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Thursday, December 19, 2024
Sunday, December 12, 2021
God's Christmas Gifts through Jesus
Matthew 1:18-25
We have all heard the story of the birth of Christ. Of how Mary, a young engaged teenaged girl, was approached by an Angel of the Lord and told she was chosen to have the Son of God. And about Joseph a young man engaged to Mary and after upon learning of her condition wanted to quietly divorce her.
But that thankfully was not the end of the story.
Through their obedience welcomed the Gift of Jesus.
As we put up our Christmas tree and decorations soon will follow the presents that will go underneath.
However the gifts that God gave us isn't found wrapped up in fancy paper and bows but what is wrapped up in the Spirit of Christ.
Those gifts, of course can only come from the Spirit of Christ. The Holy Spirit can produce in us some of these gifts.
Gift 2- Knowledge- Divine self-revelation (Gift of the spirit) through the help of the Lord.
Gift 3- Faith-Belief and Assurance that the Lord is working though we cannot see it.
Gift 4- Healing- Divine intervention in response to prayer (ie; sickness cured, exorcism of demons and raising the dead.)
Gift 5- Miracles- Supernatural intervention based on the actions of a supernatural being (ie; deity, saint, miracle worker etc)
Gift 6- Prophecy- Predicting things to come.
Gift 7- Discerning Spirits- Understanding or knowing something through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Gift 8- Tongues-a language not spoken to men but to God and only understood by God.
Gift 9- Interpreting Tongues-Interpreting an unintelligible language inspired by the spirit and translated into one that is understood.
Now I don't know after the 3rd gift that even applies to me but what I do know is the one gift we all are given is the Gift of Christ.
So I challenge all of you all this Christmas and in the the New Year to open up the gift of Christ into your life and left Him fill you with the gift of His Spirit.
God Bless 🙏🎄✟
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Prayers for Thanksgiving and Always
Now the leaves are changing and the air is cool we start turning our thoughts toward the holidays with all the familiar sights sounds and smells that accompany it.
The smell of turkey roasting or pies baking or the sound of chatter from your family or friends gathering to the roar from the sports fanatics watching football or the sounds from the parade on tv.
Of course not everyone will have all of that, unfortunately, Sadly spending their hours alone but for others, have no home at all, which many, sadly have been and still are experiencing in our world today.
This circumstance, I would imagine, could bring about a feeling of hopelessness that God isn't there or care. and for others more fortunate they could take for granted what they have and just forget God all together.
But for true believers, who know who God is, was and always will be in their lives, serves to only strengthen their hope and their reasons to give Thanks to all He has provided and continues to provide.
This is described as a Prayer of Thanksgiving:
This is a prayer that glorifies God and thanks Him for what He has provided and continues to provide.
So Thanksgiving could be defined as an action and not an event. In doing so you aren't just thanking Him for what you are about to eat but also for His willingness to provide it to you. Also it is in keeping with God's will as well.
We should also do this in: The Spirit of Christ
This produces fruits within us as we grow in our relationship to Him.
1. Faithfulness 5. Gentleness 9. Love
2. Self-Control 6. Joy
3. Patience 7. Kindness
4. Goodness 8. Peace
But to better understand this, we must go back to the beginning.
No not to Plymouth Rock and the the Pilgrims and Indians but to the Bible and God's Chosen people the Israelites.
A time when acknowledging His authority and ability to sustain even through tests and trials was an everyday thing for the most faithful.
Unfortunately there were some who sinned against God and He sent them into captivity.
Daniel, for example, was among those who were taken captive but never lost his hope and constantly prayed to God and glorified Him therefore setting an example of Faith under pressure and a:
Model Prayer Life.
A. He Studied the Scriptures ( In doing so 2 things were revealed to him)
* 1. Why Judah had been exiled (Daniel 9:11-13)
a. Their rebellion against God.
b. Or keep His Laws
* 2. Therefore resulting in:
c. Curses and and judgements being fulfilled ( Leviticus 26 )
& (Deuteronomy 27 ) & ( Deuteronomy 28)
B. Confessed of His and His People's sins (Corporate Confession)
* He accepted the personal responsibility for the sins of his people
C. Humbled himself before God
* Putting on sackcloth and rubbed ashes on himself (Daniel 9:3)
Note: Of course today we wouldn't have to go to that extreme but God does
expect us to remove ourselves from all distractions of this world and
devote time and attention to Him in prayer.
D. He Never Used Prayer to Make deals with God
* (James 5:16) As mentioned above when he made his petition in behalf of
himself and his people he did it without "making a deal" with God.
In Following Daniel's example here is some things to keep in mind in
developing an Attitude of Prayer
1. Prepare yourself for Prayer ( Ephesians 3:18-19)
a. So you may be filled with Christ
2. Be Humble (I Peter 5:5-7)
a. God opposes the proud and favor to the humble.
