Do You Think You Are The Only One That Has the Answers?

Salvation – that is where it starts and that is where we should be leading people. Not in words alone but in our actions! How we are living, what we are speaking. Does it line up with the Word of God?

When a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour they are babes drinking milk, not ready for meat yet.
There are people in the church that have the gift and desire to share with strong Christians that are eating meat, but some of these issues non-believers or new Christians are not ready for. Things in the Bible that is debatable because there are so many views one can take on the issue. These issues do not keep you out of heaven once you are saved by God’s grace but nonetheless they are things we are to study and learn from as we grow in our walk with the Lord. However they are not to be things that divide us.  To everyone's list of gifts, maybe a little discretion and discernment should be added?

Ephesians 4:32 Amplified   And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.

Are you being kind when someone disagrees with you, are you inflexible, is there nothing else God can teach you on the subject? I think this is something we ALL need to take a look at, myself included.

Again – salvation, bring people to God, helping them learn who He is and what  God has to say about  them and Himself …that should be our goal because it’s God’s commandment.

So how do we, as believers, come to grips with this inside the ‘church’ (within the members?)– the place you go to worship and be taught?
Are we to challenge and get angry – if you don’t believe as I do in this area (not salvation) then you are all wrong ….. I’m leaving; I’m not tithing, or whatever you would do out of spite

Or should we seek the Lord, keep our mouths shut until He provides an opportunity for us to share what He has put into our hearts? Is there a better way to share our opinion on what God’s Word says in certain circumstances? We all know it’s God’s Word that matters, not our opinion.

I know for myself it can take a day, a week or many years for me to understand something just to find out in one area I still don’t have all the answers, does that mean I’m wrong? I don't think so but I do think I'm wrong when I believe I'm the only one that has the answer. (It is very possible that a prophet has a word from God that no one else has considered!)

Fellowship – encourage, correct, each other – isn't that how we are to learn and grow and be one on His vine?

II Timothy 3:16  Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action),

Matthew 6:34  So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

When you sense anger rising in you, or when you get irate because someone disagrees with your viewpoint on a topic in Scripture you have elevated that topic beyond being important, it is now worry!  It may even be entering the area of idolatry. It certainly destroys unity and fellowship.

I John 1:3 That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Love, Do Good, Be Merciful?

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Luke 6:32-36

I wonder how many were loving to people at the mad sales tonight/tomorrow, if they really checked their hearts and watched their words.

I wonder how many of us exclude those that need our love the most because we see them as 'sinners' not worthy to receive our love until they repent......when Jesus walked the earth He loved them, went to their place ate and drank with them. He did not stay in 'safe' places, only Christians around Him all the time.
How can we do this? show our love for them, Christ's love for them, when we tend to keep to our own 'circles' ?

We have gotten so use to those we 'hang' with that we forget to reach out to others. We forget where we came from (I know some had a Christian background so they've always been 'saved'). It's something the Lord needs to give us/me revelation on.
God has been bringing to my mind just how lost I was and what my lifestyle was like.....what Christian in their right mind would want to spend any time with me??!!
But you know what, there were some that did just that, they were so sound in their walk with Christ that they were able to love me in the midst of my sin.....it was their love for God and their taking time to talk to me (to my hubby and me--living together at the time).....that peaked my interest, stirred my soul.

"because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

Because of my past, I know that some, if not most of those that seem ungrateful and wicked or hateful are really hurting on the inside, they are scared, alone, unsure of who they can trust. Shouldn't we me merciful as our Father is merciful? Shouldn't we be kind?

I don't really know where this came from tonight, I was just sitting her talking to the Lord and this came out. My hearts desire is to reach people by showing them the love of Jesus, not to condemn them. I believe when they see how I,- how my husband and I live- (even the part where we need to repent because we sinned--we will not reach perfection until the day we enter Heaven but because of our robe of righteousness the Father sees Jesus when He looks at us) that it will give hope and later conviction to someone who will in turn begin to seek the Lord and learn His ways.

Why would the Bible say to confess our sins to one another if we never sinned after accepting the Lord and being baptized? He shed His blood, died a horrible death on the cross so our sins would be covered. He knew it would be a journey and the neat thing is He knows our HEART. He knows if it's just lip service. Are we saying 'don't do .......' and then we turn around and do it? My point here is......we have all sinned, so why do we see our sins of less consequence over those that are still in the world? How many Christians have lusted with their eyes? or told a lie? .....

