Our Walk With God 9~27~13

2 Timothy 4:6-8

6 For I am now ready to be offered , and the time of my departure is at hand . 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

What amazing words from our Bible...but then they are from the Bible...

Are you living your life in such a way, that when it is time to depart from this level of existence, our Lord and Savior will be handing you your crown? 

For myself, all I can say is, I am trying to live my life in a pleasing way. And pleasing to our Lord.  There is a huge difference between living for one's self and living for the Lord.

Let's take a walk thru a normal day...you wake up...what is your first thought?

     I need a cup of coffee, 

          or if you smoke, you might reach for your cigarettes, 

              or you might think, what the heck was that noise....  

If you are living for the Lord, should your first thought be of and for the Lord...I think it should!  And let's be really honest here.  Do I think of the Lord first thing every morning when I open my peepers?  Oh Lord, (and I mean, Oh Lord, and not in a cursing way...)  I sure wish I could say yes to this, but I am a very fallible human being, I was created by God, but I was created with a free will. 

Errrgh. 

I want my first thought to be of God, every morning when I am first conscious of it being morning.  But in all honesty it isn't always....I know that I almost always end my days in conversations with the Lord...as my last conscious thoughts for the day...that's not that terribly difficult...I was reared to think along those lines.

We take our children to bed and what do we do...we first teach them to say their prayers...then we listen to their prayers...and then sadly, we send them off to bed, as they are getting older with, time for bed and don't forget to say your prayers...and then perhaps for some...time for bed.  If you are a parent or guardian, where do you fall in this scheme of things...depending on where you fall..you know you can change what you are doing with your child...you might even like the change.  But don't be put off if your child finds you being intrusive...we are parents, that is and should be a part of the job description.

 (Thank you Google for this wonderful picture) Alright now you wake up your child for school, at least if you are lucky, you get to do this! What if...just what if...you woke your child with, "Let's talk to God and ask for a great day before your piggy's hit the floor?"  At first they might think you are a little off your rocker, but that's okay...they will eventually stop thinking that way.

Proverbs 22: 6  says...Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.  This is a directive for God.  Are you doing this?

Perhaps if my parents had done this with me I wouldn't have to be struggling with trying to make this happen in my own life, but they didn't.  They were not that kind of believers, and that was their choice.  My choice however has been a bit different from theirs...and again this all goes along with that free will that God gave us...I wonder do You ever consider that maybe you shouldn't have given us "free will?"  No, Rebecca Kirsten, I want my children to want to come to me, and I want them to behave in a christian way, rather than in a heathen way.  When someone wants to be with you, rather than has to be with you, doesn't that make you feel better about that person?  Well yes I suppose so...I know there are definitely times when I choose to be with my husband and spend time with him, okay Lord, I understand...choice is good.  Yes it is!  

I don't know about you, but I just love it when the Father talks to me...He will talk to you too, if you just listen.

Okay so how do we retrain ourselves to think of our Lord  first thing in the morning, and is this really necessary for God...I am not sure about this one...I will have to consult some one else, like my pastor...I know we are instructed to "Pray without ceasing," as we are instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.  And that means to be in conversation with our Lord all the time....every minute...and that might sound difficult, but it is really not.  And perhaps if we do spend more time with our Father, we will be ready to receive that crown when He calls us home...

Well there are things to be done...so I must bid you adieux...Blessing to you all! 

Our Walk with God and are you Happy? 9~23~13

I look at this picture of one of my grandson's, this was taken shortly after we got our two boy goats.  And Trenton decided that they are his goats.   This little child, at this age, didn't choose to be happy...he just is!  He doesn't realize that he has a choice in the matter, and that is a good thing.  

Job 5:17

Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:

It is a very good thing to be corrected by our Lord and Savior!

Psalm 128:2

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

And what does this verse say to us...work hard, 

be happy in doing so and enjoy the merits of your

hard work!  We are so amazingly blessed, and 

unfortunately most of us don't realize this and we don't spend much time thinking about it!  

