Build on the Rock!!

Build on the Rock!!

"24 Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes." 

Matthew 7:24-29

As a young child I remember learning the wise man and foolish man story, through the children's song...

"A wise man builds his house upon the rock. 

A wise man builds his house upon the rock. 

A wise man builds his house upon the rock, and the rain come tumbling down. 

The rains come down and the floods go up. 

The rains come down and the floods go up. 

The rains come down and the floods go up, but the house on the rock stands firm.

A foolish man builds his house upon the sand.

A foolish man builds his house upon the sand.

A foolish man builds his house upon the sand and the rain come tumbling down. 

The rains come down and the floods go up. 

The rains come down and the floods go up. 

The rains come down and the floods go up, but the house on the sand goes splat."

The incredible thing, is that in all my years of singing this song, and hearing sermons preached on this scripture, and reading this scripture in my own study times, I don't ever remember hearing anyone say/point out, nor did I ever notice, that this scripture doesn't just talk about building the house on the rock. It gives specific instructions on what building your house on the rock means. Look again at the beginning of this portion of scripture, at verse 24.

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:"

So how do we become like the "wise man"?


By listening to Jesus' words and then doing what He said.


It is such a simple concept, and yet so hard to follow through and do everyday.


Just before Jesus spoke these words, He gave specific directions on how we should live our lives. Starting back in Chapter 5 He goes through the Beatitudes; then being salt and light. Next, He talks about how He is the fulfillment of the law; and then on to murder; Adultery; Marriage; Oaths; going beyond the call of duty - the second mile; and loving your enemies. The in Chapter 6, Jesus continues teaching on, doing good; how to pray; fasting; laying up treasure in Heaven; the lamp of the body; serving two masters; worry; And in Chapter 7, judging others; asking, seeking & knocking; the narrow path; knowing people by their fruits; doing the will of the Father; and then building on the rock.


The third verse of the song goes on to say, "So build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ." If you ever wondered how to build your house on the Lord Jesus Christ; Or if you ever want to be likened to a wise man...these teachings from these chapters are the sayings of Christ, the very things He wants us to hear, and then do. There is so much in these three chapters... So i encourage you to read them, and pray asking God to help you to see what areas you need to work on. We all make mistakes and fall short, but with God's help, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, we can study these scriptures and start working to living our lives to honor and serve God!


I don't think there is anything we could do that would please Him more, than living our lives to honor and serve Him.

Romans 12:1

[ Living Sacrifices to God ] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

1 Peter 2:5

you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Giving Thanks!

Giving Thanks!

Sunday at church our Pastor shared a message about giving thanks and the reasons we all, as believers, have to give thanks and praise to God. 

The text was from Psalm 100...Such a great psalm to think on as we all gather together to give thanks this Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100 (NKJV)

A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People

A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

1 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

2 Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

3 Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

5 For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love Intentionally

1 Corinthians 13:1-8 

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 

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, but have not love, I am nothing.  

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.
Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 

does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 

does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails."

Love is a powerful thing...

God has poured out His love on us, lets allow it to flow out to those around us. 

Love Intentionally Today!!

Where Are Your Thoughts???

Where Are Your Thoughts???

Today as I read in the book of Mark, there is one thing that really stood out to me. Jesus is conversing with His disciples, asking them who people say He is, and Peter boldly states, that Jesus is the Christ. and then just a few minutes later in the same conversation, Jesus and Peter's conversation takes a major change in direction. Read it with me...

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

27 Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?”

28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.”

29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.  

Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 

32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 

33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

It is amazing to me how one minute Peter is speaking words of truth, something that could only have been revealed to Him through the Holy Spirit...and within moments he makes the mistake of rebuking Jesus.  

When I read Jesus' words, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”  It hit me, this is an area we all struggle with!  We worship and praise God with our lips, we declare who He is, and then when we find out His plan is different than how we think it should go, we quickly try to change His mind.  We argue with God, trying to persuade Him that our way would be better.  We very quickly go from Holy Spirit inspired, to speaking words contrary to God's will.  

How do we make that switch?  How do we go from inspired thinking, to contrary thinking?  It's simple, we focus on the things of this world, on our own wants and desires, instead of on God's Word and God's ways.

If we want to make sure that we don't make the same mistake that Peter made, we must be mindful of the things of God, not mindful of the things of man!   

So where are your thoughts today?  Are you focusing on God's Word, God's promises, on things of God?  Or have you allowed the things of this world to come in and distract you?

Let's pray!

