TUNE IN; LOOK UP; LISTEN UP

The other night I was looking through some boxes I have yet to unpack since moving to my new, temporary, home. I will elaborate on the "temporary" later in this post. As I was rummaging through the items, I discovered a long forgotten Walkman. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a forerunner of the Ipod. It is an am/fm radio that you use headphones with. I used to use it when I was running. My find was met with a bit of skepticism due to the fact that the Walkman was a gift from 1994. I wasn't sure if it would still operate. I placed the double A battery inside and sure enough, sound emerged! I was amazed at all the am stations available. There were so many, in fact, that I was only able to tune in to a couple. The others were jumbled and indistinguishable. It was a bit overwhelming trying to find a clear signal. Once I did, the first thing I heard was Breaking News about the attack on Paris. This made me ask the question, "What are we tuned into?" Maybe we are not tuned into anything. Perhaps we are just going through life in neutral, floating along with no purpose or power. Tuning in brought my attention to heart breaking news and from that, I was compelled to "look up" to the only place that provides hope in the midst of devastating news. "To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, til he has mercy upon us." That mercy was given in the form of God becoming man through our Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of Souls, who died on the cross and rose from the grave and is at the right hand of the throne of God. So, I look up. Not around, not down, not over, but UP. There is so much chaos, confusion, distortion, mumbo jumbo that without looking to the Author and Finisher of our Faith, we face the possibility of crumbling under  the load; breaking down mentally, emotionally, physically and or spiritually. Through the Word of God (Bible) and Prayer (aided by the Holy Spirit), we can "tune in" to a clear and concise signal of Truth that will set us Free to walk a path of Hope-Filled Victory knowing our final destination is the total and complete Salvation of our Souls and a guaranteed home in Heaven for Eternity. Therefore, with that in mind we have the ability to "listen up". For what are we listening? "For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a SHOUT, with the VOICE of the Archangel and the TRUMPET of God." He is coming back for those who are watching, waiting and looking. For those who have, by Faith, put their lives in the hands of a Grace-filled God who tells us to BELIEVE in the name of His Son Jesus Christ... the only way to know, connect with God and live forever in His presence... in peace, joy, happiness; tearless,  painless, fearless. He is crying out by His Spirit; pleading to those who would TUNE IN, LOOK UP; LISTEN UP! God has provided deliverance! He has provided the straight and narrow way and given us the forward momentum to walk, run, climb to the TOP! As we take hold of the Victory that is ours, we can be that Signal, Beacon, Light, Voice for others. We can give them hope in the darkness and help lift them above the death that the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of this world offers. "He brought me (us) out of the kingdom of darkness and into HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT, I'm on the ROCK OF SALVATION. I'll fear NOT day or night." When you have Christ, you have the Keys.... Pass those keys around every chance you have! Joining you each day as we Follow the One who knows the WAY!

ANOTHER DAY

Do you ever awaken in the morning and think, "Another Day" to live through. Sometimes it may be the result of wearying trials or simply being human and wondering how you made it thus far and how far you have left to go. Many of us who know the Lord Jesus and his truth are able to quickly take hold of a familiar Bible verse and speak it to our minds and receive the encouragement and strength it brings. Other times, even the strongest Christian can view the beginning of a new day as a huge obstacle to encounter. We face it by taking a deep breath as if to say, "Here we go again". The inescapable trap of a new day can be overwhelming. There is only one way to escape life and that is by death. We are here until it is time that we are not. Our times are in God's hands. That brings me to the word "perseverance". The truth is, everyone is going through something every day. We have to fight hard some days and other days we are given rest. We are ALL going through life. We can choose to go through with or without the greatest help available, the ONE who conquered death and the grave. If we know Jesus, we know we also have an enemy. We know we must contend for the Faith. We know it is not easy but we know who goes before us to make a way. In a physical fight between two opponents, one may outweigh the other; be taller; even be stronger. However, if we are trained in the right fighting techniques, our enemy is doomed to defeat. We stand the victor every time. We who walk daily with the Lord and choose to step out into the ring of life to receive the overcomers crown are in constant training to develop those techniques. Jude 20&21 gives us instruction. "But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life." Luke 18:1 tells us the words of the Lord that we "ought always to pray and not lose heart". I want to continue to learn and practice every spiritual technique available to STAND at the end of my time here and as Ephesians the 6th chapter tells us "having done all to STAND." There can appear to be a dichotomy between STANDING according to the Bible and LOSING YOUR LIFE as we read in Luke chapter 17 but there is not according to the way of the Kingdom of God. The LIFE we are fighting for is ETERNAL. That is why the martyrs in the Book of Revelation and to this day, "Loved not their lives even unto death"! This is a sobering thought but it is happening, that is why it is so crucial that we learn to walk deeper in the Spirit as the days go by and take every opportunity to "Fight the Good Fight of Faith" with every spiritual weapon, wisdom, strategy, discernment, truth, fellowship, insight that is available to us. "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." 2 Peter 1:7 "Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather." Luke 17:37. Don't find yourself in the position of being a corpse with the vultures stealing your life. Through Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, we have LIFE and VICTORY. We can "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer" knowing that "He is able to keep us from falling and to present us before his glorious throne without fault and with great joy." So be it and come quickly Lord Jesus! The Spirit and the Bride say "Come" according to your WORD!

