CHANGES

My heart is somewhat sad right now because of circumstances in my world.  Not me or my husband, beyond that.

I have a friend who is beyond the 80 years mentioned in Scripture that we can have as humans on planet earth, actually I have a few friends that age.  This friend has recently gone through a bit of a hard time.

She developed a physical problem that worsened over the period of a few days and she ended up in the hospital.  Going through several days there, it was recommended that she go to a rehabilitation facility for a week.

She lost something through this experience.  She is not the same and it bothers me.

I know her to be full of zest for life.  Always one to be ready for an adventure, she would be ready to go at the drop of a hat if any of her friends suggested doing something.

She liked to talk about what was going on in the world, both secular and Christian.  And she longed to contribute something to the world, she wanted to do something, to be involved.

When I visited her at the rehab place she was searching why she was there and came to the conclusion that she was there to bring a smile or some joy into an otherwise dark place.  This she did by visiting people in their rooms and saying,  “Hi!” in the halls as she met people, and always with a smile.

She came “home” to a messy place, but together we made short order of picking it up so she would feel comfortable to welcome her family members who were coming the next day for a visit.

She reported being happy with the way the visit went.

So, what is my problem?  A part of the person that she was is gone, I can’t put my finger on exactly what, but I am sad.  I pray that it will come back, but if it doesn’t I need to accept that.

The consolation, and there always is a consolation with God, is that no matter what happens to my friend or any of us for that matter, who we really are in the spirit will never change, never die and if we are believers we will be together as whole persons forever throughout all eternity, and I praise God for that!

One of my children has gone through a divorce this year.  Never easy and always painful, divorce rips apart two people who made a covenant before God and witnesses to be together in sickness and health etc. “until death do us part”.

The relationship died before the people did.  It did not happen overnight.  It died by increments.  Hurts, wounds, expectations not met, offenses taken and more. Like knives being plunged into flesh, blood flowed, life left and death came.  The  covenant was broken, the end came…separation…then divorce.

Loneliness begins to set in like cold on a 20 degree below zero day and it chills the soul.  All one wants is to be warm again, to feel good again, to be loved again.  It is written:  “It is not good for man to be alone.”  Especially, a young man.  Each man is to have his own wife.  Each woman is to have her own husband.  That is what the Bible says.

Something will fill the void.

My child has chosen a “relationship” that will not lead to marriage.  This is very acceptable in today’s world, it is not acceptable in the Kingdom of God.

The worldly person wants to be accepted, as we all do, but they want you to accept what they do as well.  This a believer cannot do when it disagrees with the Word of God.  Jesus never did that, no one He ministered to left His presence untouched.  Only those who were in rebellion against God were not touched or changed by being in His presence.   He is our example.

How then do we walk this out?

Change is not easy for anyone.  Some accept it more readily than others.  But, change comes to all and many times over a lifetime.

My child is my child.  Nothing will ever change that, not what they say or do, nor where they go, whether alive or dead, they are my child.

Some children choose to walk away from their family.  Others choose to stay in relationship but not walk closely.  Others choose to continue on their pathway, expecting their family to accept who or what they have become.

There are some children who respect and honor their parents to the degree that they will ask for and consider the advice the parents give.  That is called honoring your Father and Mother, a command in the Word of God.

As a friend what do I do?  As a parent what do I do?

Love, unconditional love…first and foremost.  Then “watch and pray” as the Bible says we are to do.  Ultimately though, each of us is responsible to God for himself or herself.

If we are committed to Jesus, then we are to be led by His Holy Spirit.  Being led by the Holy Spirit means that we will be led into what we are to do in each and every situation.  He leads, we follow.  Sometimes that is through the written Word, sometimes through circumstances, sometimes through other people etc.  God is not limited by how He speaks to us.

We have an additional advantage as believers and that is that we are all part of the Body of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we can turn to another believer for counsel when we cannot see the way.   Our Father, is so good to us.

We do not need to ever second guess our actions when they come from a pure heart of love because God will make sure that all things work together for good because we love Him.  He is a good, good Father!

We do not need to ever receive guilt, accusation or condemnation.  God is not in any of that.  It is a work of the kingdom of darkness.  God is love and in Him is no darkness at all.

The Word of God tells us to Submit to God and resist the devil and he will flee from us.

Stand strong on the Word of God, stay in faith that God is involved in everything that pertains to you and your life because He loves you so much.

When it is all over here on planet earth, there is Life, Love and Laughter for all eternity for those who love God, for those who have received what Jesus did at the cross for them…It is personal.

Amen, praying for you today…. God bless you, Joy

 

 

 

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The Message

Love:  Greek;  Agapao  “To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly.”