Do you know that every morning when you open your eyes and take a conscious breath, your first thought, your very first thought of the day should be, "Thank you Lord!"  

Do you ever spend time around someone who is not a morning person?  I, sadly must admit that I have had that pleasure...and I have a little difficulty dealing with this...although, now that I am older I have less difficulty with it than I did when I was younger.  I must admit, I am a morning person, all most every morning I arise with a smile on my face, and Thankful for another day that is really a gift from God!  And then I may be confronted with another, who isn't a morning person...hmmm...I have found the best thing to do for those people who aren't as openly happy as am I in the morning, is to say a little prayer for them!  And be done with it...their grumpiness, first thing in the morning, is their grumpiness, not mine!  And while I wish they would choose to be pleasant and/or 

in the very least cordial in the morning, some people, I don't think, don't think about this!

And since they don't think about it, their only thought may be, ugh, morning again, do I have to get up, oh woe is me....I am sorry, but how selfish is this?

Isn't this grumpy person thinking only of themselves?  Do you think that they ever consider the effect they may be having on another person's day? 

Just think about this for a moment or two...if the only time of day that you see another individual is in the morning, and they are always grumpy, you are probably going to take away from this time together, that this person is a grouch!  Hmmm, they may not be, but if this is all the other person sees, well what else are they to think?  This is all they see, and this what you are choosing to show them, so they are operating on what they see! 

Did you notice I underlined the word choosing, that must mean you have a choice, and you do!  You have a choice every waking moment of every single day.  And that choice is to be happy and cheerful or at least polite!  You choose to be a grouch, or you choose to be pleasant!

If you have difficulties to deal with, those are between you and God (and probably someone else as well), and not necessarily between you and whom ever you are in contact with for the moment, so don't take an unpleasant mood out on anyone else.  No one really deserves this...think about it...does anyone really deserve this?

Proverbs 3:13

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

Proverbs 14:21

He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.

Proverbs 16:20

He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

Proverbs 28:14

Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief. "Could this person with a hardened heart be the Grouch that Rebecca has been talking to you all about?"

Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

And we will finish off with this last verse....

John 13:17

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

I want to be like my young grandchildren, the young ones, because they don't generally wake up crabby, only if they are really hungry or something hurts may they be a little unhappy...otherwise they don't even think about it they just are happy!  I want to be like this always, and I will be like this because I have the love of Jesus in me, and this is what I choose, how about you?

Our Walk with God 9~17~2013

Are you ever sad beyond measure?

Are you ever totally frustrated?

Do you at times feel lost?

Are you overwhelmed?

With to much to do?

With emotions?

With pain?

What?

Now What?

Can you still worship?

Can I still worship?

Yes I can, even if it is with a heavy heart!

God still hears.

God still sees.

God knows!

Sometimes we decide to help someone else and we end up putting ourselves behind, or should I say under, the proverbial eight ball!

Have you ever done that?  There was a time in our lives that we were very good at saying NO...but then we start to think about the others involved and we can no longer say no.  Okay so we help. But we are still under that eight ball!

So we praise and we worship, albeit with a bit of a heavy heart!  I love you Lord...and I lift my voice...to worship you...oh my soul rejoice...take joy my king...in what you hear...may it be a sweet sweet sound in your ear.  God wants us to come to him always.

Whenever there is sadness or whenever there is joy or pain or frustration!  And  there is sometimes all this stuff combined!

This past Sunday, while we where in church, one of the pastors came over to my husband and I, during the worship part of our service, and took one of Tim's hands and one of mine and prayed for us.  He was so spot on!  God talks to people and we need to listen and be obedient to what God tells us to do, just like this pastor did...and then...Pastor Don's sermon...continues on with the same theme.

God you amaze me at times, no all the time, the way that you work!

So we will praise and we will worship, even in the storms, and even when the bills exceed the bank account, do you all ever wonder where did the money go?  And then we think, oh yeah, the eye appointment, oh yeah, helping this or that person, oh yeah the mortgage...and on and on it goes...But God...is still so amazing and so good.

