Overcoming

     The Lord has been working with me dealing with an attitude I've carried since childhood. I am a happy, optimistic person but I can easily slip into "self-pity" when things aren't going right. I have been fighting this spirit for a while but its stronghold was built many years ago when I was a small child wanting to run away from home.
     Now I am working to break away all of those self-pity patterns of thought. Patterns of thought can be difficult to change, but it can be done! He has shown me the way to change my thoughts is to replace self-pity with an attitude of thankfulness. You can't carry both attitudes, self-pity is the opposite of thankfulness, so you can see it's impossible to have both at the same time. In the same situation where you can find things to feel sorry for yourself over, there are always things you can find to be thankful for.
     Example:

• You have a flat tire, do you have a spare? Thank You, Lord, for this spare tire!
• Are you sick? Thank You, Lord, that we live in a country with drugstores, medicine, and doctors!
• Are you too busy? Thank You, Lord, that You have given me things to accomplish!
• Too many bills? Thank You, Lord, You have given me wisdom to separate wants from needs and You provide for all of my needs!

     These are just examples, I'm sure there are more that we could come up with, but you can read these and get the idea.
     Remember that the Lord does not appreciate grumbling and self-pity does lead to grumbling! If you have this stronghold in your life, please join me in purposing to be rid of it, it does not look good on us and it certainly doesn't please the Lord or bring glory to Him.

 Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:9-13

Encouraged or Intimidated?

     In my path I've seen a lot of people receive prophetic words, some are encouraging or comforting.....but some of my favorites to hear are words of what the Lord wants to do in their lives! He shares His view of the people, how He sees them, what He is calling them to do, somewhat like how Gideon was addressed in Judges 6:12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.”
     Much to my surprise, some people reject the Lord's view and opinion of themselves! They do not receive the greeting or title the Lord has given them! Why? Today I was considering this and was taught by the Holy Spirit that not all people are going to respond the same to the calling of the Lord.
     Some people are not prepared to receive what the Lord is wanting them to do, think here of some of the people we've read about in scripture....Jonah, Adam, Judas, Esau. For various reasons of their own, they did not rise to the calling that was on them. They all had opportunities to be more than they were but did not fulfill that calling.
     We could go through people in scripture that did respond to their callings and accomplished great things, Moses, Aaron, David, Joseph, Daniel, Elijah, those are our heroes! But we need to also remember that they were able to accomplish the great things because they moved in God's power and His timing, not their own.
     If the Lord gives you a word that seems too big for you to accomplish, do not be intimidated, do not shrink back! Remember it's not about you accomplishing it, it's about you saying "yes" and being willing to step out and follow the Lord's leading.  It's about setting yourself aside and trusting the Lord to finish the good work He has started. He will not force you to receive His view of yourself. If you say "no" to His calling then He will leave you in your decision and a sadder choice cannot be imagined.
   

Moving Closer to the Lord

     

     At church during the praise time while we were singing the Lord showed me a staircase. He told me that as we press into our praise, in spirit and in truth that we advanced up the staircase and grew closer to Him. He told me that some people are satisfied to stand at the bottom of the stairs and sing praises the same way each week but never move higher. He said it takes passion to advance, passion and hunger for His nearness. It is not something that He will force us to do, but it is something that He will reward in His nearness to us.

 From here on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place but with the right heart. For God is a Spirit, and he longs to have sincere worshipers who worship and adore him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

Authority

     Recently we've had the opportunity to hear about 7 different ministers share and speak. We've noticed that not all of the ministers carried the same authority or the same style of ministering. 
    I'm really writing this for my own purpose that in the future when I look back I will remember this experience. 
    Each of the Ministers walked in their calling and spoke with true love of God, but we did notice that some had a higher level of authority and we believe that it was developed through prayer and time of walking out their calling. 
     The main thing we believe is that the more time spent in prayer and time alone with God, the greater the understanding of the power of God that is within them and ....for lack of a better word, 'authority" that they walked in.  

Many Paths

Yesterday at church the Lord shared with me and through me that there are many paths in life that people can walk.
     We need to be aware of the path we are choosing. There are paths of fear, paths deception, paths of self-indulgence, paths of addiction, but there is only one path of "Life".
     The Lord would have us choose the path of Life! He would have us avoid the paths that lead to burdens and sorrow as all of those other paths do. He cautions us to choose carefully.
     If we fear we may choose the wrong path by accident we can be assured that the Holy Spirit will warn us, with a still, small voice. He will tell us "your path is over here". We will need to listen to that voice and make changes when we hear it. The Lord won't force us to choose the path of Life, but He does long for that choice.
     The Lord also told me that we cannot expect to encounter a lot of people on the path of Life, that the path is narrow and the gate is small, but it is Life.

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

Understanding Light

I'm going to be gathering verses about "light" because God is light and I don't believe I fully understand what all is involved in this teaching! So this is my word study, if you have more teaching about light, please share with me!


John 3:19-21 “Now this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness rather than the light. Why? Because their actions were wicked. 20 For everyone who does evil things hates the light and avoids it, so that his actions won’t be exposed. 21 But everyone who does what is true comes to the light, so that all may see that his actions are accomplished through God.”

Philippians 2:15 For then you will be seen as innocent, faultless, and pure children of God, even though you live in the midst of a brutal and perverse culture. For you will appear among them as shining lights in the universe,

Psalm 31:5

Staying Clean

   This morning I was doing some scrubbing and cleaning and the Lord used that time to teach me about our spirits. When we come to Him under Jesus' blood we are forgiven, but we still have grunge on us that we need to confess and be forgiven for.
    Through the years I have gone through a lot of levels of repentance! The first thing I had to come to terms with was that I'm not free to say whatever comes to mind in every situation. I had to go to a lot of people and apologize before I got a grip on this one! I finally became so tired of apologizing that I learned to keep my mouth shut!
     Today however during the scrubbing time the Lord was teaching me that our spirits are not a "one and done" cleaning item. We need to carefully take care to keep them clean daily! Daily!
     In our lives, we do a lot of cleaning so we should be able to grab this concept. We wash our dishes after each use, we wash our clothing after wearing them. We vacuum, we dust, we mow lawns, we brush our teeth and our hair for example. When we look at these things it makes sense that we need to clean a lot of areas in our lives, so we need to be sure to not neglect cleaning our spirits too. That makes sense, doesn't it?
     Next question then is how do we clean our spirits? Prayer is good! Praying and asking the Holy Spirit to shine His light into our spirits and show us any area that needs attention is excellent!
     The Holy Spirit is the Teacher that Jesus told us would come to guide us, and He will guide us into cleaning our spirits or another word for it is sanctification. He is our Counselor, Comforter, and Corrector, so this is all in His job description! He will show us people we need to forgive, people that we need to ask to forgive us, habits we need to give up, wrong things we've said and done that we need to bring to the Lord and ask forgiveness for. Even after we've done this for a while, He'll dig further in our past and show us more that we will want to release and be cleansed from.
     We will want to stay in a close relationship with the Holy Spirit, asking Him, how have I done today? Is there any area that I have fallen short in and need cleaning in? And then be quick to respond, don't hesitate, maybe we do need to release hurt or offense first and then be sure to give forgiveness, but do it, don't hold back.