3. Confess your Sins ( 1 John 1:19)
a. We can be in the light and not the darkness of our sin by
petitioning to God.
4. Repent to God your sin (Acts 3:19)
a. Turn to Him so He can refresh your soul and free you.
5. Know Your Enemy (Ephesians 6: 10-12)
a. Equipping Yourself by putting on the
Armor of God
1. Belt of Truth - The Holy Spirit protects and equips
you from the enemy.
2. Breastplate of Righteousness-Comes from the Gospel of Peace
( Protected by the Holy Spirit through a relationship with Christ,
Studying the Word, and Prayer.)
3. Feet fitted for Righteousness- A sure foundation that we have peace
with God.
4. Shield of Faith-To extinguish the arrows of the evil one
( By taking a stand by holding firm to the Word of God.)
5. Helmet of Salvation-Covered by the blood of the Lamb
( Tells the enemy what side you're on.)
a. In Christ(Justification)we've been saved(Sanctification)and will be
saved.(Glorification)
* Justification- Act of making something right with God.
* Sanctification- To separate from an evil world and dedicate
yourself to God, purify you from sin through repentance to
renew your soul.
All of this is not only for good practice but also because God expects it and also left a prayer we can always say that cover's everything.
The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
Breakdown of the Lord's Prayer and how it connects us to God
1. Personal Relaionship with God- "Our Father"
2. Faith-"Which art in heaven"
3. Worship- "hallowed be thy name"
4. Expectation-" thy kingdom come"
5. Submission- "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven"
6. Petition-" give us this day our daily bread"
7. Confession- "and forgive us our debts"
8. Compassion-"as we forgive our debtors"
9. Dependence- "and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil"
10. Acknowledgement- "for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory
forever."
My only hope is that you feel blessed this Thanksgiving and remember that God does provide for all our needs and may everyone be blessed.
God Bless 🙏♰
Thursday, October 21, 2021
God Loves the Caregiver Study
In some ways some of us have found ourselves expectedly or unexpectedly caring for someone in some way or fashion.
This can come in all forms, from caring for children, the disabled, the elderly or the sick.
 |
| This is a basic description but it entails way more for some. |
It was only a few years ago that I had it pointed out that what I was doing was not only compassionate but a ministry.
For awhile I found that hard to wrap my mind around but I came to realize that we are the closest thing they have to Christ's example if they are homebound.
Our words of encouragement and support give them the means to know that God has the right prescription for what ails them either Physically or Spiritually.
This also goes for the caregiver as well especially in trying times even when the loved one you're caring for tries you.
God understands and lends us support and hears our pleas when we make them.
( I found these scriptures above to be particularly helpful when I have struggled.)
This life is difficult and can be very isolating which insulates you from the world and can result in making you an outcast as much as the one you care for.
The world at large unless they are in this position themselves, don't really understand the emotional and physical toll it takes on the caregiver.
I was fortunate in the past to be connected to people who were in that position themselves and could draw on them for support and encouragement.
I strongly urge you if you are feeling alone than connect with others who are going through this and lift each other up.
My prayer for you is that you come to know that you are not walking this alone but that Jesus is walking beside you.
Despite this circumstance, there is the promise that God makes to us:
John 14:18 “ I will not leave you as orphans ; I will come to you.”
What an amazing promise that God has given us and can be very comforting if your heart is open to it. Sadly, however, so many don’t have a personal relationship with God or a sense of peace to know this promise.
You can find more comfort when you read the words:
Genesis 28:15: “ I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Saturday, September 18, 2021
Todays Thoughts...Daniel 2 Part 2
We are at the part of the chapter where there is a lot of symbolism but with thanks to God it is later explained. This book is interesting because it has been referred to as the ABC book of God's prophecies and except for two chapters in Revelations it is similar in it's imagery and symbiology in the prophetic writings of the chapters.
Although Daniel was never credited as a prophet, he most definitely was one of the first to receive the Visions from God.
Interesting Side Note:
God only gave visions and often explanations followed. to those who truly believed and had a kinship to Him.
But to those who didn't believe or have a relationship to Him they were often dreams that he would enter their minds with confusing symbolism.
This reminds me a lot later where Jesus is telling parables and is talking to his disciples and refers to them as confusing to those who don't believe but explains them to his disciples so they can understand.
Now, close your eyes and imagine a tremendous statue about as big as the statue of Liberty, and imagine that this statue was made of gold, silver, brass, iron and iron mixed with clay.
Well that is pretty much what King Nebuchadnezzar's dream consisted of only the statue looked more like this...