Heavenly Father,  We need Your help! We tend to so quickly loose our focus on You, and tend to focus on worldly things.  It is our desire to please You, we want to think on Your Word and to see things from Your perspective.   But we can't do it on our own.  Father, please open our eyes, open our hearts...speak to us and show us your ways.  Lead and guide our thoughts, our words, and our every decision.  You are a great and might God!  We put our trust in you completely! We lay down our own wants and desires, because we know that whatever you have planned for us will far exceed anything we can hope for or imagine! 

Thank You Father!

We ask this in Jesus name!  AMEN.

Praise The Lord!

Praise The Lord!

Life has some unexpected twists and turns.  But in every situation, in all that happens, good or bad, I choose to give thanks and praise to the Lord!  

Last Friday morning, our beloved pastor, Rev. Bob Swope, suffered from a heart attack and went to be with Jesus.  We are all still in shock, it doesn't seem real. I keep thinking it is just a joke, some horrible prank, but then I go on Facebook, and see all the posts about what a great man he was and how much he will be missed, and I know it is real. 

The tears start to fall again.

 Today the family announced the time and date of the memorial service, and the loss flooded over me once more.  It is hard to let go of someone who had such a huge impact on your life.  It is easy to see the hurt and pain, and sometimes it feels like it could overwhelm you, but today in my Bible reading, I was reminded that God is good.  We may not understand why things happen, but we can trust Him to work it all into His marvelous plan.  

So today, I choose to focus on how good God is, and praise Him for who he is, not for what I can get from Him, not even for what he has already done (both of these give me many reasons to praise), but today I want to praise Him just for who He is! 

God is love.

God is great.

God is good.

God is just.

God is all powerful.

God is all knowing.

God is merciful.

God is compassionate.

God is ever-present.

God is gracious.

God is Lord of all, creator of heaven and earth.

God is worthy of all our praise.

Psalm 145:3

Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.

Exodus 15:2

The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

Exodus 15:11

“Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?

2 Samuel 22:4

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.

Psalm 7:17

I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.

God Has a Plan!

God Has a Plan!

So these last few weeks have been kind of crazy at our house, and now my oldest is settled into the big girl routine that come with starting Kindergarten, we are almost done with the canning/preserving season, and the new ministry for mom's, we are starting at church, has finally started. It seems like the past few months couldn't have been any crazier or busier!  But out of it all, there is one thing that I just can't get out of my heart and mind, and to be honest, I don't want to!  

No matter what plans we make, or how we think things should go, and no matter how far reality strays from our so neatly laid plans...we can always count on God!  

God has a plan!  He is never surprised by the events, circumstances, trials, frustrating issues or any other thing we may be surprised by.  He knows all about it, and knew way in advance it was coming.  I can guarantee you that though you may think, that you had no warning or preparation to deal with these surprises, God in His great love and mercy, prepares the way. He straightens the path. He makes the mountains shrink, and the valley's rise up.  When you can't see your way out, you can know that the ground under you is firm, solid and level.  God will even carry you when you can't seem to go any further.  

God's love for you, is greater than you can imagine or grasp! Our minds can't even start to comprehend how great God's love is.  

So when God says in Jeremiah 29:11, "I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

We can trust that He means it! God will go whatever distance is required, just to show you that you are special, beautiful, and loved.  

When we know how much God loves us, it is a whole lot easier to trust and lean on Him.  So, if you get just one thing out of this blog post, I hope it is this - That you are loved, and your life is precious! Whatever you have going on today, give it to God, and trust Him...He knows what He is doing, He has it all planned out.  He will not abandon you.  He wants to give you the future you hope for!

God is so good!!

It's a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

It's a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

Life can be rough. We don't always know how we will make it. Things don't always make sense.  But I am so thankful that God is our source, our help, our shelter, our provider, and our healer.  Whatever we need, we can trust God to come through.  I love this portion of scripture, Israel is at it's lowest low...there didn't seem to be any hope, and in the midst of listing out all of the bad things going on, the prophet just had to share the hope that comes from trusting in God.  Whatever is going on in your life, remember "It's a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God".

Lamentations 3:19-36

It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

19-21 I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,

the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.

I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—

the feeling of hitting the bottom.

But there’s one other thing I remember,

and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,

his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.

They’re created new every morning.

How great your faithfulness!

I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).

He’s all I’ve got left.

25-27 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,

to the woman who diligently seeks.

It’s a good thing to quietly hope,

quietly hope for help from God.

It’s a good thing when you’re young

to stick it out through the hard times.

28-30 When life is heavy and hard to take,

go off by yourself. Enter the silence.

Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:

Wait for hope to appear.

Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.

The “worst” is never the worst.

31-33 Why? Because the Master won’t ever

walk out and fail to return.

If he works severely, he also works tenderly.

His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.

