it was fairies;)...just wanted something soothing and peaceful to go with this slightly heated rant.

Rays of Grace: A New Etsy Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:15:00 +0000

As some of you may know, I am a jewelry maker by profession, with shops on Etsy, ArtFire and many other fine craft venues.

Recently, I was delighted to be featured in a treasury on Etsy and even more delighted to find this wonderful new photograpy shop featured right next to me.

Susan from Rays of Grace is a great photographer & includes some of my favorite Bible verses on her Faith Art prints.

With the sale of these prints, Susan says: "100% (yes ...100%!) of the profit from any Faith Art sale will be donated to missions. My current focus is: Breaking Chains - a ministry that rescues girls sold into slavery in Mexico."

She also features some of her work on Notecards, the next thing on my shopping list after I recover from Christmas;)

You may click on any photo to be taken to that item's listing or click on: Rays of Grace on Etsy to go to the shop itself:)

PLEASE NOTE: as with all of my original photography here on this blog, Susan's photos in this post are her original artwork and may not be copied or reproduced without permission.

The Great Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Karla) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 01:08:00 +0000

"God has a plan beyond anything that we have ever known...tomorrow should be so filled with holy expectations that we will be living flames for Him. God never intended his people to be ordinary or commonplace. His intentions were that they should be on fire for Him, conscious of His divine power, realizing the glory of the Cross that foreshadows the Crown."
~Smith Wigglesworth

What an amazing adventure-learning to live in the power of God, learning to walk not only in the path He has set out before me, but in the exact footsteps He has ordained- therein lies success! Here are some verses along these lines:

The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand.
~Psalm 37:23-24

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
~Jeremiah 10:23

But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).

And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.

If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]
~Galatians 5:16,23-24 (Amplified)

Our beloved Heavenly Father promises to teach us and guide us into this great adventure..all we need to do is learn to listen and follow and walk in that which He has already provided.
Selah:-)

Note:
Some good teaching series about this general subject can be accessed at no charge at the links below:
How to Fulfill Your Destiny by Andrew Wommack
The Power of the Holy Spirit by Andrew Wommack
The Spirit Led Life by Keith Moore
Hungry For the Holy Spirit by Keith Moore