Friday, January 24, 2014
We Have a Singing God
Did you know that we have a Singing God?
“The Lord thy God
in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with
joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.” Zephaniah
3:17 KJV
The above verse is a song I sing from time to time.
Every time I think of having a Holy Father God who
sings over me, I get filled up with joy all over again. Can you just imagine
having a God who not only rejoices over us with joy, but sings over us too?
Since God created us for His pleasure, and we please Him by our love and faith
and we sing praises to His name; is it not incredible to know we have a singing
God singing right back over us? We sing together!
We lift our heartfelt praises of song up to Jehovah and
when we are doing this we are blessing the Lord. We are giving Him all of our
love and honor in thankful obedience. Then, He rejoices over us with joy! We
have a joyful God who sees the love we offer up to Him and He sings over us
with this joy!
Could our love towards Him fill His heart to burst over
us with song?
We want to bless you Father!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Death of a Coffee Pot
Loving My Coffee
Each year
brings new discoveries. I have become aware that I have a great deal of
similarity with coffee pots. Maybe this is one reason why I am so fond of them,
especially the old timey percolators. The coffee pot is a part of my yesteryear
that I have simple, yet fond memories of setting the small pot on the stove and
watching the coffee pot begin the rhythmic perk as the dark gold liquid got
darker by the second. Such an irresistible
aroma and pleasant sound takes me back when daily activities may have been
harder physically, but were more predictable. Being raised on my grandparents
farm on and off during my childhood, grandfather would bring in milk and they
always had real cream in their coffee or tea in the mornings. I looked forward
to real milk with freshly baked cinnamon toast with real butter and brown
sugar.
My
Grandfather smiled a lot and used to call me pigtails. He liked his coffee and
poured it in his saucer to be cooled before he literally slurped the rest up. His
antics, was to be the dismay of my Victorian Grandmother who drank her tea very
carefully and slowly. Grandfather was the rascal and always had a laugh over
almost everything. Grandmother must have counted every chew with her food,
slowly and methodically. Grandfather gobbled his food and would dunk his bread
in the fresh maple syrup that was available. I first chose to imitate
Grandfather because his technique seemed much more fun, but; I soon received
correction quickly as “ladies do not eat that way.” Back then, you were taught
old traditional values with very high standards. I even learned to curtsy in
front of my elders out of respect. Yes, they did that in those days.
My first
coffee pot was one of those small aluminum pots that made about 6 small cups.
We drank strong, but smooth coffee along with a few escaped grounds. Who cared?
We didn’t. My mother would make a pot of coffee and it would be on her stove
for the rest of the day. When the electric percolator revolutionized the
industry, all of America rushed out to buy one. Then mom kept her pot plugged
in all day long. By the end of the day she looked like she was drinking mud.
Today, I
still love the percolator the best. I fix my coffee pot before I retire and when
I get up before sunrise (early riser), I plug in the workhorse. I have gone through the drippers
and they have since passed over to the other side. Although the percolator
sounds like it is in agony at 5:00 am coughing and grinding, I have
discovered it is like a tractor in a farm, able to go through anything and do
anything.
Friday, January 17, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
WAR
Being an Overcomer
“Put on God’s whole
armor – the armor of a heavy-armed soldier, which God supplies – that you may
be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits
of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11 amp.
Earthly troubles and
trials have a way of entering our lives in a most unwelcoming time. Just when
we seem to have gotten “it all together” and we feel we can kick back a little,
we notice there is another bump in the road to go over first. For some of us,
there are mountains to go over and a raging river to swim across. The steeper
the mountain, the more muscles you get; and as the river rages, while you swim;
the more oxygen you receive because of the determination that is set in your
heart.
Is there anything too
big or small for our God? We know that answer. There isn’t anything too great
or small for our Father.
Christians (believers)
are at war. If they are warring, what do they have to be so joyful about? All
believers go from battle to overcoming and back to joy. Battle – Overcoming –
Joy.
We would not have joy
if we did not have the experience of overcoming the obstacles in our paths. When you see a joyful believer, you are seeing a strong believer; one who has learned how to be an overcomer through the heavy trials they have gone through.
Just recently, dear
friends of ours went on a vacation in Chattanooga, Tn. during the holidays.
While they were there, Bill had a massive stroke that left him paralyzed on the
right side of his body. They did not know that Chattanooga had a specialized
hospital for stroke victims. The paramedics rushed him quickly to the facilities
where the specialized Dr. gave him surgery and medicine immediately. Within a
few days, he was walking around and talking almost as good as new. As if the
incident had not even happened. Barbara needed medications herself and it “just
so happened” that a friend of theirs would be passing through and was able to
bring them up on her way through. As if that were not enough, “it just so
happened” that another friend of theirs who was a physical therapist was in the
area and stopped in to see how Bill was doing. And, “it just so
happened” that they had a Doctor who prayed for them during this whole
procedure. Everyone is talking about the miracle that happened at Christmas
time in the hospital. Barbara went into prayer and never stopped praying for
Bill. They have since returned home and the whole church is rejoicing over the
miracle that God has given to them.
