There is a Peace

There is a peace that can insulate us from the chaos

The clamor of our “cling-clang” world does not have to deafen us

We can rise above the rat race

Though its speed be supersonic

We can rest in the arms of the Almighty

Find our peace in Him

As we behold His serene and loving face

Oh Prince of Peace You set this prisoner free

Gave me feet to dance on hills of adversity

You bring calm to my confusion

Ease to my dis-ease

And You rejuvenate me

As water cascades down the mountain

That Glorious Day

That glorious day will come

Like a thief in the night

In the twinkling of an eye

Our mortal bodies

Transformed to glorious bodies

Our hurts, our sicknesses dissolved in an instant

When we see Him,

We shall be like Him

Is your heart ready?

To be swept away

To be transported to glory

Only those in Christ

Will meet Him in the air

Only those in Christ

Will be taken in a split second

To heaven for all eternity

The dead in Christ shall rise first

Then those alive will follow

That day could be today

No one but the Father knows

Don’t be left behind

Take your purchased place in the family of God

Receive Christ as your Sin-Bearer

Stand on His true Word

Then your heart will be ready

And He will say to us

Come Away my Beloved

Come

The Greatest Gift

Jesus the greatest gift of all did not come wrapped in an ornamental package.  He came from glory and brought God’s glory to the world.  He came to the womb of Mary, who miraculously gave birth to Him as a virgin. His beginning was profoundly humble, yet He was and is the King of Kings.  The angels announced His birth to the shepherds.  Later, the wise men adorned him with gifts but for the most part this baby was unknown.  Truly God and authentically human - He came to destroy the works of Satan.  Yet Satan tried to destroy him first.  King Herod ordered the death of all children two years and under in Bethlehem, but Joseph, the boy’s father, was warned in a dream to flee from the area before danger visited.  

Jesus, who came to proclaim the kingdom of God, had to first learn how to talk.  After all he was a baby, and babies need to grow.  Jesus had to learn many things before God sent him on His mission.  In fact, Jesus Christ did not perform one miracle until he reached the age of 30, until after He was baptized by John.   This was when the greatest gift was revealed to the world.  

He healed the sick, cast out devils, raised the dead, and preached the word with authority.  He was God manifested in the flesh.  He showed us the love and justice of the Father. 

His mission was not complete until He took our place on the tree.  He was the sacrificial Lamb that hung on a cross.  He died in our place.

Then after three days, His glorious resurrection defied death, Satan, and all his legions.  Now we can trust Him to be our Sin-Bearer.  Come my friend and pray with me if you haven’t prayed in such a way before.  Give you heart to Him and to His cause.  Surrender all to this One named Jesus.  He is Lord of All.

To come into the family of God, come and pray a prayer like this…

Dear Lord of Heaven,

Thank you for sending Jesus to die for me on the cross.  I confess that I am a sinner and that I have rebelled against God and His word.  I ask You Lord to forgive me.  Jesus, be my Sin-Bearer.  Come and live in my heart.  Come and fill me with Your precious Holy Spirit.  I surrender all to You, and I choose to follow you all my days.  When I sin, I will be quick to ask for Your forgiveness.  Thank you that You have promised to forgive me when I do.  Lord, thank you for bringing me into the family of God.  In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.

Abraham's Lesson on the Mountain

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”  And the two of them went on together.  Genesis 22:8

The Scripture says that God tested Abraham.  The Lord asked him to sacrifice his one and only son atop Mount Moriah.  Abraham knew Isaac was the son promised to him by God.  He believed God could raise the dead.  No doubt the climb filled Abraham’s heart with trepidation.  There must have been a battle that ensued within Abraham’s soul, but he trusted the Lord.  This is evident because of his obedience.  He tied up his son upon the alter on top of wood to burn.  Abraham raised his knife. 

Then God spoke: “Do not lay a hand on the boy…Now I know that you fear God, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.”

Abraham trusted God with the thing that was most precious to him – his son Isaac.  He and his wife Sarah had acted on God’s promise to have a child in their old age.  After a number of years, Sarah gave birth to Isaac.  He was their great joy.

But God required of Abraham that he would be willing to sacrifice the most important thing in his life.  God wanted Abraham to put Him first in his heart of hearts.  Abraham obeyed.  It really wasn’t the Lord’s will for Isaac to die.  The Lord provided a ram for the sacrifice.  While Abraham and Isaac climbed up one side of the mountain, God’s provision, the ram, climbed up the other side.

