He Is Faithful Even When We Are Not

He Is Faithful Even When We Are Not

I am just overwhelmed today with the presence of God. I have been basking for over an hour now. Glory to God. He is so good to us. He could just save us and then say ok your on your own now, get to stepping. But, He is with us, working in us and through us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is always present. Have you ever had friends that tucked tail and ran when problems or trouble came into your life? I sure have. They took off when the party girl was no longer able to keep everyone laughing and happy. When sickness, disease, trouble, came into my life and tried to swallow me up, they all ran like rats trying to escape a sinking ship but, He was always there. Even in my backsliden condition, He was calling to me, come home, come home, I love you, I forgive you, I will heal you. Let me tell you something right now, I praise Him and worship Him because He pulled me out of a pit!!!!!! not just one time no no, many times. He never gave up on me! Everyone else had given up and I had given up, but, God had never given up on me. The Word says that He is married to the backslider and I know that to be true cause He sure stayed married to me, even when I wasn't faithful to Him, He was still faithful to me. There are so many times in my life that I should have been dead, but I'm still here. I'm still standing. He knows the end from the beginning glory to God and He saw today!

He wasn't up there on His throne counting my sins, He was seated there with Jesus on His right hand making intercession for me. Yes that's right, Jesus the son of the Most High God was making intercession for me. Before Peter, the disciple of Jesus denied Him, they were all gathered together to celebrate passover, Jesus had told them that one of them would betray Him, speaking of Judas and Peter,Petros(Rock) said I will never forsake you Lord, Jesus said to him Satan desires to sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail, and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Jesus knew that Simon Peter was going to fail, He knew and still loved Peter,because He knew that Peter would come back and once filled with the Holy Ghost of God would be one of the most dynamic and powerful preachers that this world has ever seen. God does sit High on His throne and He does look down low on us, but it is not in condemnation. It is not His will that any of us should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

He wants us to be friends with Him. To talk to Him, to seek out His counsel for His leadership and guidance in our lives. Every day, not just on Sunday. Every single day, in every decision, He is in the middle of it all. He made us, He loves us an He desires to shower us with blessing and favor. Have you walked away from the Lord? Is He calling you back? Come back to Him. Don't let the enemy tell you that God won't forgive you, or that you have come to far. Satan will try to use the word of God on you to twist it to make you think that you can't be saved but he is a liar and has been since the beginning. I tell you the truth God will forgive you!! I know because the word says so and because He surely has forgiven me! He did not leave me in the pit, He pulled me out! forgave me, cleaned me up, filled me with the Holy Ghost and has now allowed me to help share what He has done for me with others. To help pull them out of a pit. He will use it all for your good and for His glory.

Where Is Your Pattern?

One time I was helping a friend to cut out some fabric pieces. She gave me a pattern and I cut the pieces by that pattern. Well after a while, I had laid the pattern to the side, at some point and started cutting by one of the other pieces. Now, you might think to yourself, "Well if the fabric was cut by the original pattern,then you could cut the other pieces by it. Well....in order for this to work, the pieces would have to be exactly like the original without a single flaw and of course they were not,by the time that I got to the end of this cutting job, some of those pieces were so off it was not even funny. My friend laughed at me and said what in the world did you do? I said I guess I got away from the pattern, we both looked at each other and I said, "Well..that will preach." You see we want to look at other Christians and pattern ourselves after them when we should be looking to Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith as our pattern. He is perfect and He will never lead us astray. When we try to follow after what other people are doing or not doing for that matter, we will surely get off the track.

Look to Jesus, He is our perfect example. If something isn't in the word, then don't have a debate or issue with it. Follow Jesus and His word and everything in your life will be in perfect alignment with Him. Other folks get it wrong sometimes. They are human and if we are following after people and looking to them for our only instruction or pattern, sooner or later we will become offended or mislead. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will stay on the right path and not suffer as much in this life. He is our good Shepherd and He will lead us in the right paths. He loves us with an everlasting love, He laid down His life for us that we might be one of the redeemed ones. He will never leave us or forsake us.

Friends come and go. Church folks come and go, but He will always be right there by our side leading, guiding and directing us into all truth. He is our very best friend and He is our pattern. When we shape our lives after Him, we won't end up with scraps, we will end up with wonderful pieces, fitly joined together to make a wonderful God given design. Look to Him today, He is the perfect pattern.

He Is Faithful

Listening to Faithful, faithful, faithful is our God. I love this song. He is faithful. When everyone else walks out on us, God is right there. Holding us up, encouraging us, loving us, never leaving or forsaking us. He is the only true constant in our lives. People come, people go. Jobs, circumstances, environments, all of those things change but, God never changes. His Word clearly tells us He is God and He changes not. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Who in this world can you say that about? Let me tell you I have been through some things, what about you? and when I was going through, I tell you some of the time the only somebody that was there with me and for me was my God. That's it! Everyone else walked out. See when the going gets tough, and it gets ugly and there really isn't anything in it for some folks, they will just walk away but, I serve a God that is FAITHFUL!


