You Are Important- Inspirational Thoughts

Horton Hears a Who- Dr. Seuss

The book tells the story of Horton the Elephant, who while splashing in a pool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. Horton surmises that a small person lives on the speck and places it on a clover, vowing to protect it. He later discovers that the speck is actually a tiny planet, home to a community called Whoville, where microscopic creatures called Whos live. The Mayor of Whoville asks Horton to protect them from harm, which Horton happily agrees to, proclaiming throughout the book that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”

In his mission to protect the speck, Horton is ridiculed and harassed by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear. He is first criticized by a sour kangaroo and her little kangaroo in her pouch. The splash they make as they jump into the pool almost catches the speck, so Horton decides to find somewhere safer for it. However, news of his odd new behavior spreads quickly, and he is soon harassed by a group of monkeys. They steal the clover from him and give it to Vlad Vladikoff, a vulture (formerly a black eagle). Vlad flies the clover a long distance, Horton in pursuit, until the eagle drops it into a field of clovers. (Courtesy of Wiki)

The Message

YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO GOD. No matter how small you are to self or to others. No matter what others think of you or say about you, YOU are still the person that God created. YOU are still the person that God has a will for you to do. He hears and sees everything that you do. He is our Heavenly “Horton Hears A Who” that vows to protect those who are in Christ Jesus…You.

(Courtesy of God’s Word)

• Genesis 1:27
• Isaiah 48:(Focus Verses- 17); 49:5-26
• Matthew 10:28-31
• 2 Timothy 2:19
• 1 John 4:10
• Acts 14:17
• Romans 6:23
• Psalms 8:4-8
• Revelation 20:12-13  (Some of us don’t know a fourth of our relatives names)  😛

http://youtu.be/K0xQsleqNyQ –  Horton Hears A Who

You too can find many revelations about self, others, and life in quite a few old children’s books. Take a day or two out of your busy life and just be a child, or just take 25 minutes to watch the movie above. There are a lot of Horton’s around that the Lord has placed in your life, some you know and some you don’t know. Praise the Lord! It pays to have big ears! 😛

Enjoy The Day Beloved! 

I Love You

More Interesting Books & Sites – Shareware

Proverbs 1:5(AKJV)

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

I vowed to give up watching television and a cable bill this past February ( I did it!) so I could catch up on reading , writing and organizing old writings of mine, work with a lesser known homeless non-profit group,  work on three books for publication, teaching myself to sign and to play a guitar. I’ve been busy , not so well at times, and neglected to post as often here.  I’m sorry!

I’ve been reading and reading, and reading, over the river and through the woods. Here are some great reads for my beloved readers I wanted to share.  Most are ebooks and can be found on Amazon or local library for download.

• A Key to the Knowledge of Church History – John Henry Blunt
• Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions Being a Comparison  of the Old and New Testament – T.W. Doane
• The History of the Negro Church – Carter Godwin Woodson
• The Book of Religions Comprising the Views, Creeds, Sentiments or Opinion, of All the Principal Religious Sects … – John Hayward
• The Naked Gospel: Truth You May Never Hear in Church – Andrew Farley
• Supernatural Power Through One Law – Andy Mealer
• Bible Studies in the Life of Paul Historical and Constructive – Henry T. Sell
• The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man – James W. Johnson
• The Pursuit of God –  A.W. Tozer
• The 7 most Powerful Prayers That  will Change your Life Forever –  Adam Houge
• An Introduction to Philosophy – George S. Fullerton
• The Black Man, the Father of Civilization Proven by Biblical History – James Morris Webb
• Studies in Old Testament History – Jesse Lyman Hurlbut
• Aesop’s Fables – Translated by George F. Townsend
• The Holy Bible. ESV – Crossway (Tried to figure out the need for this type of bible)
• Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
• Biblical Geography and History – Charles Foster Kent
• The Kneeling Christian – Unknown Author
• Pagan and Christian Creeds: their origin and meaning – Edward Carpenter
• Green Smoothie Recipes Bible…- Michael Chung
• Body Butter: The Ultimate Guide- Susan Hewstan ( For those desiring a change with the outer appearance) 🙂
• Gingerbread Man – Maggie Shayne ( A novel that deals with issues of child abuse)
• The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg
• Your Money or Your Life – Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez
• The Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey
• The Richest Man in Babylon – George Samuel Clason  ( 1920’s Edition) I think you’ll be able to find online.