We just have to always realize that God is good & He will provide.

And we must stay in our faith and continue to love the Lord our God with everything we have.  God will provide!

In our church on Sundays we are given a piece of paper that has key points for the sermon.  One of these points is the following:

It is through these "God encounters," that we are empowered to take the hard stones that life deals us and build an alter of worship!

Now pleases take a moment and read the following:

Genesis 28:10-18

King James Version (KJV)

10 And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

13 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

Do you see what Jacob did?  All Jacob had for a pillow was hard stones...and he then took those hard stones and turned them into  an alter!  Now do you see how God will take an unpleasant circumstance and turn it into something of value for us, for we were created to worship!  God is so good!  Let God help you with all of your situations.  Nothing is to difficult for Him!

Porcupine Friends And Our Walk with God 9~13~13

Are you a "Porcupine friend?"  I do not think that I am, but I recently heard a friend of mine refer to the fact that she has a tendency to pick "Porcupine friends."   And when I asked her about this, she said it was that they tend to poke you with the spines.  You know what I mean.  If you have had a really good and close friend, you tell each other many things, and sometimes what we hear we may not like.  At that point we may either be met with understanding and love or we may be poked.  Some people just don't take well to criticism at all.  Even if it is given in a truly loving and kind way. You know I am sure that anything can be turned around, anything, words can be taken out of context, and have an entirely different meaning...so I thought I would look to the Bible to see what it says about friends.

Proverbs 17:17
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. 

There are so many great things about the Book of Proverbs, is it is full of wisdom...there are 31 chapters, and since this is a great number, as in the number of days in a month, it is perfect for reading one chapter a day for each day of the month.  On those months that are a little short, just read the extra chapters the last day or two.

Now I thought it would be good to read this in context.  So here are the surrounding verses:

Proverbs 17:16-18

King James Version (KJV)

16 Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?

17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

18 A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

And for comparison:

Proverbs 17:16-18

The Message (MSG)

16 What's this? Fools out shopping for wisdom! They wouldn't recognize it if they saw it!

One Who Knows Much Says Little

17 Friends love through all kinds of weather, and families stick together in all kinds of trouble.

18 It's stupid to try to get something for nothing, or run up huge bills you can never pay. 

The one thing that I am finding in the Message Bible is that it cuts out all the mincing of words and tells things as they are!     

                                              

Okay the primary verse that we are looking at is 17, are you a fair weather friend? Or are you the kind of friend that hears what your friend is saying to you even if you really don't want to hear it?  Have you ever heard the phrase, "The truth hurts?"  Well sometimes it does, but wouldn't you rather hear the truth from someone who truly loves you, like a dear friend, than from someone, who really doesn't care about you in the least?  Let's face it people can sometimes be really unpleasant!  

And sometimes we just aren't "Friend Material."  I have found over the years in making friends and acquaintances, that some people are better left being acquaintances, rather than looking at them as friend material.  If someone gets in touch with you only when they need something, this is not a true friend; and on the same note this is a behavior that you as a person need to avoid as well. Hurtful behavior is not acceptable, and this can be very hurtful.  I think as I am getting older I am finding that I am a bit more discerning when it comes to whom I wish to be friends with...there are truly just a few people that I am friends with, and that I do consider my friends.  Lots of acquaintances, but only a few friends...

Well it is about that time of day that I must start to get ready for my day...I will be doing some cleaning and then another eye appointment, trying to get contacts that are just right, isn't an easy task...and then I have the pleasure of spending a little bit of time with one grandson who is turning one year old today!  Amazing, where has the time gone?

And I will leave you with this to consider, do you truly know who you are in Christ?  Are you a friend to Christ?  Do you spend time with our Lord each and every day?  Or do you just look to others as if you do?  Just remember, God knows the truth!

Our Walk with God 9~12~13

God is so awesome..He is so amazing...God is my Father...God is my love...He is the best relationship I have ever had....God is more to me than my earthly fathers, He is more to me than my sister or brother, or mother.

