Pray with me

O Father we give you all praise this morning, we give you thanks from our hearts for all you have done in our lives. You are the one who stirs up our hearts to remember all the times you loved us, cared for us and gave us exactly what we needed for our eyes to be turned in your direction. You mold us and shape us into that beautiful vessel that your future has designed for us to be, since before we even knew you and you always finish what you start in your children. We are so grateful and thankful. You are a loving Holy Father, one who knows us so much better than we do ourselves. You give us good sleep because we know you are always with us, always here, always faithful and you hear us when we pray to you. Your love and mercies are beyond our capability to understand all your ways. But, we know you are a good and loving God and we put all of our trust in you. You are our Father Elohim, for truly your mercies are many in our lives. Your mercies go on and on.

Keep us tightly wrapped around your arms in these times of plenty Father. Keep our hearts steadfast in your will. Keep us brimming over with faith, knowing above all we have a covenant with you because you sent your son to be a sacrifice for our sins, on the cross and yet He lives! Thank you for your grace. We know that the love we feel for our own children is powerful and can only come from you, but we cannot say we could sacrifice any of them for the sins of the world.  Help us to see clearer in your light that we can have more understanding of your love. We do realize, your love is not mere words as men give so easily from their mouths. For you are a God that gives in abundance and we see your hand in such insurmountable ways! We give you honor and all glory Father! You give everything we need and more. You give what we have not asked. We are rich in knowing you Father. We are rich in loving you. You teach us how to turn ever single sorrow, every tear of heaviness into a time of rejoicing. Thank you Holy Spirit. 

Your Son says that if we examine and judge our own hearts, we will not be judged. Thank you Father.

We will forgive others easily, because you have forgiven us. We will refuse to be offended easily because we know we have easily offended others. You heal the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. You bring a healing to our body and a refreshing to our bones. When we put you first, you bless all of our bread and the very water we drink. You pardon all of our iniquities and heal all of our diseases. Your love pardons all our transgressions. You blot everything out from our past. We believe this Lord. There is nothing you cannot do in our lives.

Precious Father, We lift up President Trump to you this morning. We ask that your Holy Spirit would begin to re-energize him every single morning. Have him totally lean and depend upon you not to conform to this present age in his thinking processes. We ask that you would keep bringing him along conforming his mind and heart renewing his ideas into your will. In that, every decision he makes will be in your will, and not his own. We ask that he would be a humble man, one who gives you all the glory and honor and that he would realize it is you who has given him the power, wealth and equipping him with the ways and means to follow through upon your will in his life and to rule and reign this nation. We thank you for that Lord. Keep him healthy in every way, every day. Help him guard his tongue, to speak wisely and in your grace and to be one who is careful with his words. Thank you for choosing this man Father. Thank you for training him for this position. Thank you for giving him a keen sense of discernment, teaching him the wise ways of leaders. Thank you for selecting a man who is not smitten by flattery, cannot be bought or bribed, nor can he be threatened. Thank you for sending a bold fearless man to govern our nation. Thank for sending this man to take back the land the enemy has stolen from your people. Keep him and his family safe. Give him an open ear to hear what his wife says and the ability to weigh the differences in the thoughts of his heart. We ask too Father that you would train up all of his sons in your way, to be apart of this ruling process in our land. Bring back your holy name in our land. Bring back the freedom to love you openly. We put down all fear in our hearts and in our behaviors and to willingly walk in your word, on fire to give hope to all those who are struggling in darkness. Help us to carry this torch, to be what you have called us to be. Save this land Father. For those who have known you, yet rebel; we ask that you would humble them and bring them back. For those who are rebellious in their thinking, we ask that your Holy Spirit would put a stillness in their hearts to hear your voice. For those who are ignorant, we ask that you would give them hope and that your light would give them understanding. Bring them all in Father. For those who are unteachable, we ask that you would replace them with your people in high places to give credence to your commandments once again. We not only ask for continued exposure, but for justice. We ask that if one has stolen or lied, he would be given accountability and be paid according to his crime. We ask that this would not be exempt in high places. Put down all those who prevent this from happening Father. Replace, replace, replace all of this corruptness in these high places on down to the teachers in all schools who are teaching our children depraved subjects. Replace them all Father. Send godly workers to achieve all of this Father. We boldly ask that your hand would intervene and stop all of the sex-trafficking and all abortions. Take it out of the hands and let them see it is by your hand Father who has put a stop to all of this depravity. We ask that you would heal our nation in the name of Jesus. Bring back your people to hear your voice. Bring them back to obedience Father.

