Away I Am

Good day/ evening beloved. Just a note to let you know that I will be away from posting until  mid November. Thank you for stopping in. I pray that you all keep the faith, walk mighty in love towards all,  have compassion for all, and forgive those who do wrong towards you and yours.  Let us pray this psalm together:

 

 

 Psalm 25

¹ In you, Lord my God,
    I put my trust.

² I trust in you;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    nor let my enemies triumph over me.
³ No one who hopes in you
    will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
    who are treacherous without cause.

⁴ Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.
⁶ Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
    for they are from of old.
⁷ Do not remember the sins of my youth
    and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
    for you, Lord, are good.

⁸ Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
⁹ He guides the humble in what is right
    and teaches them his way.
¹⁰ All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
    toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
¹¹ For the sake of your name, Lord,
    forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

¹² Who, then, are those who fear the Lord?
    He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
¹³ They will spend their days in prosperity,
    and their descendants will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.
¹⁵ My eyes are ever on the Lord,
    for only he will release my feet from the snare.

¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
¹⁷ Relieve the troubles of my heart
    and free me from my anguish.
¹⁸ Look on my affliction and my distress
    and take away all my sins.
¹⁹ See how numerous are my enemies
    and how fiercely they hate me!

²⁰ Guard my life and rescue me;
    do not let me be put to shame,
    for I take refuge in you.
²¹ May integrity and uprightness protect me,
    because my hope, Lord, is in you.

²² Deliver Israel, O God,
    from all their troubles!

May God deliver us all from our troubles, those who believe in Him.

I Love You All

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins

 

D-I-V-I-S-I-O-N – Satan’s Operation In the Home

I believe the most vital verses in the bible that warns us about the devil’s division skills are in Ephesians 6:10-12- Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 Vocabulary Moment

Divide- v: to separate (something) into two or more parts or pieces: to separate (something) into classes or categories: to give (something) out in usually equal amounts

division (÷) (/) is an arithmetic OPERATION

Division – n: the act or process of dividing something into parts : the way that something is divided: something that physically divides or separates something else ;mathematics : the process of finding out how many times one number is contained in another

Ironic… the symbols (÷) (/) used for division.  Satan is one of the greatest mathematicians when it involves division. Even renowned mathematicians such as Pythagoras, Leonhard Euler, and Isaac Newton’s skills are lacking in comparison to Satan’s math skills. Satan is also resourceful in using addition, subtraction, and multiplication in his favor. Who would have thought…Satan… a great mathematician? It is a fathomable thought. We must remember that Satan has been around since the beginning watching God, the Master Mathematician and The Creator of Math.  I know from experience that if one has a great teacher and dependent upon the student, he or she works to become even greater in a subject that is taught, once the mind and heart is put into it. (TYHS) If you go into deep thought mode, you will discover that math is also a major means of communication. There are four (4) major places that Satan spends his time computing how to divide every second walking to and fro in high places within the Earth’s atmosphere. They are the church, home, workplace and the land of God. The first of these subjects to be discussed is the home, for it is said “Home is where the heart is.”

In the Home

Luke 11 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. 21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 but when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils. 23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. 27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

There are many lessons I’ve learned while spending time with the Spirit of God from the above verses. I’ve been led to share three of these lessons with you pertaining to the home. Even though the lessons may be clear as daylight to some, it is something we don’t keep in our minds and hearts as a remembrance of Satan’s division power. Some may not believe so, but the arithmetic operation by Satan is a leading source of divorce. It is a leading source of disobedient and abused children, cunning, weak, and difficult spouses.

One thing I’ve noticed, even as a child is that in many Baptist churches, married couples that are members attend together.  In other denominations, I’ve seen married couples whose spouse is a member of another denomination. It’s not my business, but it just seems odd, knowing that couples are worshipping the same God in a household, that are obviously divided on beliefs concerning bible doctrine. Just makes one think, why else would a married couple be attending separate churches? I think too much.  Moving on…When facing issues within the home, we need to be reminded:

• Satan does not know our thoughts. My belief is based on the fact that there is only one God and He alone is omnipresent and all-knowing. It is proven throughout the Holy Bible and proven daily in my life. I did not find anywhere in scriptures stating that he has that ability. Satan operates according to our actions because he has the advantage of seeing how the human behavior arithmetically operate. (TYHS) He has thousands upon thousands upon thousands years of experience observing the human race. You may also read the book of Job.
• Satan can be divided against himself. Prayer and fasting adds to our God-given ability and authority in Jesus name to divide Satan against himself. Mark 9:29
• Satan once divided against himself, will call upon more unclean spirits to help him divide our households. In verse 28 we discover how to stop his operation of division within the home. Also read James 4. Be attentive to verses 7-8.