He takes no pleasure in making life hard,

in throwing roadblocks in the way:

34-36 Stomping down hard

on luckless prisoners,

Refusing justice to victims

in the court of High God,

Tampering with evidence—

the Master does not approve of such things.

"Feet Like Fine Brass"

"Feet Like Fine Brass"

Revelations 1:12-17 (vs 15)

12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands,

13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.

14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire;

15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters;

16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last."

Deuteronomy 33:25-27 (KJV)

25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

26There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. 

27The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

Here are two different scriptures that talk of shoes/feet of brass.  The first one (from today's bible reading) is in Revelations 1 verse 15.  In this verse it is the description of Jesus' feet, as seen by John in his vision while on the island of Patmos. The second one, is from Deuteronomy 33:25. This one is a description of God's protection and provision to help us make it through the rough times coming in our lives. It is a promise!  

I have read both of these scriptures many times over the years, but today the Holy Spirit showed me that the "shoes of brass", in Deuteronomy, are a picture of Jesus working in us, making us more like Him.  This promise in Deuteronomy  is a foreshadow of Jesus' triumph in Revelations.  In Revelations, Jesus has conquered death, He doesn't need "shoes of brass" He has "feet of fine brass". God gave us the promise of "shoes of brass", or victory through Jesus, the one with "feet like fine brass", thousands of years before John had the vision on the Island of Patmos.  What an incredible promise, a promise not only of protection and strength, but the promise of Salvation through Christ, and the ability to become more like Jesus as well!

We don't need to try to go through life on our own strength, Jesus is our strength and He is giving us feet just like His!  Hallelujah!!

A God Near At Hand!

"'Am I a God near at hand,' says the Lord,

'And not a God afar off? 

Can anyone hide himself in secret places, 

So I shall not see him?' says the Lord;

'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' says the Lord."

Jeremiah 23:23-24

In this passage the Lord is talking to Israel and all the false prophets, through Jeremiah.  He is telling them all the punishment their bad choices and false worship will bring.  And He reminds them in these few verses that He is a God at hand, and not a God afar off. 

Today I believe this scripture is for us as well.  So many times we go to church put on the facade that everything is honky dory, but if those we try to deceive could see into our daily lives they would be forced to see just how good at acting on Sundays we really are.  

God is not just a God we sing songs about on Sunday, and forget about the rest of the week.  God wants to have a personal, real, daily relationship with each one of us.  God is not a God afar off! God is right there beside us when we

spread 

that nasty bit of gossip. He is right there with us when we watch that show that uses His name in vain over and over again.  God is with us when we lie to our boss about being sick.  The list could go on and on...All of us make bad decision, all of us have fallen short...and no one is perfect.  Even so, we should do our best to live our lives to honor and serve God.  Not because there is some law, or rule about it in the Bible; but because we are so in love with God.  When we love someone, we want to please them...Are you living your life for your own pleasure? Or are you living your life for God's pleasure?

My hope is that my life, the part seen by all my friends, family, and church family, and the part only seen by God, the secret, hidden parts will all bring pleasure to God.  

How about you???

Let's Pray!

 Father God, I am so thankful that You are not some God afar off...I am so glad that You are here with me every single moment of every single day.  You see the good, the bad, and the ugly, yet You still love me and call me Your child!   Your love is amazing...it is too much for my mind to even comprehend...but I accept it and I thank You for it!  Today I ask that You help me to live my life worthy of Your love, I want every part of my life to bring You glory an honor.  Show me, Lord, the areas of my life that aren't pleasing to You, and give me the strength to make the necessary changes.  I love You so much! You are so good! My words could never express how great You are! Holy, Awesome, Mighty, Gracious, Loving, My Provider, My Healer, My Joy and Strength. You are my all in all! 

Thank You Lord!! 

In Jesus Name, AMEN.

The True Vine - John 15

John 15 (NKJV)

The True Vine

1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 

6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 

8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Love and Joy Perfected

9 “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 

10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

11 “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 

14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 

17 These things I command you, that you love one another.

The World’s Hatred

18 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 

20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 

21 But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. 

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 

23 He who hates Me hates My Father also. 

24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. 

25 But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’

The Coming Rejection

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 

27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

I love this chapter, did you know that it is the inspiration for this blog?!?!  God is The Vine, we are the branches. We live and breath and move in Him, apart from Him we can do nothing!   I am so thankful for God's provision!!  He didn't have to enable us to connect to Him and grow in Him...but He loves us so much, that He gave His Son's life to make it all possible.  As a mother of two, I cannot imagine ever giving up one of my children to save anyone, much less a world full of people who have shown a history of rejecting, denying, and abhorring the love so freely given.  I am amazed at the love of God, it never changes, it never fails, God's love is unconditional, steady, and so great we can not comprehend the expanse of it all.  