 Oh yes, He is FAITHFUL! He loves us with an everlasting, never ending, never changing love and He will never ever walk out on us. Oh trust me, if He was going to walk out on someone, it would have been me back in the day when I was acting like I was completely crazy! and I guess at the time I really was crazy! But, He came after me, He called out to me, He came straight over to that pit that I had fallen into and He called me by my name and I answered Him and He reached down into that pit and He pulled me out!!! Oh praise His name! He pulled me out! Where was everyone else? Nowhere to be found but, God the Creator of the universe, the Lover of my soul, was right there with me. Rescuing me, pulling me out, cleaning me up, giving me a purpose and sharing His plan with me. Encouraging me, and most importantly of all showing me that I was forgiven!

What a loving and compassionate and mighty God we serve!  I will never ever forget what He has done for me! Oh I might get a little loud during praise and worship and I might act a little funny in people's eyes sometimes. Glory to God! But, I don't care, He has brought me a long, long way and I will forever be grateful and thankful to Him for that. Noone knows but Jesus how much He rescued me from. Some things you just can't talk about. I am just now beginning to share with other women parts of my story. For so many years I was so broken and wounded I couldn't even think about my story,let along tell it to anyone but, it is time now. He has healed my wounded soul and spirit and restored my once broken and shattered mind. He has given me a purpose and a plan and He is now using everything that i have been through and been delivered from and out of to help other women. Oh praise His name. That is why my life's verse is Romans 8:28 For we know that all things work together for good for those that love God and are the called according to His purpose. He is so faithful. There are not enough words in any language for me to express how much I love Him and how faithful He has been to me.

It's Not About The Wine

In John Chapter 2 we read about Jesus first miracle of His ministry. Turning water into wine at the marriage feast of Cana. Everyone wants to argue and discuss the fact of was it really wine? or was it grape juice? and a plethera of other such babble. The point really shouldn't be was it wine or grape juice or any of the other many religious arguments. The points to be made truly are these: 1. Like His mother Mary said, "Whatever He tells you to do, just do it." and 2. He worked His first miracle through his disciples. We can learn so so much through just these 2 points. If we will just do what He tells us to do He can and will work miracles through us to serve the people. Had they not done what He said, the miracle would not have come forth as it did. Also, He could have made a huge display of His power by having the disciples bring the pots of water in unto the crowd and letting it be known that the wine was all gone and then waved His hand over the pots and turned the water into wine that way but, rather He chose to honor the disciples for their quick action and obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice the word tells us, after all.

When I look at this story, I am amazed at the fact that Jesus, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, The only begotten of the Father chose to work through people and still does. When I get to do something that He tells me to do, I am thrilled. Now, I will admit there are times when He tells me to say something to someone that I really don't want to say for concern over their reaction, but, I still do it and then I feel so glad and happy that I obeyed His word.

When we learn to do what He says to do, we will not only be blessed but, others will be blessed as well. Today I am still learning to fine tune my spirit ears to hear clearly what He is saying and to do what He then says to do. When Jesus performed this very first miracle, He was, in my opinion, showing the future of His ministry, that He would work through His people. I am so grateful to serve a God that not only loves me but allows me to partner with Him in this great work that He has called us to do. Sharing the gospel with everyone that we meet.

Forgiveness Is For You

When Jesus was hanging on the cross suffering and dying, he looked out at those that were torturing Him & said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  Jesus is the perfect example of forgiving others. Could we do that? Could we forgive someone that had hurt and wounded us so deeply? According to the Word, it is a must. The Word says stand forgiving that you will be forgiven. So, in other words if you don't forgive others for what they do, then God will not forgive you. I tell you right now, I will not allow someone to put me in a position to where I can't receive forgiveness from God. I have always been quick to forgive and to move on. Some friends have called me the "Rubber Band Girl" because I just keep snapping back into place!

There have been times in my life when someone hurt me so bad that I really didn't feel like I could go on or if I even wanted to for that matter. Just thinking about the hurt that had already transpired made me hurt all the more. Through hearing the Word, reading it, speaking it out and soaking up every bit of Jesus I could get, I have manged to be that overcomer that He promised that I would be. I made up my mind a long,long time ago that I am not going to hell for anyone!!  When someone hurts you, and choose to forgive them, it isn't a one time deal. It is a daily,I chose this day to forgive kind of situation. In fact years ago, I was manifesting chest pains, there was absolutely no reason for my chest to be hurting. This went on for 5 days. The fifth day being Sunday, I went to the altar and an elderly lady approached me and with her gift of word of knowledge, she said to me, dear one, you have unforgiveness in your heart, He will help you let that go. I thought to myself, she is looney tunes, I don't have any unforgiveness in my heart but, out of respect for her, I said ok. She looked at me and she said it is time for you to let it go and when you do your body will line up and will stop hurting. I was like how did she know I was hurting? I didn't say anything to her,  mind you I was new to all of this Holy Ghost stuff back then. I was really freaked out then! She said seek the Lord and He will reveal to you what needs to be done. I said yes maam. So I began to pray while I was at that altar and ask the Lord to help me, to show me, to reveal to me whatever I needed to know. I began to weep and to moan like someone in travail of birthing out a child and people that had wounded me, started popping into my head and the Lord would say forgive them, I would say ok Lord I forgive them, I forgive them, I forgive them! When I stood up from that altar the chest pains had gone and I felt amazing!