God so loved the world that He gave…Jesus.   (John 3:16)

Show us the Father and it will be enough! Have I been with you so long and you do not know me. I am in the Father and the Father is in me.  If you have seen me you have seen the Father.    (John 14:9)

The image of Jesus is the image of the Father.   (Hebrews 1:3)

Let us create man in our image and our likeness.   (Genesis 1:26)

From the foundation of the world, I knew you.   (Ephesians 1:4)

All your parts were known to me and planned before the world was made.  In my book every day of your life was written when as yet there were none.  Psalm 139: 1-18)

God IS love.  Jesus is the face of God.   (I John 4: 8-20)  (John 14:9)

Many were offended and left…Will you leave also?  To whom shall we go, you have the words of Life.  (John 6: 66-69)

Eternity….no end.  (Isaiah 57:15)

It is appointed unto men once to die and then comes judgment.   (Hebrews 9:27)

Some men’s sins go before them openly and some follow after to judgment.                 (I Timothy 5:24)

No man comes to the Father except by me.   (John 14:6)

Forgive and you will be forgiven.  If you refuse to forgive then God cannot forgive you.   (Mark 11:24-25)

There are no liars, murderers, idolaters, adulterers, sorcerers, thieves, covetous, drunkards, extortioners…..in God’s Kingdom of Heaven….only those who love God and follow the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world…God had a plan and He executed His plan.  There is no other way to God, to Heaven, except through Jesus.  (Revelation 22:15)  (I Corinthians 6:10)  (Revelation 13:8)  (John 14:6)

When you turn from darkness to light, you are transferred into the Kingdom of Light, the Kingdom of God.   (Colossians 1:13)  (Isaiah 57:15)

Eternity with God in the perfection and completeness of all things.   (Luke 12:37)

Eternity without God.  Complete perfection of darkness and evil.  (Matthew 25:30, 41)

You choose whom you will serve.  No one makes that decision for you.  (Joshua 24:15)

God loved you so much that He made a way for you to be with Him forever.  It is not your way.  It is not the way of any other.  His way is the only way.   (John 14:6)

There is a pouring out.  (Acts 2:17-18)

There is a time for everything.   (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

God gives because God loves.   (John 3:16)

This is not a new message, but it is a message that blinded eyes cannot see and it falls on deaf ears in each generation.  How shall they hear unless someone tells them?  Who will go?  Who will tell?  Who will pray that they may hear? (Romans 10:14)

This is not a message for the mind of natural man.  The message is for the hungering heart, the thirsting soul.  It is for the “whoever will come”.  (Mark 8:34-35)

Broad is the way that leads to destruction, many follow its way.  Narrow is the way the leads to life and few find it.   (Matthew 7:13-14)

Every gate, every door leads to somewhere, something, some way.  A gate may look beautiful, fun, interesting but it may ultimately leads to destruction, death and Hell.  Choices matter for eternity.  (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25)

Jesus said if you are not with Him you are against Him.  (Luke 11:23)

There are many gates, many doors and many choices.  Choices can be made even if you are going the wrong way.  You can turn around and go back.  It is not too late.  As long as there is breath in your body, you can turn around.   (Revelation 3:20)

God calls you to come home, come back to the one who made you, the one who placed your spirit in that little bit of flesh in your mother’s womb, the one who grew and became strong enough to enter into the world of men.  He created you.                  (Genesis 5:1-2)  (Isaiah 43:7; 45;12)

Come home, can’t you hear Him calling?  “I love you my son, I love you my girl, come home.  You are welcome.  It doesn’t matter to me where you have been or what you have done, I love you.  I will clean you up, just trust me, come to me.”          (Revelation 22:17)

Pray:  Father, I come.  Just as I am.  Forgive me.  Thank you for receiving me.  I receive what Jesus did for me.  Thank you for giving me life eternal!                    (Psalm 61:2  62:7)  (I Peter 2:1-10)

If you have prayed to receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord, welcome to the family of God.  It is important for your spiritual growth that you find others who believe as you believe and enter into relationship with them.  It is important that you have a Bible that is written so that you can read and understand it, it is the manufacturers handbook, so to speak, and you need it to know how to live from now on.

The new birth as recorded in John chapter 3, opens the way for God’s Holy Spirit to come to live inside of you.  There is a subsequent (or can be at the same time) infilling called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as recorded in the book of Acts.