I would also like to suggest the website FARLEX – The Free Dictionary.  It gives you some nice things to do while waiting in a doctor’s office, on an office break, or sitting through a boring sermon (lol)  or event. It has the Word of the Day, Article of the Day, Quote of the Day, This Day in History, Today’s Birthday, Spelling Bee, Hangman, and Match Up ( matching words with synonyms).  Today’s word of the day is Dustup (noun)- an angry dispute.  Nice word!

Allow me to share some websites I’ve been reading too!

http://educate-yourself.org/

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/israel1.html

http://lifeprint.com/       American Sign Language

http://www.floracopeia.com/About/how-to-use-essential-oils-effectively/

http://www.discipleshiptools.org/

http://www.cogic.org/our-foundation/the-founder-church-history

DRUM ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!

The number one book (aside from My Bible, The Word of God) I’ve been reading for the last 5 months,  really studying, noting, and placing focus on God’s word in relation to this book is The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit by R.A. Torrey. It is a great read about The Holy Spirit. At a later date I will share my thoughts on Chapter 18, The Holy Spirit Sending Men Forth to Definite Lines of Work.

Here is one of my favorite long excerpts from the E book found in CHAPTER XVII. PRAYING, RETURNING THANKS, WORSHIPPING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
On the Day of Pentecost, when the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke as the Spirit gave them utterance, we hear them telling the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:4, 11), and to-day when any believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, he always becomes filled with thanksgiving and praise. True thanksgiving is “to God, even the Father,” through, or “in the name of” our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit.

III. The Holy Spirit inspires worship on the part of the believer. We read in Philippians 3:3, R. V., “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God, and glory in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Prayer is not worship; thanksgiving is not worship. Worship is a definite act of the creature in relation to God. Worship is bowing before God in adoring acknowledgment and contemplation of Himself and the perfection of His being. Some one has said, “In our prayers, we are taken up with our needs; in our thanksgiving we are taken up with our blessings; in our worship, we are taken up with Himself.” There is no true and acceptable worship except that which the Holy Spirit prompts and directs. “God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth; for such doth the Father seek to be His worshippers” (John 4:24, 23). The flesh seeks to intrude into every sphere of life. The flesh has its worship as well as its lusts. The worship which the flesh prompts is an abomination unto God. In this we see the folly of any attempt at a congress of religions where the representatives of radically different religions attempt to worship together.

Not all earnest and honest worship is worship in the Spirit. A man may be very honest and very earnest in his worship and still not have submitted himself to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in the matter and so his worship is in the flesh. Oftentimes even when there is great loyalty to the letter of the Word, worship may not be “in the Spirit,” i. e., inspired and directed by Him. To worship aright, as Paul puts it, we must have “no confidence in the flesh,” that is, we must recognize the utter inability of the flesh (our natural self as contrasted to the Divine Spirit that dwells in and should mould everything in the believer) to worship acceptably. And we must also realize the danger that there is that the flesh intrude itself into our worship. In utter self-distrust and self-abnegation we must cast ourselves upon the Holy Spirit to lead us aright in our worship. Just as we must renounce any merit in ourselves and cast ourselves upon Christ and His work for us upon the cross for justification, just so we must renounce any supposed capacity for good in ourselves and cast ourselves utterly upon the Holy Spirit and His work in us, in holy living, knowing, praying, thanking and worshipping and all else that we are to do.