We ask you to replace all the corrupt media. Replace every accusation of those who are righteous in your son Jesus, with a shower of truth upon their hearts to what is right. Awaken them to your truth Father. Bring them down. You said, pride comes before a fall. Bring them all down Father. Thank you Father. 

We thank you for this Father. For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will praise God.” Romans 14:11.

In Your son’s name Jesus we ask this; amen. 

Your brokenness can work for the good.

Brokenness

Toiling in the garden, hoeing and digging up weeds is just up my alley. I love the challenge of transplanting a bush or plant that molds into the colorful design my mind has created. While I am clipping and pruning I cannot help but notice the mixed barrage of odors the shrubbery releases into the atmosphere. One single clip can bring forth a massive amount of challenges for your olfactory skills.

Plants have a way of communicating to us that isn’t too distant from the way we ourselves relate. When they are thriving they bloom and usually smell sweet while waving about in the sunshine. When they are clipped, they seem to rebel while giving off an offensive odor as mentioned previously. Some have said that this is the way the plant cries in relation to the crime. Others have said that the odor itself destroys other plants so many feet away. When the plant such as roses are cut and placed in water, then left by itself, sooner or later the roses become stagnant and give off the stench of death. Yet, roses love to be pruned so they can produce more blossoms. They also gobble up food as quickly as it is given. The rewards can be obvious when we count the numerous buds on one single bush.

Being totally broken is a humbling experience, even in the plant world. I once had a Pastor friend who I admired and always said: “I never trust a man who doesn’t have a limp.” I second that! Many of us can easily say that because we have that storehouse of memories, we find that most of our negative reactions that we are discontent with today, can be because of the selfish decisions of yesterday.
God draws near to the broken and crushed because it is that time when we are open to receive His truth. We cannot truly be humble unless we are broken. Before a stick is broken, it bends. Only then, are we able to look up. Sometimes, a door has to be broken and beat down in order to get inside of the house. For such a time when our wound is open, our ears are open and our spirit is open and we can feel disoriented with emotional pain and the sensitivity of the damage to our souls become heightened. I believe The Holy Spirit opens up our eyes and allows us to see just how far we have fallen. Alike the plant, we give off an odor as our souls cry from within.

Without the scars we would not understand the battleground.

Being broken to tears has many scientific health benefits. When we weep over our heartbreak many things begin to happen in our body, such as the release of those valiant hero’s called “endorphins” that go after the toxins in our body. Yes, we are purged and cleansed just by our sorrow and grief.

http://www.drjudithorloff.com/…/The-Health-Benefits-of-Tear…

http://www.pbs.org/thise…/…/7-good-reasons-cry-your-eyes-out

http://www.psychologytoday.com/…/…/the-health-benefits-tears

When our eyes tear up and physically cleanse us, we can see better. We see the depth of our actions because we chose to humble ourselves. We chose to be honest in our heart and admit our wrong or perhaps staying in an area of our life that continues to depress and degrade the life we live. We stop lying to ourselves. When we do this, we are at last; honest with God.

God honors broken vessels! There are many plants that I snip off and push the stalks right back into the soil where they take root and grow. But, first they must be broken in order to force themselves to take root, be strong and know what they must do! Yes, even the plant world is broken to be strong.

Two verses:

The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart, and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly penitent. Psalms 34:18 amp

My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent] such , O God, You will not despise. Psalms 51:17 amp

Whatever your need, when we sincerely humble ourselves before God, we experience a divine encounter. God our Father draws near to you and listens. He hears your heart. He sees your pain and all the wounds that are involved. He sees the people involved and all their hurts. There isn’t anything that is not uncovered in His presence. The closer you begin to draw to Him, the nearer He comes to you. Your honesty becomes a threshold of truth that will open many doors in your life; doors of forgiveness, healing and much joy. The joy will create strength; strength to forgive that will free your spirit and you will receive your much desired healing by faith.

Where you once never danced in the Lord, you will twirl! You will sing from your soul as your spirit links with The Holy Spirit. Little do you realize that a choir of angels stand alongside you; celebrating your humble heart, as the handwriting of ordinances that were held against you have been totally blotted out!

Being humbly broken can mean:
1. I was wrong and that God was right.
2. It can be admittance that there is a God after all and that Jesus is Lord.
3. It can mean that your way was not the right way after all.
4. It means a decision.
5. A surrender.