The Holy Spirit baptizes you into the “Body of Christ” and Jesus baptizes you into the Holy Spirit.  These two things are a work of the grace of God, independent of your works.  You cannot earn either one, you just receive.   (I Corinthians 12:13)   (Mark 1:8) (Acts 1:5, 8; 2:1-4)

“Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.”   (Titus 3:5)

May the Lord complete that good work that He has done in you.  Amen!

Joy

 

All Things Are Possible…

God can do anything, you know…far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams  He does not do it by pushing us around but by working within us, His Spirit deeply and gently within us.  Ephesians 3:20 MSG

Everything we could ever need for life and complete devotion to God has already been deposited in us by his divine power.  For all this was lavished upon us through the rich experience of knowing Him who has called us by name and invited us to come to Him through a glorious manifestation of His goodness.  II Peter 1:3  PT

It was a warm Summer day, the sun was bright, high in the sky.  The men were home for lunch and a bit of a rest before getting back in the field.

My Grandma, Gram to me, and I were in the kitchen doing the dishes.  Well, I was actually lollygagging, sitting in a chair in the living room polishing a dish when I should have been in the kitchen with her.  I hated doing the dishes and could find ways to get around it, such as going to the bathroom for fifteen minutes until she was finished with them.

I was eight years of age when I came to stay at the farm.  I am the oldest of what would eventually be seven children.  How I came to the farm and my early life there is a story for another time.  Today I want to tell you a little more about what God has done for me.

Every child is born with rebellion in them.  It comes from Adam, the federal head of the race of mankind.  I was no exception.  God brings us into a family with a mother and a father, whose charge it is to “train us up in the way we should go.”  However, we know that His standard is often not the pattern.

My Dad became an alcoholic early in life.  This addiction colored our world.  It not only touched Mom and us children, it touched the extended family as well.

I am a melancholy introverted person by natural temperament.  I am also more choleric than I care to admit.  These two temperaments within me have collided frequently in the past and still do occasionally.

I was born in 1938.  So much was going on in the world during the 30’s and 40’s.  The war had a profound affect on our lives.  Dad had a bad back and so was not able to be in the war effort.  No doubt this affected him, as well as his home situation.

My Dad was a personable, kind person when he was not under the influence of alcohol.  I found this out only when we brought him to live with us many years later.

People have many experiences and along with those experiences are the decisions that they make which color their world for the better or for worse, and in turn affect those around them.

My Dad had a little brother who died suddenly.  When his mother died unexpectedly, his father rebelled against God. When his dad married a former school teacher, the situation became impossible for both Dad and her.  He was told to leave.

I have heard some of the stories of what he did during that time period and I have no doubt it was difficult for his step-mom, a woman who had never been married, to come into a ready-made family of three children.  But, it was a life changer for my Dad and the decisions that he made affected the rest of his life and thus those of us who were in his circle.

I think of and picture a beautiful, sunny day at the lake.  I see the sun shining of the water and a young boy with rocks in his hands skipping them across the water.  Some of the rocks skip, but not all, some just go kerplunk into the water and the waves begin to go out from the point of impact in ever-widening circles.

This picture speaks to me of the effect each decision we make has on our lives and the lives of those in our circle.  How very important it is to consider who we are and whose lives we impact when we make a decision.  Each decision has a far-reaching impact.

In my eighth year I was taken to my maternal grand-parents farm, where I lived until I was eighteen.  Many years later I was shown that the decision where I wanted to live was given to me.   I was only eight.  When I was 19, I questioned who I was and felt as though I did not belong to anyone.  Years later when I married, my Grandma said, “Now you belong to someone.”

I met Jesus when I was fifteen years of age.  I saw that it was my sin that He took on the cross, it became personal that day.  I was raised in church, I knew about Jesus, but I did not know Him.  That day I asked Him to come into my heart and when I did, I became a new creation in Him.

I went from hating my Dad for what he did to me and our family through his use of alcohol to loving him and being concerned for him, and praying that he would come to know Jesus.  It was many years later, but he received Jesus as his savior before he died.

The day I met Jesus, I became a prayer.  After seven years of prayer and trusting God, my Mom, my sisters and my brothers all met the Lord Jesus.  They all love Him today, I am so thankful.  We  will be together for all eternity.

God who knows the end from the beginning, who has made all provision for us, reached out to me and drew me to Himself.  I found my worth, my value in Him.  I am a child of God, that is who I am.  God is my Father, Jesus is my Savior and Lord and the Holy Spirit is my teacher, my counselor and my comforter.

God is in the transformation business.  He takes what is broken and makes it new.  He takes what is stained and dirty and makes it clean.  The blood of Jesus that was shed for all mankind washes us clean, we only need to claim it and take it as our own.  I pray that you have done that.

God bless you today,

Joy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Would You Do?