Psalm 28:6-7

God's Blessing Part 1 8/26/19

   No matter whom you are or what your abilities and circumstances are, if you tap into the blessing of God; you will be thrust forward into a life of increase, multiplication, and destiny.
From a book I'm reading, A Time to Advance by Chuck Pierce

God's Blessing Part 2 8/26/19

The word "bless" or "blessing" is used 474 times in the Bible. That certainly tells us how significant blessing is to God. He wants us to understand and walk in blessing, not just for our own sake, but so we can demonstrate His kingdom by blessing others.
From a book I'm reading, A Time to Advance by Chuck Pierce

Bowing or Nodding? 8/23/2019

     A lot of the praise songs we sing these days include the lines that we bow to the Lord. This morning the Holy Spirit was stirring in my thinking "what does that mean to you?". After considering the question for myself I now I ask you, what does bowing before the Lord and His throne mean to you?
     Sometimes we casually sing songs without even slowing down to consider the full impact of the words we're mouthing. Let me tell you, the Lord does not take our words "casually".
     There was a time in my life that I had gone my own way, I was not denying the Lord, but I was "pouting" because things weren't going the way I thought they should. So, I started calling my own shots. Everything was okay for a bit and then life really turned upside down on me!
     When I came to my senses and turned back to the Lord, much as the prodigal son did, the Holy Spirit played the lyrics of a hymn I had sung in church years before. "Father I adore You, I lay my life before You!" These lyrics were not something I was thinking of on my own, the Lord was playing them back to me to remind me that I had given Him my life years before and I needed to get back to where I was at that time, back in relationship with Him. I tell you all of this just to let you know that whether you are speaking or singing words it doesn't matter, the Lord takes you seriously!
     So now back to the question, when you sing that you are bowing before the Lord, are you seriously bowing? Do you submit to the Lord, to His purpose for you and your life, do you give Him all honor? Do you cease resisting Him and His purpose in your life? Or are you simply giving a head nod that you recognize His power, His creation, His purpose, and then moving on to do whatever it is that you want to do?
     He is calling for you to submit to His purpose, to the calling He has on you and your life. He did not create you to watch you bow to the world or to your own desires and motivations, those only lead to your destruction.
     Come back and consider, "when I bow to the Lord, am I truly submitting every area of my being?". It is a big question and deserves your careful consideration.

Team Player? 7/14/11

     Why does it appear that some are able to work as a team easily and then there are others. The others don't play well with "others". To walk the path that God wants people on, it often takes walking as part of a team. Coming to terms with that is a challenge for myself, I guess it's an opportunity for growth!

Prayer, Lane

     We went to the House of Hope and Healing today, asking for prayers for our finances. The House of Hope and Healing has a wonderful atmosphere of serenity. The house was built only for prayer and has never been used for any other purpose. It is anointed and dedicated to God's use for prayer. A woman named Monica and Phylis were the prayer warriors that prayed for us, first for our finances and also for my health and energy. She prayed for unity for Lane and myself, for God to pour into us all of the things we need, for favor in Lane's work area, for us to dig our heels in and push through as we came to be part of the church. The prayer was very encouraging and uplifting. Lane had come home from work and was discouraged because they told him he had to cut his hair and whiskers, this was what he needed.

**Update: Lane didn't have to cut his hair or whiskers! The supervisor that had been visiting the restaurant came another time and observed Lane working. The customers were all pleased with Lane's service and the supervisor relented and shook his hand and told him that he would be fine.  

Disapproval 2009

     What is it that pushes us to conform? Some of us are able to break away and not worry what anybody else thinks, and some of us think we have accomplished the "break" until we're faced with a situation that has us under someone else's scrutiny.
     We are able to break free from the desire to impress others sometimes, but there are people in the world that we want to impress or at least have their good opinion, so we find ourselves vulnerable to their opinions.
     Recently we had houseguests that I would love to have think the best of me, but it isn't always possible to influence other peoples opinion. Many people have different values in life and therefore are not truly able to understand each other, the best we can hope for is to "agree to disagree". I recognized that my style left them a little uncomfortable, which in turn left me to meditate on this question, "why can't we be happy in who we are"?

     Shouldn't we be happy to think "Ahhh, thank goodness for differences? At least we don't look around and see everyone else as a mirror reflection of ourselves", but instead, we think, "why can't I be more like them?" It can cause us to feel disappointed in ourselves.
      I want to be me, I am me, I don't really want to be like them, I just want them to accept me. It probably is an illusion that people "accept" someone different from themselves anyways, maybe it's more accurate to say they "tolerate" them. I want to be the person that is strong enough to stand alone against disapproving looks, I want to be true to myself, I want to follow my North Star. I always come back to shrugging off the looks, the feelings of disapproval and telling myself it doesn't matter, but really it causes a part of myself to shrivel up and hide.