I appreciated the way a well known Apologetic Dr. Ravi Zacharias described brokenness. As I can remember he was saying:

“Have you ever heard Physicians talk about a clean break in the bone? When this happens, given time and properly attended; the bone will knit perfectly back in alignment. A clean break aptly describes the separation from God because of sin. Yet, this clean break can be knit back in perfect alignment once again when perfect attendance is ministered.”

Today, right where you are at; The Holy Spirit is blowing upon your heart and saying: “Come back child, to that which you know is truth. Give yourself to me this day and I will take you the rest of the way.”

Pray:

Heavenly Father,

Forgive me. I realize that I have made such a mess of my life. I need You and do not know how to pray or what to do. Please forgive me my sins [confess your sins] . I want to be born-again, a new person in Christ. Show me and help me Lord to walk the straight path. I need to know how to love. Give me strength, I need your strength. Open up my eyes so I can see your truth. Set me free. Send me your messengers to help me grow. I believe and accept that Jesus is Lord. Direct my ways. I choose to walk by faith and not by sight. I choose to trust you with everything that is inside of me. Thank you Lord, in Jesus name, amen.
If you have prayed that prayer, please buy a Bible so you can begin reading and studying. Find a good Bible believing Church to meet those who have walked through this same porthole you just walked through. There are no shortcuts to glory. Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life…no one comes to the Father except through Him.

God Bless You

Lord I believe in You - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

The Brooklyn Tabernacle - Hallelujia, Praise The Lamb.wmv

Growing in Love

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans do the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:43-48 kjv

Today, more than ever we are challenged to love those who despise us and this can be a test to our faith.  It is easy to love those who love you, but what about those who mock your faith and have hatred towards you? Jesus said, “what reward do we get by loving those who love us?” Every believer knows in their heart, in order to abide in Jesus and in His word, we must love others as Jesus loved. We cannot do this without His love inside of us. How can we love those who despise us?  

Can we look pass the evil and by faith, “see” these people born-again?

Our Christian walk is not without trials, but we do not have to stay within these valleys. We progress, when we do what the Spirit tells us to do. Are you listening? 

When we boldly love the way Jesus told us to love, we are in the core of God’s will. We are being obedient in Christ. His love empowers our faith because we become completely dependent upon His Holy Spirit to control our lives. Do you have trouble with forgiveness?  We learn to walk in obedience by faith, before the feelings come. We love by faith before the feelings come. We do not wait for the feelings to be obedient. We choose to walk in the love and grace that has been given to us by faith in Christ. We choose obedience, instead of being ensnared by the fear of man. Eventually, the feelings will come.

Yes, you can do this!

We can remain firm. Although we might be wounded, but not hindered through a trial because our faith and trust in God regenerates who we are in Christ and by the authority and power we’ve been given in His name. How? Again, by a total dependance upon The Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Victory follows. What if the victory doesn’t come? Now I ask you, “How deep is your faith?”

Do you always have victory, you might ask?  Yes because we have a God who never fails! 

During our lives we walk through many doors, that all involve the testing of your “love and faith” for God. 

The test of your faithfulness

The test of your calling

The test of your tongue 

The test of your finances 

The test of your marriage

The test of your child raising 

The test of your kindness 

The test of your caring

The test of your humility

The test of forgiving

The test of your motives

The test of your patience

The test of your integrity

The test of your truthfulness 

The test of your long-suffering

The test of your health and eating habits

The flesh will sometimes justify “your rights” during these trials. Ask yourself what does God’s word say about it? Do I believe in my “good judgement” or His wisdom? 

All the while we are walking through these doors, our faith is increased in God. Yes it is! Every single trial should bring you closer to our Father.  We do not become strong by eating pablum or sailing in a boat with calm waters.

When I personally go through a test and pass, my joy increases. Each time I have passed the test it is only because my heart submitted to the Holy Spirit in obedience and loved the way Jesus commanded. I always have a choice to be obedient or to be slackest in my walk. We have a God who reads our hearts, He sees the deep motives and intents of all our decisions. 

My desire is to please our Father, glorify Him and return the love and blessings He has given to me in my life. Not because He needs this, but because I can say I love Him. When you love someone, you will talk about Him and your life will show this. 

He is faithful, when I wasn’t. He loved, when I was selfish.

Victory is always in God’s timing. Jesus never said our walk would be an easy journey. There may be rocks to climb over, dragons to slay, life changing disappointments, heartbreak with tears; but through it all, we walk in the light, as He is light, ever believing and knowing we are loved and He still has us in the palm of His hand. Our Father God is faithful.