Everyone of us experiences change.  It is inevitable because we live in a fallen world, a world that is changing, decaying and dying.  Earth groans as it waits for the revealing of the sons of God, as it waits for the Kingdom of God to come on Earth as it is in Heaven.

There are many kinds of changes that we experience here are a few examples.

You are engaged to be married and your intended is killed in a car accident, you are devastated, but you must go on.

When your husband of 55 years dies, your world crumbles and you want to die too.

The company you have worked for twenty-five years hands you a pink slip and says your services are no longer needed and you have just had your fiftieth birthday, you have a family to support and you have no idea what you are going to do now, where do you turn?

When you hate yourself or the way you look or the way others treat you;  you have been battered and bruised in some way and your behavior becomes self-destructive because of it, what or who can save you from self-destruction?

Each of these present a difficult time, a time when you will experience sorrow and grief.  With each of these scenarios there will be a time of facing the truth that change has happened and you will transition whether you like it or not.  What happens in transition?

 

Choices are made.  Fear controls some and they try to flee the new reality.  Some get into self medication and others into a new enlightenment.  Others will fight the change with everything in them.  And some will give up and go head long into depression, ultimately leading to death.

Change is inevitable, a time of transition is inevitable, a choice is inevitable, but ignoring change, refusing change will not keep you from change.

Picture this scenario.

A major shift has taken place in the world.  What was normal life is now abnormal.  An evil force has taken control of government and you no longer have freedom, not in the outside world not even in your home.  There are spies everywhere.  No one can be trusted.

The television stations have been taken over, books, CD’s, DVD’s have been confiscated, especially Bibles and anything Jewish or Christian.  You have no TV, no books, no media and finally, you are rounded up and put into holding camps waiting annihilation.  You have nothing familiar.  Families are separated from each other.  Children are taken away to be indoctrinated.  Your life, the life you knew is over.

Rumors spread through the camp of the beheading of those who refused to bow their knee to the image of their god.  You will submit or you will die.  These are your only choices.  What will you do then?  Worst case scenario has come.  Will you be ready?

Some day, according to the Bible, this scenario or one close to it, will happen.

“Time flies”, people say.  Yes, it is ever-moving forward.  All forward movement is going somewhere.  There is an end, there is a goal.  STOP! will happen.

Life has a beginning and it has an end.  We are eternal spirits.  We live in a body on the earth, we have a soul which contains our mind, our will and our emotions.  God created each us with eternity in our heart.  Because of this we feel like we will live forever in this body on the earth, even though we know intellectually that is not so.

The day will come to each of us when we will leave this body behind and go to the one we loved and served on earth, whether that is the Creator God or God’s adversary, the accuser, also known as the satan or the devil.

While we still can walk in the light, in freedom and liberty, let us make the most of the time we have here.  There are people to love and care for, there are assignments from Heaven that need to be done and most of all there is a God in Heaven, whom Jesus called “Our Father”, who is to be praised and worshiped every day we live.  Let’s do it.  Let’s make the most of our time here,

God bless you, Joy

 

 

 

 

 

 

And God Said…

January 2018 in the Divided States of America….

1:30 A. M. the 31st day of January 2018, I woke up abruptly.  ‘Lord, why am I wide awake now?’  I lay in the bed for another 15 minutes,  I finally got up and came into my prayer room.

God had something to say.  I grabbed my pen and my journal and began to write what I was hearing as fast as I could.

I had heard these words in 2016:

“There will be war, but it will not be what you think.  It will be war between dark and light, good and evil.” 

This day in 2018 I heard this:

“I am going to judge everyone based on their reaction to my plans for America.”

“I have come down to engage personally with Donald John Trump.  He will hear from me as clearly as anyone in that House has heard.”

“I intend to move in ways far greater than any other time in the history of America.”

“I will leave no stone unturned in my dealings with the enemy for my land.”

“I do not take lightly the words and actions taken by those who oppose my agenda.”

“I will not tolerate the kind of activity that I have allowed in the past.  Judgment will be swift and without mercy to those who oppose me.

“Fear not, I will spare my own as a mother spares her child from harm.”

“I do not desire to bring this.  I take no delight in it.  But, I will no longer allow those who come against my plans and my way to continue in their wicked way.  The time has come.”

“Many will say to Me in that hour, in that day, ‘Why is this happening?’  

“Some of those who oppose me are simply ignorant.  But, there are others who know what they do and do so with purpose of vile intent.”

“When the time comes you must guard your heart.  Remember what I have taught you.  Trust me.  Look to the end, look to the end.  I have made the end from the beginning.  It is all in My hand.  Remember, all I do is out of love.”