Do you ever consider what or who God is to you?  Let's think about this for just a few moments.  God created this world, He created a Son, His Son, and this Child was created for one purpose.  Do you all know what that purpose was and still is?

When God created the world, remember the tree that He planted in the Garden of Eden? Well that tree bore a fruit that was lovely to look upon and according to Lucifer was tasty to the mouth.  I suppose that Eve was ripe for tempting, as was Adam, and they tasted the fruit of the ONE and only tree that God had specifically told them not to eat!  I know that God made us with a free will, but do you ever imagine just what this world be like if that door hadn't been opened?  Oh well..that was a nice dream...But they were tempted and they opened the door for sin...so now what?  Now God created a perfect atonement for our sins. JESUS...just think about this...you have a child so that that child can then be sacrificed on an alter to atone for the sins of the world. 

We know that God loved and loves His Son, but just think about how much He loves us!
This is very hard to understand...I look at my children and there is NO way I could ever conceive of doing any such thing.  But God, in His ultimate wisdom, created a way for us to be reunited with Him.  And happy is the man (or woman) who chooses this path!

One thing to remember is that when we choose this path we are never ever alone again.  God will always and is always with us.
To me it is very comforting to know that God is always there and that I can converse with Him at any moment.
I can remember before I asked Christ to come into my heart and life there was a great deal of time that I spent in sadness.  And feeling completely alone.  For the most part I no longer feel this way.  I say for the most part, because, there have been times since I asked Christ to live inside of me that I have failed my Father, as I have been growing in Christ and learning.  

Proverbs 10:6  (KJV)

Blessings are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

Proverbs 10:6 (Amplified Bible)

Blessings are upon the head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Proverbs 10:6 (The Message)

Blessings accrue on a good and honest life, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

Proverbs 28:20  (KJV)

A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
Proverbs 28:20 (Amplified Bible)

A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich [at any cost] shall not go unpunished.

Proverbs 28:20 (The Message)

20 Committed and persistent work pays off (you will receive blessings); get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.  (The purple words are from me.)

In Proverbs 10:6 I really believe this is the easiest to understand, when we obey what God says, and live a life that is pleasing to Him, remember we are to live by God's laws and by Man's laws (as long as they do not go against God's Laws) we will receive blessings from God. Blessings will be upon my head!  But on the same token, if I am wicked (you could actually replace this word with sinful), those blessings will be with held!

How simple is this?  Do you want to be righteous or do you want to be sinful....I am going to give you a couple of very simple examples...When I get off of Route 94 and onto Route 15 there is a stop sign.  I stop at the stop sign, would you?  Or would you slide thru it?  I didn't always stop and then I started thinking about the fact that if I want to live a righteous life I must stop at that stop sign, this is a "Man's Law," that does not interfere with God's laws in any way.  Is it a little inconvenient for me or the person behind me, well maybe, but I do not receive my blessings or word's of affirmation from the car behind me. My goal is to please God not the guy in the car behind me. I now intentionally stop at stop signs!  Do You speed?  Do you wear your seat belt? These are just some of the laws of the land we can and should abide by.

And again I ask, do you want to live a sinful or a righteous life?  It is our choice.  No one can make it for us.  But if we want to live a righteous life, we need to live as if everything we do is for the glory of God.  Because it is!

Philippians 2: 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (We were made to glorify and worship God.)

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

18 For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

Paul wrote this letter to the believers in Philippi, but it could just as easily be written to us, well it is written to us, it's in our Bible, but the message is still true to us today as it was back in 62 AD.

Matthew Smith...have you heard of him?

Saturday evening my husband and I went to church at Harvest Chapel near Abbottstown, PA...What a wonderful and powerful evening...God is really present at our church...the teachings are amazing...and on Saturday we were treated to the teachings of Matthew Smith who is from Redding, CA. and is a Youth Pastor at a church in Red Bluff, CA.

WOW!

If you ever have the opportunity to hear this fine young man speak...make sure that you take it.  If you can't understand the messages of the Bible from this young man you never will.  He speaks plainly and yet he is exciting to listen too.