I've been praying the Lord will show me where He wants me and that He will reveal to me How he walked, sat with, ate with and was merciful to the 'sinners'. He said --  "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Show me Lord, how and what you said and did to open the eyes of the lost; to bring hope to the hopeless; how You stayed strong in the midst of the 'sinners' you sat with. I'm sure they did not watch how they talked, dressed or acted and yet there You were in their midst, Your heart so full of love for them, longing for them to accept Your Truth. How do You want me to show Your love to them today? Where do you want me to go? I desire to be Your Light to a dying world.

      In Jesus Name I Pray........Amen

Alexia Food

As a BzzAgent I get to try products and give my opinion.

I love to try food products !!

These are 3 of the Alexia products I had the pleasure of eating!!  I did share them with my husband even though I could have eaten the Sweet Potatoes all by myself

The bread was the hardest to find. I finally found it at Meijer

All products were good but my favorite was the baked Seasoned Sweet Potato Fries. 

The bread was good and it came in a size that was good for my husband and I - you get 2 loaves and that was used for 2 different dinners for us.

I would suggest having these items handy for those unexpected dinner guests as they are quick, easy and delicious.

You can click on this link to find out what groceries in your area carry these products.

ALEXIA FOODS

Negative, Fearful

The message the Lord gave me to share at our church this past Sunday.

My Husband is so Wise

Every morning my husband and I have our cup of coffee, read God's Word, discuss things and pray. It's a wonderful way to start our day.

This morning I had all kinds of questions but one main question kept coming up. It's something the Lord has been talking to me about and I've been asking Him for wisdom on. Well the Lord spoke through my husband this morning.

My question - my desire - I want to know when God tells me something, how do I know if it's really from God especially if I 'sense' He has told me something and it does not come to pass.
Here was my husbands reply:

God speaks to our spirit and our spirit informs our mind but what happens is our mind tries to make sense of what the spirit is saying and it adds it's own information out of it's experience and knowledge.

Example - Our mind receives information from the physical world through our physical senses, you touch a hot stove and it could inform your brain that stoves are bad but the brain has misinterpreted the information. The same thing can happen with our spirits, God can tell our spirits 'receive my peace' our brains misinterpret that to mean things are going to go the way "I" want it to go. Even when things don't go your way it does not mean that we have any reason to lose our peace because God's spirit always says receive my peace.

What I had done was to take what God had told me and took it a step further, I added what that meant to me...what I thought should take place when all God told me was trust, it will be okay. I added, well if God told me to have peace in this area....then it must mean that.....this and this will happen.
When it didn't happen the way I thought it should I began to question hearing from God.
One thing I learned in my quiet time with God is that for me when the boldness comes, the boldness that lets me stand on the Word of God and not back down, that is when I know God has shown me the outcome. But when it's just an assurance I am not to add 'my' desired outcome to it. God will reveal the next step when it is time. My responsibility is to continue in my relationship with Him, in prayer, asking, waiting for His answer, obeying, knowing His Word so I can make sure it's God I heard from and just keep walking with Him, in peace.

Believe in God - Don't Believe in God??

Why Do People That Don’t Believe In God …..

……….hate Him; feel like they have to bash those that do believe; need to feel superior; and the list goes on……….

In my opinion and this is just my opinion

………..they are angry about something that has happened in their lives; they are hurt and deep inside there is fear, they may not even recognize the fear yet. Maybe they have gotten themselves so deep into a relationship/lifestyle that they do not know how to get out, their pride gets in the way.

I’m sure there are other reasons.

What I don’t understand is they want us to listen to them BUT they don’t want to listen to us – what are they afraid of? Maybe their spirit is crying out and they don’t like that feeling…..I really don’t know on that one.

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Now for those of us that call ourselves  ‘Christians’ – do you really put Christ first, do you have a relationship or a religion?

I can tell you in today’s world it’s very easy to have a religion, especially when you are first learning about God. Too much of the world has come into the churches – my daughters tried to tell me this early on in our walk but I thought they just wanted out of the ‘Sunday School’ program. Most children are only going to Sunday School (which I do not believe is in the Bible, it’s something the world started with schools, separating ages) because they want the treats and play time. Some people go to church for the ‘fellowship’ only, not to hear what God is saying through the Pastor; not to make the changes they need to make in their lives; they want it to be about them or they go to church so they feel better about themselves kind of ease their conscience from a wild week. From my past experiences with church it’s a Sunday religion – you only need to fill up on Sundays then go back and live like you were. This is not what God teaches us in His Word.

He tells us there will be tests and trials.