In knowing these three things, we must remember that Satan’s division tactics will come to pass. My beloved flowers…don’t let the devil think that it can’t be done. Let your actions show that you are hearing the word of God and show that you are keeping it. You can make a bold commitment to the Lord as Joshua did for his household (Joshua 24:15). We can, must, and will overcome Satan’s limited power of division. Even when our grown children and elderly parents are being divided and attacked in their own households, we need to be adding their burdens to our prayers. Our families are an extension of us. We are an extension of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. A house divided cannot stand regardless of the house’s location.

Let me leave you with a chuckle from another one of my favorite movies from my 70’s era, Smokey and the Bandit:

Snowman: “Hey, Bandit, me and Fred have a little question for you.”

Bandit: “What’s that?”

Snowman: “Why are we doing this?”

Bandit: “Why not?”

Snowman: “They said it couldn’t be done.”

Bandit: “That’s why we’re doing it.”

And “That’s why we’re doing it.”…because the devil thinks and says it can’t be done once we stray, BUT his division tactics fail when we SHOW that we love the Lord our God with All of our mind and heart.

 I LOVE YOU

Fruit Canning & Sanctification – Amos 8

Amos 8:1-2 Thus hath the Lord God shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit. And he said, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A basket of summer fruit. Then said the Lord unto me, The end is come upon my people of Israel; I will not again pass by them anymore. Ripe – Fully developed; mature: fully prepared to do or undergo something; ready: sufficiently advanced; opportune: Sanctification – the state of proper functioning; To sanctify someone or something is to set that person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer.

I had stopped by my mom’s to drop off some things earlier on this day during Lent. I had asked her why she doesn’t can food like grandma used to. She said “…here is a book if you want to do it, I don’t have time.” Talk about God working in mysterious ways. As I was studying Amos 8, I sat outside on my back porch from about 7 p.m. til a little past midnight listening to Jesus is Alive and Well, another oldie (http://youtu.be/3Z4CXLX_aGY)  When my kids were younger in those days, we all used to dance and praise the Lord in spirit on this song during praise break.

As I sat there, I reminisced about my childhood, watching my grandparent’s plant gardens and a group of grandkids helping pick vegetables from the earth and fruit from the trees and off the ground. I love how God can take you back to times in your life. Times that are so clear as if it is happening at that moment. I could still smell the aroma of dirt, trees, and ripe fruit and hear my granddaddy yelling at me as I was telling jokes and not working. Lord, have mercy! Thank you Jesus!

After this session with the Lord, I’ve become interested in canning and freezing items for the winter. Maybe I’m interested in canning some things in life that need to be put on the shelf never to be taken down again??? Something we should all perhaps consider when going through a transformation.

I remember the sweet and earthy smells coming from Grandma’s kitchen and helping her put items in the pantry. She would keep one to two jars out for us after canning, but the other jars didn’t come off the pantry shelf until winter was approaching. Can’t you just smell the aroma of peach, apple, and grape jams? Oh my God, and the essence of preserved figs. OK, now we have all gained 5 pounds just thinking about it. This too, is why I am an old country gal at heart and have no doubt about who I am to God.

According to my present received from my mom earlier, Circular HE-01 Food Preservation in Alabama, canning is the process of sterilizing and sealing foods in airtight containers to preserve them. It is a good economical way to keep foods so that they may be used in seasons when not available fresh. For canning purposes, foods are divided into two groups: acid and low-acid. The amount of acid in a food determines how it is to be processed. (TYHS- this is your shouting moment) Also note, that high acid content boiling temp should be 212 °F and 240 °F for low acid content to destroy bacteria in food.