So our message was about God's Love and how to understand and realize that we need not do anything to attain it!  Of course don't misinterpret, when we become a Christian, we need to be imitators of Christ. 

1 John 4: 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. (Jesus took our place, for our sin)

The very first thing we need to do is accept God's love!  That's it!

Do you know how many people out there are not able to receive gifts?  They can give gifts, but they either can not or will not receive gifts.  I once told my earthly father that it is just as important to receive gifts, as it is to give gifts.  You need to realize that this "thing" that God has done for us is beyond words, and beyond our comprehension, but, we need to just accept it and realize that God wants US....as Matt say, "Bottom Line, God paid the price, to get inside you!"  When we have God living in us we have JOY and we have HOPE...we have GOD...you just have to accept it!

Romans 8:38-39

King James Version (KJV)

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

These verses say that NOTHING can separate us from God's Love. There is NOTHING that we can do that will turn God's love away from us.  So just accept it and live for God.

A quote from Matt..."It's thru His finished work on the cross, that (even) gives me the ability to receive His love, so this has nothing to do with me, or you, that's freedom, that releases you from trying to do something to earn His love!"  We can't earn Gods love! It is freely given to us....what a concept!  If someone tries to teach you something other than this, like we have to live this way or that way, that doesn't line up with Heaven...this is a lie and do not accept it! 

As you live your life on a day to day basis...and things happen...are you ever anxious about anything?  if when you are experiencing anxiety, ask the Holy Spirit, who is living inside of you to please highlight for you what is causing this anxiety...once you know what is causing this, you can ask the Holy Spirit to help you to deal with it. If there is something being thought that isn't biblical, this will cause anxiety, because it isn't pure, because it isn't of God.

Do you sometimes struggle with your neighbor..remember this doesn't have to physically be your neighbor, it can be someone you go to school with, it can be the person at the gas station taking your money, it can be someone you work with...the really fun thing about work and school...we spend more time with these people than we do with our own families (and/or spouses).  Well let's see what the Bible has to say about this:

Matthew 22:35-39

King James Version (KJV)

35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Did you read these verses?  You can not love your neighbor, if you don love yourself...simple as that.  Do you remember in the beginning of the Bible it states the following: "And God said..." 14 times in the first three chapters of Genesis.  Also "And God called..." is said three times.  God SPOKE the world into existence.  Now if God spoke all these things into existence, and, He said thru Jesus, that we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves...we can not love our neighbors, if we don't first love ourselves.  God lives inside of us in the person of the Holy Ghost.  So quite simply, if we don't love ourselves, we can not say that we love the Lord.  So next time that you look in the mirror, realize that God is in you, and you must love you...that way you can love your neighbor!  And you can tell your neighbor what God is all about, or you can show your neighbor what God is like as a part of you...sometimes the best way to witness to people we meet is by just being Jesus to them!  Remember "The Gospel of Jesus Christ must be experienced in our hearts and lives (we have to live this) and not just, in our hearts!"

Early in the last paragraph I talked to you about God speaking the universe into existence. Everyday, whatever we say, we are speaking into existence whatever is and/or will occur in our day and into our lives, as well as into the lives of others!
Do you know this poem:

In each and every one of these examples you can see how, when children hear certain words spoken over them and constantly spoken over them, they become those words. We are prophesying over our families and friends whenever we are speaking about them or to them.  Let your prophesy's be worthy of who lives inside of you.

If you would like to see the entire time with Matthew Smith, you can go to:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQVLnN0nlFI
Listen carefully to his words.  They are quick and powerful.  And remember when you listen on YouTube you can always listen and re-listen, until you get it...I just love the back button!  Well time to get ready for work. Have a blessed day and remember to love your neighbor as you love yourself and God because He is inside of you in the form of the Holy Ghost!

Our Walk with God 9~7~2013

Do you think we can get thru these last two verses....well we will see!

