Grace, grace, more grace

I have been thinking of late of the enormous grace the Lord shed's on us! How very sufficient he is for us! There is nothing like the empowerment of the Holy Spirit! There is nothing like the forgiveness of our Lord. We must be transformed from the inside out...our heart must sucumb to him wholly, that we may be ...holy! The benefits of a solid faith, a good values system, and a pure life will reap a bountiful harvest in our lives. I have learned that when I walk in his spirit...when I rest in his love, when I respond to his voice...I am full of the joy that comes only from him. Transformation is essential to our walk-constant renewal of our minds.

Lately I had the opportunity to think about how to respond to the rudeness in others, and the Lord quickly reminded me that I am not always a "saint" ;). This empowered me to realize that I indeed can rise above the crowd and stand up for righteousness because I know my own shortcomings. Reflection on our own weaknesses can go a long way in tolerance for others. We must however stand for righteousness with compassion, grace, and understanding.

Likewise, recently I had an opportunity to stand for the values I believe Christ would have us walk out & know that my obedience will bring great joy & blessing to my life. Accountability to God for our thoughts, words, & actions should be important to us. We must be faithful in little if we are to be given much to handle.

Don't miss the small miracles God affords you in everyday life, and more importantly don't forget to examine your heart before him each day. There IS a peace that passes understanding...there is joy that comes only from God...that joy WILL be your strength.

Good reference list

http://minitools.com/gifts-list.htm

The enemy of our soul...

...is alive & well. Did you know that a book entitled Rules for Radicals is recommended reading for public school educators, and the book is dedicated to none other than...Lucifer! How should that make us feel about the spiritual atmosphere in the public schools? How about what is mentally projected onto the screens of the minds of children? We all need to walk in & by the spirit of God, and teach our children to do so as well. They should know what the armor of God is and how to use it. If you don't know read Ephesians, and remember if you want any questions answered you can email me at ecbcfbt@gmail.com. My website for professional counseling is www.divineappointments.vpweb.com Feel free to share it.

WHEN THE HAND OF GOD MOVES

There is no doubt about it...you know it! When we get our emotions, doubts & weak faith out of the way the hand of God moves in ways we can not think or imagine. Recently I was in a "numb" place spiritually. I could literally hear the whisper of the enemy stopping me from moving in a direction, yet moving me in another. Not bad things...just little things that distracted my walk...things that kept me working more on my own than in the spirit. I could feel a miracle around the corner only to notice I was immobilized to move in it's direction and eventually I couldn't even see it anymore. Ever been there?

Then I picked up a letter from a ministry I don't regularly support, and one that I have some spiritual doubts about. I had cast it aside a week or so before but God clearly was leading me to read it! Well I can tell you that I believe God uses anything and everyone he wishes, and though I still have reservations about that ministry...he used that letter to so speak to almost every thing I was questioning, struggling with, and praying for! I would say there was only one area that was not addressed directly (though it was indirectly)...I felt like the writer had been living inside my head for the last 6 weeks or so! Well, God was tuned in to where I was and he spoke volumes to me in about 5 pages. He wasn't done with me just yet. I turned on a Christian TV station to see a ministry I enjoy and one I highly questioned, and one I absolutely discerned was not fully of God. But in it all God challenged me to step out in faith...to dare to tread on waters unknown and trust him to keep me afloat! "OK Lord" I replied and hopped out of the boat of confusion to tread on the waters of deep abiding faith. We chatted awhile and I went to bed feeling inspired of God for the first time in weeks...because I followed HIS voice.

Guess how I awoke? Led to listen to a CD from Joyce Myer I had not gotten to. Immediately, I was struck by her words...realizing I had heard them before, and wishing I had not so quickly forgotten them. It was exactly what I needed to hear...common sense teaching on the testing of God! Whoa! I've felt that perhaps I was being tested, but not liking tests all that much I let everyday life and doing things in my own strength override the nudging of God to move in a few small directions...I know better! And get this...that pastor friend I mentioned in the last segment had warned me of an upcoming test just before the past few weeks kicked in! (I surely think she was indeed able to preach an awesome message for Pentecost!!) Walking in this world and not being "of" it is not easy...God didn't say it would be...he said it would be possible with him at our side because he gave us the tools...his word...his spirit...his son. He IS the Word...He IS the Spirit...He and the Son are one! I had popped a Keith Green CD in to play after Joyce, because I love it...but...again...exactly what I needed was on the CD.