There comes a time in the believer’s life when God desires to test us.  He wants us to be willing to place our dreams, our blessings, our achievements on the alter.  If we choose to surrender in obedience on the mountain, we will walk in greater blessing.  God is a jealous God.  He must be first in our hearts, but God is also good.  He saves the greatest blessings to those who obey Him.

 

Is there anything that comes between you and God?  Would you be willing to surrender all to Him?

If so, come and pray with me:

Dear Father God,

Thank you for all Your blessings in my life.  Search my heart and let me see if there is anything that comes between You and me.  Lord, I surrender all to You.  I give you everything, and I believe you will bless me like you blessed faithful Abraham.  In Jesus name I pray, amen.

     

                                                                                                                                            

Season's Change

Hi Everyone,

Here is a link to a piece that was published in the E-zine for Word Weaver's International.  I hope you like it.  I welcome your comments...

https://wordweaversinternational.wordpress.com/2016/11/13/seasons-change/

The Farmer Sows the Seed (Mark 4:1-20)

The faithful Farmer sows the seed

He spreads it far and wide

Some land in barren places

Where the birds nibble

Some in rocky spots with little depth

Some amidst thorns

And some on fertile ground

The seed is God’s word

The types of ground reflect our hearts

The attitude of our hearts

Determines the seed’s outcome

For those who receive the seed in barren places,

satan steals the word

Some have hearts that are rocky and devoid of depth,

Though they receive the word with joy,

They do not prevail against trouble and persecution

These plants do not mature

For those entangled in worldly living,

The seed is choked by thorns

Of greed and the desire of other things

But the humble soul that understands and obeys the word

Is the only one who bears abundant fruit

Lord search our hearts

Give us an understanding mind,

A humble soul,

And an obedient life that trembles at Your word

Once we receive Your word,

Give us the grace to become a faithful farmer

To also sow the seed both far and wide

A Powerful Prayer

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.  His mother named him Jabez saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”  Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!  Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be freed from pain.”  And God granted his request.

In the book of 1 Chronicles, among the genealogies of the clans of Judah, we find a note about a great but little known man named Jabez.

Initially, Jabez must have been a sad man.  His name means to grieve or to be sorrowful.  He asked God to free him from pain.  He asked God to do a number of things for him.  One might think his petitions were selfish.  But a great deal is covered in his short but powerful prayer.  By asking God to bless him and to enlarge his territory, he was asking for the capacity to be a greater blessing to others. He was also asking God to make him happy for that is one of the definitions of being blessed.

The man definitely prayed in faith.  Why else would God grant his request?  We are told in Hebrews 11:6 that God is pleased with faith, and the Bible says that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.

I am impressed with Jabez’s prayer, and I believe it is a prayer that we should pray for ourselves.  No matter what arena we find ourselves in – family, ministry, or business – God desires to bless us and to enlarge our territory.  It is good for us to pray like this.  We should also pray that God will keep us from harm. 

God the Father loves us and desires for us to walk in all of his blessings.  We don’t have to be sad in life.  We can hold on to the words of this prayer and hold on to Jesus.  We can witness the rays of sunshine dispelling all that’s grey.  We can expect the Lord to bless us each and every day.

This does not mean our lives will not be painful at times – it will.  But our Lord wants us to believe for good things to happen to us and through us.  He wants to bless us to be a blessing.

The next time you’re feeling down, remember Jabez’s prayer, and put your hope and faith in the Lord.  God will bring you to a new level of blessing in your life, and you will have a greater capacity to help others.

Dear Father God,

I give you my cares and concerns and I ask You to bless me.  I ask You to enlarge my territory in every area of my life.  I ask You to be with me and protect me and deliver me from pain.  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.

Reflections on Psalm 133

I saw the oil as it poured down Aaron’s beard

It flowed quicker than honey

And oh so much sweeter

That priestly anointing covers

Those bonded by love

The oil flows over Aaron’s precious breastplate

This twelve-jeweled treasure that symbolizes

Israel’s tribes and now the Body of Christ

We are to practice the love

That scrubbed soiled feet

That went to the cross

This unity is like the dew on Mount Hermon

Bringing life

In this blessed state of sacrificial love

God commands the blessing