Life at This Time, February 18, 2011

     I thought I'd try to give you a glimpse into our lives, I realized that everyone seems to slip into their own worlds and it is important to us that you know what we're doing in ours. Lane is working at Cracker Barrel(the only Cracker Barrel in Tulsa, OK!) as a server and I stay at our "home" while he's working. With my free time I've been making jewelry, crocheting, reading, studying, homemaking and resting. I seem to need a lot of rest to stay up with our schedule! Lane's work schedule changes each week and he is scheduled anywhere between 7 AM and 11 PM, during the recent blizzard his job really went through a difficult time for us. The blizzard caused the restaurant to close and when open it had few customers. His income is strictly customer-driven, so no customers means no income!
     Our "home" is currently within the home of a wonderful Christian family, David (father), Lorrie (mother) and Matthew (10-year old homeschooled son). In the family of God, there are many gifts and callings (some I've not been aware of before), the Leathers calling is "Hospitality". Hospitality is a calling and desire to share your home with others who are walking in God's will and desiring to advance His kingdom. They have had people previous to us, and I'm sure they will have others after we're gone. But they feel led to provide a place for us to live while we're seeking God's will in our lives, this provision has really removed a strain from us.
     There have been other instances of God working in our lives such as these last 2 weeks, during and after the blizzard. The time of "no money" for us! A minister at our church that reaches out to the homeless has been given food for his outreach, he is not able to use some of the food because it needs refrigeration and God directed him to give it to those of our congregation, including us. We were really thankful for that and received it gladly, then during last week's Friday service, Lane was approached by one of the men and told that God had directed him to give an "offering" in our name, he handed Lane an envelope with money that was for us to give to the Lord, "our" offering. It amazed us that the Lord even provided for us to give back to Him! Then another man came to Lane and handed him some cash and told him that God had told him to do that, the money wasn't a large amount, but it all adds up and is a testimony to God's providing.
     The main point of all of sharing these things is that we are learning to walk by faith. We have had it so ingrained in our thinking that we are independent beings and go where we want and do what we want that it is a big learning time for us! Recently Lane had wanted me to go to a women's conference in Kansas City (while I was somewhat excited about it, I wasn't really sure of my complete feelings), Lane and I prayed that if God wanted me to go, that He would need to provide enough tips for the extra expense of the trip. Lane's tips dropped off to the least he had had since he had been working as a server! In our worldly wisdom, we would say "OK, God doesn't want me to go". I informed the group that had invited me to go with them that "evidently this wasn't the year for me to attend", but that "I would be praying for them"! The next morning (very early in the morning) I received a call from my pastor, asking if money was my only issue with the conference, I told them "yes" and they said "then you're going!". Then I realized how much I had truly wanted to go, I was so excited! One of the pastors at my church had been ministering with a woman that had received an unexpected sum of money, she wanted to tithe from the money to our church and specifically for the group going to the conference! So, God did provide and it wasn't through the tips Lane would earn! A lesson learned! Walking by faith means not telling God how to do His job!
     We have attended different services at different churches and want to attend even more in Tulsa. We had not realized the rich spiritual life available in Tulsa! There are bible schools and churches offering classes and speakers from the nation. Our weekly schedule currently includes 2 classes, one is "Breaking Free" on Tuesday evening and the other is "Healing the Heart" on Thursday evening. We try to attend a service at our church on Friday nights, (Wind and Fire Service) and Sunday morning (Outpouring worship service) there also. There is not a Sunday evening service there, but there is one available at another church (Open Bible Fellowship, where we are taking the classes)  where we really enjoy attending, so we try to go to it also. All of the services are according to Lane's schedule, but his employer has made arrangements for him to be off for our classes and Sunday mornings.
     The classes we're taking are prerequisites to any other classes we want to attend here in Tulsa at Firestorm School of Ministry. However, we have found a school in Kansas City (World Revival Church) that may be a possible future training place, depending on God's leading.
These are our current classes:
     BREAKING FREE- Do you find yourself struggling with the same issues, same health problems, and same personal conflicts? Chances are likely you may have "open doors," allowing the demonic to have access to your life, your family, and your destiny. The enemy has trespassed into your life, gained legal access, and has harassed and hindered you for years, perhaps even your family line for generations. Through the teaching presented in this class, you will be able to determine if deliverance is needed, where the "open doors" are in your life, and how to gain and maintain your deliverance. In addition, you will learn about the "sixteen strongmen" listed in Scripture, and how to kick them out. In Breaking Free, you will receive ministry, hands-on training for kicking out demonic tormentors, and a chance to start clean. The truth of the matter is this: just as everyone needs to wash their car from time to time, everyone needs a spiritual cleaning. Christians can have demons and unless one takes the necessary steps to "clean house," one will never be able to enjoy life to its fullest and obtain their full destiny.
    HEALING OF THE HEART AND SPIRIT- Have you been a Christian for some time, or even a new Christian, and wounds and hurts from your past still haunt you? Perhaps bad things or poor relationships just seem to be a normal part of your life. Then Healing of the Heart and Spirit is for you. This two-part class has been developed to help you be set free from your past. Topics include: Truth and Consequences, The Importance of Forgiveness, Father and Mother Issues, Finding Father, Breaking & Overcoming the Chains of Rejection, Abandonment and Rejection, Orphans to Sons, Performance Orientation, Basic Trust, Hearts of Stone & Inner Vows, Bitter Root Judgments & Expectancy, Parental Inversion, The Slumbering Spirit, and Healing of Prenatal Wounds.
     Lane has a dedicated home bible study time which has grown in length and intensity as he walks closer with God. He has an area set up with all of his concordances, bibles and study books and withdraws to it every morning before anything else gets in the way. My time is a little different because I'm at home a lot. I've thought that I was spending all day in my area with God, but I've realized that just because something is "possible" doesn't make it so. Sometimes Lane and I are in the same room for extended times, but that doesn't mean we're spending time "together", so I'm making an effort to continually be aware of walking with God, of praying more consistently. I do normally always have a praise CD or praise music streaming from online. I try to remain sensitive to being led, and I have had several times in our rooms of God meeting me here palpably. Those times are very powerful and life-changing. I have written those encounters in other notes and will get them typed up and included here soon.
     While Lane has his own encounters with God, I'm only really qualified to share my own. While at church and in praise, I always close my eyes and lift my hands, my body sways as the tall grass in a gentle breeze does, it's as if it has a mind of its own. When praising, it's as if I leave this realm and enter a special area created for spirit(I do always ask God to come inhabit our praise). Sometimes my mind tries to chatter, but I keep praising until my mind quiets and I am able to just "be". Then at this level of praise, God meets me there, very gently. I've spoken to a woman that has walked with God for many years and is able to recognize His different voices, the voice of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I'm not that good yet! I know God speaks to me and I have been given images. Sometimes I know it's the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit is my teacher according to scripture, and at night I will wake up and recognize that I have been learning or praying. I've woken up praying in the Spirit.  One night I woke up from "a teaching", I was so excited that I wanted to wake Lane and share with him what I had just learned, but of course, I realized he needed his sleep. The lesson I had learned that night was that I was praying wrong, I kept asking and asking for things I wanted God to do. but I was shown that God has already done all things and that I needed to reach in and take. I was shown to take and tell God "thank you!" I started telling God thank you for everything I had been asking for, Thank You for the strong Christian man You're raising Camron to be, thank You for bringing Luke to the fullness of the man You have designed him to be, thank You for the mighty woman of God that Gypsy is going to be.....then I started putting my hand to my body and telling Him thank You for the health You're pouring into my body! I was so excited I was telling God thank You for everything. Later when I tried to explain it to Lane it wasn't so easy, but I finally came onto a visual that helped. I told him it was like we're standing by a waterfall and asking God "please give me a drink of water", but God wants us to reach into the waterfalls with our cup and take all we need! He has already given it to us, we are the ones holding ourselves back. Even as I have prayed since then, it's not always easy to grasp this, but I know it's truth and I pray for God to help me completely incorporate it into my life.
     A time at church when I don't know which of the persons of God was teaching me showed me a visual, in the visual, I learned of God's love for me (He has been working a lot to help me understand His love). The visual was me as a dirty, grubby child that had been outside playing in the dirt and running into their father that was in the middle of a meeting. My father was wearing white robes and very distinguished looking, with a lot of other men gathered around him, listening to him and seeking his counsel. My Father, even though wearing white and being busy, welcomed me to His lap, He let me climb into His lap and sit there quietly while He continued His business discussion. He had one arm lovingly wrapped around me, not even worrying about my grubbiness or the dirt rubbing off on Him and used the other arm and hand to point to important papers and maps on the table between Him and the other men. The other men never batted an eye at my appearance, as if it happened often that I would sit in my Fathers lap. I sat there quietly feeling so loved, cherished and valued!
     The next visual I received like this was a few weeks later and it was of me dressed in a bride's dress, I was dancing with my Father (God), He put the same loving arms around me and held me so gently, so proudly. He would press me to put my head on His shoulder and relax but I would start crying and slip back to a child image of dancing by putting my feet on my Father's feet, we danced that way for a few moments then I transformed back into the bride again. I changed back and forth a few times as the tears would start to overwhelm me. I believe I am the child until I can have the same comfort level dancing as the bride with my head on my Father's shoulder as I have sitting on His lap. That is my goal, to be the bride, dancing with the Father, ready for the Groom! To reach that level I have healing that needs to be completed. I have learned through my walk with God that life with Him is not about a battle between good and bad, it's a love story of the Father for His children.

