Monday, November 17, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Exodus- This is not the response I expected....
Exodus 5: 10-14
And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and thy spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not aught of your work shall be diminished.
So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
And the taskmaster hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
What Happened? After many years of seeking God for deliverance we believe He had heard our prayers and was now at this very time going to set us free. Only to find out that we are going to be persecuted even more. How could this be of God?
What would be our thoughts, concerns and response if this were to happen to us?
And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and thy spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw.
Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not aught of your work shall be diminished.
So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
And the taskmaster hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.
And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore?
What Happened? After many years of seeking God for deliverance we believe He had heard our prayers and was now at this very time going to set us free. Only to find out that we are going to be persecuted even more. How could this be of God?
What would be our thoughts, concerns and response if this were to happen to us?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
LET MY PEOPLE GO
Exodus 4:29-31
And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel:
And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of the people.
And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
Exodus 5:1-9
And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me int the wilderness.
And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.
And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.
And the king of Egypt said unto them, wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens.
And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from
their burdens.
And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmaster of the people, and their officers saying.
Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.
And the tale of the bricks which they did make heretofore ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God
Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.
For over four hundred years Israel had been captives in Egypt. They were in bondage for generations. God did not forget them -He heard their prayers and He had a plan for their deliverance. Moses fled to the desert, he spent 40 years in the desert. Moses met with God and God sent him to deliver the Israel. God became Angry when Moses insisted that he could not speak to the people, that the people would not listen to him. God called Aaron to speak the words for Moses. The words that God gave to Moses- Moses would give to Aaron to speak.
Moses and Aaron speak to the elders and children of Israel of God's plan for deliverance and the people believe and rejoice that God has heard their prayers. They worshipped God.
Then Moses and Aaron go before Pharoah and told Pharoah that God said let my people come into the desert to worship me. Pharoah said no and not only did he say no but put even a greater burden upon the people.
What happens when we have spent many years praying and then suddenly we have reason to believe that God has heard our prayer. We rejoice, we praise and worship God. Perhaps we brag on God to all who would listen. Then something happens that opposes what we believed God was doing and speaking to us and through us. The enemy of our souls defies God and creates havoc in our life. What do we do when it appears the enemy had won?
Friday, October 24, 2008
Random Question from Edie @ Rich Gifts
Edie @ Rich Gifts Random Question...Romans 12:2
ROMANS 12: 1,2
(KJV)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It didn't take long for me to go round and round on this one...first I aimed for being transformed by the renewing of your mind...felt convicted that I was avoiding the present your bodies a living sacrifice. Well I eventually came back to the renewing of your mind.
Replacing my thoughts with the thoughts of God. A quick examination of my thoughts expose that my thoughts are not lining up with God's thoughts.
Mark 12:30-31
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
2 Corinthians 13:2
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1John 4:7-20
7) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that god sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10)Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11)Beloved if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12) No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13) Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14) And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world
15) whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16)And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and god in him.
17) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth our fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19) We love him, because he first loved us.
20) If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hat not seen?
and this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.
So here I am at the beginning(if at first you don't succeed)
Renew my mind by examining my thoughts with God's word.
God's word says...If I love Him I will obey His commands. Jesus said that the whole of the commands rest on Loving God and Loving my neighbor. Paul said that it doesn't matter how gifted we are if we do it without love it is just a big noise.
John said if we don't love we don't know God. John had many other things to say about love such as if we don't love our neighbor whom we have seen then we do not love God whom we have not seen. That there is no fear in love.
Love is a hard and difficult step for me - probably why I need to keep coming back to the beginning. I have had the great fortune to come across people who truly love and they make it look so easy, so effortless....for me this is not so...
but nothing is impossible with God. Thank you Edie for this Random Question and for where it lead me...from considering being a living sacrifice to renewing the mind to God's Word on Obediance...to again praying that I learn to walk in Love.
ROMANS 12: 1,2
(KJV)
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It didn't take long for me to go round and round on this one...first I aimed for being transformed by the renewing of your mind...felt convicted that I was avoiding the present your bodies a living sacrifice. Well I eventually came back to the renewing of your mind.
Replacing my thoughts with the thoughts of God. A quick examination of my thoughts expose that my thoughts are not lining up with God's thoughts.
Mark 12:30-31
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
2 Corinthians 13:2
And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
1John 4:7-20
7) Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8) He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
9) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that god sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
10)Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11)Beloved if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
12) No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13) Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.
14) And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world
15) whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16)And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and god in him.
17) Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth our fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19) We love him, because he first loved us.
20) If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hat not seen?
and this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also.
So here I am at the beginning(if at first you don't succeed)
Renew my mind by examining my thoughts with God's word.
God's word says...If I love Him I will obey His commands. Jesus said that the whole of the commands rest on Loving God and Loving my neighbor. Paul said that it doesn't matter how gifted we are if we do it without love it is just a big noise.
John said if we don't love we don't know God. John had many other things to say about love such as if we don't love our neighbor whom we have seen then we do not love God whom we have not seen. That there is no fear in love.
Love is a hard and difficult step for me - probably why I need to keep coming back to the beginning. I have had the great fortune to come across people who truly love and they make it look so easy, so effortless....for me this is not so...
but nothing is impossible with God. Thank you Edie for this Random Question and for where it lead me...from considering being a living sacrifice to renewing the mind to God's Word on Obediance...to again praying that I learn to walk in Love.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
One Nation Under God
Edie at Rich Gifts posted the following prayer and ask that we post about whether we are a Christian Nation. As some of you know the Lord has placed 11 Chronicles 7:14 on my heart some time ago...I am thankful for Lou Engle and others who are fasting and praying for our nation. I will prayfully consider what to post concerning Edie's request...in the meantime please go to Edie's site and see what she and others have written concerning God and our Nation, read the prayer and pray...
