SUFFERING / HOPE

Ro 5:3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;

Ro 5:4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Ro 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us
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Some of the things that we perceive as bad are being used to help the common good of all, and in doing that, we feel better about ourselves. There is not a feeling in the world that is better, than one of helping someone feel a sense of hope through their trials. It provides a sense of unity with others, and an avenue to help them. Life Experiences that in our perception were bad, or felt really bad at that time, while it hurts us initially, we either grow the most during these times or are able to help someone else, council them, heal their hurts and give them hope. Because we have been there, our testimony allows them to trust that we have seen God come through for us, and it can be the same for them. We also learn a lot about ourselves when we teach others. It allows us to re-live those learned lessons and keep them fresh in our minds, to keep us from falling back into old destructive patterns. This is why we are urged to keep Christian Community.

CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS

Col 2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you Jesus for coming into our world and making a way for us sinners to enter your paradise.

HALLELUJAH THE KING IS BORN !!

First Jesus-Era House Found in Nazareth, Israel

Check this out!

www.foxnews.com/scitech/2009/12/21/jesus-era-house-nazareth-israel/

VIGILANCE

But you must remember, my fellow-citizens, that eternal vigilance by the people is the price of liberty, and that you must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing." Andrew Jackson
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Mk 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Mk 13:33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
Mk 13:34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
Mk 13:35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
Mk 13:36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
Mk 13:37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!”
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After reading the quote above from Andrew Jackson, I looked up eternal in the dictionary:
1 a : having infinite duration : everlasting b : of or relating to eternity c : characterized by abiding fellowship with God.

WOW!! What a profound statement Andrew made! ONE NATION UNDER GOD comes to mind. The USA experiences freedoms that other countries do not have. The difference is that we were established with God in control. At least that is what our forefathers intended. A day and age where saying God was acceptable and advised. There was no argument amongst the people as to who their lives and country belonged to, and doing so would have been unacceptable behavior. I feel that his statement is similar to a statement that Peter had made:

1Pe 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1Pe 5:9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1Pe 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1Pe 5:11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Andrew speaks of Vigilance. Mark and Peter speak of being alert. The question is what do they want us to stay alert to? I feel we are to stay awake so that we do not fall into temptation. The devil roams around and waits for someone to whisper his lies to. Someone that is asleep in their walk/relationship with Christ. The only thing that can squelch the devil's lies, is the Truth that is found in the Word of God. This Truth needs to be in your heart and mind and meditated on daily. Our goal is to be one with Christ Who is one with the Father. Christ exemplifies this behavior when the devil is trying to tempt him in the desert (LUK 4:1). Every time the devil tries to trick Him into bondage, Christ has the Truth on the tip of His tongue and wins the battle of that time for it. Three different lies and Jesus had Truth for every one of them. He would not have been ready if He had not been keeping constant communion with the Father. In order to build a realtionship with anyone, you need to communicate with them. We communicate with God through His Word, prayer, and being still to hear His still small voice so that we may be obedient to it.

The devil's wants to keep as many of us in bondage/slavery as he is able to. God's Grace that you receive when you Believe the Word and accept the free gift that He has given us, (Christ on the Cross), will secure your blessings that He has promised.

The biggest promise/blessing we can hold onto is our salvation. Let us make sure we are awake in Christ for the return of the owner of our house (heart)!

YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT

Has anyone ever told you that your birth was not planned? Your earthly parents may not have planned your birth, but nothing in this world can happen without God's seal of approval. When the Lord wants something to be done, it will be done one way or the other. I was not a planned pregnancy by my parents, but I know that God wanted me in this world. I know that He has a specific plan for me and a purpose. I do not know the details yet, or where I will be in five years. I do know that the God that created the Heavens and the Earth, knows every hair on my head. He knew everything about my life, start to finish and still accepted, created, and loved me. There is no waste in God's world. Everything and everyone has a purpose. He loves every single one of us unconditionally. We are His children. When we go shopping, do we focus on the form of transportation that we use to get us there? Besides making sure we have a way, we really do not put much thought into that do we? No, we are probably concentrating more on what we will do once we get there. What shops will we go into? How much will we spend? We focus on the bigger picture of getting the task done. If we sit around and ponder too much about every little detail, we may miss our ride. Perhaps this is how we should look at the form of transportation that God chose to get us to Earth. Now of course I am not trying to compare our parents to a car. I am quite sure that God hand selected our specific parents, and that they play a pivotal role, in who we are to become in Christ. What I am saying is that God did in fact get us here. WE ARE CREATED TO GOD. The only thing we need focus on is what to do while we are here. I love and respect my parents but they could have never planned ME, even if they had tried. Only God can do that. Furthermore, we can be anything we want to be in Christ. Our parents provide an "environment" for us to grow in. There are some learned behavorial patterns and thinking patterns that will come from this, but nothing that we cannot change with the help of Christ if we truly want to. Start asking God to put the right people on your path today, that will influence you and encourage you in a positive way (Christ centered fellowship). This and daily communion with your true Father, will transform you into the beautiful butterfly you are meant to become for His Kingdom.