I do not claim to know or understand everything.  But I do know my Heavenly Father, and I know that when things in life don't make much sense, when we can't figure out the heads and tails of it all...God is in control, and if we will lean on Him and trust Him...He will work it all out for our good! My God has never failed me yet, even thought I've failed Him many times...yet His love and provision, mercy and grace are always more than enough!! 

God is so good!!

The Story Of Lazarus

John 11:38-44

Lazarus Raised from the Dead 

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” 

Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said,“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 

42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” 

43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” 

44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

I love this story! I remember an old song by Carmen...it tells the story from a little different perspective...Lazarus was dead, he arrives in paradise and he starts telling Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Daniel, King Solomon, King David and many more about how he knew Jesus...but then Jesus starts calling "Lazarus, Lazarus, Lazarus, Come Forth!"  What an amazing and wonderful story...of Jesus' love and compassion, but also of His magnificent power!   

Here is the song by Carmen from way back in 1984 - and oldie but a goodie...Enjoy!

He Will Rejoice Over You With Singing!

"The Lord your God in your midst,

The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness,

He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.” 

Zephaniah 3:17


As I read this scripture this morning, this promise stands out to me.  I cannot fully describe all the feelings and thoughts that I have as I read it, but I can tell you that it is as if I heard singing...not quite audible, and from a far off...but it was beautiful, deep, robust, like the sound of a thousand different men singing in harmony, only this was one voice.  The song I heard was brief, but left me longing to hear more.  And suddenly, I am overwhelmed with the thought that God rejoices over me.  God rejoices over me with singing!  When He looks at me, He is so filled with joy, that he can't help but sing over me!  The love of God is so amazing! I am so unworthy, and yet He loves me anyway!  

2 Peter 1:5-11

2 Peter 1:5-11

Fruitful Growth in the Faith 

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Faith - Virtue - Knowledge - Self-control - Perseverance - Godliness - Brotherly Kindness - Love

What a list! I believe that today the church as a whole needs to take this scripture to heart.  If we start out with just enough faith to accept Christ's gift of salvation, and we end there and do not add to it all these other things I believe we are fooling ourselves.  Peter says to give all diligence (perseverance in carrying out action) as we add these things to our faith.  These things do not come easy...it will take much time, discipline, work.  We must actively work at it, it will not happen on it's own.

So how do we add these things to our faith?  Let's look at what each item means, and what we need to do to make it a daily part of our lives.

Faith - Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  Faith is something God gives us, when we lack faith, God will help us to grow and develop stronger faith in Him. Prayer and Bible reading and daily spending time in God's presence is required if we want our faith to grow.

Virtue - The definition is "honor, integrity" - So how do we go about adding virtue, we must work to be honorable, to have integrity in all we do.  What we say and do should be honest, and good.  People should be able to trust that when we speak, or make promises, that we will follow through, that we are good on our word.  We will only be able to truly do this with God's help...the Holy Spirit will lead and guide us so that the things we say and do align with God's Word.

Knowledge - mean's "a person's understanding; information".  In 2 Timothy 2:15 (AMP) it says it like this... "Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth"
So how do we add knowledge to our faith? By studying God's Word.

Self-control - the definition of self-control is "willpower over one's actions".  This is not an easy one.  Many of us today lack self-control, and the only way to add it to your faith, is by daily asking God for His help, working daily to control your actions and words. We will one day give an account of the things we've said and done.  God does not take this lightly.  We must work to control ourselves - and following the Holy Spirit's leading is the best way to get started on developing this skill.

Perseverance - Paul said it like this in 2 Timothy 4:7(NKJV) "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." Now that is perseverance! Through the good times and bad times, continuing to push forward, never giving up, never turning around, always continuing on toward the goal! It is hard work and may be painful at times, but in the end when you stand before God and you are able to say as Paul said, "Lord, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." and God's reply is, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."  It will all be worth it!!

Godliness - by definition is "Holiness".  On our own we will never be holy, righteous or Godly.  The bible says in Isaiah 64:6 that "all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags".  So how do we become Godly? By once again allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. If we have not accepted Christ gift of  forgiveness of sins, God looks at us and sees someone He loves dearly, but also he sees our sin, and He cannot have anything to do with sin (thus the reason we need salvation).  But when we've accepted Christ's gift and have been cleansed from our sins, the Holy Spirit comes and fills our lives, and when God looks at us He see someone He loves dearly, but instead of all our sins, He see's Christ blood washing us and making us new, clean, white as snow.  And In God's eyes we are perfect, righteous and Godly! Not because of what we've done, but because of Christ in us!