In Amos 8:1-2, I was reminded that summer is the time fruit, as you know IS at its ripest. There is a mystery hidden in this verse for all Christians to know. May the Spirit reveal to you as He revealed to me what it is.

The Holy Spirit was sent to us as what?(Johns 14:26) His fruits dwell within us. Here are the questions that the Spirit laid on my heart and mind to share with you my loves concerning the process of fruit canning and sanctification. I remind you that you must let the Spirit speak to you the reason for the referenced verses as He did me. I can assure you that He Speaks when you Rend Your Heart to God.

1. Are you at a stage in your life that you know that you are or will be fully prepared for the Lord’s return?( Romans 9:21-23)
2. Have you settled any current or past issues with others, or have you just put them on a shelf to be resurrected or settled at a later date? (1 Peter 3:15;James 3:9-10)
3. Is the time ripe for you to make changes in your life to be in alignment with God’s will? (Numbers 20:12)

The Message– Take a look at the news headlines and events surrounding the four corners of this earth. The season is upon us to choose this very day, this very second, whom we will serve. The time is coming that the Lord will tell some of us that we are no longer an economical way. He will “not pass by” some of us anymore. He will have reached His boiling point and will destroy those who are not in the book of life. (Rev 20:15) Get your canning skills in check and preserve what is in line with the Lord’s will. Sanctify yourselves as the Lord has told many before us, by living according to God’s purpose for your life. When you fall down, keep getting up until you are standing solely on the Word of God and His promises. Sanctification is indeed a deeper boiling stage used by God. It is His way of pruning out impurities through His fruit canning, i.e. transformation process. (TYHS) You are made in His image. In the beginning God created me and you. Determine your amount of acid so that you know how it needs to be processed to be in line with the Lords’ will. Get to know your Designer. Be thankful of what the Lord let other’s do for you in His name.

Here’s the prayer that I prayed after reading Amos 8 that I will share with you, my beloved readers. Yes, I write everything down, so that I don’t forget. And now you won’t forget either. 😛

Father, have mercy on me. Begin in me the sanctification process. I am a sinner. I am your child. Reveal to me what your will in my life is. Show me the ripened fruit in my life that is approaching its rotting stage. If I am controlling or micromanaging, being judgmental towards others in the body of Christ, or possessing any other unfruitful behavior, deal with me in your way. Set me apart from those who think they know it all, are non- communicative, and are self-centered. Transform and preserve me in an airtight container so that evil can’t break the seal. Preserve me so that I may be among those that you do pass by again. I love you Lord. Lord, have mercy on me in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, my Savior. Thank you for this lesson about Amos which you have shared with me to share with others. Amen.

I Love You

Quotes

Deuteronomy 8:3 – And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every [word] that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

“Think how nature makes things compared to how we humans make things.” We talked about how animals don’t just preserve the next generation; they typically preserve the environment for the ten-thousandth generation. While human industrial processes can produce Kevlar, it takes a temperature of thousands of degrees to do it, and the fiber is pulled through sulfuric acid. In contrast, a spider makes its silk – which per gram is several times stronger than steel – at room temperature in water.”
William Powers

“The first law of nature is self-preservation. Cut off that which may harm you. But if it is worth preserving, and is meaningful, nourish it and have no regrets. Ultimately, this is true living and love of self…from within.”
T.F. Hodge,   

What’s The Quantity of Light You Have in Your Life? 1 John 1

As I was studying 1 John thru 3 John, I decided to use another tool to assist in my study as well as being led to open up my dictionary.  I used The Biblical Expositor, Consulting Editor, Carl F. Henry.  The commentary on 1 John was written by Fred L. Fisher.  There were several statements that Fred made required me to think deeper after reading all three books of John.  

According to Fred, “The author (John) does not consider these themes merely as ethical requirements, but as religious realities based upon the Christian revelation of God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore Christian doctrine lies at the root of the book, and one is tempted at times, to think of it as a doctrinal exposition of the reality of the incarnation of God in Christ. If we are to follow the mind of the writer, however, we must avoid this temptation, since he is primarily concerned with the quality of the Christian life of his readers.”