Encouragement to renew the Holy Spirit in me was there...the love of God was spoken of there...
encouragement that the Lord is our Shepard was there...we forget all too soon it seems when we close our Bible that a Father who loves us gave us his Son, and the Son who loves us gave us HIS Holy Spirit...three in one...our Triune God...and we so often forget as we read and pray that the Holy Spirit is THE active manifestation of God in us and in our life today and we have the fruit of that if we live as God requires and we have power to use that fruit to our advantage and the enemy's disadvantage if we tap into the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit! WheeHaa! It doesn't get better than that. God's love is unconditional...his promises are conditional...we have to make choices that bring blessings to us, and we can make choices that bring curses to us as well.

It is my prayer that this has in some way helped you feel led to lean more into God, grab what he has for you, and run with it with thanksgiving. When you feel out of touch with God, don't try to manufacture relationship with him...just be open to his voice and go to the places where you know you hear him best...it may be a place in the word...it may be a place in your house...it may be in church...it may be listening to a certain message or song...it could be a drive in your car. I have had some pretty miraculous things happen when I was driving in my car!

God Bless you as you strive to serve him. He loves you more than you can possibly imagine!

The Holy Spirit came...

...and he has not left earth. God is the same, yesterday, today, & tomorrow. (so says scripture)The Holy Spirit is God! Our Bible tells us that he left the Spirit to help us until Christ returns. God has always spoken to his people, whether it was through the prophets of old or through the "true" prophetic words of today. He has come to men in dreams & with angels, and he continues to do so, more often than we think. God is a God of order, and Satan is a messenger of confusion. One of the spiritual gifts God gave is Discernment...we can tell a "false prophet" from a Godly person-one anointed of God. He said we ARE a kingdom of Priests! We ARE anointed by God to do his work, if we choose to accept the assignment. I have come to realize that a large number of born again, headed for heaven believers not only don't accept all God has for them, they really do not believe ALL of the Bible or their lives would be far more victorious, living in the peace that passes all "understanding". We have become so indoctrinated to use our minds, we override the Holy Spirit God places in each of us at salvation, so we can be "proper", "religious", and appear "appropriate". That's OK if that is how you relate to God, but I promise you there IS a far more spiritual way to live that will cause you to wonder why it took you so long to "get it". We all have those..."duh" moments where it dawns on us that God IS way bigger than the box we were taught to keep him in. PTL! Hallelujah!
I don't know about you...but my Jesus is not ordinary in any way...he used spit and mud to heal a man's eyes for goodness sake! He walked on water & he died for every one of us. How many people do you know who would die for you? Not too many I assure you. In return what can we give him? Dare we....dare we..."lift up holy hands" (it's in the Bible you know), dare we "shout unto him" (again, it is there), dare we even dance before the Lord in excitement about all he has given us & done for us? What would people think! Who cares...what would Jesus think..he just might smile and clap right along with us that we dare pour our enthusiasm out as a fragrant love offering unto the King of Kings! I'm guessing many people are unaware of what the gifts of the Holy Spirit are, or that they were given to help us through every day until Christ returns! If God had given them to just the disciples of his day he wouldn't have told them to teach everyone about them. Check out some of Paul's writings again-he made it very clear what God blessed us with & what to do with it & why.
Pentecost is a time to celebrate, not just that the Holy Spirit came...not only that he lives in every believer...but to tap into that vast wealth of spiritual power God has given his children to enable them to live in a fallen world. I have been praying for a pastor friend to preach a dynamic Pentecost message that will start a revival in a small mainline church...and I know God is going to bless her with a great message, & I pray that the people will have receptive ears to hear the word of the Lord to them. The Lord told us we must come as little children...that means full of innocence and expectation...not full of fear, doubt, & religious rules. Don't get out of bed one more day without expecting God has not only divine appointments set up for you already, but knowing he has miracles all lined up just waiting for you to step out of your comfort zone.
I am walking a deliberate walk of renewed faith right now, seeking all those gems I may have missed in the Word. My friend told me I had better fasten my seatbelt! :) So far I have seen financial miracles, healing miracles, spiritual miracles, and I am trusting God at his word, that there is so much more to come. I have received confirmations of his will for me that continue to blow my mind.
Have a blessed Pentecost and remember if you are a believer the angel of death has indeed passed over you, and there is no way to go but deeper & deeper into the things of God. It does not get any more exciting than that. If you want some literature to fire you up, take a fresh look at God's word, order the free magazine Kenneth Hagin sends out, and find a book on Smith Wigglesworth. I am currently studying the book of Hebrews to build my faith in a God that does the impossible today, if we only invite him to do so. Be renewed & refreshed in his HOLY SPIRIT. May the Lord bless you at whatever place you are in your walk with him, as you seek him & serve him.