Forgiveness is essential to be able to walk out this Christian life. In order for us to walk in wholeness and wellness and be able to minister effectively to others we must forgive. When I think about all that the Lord has forgiven me for, it is easy for me to forgive others. I know that just like He forgave and fixed me, He can forgive and fix them too. We can't ever think that we are better than someone else. If it were not for the mercy and the grace of God I would definitely not be here right now! He pulled me out of a pit, when I had fallen in. He pulled me out of a pit when I was pushed in. He called to me to come out of the cave when I had walked in there to hide from the world and He has walked through countless valleys with me and brought me out victoriously on the other side. He is our wonderful, loving, compassionate Savior, Lord, King, Shepherd, Healer, Deliverer, Strong Tower, He is EVERYTHING!

We can't risk missing out on Heaven by keeping bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness in our hearts. He wants to keep us restored and renewed by the Word of God. This world will do it's fair level best to inflict pain on you. The Word says that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus comes to bring us life and more abundantly. Don't fall for the tricks of the enemy and get caught up in hatred, bitterness, anger, resentment and unforgiveness. It will kill you. It will strangle out the seed that is trying to blossom forth in your life. When people do stuff to us, we just have to turn them over to God and say Lord I can't deal with this person by myself, please help me. I give them to you God because I know that you make all things new and you are well able to bring life into this situation. I am not saying that we are to be doormats and let people use and abuse us, but, what I am saying is that we must love people, forgive them and let the Lord deal with them.

Holding onto unforgiveness just hurts us, not them. Because quite frankly most of the time that person couldn't care less if they tried. They are completely emotionally removed from the situation and you are still crushed and wounded by it and continue to be so because you keep talking about it, rehearsing it over and over again in your mind and refuse to let it go and forgive. Forgiveness is for us more than it is for them. Jesus looked down from the cross and said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Wow, what love and compassion and forgiveness! If you are struggling today with unforgiveness, bitterness or anger seek the Lord, He will help you to be an overcomer. How do I know this? I AM AN OVERCOMER!

Wise Fishermen

I was reading in Proverbs this morning and came across this well known verse, Proverbs 11:30, The fruit of the uncompromisingly righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men--he gathers and receives them for eternity]Amplified Bible.  I thought to myself I definitely desire to be wise and to win souls to Christ. That is my passion in life. By any means necessary. Saving, rescuing people from the pit of despair. There are hurting people everywhere you go. When I go shopping, there I find hurting people that need a touch from God, they might need encouragement or prayer. He always points me in the direction of the one that is in need. I never cease to be amazed at how He does this. I was in T.J. Maxx one day and the Lord directed me to 2 different people to pray for their health. They were so happy and receptive to prayer.

People are hurting. They want someone to see their hurt, they want someone to help them, to rescue them. They just need relief. I have been able to lead people to Christ, to lead people back to Christ, to pray for deliverance for people, to pray for healing, for peace, for whatever they needed at the time. He wants to meet people at the point of their need. He wants to save, heal and deliver them. He chooses us to reach them. He chooses the foolishness of preaching to confound the wise, the word says. I never cease to be amazed at how He will use us to reach that person. One time I was in a gas station, waiting to pay for my gas, I looked up on the counter and there was a cross for sale. I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit say buy that cross and I will show you who to give it to, so, I did. That cross traveled in my vehicle with me for several weeks, then one day while I was at the county jail to visit my wayward son, I saw an elderly lady sitting there on the bench waiting to get to visit with her loved one and the Lord said she is the one, give it to her. So, I gave my keys to my daughter in law and said here go to the car and get that box in the back seat. She nodded and she ran and got it and brought it back. I took the box from her and I turned to the elderly lady and I said maam, I don't know why but the Lord said to give this to you. She opened the box and saw the cross and began to jump up and down and to shout and laugh and cry and her family gathered around and was doing the same,and I didn't know what in the world was going on and then she said honey, I asked the Lord to give me a sign that everything with my grandson was going to be alright and He has done just that!! Oh then we all began to praise God and to thank Him for His goodness, to thank Him that He cares about every single detail of our lives.

Her, her family and I all gathered together held hands in a circle, yes in the jailhouse and began to pray and the power of God was in that place!! The 2 of us became friends and we started writing to each other. Her grandson was in jail, falsely accused by the way and my son was in there. After she had been seeking the Lord and we prayed together and continued to do so. The accuser came to the courthouse and confessed that she had lied on this young man and of course he was released. That praying grandma prayed, believed and received and He allowed me to be a part of His plan. Would He have helped her without me? Well...of course, but, I was honored and privileged to get to be a part of that wonderful time.