Was it all a chance happening? A coincidence?
I think not. God had everything lined up and Bill and Barbara were assisted with angels as they walked through that trial. God has many names and one of them is: Jehovah Rapha our Healer, who showed up!
The word talks about
how we are to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand up against the
wiles of the enemy. Only a soldier wears armor. The minute the armor (arms) is
put on, there stands a completed soldier for the Kingdom of God; completely
ready for battle. In his mind, the battle has already been won. He has
undergone the rigorous training of boot camp and he knows the enemy well.
Our soldier first
places a belt of truth upon himself. He knows he has found the truth in Jesus
the Messiah and he will not be persuaded to believe in another god. He knows
that Jesus is Lord and was the sacrificial Lamb to take away our sins, for
those who believe. He knows that The Bible is the Word of God. He may not
understand it all, but with a firm stance, he refuses to compromise the truth.
Next, he places “The
Breastplate of Righteousness” in the proper place, over his heart. He guards
what he puts in his heart because he knows it is a well-spring of life. He has
learned that we have the Righteousness of Christ inside of us and that we are
the Temple of Holy Spirit.
He then slips his feet
into a perfectly selected pair of boots that gives him firm support to go out
and give the Good News of the Gospel of Peace. For he knows, although we are at
war with invisible forces, our soldier fights the enemy promoting The Peace of
God. Therefore, he refuses to argue and overcomes evil with good.
He picks up his
Shield. Shields were made of many things in those days: wood, wicker and later
on metal. The Christian soldier’s shield is made up with faith. The Shield of faith
stops any weapon that is formed against him. He knows that it is impossible to
please God without faith.
He puts on The Helmet
of Salvation which is the Sword of the Spirit. In Bible days times,
helmets were made out of wood, leather, brass, bronze, linen and even rushes.
Swords were made of iron and kept in a sheath. To draw a sword meant imminent war.
The believer fights the unseen enemy knowing he is a child of God. His Father God is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts, his Protector. He can use the word of God like a double edge sword.
For example, the enemy
could come to you in a perverse example of twisting the Word of God around for
pleasure or justification of sin.
Example: I once
listened to a well intended lady telling me how she was going to divorce her
husband because she KNEW “God” had someone out there for her. Hold on here, didn't she already have a spouse? Doesn't the word say that we are to have one mate? She was saying that God wanted her to leave her husband because there
was someone else out there. Doesn't the word say that we are not to commit adultery?
What god was she listening to? Can you
recognize the spirit of error in her life? She was believing a lie and twisting
the truth for her own wants and desires. God hates divorce. There was no abuse or infidelity happening in her
marriage to justify her thinking processes.
Her solution was to
accept Biblical counseling to restore God’s love in the marriage. As far as I
know, she has been a divorced woman for many years now and still looking for
the one “who God has for her.”
We can easily get off
the wrong track, by not taking the time to discern whether a situation is of
God. If we were to begin to think the same way as the lady mentioned above, our
first reaction should be is to screen it with the Word of God. Would God really
say that He wants you to leave your mate? No.
Only if your mate is abusing you
and it is a life threatening situation or in infidelity can this be justified.
Just because a spouse get bored, falls out of love or “begins to think” about
what life would be like single, does not make it right. Remember, we are
fighting powers and principalities in high places that lie and try to seduce
us. In the beginning the tempter makes it appear good, exciting and right, but
the end is a heart filled with remorse and tears.
We all make mistakes
and there are many temptations at work, around the corner and sometimes,
they seem to be right in our face!
The Bible says:
“So,
if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No
temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful, he
will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1Co. 10:12
& 13. NIV
This is why we must
get in the habit of praying. Ask God to intervene every day, especially during
temptations. Expect His intervention. When you pray asking, believe that it is
done! God said that He will always provide a way of escape. Start looking for
that place of escape, sometimes all we have to do is say no or walk away.
Most important, before
you leave the house; Put on the Whole Armor of God.
God Bless You All!
Monday, January 13, 2014
A Shot of Encouragement for You
"A heart that touches and links with God,
must be gold.
99.9% pure, filled with Jesus I am told.
Serving and loving the flock every day. As much as you can in every way.
So, do not get discouraged, be glad in your heart,
Jesus is with us right from the start."
God Bless You All !
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