What Can I Do For You? February 13, 2011

     I attended a church service Friday evening(at Open Bible Fellowship, Tulsa). During the praise time, I always close my eyes, lift my hands and imagine meeting God in our praise, because His word says He inhabits the praise of His people. During the time I meet Him in our praise, I get to feel Him minister to me as well as me praising Him. This Friday He asked me what He could do for me?
     During my recent walk, He has been doing a lot of emotional healing within me, I have been cared for so carefully as His "daughter of joy"(the name comes from another experience) and had to search hard to find anything left that I could bring to Him to do for me. I found the oldest memory I have, as a very young child that was asking my mother to rock me. My mother while not negligent had her hands very full, she was a homemaker and mother of four and she still held a "full-time job". I had a sister 2 1/2 years younger than me and as a baby needed more attention than me as a toddler. I really don't know how old I was, but I was young enough that I could lay in the chair crossways and rock myself (that is pretty young!).
     I did rock myself at that time, and I think I started a pattern of independence then that God has worked to overcome in me. I have been a very strong, independent woman through my life and always proud of it. Friday night, when asked what He could do for me, I brought that need to be rocked with loving arms holding me to God, Abba, He held me and rocked me as I had needed as a young girl. I soaked and absorbed His love, His loving arms holding me and His tender care.
     This is not how I had grown up seeing God and it is a whole new relationship for me. I don't remember ever not believing in Jesus, but to experience God as this loving Father is a wonderful part of my walk as His child that I had never known.
     I shared this experience with my husband and he told me he had just read in scripture where Jesus had asked: "what can I do for you?" (the same words I had heard) and the blind man He was speaking to asked to "be made to see". After that, I thought "Jesus asked what He could do for me, and I selfishly asked to be rocked". I criticized myself for being so selfish and small-minded. I could have asked for more of Him, I could have asked for more wisdom, more love for my fellow questers, world peace! more everything! and all I wanted was to be held and rocked!
     Sunday evening we went to another service and during the praise-singing, the minister said that this was the first time he had been led to do this, but he wanted us all to be quiet and close our eyes and ask God what He wanted to say to us. In that time, God told me that He wanted me to quit worrying about asking to be rocked, that that was what I had needed and that was what He wanted to do. I said, but what about all of these other things, more wisdom, more love, more understanding, He said "no, those things will come in time", if you will trust Me and follow Me in faith, I will tell you when to ask for more. This is what you need now. You are My baby girl", I tried to push the thought away as if it was my imagination, but God pushed it back to me and said "No, this IS for you! You are My baby girl I will love you and care for you and show you My love" and He repeated that IF I would follow Him in trust( I was even given a visual image of walking in His footsteps, like a little girl following her father's steps) He would take me into more in the due time.

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New House 8/31/2009

     We are in the process of taking possession of our new home. Of course, we'll always be global citizens and at home in the Universe, but we're going to have a new place to hang our hats and sun visors, a new place to kick off our flip flops and lean our walking sticks. A new place to display our seashells, rocks, and pine cones. A new place to warm by a fire during the snowstorms and to find shade during the blistering heat of summer. Need I go on?
     Our new home is going to be a work in progress, it has been a beautiful house at one time, but it's fallen under severe neglect and abuse. We'll be trying to keep everyone updated with the steps we go through with this blog.
     We're supposed to take ownership of the house on September 15, 2009. The people that we purchased the house from were in the process of remodeling it and had a family emergency that has caused them to sell. They had already pulled all of the carpeting out of the house, removed the plumbing fixtures from the upstairs bathroom, knocked out some walls and removed some doors. The people that had the house previous to them(and abused it) caused flooding in the basement that left mold issues. They also let the rain guttering fill with leaves, which caused dry rot problems from not draining properly, and I'm not sure why but some of the screens and storm windows are missing. Why are the screens and storm windows always abused? They're one of the first telltale signs of a neglected house. Of course, there are some trim areas that need touch-up paint and not to be left out, the swimming pool needs a new liner.

Rejection, Rebellion, Freedom, Healing (2011)

     Edited and Reposted from the original March 9, 2011 writing

     In a class that I'm currently taking, "Breaking Free" (which works hand in hand with the "Healing Heart" class that I'm also enrolled in) I thought I was making some good progress in "Breaking Free" after the first week! 

     After each class the first week I was anxious to jump into the homework and start getting that Spiritual Freedom that I had been longing for, my class was on Tuesday, I did my homework within the next couple of days and by Friday when I went to church, I had finished it. 

     I was glad I had done the work and thought that I had gained some ground through the forgiveness for both, people and things in my life that I had worked through. Friday at church I realized how much ground I had taken back from the enemy! As we were singing praise (which seems to be the prime time for my encounters with God, Abba) I felt the presence of God settle around me, I started bowing down, not by a decision I made mentally, but my body started reacting to the weight of His presence that I felt around me. I was bowing lower and lower until almost doubling over, then I moved to my knees. Once on my knees, I felt a heat build around my heart and then a fire with a quick intensity. It didn't last long, but I knew my heart had been cleansed, God's cleansing fire had cleaned me of the things (memories, hurts, accusations, opinions) that I had been harboring before I went through the forgiveness steps. Soon my knees weren't even low enough and I knew my spirit wouldn't be able to rest until I was as low as humanly possible to get before God, I was on the floor, flat on my face, completely submitted. Then I found the peace I was looking for. I was totally His, no holding back.

     Now in the third week of class, I thought I had been through the larger part of the process. I had known about forgiveness and had already practiced it for a long time. As we studied forgiveness in class, this was a breeze, I could and would freely give my forgiveness, even to the point of previously being in abusive relationships and forgiving things that should have been dealt with. Being asked to forgive someone was like kryptonite, I lost all of the power from "anger" and forgave freely. 