I LOVE YOU

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS

If You Knew-My Thoughts On Learning From Others In The Bible

Good Great Saturday Morning/Afternoon to you beloved.  I’ve been in deep study and thought again with the OT(Old Testament), which was one of my resolutions for this New Year, to complete a book for my grandkids about what grandma thinks and believes about God, as my papaw did for I without him knowing it. I inherited a lot of his books and writings after his death.  I hope to share with you a series about people of the OT and lessons I learned from their behavioral actions. I hope you enjoy it, and as I always say, you may not agree,and that is fine. I just ask that you keep in mind that these are my thoughts revealed to me by none other than the Holy Spirit, Himself, for my understanding of the Lord. Thank you Jesus!

If You Knew

If you knew the exact time you were going to die, what would you change in your life during that additional period(s) guaranteed to you? This is something I was thinking about concerning wasted time that we have all experienced and thoughts of how to somewhat correct past behaviors, thoughts, and actions thereof. I have learned these past three weeks and know from my experience that “silence is golden” when you put yourself in the Lord’s presence and see yourself through His eyes. Just sit quietly to self and He will reveal. There are some things you may not like or can’t believe about self.  Unveiling is a powerful thing!

So anywho! I was reading in the OT again searching for something really deep about being given a 2^nd chance to live life differently up to a certain day of guaranteed death told to you.  Here is where the remembrance of King Hezekiah kicked in.  After reading about him again, I also pondered, why was it that Adam was not given another chance to live perfectly again? That’s another blog and thought I suppose.

First I’ll share what I took from my Comprehensive Analysis of the Bible by Montgomery F. Essig, 1922 Edition about Hezekiah. Lord, I wish this edition was online so I could have just copied and pasted. Here we go!

Hezekiah – a form of a Hebrew word meaning “strength of Jehovah.”  Hezekiah was the twelfth king of Judah and one of the best of Judah’s kingly line, although he was the son of the idolater Ahaz.  He was born about 726 B.C., ascended the throne when about twenty-five years old, and reigned twenty-nine years.  One of the first acts of his reign was to do away with the idol-worship that had grown under his father and restore the true faith. He then turned his attention to win back the cities captured by the Philistines.  His success in these military operations led him to refuse tribute to Assyria, which nation had already destroyed the kingdom of Israel and led away the ten tribes captive.  This act brought to his doors an Assyrian army, and Hezekiah was forced to make terms by despoiling the Temple of gold to give to the Assyrians, who promptly broke faith, and were just as promptly punished by God, who in a night destroyed 180,000 of them by plague.  Hezekiah fell ill, and, after earnest prayer, was told by the prophet Isaiah that God would spare his life for fifteen years.  The remainder of his reign appears to have been peaceful and prosperous. References 2 Kings 16;18;19;20.

I shall add a bit more here about Hezekiah.  His mother, Abijah, was the daughter of King Zechariah. You do know that King David was Hezekiah’s grandfather, right?  And that because of Ahaz’s reign of not doing right in the eyes of the Lord, Israel was once again exiled because of Sin to Assyria?  In 2 Kings 17:18-19 the bible tells us that –So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah was left, and even Judah did not keep the commands of the Lord their God. They followed the practices Israel has introduced. 

His wife’s name was Hephzibah of which Manasseh was seeded.  It occurred to me that during the reign of kings throughout the families, that one generation would do good; then the next generation would do bad in the eyes of the Lord, and so on and so on. In other words, it seemed generations took turns between doing good and bad in the eyes of the Lord. I see that happening in my family and many others of which I am aware of their family history. There appears to be some type of skip a generational curse existing thingy. (Read the books of Judges – 2 Chronicles for specifics)

In 2 Kings 18:5-8, it tells us that- Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.  And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.  From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

Did you know that it was Hezekiah who broke “into pieces” the bronze snake Moses made that was used to cure the Israelites from snake bites back in Moses’ day? Here’s the story about Moses’ snake.