Then enters Daniel, who after hearing the dilemma from Arioch ( The very guard who was ordered to kill everyone). Insisted to have company with the king that very night, to see what he might be able to do. Arioch agreed and led him up to the entrance and the rest was up to Daniel.
Which here I find poignant in that this guard respected Daniel and Daniel had shown before that he was good at his word. Of course it helped that God was in the middle of it the whole time.
This was quite brave to attempt because ordinarily you had to wait to be invited by the king to be in his company or get his attention, but for Daniel he made the exception and allowed Daniel to make his case.
Daniel asked the king for one more day and he would pray to God to reveal it to him and give him the answer the next day. The king decided to grant him this request. but I think the king was doubtful that Daniel could pull it off but decided to entertain the idea.
He returned to his home and he asked Mishael, Hannaniah, and Azzariah ( of course most know them as; Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) and told them to fast along with him and to pray and earnestly plead with God to reveal this to him to spare their lives.
That night while Daniel slept the very dream the king had had, entered into Daniel's dream and along with it God helped revealed to him what all of it meant.
Daniel woke up that morning confidant and made his way to see the king that very morning. Soon he found himself in front of the king who already had most of his court entertaining him. The king ordered everyone to leave and then requested Daniel to speak. Of course Daniel did without hesitation.
He told him of the statue he had seen and how the Head was made of gold, it's Chest and Arms were made of Silver, the Belly and Thighs made of Bronze, Legs of Iron and Feet and Toes made of Iron and Clay (partially baked), and then a Large Boulder came and hurled itself at the statue and shattered it to the ground, then a Large Wind blew every bit of it away and the Boulder grew into a Mountain.
I can only imagine at this point what the king must have been thinking as he leaned in interested to hear more.
Daniel continued to explain;
I added the historical information to give you a historical perspective.
The Gold Head- Was The Kingdom of Babylon, (from King Nebuchadnezzar II-Belchassar -who reigned from 671-538 BC)
The Chest and Arms of Silver- Was the Medo -Persian Empire, (from King Cyrus-Darius - who reigned from 538-331 BC)
The Belly and Thighs of Brass- Was the Greek and Macedonian Empire,(Alexander the Great-who reigned 331-160 BC)
The Legs of Iron- Roman Empire ( but could have been shared with another empire) (The Ceasars 160 BC-395 AD)
The Feet and Toes made of Part Iron/Part clay {Partially Baked}-10 Kingdoms
1. Italy 496 AD 2. France 752 AD 3.England 803 AD
4. Belgium 806 AD, 5. Holland 922 AD 6. Portugal 1138 AD
7. Prussia 1139 AD 8. Austria 1139 AD 9. Spain 1179 AD 10. Greece 1829 AD
SPECIAL NOTE: This is the source for the above mentioned but I must add I'm not sure if this is accurate and open to interpretation!! So sorry if this caused confusion.
As for the Large Rock- That is God where He will Rule and Reign with His Son Christ over the Earth.
The smashing is Him putting an end to all earthly governments or kingdoms, When the Rock becomes a Mountain that is when God's Heavenly Kingdom will fill the earth in place of mankind's.
Upon hearing this the king fell prostrate before Daniel. That is that he laid stretched out with his face toward the ground in a position of submission and reverence humbling himself., because he was overcome with this news.
I believe it is important to note that this is the same position we should be in when pleaing to God. We need to be in a position of humility and respect before the very God who reigns.
Immediately rewarded Daniel with his finest and a position in the palace having a place of not only administrative but advisory position to the king.
I want to talk a little about Daniel's Character & Spiritual Maturity1.
1. His Wisdom (In Response to a Crisis)a.
a. He stayed Calm and didn't panic and knew exactly who to go to for the answers.
b. Acknowledgement Of God- Knowing only He possessed the Wisdom, Knowledge, Sovereignty and Power over all things.
c. Sincere Expression- He was Confident in the Lord before he even went to God and possessed an "Attitude of Gratitude" acknowledging God's willingness and ability to hear acknowledge and overcome the problem.
Daniel 2:21 " He changes times and seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings."
Psalm 75:6-7 " Exaltation neither comes from the East, West, North or South but God is Judge. He puts down one and exalts another."
d. He deescalated the situation with sound reasoning and intellect.
2. His Worship
a. He worshipped God for His willingness to reveal the mysteries to him known only to God.
Deuteronomy 29:29 " The secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of the Law.
Daniel 2:22 " God knows what is in the darkness and light dwells with Him."
3. Praised God
a. He praised God for how his life had been touched and affected by God's character.
b. Daniel's Song
Daniel 2:20-23
c. He exalted God and acknowledged all His wisdom and power over time, seasons, ability to raise people up or take them down " Make or Break", Giving wisdom to the wise, knowledge to the discerning, reveals mysteries and deep and hidden things, Knows what's in the dark and in the light.