Imprint on a child's life

Lately the Lord has been speaking to me about the imprint various things make on the life of a child. Thinking about the fact that the mind of a child is not fully developed at least until about age 18, what sort of impression do things like pornography, sexual immorality, warring parents, anti-God sentiments, racism, violence in the things they read & watch, drunkenness in the home, drug addiction of friends, and the list goes on....what sort of imprint is made on the mind of youth? It makes a lasting mark on that child's mind...it may be a mark that says such things are OK or even good for you-it may be a mark of fear that brings timidity and an inability to believe that God loves them without condition...it may craft a young mind that is in turmoil and confusion.
Conversely, what sort of mark is made by watching parents worship, pray, & believe God for victory in all circumstances? Does a child who witnesses the embracing of all races in love, people who deal fairly and with conviction of morality, and peace in the home and relationships grow up to be balanced and a servant of God with purpose in life? How can we be "confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion"? We train our children in the home, but we must also take them where they can worship the Lord at a very young age, we most assuredly must monitor the affect the public school system has on their fragile & forming minds, we must be aware of the stance our government takes with regard to the things of life and God, and we must carefully watch the things they see, hear, and do with regard to TV, the Internet, and gaming. It is our responsibility to guide them in who they form relationships with and hang out with.
I recently heard someone say what I have believed for years, and have found to fall on deaf ears for the most part. Our children need to be with us in church, watching us relate to God in worship & prayer & responding to the Holy Spirit's conviction. There IS a place for kid's church, but it has become a spiritual babysitting service in many churches where the parent drops them off and worships with the "grown-ups" leaving the child to listen to Bible stories and never see Mom & Dad in communion with God. Some places release children after worship until a certain age, which I believe is the correct approach. Sermons they are not ready for aren't appropriate certainly. I would encourage parents to keep their children with them until that point. Jesus said we are to come to him as a child, and it is that innocent child's heart that responds to Christ easiest. It is an awesome thing to have your child come to Christ at your side, not off in some classroom somewhere. I would submit that it is the more appropriate place.
Bless you as you parent, grandparent, and teach young parents to follow the will of God in the lives of their children. It has been said that it takes the entire church to parent a child, so pray for the children in your church, that they grow in Christ, not in worldly ways.

FAITH CHALLENGE

I am on a faith-walk of late and stretching my beliefs about an all powerful God, particularly in the area of seed faith giving. We all come from different backgrounds and different denominations, but we have the SAME God who says he is the same yesterday, today, & tomorrow. I recently watched a story of a miraculous happening on the news and it made me wonder why Christians only believe the miraculous once in awhile. In the New Testament there are many references to a God that has given us awesome power-to do even greater things than Christ did while on earth(SAYS THE WORD)-and the power he left for us was the Holy Spirit! But, how do we see that? Do we take the scriptures at face value or do we cloud them with our pre-conceived worldview thoughts & beliefs? How do we choose what to believe & what not to believe? Isn't it all the Word of God?

What does the Word of God say about the gifts of the Holy Spirit? What are they? What are they for? When will they cease? (the Word says when Christ returns) Why do we have them? Why don't we believe them??? Why don't we use them?? What is our reasoning for not believing the Word of God, and not using the gifts God gave us? FEAR is one reason we shy away from operating as the spiritual beings God made us to be. (Remember, in his image) We put a precious, valuable, powerful gift our Lord left for us to use on the shelf and about all we can say about the Holy Spirit is to maybe include reference to Him in a prayer? Remember, Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are ONE. He created us, died for us, and left a part of himself here with us. We say we are indwelt by his spirit at salvation, but then we do nothing with that. Does that really sound right? One thing I like to anchor on when thinking about our worldview prejudices about what seems "odd" to us-would you have believed Jesus when he healed a blind man with MUD?

Why is our prayer life, our faith, and our growth sometimes seemingly drab, ineffective, or confusing? What does Paul say he wishes we all would do? I would challenge you to read the scriptures about the Holy Spirit-every one-pray about them, and see if God shows you what you may be missing to bring greater power to your walk with God. You have nothing to lose, and as a believer who is growing in the area of seed-faith giving, I can say you may be ready to grow in the area of Holy Spirit-believing faith. When I first became aware of the immenseness of the Holy Spirit it made SO MUCH sense and it has brought enormous power & comfort in my walk of now 35 yrs. The part of the Bible we get the most out of, is the part we believe. I am so glad I chose to believe it all, even though I am still growing in areas, as we all are. I heard about a man who got to heaven and God took him to a room of unopened gifts. He explained that had he opened these gifts his life would have been more victorious. I hope to open all my gifts & I hope you do too.