I hope you, who have been reading this blog for the last little bit, are gleaning some wonderful knowledge from this...

Our first verse for this morning is Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose 

Let's look at some awesome words that our Lord uses.  ALL...what a great word, especially when it is used in conjunction with the good things that God has for us.  EVERY...what does this mean to you, that's right, the same as ALL...KNOCK AND IT SHALL BE OPENED TO YOU...what about this phrase, KNOCK, okay, to me this means,  "Call on Me,"  God says this, I do agree though; talk to Him, God wants us to be in CONSTANT communication with Him!  But I must say the one that gets me the most is "I give to you, power over serpents and scorpions and over ALL the powers of the enemy" from Luke 10:19,  Are you sick? this is from the devil, this comes straight from the devil, trying to get you down and trying to keep you from serving GOD!

God you are so good, and I love you Lord!  And I thank you for your amazing words and your promises to us, and for the blessings that you constantly give to us.  And even for your corrections of us, you are a great Daddy, and if we don't know it already a good father will correct his children, just like you do!

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  - And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.  First of all do we all understand what Grace is?  This is from Merriam - Webster dictionary online.  Please look carefully at the bold words...and if you don't understand some of these words...look them up.

grace

 noun \ˈgrās\

1

a : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification

b : a virtue coming from God

c : a state of sanctification enjoyed through divine grace

2

a : approval, favor grace

s>

b archaic : mercy, pardon

c : a special favor : privilege grace, shall rule his heritage — Rudyard Kipling>

d : disposition to or an act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency

This is Good Stuff!  God wants us to have an amazing and wonderful life...now mind you it may not be what you have pictured for yourself...probably better!  But bear in mind God knows all, He is aware of particulars in situations that our measly and meager minds may not see...remember, "ALL things work together for GOOD, for them that love the Lord!" 

Have a wonderful and Godly day!

Our Walk with God 9~4~2013

Day by day this year is floating away...I was just speaking with a friend (actually a surrogate child of ours) yesterday, about some events that are upcoming, that are great for Christmas Shopping.   That will come soon enough!  For right now I feel the need to continue looking at our "Promises from God."

Soon it will be pleasantly cool enough that I will once again be walking down this lovely little road to go to work rather than driving all the way around and over one of the bridges that take me to work.  God has truly blessed me with the ability to walk to work!  And and eight minute walk, to walk, home for lunch, back to work and home at the end of the day helps to keep the weight off, actually it makes it so I can eat what I want to eat!  In Luke 10:19 Jesus tells us - Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  WOW!  What a powerful verse this is!  Of course they all are powerful, but let's be honest here, does this not speak right to the core of the matter?  God gives us the ability to protect ourselves from everything (Over ALL the powers of the enemy...)  All means ALL! And nothing , "0" , not anything, will hurt us.

You know with promises like this, why would you not walk with me?  I am right here...talk to me and walk with me...  If there are any of you out there who read this and walk with God, you have to realize that when God says to me, here Rebecca Kirsten, I want you to write this or write that.  Oh what a blessing this is to me!  Thank you my Sweet Jesus.  I love you Lord!  And for those of you out their, that may not be walking in such a way as to being able to hear God speaking to you, maybe you need to listen more intently.   I love it that the Holy Spirit comes and visits anytime He wants...come Holy Spirit come!           
Back to our verses...
Oh wow, love this next one, too....John 14: 12 - Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Now if you will take the time required to read thru some of the promises of God, you will see all kinds of wonderful gifts that the Father has given to us to use.  They are not written there to just take up space.  The Bible is an instruction manual.  This book was written to teach us how to live our lives.  And sadly it also tells us what we can expect if we do not follow it.  Oh boy, I am not going there...but you can find that out if you are curious enough...or you can just wait and see...but I can promise you one thing, the life of a believer is so much sweeter than the life of a none believer.
Does your church teach healing?
Matthew 4:23

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

Matthew 9:35

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Luke 9:6

And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where.

Luke 9:11

And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

Acts 4:22

For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed.

