My Journey through Romans 3

The Law of Faith

When studying this, I made so many notes because in spirit this chapter covers faith in a way that we do not often think about faith. Have we ever given thought that a law of faith existed? Well, it does. However, I’ll share just a tidbit of what the Holy Spirit led me to share with you.

The Law of Faith- What is it?  Hmm, the odd thing about faith is that EVERYONE believes in something or someone that they can see or feel. That type of faith always lets us down and it can be labeled as the seen law of man. And then there are those who do not believe or have faith in God for one main reason. He is an unseen Spirit. Those unbelievers boast about it loudly while thinking they are going to be living on another planet. Paul also mentioned some of these people in Romans 2.  Who gave those boasters the ability to believe period?

Paul asks in Romans 3:27-31 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision of faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Do you see the big role that faith plays in our lives? Through faith the law is established.  So what is the law of faith? Beloved, it is the BELIEF in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By faith, the Lord sent His only begotten Son through faith born of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit of God. He walked in faith until He was crucified and buried; with faith he was resurrected and because of faith He overcame the world and returned to His original position, at the right hand of His father God from whence our faith comes allowing us to believe that He is coming back for his beloved and faithful Believers. Do you believe?

There is no human living that saw these events take place on this earth save for Enoch and Elijah. We surely can’t ask their thoughts on the law of faith because of their location. Google don’t even have the ability to find them. So, we believe those events took place by the hearing and reading of God’s word. We are to be like Sara  and like a song that says “let our faith be more than anthem.” Hebrews 11:11 says Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Obedience to the laws of God does it every time.

NOTE 2 SELF-Deuteronomy 7:9 – Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;

 

So for us, the living and those who have lived/died after Jesus’ time on this earth, our faith can be based on what God said and did.  Jesus said in Luke 10:19-20 “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.”  The law of faith gives us that power. Now isn’t that something worth rejoicing over? Know this beloved… “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” cannot hold us back any more when we pray, believe and utilize our gift of faith. For without faith it is impossible to please God….(Hebrews 11:6) Perhaps if there were a faith app, more would become attentive to the law of faith. 

Let me leave you with something to think about that Paul stated at the beginning of this chapter:

What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness?  Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:3-4 NIV)

My Eye Opener- The law of faith has a lot to do with God’s faithfulness.

 

 

 

Faith Fruit Fact – Not Facts

Great Saturday afternoon to you beloved fruits! Let’s get it started!

The most important verse about what Faith is can be found in Hebrew 11:1. My intent is to share with you my deeper insight of what the Holy Spirit has shared with me when listening to a sermon on Galatians 5:22 -23 about the fruit of the Spirit.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Most know that the fruit of the Spirit have many types of fruit, yet is not referred to in the bible as fruits of the Spirit. Although the sermon focused on love, my mind wandered towards the words faith and fruit and why the words are not used in a plural form. I prayed for a deeper understanding of this communication.  Most who know me, know that I have  a pet peeve about the lack of communication when it comes to relationships in Christ and getting “stuff” done. Sooo… I was led by the Holy Spirit to look up a few synonyms for the word fruit because I’ve never thought of this word as having synonyms. I am a very visual being, so let’s get visual about this to see the evidence of the not seen! 😛

Synonyms: pod, ovary, capsule, fruitlet, berry, produce, etc.

 

 

 

Pomegranate-A Fruit with Inner Significance

I’m roving somewhere with this…hold on to your reins. It’s going to be a heart opener and the sweetest fruit to those who feel deeply about knowing the intricacies of God. God does not hide everything from us. Most lack a spiritual understanding of simple words and actions in the bible. This is when the Holy Spirit hovers within, indwelling you with things not seen by others. I began to think about the word faith being used throughout many events in the bible….no synonyms needed here. Did you notice that each one of the synonyms is singular? What do these things have in common? They are one fruit or one thing that has many seeds or substances inside, yet remains as A Fruit, not fruits. (TYHS) The Lord Our God is ONE, yet most view Him as a Triune Being? The Lord our God is with us everywhere we go. Still roving with me?