Brotherly Kindness - Luke 6:31"And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."  Brotherly Kindness, is so important! When we love other people, treat them the way we always want to be treated, and put their needs above our own needs, what a wonderful way to show the people around you the love of God. Jesus said in John 13:35 (NKJV) "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Brotherly Kindness should be the Christian trade mark!

Love -  Here is what love is...
1 Corinthians 13:1-8(NKJV)
The Greatest Gift

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift ofprophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.

I did a study called "Loving Well" written by Beth Moore way back when I first started this blog.  And one of the things I remember most from that study is this...We cannot love others with God's Love, if we ourselves do not have God's Love filling our lives.  We cannot give out something that is lacking in ourselves...it is only when we are filled up with God's love, that we can truly give it away.  If we try to do it on our own, we will fail, our love is limited and conditional.  But God's love is unlimited and unconditional...we need to allow God to so fill us with his love that it overflows and spills out into the lives of those around us!


What an incredible scripture...I am so glad for this reminder, to add all of these things to my life.  God is gracious, loving and so good.  He will help us to do it, if we will just ask.

Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for Your love, and for Your Word, for Your Son who gave His life so we could be called Your sons and daughters, and for the Holy Spirit - who teaches, guides, protects, and teaches us in all things.  You have given us everything we need in order to add Faith, Virtue, Knowledge, Self-control, Perseverance, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, and Love to our lives. And we ask today that you will help us to grow in each of these areas.  Thank you for working in our hearts and lives changing us from glory to glory! We love you so much!

In Jesus Name, AMEN

Dead Idols and the Living God

Isaiah 46
Dead Idols and the Living God

1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast. 2 They stoop, they bow down together; They could not deliver the burden, But have themselves gone into captivity. 3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: 4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you. 5 “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike? 6 They lavish gold out of the bag, And weigh silver on the scales; They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god; They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship. 7 They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it And set it in its place, and it stands; From its place it shall not move. Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer Nor save him out of his trouble. 8 “Remember this, and show yourselves men; Recall to mind, O you transgressors. 9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there isnone like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times thingsthat are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it. 12 “Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, Who are far from righteousness: 13 I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off; My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion, For Israel My glory.

What a great message! God is so good.  Here Israel has made many golden and wooden images and called them gods, they bowed down in worship to things they had made with their own hands.  And they forgot to serve and worship the one true God.  But God in His goodness and mercy sends them and us this message...

3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, Who have been upheld by Me from birth, Who have been carried from the womb: 4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you. 5 “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal And compare Me, that we should be alike?

then he continues in verse 9

9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’

What an amazing promise! I know there are times in life when we get distracted, and though we may not bow down to a golden or wooden image, we bow our hearts to material things allowing them to take priority, forgetting to make serving the only Living God our priority.  But this promise from God directed at a rebellious Israel, also is for us today!  God formed us, He has and will carry us, even into our old age...His counsel shall stand and He will do all of His good pleasure, in our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

God has great plans for us...He is working in every situation and working out his good pleasures in our lives...even when we have made bad choices, and feel unworthy.  God's love and His plans for us, do not change based on our actions.  He has and always will love us more than we can imagine.  And even when we slip up and fail Him, He still is working to bring us back to a place of right relationship with Him, and He will use even those bad times to bring about good for us.  

I am so thankful! What an good and faithful God we serve!!!

GOD IS GOOD!!

Heavenly Wisdom and A Controlled Tongue!

Heavenly Wisdom and A Controlled Tongue!

This week I have truly enjoyed reading from the book of James!  Today, I'd like to focus on James chapter 3.  What great words of wisdom and instruction...I love how James doesn't beat about the bush...He just says it like it is and gives great insight as he instructs us in how we should control our tongue as well as make sure we are lead by heavenly wisdom, not demonic wisdom.  

I think many times we say things without thinking about the effect our words have.  I am reminded that we have the power of life or death in our tongue.  The words we say can help someone to become who God wants them to be, or they can cause a person to get discouraged, and give up.  

We don't always, in fact I dare say, we rarely know what another person has been through and all that is going on in their life.  We may not understand why they are doing things the way they are or why they think the way they think.  I truly believe that the only way we can control our tongue is to use the heavenly wisdom James talks about in this chapter.  I don't believe he was addressing these two things as separate issues, but instead I think he was stating a problem, and then giving the solution.

How do we learn to control our tongues, and make sure we are speaking words of life and not death? The only way we possibly could do this, is through the help and leading of the Holy Spirit.  It is only when we are tuned into the Spirit, listening and leaning on Him to lead us, that we will have the heavenly wisdom and the self-control to control our tongues.  