I sat amazed, stunned.  I have no interpretation for any of this.  God’s ways are higher than ours and I won’t try to figure out what He means or what He is going to do.  This I know, I heard from God.

I began to study Cyrus in the Bible as some have said that President Trump is like Cyrus.  What I found was an amazing similarity between the two in their dealing with God’s people.

One preacher that I heard today likened the President to Jehu in the Bible.  I have not looked into that yet.

I asked the Lord what to do with this, if I should tell someone or pass it on and He told me to put it here.  So here it is.

You judge.

I am Joy

 

 

 

The Lord’s Prayer?

Down through the centuries The Lord’s Prayer, so called, has been said or prayed more times than man can number. It has been prayed from honest, God-loving hearts, and it has been prayed by mindless repetition as well.

I have heard it said that this is really not the Lord’s prayer at all, but rather the prayer He taught His disciples to pray.  That is true in the context in which it is written.  But, I believe that it is also the prayer that Jesus prayed as a man.

Jesus taught His disciples that God is our Father in Heaven.  Up to that time God was not seen as a Father.  He was seen by the masses as a distant being that was only mildly interested in the lives of His people.  The priests and Rabbis were the only ones with access to God as far as the common man was concerned and the religious leaders wanted to keep it that way.

When Jesus came along, He introduced the people to a God who cared deeply about them, who loved them like an earthly father loves his children.  The people flocked to hear Him tell about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven.  He used parables to teach them, examples that they could relate to.

When Jesus had completed what He had come to earth to do, spiritually speaking.  Not long before His crucifixion, He prayed what some call the true Lord’s prayer.  It is found in John chapter 17.  Jesus prays for His disciples and for those who will come to believe in Him through their words that they would all be one so the world would know that He came.

“Hallowed be thy name”, Holy is your name.

The Bible teaches that God gave Jesus a name that is above every other name. His Hebrew name is Yeshua. The name means “Savior”.  He was known as Yeshua ben Yosef, or Jesus the son of Joseph, the carpenter’s son.  Joseph was a carpenter.  His mother’s name was Miriam, Mary in English.

Christ is not His last name, it is His title, it means “sent one”.  Keep His name and His title holy, don’t use it to curse and swear, please.  Those of us who love Him find it painful to hear.  It grieves us and it grieves God because you are bringing curses on yourself by doing this.

Have you noticed that no one swears or curses using the name of any false god?  Ever wonder why?  Jesus is God, He lives.  The others are all dead men. No power, no authority.  He said, “All authority has been given to me in Heaven and on Earth.” He said His Father gave Him authority.  The people said that He spoke “as one having authority, not as the scribes and pharisees.”

Words matter.  You will have what you say.  Cursing brings a curse upon you because what you sow you will reap, furthermore, the Bible tells us not to swear at all.

“May your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  That is a prayer that will be answered before the end comes.

There are two kingdoms in this world.  One kingdom is filled with selfishness, darkness and moral bankruptcy, it is ruled over by the god of this world system, the one the world calls satan and the devil.

When Lucifer focused upon himself, he contemplated the beauty, the splendor, the wonderful creation that he was.

He ignored the fact that He was a creature, created by God.  In that look, that focusing on himself, pride arose and he decided that he wanted to be God; in this he sinned and it wasn’t long before he decided he would overthrow God and take over the throne and Heaven.  He was so wrong.  He got thrown out of Heaven.  You don’t fight God and win.

If you are a member of the kingdom of darkness, you are in agreement that  “self” is the center of your world.  Your soul rules you.  The power behind the sinful soul is the fallen angel, Lucifer and his minions.  Without repentance, your destination is eternal separation from God, from light, from loved ones  and all that is good.  Eternity in torment.

The other Kingdom is the Kingdom of Light.  The God of the Kingdom of Light is Love.  He loves unconditionally.  Laughter, Peace, Joy and God’s way of doing and being right are part of that Kingdom.

Belonging to the Kingdom of light is to love God above all, He is priority number one and the member is “all in”.  The power behind the spirit of the believer is the Holy Spirit. The destination is Heaven and eternity with God our Father, with Jesus, and our loved ones.

God’s will is going to be done “on earth as it is in Heaven”.  There is no darkness, no evil in Heaven.  God will give the world one last chance to choose Him.  His people will be like a bride prepared to receive her bridegroom.  The Bible speaks of the “Wedding supper of the Lamb” and it says, “His wife has made herself ready.”

Every person ever born will make a choice where they will spend eternity.  It is God’s will that all come to know the truth, that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  No man comes to the Father except by Him, through Him.