AND

“The plan of the book does not follow a logical order.  The writer thinks and writes intuitively with constant repetition of recurring themes. The book defies outlining and one must be satisfied to follow the course of the author’s thoughts as he deals with the great cluster of ideas which, to him, constitute the essence of the Christian life.” 

I prayed  as I always do before studying His Word, that I would be following the mind of the Holy Spirit before beginning the study, and I guess it is a worthwhile thing to follow the mind of the writer at times and let the Holy Spirit guide you to an understanding of how it applies to self.  Now with that being said, isn’t it like us when we have a lot of ideas, more than much to say, when our mind and heart are overflowing with reverberations of things we have seen, heard, and experienced? We get anxious to share words about urgent matters and we just fly to the moon and back in a day with what we want to say before giving it more thought. We are a people, most, who like to share with others what they have learned and experienced especially if it is a joyful experience.

After all a light reveals ALL that is in the dark, right? I know I say this all the time, but it just amazes me how often the Holy Spirit leads, protects, and reminds me that I am not a material or selfish person.  I had another title I wanted to use, The Quantity of Light Determines the Quality of Life. For now we shall ride with the title I used. Ok? Alrighty then!  😛

While I was studying, the Holy Spirit threw a dictionary in front of me. Well He didn’t actually throw it, He more so guided me to pull it from my nightstand while I was reading 1 John.  I had not planned on writing anything  on this study. Sometimes we read things over and over and are instinctively unaware of a word’s true meaning, even the simplest of words like I, and, am, is, have, etc. I am a dictionary addict by birth though.  

You will find a lot of simple words with definitions within this blog.  I promise you, that it will give you deeper thoughts about what John is trying to relay in his messages as it did me. You will find many blessings and learn what God desires of you as an individual when it comes to self and others.  1 John thru 3 John opened my eyes, my mind, and my heart to some truths about some Christians truly caring for the destiny of others.

I will admit openly, it has never been a worry of mine to care about whether one went to heaven or hell outside of friends and family.  The reason being was that I was not knowledgeable about how a person lives their life that I do not know, and I’ve always believed each individual have to answer for him/herself to God alone without my assistance. I believe there is always light in each and every one of us that let us know how important it is to be in line with God’s Will.  It is the individual who needs to find that true source of true light within them with the help of the Holy Spirit. It’s there!   Let us keep in mind that John’s message was to all those who follow Christ or at least were trying to follow his teachings, both children and adults, both men and women.

This, to me is one of the most encouraging books of the bible when it comes to being a light for others and self to find The Way out of the darkness.  It is my belief that John put himself on a level with each listener or reader of his words.  He/they definitely spoke from experience.  John also was concerned for the joy of others in the “Word of Life.”  AND, John informs us that “We write this to make our joy complete.”  He was also excited about the audience attaining joy by receiving their quantity of the True Light due to his experience.  Just think to share the joy of Christ with others must be a wonderful feeling.  I guess I do it at times by blogging.  I’m thinking that in order for joy to happen one must reach out to others to bring them into knowing the light they can have in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who is JOY.  

Joy- the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires; a state of happiness; BLISS.   🙂  I decided to put the definition here so you can associate the two words as being in one …….Christ = Joy.

 

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¹ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

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While reading those passages above, please place focus on the words below and experience a deeper meaning of what John is stating about the “Word of Life”. Yes, he appears to be anxious and repeats the same message using several techniques in these 10 verses.

I found the word “have” to be a key word in John’s message to his/their experience about the Word of Life;

• Have- to hold or maintain as a possession, privilege or entitlement.