TURNING STRESS INTO GODLY ENERGY

As most of my Blog Followers know by now, I got married again on the 4th of July of this year. After giving my hopes, dreams and aspirations to the Lord while caring for my late husband for several years, I believed I knew what direction my life was to go. The Bible tells us that: "man can make his plans but the final outcome is in the Lord's hands." Proverbs 19:21. The story goes.... Widower marries Widow. I fell in love with my Friend of 19 years. We and our spouses had been friends for many years which makes it comfortable to share the memories we have with one another. My new Husband, Albert and I share a common call to see people come to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. We Pastor together in Christmas Valley, Oregon. We love the people in our Fellowship and our heart's doors are open to receive and love all those God sends our way.

 

Life's circumstances have a way of bringing stress of varying degrees into our lives. Stress can be extremely harmful if not handled correctly. Many sicknesses and diseases can come upon us both mentally, physically and spiritually if stress is given free reign. The following is a teaching I shared with our Church last evening and I felt it would be beneficial to pass it along in the Blogging World. There are many healthy ways of dealing with stress but I believe the best remedy is through the Word of God. Here are 7 steps I suggest you follow if you are being weighed down with the stress of life.

Change your Mind: Philippians 4:8; 2 Corinthians 10:5

Choose to think on the “good” things and not the circumstances. Bring every thought into  

captivity at sword point.

 

Change the scenery: Hebrews 12:2

Fix your eyes on Jesus and who he is and what he has done rather than your circumstances.

Get moving:  2 Peter 1:2-11

Exercise and add to your growth spiritually

Just Breathe: Psalm 150:6

Breathe out praise to the Lord.

 

Goof off a little: Proverbs 15:13; Mark 10:1

 “A merry heart does good like a medicine”. Come to the Lord as a little child. Lighten

 up sometimes.

 

 Journal, talk, tweet, facebook: James 5:16&17; 1 John 1:9; John 3:16 

 Don’t be a “Ruminator”. Write what is stressing you down “once” and let it go. Proclaim the   

 truth about God with one another. Use social media to speak the truth. Confess your sins to 

God and one another. Pray for one another. Believe 1 John 1:9. Believe John 3:16.

 

Finally: John 10:10

The enemy, satan, will use stress to try and "kill" us spiritually and physically. The thief     

comes to destroy... Jesus came to give life abundantly. 

 

I hope your enjoy this brief Bible Study and it becomes a way of life that you come to practice and pass on to others. Until next time.... Grace and Peace be yours through the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!! Be well!

DANGEROUS PLACES

It has been 5 months since my Husband, Clovis, went to be with Jesus. During the years I took care of him and especially at the end of his days, I learned that there is more than one way to lay down your life for someone else. You can lay down you life and still be breathing. I believe that is more difficult than taking your last breath for someone else to continue breathing. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord according to the Apostle Paul. Laying down your life is not only an act of the physical body. It may mean laying aside your own needs, hopes, dreams and aspirations to give someone else the best quality of life possible as they struggle to face the transition that is to come. I would do it all over again for him.                   