Now let me share with you a breakdown of Hebrews 11:1- Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.(TYHS)

• Substance- the inner significance or central meaning of something written or said: syn.- ingredient, element, body, matter, stuff, material, crux

• Things – whatever is apprehended as having actual, distinct, and demonstrable existence; anything that is or may become an object of thought: syn.- belongings, possessions, effect, stuff, substance

• Hoped – to look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence; to believe, desire, or trust: syn.-anticipated, yearned, expected, wished, trusted, wanted

• Evidence – that which tends to prove or disprove something; ground for belief; something that makes things plain or clear: syn.-proof, confirmation, indication, sign, data

• Not – is the general declarative form of “no” indicating a negation of a related statement which it usually precedes

• Seen – past participle of see; perceived with the eyes; looked at

• For(preposition)- a —used as a function word to indicate purpose; b —used as a function word to indicate an intended goal c —used as a function word to indicate the object or recipient of a perception, desire, or activity syn.- aimed at, on behalf of, being, as long as

• The- (definite article) used to indicate a person or thing that has already been mentioned or seen or is clearly understood from the situation

• Is- present 3d singular of be: be(verb/intransitive) —used to indicate the identity of a person or thing ;used to describe the qualities of a person or thing; used to indicate the condition of a person or thing –

Now wasn’t that stimulatingly deep? Sometimes we do not understand clearly the meaning of what is said because we let simple words like not, for, is, and the, fly unrefined over our heads. Admit it! Many of us study faith for the wrong reason. Many bypass its truth and do not exercise it daily in life. Wisdom Works!

Roving complete: Faith Fruit Fact- There is but ONE FAITH, ONE FRUIT- Jesus the Christ, our Lord and Savior. He is the Substance, He is the great Hope, He is the Evidence. He is the POD, the Ovary, the Capsule, the Fruitlet, the Berry, and the Sole Produce of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. Remember The Shema.

The deeper insight is that we all need to understand what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is really about. Do you have a deeper understanding now? I do. (Hint- Galatians 5:22-23) Thank you Holy Spirit!   May you join me in giving all praise and glory to The Lord, our God, our Faith, and our Fruit.

It’s Open Season For Spiritual Highway Robbery -Ecclesiastes 6

Ecclesiastes 6 – Read Here

Take a moment to read over the verses with the Spirit of God as your interpreter.  Keep in mind the following words:

highway robbery (n) : the practice of charging a price that is very high and usually unfair for something; syns.- fleecing, gouging, extortion, overcharging

Life Is a Highway (Tom Cochrane)- Partial Lyrics

Life’s like a road that you travel on
When there’s one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

There’s no load I can’t hold
Road so rough this I know
I’ll be there when the light comes in
Tell ’em we’re survivors

1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:

Solomon has given another deep insight on what is common among men. If we look deeper with a spiritual sense of things going on around us and in our lives, spiritual highway robbery is a good description. I’m going to take you even deeper. (TYHS) We are all on a spiritual highway. Some of us are content with driving like a raisin under the sun basking in our own glory. Some are  driving eagerly to get over the sun to bask in God’s glory. If most of us were to take a look back on the roads and paths we have driven, most of us would be able to pinpoint the times we have been robbed or robbed others spiritually under the sun.

As he mentioned there are “many things that increase vanity” which speaks volumes about where we place our priorities and stash our treasures along our highway.  Yes, we have this in common regardless of our race. Wherever these things are, there within lies an open season opportunity for a spiritual fleecing. Speaking of that, have any of you seen the old movie Open Season? It’s a neat movie. I’ve kept videos on hand for years for the grandkids visits since I don’t watch regular television programs. You may be able to watch it on youtube. Here is a summary of the movie.  Pay attention to the underlined words. 😛

Courtesy of sonypictures.com

In Sony Pictures Animation’s first feature film, the animated action adventure comedy Open Season, the odd are about to get even. Boog (Martin Lawrence), a domesticated grizzly bear with no survival skills, has his perfect world turned upside down when he meets Elliot (Ashton Kutcher) a scrawny, fast-talking mule deer. When Elliot convinces Boog to leave his cushy home in a park ranger’s garage to try a taste of the great outdoors, things quickly spiral out of control. Relocated to the forest with open season only three days away, Boog and Elliot must acclimate in a hurry. They must join forces to unite the woodland creatures and take the forest back!

When the grandkids and I finished watching the movie, we had the same thoughts.  Why do people feel the need to remove animals from their natural environment – cage and put them on display?  Why do zoo animals look sad? Why do some animals just lay there?  I often tell them that one day, God will put some of us back in our natural environment where there will be no need or want for neither animals nor humans to be caged.