You see...people are everywhere at every stage and level of need. Some are Christians like Mrs. R and some are backsliden and need to be led back to Christ, some are atheists that need to see the power of God and to realize that He is real. Some are addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex whatever and need deliverance. God will send us people from all walks of life and it is up to us to be prayed up, fasted up, fessed up and ready to get the job done. He that wins souls is wise, the word says and I want to be wise. This soul winning stuff can be heavy sometimes but it is a wonderful awesome thing when you get to win that soul, to bring that person out of that horrible pit of sin and watch them become who God wants them to be. To watch them become fishers of men as well. What a mighty God we serve!

Hold Up Peter!

This morning while reading the Word, I came across the story of Paul rebuking Peter. Never really thought that much about this story really. I have read it dozens of times and this morning it hit me. When Paul found out that Peter was acting one way around his Jewish friends and acting another way around his Gentile friends, he wasn't happy. Peter wanted to please his religious and pious friends that still adhered to the law and he also wanted to minister the gospel to the gentiles and be friends with them but, also telling them that they had to go by the law. Well that is a little hard to do since you would have to be super phony to be able to do such a thing which would be counter productive to say the least. Paul said this to Peter in Galatians 2:14: " You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. "But, if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners doesn't that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!! If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Wow! Those were some pretty strong words that Paul said to Peter but, seriously don't some of us do the same thing Peter was doing? Don't we act all religious around religious folk, you know wanting to look just like them, wear what they wear, eat what they eat so as not to offend them. As if what we wear or eat or if we put on makeup or don't put on makeup is going to justify us before God. Nothing that we could ever do would justify us before God. Yes God wants us to be modest and to represent Him wherever we go but to put ourselves under bondage and make others to do the same has absolutely nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He came that we might have life and more abundantly not to be under a yoke of bondage. Paul had come out of the most religious sect of the Jews, called the Sanhedrin, he had absolutely no desire to be like them any more in any way. He had been made new in Christ and he didn't want to mix the law with grace because they don't mix well. The law condemns and kills, grace makes a way unto salvation through Jesus Christ.

The Bible says very little about what a Christian should wear, or eat or any of that stuff but, we have whole sects and religions that claim they are based on the word of God but, I can't find it in scripture. We need to be very careful what we are practicing and why. We need to be very careful what we are trying to teach others about the word when we don't even know why we do what we do. I heard a story one time about a lady that was about to bake a ham for Christmas dinner. She gets out her ham and her pan and all of the ingredients to put on the ham, her pineapple and brown sugar and butter and spices and she then begins to prepare the ham for cooking. Her little daughter was in the kitchen watching her. She then cut the end of the ham off and the little girl said why did you do that mother? She said oh that is the way my mother always did it, but why? her daughter asked? she said well honey I really don't know that is just the way she always did it. Well now the little girl is intrigued so she walks down the street to the grandmother's house and she walks in and finds her grandmother also in the kitchen and she says grandma, mother is making a ham and she cut the end off cause she said that is what you always used to do, she don't know why you did it though, would you tell me why you did that? The grandmother laughed and said honey, I did that because my pan that I had at the time was too short for the ham.

You see, we do things without any real foundation for doing them. We dress like our moms or grandmothers did or we don't do this or that because of what our friends or acquaintances do or don't do. I tell you right now that has brought more bondage on people in the church than anything that I can see. When something is not in the Bible and we are just doing stuff and telling others that they better do it to or they won't be justified or "holy" we better watch out. Because we need to make sure that what we are saying is in the word and not just the traditions of men. For instance I know a sect of people that think that it is a terrible sin to wear short sleeves, they preach from the pulpit on the subject. My dad would call that a clothesline preacher, anyways I digress. They preach about something that is absolutely not in the Bible. They also preach that it is a sin to wear purple or red, now I don't know where they get this from but, that is just nonsense. People think something in their mind and then turn it into a rule or regulation and form a sect or religion. Lord knows we have enough religion, I say let's get a relationship with Jesus Christ and He will bring us into all truth. The Holy Spirit of God is our teacher and He will lead, guide and direct us into how we should dress and act and be for that matter.

We can't listen to what others say about short sleeve, long sleeve, no sleeve, pants vs. dress or skirt, makeup vs no makeup. If it is not in the word, then it should be left alone. We need to be sharing the gospel that gets folks saved not spending so much time and emphasis on the apparel. According to the word of God when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Don't let the traditions of men entangle you, search out what the word of God says about any subject. Study to show yourself approved the word says.

On The Right Road

Have you ever been in the car with someone that didn't have a clue where they were going? You know you start out somewhere and you assume that they know how to get there and in a little while you realize that they don't know which way to go. So, you try to tell them and they don't want to receive any instruction whatsoever. They want to do what they want to do, so, you get more turned around and lost and use up more gas and then finally they say, well...I guess I'm lost. Well praise God that you finally realized that! Now, we can get somewhere! So, you begin to tell them go back here and turn left and get back on that other road, and go straight, it's up here on the right about 6 blocks. You know what? Isn't this just the way it is sometimes in life? We think we have it all together and we know exactly what to do and how to do it and we don't think we need anything or anybody. We are going to get there on our own and it's only when we realize that without God's help we aren't going anywhere.

