Friday, November 30, 2012

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer PSALM 18 ... most importantly He is my Daddy! :-)


I went through most of the day Wednesday checking my mail and wondering when my boss would respond to me after telling me that I needed to respond to him by AM that morning, after sending an out-of-line response to a simple request to take an office chair with me, to use to work from home that I have been sitting in for a quite some time and am comfortable in, because I have back issues and I know this chair works for me. Then on my break which is later in the afternoon, I read the scripture Psalms 18:47 God will avenge me, ( a beautiful woman of God had also reminded me of this verse the night before).  Two other beautiful women of God reminded me to remain calm.. All of my beautiful women of God friends encouraged,uplifted and stood beside me rooting for me.. Thank you all so much!! If you would like to have an awesome read, all of Psalm 18…  I became stronger and I changed my way of thinking. I don’t have to be scared of a tyrannical man who acts as if he is a God and loves to instill fear in people. I have God on my side and he had better be afraid of offending me! My ear started hurting less and less (it was not helping how bad it was hurting through this)… I am ok to be conceited in God’s awesome power and love that He has for me. We are the apple of His eye! If anyone so much as harms a hair on our head or speaks an ill word against us, He will have HIS way with them and lookout if you are on the receiving end of that! I drew great strength and power from recognizing the power within. I encourage anyone that is dealing with someone that is trying to get you into a position of fear in order to try to control you to remember Psalm 18. If God is for us, who can dare be against us?!!! Thanks God for your awesome power and strength that you provide because your Spirit lives in us. Thank you for the Words that you left us with to read over and remember, to draw strength and Faith from when you left the Bible with us. Thanks also for the opportunity to have Faith and Trust in you enough to step out and tell someone, I will not tolerate being treated poorly and to mean it. Thanks for responding to my stepping out as you always do, with true FaithFULLness, loyalty, and trustworthiness. You are an awesome God!!!!!!!!! 

After being told that I had better have a response by yesterday AM  about my working conditions at home (even though I had already made it very clear to him what they were) or my work from home privileges would be revoked, he waited until 3:30PM to respond to my mail. I assume that he wanted me to sweat it out. Once he responded he said he didn’t have time to talk to me and pawned me off on someone else. I pray that one day he wakes up and realizes that any respect earned through fear is no respect at all and will gain 0 loyalty and in the end will be his demise.    

On the flipside, the guy that he turned me to is my new manager that I had not met yet. I will not repeat all of what happened, but that  he felt maybe he had missed some of the e-mail chain or there is personal history there between his boss and I that he is unaware of.  I said that is why I had requested a meeting with him. I felt it to be of a personal nature between us only I was left unaware and was having it taken out on me by a berating (at best) e-mail for a simple request to take a chair with me to use for work from home. I felt understood and respected by my new manager. What a way to be introduced! It’s a shame it took that to meet him but I am thankful it was him,  because I needed to feel respected and understood and he did this for me. I do not feel the other person is capable of this.  

If I ever am blessed to the tune of winning the lottery, guess who is getting a new executive chair with a note attached:  Enjoy the gift!  I will be out uplifting and encouraging many without the need to report to man. On behalf of my team, I will remain at the office for however long the team needs because that is what a team does, they work together and respect each other.

Psalm 18 from me…. (what makes us righteous/upright is believing in Christ as our Savior. If you believe this His Spirit lives inside of you and is your covering of Grace)  

King James Version (KJV)

18 I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24 Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

28 For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

31 For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

46 The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore

 

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

TRUST (BELIEVE) FAITH

-This entry is dedicated to my co-worker and brother Jehu- post started in Jan 2012

ROM 10:8-11
But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Here are some definitions of Trust: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of : believe: to place confidence in : rely on : to hope or expect confidently: dependence on something future or contingent : hope

On Friday, I was led to study Romans because of a discussion regarding the Mary, and Martha post from a few days ago (Jan 2012). The words were given to me at the very end of this study with God, Faith is an outward Expression of the belief in our heart. This can be of word, or action. It usually comes naturally, and we do not take a moment to think about it before we express. I feel that sometimes spirits can distract our mind, so that we are unwilling to access our heart.

Beliefs can be formed in many diffrent ways. There is a head knowledge of what we are supposed to BELIEVE as Christians (obligation). Beliefs that are passed down from other generations either by force or trust in their opinions. There is a belief that can be developed through the testimony of others. There is a knowing/trusting of the heart belief, that usually comes from first hand experience of someone or something. There is another rare type which is just believing/trusting without a doubt that what someone says is true, without needing any evidence. We usually see this type of trust in a child towards thier parents. It is the truest, most beautiful and pure form of belief/trust that a person can have, and the trust we are born with until life experiences, and fallible humans take their toll on us.

In most cases our trust or lack of trust(belief) in a person, is a byproduct of the relationship we have with them. In the early stages, we know them because of what they say, or what we have maybe heard about them. I have noticed that it usually takes me about 3 months or more with a person, to give me enough time to truly know them by hearing what they have said, and being able to observe if their actions match thier words. It is this dance in a relationship that develops trust, or lack of trust/belief in someone. It is very important to pay close attention to what a person says, so that you are able to know without a doubt once they have fulfilled their promises, or have acted in the extreme opposite way of how they speak. The more that we see them fulfill their promises, the more it strengthens our Trust/Belief in that person. After a while of knowing them as a trustworthy person, we are able to develop a strong true belief in that person. We can tell we have this type of belief in them, when they can say something to us, and we don't have to stop to think of whether it is true or not. Our first reaction to what they say is that they are speaking truth to us rather than the other way around.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen...

conviction, definitions:

a: the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth

b: the state of being convinced of error or compelled to admit the truth  

a: a strong persuasion or belief

In Romans 12:3 it states that each man is given THE measure of Faith.