1. have heard (perceived by their ears gaining knowledge)
2. have seen ( perceived with their eyes)
3. have looked upon  (highly regarded)
4. have handled (touched, felt)

• Manifested- made evident or certain by showing or displaying; readily perceived by the senses, esp. the sight; easily understood or recognized by the mind. (TYHS!)
• Declare- to make clear; to make evident; to show
• Fellowship- community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience; the quality or state of being comradely (friendly, brotherly)
• Full-containing as much or as many as is possible or normal; complete in detail, number, or duration; not lacking in any essential; complete
• Light- something that makes vision possible; spiritual illumination; pure; Truth
• Darkness- devoid of light; not receiving, reflecting, transmitting, or radiating light; arising from or showing evil traits or desires
• Cleanse- purify; freed from dirt or pollution; having no interior flaws visible
• Deceive- ensnare; to fail to fulfill; cheat; to cause to accept  as true or valid what is false or invalid
• Confess-to tell or make known(as something wrong or damaging to oneself);admit
• Faithful- full of belief and trust; LOYAL; firm in adherence to promises or in observance of duty; binding promise
• Unrighteousness-sinfulness; wickedness; unjust; not righteous

Finally, my summary of thoughts on this chapter…. In Christ Jesus, you will not be lacking in anything and you will be privy to receive joy and more quantities of light in your life which will one day allow you to physically hear, see, look upon, and eventually handle(touch) our Heavenly Father when the Word of Life, returns for His bride. Living in darkness makes one unable to see the TRUTH to experience successful bliss which leads to a poor quality of life. . Have you discovered the quantity of light that you have in your life?  If it’s not much, what are you going to do about it?

 

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins

A Father’s Role – Happy Blessed Father’s Day 2013

Our Wiki Answers Encyclopedic Moment  🙂

• A male (♂) organism is the physiological sex which produces sperm. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male cannot reproduce sexually without access to at least one ovum from a female.
• A boy is a young male human, usually child or adolescent. When he becomes an adult he’s described as a man.
• A man is an adult human male; the gender role to which men in most human cultures are expected to conform. ( pardonnez-moi!  I’d like to add a comment…. It is also a stage of the male role given by God)
• A father (or dad) is a male parent or Individual progenitor of human offspring.  Fathers determine the gender of their child through a sperm cell which either contains an X chromosome (female), or Y chromosome (male) (note- a blessed position received from God)

More of Wiki Answers: Traditionally, fathers act in a protective, supportive and responsible way towards their children. Involved fathers offer developmentally specific provisions to their sons and daughters throughout the life cycle and are impacted themselves by doing so. Active father figures may play a role in reducing behavior and psychological problems in young men and women. The father figure does not always have to be a child’s biological father and some children will have a biological father as well as a step- or nurturing father. 

Now that our encyclopedic moment is out of the way, let us reflect on Our Heavenly Father in prayer.

Our Father, which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
As it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive them that trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For Thine is The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory, For Ever and Ever. Amen.

My Thoughts …….Here we go!  🙂  😛

Because of God’s will, a human father has the power to provide a child’s daily bread, forgive a child’s trespasses, teach and show a child how to forgive, and guide them away from evil so that the child may avoid temptations.  Father’s remind yourselves of the power given to you over your child’s earthly life. Use God as your fatherly example.  Be a loving, supportive, protective, responsible, and correcting father. Be an obedient man of God. It is God’s will.  You will feel and see your blessings flow by passing the God-given and guided task on to your son(s). Son(s) who will one day possibly become a father. You are the one that holds the main key to putting procreation in place. For those wonderful, “Individual progenitor’s” i.e. FATHERS, who are doing your part per God’s will and instructions………..

Happy Father’s Day 2 U!

Ephesians 6: 4 – And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 -All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Challenge– For the men that are just out there making babies and taking no part in their child’s life, please mark a spot in your mind and on your heart the meaning of the word PROVISION to stay in line with the will of God. If you feel yourself falling out of line, grab a dictionary and remind yourself of its meaning and pray for the Lord’s guidance. 

PROVISION- (N) – (a) the act or process of providing; (b) the fact or state of being prepared beforehand; (c) a measure taken beforehand to deal with a need or contingency : preparation.

Being a FATHER is a prestigious position to have in a child’s life.  

As my papaw used to tell the young men in church acting up “boy you better straighten up and fly right, earn your wings, and own your flight.” If you find yourself unprepared for fatherhood, take a lesson from Onan, the son of Judah, spill your seed on the ground to avoid having to provide for an offspring. You can read the story in Genesis 38:1-10. If you have a living child or children, there is absolutely NO REASON, NO EXCUSE, whatsoever for you to avoid, nor lack in your fatherly duties.