Numbers 21:4-9 (NIV) The Bronze Snake

 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”  Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.  The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”  So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.

So now back to Hezekiah….please open your bible or do a net search and read 2 Kings 20. It is a powerful chapter and a lesson in there to be learned for all. I am to close this out some time soon.

If the Lord sent a messenger, or told you Himself, “Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover.”…. I ask again….If you knew….what would you change in your life? At that given moment Hezekiah only had a moment’s notice.  To most, if given that message, there would be nothing they could think of to do, but to lie there and die, call an ambulance, or try to write out a quick will via a phone call to a lawyer.  😛   But ah ha! here lies the strongest link in a weakest moment encountered….Watch out! Here it comes! When Hezekiah was told this, he did WHAT?  He prayed to the Lord, and this my loves, is how the 15 years was added to his life. Ask Him in faith and ye shall receive according to His will, huh? I think he was about 54 or close to it when he died.

Hezekiah really did prove to those of us, me included, in reading this; that the verses above (2 Kings 18:5-8) were kept until his death. Not only that, whatever the Lord said to Hezekiah, he accepted, whether good or bad. It made me think again about the simplicity of trusting in the Lord. We don’t have a quarter of the incidents happen in our lives that Hez had and most can’t find it in ourselves to put and keep that trust in to him until our death. We surely don’t want bad news from the Lord and we would not be as accepting of it as Hezekiah was. It is hard for us to come to grips with accepting our fate. Right? What I find even more amazing is that the bible tells us there was never another king like Hezekiah, neither before him nor after him. Thank you Holy Spirit! Brain power kick……There was never one like Jesus before Him or after Him either, nor to come.

What lesson(s) did you learn from reading about Hezekiah?

More on Hezekiah can be found in the Books of 2 Chronicles 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39. Another thing I found powerful in reading about Hezekiah is that he “thought” that……. “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”  Is that a thought of yours? If you were seconds away from your death, would you be able to utter those words?

2 Kings 20:7-11 (NIV)

Then Isaiah said, “Prepare a poultice of figs.” They did so and applied it to the boil, and he recovered.  Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I will go up to the temple of the Lord on the third day from now?”  Isaiah answered, “This is the Lord’s sign to you that the Lord will do what he has promised: Shall the shadow go forward ten steps, or shall it go back ten steps?”  “It is a simple matter for the shadow to go forward ten steps,” said Hezekiah. “Rather, have it go back ten steps.”  Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow go back the ten steps it had gone down on the stairway of Ahaz.

My prayer and wish for you and self….Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him,and he will make your paths straight.

I LOVE YOU

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS

Related articles

• The God Of Hezekiah (savedbygraceblogdotcom.wordpress.com)
• Isaiah 39. Babylonian captivity of Judah foretold. Messengers from Babylonia (KJV) (bummyla.wordpress.com)

Words. Words, Words! Words?

Fun! Fun! Fun! …….singing over the river and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.  Words of old to share with readers. Enjoy!

I came across these words several years ago on the site below.  A thought ran across my mind to research how, when, and what gave a spelling to a word and who decided that it was the definition for the word. I was wondering if God had given Adam, Moses, or Noah a dictionary. Stick pictures I can understand.  😛  However, I am still at a lost when it comes to the origin of  its meaning. I always figured I could make up a word and a meaning to go along with it. 🙂 

Let’s see I think I’ll make a sentence out of a few of the words I found; amarulence, autexousious ( see definition below)

Because of Jonah’s amarulence for the fish, he pulled the fish from the water and threw it in the sand.  To Jonah’s surprise, the fish was still autexousious to swim when it came to swimming in the sand. 😛

Now let me think of a moral for those statements.  Hmmm?  How about…..  When taken from your natural environment, adaptation looms large?????  Boing!!!! LOL

Here is the website where I found some oddly fantastical words: http://phrontistery.info/index.html

Here are a few A words that tickled my brain:

• Alabandical-adj -barbarous; stupefied from drink

 • Adytum-n – sacred part of a temple or church; church chancel

• Agapetae-n -churchwomen who live platonically with celibate men   Huh? 