I see our walk with Christ as a refining process, from the beginning of this race,  we drop the things that belonged to darkness. We cast aside those things we accumulated when we were of the world and little by little, we let them go. Over the years we move closer to His light, His truth and love of our Father and the supernatural transformation continues to mold us into holiness.  

As we learn, we do. 

The word “abide” is menō in Greek and Strongs definition says:

μένω ménō, men'-o; a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):—abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), × thine own. 

We are all somewhere on this ladder in God’s abiding grace. God created us all differently. When we put Him first place in our lives, He feeds us exactly what we need to grow up and mature in Christ.

“Jesus said: IF ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” John 15:10

What commandments? 

“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” Luke 10:27

We cannot have one commandment without the other. If I am loving God more than myself, my life and everything else involved, I will love you as I do myself. 

Christian, the very first thing in your day should be our Father God. Begin to give Him thanks, give Him praise, give Him glory and tell Him through prayer and through song how much you love Him. Delight yourself totally in Him.

We can love, because His love dwells within us.

Our Creator deals with us individually according to where our hearts are, by our conduct and the standards we hold dear. His Holy Spirit is the only one that can successfully work inside of us and to accomplish His will in our lives. Not on our own, but submitting to His Spirit working in us. 

When I look at a person, I envision them set completely set free. “For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1John 2:16 niv.

Paul too, listened and learned as he walked in faith, just like we do today. We never stop learning. Acts 24:16

Again, I see our walk as a process [1John 1:8-10], this does not happen overnight. We are not gods, but there are times we act it. When you are surrounded in darkness, you cannot see His love, nor can you give love in the way Jesus tells us to love, because we grope in the darkness. Make sense? When we walk into the light [truth], everything inside of us is exposed and little by little all your hinderances can be dealt with. 

“ I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Prayer:

Precious Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your calling us to wake up. Thank you for calling us to grow up. Thank you for calling us to come out of the darkness and into your perfect light. Thank you for teaching us, for training us and for all those who love you. Thank you for calling us to pray for those who upset us, for they reveal to us what we need to deal with inside of us. We ask for a deeper love for those who are still in darkness and to remember to pray for them instantly. We ask for a deeper sensitivity to put down any hinderances that does not glorify you Father. We ask for a keener discernment to not be deceived in anyway or means. We ask that your truth would be apparent in our lives from morning to evening. We ask that we would be examples of your work inside of us that has regenerated our souls. We ask once again, to quicken our spirits to listen to you before we speak. Let our words be grace to those who hear. And, we ask that your Holy Spirit would intervene in our lives; waking and shaking us when we need it. Keep us close  and in your will. Stir up your godly enthusiasm inside of all those who strive to love you first and others as themselves. Stir up those who read this a deep curiosity, craving and conviction to know your Love. Thank you Lord, in Jesus we ask. Amen. 

Let the River Flow (worship video w/ lyrics)

Time to DO love, not just talk about it.

“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” 1 John 4:7,8

I can remember singing those verses every time we got together with the other believers. We gathered together in one mind, in unity, love and with much much joy!

Did you know that when we love, we give off chemicals that make us glow? When we love one another, The Holy Spirit brings a glow in your life. Love brings a boost to your immune system!  Even medical science has discovered this.

https://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/health-benefits#1

Isn’t it time to love one another?

Hate and bitterness do the exact opposite.

Hate and bitterness have a destructive effect upon our physical bodies and will make us sick!  This is why some get so ill. 

When we hate, the chemicals produced inside of us begin to eat you up, zap your strength, take away, shrivel your skin and make you feel and look ugly.  When we hate and have bitterness, we not only sin and  live in darkness but are destroying ourselves. 

We become the victim. Not the one you hate.

All of this is in the Bible and now Psychology Today recognizes it.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/201501/don-t-let-your-anger-mature-bitterness

We need to DO love and not only talk about it.

Heavenly Father,

We need more compassion and forgiveness towards one another like your son Jesus had. We choose to abide in Him and his words and walk the way He did. Help us to look past others faults, that some times reflect our own mishaps. Forgive us Lord. Bring us into that perfect place where we love each other in your Holy Spirit’s power and are living every minute in Your Light, that truly there would be nothing in us, that would make us stumble. This is the greatest desire of our hearts Father. We pray this in Jesus name, amen. [1Jn. 2:10]