Lets look at this section from 2 Corinthians...

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 

casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 

and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled."

This verse starts out stating that "we walk in the flesh but we do not war according to the flesh"...in other words...we may be dealing with a real down to earth issue with someone or something, but we cannot go about fixing it in our own way.  We cannot depend on our own wisdom or start speaking about the situation without first letting the Holy Spirit lead us. With His leading we will say what God wants us to say, words based on heavenly wisdom not on our own fleshly desires.  We must rely on God, for our weapons are "Mighty in God", not mighty in man, mighty in finances, or mighty in anything else we may try to rely on or fix the issue with...they are only mighty in God!  When we do things God's way, and let Him lead us, even in the little things we say...can have a powerful effect on the final outcome.  Paul goes on to say that the weapons that are mighty in God will "pull down strongholds, cast down arguments, as well as everything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God". What is the purpose of all of this? The purpose is to "bring every thought into obedience to Christ"...If every thought is brought to the place of obedience to Christ, then every word will also be spoken in accordance with God's will and God's plan.  Once we have used our Mighty in God weapons to pull down and cast down the things that don't align with God's Word, we will the be ready to help discipline or punish all disobedience, but only after our obedience is fulfilled.  We cannot try to tell other's what they are doing wrong if we ourselves are making the same mistakes. If we want our words to be full of life, to encourage others and to have a positive effect, then we must work to allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, in all things.  It also requires that we be willing to let go of pride and admit where we have failed, and ask God to help us to do better next time. We must ask for heavenly wisdom. James says it this way: "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy." James 3:17

I don't know about you, but I know that deep down, somewhere is the center of my being, is the desire to always speak out of Heavenly Wisdom, and to allow God to use my words to uplift, encourage, and build up  other people.  I know that I will fall and fail, but I also know that God's grace is enough, and with His help, I can make a difference in the lives of those around me.

Let's Pray!

Heavenly Father, I am so grateful and thankful that you didn't give us a whole bunch of rules and regulation and then leave us on our own to falter and fail.  No, you gave us the law to help us see our need for a Savior, and then you provided that Savior, by sending Your only Son to die in our place.  We are so unworthy of your love, mercy, forgiveness.  But you love us so much, that it doesn't matter.  Your love makes up for our lack.  And You have given us the ability to lean on Your Holy Spirit for wisdom and guidance, to help us as we walk this earth.  We can walk daily in the wisdom and grace that can only come from You! What a marvelous gift!! Lord, I pray today that you will daily remind us how much we need to lean on You.  Help us to tap into that Heavenly Wisdom, and speak words of love and life.  Use our lives to show Your love to a lost and hurting world. 

In Jesus Name we pray, AMEN

Doers of the Word!

James 1 - Doers of the Word!

As I was reading the first chapter of James this morning I had many thoughts come to me about what it is saying and what it means to us as believers, followers of Christ, as Christians.  

James has a lot to say in this chapter about being doers of the Word and not hearers only.  And I found myself wondering what would happen if we as Christians would rise up and do what the Word says, not just hear it and be unaffected by it.  What if, when we read about faith, we make the decision to step out in faith in a new way? or when we read  

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."  

What would happen if Christians around the globe took this scripture to heart and started thinking and meditating on the good things the Lord has done, and the promises He has given us, in stead of all the evil happening around the world?  

God's Word is so powerful and has so much to say about our lives and how we should live them.  God has given us His Word as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105), it will help us to make right choices and decisions. God's Word will give us strength to face the hard times.  God's Word will build up our faith, and encourage us when life gets rough.  God's Word is living and active and sharper than a double edged sword! (Hebrews 4:12) It cuts all the garbage and junk out and helps us to see the path clearly.  We need to start acting on God's Word...not just hearing it, and walking away unchanged.

I want to be a Doer of the Word!! 

Lord, thank you for giving us Your Word! Your Word is so important in our lives.  Many times we forget, we get busy, and we allow other things to crowd in. Today we ask for forgiveness and we ask that you help us to make Your Word a priority in our lives.  Make us doers of the Word!  Lord, We don't want to be just hears.  We don't want to go through life missing out on all you have for us, we want to open our hearts and lives up to You, and allow Your Word to lead and guide us. Thank You for Your love and mercy! Thank You for all the promises You've given us! You are indescribable, amazing, wonderful! You are good, and we thank you! 

In Jesus Name, AMEN.