• Agonistic-adj -of, like or pertaining to or being aggressive or argumentative

 • Amandation-n -act of sending away or dismissing

 • Alopecoid-adj – of or resembling a fox

• Amarulence-n -bitterness; spite

• Anchorite-n -one withdrawn from the world for religious reasons

• Antipelargy-n -reciprocal or mutual kindness; love and care of children for their parents

 • Aretaloger-n – braggart; one who boasts about his own accomplishments

 • Austerulous-adj – somewhat or slightly harsh

 • Autexousious-adj -exercising or possessing free will

• Auricular-adj -of, like or pertaining to the ear; spoken secretly

• Aureole-adj -radiant light around head or body of holy personage

I Love You

Words Are Powerful Letters

Ephesians 4:29(ESV)

²⁹ Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Psalm 55:21(ESV)

²¹ His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.

Related articles

• Words, Words and More Words – What is Really Being Said? (authormccloskeyspeaks.wordpress.com)
• Letters of Note: I like words (angieinspired.wordpress.com)

Quotes I Love About Resolution(s)

“Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”- Jonathan Edwards

 

“You know how I dread the whole year? Well this year I’m gonna dread one day at a time.”-Charlie Brown

“Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair but manifestations of strength and resolution”- Kahlil Gibran

“How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them”- Benjamin Franklin

“Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed.”- Cavett Robert

“A good resolution is like an old horse, which is often saddled but rarely ridden” – Mexican Proverb

“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.” – Chinese proverb

“One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: “To rise above little things” – John Burroughs

“People need revelation, and then they need resolution.” – Damian Lewis

“Therefore, let us not despair, but instead, survey the position, consider carefully the action we must take, and then address ourselves to our common task in a mood of sober resolution and quiet confidence, without haste and without pause.” – Arthur Henderson

“I have no way of knowing how people really feel, but the vast majority of those I meet couldn’t be nicer. Every once in a while someone barks at me. My New Year’s resolution is not to bark back.” – Tucker Carlson

“I shall stick to my resolution of writing always what I think no matter whom it offends.” – Julia Ward Howe

“If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am.” – Cyril Cusack

“Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.” -Goran Persson

“A dog’s New Year’s Resolution: I will not chase that stick unless I actually see it leave his hand!” – Anonymous  😛  😛

“When we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out.” – St John Chrysostom

“Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.”- Brooks Atkinson

“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. Unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.”- G. K. Chesterton

Ephesians 4:21-24(NKJV)

..if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

I Love You

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins

BECAUSE OF and BY FAITH- Our Reminders

My morning reading partner, the Holy Spirit, shared with me a reminder from the Book of Hebrews this morning Dec 8, 2012. Yep, you’ve guessed it! Hebrews 11, one of the biggest faith chapters in the bible. Don’t need a dictionary here, the writer makes sure we are aware of what FAITH is.

Hebrews 11:1- Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

A verse that really had the boomerang effect this morning. Let me share verse 13 with you: All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth.

Do you realize that this verse is telling us who are Christians that because of faith, God‘s promise to us will never be void, even unto the grave? What a great reminder and eye opener! Lord have mercy Jesus!

Let’s take a look and read along in your bible the verses relating to each found throughout the bible, as to what happened because of and by faith. Ok, lovebirds, pull out the bible or read along online.