“It is given unto men once to die and after that the judgment.”  Choose this day whom you will serve.  Will it be God or Lucifer aka satan and the devil?   You will serve one of them.

Two Kingdoms, two destinations.  You will choose.  No choice is a choice.

Choose wisely.  Choose Life.  Choose God!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because He Lives

God sent His son they called Him Jesus

He came to love, heal and forgive

He lived and He died to buy my pardon

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

 

Then one day I’ll cross that river

I’ll fight life’s final war with pain 

And then as death gives way to victory

I’ll see the lights of Glory and 

I’ll know He lives

 

Because He lives I can face tomorrow

Because He lives all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

and life is worth the living just because He lives.

 

Copyright:  Music and lyrics by Bill and Gloria Gaither

 

This is the hope of everyone who believes and receives Jesus as their Savior and Lord:   Because God gave His best gift, the gift of Jesus,  we have forgiveness through the blood of Jesus; we have Heaven as our eternal destination. Not only that, but in our everyday walking around on earth lives, His Holy Spirit is with us to comfort, lead, teach and guide.  We are not alone.

Let us remember that the reason we celebrate this time of year is because He lives.  I pray you will have a Blessed Christmas!

Restoration

Restore.  Re Store…it presents the picture of a store that is empty and it is being stocked once more, made ready for business.  To”Re” anything is to do it again.

I am thinking of the natural disasters that have taken place recently.  The hurricanes, the floods, the wild fires, the volcanic eruptions and the earthquakes that have taken place in recent months have been called “disasters of Biblical proportions”.  The earth, quite possibly, is groaning under the weight of the sin of mankind.  I think that the Bible indicates this possibility.

It is written in Romans 8:22, the New King James version of the Bible:  “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”  It is possible that the birth pangs are growing stronger because the birth it alludes to is coming close.

Going back to verse 21 of the above passage, we read:  “Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.”

The earth and mankind were made subject to the curse spoken by God to Adam as recorded in Genesis 3: 17-19.  It was disobedience to God’s Word that caused the curse to come upon the earth and it is obedience to God’s Word that will cause the restoration of mankind first and then the earth.

Restoration can have many faces.  Damage can be done to a marriage by wrong choices or decisions.  When people are selfish the only thing considered is, “What is in it for me?”  Self at the center is a huge black hole and everything is sucked into it.

I was speaking with a friend yesterday about how easy it is to throw a “pity party”.  The problem is that the emotion of self pity is part of the process leading into that big black hole.  The end is death, relationships die because no one wants to attend a pity party.

At this time most of the Body of Christ is praying for revival or awakening.  Most are aware how evil seems to have arisen in every quarter.  The intent of the mastermind of evil is to take over and obliterate anything that is of God.  It has been said that good and evil are manifesting at the same time now, but evil seems to be prevailing.  Some are wringing their hands and worrying.  But God has lifted the cover off it all and everything will be seen for what it truly is.

Many years ago I saw a graphic that depicted what I think is relevant to where we are today.  I saw a perpendicular arrow, an arrow on the right side of it called, “Religion” and an arrow on the left side called “New Age”.  The trajectory of the two side arrows was at a forty-five degree angle.

I was given to understand that the middle arrow represented the Kingdom of God on the earth and its people.  The two side arrows were movements on earth that would persecute the true church of Jesus Christ.  We surely are seeing the movement of the New Age in the political realm.  The Globalists are anti-Christ in their thinking and doing.

The religions of the world, in general, are anti-Christ, though there is an emergent group, called “Crislam” which sees Chritianity and Islam as serving the same God and they strive to bring the two together.  Most true Christians disagree that the God of the Bible is the god of Islam.

I think it is worth noting that nothing on this earth is static.  There is always movement and it is always toward God and His Kingdom or away from God and His Kingdom, and there are always consequences for every choice made.  It is also worth noting that making no choice at all is a choice.

I have considered the “ites” of Biblical times and the “isms” of today.  As far as I can see both were and are anti-Christ.  Communism was huge in the news when I was young.  People in Hollywood were suspected of belonging to the Communist party and were black-balled because of it.  A couple, the Rosenbergs, was tried for treason against America for their suspected Communist activity.

In recent years when Russia opened up and people began to come and go, those who came out were mostly atheists, because people of faith were driven underground when the Communist party took over.  The leaders lived high on the hog and the common man stood in lines to get a loaf of bread or a piece of meat, this was the result of Communism.

I just thought of a commercial I heard years ago:  “Promise her anything but give her Arpege.”  It was a perfume that was being touted.  The isms of the world promise many things, but in the end, what they deliver is never what was promised.