 1^st Peter 4:12 tells us, “Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.”* I believe when someone has accepted the salvation provided for them on the Cross by Jesus and perhaps gone through a time of inner and outer healing, the challenge is to consider what’s next. When the road became really tough for Christ’s followers, some of them dropped off by the wayside. His faithful ones struggled and as we know, even denied they knew him for a season. It all depends upon what you want from the life you now have. 1^st Peter 4:13 says, *“Instead, be very glad--for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” Those of you who know me well, know that I hate to miss out on anything exciting that is happening around me. That challenging expectation is hard to meet since I am unable to clone myself. The fantastic truth is that when God’s glory is revealed to the world, no one is going to miss it. We will either receive it with joy or we will shrink back in fear and shame. God wants the former for us, not the latter. As I have written to you before, my goal is Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, (why?) so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” ETERNAL LIFE!!!! No one can take that away from you no matter what avenue takes you from this present life! Knowing that, I accept with joy the trials that become part of my “missionary” journey. I am an Ambassador of Christ. Missionaries and Ambassadors are quite similar. They both deliver a message to their listeners. Ambassadors and Missionaries are called to dangerous places at times. My Friend and Brother in the Lord, Ron Flug, wrote a song I had the blessing to hear him sing: “Dangerous Places”. The following is the chorus:

                                “You take this heart into dangerous places.

                                You take this heart where I wouldn’t go.

                                You take this heart into dangerous places

                                And you break it open and you let love flow.

                                Yea, you break it open and you let love flow.”

 Mark 8:34 & 35 “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” I guess it is all up to choice. The last choice our Creator incarnate made was to “carry his cross”. That is the final act of someone slated to die in that manner. They had to carry their own cross. I have chosen Galatians 2:20 “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” In actuality, when we choose “life” we are choosing “death”. Death to self; life to Him! Jesus never told us it would be easy but he did promise that through his grace and strength and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be "more than Conquerors!" As Paul said in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Even to be able to say, “It is a good day to die!”

Lord Jesus, may we all receive the strength that only you can give to enable us to say unreservedly, “I surrender all… everything I am, everything I am not, everything I have… I’m Yours Lord!”

(all scriptures are from the New Living Translation of the Bible)

 

2014 "Going Home"

This will be my final post for the year 2014. This will always be a landmark year. This is the year my sweet Gentle Giant/Mighty Warrior finished the Race and won the Prize after fighting the Good Fight of Faith. His contending for the Faith was wrought with much suffering for many years. Matthew Henry wrote: "Faith is for this world, and sight is for the other world. It is our duty, and it will be our interest, to walk by faith, till we live by sight." Clovis now can SEE what he could only imagine. That is what we do here. We "taste" of the Lord and then we "imagine" the rest. My husband had such joy at the thought of "going home". He talked about it often with Friends and Family and wanted them to share his joy. Once he told one of his doctors, "Doc! I have a great adventure ahead of me." Of course, the doctor's response was: "Okay... but not yet!" Clovis loved an adventure and knew the ultimate was ahead. None of us can say for sure how we will "go home". Only Yahweh, Creator can "see" and know. What a tremendous burden lifted is knowing you are justified (just as if I'd never sinned) by Faith in Jesus so we can be at peace and rest at the same time we are contending (Romans 5:1) It has been my privilege and labor of love to care for my man. We had so many treasured "God moments". Not to say there weren't "bumps in the road" but "...Love keeps no record of wrongs" (1 Corinthians 13:5). God is good all the time and his ways are good all the time. His ways are not only good, they are the best! Now I am heading into 2015 as "one" with the same desires the two of us held... that all would come to know Jesus and walk with him now and into Eternity. Again, from Matthew Henry: "What will become of us, if we set our affections on this earth, and make it our portion, seeing all these things shall be burned up? Therefore make sure of happiness beyond this visible world." I want to have the same zeal to "go home" when my time comes. But, until then, my zeal will be for the Household of the Lord to be strengthened with His might, walk in His joy, cherish one another and show the World the Greatest Truth: God is Love and He sent His Love through Jesus Christ our Lord on the Cross and Resurrected Him to New Life as the First Fruits with us to Follow until our Faith becomes Sight at the Sound of the Trumpet! I welcome 2015 with a joyful heart and full anticipation of Fruitful Ministry! I want to be always able to say, "Follow me as I follow Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1).

WHAT DOES A WARRIOR LOOK LIKE?

What does a Warrior look like? This Veteran's Day, I have a few thoughts on the subject. The movie industry has their rendition of a Warrior that is many times blown totally out of proportion. Rambo, Terminator, Die Hard to name a few of the older, well known titles. Exciting to watch maybe, but certainly unrealistic. I want to point us in the direction of what I believe it means to be a REAL Warrior. This morning, I watched an interview on CBN with a WWII Veteran, 91 year old Retired Airforce Major by the name of Ralph Davis. He flew 22 bombing missions during the war. He  and all ten of his crew came out without a scratch. He did it for our Country... knew he was called by the Lord. The men would pray together before every mission. He carries, to this day, the scripture  he would read and quote each time: Psalm 91:11, "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."  Wikipedia has the following definition of a Warrior:  "A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class or caste." The Major holds the key to what I believe to be another type of Warrior. Perhaps you could call them sometimes the "unsung" Warrior.