• The universe was formed
• Abel had a better offering for God, and by faith Abel still speaks even though he is dead.
• Enoch escaped the death experience. Because of his faith, he pleased God
• Noah by faith heeded God’s warning and lived with all kinds of animals on an ark.  😛
• Abraham by faith obeyed God without hesitation
• Sarah by faith, was able to bear children past the given childbearing age. (A reminder that  with faith , ANY and EVERYTHING is possible with God.)
• Abraham, because of faith offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God. Is this something you could ever bring yourself to do, offer up your child as a scarifice to God? Do you have that much faith?
• Isaac lived because of faith, and by faith he blessed his son’s Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

Note to self-  Noticed faith appears to be generational and a big concern for the future of their children.

• Jacob, by faith on his deathbed blessed each of his grandchildren born of Joseph, and  worshipped the Lord.
• Joseph “when his end was near” because of his faith spoke aforetime about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. (Hmmm, do you have this type of faith?)
• Moses‘ parents by faith hid him and was not afraid of the king’s ruling during that time.
• Moses by faith refused to be recognized as the son of a pharoah, chose to be treated as a  slave, left Egypt, kept the Passover, regarded disgrace in the name of and for God, and was able to give the commandments of God to God’s people.
• The walls of Jericho fell (Can you imagine tons of stones broken only because of faith and never touched?)
• Rahab the prostitute, because of faith, she helped people of God and I just know her name is written in the Book of Life.
• Because of faith, there were those who “conquered kingdoms, administered justice, gained what was promised, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, escaped the edge of a sword, weakness became strength,received back their dead ” and even survived being in the belly of a big fish, and it goes on and on folks.- Reference all books of the bible.

And I want to add, that by faith, Joseph stayed with Mary, knowing he wasn’t the “biological father” of our greatest Believer and Trustee of Faith, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Closing Verses

Hebrews 11:39-40 – These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

Hebrews 11:6 –  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

And now my beautiful people  in Jesus, may you all have a blessed and faith filled Saturday.  Off to shoe hunting I go.  By faith I shall find the perfect shoe within 30 minutes time that I can walk around in and praise the Lord while I’m living in the Holy City.  Faith prepares you.

The writer of Hebrews reminds us of two caveats (possibly caviar for you seafood lovers…wink wink) concerning faith;

“BE SURE” and “BE CERTAIN”.

Thank you for spending time with me and the Lord this morning on the great reminder of what happens Because of and By Faith.

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins

 

NOT PERFECT, BUT WILLING, GOD’S DETERMINATION- MY THOUGHTS

There are so many stories about people in the bible who were not perfect, but willing and determined. We are a people today….not perfect, but willing and some not so willing.  However my subject focus will be on those that are not perfect, but willing and God’s determination.

I believe the heart is the foundation of our will and it is the main organ that contributes to our attitudinal behaviors, along with our minds. There are a lot of us who will not admit to others “I’m not perfect”, even though it is evident in our lives so much so like that of a whale swimming in one of those kiddie blow up pools sitting in the kitchen sink. Now that’s a site for sore eyes that can’t be missed!  😛  😛

While reading this, keep this very statement in mind: God knows our heart and He too knows it is not perfect. Now allow me to present a few bible verses to confirm my belief.

1 Chronicles 28:9– “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.”

Hebrews 4:13-14– For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Jeremiah 17:9-10– The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?  “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”

Acts 1:24-Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen

Romans 8:27-And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

This blog is just a reminder that we are not perfect and it is ultimately God’s will for us to become so. I’ve listed a few people of the bible below, who were not perfect, but willing and once willing became determined. These are people who had to humble themselves to be willing.  While thinking of these people, I ask that you think about yourself and others, focusing on just how loving, powerful and all-knowing He really is from the beginning of the bible to the end. I want you to think about how willing  and determined are you to do the Lord’s will?

It took me some time to let it soak deep into my marrow that God knows I’m not perfect and that He loves me in spite of me regardless of what anyone else say or think. SIN is like a chess piece in the mind moving here and there making you doubt how much God loves you. In order for anything to change in anyone’s life, that person has to be willing.