In the gospel of John, we see that Jesus is referred to as "The Way" "The Truth" and "The Life" The as in only. The gospel of John is an awesome book in the word of God to read to see just who Jesus was and is and to get a revelation of what His purpose and plan was in this earth realm. I am amazed at what can happen in a persons life once they realize first that they are lost, in need of salvation, hence a Savior and then once they believe on Jesus and His finished work on the cross and confess it with their mouth, their life truly begins. They are no longer wandering around lost looking for their destination. They are now on the right path, going to the right place. Oh praise God, I love to talk to folks about Jesus and to share with them what He has done for me in my life and to let them know that He will save you, heal you, deliver you no matter how lost you are, no matter what you have done, no matter how far away from Him you have wandered. He is right there waiting with open arms for you to come to Him. He will not force us to obey Him, He will not force us to serve Him. We have to decide on our own that He is the Way, Truth and the Life and that we want a relationship with Him.

I wake up every morning thanking Him for His goodness and His mercy and His grace. I say thank you Lord for coming after me. For being so patient and kind and loving with me. For forgiving me, when I absolutely could not forgive myself and for loving me with an everlasting love, when I felt so unlovely. He is so good. I cannot begin to describe how good He is and how much He loves us. I was thinking about the book of Hosea the other day and how that book describes how Hosea's wife was a prostitute and how she had run away from him and gone back to her old lifestyle and how he went to the marketplace and bought her back. She had become a slave and he went and purchased her back, he redeemed her. Hosea of course, is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. That redeemed us from our sins. I thought wow, Hosea really loved Gomer with a love that is inexplicable. He loves her past her faults, her dirtiness, her sins, her transgressions. He just loved her and refused to let her go. That is just exactly what God has done for all of us. He came to redeem us, it is up to us whether we choose to be redeemed or not. We must make that choice to receive His sacrifice on the cross and accept Him as Lord and Savior. He loves us so much, that He went to that cross, and suffered and died and rose again on the third day so that we could be redeemed!! What a loving compassionate Savior we have!

If you feel unloved or unappreciated today and you feel all alone, just reach out to the One that loves you with an everlasting love. The one that gave Himself for your redemption. That is the greatest love of all. Let Him show you today that He is the Way.

Your Scars Tell A Story

Oftentimes we try to hide our scars whether they are physical or emotional because we are ashamed of what others will think of us. We really don't want to share with others all of the bad things that we have been through that caused all of those deep scars. We are afraid that if we show who we really are or who we have become because of those scars that everyone will abandon us and we will be all alone. I personally have been hiding emotional scars my entire life. Oh, there are a few people that have been let into the scar exhibit but, very few because they are deep and I don't want to scare, offend or upset anyone. But, God has called me to those that bear scars, those that are wounded and crushed. So, I have to bear my scars to them, to let them see that I truly do understand, and that God can and will heal if you let Him. Scars tell a story, they tell of past hurts, disappointments, and abuse. They show that although you may have been through something that was intended by the enemy of your soul to take you out, to finish you, and destroy you, YOU ARE STILL STANDING!

I am still amazed how God can take a person that feel less than a worm, and over time turn them into a beautiful butterfly. How He comes in and loves and comforts and applies the healing oil of His Holy
Spirit to our deepest wounds that only He can see. Glory to God! He loves us, He loves us, He loves us. He collects our tears in a bottle and writes them down in His book of remembrance. So, they are not in vain, they tell a story. Jesus has scars and they also tell a story. The scars from the nails that were in His hands and feet, from when they nailed Him on that cross to bear our sins, and our shame. He has a scar in His side from where the Roman soldier pierced Him with a spear, scars in His brow where the Roman soldiers pushed that crown of thorns deep into His flesh oh yes, Jesus has scars. The Word says, He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we were healed. He loves us! He took those nails for us. They tell a story of a Savior that left the portals of Heaven in all of its splendor and majesty to come to earth through the womb of a virgin girl to be born into this world to become our Redeemer, our Savior, our Lord, our Healer, our Deliverer, our Defender, our Protector, our Provider. What a mighty compassionate loving Lord we have.

He isn't looking at us and thinking what a despicable, wretched wreck of a sin drenched person. No, He looks on us with compassion. He is our Great High Priest, that sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us that are still here trapped in this earth realm. The Word says in Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet He did not sin. When Jesus was still here on earth in a physical form, He looked on the sick, feeble, poor, blind and He healed them because He had compassion on them, in Matthew's gospel 14:14 the Word tells us that when Jesus saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion toward them and He healed their sick. He is full of mercy and grace and love. He understands every single thing that you have gone through. He will come and pull you out of a pit. It doesn't matter what you have done, He will pull you out of that pit, He will forgive your sins, He will deliver you from your addictions, He will heal you from your deepest wounds and He will give you a purpose and reveal to you His plan for your life. He is a wonderful Savior.