Beloved, have you been spiritually robbed of your natural environment?  What high prices have you paid for the “wandering of the desire” to have this or that, to be here or there, to eat this or that, to build this or that? Thy Kingdom will come. Those who are worthy to live in the Kingdom of Heaven will be free indeed. Free to enjoy the riches, wealth, and honour that God gives and have no worries about a stranger in the midst to take it all away. Spiritual highway robbery will be passé.

 

Be encouraged my dear loves, that there is ONE who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun.(verse 12) There will be no more open seasons for spiritual highway robbery. All evil diseases will end and “That which hath been is named already, and it is known that it is man: neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he.”(verse 10)  The key is for us all to become spiritually sober. (TYHS) Oh but Talkative One, how can we do this to avoid spiritual highway robbery?  One simple piece of advice here it is:

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God” during this Open Season For Spiritual Highway Robbery “and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)

I Love You

Highway Photo – Courtesy of Earthshots.org

To Vow or Not To Vow? Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

The Answer- Deuteronomy 23:21-22-When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee.

Promise– vow; to assure somebody that something will certainly happen or be done Vow-a solemn promise or assertion; specifically :   one by which a person is bound to an act, service, or condition

At some phase in our lives, every one of us have made and broken many promises. Promises that were broken, due to carelessness, forgetfulness, anger issues, and/or circumstances beyond our control are still promises…right? I also believe that most promises are broken because of a person’s heart condition and mistrust aka missed trust that evolved between parties. This post will not focus on vow/promises made to one another. Its focus will be on vows/promises made to God. Studying this I began to ponder…What is the value of a vow? What initiates a vow? Can mistrust exist between us and God?

Solomon tells us to fear God and keep our vows made to God. He has given us clear instructions on the matter of handling vows made to God. His writings are from his life experiences. And so, I must agree with Solomon, per my life experiences and in seeing the life experiences of others that we must (and I paraphrase):

• Tread lightly and prepare yourself to hear when you go to the house of God.
• Be seen and not heard until your heart is in alignment with God’s will.
• Pay as you vow. God does not have a pay as you go cell phone plan, nor a pay as you earn plan like Obama’s pay as you earn (PAYE) plan for student loans.
• Do not make vows to God when you KNOW you are not able to do so.
• “Don’t let your mouth overload your capabilities” per Dolly Parton and don’t make any excuses because “There is a lie in between a promise and many excuses.” ( Toba Beta)
• Fear God so that you are more likely to keep your word uttered from a rented heart. Did Pharaoh fear God?

 No pinky swearing is allowed between us and God.

I have received the answers to my questions above. I pray that you get an understanding of the verses presented.

1. What is the value of a vow? It depends on how much we fear God. (TYHS) Read Matthew 10:28-29.
2. What initiates a vow? It begins with God’s will and your acceptance to do His will. (TYHS) Read Exodus 23:20-33 and Exodus 24:1-8.
3. Can mistrust exist between us and God? Yes, when we do not believe in Him or His word. We cannot serve nor believe in two masters if our trust is in God. (TYHS) Read Matthew 6:24.

 

I just had a thought that some may be offended by the lyrics from the songs that come to mind while I am writing. If so, please accept my apology. Trust! The Lord works with me in mysterious ways and often it is through the words of songs I have heard of old. He leads me to see in a different sense with the focus being on Him. I am thankful to have been blessed with the gift of hearing, not listening, with a deeper sense of words spoken that most never pay attention to.

Songs are poetry turned into words with a beat. That belief could have come from my dad’s poetry writings… making us girls sing what he wrote and turned into music at a moment’s notice. I always had to voice my opinion about a song, because to me, the words didn’t make sense.

It was not a good thing to be yelled at and made to sing his musical notes when we didn’t even know how to read music. We did not know what that big cursive S, d’s and p’s were on five lines.  I guess that is why we were then forced into taking piano lessons.