THE WILL OF THE FATHER? BELIEVE IN JESUS

Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Jn 6:40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
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The Father's will is clear. Look to Jesus and Believe in the Salvation that is freely given, by His death on the Cross. He took our place on the Cross for all sin. This covers past sins and future sins committed by us. Once we Believe and open up to a relationship with Christ (through prayer, reading the Bible and being still to listen), the Spirit will speak to us and will transform us, as we walk in obedience to His Word. During this transformation, we will begin to speak and act differently. What was once acceptable behavior, will gradually become a thing of the past as we walk in the Spirit. The desire to sin will decrease little by little. We are a new creation with Christ living inside of us! The Love of Christ will begin to flow in us, until it pours over and affects everyone around us. Belief is what sends all of this into action and seals the deal. It is not enough to Believe the Biblical facts. We need to accept that His Word is true in our hearts. It is our choice whether to accept the Gift our Father is offering or deny it. The gift of Grace is Christ on the Cross, crucified for our sins. Grace is something given freely even though undeserved. Calvary is the answer the Father gave us for sin. The only action that is needed on our part is to BELIEVE and look to Christ. He will show us the rest of the way from there.

FAITH / SALVATION

I found this on AbideinChrist website. I encourage you to read:

Faith Defined:
Knowledge, Belief and Trust

http://www.abideinchrist.com/selah/dec4.html

Faith’s Results: Justification

http://www.abideinchrist.com/selah/dec3.html

Faith’s Object: Jesus Christ

http://www.abideinchrist.com/selah/dec2.html

IN ONENESS THERE IS TOGETHERNESS

I received this message this morning from the Lord. I believe the meaning of it is that if we focus on Christ and being one with Him, all of our other relationships will bear the countenance of Christ which is love. Love will keep us together. I think there is a song about that :-).

PSALM 51:10 A PRAYER FOR A PURE HEART

Ps 51:10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Ps 51:11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Ps 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
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I prayed this prayer for myself tonight and for any person that is reading this. I have received many messages lately in regards to having a pure heart. I just think this prayer is perfect. In the name of Jesus I pray......

ECC 7:3 A SAD FACE IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEART

Ecc 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter because a sad face is good for the heart.
Ecc 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
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I have often wondered what Solomon could have possibly meant when he said this. I am going to take a shot at it. It seems the times you grow the most in life are wrapped in a package of great sadness or distress. You become more aware of your shortcomings and are more willing to learn from them without distraction, because you do not have a choice. Our human nature when given a choice is to take the easy way out. When you are wrapped up in earthly pleasures, you are not thinking of anything besides how much fun you are having at that moment. Nothing in that pleasure really forces you to take a look at changes that need to be made or bettering yourself. It can stagnate your life. There is not much growth involved in just trying to maintain a fun easy life and in most cases, it can be the distraction that hinders you from moving forward into the better life that God has planned for you. It seems when you are sad, there is a cleansing that eventually takes place in your heart that leads to purification when you turn to God. With hard decisions can come much sadness however these hard decisions and choices will in most cases secure a better future for you. The other reason it is good to have a sad face is that a lot of people tend to hide their feelings and put on a smile even though they are in pain. Some may deny their pain all together so they will not have to feel it. There is a releasement and a freedom that comes from voicing and walking through your pain. Keeping emotions bottled up inside can lead to many sicknesses and illnesses. Isn't it funny that tears come from your eyes and they are the lamp of your body?