JER1:5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set
you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
 
 
JER31:34
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."
 


CONTINUED ...........................  upon finishing this blog from Jan 2012, I was led to the following insights.. A dear friend of mine had posted this after my Grandmother had passed away:  

From: srs227@aol.com [mailto:srs227@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 8:37 AM

-Red Winged Messenger-

On Tuesday May 29th, the 3rd morning of the week, I headed out for my prayer walk to hear from God. I have come to know that God not only speaks to us through His word but also through His creation which is a manifestation of His word. My intention on the walk this particular morning was to lift my friend Angela up to Him, that He may comfort her and bring her peace over the passing of her Grandmother
. I had barely taken twenty steps when a cardinal caught my attention. A scripture immediately popped into my mind, "a bird of the air shall carry the voice, that which has wings shall tell the matter." I knew in this instance that the voice being carried by way of the cardinal was that of God. The cardinal was standing on the largest rock boulder in our front yard just staring at me and making song. "What are you telling me Lord through this red winged messenger?" As I questioned it dawned on me that I had brought my smart phone along with me for taking notes. It hit me that I should google "symbolism of the Cardinal" when I did so, I scanned the links available and one caught my eye, "religious symbolism of the Cardinal". When I clicked it, this is what I saw, "the Cardinal Bird is symbolic of faith, it comes to remind us to KEEP THE FAITH. It also reminds us that we as believers are covered by the blood of Christ. I knew that the message, "Keep the faith" was not only a reminder to me, but was a message sent by God through this red winged messenger for Angela on behalf of her Grandmother.
When I went back through the email that Angela had sent to me, something I had overlooked stood out and confirmed the message was for her. The last thing mentioned that she noticed right after her grandmother passed, " a cardinal singing to me from the tree in the yard next to hers." The passing of a loved one is always hard. It does cause us to reflect upon our faith and as we ponder it, God sends this very clear message to direct us, "Keep the Faith."
The picture in my mind of the Cardinal standing on the boulder is very strong imagery. It will forever remind me that Christ is the rock, the one solid foundation. The cornerstone of my faith.

 

Revelations ADDED TODAY NOV 23,2012

 

Cardinal: 1 : of basic importance : main chief primary ‹a ~ principle› the Cardinal Bird is symbolic of faith, it comes to remind us to KEEP THE FAITH

CHIEF: the head of a body of persons or an organization

 

PRINCIPLE: a primary source : origin, a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption, first in order of time or development

 

The cardinal was standing on a Rock-

Dt 32:3 I will proclaim  the name of the LORD.  Oh, praise the greatness of our God!

Dt 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.

 

KEEP THE FAITH (preserve the Truth of the Lord, bearing witness to the Testimony of Jesus Christ revealed by His Holy Spirit to you through His Word. When you hear it, you will know it to be true, because your Spirit will bear witness with His and what is already written on your heart. The Spirit will whisper reminders of what you have always known.
 
HEB 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.


FAITH IS THE ASSURANCE OR SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR AND THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. HEB 11:1

 

THE WORDS GOD HAD GIVEN TO ME (JAN 2012 ON MY BLOG POST ): FAITH IS THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION OF A BELIEF IN A PERSON’S HEART. BELIEF IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN PHYSICALLY SEE. IT IS ONLY EVIDENT WHEN WE HEAR THE TESTIMONY OF PERSON REGARDING THAT WHICH THEY BELIEVE IN. WHEN WE BELIEVE IN SOMETHING; WE SPEAK ABOUT IT WITH BOLDNESS.

 

In regards to having Faith in the promises of the Lord, we identify His promises through reading His Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to translate to your heart. As we become aware of His promises, we are able to clearly see His promises fulfilled in our lives.  This fuels our Faith and we are transformed into Faith-FULL trusting servants of the Lord, able to fuel the Faith of other’s through our testimony.

So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" (John 4:27-29 RSV)

******an interesting note is that back in those times, the woman’s water jar would have been similar to her purse as it was needed daily for the task of gathering water and would have likely been a security to her**********

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:39-42 RSV)

A THOUGHT TO PONDER: ARE YOU SPEAKING THE TESTIMONY OF CHRIST TO THOSE AROUND YOU? WHEN WE BELIEVE IN SOMETHING, WE SPEAK ABOUT IT.

 




Monday, November 12, 2012

President -vs- our Savior


God is in control of everything. He has allowed this to happen. . We don't have all the answers and we really don't know for sure what is going to happen. If it is end of times, things will get bad but here is what it says in the Bible: 
MAT24:6
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.. 
but he who stands firm to the end will be saved
Let us stand firm believing in His promises to us! If we rest and take peace in this, we have nothing to worry about. Keep your eyes and heart fixed on Christ and what He has promised you! Nothing matters in life but this. When Jesus was with Pilate, Pilate made a comment that he had the power to set Him free if He would just open His Mouth and answer him. Jesus said you would have no power if not granted from above. Obama would have no power if God did not allow it. Nothing happens in this world without God ok’ng it. He is using Obama to move us forward toward the end. Just like He used Judas to bring Him to the Cross. There is nothing to worry about. It’s all in HIS HANDS. 
Christians unite and stand strong till the end! Do not sit in gloom and despair because of the results of an election. Do not allow satan to bombard you with messages of fear. We have the Spirit of Christ living in us. satan has been defeated and his days are numbered. I assure you that our creator and Father is well aware of what He is doing. He is with us ALWAYS.
-Selah-   pause and calmly think about this.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvpjxfWrjzY


On Eagles Wings Psalm 91
Written by Michael Joncas

Isaiah 40:31
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run,
and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."