"Jesus called a little child to come to him. Jesus stood the child before the followers. Then Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. You must change and become like little children {in your hearts}. If you don't do this, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest (most important) person in the kingdom of heaven is the person that makes himself humble like this child." (ERV) Thus the photograph of the Little Warrior above.

 

To quote Major Davis: "If you are going to be a soldier or an airman, you need the protection of the Lord." Even in the fiercest battles we must acknowledge we need help. We cannot accomplish our objectives, our missions on our own. "Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but he is strong." A kids song that more adults need to listen to and take to heart. My husband is fighting cancer on a daily basis. I am his Caregiver. We pray together daily and call upon the help of the Lord. He alone gives us supernatural strength, peace and joy. We know God is the Healer! Ultimately we pray: "Your will be done." We don't know the reasons or the future. We live by Faith in the Son of God. He may heal or it may be time for Heaven. Either way, we "Fight the Good Fight of Faith." God will be glorified in our lives. I have a precious friend and "sister in the Lord" who, seven years ago, was given 6 months to live with a diagnosis of liver cancer. She and her husband give praise to Jesus every day and every moment. The Apostle Paul said that whether we live or whether we die it is all to the glory of the Lord! This, in my eyes is the ultimate Warrior! One who is able to confess his/her weakness and accept the strength and perseverance only our Great Creator God can give. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD." Isaiah 55:8 Maybe next time you watch a super hero movie, your thoughts will be drawn to the real Super Heros. As Christian Warriors, of the Creator's Clan, we need HIS divine help and the strength and support of the other Warrior's we fellowship with on a daily basis. "The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." Habakkuk: 3:19. Confess your weaknesses to one another, forgive one another and pray for one another according to James 5:16. Love one another deeply! Run the Race together! Fight the Fight together! Be Unified in Mind and Spirit! We, together will hear the words: "Well Done thou good and Faithful Servant(s)." Happy Veteran's Day!

 

 



He Knows Our Name!

We all need affirmation whether we believe it or not. We all need praise. We were made in God's image and that is part of it. Children praise their parents, husbands praise their wives. The Scriptures tell us that God exalts us at times. He knows our name. The praise we receive as His own, reflect back to him for the things we do in His name and because of Him. Before we come to Christ we may be or feel isolated; unimportant; of little value. He knows our name. After Christ, we find we become part of a huge family and because we become "light", many people may come to know our name. At that time we are aware that our name is known because of or as a result of our Creator who not only knows our name but knew our name before we were even born. Our value is in Him. Our sufficiency is in Him. It is all about Him FIRST, then about Him in us and through us. He lifts us up and causes us to prosper and spread the Good News of who His IS and what we can BECOME because of Him in us. Instead of lovers of ourselves, we become Lovers of God and Others. Instead of cringing in fear of our enemies and life's circumstances or death's circumstances. We become MORE THAN CONQUERORS! Instead of being apathetic, we become zealous and FULL OF LIFE. Instead of being bored, we become ENTHUSIASTIC which means "en theo" or "in God". He not only knows our name, He has given us His Name, the Name of Jesus, in whom ALL THINGS exist and are held together. In addition he has given us a new name written down in Heaven for us to receive upon admittance. (Revelation 2:17) After 42 years of walking with Him in a "BORN AGAIN" condition and position, I can truly say to Him, "I feel like I am knowing you for the first time!" What excitement, what joy, what hope, what elation, what truth, what higher existence from the one who came "that we might have life and life more abundantly!" (John 10:10) At this point in  my life, I don't know anyone who is not facing hardships from one direction or another. It is a result of being part of the human experience. We can feel like we are "going under for the third time" as  the expression goes. Take heart and affirm one another with a firm "Holy Spirit" pat on the back for doing a great job and fighting the Good Fight of Faith: "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair." (2 Corinthians 4:8) Why? Because we believe  "HE KNOWS  OUR NAME". So look up and REJOICE and praise and affirm one another and ENCOURAGE one another as you see the "Day" approaching. (Hebrews 10:25) I have a dear friend who is, at this moment, awaiting her entrance into Heaven under hospice care. I was able to sing with her "Soon and very soon we are going to see the King..." Run the race! Pick up the baton! Grab an arm! Let's get there together! HE KNOWS OUR NAME!