I’ve come to realize that old adage…….. “I’m set in my ways” is the most selfish attitude, excuse, and worthless thought, that anyone utters from their lips.  Go ahead! get upset, that’s how I feel about people when they make that statement.    😦   I would kick myself even if I perhaps happen to utter those 5 miserable words. What in the world do you think God can do with a “set in my ways” determined person? He’ll leave you to your own to be setting in your ways like the fallen star in the lake of fire.  Now we ALL know the story of that fallen star that was so determined to stay set in his ways walking to and fro on the earth, never restless, causing havoc, and tempting all. We need to be more set in Jesus’ ways. That will cure the “ME” syndrome.

Well! Well! lookie here.  What does God tell us in the Book of Isaiah?

Isaiah 55:8-9 (KJV)

^{8 “}For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”, saith the Lord.

^{9 “}For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God have always been determined to return us back to perfection as things were before Adam and Eve sinned. If you haven’t already, you can read all the examples in the bible of a hard headed, hard hearted, and set in their ways nation.

If nothing else, that proves to us all, just how patient and loving He really is. He is THE GREAT FATHER that truly loves His children. His determination is a great lesson and reminder for us as earthly parents and all people. He is determined for you, for me, and for all of those who come to Him through Jesus to be permanent inheritors of His Kingdom, forever.

Focus Words

• Willing-adj- disposed or consenting; inclined; cheerfully consenting or ready.
• Determination-n- the act of coming to a decision or of fixing or settling a purpose.
• Perfect-adj- lacking nothing essential to the whole; complete of its nature or kind.

Please read the bible stories if you are not already familiar with the following people who were not perfect but willing. If you have others I’ve not included, feel free to share.

• Saul————————— Acts 9
• Rahab————————  Joshua 2
• Zacchaeus——————- Luke 19:1-10
• King David—————— 1^st and 2^nd Books of Samuel
• Matthew——————— Matthew 9:9-13
• Mannasseh—————— 2 Chronicles 33
• Me —————————- God’s Scroll

 

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins

Interesting Books To Read- My Shareware

Number 1- The Bible  🙂

Hello Beloved Ones!

I just finished reading The Islamic Antichrist by Joel Richardson.

It was a very interesting book. You can download an ebook from Amazon for about 8 peonies. I found a website with more info on the book. I learned some new words like Mahdi(their savior), Ad-Dajjal( their anti-christ, liar and deciever), munafiq ( hypocrite), and inshaallaahi (I hope by the will of Allah) and about the 5 types of Jihad. This was a mind opening book for me, because I have very little knowledge about the Islamic religion only because I wasn’t interested in anything but Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  I believe the Lord led me to read this book after my 4th study on Revelations, so that I am made aware period. When I went a hunting for books to read on the subject, this book was at the top of the ebook listing for Christianity readings at my local library

http://archives.joelstrumpet.com/?p=2197

Another book I loved and completed last year is  Boundaries, When To Say Yes, When To Say No To Take Control of Your Life by Henry Cloud and John Townsend. It is a great self-help assistance outside of the full self help reading book, ie The Bible. The title caught my eye while browsing in the local bookstore while I was thinking about this bible verse:

Matthew 5:37 NKJV

But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Here’s a excerpt from a book review published by this website: http://www.bpdresources.net/peer_book_reviews/henry_cloud.htm

The premise of this book is that you cannot control what other people say and do, but you can control how you react and make your own choices  – and it explains in simple terms how to go about that. It helps put relationships into a prospective that is healthy and also nurturing.  According to the authors, “Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us and under what circumstances. Mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts and opinions  Emotional boundaries help us deal with our own emotions and disengage from the harmful, manipulative emotions of others.”

Other books I love and have read with and to my beautiful grandkids are:

The Old African by Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney

Washington The Making of The American Capital by Fergus M. Bordewich

Lost Cities by Paul G. Bahn

The True Story of The Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka

And here is a free website for Children Bible Activities and Stories:

http://www.essex1.com/people/paul/bible.html