Today in Communist China there is an active underground church.  The Chinese leaders allow a certain amount of religion in the official church, but if anyone rises up with true faith to preach the true gospel, he is removed, jailed and worse.  Such is the “freedom” of Communism and its close kin, socialism.

Bernie Sanders is a self-proclaimed Socialist.  He interrogated someone recently for a post in the Trump government.  He has been accused by Pastor Robert Jeffres of crossing a line and violating the constitution in that examination because he focused on the persons Christian faith.  At issue is the intent and purpose of the founding fathers of America as written in the Constitution of the United States of America respecting freedom of religion.

The so-called separation of church and state has been wrongly interpreted and the American people have been brain-washed to believe that Christians have no place in the government and if they are there, they need to leave their faith at home.  It is a compartmentalized view of religion.  However, the true Christian faith is not an addition to a person’s life, it is his life.  He is transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God.  It is life-changing.  This is why it is referred to as being born-again, for literally it is like being born anew.

I want to point out that the true church of Jesus Christ is made up of people from every denomination.  I have known Catholic people and Baptist people who loved God with all their hearts and had a real relationship with Jesus.  The same can be said of every part of the Body of Christ, whatever the label applied to them.

A word of caution…the denominational organization itself is not sacrosanct, whatever the label, it is the people who are sanctified by the blood of Jesus who make up the true church.

To bring this to a close, it is my sense that God is sifting, weighing each person, giving them every opportunity to choose to follow Jesus.  I do not believe that He is judging anyone at this time.  I believe that He has souls on His heart.  It is written that Jesus died to bring many sons to Glory.

He wants people to know that He loves them and has a good plan for their lives.  His invitation is:  “Come to me if you’re weary, if you have labored long and hard and you’re tired of the world, tired of sin, yes, even tired of yourself.”  He will accept you just as you are, no preconditions.  The Bible tells us that God is love.  We cannot know that kind of unconditional love unless we turn from sin and receive what Jesus did at Calvary for us.

Today, if you hear His voice calling you to come, won’t you respond?  He is waiting for you.

 

 

 

 

The Kingdom of God

God has a kingdom. The King of that Kingdom is Jesus the Jewish Messiah. His Hebrew name was Yeshua, or Yahoshua, or Yahshua. I have seen it written many ways. It simply means Savior. Many men were named this as the people expected the Messiah to come and they hoped their son would be the one. They did not know God or His ways.

The Jewish people of today are a mixed tribal people made up of all 12 sons of Jacob. What is of interest to me is that many of the Jewish people still know what their ancestral tribe is.

God selected a man named Abraham as the federal head of this race of people. Back in history they were called Hebrews, today they are called Jews. This is predominantly because in the reign of King David, Israel, the name given to Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, was divided into two kingdoms called Israel and Judah. From the name Judah came Jew. Today we know of the country called Israel and a people called Jews.

People have a way of changing and distorting history to suit themselves. Names and places are often changed. Even here in America this can be seen as many seek to find their ancestors through sources such as ancestry.com.

I see and I dream, not always, but as the Spirit wills. On the 14^th of September in the place between sleep and awake, I heard the following words:

“God has a kingdom, it is made up of many men, women, and children. He is issuing invitations to people to come in and become citizens.”

“Jesus is the king of the kingdom. He is the way to become a citizen.”

“Would you like to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God?”

When I got up I wrote the following:

“God has a plan and a purpose for every person on earth. He has given each of us the choice to accept His will and plan or to refuse it.”

“God loves you. He is our Father. (of those who have chosen Jesus) We (all) came from Him to earth on temporary duty. If you choose to accept His offer you will be among a company who will spend eternity in total bliss.”

“The alternative is that you will spend your allotted time on earth as you see fit and will spend eternity in a place bereft of all that is light and good.”

“The choice is yours. God loves you and His plan for your life is for good, not evil, but unless you are a citizen of the Kingdom of God, He has no legal right to send His blessing to you.”

“How do you become a citizen you ask?”

“You receive what God’s son, Jesus, did for you. He came to earth as a human being. His birth was through a woman named Miriam, Mary, a woman whose heritage was from the family of King David, the king of Israel. He was of the seed of Abraham.”

“Miriam was a young girl whom God had prepared to be the carrier of His seed. She was impregnated by the Holy Spirit of God, she was a virgin. This had been told by the prophets centuries before. `Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, He shall be called Emmanuel, God with us.”

“It is written that Yeshua, Jesus, was crucified on a Roman cross. He died and was buried. He rose up from the grave, from death. Then, as the High priest of God, He went back to His Father; taking His blood He placed it on the mercy seat before the throne of God. Because of this action, anyone can come to the Father in Jesus name and become a member of the Kingdom of God.”