     But then we went through a step I hadn't expected, Being in two classes meant I wasn't looking ahead in either class, I was doing good to keep my homework completed for both and I think it was a good thing that I was unprepared, it made it easier to go through the next part. The lesson was a part about two strongholds Rejection/Rebellion that can take root in your life, it starts with Shame/Fear/Control, a cycle that once started is hard to break. During our class after learning the technical parts, we went through steps to free ourselves from this stronghold in our lives. I was going through the "steps" and repeating all of the words as instructed and was totally blind-sided when the Holy Spirit showed me where I had opened the door for an ungodly belief in my life. In relationships I have always dealt with rejection, I thought it was because I wasn't good at small talk or I was too opinionated or I had any number of reasons, but I was being shown that in truth I had a spirit of rejection. Everywhere I went I took my own rejection with me. Whatever happened to me, I saw it through the filter of "rejection". Of course, being a woman of a certain age, I've done some introspection and self-healing and thought I had dealt with parent/sibling/criticism/verbal abuse/you name it issues. This night in class I had a light shined on an area of my life that I didn't even realize was an issue, until God's spotlight hit it.

     While in Junior High School, it was discovered that I had very significant scoliosis(a curvature of the spine), as the first result of that discovery, it was required that I do exercises daily such as having a head harness put on and then being tugged up to a bar at the top of a door by my parents(until they decided I should pull it myself) to try to stretch my back straight, then I was supposed to lay on the floor while my legs were actually pulled to try to "straighten" me out too. Well, I wasn't that easily straightened, so the next step was a body brace. I was measured and "my" back brace was created just for me, yippee! My brace consisted of three bars, two in the back and one in front that ran from a large leather form(about 6 inches) that fit around my body at hip level and up to bars that ran around my neck, holding my head up with pads against my chin and the back of my head. There were two straps inside of this contraption of torture that was to pull my backbone straight from opposite sides. I describe it in detail so you can visualize how uncomfortable this was for a young girl to endure at the time of life that she is so much trying to fit in with the other kids in school, but also so you can imagine how physically uncomfortable the brace was. 

     This brace was my undoing. I had gone through eye surgery, and wearing glasses from the age of 2, a childhood of never having a report card that was acceptable, being the third child of four(this carries its own share of challenges), dealing with shyness, every effort never measuring up, you name it and I shared it with a great deal of our society, but when I had to wear this brace and walk down the halls at school I was humiliated to the point that I rejected myself. 

     Imagine at the age you would most like to be able to disappear from sight that you are put on public display in a metal cage that stretched you out, holding your head high with nowhere to hide. Other girls were laughing and planning to go to dances, I was the girl that had metal rods around me and holes in her dresses from where her metal brace would bump against the desk until the fabric was worn out, I was the girl that woke up years later having nightmares that she was still in the brace. That is when I gave ground to the enemy. That is when I chose to believe all of the messages that the spirit of rejection delivers. I was not acceptable! I was a reject! 

     All of that period in my life I had stuffed away and never thought about or spoken of. Not until this class. As we went through the steps to face our rejection/rebellion issues all of this flooded into my consciousness and I was completely caught by surprise. In the process of breaking free, we were led to ask Jesus where He was during this time (each person had their own times that they were dealing with and we spoke to Jesus silently). I asked Him and He showed me that He walked beside me, with His head held high, just like I had(but while He held His head high in courage, I held mine high in bluff and besides with that brace, I had no choice!). He showed me that when He was led through the streets carrying His cross that He felt much more rejection than I had endured walking down the halls at school, I even argued that He only had to do that once, I had to go through mine every day, over and over. He showed me that through this time of being an outcast from all of the things that a junior high girl thinks is important (acceptance, beauty, popularity, dresses, boys) that He was creating in me the ability to walk outside of peoples acceptance or disapproval. He showed me that this was when I had made the choice to believe all of the previous rejection messages that I had fought off before and that in so doing I had developed a rebellious spirit to escape the other issues in my life of not being able to live up to parental or teacher demands, but that scoliosis and the brace was something I couldn't escape through rebellion. I was shown that this was when I deemed myself unacceptable and rejected my own self,

     Now in our class, I was crying, reliving the humiliation, the hurt, the rejection of those days. The fact that I rejected myself was even worse than dealing with the rejection of the kids I went to school with, I betrayed myself, now it was time to forgive myself. I am praying for grace for the healing of this Soul/Spirit wound. The scab has been pulled off and now it will heal, I will be doing my homework and examining ungodly beliefs that I have let develop because of the rejection I had allowed in. 

(The Lord is having me go back and tweak all of my writings, in reading this blog entry to edit it, I have also realized that I betrayed God in not accepting who I was and instead found myself someone that was worthy of rejection, my faith should have been in Him, not in my acceptance by those around me. There's always more to learn!)

Imagine

Imagine....you are in a garden, beautiful, peaceful, lush...you inhale the fresh air and notice a slight aroma of flowers on the breeze. Everything is perfect, with the sun already set you're able to see the stars overhead twinkling as if they've come out to dance the night away.
     Just as you turn to walk further down the path you hear a low moan, your curiosity aroused you step in the direction you thought it came from. In the moonlight you can see a man bowing by a large rock, his hands are braced against it but he still slumps against it. At first sight, you think he has been beaten and needs help, but as you stand there trying to think what to do you hear him talking. He is having a conversation! But his conversation is with an unseen person because there is no one else in the garden, just you and him. Now you're really confused, what can you do for this man that you have heard moaning, a moaning that carried such desperation that it brought you to this position.
     You stand there weighing your options, you can quietly leave the area and leave this strange man to his very strange conversation, or you could try to ease closer to hear his words, maybe you'd get an idea of what you can do to help? The last option sounds the best, this man is evidently in great distress. As quietly as possible you move forward, the words to his conversation become more clear. He is asking to be given strength, courage, peace, purpose...it sounds like he has quite a battle ahead of him that he is preparing for and asking for the things he will need to go through this battle and come out victorious! This conversation tugs at your heart, you want to help him in this battle! You want to encourage him, "I will be with you!", "I will stand with you!"
     As you have been drawn into the area of the garden closer to the man you are able to see him more clearly, he is speaking so passionately that he is sweating! No wait, it's not sweat, it's drops of blood! What has he done to make himself bleed like this? He has been in one place since you have seen him, nothing close that would have scraped him, it looks as if the blood is actually just on his skin as sweat would be. He is trembling and sweating blood! This man is consumed in his "conversation" with some unseen person, he has not seen you or even heard you as you approached. His voice has grown more desperate as he starts pleading, is he pleading for more strength? No, wait, you hear your own name! He is pleading for you! He is pleading that you will stand and not fall! That you will not be deceived! He is not pleading for you to stand with him, but he is pleading that you will stand because of him!
     Confusion reigns as you hear this man, moaning, pleading, sweating blood and he knows your name, he knows he is going into a battle that causes him such distress but still in his pleading for strength for himself he also pleads for strength for you, not only you but so many names are spoken you aren't able to remember them all.
     What do you do? You look around again, there is no one else nearby, who is he talking to? Oh my! With a jolt, you realize he is praying, not just talking! Why did you not know that before? He is praying, for himself and for you and the others! This realization causes your heart to squeeze painfully. This man is facing a horrible battle, a battle that has brought him to his knees, to pray in a way that blood is showing on his skin and still he is concerned for you, how can this be, who is this man!?
     Your wondering mind begins to recognize this situation! This man is Jesus! You step back even as you feel the presence of other beings. You do not see any others, but feel the air move as if stirred by wings.. you hear Jesus ask “My Father, if there is any way you can deliver me from this suffering, please take it from me. Yet what I want is not important, for I only desire to fulfill your plan for me.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen him.
     ..........Imagine.
   