It is so true, that most things we are taught to do as a child will drop off to the wayside for a time. As we grow older and older, the time comes back to haunt us. On that note, I’ll leave you with this poetry titled Promises, Promises from an old 90’s group-Naked Eyes:

Never had a doubt in the beginning

Never a doubt

Trusted you true in the beginning

I loved you right through

On and on we laughed like kids

At all the silly things we did

You made me promises, promises

Knowing I’d believe promises, promises

You knew you’d never keep

Second time around, I’m still believing

The words that you said

You said you’d always be here

And love forever still repeats in my head

You can’t finish what you start

If this is love it breaks my heart

We do break God’s heart when we do not fulfill a vow made to him. And let us not forget what Jesus said, “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”- Matthew 5:33-37

 

 

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

Related articles

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

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

 

The Power Of Faith- My Thoughts

Wow! November is almost over. This year has flown by as time normally fly in and out each blessed given day. I was reading my Seeking God study plan tonight from the Book of Matthew, Chapter 9.  I was slapped outta the wild dark sky with full moon light, the Faith Spirit took over. Thank you Jesus!

It’s amazing how I find and/or how we find things that have been there all along, even after reading it over and over again. We have to be totally engulfed in the Spirit to know its true meaning and how it applies to one’s life, when diving and swimming into the Word of God. The Bible, duh!  I felt like a red shiny apple thrown into a warm melted bowl of caramel, just covering me all over, ready for eating enjoyment when reading these scripture reminders about FAITH.  For the love of Christ, let’s call it the wisdom growth stage that we experience as we crawl, walk, run, jump, climb, and swim more with Him.

Ok, ok, so I was reading about FAITH. And it occurred to me, that FAITH is a thing very powerful, dominant, governing, and prevailing. Lord, have mercy Jesus, what a noun!  Nouns are a person, place, or thing….correct? Before I go a ranting, let’s just look at the definition of FAITH for faith’s sake.

faith n.

1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.

2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief, trust.

3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one’s supporters.

4. often Faith Christianity The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.

Here we go now!

In Matthew 9:18-33, we read about 4 beautifully written episodes of faith. I’ll just break it down here.

1.  The woman with the issue of bleeding for 12 years. What did she do? Reached out and touched in FAITH and was healed at that very moment. Let’s shout it together.  FAITH IS POWERFUL.
2. The synagogue leader who went to Jesus and said “My daughter has just died, But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”  What did the leader do? He believed before taking Jesus to his daughter. Shout! FAITH IS GOVERNING.
3. The two blind men following Him, just a calling out for Him to have mercy on them. They went in behind closed doors and (watch this) Jesus asked them “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” What did they say? “YES LORD.” Shout it on out! FAITH IS PREVAILING.
4. While the two newly bright eyed and joyful tattlers were going out, someone brought in a man who was demon-possessed AND could not talk, to see Jesus. Hold on beloved to that horsey bridle!  Here is the wild ride. (a)He can’t speak to tell Jesus what he desires. (b)He is possessed by a dominating demon.(c) He is face to face with Jesus…..he is no longer possessed by a demon AND he can speak. Shout it out! AND “Ride like the wind Bullseye!” (Woody from Toy Story) FAITH IS DOMINANT.

Ride like the wind Bullseye!

In these 4 events I’ve chosen, I hope you noticed as I did with the help of the Holy Spirit, these individuals either came to Jesus or Jesus was taken to the place after being sought out. You have to have faith in Him in order for Him to be pleased. Why would anyone do anything for you if they were not pleased with you in a Christ like manner? Think on it! <————–ITALICIZED BOLD  IS HERE   🙂

And here’s moi summary which proves 2 major FACT’S about FAITH from that author unknown who brews and also knew a lot about FAITH.  If you need a reminder on the lesson of Faith, read the entire Book of Hebrews.

1.      Hebrews 11:1-Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

2.      Hebrews 11:6-But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Now, my faithful and faith believing beloved one’s, skip back up to my words in italicized bold.  Do you see where I’m coming from by presenting these two FACT finding scriptures about FAITH?

Aside from it being the will of God, because of their FAITH in Him, Jesus was able to heal a sick woman, raise a dead girl, heal two blind men, and cast out a demon and He gave a mute man the gift of speech. He must have been giving a 2 for 1 special for the demon possessed one on that day. His faith must have been immeasurable.  I’m sure it wasn’t like  “Black Friday” after Thanksgiving.  😛

And might I add FAITH is a protective coating for us. It is a part of the whole/full armor of God. Let’s read about it:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:8 (NIV)-But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

• Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)——-The Armor of God

  ¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

  ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Closing It!  🙂  😛

FAITH PLAYS A BIG PART IN MAKING IT TO THE HOLY CITY THAT’S A COMING DOWN! That’s my belief. Keep The Faith! It’s your JOY in the Lord. It’s your SHIELD.