If you are not going to spill your seed on the ground, in the trash, or wherever and impregnate a female.…The way I see it, the Lord gives you nine months to prepare for your gift He is giving you, unless it is a preemie.  Even then, you have months to prepare. You are to take care of ALL things the Lord gives you.  So……………

(((((Get Your Act Together)))))

In memory of my one and only father figure, my Papaw, Professor J.T. Banks, of whom I miss dearly every day. This is him at the age of 84. He used to brag about having all of his “real teeth” at that age.  Boy was he blessed, and look at that smile. I’ve also included a pic of him and grandma in their younger days. They were such a beautiful loving and caring couple. I was thinking, God puts at least one person in your life, that will forever be your guiding force, even if that person has died. Thank you Lord, for my Papaw, being that one person.

https://talkativeangel.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/fathers-day-a-good-father/

Joseph and Odessa

I Love You

Love Covers A Multitude Of Sins

Faith Seen? – My Thoughts

Luke 5: 20- And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

I’m studying a 31 days of a healing and recovery plan. The lesson  for the day was Luke 5, day 20.  Yippee! Almost done!  First, after reading the verse above this morning I thought to self (ya know how that goes) and immediately I began this blog…Isn’t the eye sight and heart of Jesus amazing? Knowing that what He sees and what He feels from others is so powerfully amazing and that most put their faith and lives into His hands without giving it a second thought?

Then I jumped here: Hebrews 11:1- Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  With that being said, do you too find it amazing that Jesus sees faith? that He sees the things you hope for? You can’t see it. You can believe, feel and see its aftermath.  Thank you Holy Spirit!  (((Jesus))))

We all know the story beginning in Luke 5 beginning with verse 17. It’s about the man with palsy who was taken by friends on his bed to be healed by Jesus.  Can you imagine someone in this day and age carrying/walking a friend in his bed for miles to seek healing? You know most sick people are ornery and can get on ones nerves with their ramblings about what they want to do.  Any who…. per the story, the friends “sought means to bring him in.”  Those were some determined men. However they could not find a way to get close to Jesus because of the crowds. (perhaps like a crowd one would find at a KISS or Liberace concert or maybe a crowd of people waiting in line to get clean water after a disastrous storm) These friends put their brain power together and came up with an idea. There was a housetop nearby, of which they chose to take the sick man upon this housetop and lower him down via some type of pulley system bed and all by lowering him down through the tiling and set him “into the midst before Jesus.” And with Jesus seeing this, he uttered the words “Man your sins are forgiven you.”  It is my belief that the man with palsy was healed because of the faith Jesus saw in the friends first.  I cannot help but believe also that the friends were blessed due to their hearts condition.

Secondly, I want to expound briefly on friends who actually do things out of the greatness of their heart and because of their faith. It’s a rare phenomenon, a rare act, a magic act magicians cannot do and so on. Got it?  Here it goes, you may not agree. Ahem,  I’ve come to believe from experience that a true friend is one who is also a nosey friend that has the gift of seeing and feeling your pain; that puts your pain before the Lord in prayer and let you go on your way in your faith.  I don’t always need to have a hand holder right by me, nor do I like to be bothered with people all the time when I am sick. My thought is this…..that Jesus kept it moving, so simple. Aha! Thinking cap moment…..4 habits of Jesus that were obvious to me… He came, He saw, He healed and He kept moving…..Keep it moving folks! Where your work is done in His name, move on to help other’s from your heart and with your faith in Him. He sees you and what you’ve done in His name. Give them a lift to Jesus.  Now wasn’t that brief? 🙂

Now the rest of the story in Luke 5:21-26:

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”  Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had lain on and went home praising God.  Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

Another lesson I learned this morning….Let Jesus See Your Faith & See Some Remarkable Things!  Let’s get to it beloved ones!  Oh gracious that will be my new motto.  Let me get to the marketing and copyright board now. 

Here’s another “Remarkable” thing for you to see from me! I’m such a “granny”.  Go here——> http://youtu.be/uWuTrn7Kieg

I Love You

Love Covers A Multitude of Sins ( A Whole Crowd of Em)  😛

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

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