Today, if you are in a pit and you don't know how to get out. Just cry out to Him, He will hear you and He will rescue you, deliver you, heal you, He loves you with an everlasting love and He wants to take care of you. I know that without Him I would no be able to do anything,but, with Him I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength, Philippians 4:13, He is the one that has repaired me, mended me, restored me, healed me,delivered me, saved me, and given me a drive and a purpose to share His love with those that He sends to me. Don't be ashamed of your scars today. Those scars can one day be the conversation starter that leads another wounded one to Christ. All things work together for good for them that love the Lord and are the called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28  ALL THINGS The cutting scars, the burn scars, the scars from molestation, rape, physical and mental abuse, the scars from abortion, miscarriage, spousal abuse. All of those things can now be turned around and used for your good and for His glory. I am still amazed at how He takes all of those shameful things that have happened and now uses them to help pull someone else out of a pit of despair. Whether you are in a pit, a cave or in a dark valley today, God will deliver you. Call on Him and He will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you know not, Jeremiah 33:3

At least I'm not like him!

 
In Luke18:10-14 Jesus told the story or (parable) of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee(religious hypocrite) and the other a tax collector (hated among the Jews,considered vile sinners) The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth (tithe) of all I get.  Wow, can you hear the self-righteous, sanctimonious, self centerdness of this so called prayer?  Now, listen to the tax collector....But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his chest and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."  then Jesus said to the crowd to whom the story was being related and said this: "I tell you that this man, (sinner) rather than the other, (religious hypocrite) went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Now, this story right here should give you a pretty good indication of what Jesus thought about religious hypocrites.

When you are steeped in religion, its practices, and rituals and rules and regulations and you begin to think that your righteousness is based upon what you do, what you wear, what you eat or don't eat for that matter, then you have allowed yourself to become a religious hypocrite. When you spend your time looking down on others like a bird on a high wire, perched looking down on others ready to pounce on them for any little thing that they say or do, you have become a religious hypocrite. When you begin to compare your sins to the sins of others as if God is overlooking all of your hypocrisy, hatred, bigotry, racism, gossip, lying, back biting, etc and you think that well at least I am not a murderer or a thief. But, really aren't you? The word tells us that if we hate our brother, that we are guilty of murder. When we go around back biting people aren't we really sticking a knife in their back which kills their spirit?

We need to stop comparing sins and realize that God is in charge of this whole deal, and we are not and He is the judge, the ruler of all things. He has sent us out as salt and light in this world to draw people to Jesus Christ for salvation. Jesus said if I be lifted up I will draw all men unto me, He did that on the cross and when we lift Him up now and shine the light on His cross and His finished work, then people will be drawn to Him. Jesus is the lover of our souls, He has been called the bishop of our souls, the shepherd, why? Because He loves us and looks after us. He is always seeking those that are lost. He is not looking to beat people up and to put bondages on them. He said in the Matthew 11:28-29 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest, take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and You will find rest for your souls.  When Jesus is talking about a yoke here, He isn't talking about making you a slave to religion, He is talking about being partnered up with Him, yoked together to do the work of the kingdom. He is not a hard taskmaster like religion makes Him out to be. He is a loving shepherd that loves His sheep and wants to save, protect, heal, deliver, and provide for.

When the sinner went up to the temple to pray, which in and of itself is a miracle. Considering the man already knew that there would be people there to scoff, ridicule and make fun of his every word. He went anyway and prayed to God in deep humility. Didn't matter how he was dressed or where he came from, Jesus said that he was justified when he left that place that day. What does justified mean? It means that when he left that day after repenting of his sins to God, that it was just as if he had never sinned. He was in right standing with the Father. This is what we need to do, examine our own selves. Confess our sins to the Father, repent of them in humility. Not concern ourselves with what sister so in so or brother so in so is doing or saying and work out our own salvation with God.

Jesus said that we are to be like a city on a hill, why? Because a city on a hill, is bright and it draws the eye upward. He was trying to say that we should be drawing peoples eyes upward to God. Upward to the cross of Jesus Christ. He also said that when we do good works that people will notice and will give glory to our Father which is in heaven. Let's stop comparing sins. Let's stop putting people under religious yokes of bondage and do what Jesus said and be salt and light. Being kind, showing love to all those around us. Remembering that we were once sinners. We can't forget where we came from. He has brought us all a mighty long way and we are no better than anyone else. We are just forgiven. We have found a better way to live. An exciting life flow from God and we should be sharing it with everyone around us.

Are we thinking and saying the right things?