Acts 10:38

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

I went to http://www.biblegateway.com  and I did a word search for all the verses that have the word "healing" and this is just six of the many verses that came up.  Remember I told you before that if God really wants us to know that we can do something, He will repeatedly instruct us concerning an issue.  Because, it seems to me, it must be important! The Lord heals, just like His Words tell us.  We just, and this is such a shame, aren't being taught these scriptures, ahh, but guess what, we can instruct our selves! Just read the Bible.

Well we have two more Bible verse and we will discuss them soon I promise!  Blessing on you all.  And if you would like to leave a comment, please feel free to do so.  And you can disagree with me if you should like to do that...and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Our Walk with God 9~2~13

I really pray that everyone had an awesome Labor Day Weekend....and my son, Samuel had another birthday...he's married and has a wonderful wife and an awesome baby boy...What more could I ask for? Well let see...I have one of my children and five of my grandchildren living in SC...that is way to far away.  That kind of trip takes major planning...it's not like running over to East Berlin, or Bendersville, or Millersville, Gettysburg or York to see my other children and grandchildren. Well I guess the plus side is that at least we are on the same continent! 

Can you believe it's September?  Where has this year gone?  How has your year been so far.  Even though we have been very busy, it has been a very good year!  Not one single visit to the doctor for either Tim or myself, and I can honestly say I feel that this will continue.  God is our healer, no back issues, no thyroid issues, no type II Diabetes issues, and lastly no Celiac issues!  God is so good.

As you know over the past few writing sessions, I have written to you about the promises, that we find in the Bible, (Pastor Don's wonderful list!) that are right there in the Bible, just sitting there, waiting patiently for us to claim them.  You may not realize this but there is a tremendous amount of power in the "TONGUE."  There is the power of life and death in that one little organ! There is the ability to speak good and/or evil in that one little organ, and sometimes when we are angered, we speak without thinking and sometimes say things that we should not have spoken, let alone even thought!  Oh why is this such a battle for some of us?  It is because, no matter what our words are, if we haven't allowed (or asked) God to reside in every little nook and cranny of our hearts, there is still room for evil. I know, I know...this isn't easy, but it is oh so necessary if you truly want to walk with our Lord!  

I will persevere!

Okay, I had to go back and check to see where we are in the promises from God, and this is where we are: Matthew 6:33   But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. I think that considering what this verse says, it would be wise to read it in a bit more context.  So let's see what it says a little more on each side!

Matthew 6:30-34

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

So what does this say to you?   God is telling us out-right that He will take care of everything, we needn't worry about what clothes we are to wear, or what food we are to eat, or what we are to drink, AS LONG AS we seek Him first, all of our needs will be met!

How amazing and awesome is this.  We need not analyze it any further, this is what it says!  There are a lot of wonderful schools out there that are teaching our children and grand children to think, but we need to teach them to not over think things.  Sometimes we need to just accept what God is saying to us in His word! Okay, Okay, I will get off of the soap box!

We will move on...to... 

Matthew 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

Now let us not over analyze this one either...it is very simple!

I actually know two people who are clearly walking with God and have found themselves in desperate need of vehicles...and they asked God, Okay Lord I am walking as you would have me to walk, I find I am in a situation where I need a different car, would you please provide it for me?  Thank you God!  One of these people is a pastor, who recently went from having a small family to having a larger family (God blessed them with twins) and he and his wife needed a van.  God gave them a van!  The other is a very dear friend who is in school and is actually taking a course of study, that wasn't her choice, God told her to change her direction, and she did, first of all let me just say, how many of us out their that profess to being Christians, listen this intently and obediently to what God tells us? Well this young women does, and she needed a car to get to and from school, God supplied her needs!

When we see a certain sentiment or instruction duplicated in the Bible, that is like our parents repeating something to us to try to get it into our thick heads.  Let's face it we are not all that easy to instruct!  So try to read thru these promises, which we will continue on the next time I am here with you all...maybe not tomorrow, but we will see.
And remember that God wants us to rely on Him, and Him alone!