A Step of Faith

A Step of Faith

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you know what you are supposed to do, but you have no idea how you are going to get from point A (where you are now) to point B (where God is leading you)?   It won't be easy, the path may be clouded, and rocky, or not visible at all. You may be tempted to fear and draw back. Thoughts may fill up your mind, such as, "This is crazy, I must have heard God wrong, this can't be right, I better just go back to point A!"  The only way you will make it from point A (where you are now) to point B (where God is leading you) is walking by faith...

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

In other words, Faith is the actions we take based on a hope we have received through a promise that is not yet been fulfilled.  Faith is trusting God to come through on His Word!  

So when your at point A (where you are now) and need to get to point B (where God is leading you); what do you do? Do you trust in your own strength? Do you Trust in your friends and companions? Do you trust in your loved ones, your family? Or do you Trust in the Lord? 

Here is what God's Word says on the matter...

Micah 7:5-7

Do not trust in a friend;

Do not put your confidence in a companion;

Guard the doors of your mouth

From her who lies in your bosom.

For son dishonors father,

Daughter rises against her mother,

Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

Therefore I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

My God will hear me.

Did you catch that? Read it again.

Micah 7:5-7

Do not trust in a friend;

Do not put your confidence in a companion;

Guard the doors of your mouth

From her who lies in your bosom.

For son dishonors father,

Daughter rises against her mother,

Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;

A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.

Therefore I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

My God will hear me.

Look to the Lord!  He is the source of our Salvation, He will hear us when we call. He will get us from point A (where we are) to Point B (where He is leading us). He is all we need!!

There is no better promise! 

I am so thankful that no matter what, God is in control and He is all I'll ever need!! Hallelujah!


Take that step of faith and just watch as the Lord works!! 

GOD IS GOOD!!!!

In Whom Do We Trust?

In Whom Do We Trust?

This week people all across the United States of America are celebrating Independence Day.  As American's we all have been privileged with the freedom and security found in a nation founded on biblical principals...a nation whose money states "In God We Trust".  

So my question today is this...In whom do we trust? Are we trusting in God?  When life has different twist and turns? When life is great and all seems right with the world? or when life as we know it seems to be crashing down around us?  

Who is it we are turning to?  Who do we look to be our healer? Provider? Shelter? Strong Tower? Shield of defense? When we've gone as far as we can go on our own, and there's nothing left to give...Who is it we are really trusting in? 

I've found in my life, that even those times when my faith falters, and I stumble and fall...God is Good, and He always Always ALWAYS is right there beside me just waiting for me to call out to Him.  

Here is a great Psalm that gently reminds us, that our help doesn't come from the hills...you see in Israel the high places, or hills, is where the idols and man made gods where placed.  The Israelites would go up to the hills and high places to worship and burn incense to the false gods.  Here in this Psalm the psalmist is reminding us that nothing man made, nothing set up on the high places in our lives will ever help us or save us...it is God, the creator of heaven and earth, He is the one we should look to for help in every circumstance or situation.

Psalm 121

New King James Version (NKJV)

God the Help of Those Who Seek Him

A Song of Ascents.

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills—

From whence comes my help?

2 My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4 Behold, He who keeps Israel

Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

6 The sun shall not strike you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;

He shall preserve your soul.

8 The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in

From this time forth, and even forevermore.

One of You Is a Gossip - By Francis Frangipane

When I read this, I knew I just had to share it! Such a great word!!  If you would like to share this message please make sure you give credit to Francis Frangipane and link back to the ministries website. Be Blessed!!

The following message is adapted from a chapter in Francis Frangipane's book, A House United. 

Available at www.arrowbookstore.com

One of You Is a Gossip

A perverse man spreads strife, and a slanderer separates intimate friends. --Proverbs 16:28

Jesus made a remarkable statement concerning Judas: "‘Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?’ Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him" (John 6:70-71).
To what was Jesus referring when He identified Judas Iscariot as "a devil"? Was He speaking figuratively or factually? Is Jesus saying that a human being could not only have an evil spirit living in his soul, but that a person could actually become a demon?
Some teach that Judas had become so perfectly possessed by Satan that he actually lost his humanity. Before we accept this interpretation, let us remember that after this fallen apostle delivered Jesus up, he felt such remorse for betraying Christ that he committed suicide. Could a demon feel such remorse for sin? I do not think so.
What I believe Jesus is identifying in Judas Iscariot as a "devil" is something that, today, exists unchecked among many Christians:slander. In the New Testament the Greek word diabolos, which is translated "devil" in this text, is translated impersonally elsewhere as a "false accuser," "slanderer" or "malicious gossip." In fact, 1 Timothy 3:11 and 2 Timothy 3:3 both translate diabolos (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, #1228) as "malicious gossip(s)."
In other words, Jesus is not saying "one of you is a devil" in an organic or theological sense, but that one of you is "a slanderer, a malicious gossip." So while the disciples were almost bragging about their loyalty to Christ, Jesus corrected them, in effect saying, "Yes, I chose you, but even among you there is one who is a malicious gossip, whose words will eventually betray Me to My enemies."