Thank you for your patience~

Thank you, friends and family, for your patience. The Lord gives different people different assignments and He has given me assignments to support our President and unborn babies. This does mean that there will be people that don't agree with what I share, but when the Lord gives you a burden for something it is not wise to avoid it. If I offend anyone please let me know and we can work it out, I'll be happy to share reasonably with anyone! But if the Lord tells me to climb into alligator-infested swamp water to save a baby I'll do that also. =) Lorna

Hypocrites?

Have you ever heard this, "I don't go to church because there are so many hypocrites there"? I have heard it a lot of times, but recently the Lord has been showing me that if He had had the same attitude then He wouldn't have come to Earth.
     Actually, the enemy uses any excuse that will work for us to keep us from going to church and being united with a body of believers. Some people believe they are ok not going to church, some believe they are ok not tithing, some believe they are ok not praying and some believe they are ok not reading scripture. Yet God's word tells us to do all of these things! If we live as if it's ok to not follow His instructions then we really aren't being obedient and most likely we're deceived by the enemy that has told us we're ok "just the way we are".
     One of the saddest parts in scripture is in John 2:24-25, But Jesus did not yet entrust himself to them, because he knew how fickle human hearts can be. He didn’t need anyone to tell him about human nature, for he fully understood what man was capable of doing. 
     Every time I read those words I feel such conviction! It doesn't say that a few people were this way, it says it is "human nature". I really don't like to be put in the group of people that soon crucified Him, do you? However, even though Jesus knew what our human nature was, He came to Earth, He went to where people gathered to hear scripture, He presented Himself and He still offers Himself to all of us. If Jesus came and died for all of us, who are we to say we don't want to go to church with hypocrites?
     I do believe that we have to diligently fight our own nature, fight our own hypocrisy, fight our own agendas and be the people that He has called us to be. How else will we advance His Kingdom as He instructed us to do?
     Life is so very short, and if we spend it only pleasing our selves we have squandered the precious gift and opportunity that the Lord has given us. There are things He has told us to do and assignments He has given us to accomplish, how are you doing with the work He has given you?

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

Letting Go

     I've often felt empathy for the young man that came to Jesus wanting to know what he needed to do to "gain eternal life" in Mark 10. In the scriptural story, the young man is always called the "rich young ruler". While I don't claim to be "rich", by the world's standards I can't claim to be poor either, I am comfortable. 

     If I was told that I needed to sell all that I owned and follow Jesus, how would I feel about that? How would you? That would be very tough! I have things that I've worked to gain, things I've longed for and treasure! I have things that I've inherited from family, things I've been given as gifts that I'm very sentimentally attached to, things I want to pass to my children as their inheritance from grandparents and great-grandparents. Maybe the things He would tell us to let go of are habits? Hobbies? Things that take our time and energy?

     We tend to shake our heads at the "rich young ruler" who turns and walks away from Jesus, but  I ask, would we actually do any better? Have we held things back in our lives that Jesus has asked us to let go?

     Most of us are familiar with the main Ten Commandments and live a life that would fit under those instructions as the young man was instructed to do, but do you think in this teaching that Jesus is actually trying to teach the young man to place his trust and dependence on Jesus as his Savior instead of seeing his riches as his salvation? How many of us are able to transfer ownership of our lives completely into Jesus' hands? 

     Jesus did not ask all of His disciples to sell everything and follow Him, but that was the request for this "rich young ruler". With several of His disciples, He simply told them to "follow Me", without any further instruction and they did! With some disciples, like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus He left them where they were. Sometimes He sent the disciples ahead of himself on assignments! Each of the disciples was treated individually and even differently in different situations!

     As human nature is in us, we want to know black and white rules, even as the rich young man did. We want it made easy for us. What do we need to do to have eternal life? For the young man, it was to sell everything that had become overly important to him and follow Jesus. Now ask yourself, what has become overly important to me? What interferes with my following Jesus, or even going ahead of Him if He instructs? Is it things? Habits? Hobbies? Thoughts? Fears? Is there something that would stop you from fulfilling an assignment that the Lord would give you?

     Jesus is telling you to release your grip on the things of the world and to follow Him. Prayerfully examine your life for the things you need to let go of, the things that are holding you back from being part of the movement of God. The Lord will show you and strengthen you through the experience of "letting go".

   


Mark 10:17-27
A Rich Man Meets Jesus
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man came running up to him. Kneeling down in front of him, he cried out, “Good Teacher, what one thing am I required to do to gain eternal life?” 18 Jesus responded, “Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good. 19 You already know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give a false testimony, do not cheat, and honor your father and mother.’”20 The man said to Jesus, “Teacher, I have carefully obeyed these laws since my youth.” 21 Jesus fixed his gaze upon the man, with tender love, and said to him, “Yet there is still one thing in you lacking. Go, sell all that you have and give the money to the poor. Then all of your treasure will be in heaven. After you’ve done this, come back and walk with me.” 22 Completely shocked by Jesus’ answer, he turned and walked away very sad, for he was extremely rich. 23 Jesus looked at the faces of his disciples and said, “How hard it is for the wealthy to enter into God’s kingdom realm.” 24 The disciples were startled when they heard this. But Jesus again said to them, “Children, it is next to impossible for those who trust in their riches to find their way into God’s kingdom realm. 25 It is easier to stuff a rope through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy person to enter into God’s kingdom realm.” 26 But this left them all the more astonished, and they whispered to one another, “Then who could ever be saved?”
27 Jesus looked at them and replied, “With people it is impossible, but not with God—God makes all things possible!”

Jesus' Favorites, Saints or Sinners?