“Jesus was on earth many days after His resurrection. It is my personal belief that prior to His resurrection Jesus appeared to every tribe of people on the earth to tell them about the Kingdom of God and the way to enter in.”

“After His resurrection, it is written that He sat down at the right hand of God. As the King of the Kingdom and as the High priest of the new covenant in His blood, He mediates that covenant, He lives to make intercession for the children of God”

Whosoever will may enter in to the Kingdom of God. It is simply a decision to do so. Jesus is the Way.

Would you like to become a citizen of the Kingdom of God? Ask and you will receive, when you desire it with all your heart.

(There is scriptural back up for what I have told you. If you want it, email me at jentemitt@aol.com)

Love and Prayer

For my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people. Isaiah 56:7

He taught them saying, “Is it not written, My house shall be called of all the nations the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams.” Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Susie Larson, host of “Live the Promise” says about prayer:

“If you’ve been persevering in prayer, I commend you. Do not relent! Hang on to God’s Word no matter what your circumstances are saying to you.”

“If until now you’ve only reacted to life’s circumstances as they come your way and haven’t really embraced the idea of forward moving faith, well, I have great news for you! Today is a new day! God has a promise that fits you perfectly. He has a plan for your life and an intended blessing for your soul. He wants to use you in great ways and He wants to reveal Himself to the world through you.”

Acts 10:38 “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.”

Proverbs 24:29 “Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”

Matthew 7:11 “If you know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask Him! Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

As a child, I was taught concerning my fellow man, to “put the most charitable construction on all that he does.”

“When we evaluate and judge other people, our natural inclination is to ignore our own faults and to make critical judgments of others.” Peacemaker Ministries, Februry16, 2015

Assumption or presumption can get us into trouble. Any circumstance looked at from your point of view only, will miss the mark by a mile. There are a thousand and one reasons why someone may fail you, fail to think of how something will affect you.

We presume that we should be treated fairly by all, in a world that is anything but fair. People will fail us, most do not do so on purpose, which is why we have to “cut them some slack”.  Is it not written: “And whenever you stand praying, If you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your Father in Heaven may also forgive you.”? Mark 11:25

Has someone hurt you? Forgive. It is not a feeling, it is a decision. “When you stand praying forgive.”  Unforgiveness will block your prayers.

When we have to deal with those who are blatantly evil, the Jesus tells us what to do: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for them who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44

Critical judgments not only cause wounds to others, they wound your own soul. You can become bitter and resentful with an attitude problem that is evident to all around you; becoming suspicious and gossipy, ever looking for fault in others, talebearers, they are laying the groundwork for the loss of their own soul if they do not repent. These are serious matters to God.

Proverbs 18:8; 26:22 “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”

I John 4:16 “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God and God abides in Him.”

I John 4:8 “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

When our attitude and behavior is anything other than loving toward others, we are not being Christlike, and after all, if you call yourself a Christian, then you are, day by day, to become more like Him who went about doing good, who brought healing to those whose life He touched.

Love is the answer to every question.

Awhile back WWJD became a fad in the Christian community. The acronym stood for What Would Jesus Do. Whatever difficult situation you find yourself in today, ask yourself this question, what would Jesus do about this?

Jesus prayed. He was the Son of God yet He needed to spend time in prayer, He needed time to have conversation with His Father. He went often to a mountain to pray. His prayer life was so rich that his disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.

I heard this truth long ago:  “Prayer is the conversation of the believing heart with God.”

Pray without ceasing…”Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.” Luke 18:1

I have a friend that lives and breathes prayer, she literally “prays without ceasing”. She hosts a prayer meeting at her home each week, she is passionate about prayer. It is her hearts desire that the church fulfill God’s mandate to be a “house of prayer for all nations”.

Jesus felt so strongly about this that He went into the temple and drove out the money changers calling them thieves. There was a lot of corruption going on, not simply selling animals for the sacrifices required, these men were not honest, god-fearing people. God hates lying, deceiving, cheating.

Well, what manner of people ought we to be then? If we call ourselves Christian (Christ One), then we are to pray as He prayed, spending time with God in conversation. We come into His presence with praise and worship, we make petition, supplication, intercession for others, making our requests known to Him. We listen to Him as He speaks to us in our human spirit, through His written Word or through others. We thank Him for the many blessings He has given to us.  A love relationship, that is what it is all about.

Today, take time to be with the one your soul loves, the one who gave all for you. He would have done it just for you, that is how precious you are to Him.

God bless you is my prayer. Joy