Gossip in the Last Days
This problem of gossip in the Church, Paul tells us, will continue right into the end of the age. Listen carefully to what Paul wrote to Timothy about the last days: "Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips" (2 Tim. 3:2-3), and the list goes on. In the midst of this list of great sins of the apostasy, the apostle includes "malicious gossips." This is the exact same word translated "devil" in John 6:70.
Perhaps you know people who always have something negative to say about others, who always bring negative information about people into their conversations. I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to us how "malicious gossip" is kin to the nature of Satan himself!
The Scriptures say that we will be justified or condemned by our words. Yes, our words---even those spoken in secret with a spouse or friend about others---are used by God to measure our obedience to His will. James writes, "If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man" (James 3:2).
Words have power. Scripture reveals that "death and life are in the power of the tongue" (Prov. 18:21). Our words, expressed as a confession of faith, bring us into salvation; but words without faith can lead us and others with us into destruction and heartache.
James 3:8 warns, "The tongue . . . is a restless evil . . . full of deadly poison." "The tongue," he says, "is a fire, the very world of iniquity" (v. 6). And James reveals a most profound thought: "The tongue . . . sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell" (v. 6).
Satan gains access to our world, to destroy all that is good and holy in it, through our tongues. The very course of our life, the direction and quality of our earthly existence, is "set on fire by hell" through the words we speak. If we talk negatively about someone or maliciously gossip, the destructive fire of hell itself is released through our words. Lord, help us to understand the power of our words!
I believe God wants to break the power of gossip and negative speaking from the Church. We may have a perfect analysis of what is wrong and why it is evil, yet if all we do is talk about it, we have yet to disavow our allegiance to hell. God calls us to be a house of prayer for all nations---a spiritual community that is mature, fully capable of seeing what is wrong, but positioning itself to release redemption into the world.

If Paul Visited Your Community
Imagine if the apostle Paul came into a typical American city. Do you know what he might say about our divisions? Probably what he told the Corinthians: "I am afraid that perhaps when I come . . . there will be strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances" (2 Cor. 12:20).
Does that remind you of any churches anywhere? Strife? Jealousy? Slander and gossip? How can we approach God with these things existing in us? I believe God desires to give the Church a whole new approach. But we cannot lay hold of the future unless we first let go of the past.
Perhaps you are thinking, "So and so should hear this." Yes, but we must start with ourselves. Pastors must stop talking negatively about people; they need to refrain from "leaking" problems with people into their sermons. Intercessors must stop negative gossip about the people for whom they should be praying. If we discuss what is wrong for ten minutes, let us pray for redemption for twenty.

Judge Not
How do you respond to life’s imperfections? Do you gossip? When you hear of someone’s failure, are you quick to spread the news? If Jesus was looking at the Christians with whom you fellowship, would He say to you what He spoke to His early apostles, that "one of you is a malicious gossip?"
Even if you are not a gossip or slanderer, you must be careful to avoid "fellowship" with gossips. Criticisms incubate. Paul warned that "a little leaven leavens the whole lump" (1 Cor. 5:6). If we walk with the wise, we will become wise, but if we open our hearts to the cynical and critical, then we become like them. That is why Jesus said we were to "take heed" to what we hear. For whatever we intently focus upon, we absorb in abundance (see Mark 4:24).
Thus, we must not even listen to gossip. When God shows us what is wrong in life, it is so we can pray for redemption, not spread the bad news all over town. Prayer has a positive focus. People with Christ’s love have a spiritual vision that causes them to see beyond the imperfections and limitations of the present world into the potential awaiting in the future---and they pray until what they see comes to pass.
Remember: None of us stands perfectly upright. Every time we judge someone, we position ourselves to be judged as well. Indeed, we each continually lean in the direction of our weakness. Only by the grace of God are we kept from falling. The moment we begin to self-righteously judge or gossip about another for their failings, we lean a little closer toward our own fall.
Our actions and words should be motivated by mercy. If we must discuss the situation or individual, let us harbor no malice or ill will. Let redemption be our guide, not revenge. Let us keep ourselves from becoming those who betray the working of Christ on earth. Let us keep ourselves from the realm of the malicious gossip.

Lord, purify my lips with fire from Your holy altar. Father, forgive me for my words that have not always been redemptive. Lord, deliver the Church from the realm of spreading gossip to the work of spreading grace. Help us to be a house of prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.