     It's interesting that in our current society a lot of Christians like to speak about Jesus "hanging out with sinners". They parrot the teaching that He preferred the company of the sinners over the company of the religious. I think those who believe this teaching would be surprised that in the verses I was reading this morning Jesus said, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. Mark 1:38-39
     Do those verses tell you that He avoided the religious? Notice it said He went into their synagogues throughout all of Galilee. Do not become fixated on what you want to read or believe, but read the scriptures and be open to the truth of the Lord's teaching, the Holy Spirit will open all truth to you if you come with an open heart and not preconceived ideas or teachings that fit what you want to believe.
     A synagogue by definition is a building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for religious worship and instruction. By these very scriptures, Mark 1:38-39, Jesus was seeking out the people who were gathering to hear the teaching of God's Word and to worship His Father, the people the world calls the religious! That is very encouraging to me!
     Jesus was seeking to bring truth and life to whoever would receive it, He did seek saints and sinners. We tend to label the people in the churches "hypocrites" if they don't know, act and live "all truth", we don't have mercy, compassion or forgiveness on them as we do the "sinners" in the world, why is that? They are our brothers and sisters, we should be more loving and forgiving of them than anyone else! Later Peter approached Jesus and said, “How many times do I have to forgive my fellow believer who keeps offending me? Seven times?”Jesus answered, “Not seven times, Peter, but seventy times seven times! Matthew 18:21-22
    How often do we as Christians take offense at what has happened in church, at what someone has said or not said to us? Imagine the delight the enemy has in dividing Christian believers! The very people that God has called to bring His love to the world can't even love one another! 
    This article has really mushroomed into several "rabbit trails" and I'm getting off track here, let me try to pull us back to the beginning thought! 
      Not all of the "religious establishment" would receive Jesus' teachings, but neither would all of the "sinners", sadly. Instead of dividing people along the lines of their "personal practices" we should be looking at their desire to hear the teachings of Jesus? Sinners or Saints isn't the important line to draw, hungry or satisfied would be the more of a focus. Are you hungry to hear the teachings of Jesus? Are you open to hear and grow? If you answered yes then you are one of the ones He was and is still seeking! Behold, I’m standing at the door, knocking. If your heart is open to hear my voice and you open the door within, I will come in to you and feast with you, and you will feast with me. Revelation 3:20

How To Protect Your Blessings!

We pray for a lot of different things. Christians pray often and even non-Christians pray in emergencies!
     I have a question for you today, If the Lord does bless you with something, how do you protect and care for it?
     Recently our church was aware of a special gift from the Lord but at the same time, we were made aware that the enemy would attempt to steal it. That's when the question came to mind, how do you protect the things the Lord has given you?
     You do realize that the enemy is roaming about on Earth, "Be well balanced and always alert, because your enemy, the devil, roams around incessantly, like a roaring lion looking for its prey to devour" 1 Peter 5:8. and he is here to "kill, steal and destroy", right? The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; John 10:10a. 
     With that foundation to help understand our situation then we do need to look at the idea of protecting the things the Lord gives us because also in John 10:10b He tells us that He came to "But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect—life in its fullness until you overflow!"
     If the Lord came to give and the enemy comes to steal, then it becomes vital that we learn to guard and protect! Just by reading and agreeing with this concept we have taken a giant leap towards protecting. Awareness is the first step!
     1. Awareness  What has the Lord blessed you with? This will be answered for you when you pray and meditate on the subject, and yes, you as a Christian are to meditate on the things of the Lord! Meditation is not just for yogis! We are to be careful what we do let into our minds however, so take every thought captive to the Lord and meditate on the things of His kingdom! But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:2
     2. Thankfulness When we're truly thankful for something or someone we're not "casual" about our attitude towards it or them. We take care to be aware of the situation, "is everything as it should be?" If we have a spouse that we love and are thankful for then we try to make sure their needs are met, if we have a child in our life that we are thankful for then we try to nourish and care for them, if we have a home we're thankful for then we maintain it carefully. The word "care" appears often when we think about thankfulness, we take care of what He has given us, and when we're aware that the Lord has blessed us with something to be thankful for, then we tell Him! We thank Him and praise Him! 
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name. Psalm 100:4
     3. Faithfulness If we receive a gift from the Lord we need to stay in a faithful attitude and position with it. I've been to parades and seen children running out to grab candy that was thrown out by the people in the parade. Their attitude towards the candy was kind of what we're looking at here. They would run out, grab the candy, bring it back to a parent and then turn and run after more. That really doesn't appear "Thankful or Faithful", only greedy. While we are to want and expect more from our Heavenly Father we are not to neglect what He has already blessed us with. He is not stingy, and His blessings are multiplied as we give to Him and to others, we do reap as we sow, but we need to always remain faithful to what He has put in our lives, never neglecting them and always thanking and praising Him for His gifts, not chasing after more. Remain Faithful!
     4. Persevere A good soldier does not fight one battle and think his work is completed, there are often many battles, some unto death. We are to be as persistent in our struggle against the enemy and his attempts to steal from us as a soldier is in battle! For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12  Prayer is one of your weapons, Pray over the gifts and blessings you are given! The word of the Lord is one of your weapons also! Remember the "sword of the Spirit"? Read your bible, apply the word of the Lord to your life and the gifts you have received! And remember to Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7, you win!
    Recap:
     1. Awareness: Be aware of your gifts and be aware of your enemy
     2. Thankfulness: Know where your gifts have come from and walk in thankfulness
     3. Faithfulness: Don't be greedy to the point of neglecting the gifts you have received
     4. Persevere: Stand firm in the battle, don't release your gifts to the enemy

     If you don't give up, you protect your blessings and gifts from the Lord and you win!

Well Done Dad, Thank You!

Recently I was spending time with my youngest son, the subject of my father came up in our conversation. My father was one of those people that is "bigger than life", he was the nucleus of our family and a man everyone in the area knew and loved.
     As a child I saw my father as a very volatile person, sometimes he might laugh about a situation and the next day be angry about it. He was a man that was determined to raise his children to be successful in all things and in so doing he required "excellence".
     As a child facing the requirement of excellence, the goal can appear out of reach, thus making yourself appear as a failure and the person requiring excellence appear as a tyrant.
     As I was explaining the situation and the person of my father to my son I was given a visual to explain how I see my father differently now. But at the same time, this visual is an important example of how we are distracted when we are less mature and as we grow we should be able to see differently.
     The example was of a dandelion seed. As a child we see the fluff of the seed that carries it in the breeze, I used to pick the fluff balls of the dandelions and blow the seeds into the air watching them fly away! But in actuality, the important part of the picture is the seed that is attached at the bottom. The seed is the whole point of fluff that carries it away in the wind!
     Now that I have gained maturity I am able to see that my father was a very great, loving father, even within his strict, demanding ways. He was strict to protect his family from the things of the world that they were too immature to understand, he was demanding because he knew that life is demanding and to survive and thrive we would need to be prepared. He was equipping us for the world that he knew we would face.
     When I was a child I saw the fluff of the demands that were placed on me, now as an adult, I see the seed that he was protecting and nurturing. He was a great man and father that cared for his family as few now do.
Thank you Dad! Well done!

Evil Trap

We are falling into an evil trap.....we criticize, we wring our hands, we worry, we repeat the news reports, we repeat the politicians.....that is not what we as the Body of Christ are supposed to do!
     When we repeat the words of the news reports we are cursing our Nation, we are cursing the World and ourselves.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue

Proverbs 15:4 - A soothing tongue [speaking words that build up and encourage] is a tree of life, but a perversive tongue [speaking words that overwhelm and depress] crushes the spirit.