   
The last couple of weeks have been like a roller coaster. I was attending a Revival on Monday of last week and received a direct word from God through a man of God that I greatly respect. I received that word with gladness and faith. The next night, I attended the same Revival and the Spirit of God was on me so strong I could barely stand upright, I was asked to preach for the following night, I received that invitation with gladness, and went to preach. All went well. The Lord spoke through me what He wanted said and I felt blessed to be allowed to deliver that message. By the time I got home that night my body was under attack with what I later found out was bronchitis. Anyways I came home from the Revival, feeling rough in body but wonderful in the spirit. Shared the experience with a friend and did a little reading, prayed and went to bed. By the next morning, I was really feeling rough but, I refused to accept sickness. I was decreeing and declaring and rebuking and claiming healing and wholeness the whole entire time. So, I pressed on and went back to the Revival that night.

 When I got home from the Revival, I felt like I had been beaten and kicked and yes I do know how that feels so it really felt that way. I began to pray and ask the Lord what do you want me to do? I am refusing to receive sickness and disease, I am decreeing and declaring and believing and doing what I know to do in the natural as well. What do you want me to do? He instructed me to gargle with hot salty water, drink hot water with lemon, and go to bed and rise up in the morning and be healed. I said ok and did exactly as I was instructed to do. That night was one of the worst nights, I had fever, chills, such a terribly sore throat, coughing, body aches, it was just a very bad night. So, as I am laying in my bed, I am talking to the Lord and thanking Him for saving me, for loving me, when I didn't even love myself and as always when I begin to say these things to Him, I began to weep. In that moment I rose up out of the bed and said to my enemy, "Satan, I submit myself to God and I resist you and according to the Word now you must flee!" I did feel him leave but the sickness was still with me. I had texted one of my sweet friends that is like a daughter to me for her to pray. She said I am praying for your body to be healed and for your mind to be clear. The instant that I read those words, I said that's it.

 I need clarity in my mind to be able to see what is really going on here. So, I began to ask the Lord to speak to me, to reveal to me what needed to be revealed and of course He did as I asked Him to do. He said, "Remember I told you the enemy is an illustionist, he does not have creative power like you do." "He shows you something and then you become fearful or confused and then when you begin to speak it out or believe it in your heart, it begins to manifest itself." "Don't listen to him, don't look at his tricks." "He is already defeated." I said ok Lord I do remember and in my minds eye I could clearly see and hear when He had spoken this to me last year when I was under such a terrible attack with my health. The Lord told me to watch my words, they have creative power. This isn't real, it is just an illusion, don't speak it into existence. Now there are people who don't believe that kind of talk but, I tell you right now I have lived it and I know it to be factual. The moment that I prayed for clarity in my mind, the symptoms began to slowly clear up. What we say is of utmost importance but, it has to be coupled with what we are thinking as well. We can't think one thing and say another, the enemy is a legalist and he will get you on that one every time. The Word says as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So we must think the right things and say the right things at the same time. If we are doubtful we can pray and say Lord I believe help my unbelief.

When I woke up the next day, I felt horrible. I thought I don't get it, the Lord said drink this, gargle with that and go to bed and rise and be healed. So, I am talking to Him again and I say Lord what am I doing wrong in this scenario? Am I missing something? Then He spoke to me in a very clear and concise way and said that I had been pressing through to another level. Then the verse came to mind from faith to faith, and from glory to glory. I laughed and said are you kidding me? So this was a birthing into another level of faith so, he was trying to hit me with sickness to keep me from reaching the next level?  How funny is this? When I started laughing, I began to feel so so much better. Laughter is good medicine of course, as the word says. I just layed there in the bed for quite some time talking to the Lord and listening as well. He shared with me that change was definitely coming and although that sounded exciting to me at first, it also had an odd feel and sound to it at the same time. He then reminded me to hold fast to my confession. Which was when I told Him that I would go where He told me to go and I would do what He told me to do and I would say what He told me to say. So, here I am saying what He said to say and although some people that read this may think I am nuts or not believe one word of it, that isn't what matters, He said to say it and so I am saying it. It is not your job to receive the message but to deliver it, He told me. So, deliver it I will.

After all of this new information that He shared with me, I felt drained, tired and sleepy so, I went back to sleep and dreamed some really odd dreams and got up and ate something which I hadn't done in quite some time and drank some water and thanked God that I felt so much better. That was on Friday morning. All day that day I felt so much better and I was all happy and joyful and looking forward to going to Revival that night. Then bam it all hit me again! I went back to bed, I was like what in the world is going on? But, this time, I said Lord your word says that you will keep me in perfect peace if my mind is stayed on you and I know what your word says and this is not going to happen to me again, in the name of Jesus I rebuke this sickness that is trying to come on me and I do not receive it!! I am well and whole in Jesus name!! I didn't go to Revival that night and slept all day long. Had one dream after another and was still tired and sleepy the next day. On Saturday I got up, felt better actually went out with a friend and was so happy to be able to get out and see and feel the sunshine on my face. I can't express how truly grateful I was to be well in that moment. Felt great all day and was looking forward to church the next morning, but, once again here comes the sickness that night and the next morning. I just kept the faith, fought the good fight and kept my confession the same, and that night I came out of the valley of sickness and have been fine every since. I don't know all the answers and I won't pretend that I do but, I do know that He has got me in the palm of His hand and He loves me with an everlasting love and I trust Him. No matter what happens, I trust Him completely.