Amazing, we all need to be a little more like Daniel in our faith and I pray that you do as i do for myself.
God Bless 🙏🕆
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Todays Thoughts...Book of Daniel 2 Part 1
The King's Troubling Dream
Imagine if you can, falling asleep and everything is well until somewhere your dream goes terribly sideways with images that are not only terrifying but unexplained. Now imagine waking up and trying to explain that to someone else.
Now imagine you're in a position of authority and everyone looks to you for all the answers and for strength. You are feared and practically worshipped. No one dares to defy you or they fear death by your direct command.
That's where King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon comes in.
He was definitely feared and he was the one, after all ,who took the captives from King Jehoiakim of Judah after Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem.
Defining the precedent to all the people under his rule that he was not to be defied or disobeyed and always at his beck and call, so it is of no surprise that he demanded that all his royal officials would be called to answer this for him.
The interesting twist is that King Nebuchadnezzar never reveals the details of the dream but he wants them to tell him the details and what it means.
Daniel 2:1-12https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+2&version=NIV
Of course as you would expect they were reluctant so they implored the King to tell them the details.
I believe the King was testing them of their loyalty and respect of his authority and also whether they were around him because of his position and the perks that came with it.
Kind of like groupies that surround a celebrity or someone of great wealth and status.
Every single one had a near identical response and this only resulted in his rage against them which a decree was made to kill them all.
"Isn't that typical, you don't get what you want so you throw a tantrum but I digress."
Enter Daniel, after hearing this he implores the King's guard Arioch as to what this decree is about. Arioch had built some trust with Daniel, I believe this began after Daniel and his friends proved themselves with their vegetable and water diet and of Course God was influencing him so he was more willing to listen to Daniel.
Daniel 2: 13b-49 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+2%3A13-49&version=NIV
Daniel went and asked for time to interpret the dream for the king and he also went home to implore that Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah along with himself to plead for mercy from God.
Also the motivation was that all of them were facing certain death probably lit a fire in them to get this resolved as soon as possible.
NOTE: Pleading is much different than begging.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pleading
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/begging
In a spiritual sense this is a different context:
To plead to God: you are going to Him with a sincere heart and intention knowing and believing that God has heard you and will deliver on his promise. And you follow up with faith in continuing your obedience to Him.
Begging : is asking with the attitude of fulfilling a need at that time without any heart change or trust that God is hearing you or any true relationship to God with whom you are making this request.
I like to refer to this as the "Santa Claus" request or those of us of the older crowd the "Wimpy Complex- I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" Those of you who watched the earlier Popeye cartoons.
Daniel praised God, acknowledging God's willingness to not only answer his and his friend's prayer but that "He always keeps His promises to those He loves and loves Him."
Isn't that what we should remember is to take the time as Daniel did in verses 20-23 to acknowledge God and to rejoice over His willingness to hear and response while still aware of His authority over us and this world we inhabit.
God bless 🙏✟
Thursday, August 26, 2021
Making Your Own DIY Welcome Sign
What you see above is something that I did in a brief afternoon after seeing these in catalogs I figured I could do this myself. If you like to be creative well this is the project for you.
Monday, August 23, 2021
Blessed Life of a Caregiver
Imagine for a minute that you are called upon to do a ministry not out in the world or even in a church but in the very service of another. Now imagine being the only person they have and though the days can be long and demanding with no days off or even to be sick. Days of long silence or calls for assistance are in your future. For most that would be a life they would rather not face or imagine. But because of my faith and trust in God despite the days of isolation and solitude I choose to give those moments to God.
Today I am currently taking care of my bedridden husband who has the misfortune to suffer with a severe case of Rheumatoid arthritis and Gout. Of course I know many people have this dreaded affliction and many still live vital and active lives. There is, however, that one rare exception where it's beyond help.
I also have my son home as well who struggles with the challenges of Autism and Anxiety. He has accomplished so much in his life. I am so blessed that God gave me this child and blessed me so through his life.
My husband is currently at the 4th stage of KidneyDisease but with a lot of blessing he has not managed to have to have dialysis.
It is interesting where God plants you in life where you never saw yourself becoming. I have taken care of people whether it be a child or an adult most of my life and ironically I also got certified as a Nursing Assistant many years ago.
Anyone who has ever known me has asked how I can stay so positive despite the daily challenges I face in caring for these dear lives and I simply say, "Because of God's grace and strength."
I do hope that someone reading this who may have a similar story might feel encouraged that you aren't alone. I know your story and I live it. But one assurance I know God is always there. Yes even in the silence and in the struggles.
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Psalm 27:14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
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God Bless 🙏♰
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