Edie Rich Gifts
Dear Lord forgive me for my own complacency in praying for those that you have placed in positions of authority over this nation. It is by the Power of the Name of Jesus Christ that we have become a great nation. Lord we have become a terribly sinful nation. Please pierce our hearts Lord. Call on your people thoughout this nation to bow before you in prayer. Save us from ourselves Lord. Open wide our eyes to see all that is happening in this country from your perspective. Cleanse our hearts. Holy Spirit stir the hearts of your people. Create an intense love for our Savior and desire within us to follow hard after you and to obey all that you command. I lift up all those you have placed in authority over this nation, that they would have hearts to seek your counsel and to obey you. I pray that you would choose leaders thoughout this country who will call on the Name of Jesus Christ. I pray that you would infuse courage into all of your people that we would no longer be silent but speak up for the Name of Christ. Lord give us one mind as we vote this election, the mind of Christ. I ask these things for your Glory and your Name's Sake. In Christ ~ Amen
HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS...THIS WILL BE A WORK IN PROGRESS...
II Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I believe that this is the cry of God's heart in this present day...I know that several have heard this call and have responded. But I do not see at least in my own community nor have I heard of any throughout America the body of Christ turning toward God, seeking His face,praying and repenting from our wicked ways. Yes I am grateful for Lou Engle and others who have been responding to this call for many years. Do we as Christians not take the times we are in seriously? Do we not take God seriously? Has our own walk become so compromised that we look more toward the world and it's leaders to resolve our issues. Our we serving Mammon and not God? Do we believe that abortion is a personal choice? Why have we accepted that God has no place in our schools? That creation should not be taught in schools? That it's okay to pray as long as it is not in Jesus' name? In the name of tolerance have we forsaken our God? Look at the issues we are facing and how more than a few people are fearful of the direction our nation is taking...then look at the churches and tell me how serious are they taking God?
October 20, 2008
LUKE 10:27
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Heavenly Father , forgive us for all we have placed our affections on that are not of you, for all that we have loved more than you. Holy Spirit search our hearts and minds, lead us to love the Lord God with all our hearts and minds. I pray that the hearts and affections of the American people will be place on The Lord Our God. For He alone is worthy of all our love, praise and honor. I pray for all this in the Name of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior
Edie Rich Gifts
Dear Lord forgive me for my own complacency in praying for those that you have placed in positions of authority over this nation. It is by the Power of the Name of Jesus Christ that we have become a great nation. Lord we have become a terribly sinful nation. Please pierce our hearts Lord. Call on your people thoughout this nation to bow before you in prayer. Save us from ourselves Lord. Open wide our eyes to see all that is happening in this country from your perspective. Cleanse our hearts. Holy Spirit stir the hearts of your people. Create an intense love for our Savior and desire within us to follow hard after you and to obey all that you command. I lift up all those you have placed in authority over this nation, that they would have hearts to seek your counsel and to obey you. I pray that you would choose leaders thoughout this country who will call on the Name of Jesus Christ. I pray that you would infuse courage into all of your people that we would no longer be silent but speak up for the Name of Christ. Lord give us one mind as we vote this election, the mind of Christ. I ask these things for your Glory and your Name's Sake. In Christ ~ Amen
HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS...THIS WILL BE A WORK IN PROGRESS...
II Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
I believe that this is the cry of God's heart in this present day...I know that several have heard this call and have responded. But I do not see at least in my own community nor have I heard of any throughout America the body of Christ turning toward God, seeking His face,praying and repenting from our wicked ways. Yes I am grateful for Lou Engle and others who have been responding to this call for many years. Do we as Christians not take the times we are in seriously? Do we not take God seriously? Has our own walk become so compromised that we look more toward the world and it's leaders to resolve our issues. Our we serving Mammon and not God? Do we believe that abortion is a personal choice? Why have we accepted that God has no place in our schools? That creation should not be taught in schools? That it's okay to pray as long as it is not in Jesus' name? In the name of tolerance have we forsaken our God? Look at the issues we are facing and how more than a few people are fearful of the direction our nation is taking...then look at the churches and tell me how serious are they taking God?
October 20, 2008
LUKE 10:27
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Heavenly Father , forgive us for all we have placed our affections on that are not of you, for all that we have loved more than you. Holy Spirit search our hearts and minds, lead us to love the Lord God with all our hearts and minds. I pray that the hearts and affections of the American people will be place on The Lord Our God. For He alone is worthy of all our love, praise and honor. I pray for all this in the Name of Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Look Who's Talking 2
today as I read the following passages from Isaiah 36
Isaiah 36: 8
now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of asssyria, and i will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
Isaiah 36: 16
Hearken not to Hezekiah for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;
17 Until I come and take you away to a land like your on land, a land of corn and wine, a land o bread and vineyards.
Reminded me of the Look Who's Talking post and of this passage...
I'LL GIVE YOU ALL THIS IF YOU....
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them;
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:6
The Lord gave me the tools to identify who is speaking to me and now and He is showing me how to apply them.
..
Isaiah 36: 8
now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of asssyria, and i will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
Isaiah 36: 16
Hearken not to Hezekiah for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;
17 Until I come and take you away to a land like your on land, a land of corn and wine, a land o bread and vineyards.
Reminded me of the Look Who's Talking post and of this passage...
I'LL GIVE YOU ALL THIS IF YOU....
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them;
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:6
The Lord gave me the tools to identify who is speaking to me and now and He is showing me how to apply them.
..
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