I learned so many things during that week in the valley and I am grateful for that. After all of that mess passed, I began to make plans to go get my mother and make a trip to visit my sister and her husband and visit with my peeps in Blytheville. My friend came to get me and we went to get my mother, we got all loaded up and headed out. When we got to my sisters house, I felt an eerie feeling come over me and I didn't know why. I shook it off and pressed on. I knocked on the door and my sister came to the door and immediately I could clearly see and hear that something was terribly wrong with my dear sister. She was saying some pretty weird things and acting even weirder. I thought oh my Lord, please help me to help her. You see, my sister has been diagnosed with alzheimers. She sounded fine on the phone, and I knew that she had been diagnosed but, that was just a short time ago and I never expected this evil thing to progress so quickly. I began immediately to listen to her "story" as she calls it and to help her to straighten the house and to visit with her and my mother. As I sat there and listened to her nonsensical ramblings I was praying in the spirit and I wanted to break out in tears and scream and holler and yell at the enemy that comes to steal, kill and destroy but, i kept my cool and just listened.

When I did get a moment to go outside in the backyard with my lil' Angel Baby I spoke to the enemy and bound up his works and released healing and wholeness and wellness in Jesus name. I talked with the Lord and thanked Him for all that He had done for me and for my family. I thanked Him for going to the whipping post for our healing and for going to the cross for our redemption and I thanked Him for rising again that we might have life and have it more abundantly! I cried and I laughed and then I straightened myself up and I steeled my backbone, called my doggie and went back inside with a smile on my face, a song on my lips and peace in my heart knowing that He is in complete control.

 My sister is one of the most wonderful,giving, talented, sweet people that I have ever known and to see her like this, is almost too much. I can't say that I understand why bad things happen to good people but, I can say that our words have power and our thoughts have power and for years she has said to me over and over and over again, I am so afraid that I am going to get alzheimers and not know what I am doing! I would say please don't say that! Your words have power! Don't even think that. You don't live under the curse, you live under the blessing. You are a child of God and that is not going to happen to you! She would laugh at me and say ok you are right I shouldn't say that. But, she continued to say it over and over again and I would stop her every time I heard her say it. Our bodies are controlled by our minds and when we continually think and say bad things about ourselves and others, it forms a pattern and then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. I am hopeful that with prayer, good nutrition, vitamins and minerals and good doctors helping her, she will overcome this mess!

God is well able and He is willing to heal us! Things don't always happen the way that we think that they should and we get discouraged, fearful or doubtful and we say and think the wrong things but, by reading and meditating on the Word and saying it out of our own mouths, we will be made overcomers to the glory of God! God has not given us a spirit of fear but, of power and love and a sound mind. I am going to do everything in my power in the spirit and in the natural to help my sister as will her children. I am believing for total healing and wholeness in Jesus name! and she will be a sign and a wonder in this earth for the glory of God!!

Why is it good?

Many years ago a young Turkish man asked me, "If your God died on Friday, then why is it called Good Friday?" I looked at another Christian co-worker that heard the question and I smiled and said, "I am so glad that you asked me that question." You see when Jesus died on the cross, He brought about salvation through His precious blood. He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He was the only one that could do that and He willingly gave His life so that we could be saved, so now we don't have to go to hell and suffer eternal damnation, we can ask God to forgive us of our sins, and accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for us and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead and when we confess Him as Lord then we are saved." Don't you think that is good news? He said, "Yes, it is." Why is it that I have never heard this before?" I said "Dear friend, I do not know why, but, I am glad that you heard it from me." Well...this is why we call this day "Good Friday" because for us it was very very good. Then I expounded to him about how Jesus rose again on the third day and how He is seated with the Father in Heavenly places on His right hand and his eyes were so BIG! He had never heard the story of redemption, he had never heard that Jesus would save him from his sins. I can't say that he fell down and repented that day and became a Christian, but, what I can say is that God allowed me to plant a seed that day and I know what His word says, that it will not return unto Him void. It will do what it is set forth to do and believe me it was set forth to save that young man. I am still believing to this day that seed will spring forth into salvation. Today all across the world we celebrate Good Friday. We talk about how Jesus died for our sins on a cruel cross between 2 thieves, was buried in a borrowed tomb and rose again victorious over death, hell and the grave on the third day. But, are we sharing this Good Friday good news? Are we sharing Jesus with others every where we go? Are we concerned about the souls of men, women and children all the time? Not just on good Friday? Let's be about the Fathers business all of the time. It isn't His will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. He has chosen us to spread the gospel. To tell folks about Him, by any means necessary. Through social media, through phone calls, texts, visits any way possible. Get the word out Jesus is our Redeemer!!! It may be Friday but Sunday is coming and He will be crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords to the glory of God the Father!