Never, ever, ever, let anyone steal YOUR JOY and DON’T you take JOY away from others.

 

LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS

Related articles

• Faith: The Perfect Place to Receive Heavenly Responses to Earthly Troubles (ptl2010.com)

Things To Ask God For And Why-Part I- My Thoughts

About 25 years ago, I met two wonderful Christian ladies of no relations to me, which I know are resting in peace. I have always loved spending time with the elderly, and they demanded that I call them Mommie Dot and Grandma Mattie. They were mother and daughter in law and truly loved God and had the most loving and giving hearts. I thought of them when writing this because Mommie Dot told me in one of our conversations, “baby if you need to say a prayer for anyone that need God and doing wrong towards you, recite Psalms 51 and repeat the person’s name wherever it says “I” or “me” in the psalm.”  In ALL conversations with Grandma Mattie, she would have me read to her Psalm 61. She said “this prayer reminds me that I am in God’s hands at all times.”

It’s funny how you don’t realize things in the beginning or at a younger age the reason behind meeting special people or things they say to you. These women were not in the best of health, but when they talked about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, there was a presence around them as if nothing was physically wrong with them. Neither of them ever complained about their health. I use to take them to their doctor’s appointments and ask about the outcome, and they both would say “I’m ok, it’s in God’s hand and whatever is his will, it will be done and I’m not going to complain.”

JESUS!  JESUS! Thank you Holy Spirit for this remembrance! I can’t explain it other than they KNEW without any doubt, they were covered by the blood of Jesus even with their illnesses. Mainly because of these two women, I believe the saying there’s a reason certain people are put in your life even if you realize it 25 years later. These two women taught me several things: God already knows our needs, He knows what we want, He knows what is going on in our lives, and lastly they taught me that prayer was for my benefit to prepare my heart and soul for what God wants to give me that is in my best interest to be in sync with His will and to ask for repentance and renewal.

Let’s read what Matthew said to prove my point. Matthew 6:33-34- “But seek ye the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” How do we seek the kingdom? It’s simple….through faithful prayer; through total belief in God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit; and being a doer and follower of His words.

For some reason these two ladies were on my mind this evening, bless and thank you Holy Spirit, and I began writing this blog and I dedicate it in their memory and as a reminder to self what I should faithfully ask God for.  Allow me to share my thoughts with you. The entire prayer should be prayed, however, I’ve picked out verses that need more attention to our well-being, mine and yours and the reason why using bible verses the Lord leads me to find as I type. I will try to complete this in two parts.  Please enjoy and receive a blessing from it.  🙂

Psalm 51

1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.  2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.

Why

• Matthew 7:21– “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
• Matthew 5:7– “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”
• Romans 3:23- for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
• Psalm 78:38-39- But He being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He has turned His anger away, and did not stir up His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again.
• Titus 3:4-6- But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, who He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Why

• 1 John 3:20-21- For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.
• Matthew 5:8- Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God
• Isaiah 1:16- “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings before My eyes. Cease to do evil
• Isaiah 1:18 -19- “Come now, and let us reason together” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool, If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”
• Isaiah 35:8- A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, though although a fool, shall not go astray.
• Job 33:4- The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty has given me life.
• Ezekiel 36:26- 27-“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Why

• 1 Samuel 16:14- But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. (note- of the Lord and from the Lord concerning this verse in Samuel- you see that ..Hallelujuah!)
• 1 Samuel 16:23- And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would part from him.
• John 14:26- “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
• Romans 8:9- But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
• Romans 8:11- But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Why

• Hebrews 6:4-6- For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and  to have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame.
• 1 John 3:24- Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him, and by this we know that He abides in us , by the Spirit whom He has given us.
• Acts 4:12- “Nor is their salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
• Joel 2:32- And it shall come to pass, that whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, and the Lord haith said, and in the remnant who the Lord shall call.
• Romans 8:16- The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

 

Love Covers  A Multitude of Sins

Related articles

• Where is the Holy Spirit leading me today? (mww1954.wordpress.com)
• Morning Prayer ~ August 17, 2012 (ronpogue.typepad.com)
• Worship Is About God’s Offering, Not Ours (arendsarticulations.wordpress.com)