Yes, I know that the things happening are amazing and to speak of them seems the natural, normal thing....I've been doing it myself! But we have to stop echoing the voices of the world that curse our Nation and start speaking as God's people and blessing our Nation!

     As God's Kingdom people we have a power that is far stronger than any other power on Earth, but if we don't use it then it is sitting dormant waiting for His people. 

     1. We should be praying, 2. God's word should be living in us and 3. We should be decreeing God's word and blessing our Nation, not repeating news stories and cursing it! Let's start claiming His promises, not wringing our hands about what the enemy is doing! 

     The enemy may appear to win a battle, but come on church, we are God's Army, put your armor on daily and start walking out the promises that we have been given by our King! We know Who has won the war! Let's start living like it! 

     We decree that we ARE One Nation under God! This Nation was established with the blood and on the sacrifices of many Godly men and women, sacrificing everything for the right to pursue the Lord, we will not expect less of ourselves. And we say "Father, honor their sacrifices and pour Your Glory across this Nation, heal the wounds, remove the division and unite us as One Nation Under God, in Jesus' name! Glorify Yourself Father, Amen and Amen!"

Matthew 18:19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 21:22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

John 14:13 Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

American Christians

American Christians have done such an excellent job of telling the world that "God loves" them that now the world no longer sees any need for Godliness.
     A parent that raises a child and focuses only on how much they are loved has an end product of a child that makes continual demands on that love. They either whine or throw tantrums until they get what they want.
     We now see a public child that is demanding its own way or whining with offense about how they deserve to be respected for who they are, no matter what they are doing. They do not understand a need for repentance because we have taught them that they are "loved", neglecting to teach about sin.
     As one of those "American Christians", I think it's time we examine our approach. There is now a group claiming to be the true Christians because they promote what they believe is true love, they claim this because they say they love everyone(except the religious) just as they are and they say they are attempting to make everything in the world right so that there is equality in all things for all peoples.
     And now the original American Christians are horrified to see their "spiritual" offspring embracing things that are very unbiblical. While we were telling the world how much God loved them we neglected to explain to the world that they would need to give some things up, that there are some things that are not acceptable to our Holy God.
     Now we have a spoiled child on our hands that does not want to give up anything and demands love for themselves just as they are. We have not taught them about salvation, we have taught them about self-love.
     Yes, God does love His creation, but He does not love sin. We are not teaching truth if we only teach about His love. If we want to save the world, we have to include repentance in the message of God's love! Repentance equals Revival.

Bridge Jumper or Daily Poison?

Whose death is sadder? Or, which way of death is worse? 
     Is a quick jump from a bridge worse than a slow death of daily poison?
     This is the question the Spirit gave me this morning. I was considering a fellow Christian that I miss, one who has chosen to break connections and return to the addiction they had broken free from for several years. I was thinking it was sad! I miss them, they have chosen to throw their lives back into the addiction they had broken free from! That is sad!
     But then the Holy Spirit showed me that people are daily walking out lives of addictions, and how can I only be concerned with the one that had obviously chosen their public addiction when there were so many with "hidden" addictions.
     I am choosing to break an addiction to Sugar, and while that may not sound like a sinister addiction it is still one that can wreck your health, and through wrecking your health it wrecks your life and your walk for the Lord. 
     The Spirit showed me addictions in many forms that can poison our lives, addictions to drugs, alcohol, porn, sex, worry, fear, gluttony, nicotine, caffeine, sports, cars, entertainment, comfort, pets, electronic devices, social media.....
     The list winds down to things we don't think of as bad addictions, right? Yes, we know the big ones, those are the "throwing yourself off of the bridge" ones, but then it moves into the ones that are simply "daily poisons". 
     You are probably arguing for your own "daily poison" even as you read, I know I would have been, but from my experiences, there is no point in arguing with the Holy Spirit, you always lose the debate.
     I encourage you, do not be distracted by the "Bridge Jumpers' and think they are the only ones throwing their walk with the Lord into danger by their choices, "daily poisons" are also deadly! 
     Examine your own life, do you have things that are poisoning your life and your spiritual walk, things that are preventing you from running the race the Lord has put before you? Wrestle against them! Break free! You can win!
     Be encouraged, you can eliminate the "daily poisons"! You can "Pick up your cross" and Follow Jesus! You can be single-minded in the purpose the Lord has put in your life! Pursue it! This is do-able or else Jesus never would have told us to "Follow" Him! 

  Why do you see the splinter in your brother’s eye but not notice the log in your own eye? Matthew 7:3

  Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1
   And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19 
   

Father, We Pursue You

Father, I praise You, You are Holy! A Holiness we cannot fully grasp, but we pursue You. We pursue all of You, Love, Grace, Mercy, Holiness & Justice. You are Perfect, and we strive towards Your perfection, please continue to guide us in our pursuit of Knowing You. We love You, Father

Are There Godly Men In Your Life?

     This morning I have had a very heavy heart for what is being done to the men and boys in our lives. I do believe in equal rights for all. However, I do not believe that men and boys should be persecuted for their natures by women trying to attain their rights.
     Women do deserve fair treatment, but to demand that men act like women, or as women deem appropriate is going to remove the joy of diversity, not to mention the purpose that men were created for!
     As a Christian woman, I believe that the Lord made men as they are, they are warriors, protectors, coverings, providers and that He then made women, it was not to replace men, but to be "helpers" to them, to come alongside them. Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” The Lord had already created Man, He doesn't need for women to recreate them!
     On my heart is the understanding that a woman, who is a follower of Jesus, and then becomes a "wife" needs to walk carefully with her husband and before her Maker. We are not to join the group of women in the world that are ridiculing men and boys, we are to respect and love our husbands, cherish them and our sons. Manliness is a characteristic of who they are! Yes, we don't always understand them, but that was not our instructions, our instructions were simply to respect them! Ephesians 5:33b "and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband."
     My husband and I have realized that sometimes we misunderstand what the other is saying because we have different definitions of the words we're using, what we think we understand a word to mean isn't necessarily it's true definition, so I looked "respect" up to share here. In this case, respect is a "Verb", meaning we need to put action to the meaning.
     Here is the definition of Respect: "admire (someone) deeply, as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements." I did look all over this site and could not find any concept of trying to change them or bashing them for not being who or what we want them to be!
     I know I'm talking to the "choir" here, but really, if you have men or boys in your lives, realize that the world is out to feminize them, be on "their side", make your relationship one that is safe for them to be who they are, the world is on the attack against them and they do need to know that the Christian women in their lives support them, that we "have their backs"! Let us encourage them in the roles they were created for, encourage them to build relationships with other Godly men, encourage them by allowing them the freedom to be the men they are!