I have had to let one of our daughters go and trust God with the situation, it was a decision she and her husband made after the birth of their first baby. This baby was born with health problems, we do not know anymore as the day after she was born is when they made a demand we could not accept. That was almost 3 years ago. They told us to not contact them and we have honored that request, there have been many times I wanted to knock on their door but at that would just cause more anger in them – is this painful – you bet cha!!  But through this God has shown me who He really is. I trust Him to protect our daughter and her family. And we pray for them daily. I post on my Facebook – Happy Birthday’s, Anniversary, etc. Because I hope they will see there is no animosity only love.

I say all that to let you know we’ve been through our fair share of pain and still have our faith in God. We are still seeing Him move in our lives. I had to take my eyes off what the world says and what my flesh wants and really learn who God is and take Him at His Word (faith). That is another testimony in itself and I hope to get the opportunity to share it soon, just waiting on Kenneth and Gloria Copeland or Joyce Meyer, etc to send me an invite  ;-)   dream big – you bet I am because I know there are others that need to hear what I’ve been through and how God has always been there even when I looked down instead of up – that pit was awfully dark.

Ok off topic…..sort of…..but that’s me ;-)  I begin to write and my brain goes down other avenues, then comes back and takes off again….there’s just so much to share.

So if we are to be the light in this world, we as ‘Christians’ need to watch what we say and how we treat other people. Are we really different from non-believers? Do they see a difference in our work ethic, in the way we treat others, in the way we treat animals, in the way we treat our spouse or our children? Do you really do things for Christ to be glorified or for your own fleshly desires? If they put us in a room with a non-believer would they see and hear a difference?

I use to be a ‘fleshly desire’ Christian and it got me nowhere except into a pit of depression and lies. I was a fake……trying to find truth…..in churches that did not teach all of God’s Word. Then one day I heard the Lord ask me – if they looked at you, watched you; would they want to know Me?  Ouch, at that time I had to say – no, they would not want to know You. My life did not show victory, it did not show joy or patience or faith in the One I said I believe in.

I believe this is why some hatred is out there among ‘unbelievers’ because a lot of us don’t know God therefore we can’t live the life He has for us – a life which will show others just how much He loves us, that shows He is still a God of miracles

 Do you think one of the reasons people do not want anything to do with God is because so much of the world has entered the church and people do not see a difference – there’s child molestation, un-forgiveness, pride, divorce, adultery…..and the list goes on. If we live no differently than the world how can we expect people to want to come to church and get to know God? Why would they want to give up their Saturday night out or have to get up early on Sunday morning, that’s their only day to sleep…?

 If you have been into religion and lived like the world know this -  God is a restorer, He can take all I did wrong and make it right. All we have to do is drop our pride and tell Him we are sorry, we sinned, please forgive us and He will.

 I know God is real, no one else could have given me the peace, the healing, the forgiveness and the joy He has in these times of testing’s and trials. Learning who God is and having a relationship with Him will draw others to Him as they see the difference in your life.

We need to get back to the Word. To know it for ourselves so we are not deceived. When we, as individuals and families, know the Word of God and go into a church where the Pastor is preaching Truth and still seeking God to learn more, gain wisdom (which we all should be doing until the day we die) we have genuine ‘fellowship’ with the Father and each other. You leave the gossip, the complaining, the fear, the jealousy, etc out and truly come together as a body where we pray for each other, encourage each other, correct each other, love each other and grow up in Christ together, having testimonies of His goodness. God does require change and obedience, for some of us that is where we back off and say no way. But I can tell you He does this to improve our lives here on earth and ready us for heaven. It may be difficult and even hurt in the beginning to make some changes ….but God…..is there with you and gives you everything you need to make it to the end results which brings a joy unspeakable.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.  The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. Galatians 3:6-9

 "I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God.  But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.  And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Luke 12:8-10

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' Mark 12:30

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,  now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.  As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him--  you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. I Peter 2:1-5

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.  Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  I Peter 4:11-12

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Romans 6:16

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. Exodus 15:2

My Sarah Jo Angels In The Snow

This is a beautiful song of love and hope.





MY SARAH JO
In the image of love you are beautiful and wonderfully made
Mountains yet to be removed so trust and truth have place to stay
Our love yearns for a child’s touch
through distance such,
This is not our choice.
In our children we see
and we’ll always believe
and give our hopes voice.
In our hearts we watch you grow,
Oh My Sarah Jo
Some day you’ll know who
taught your mom to
make angels in the snow.
As you grow, walk and learn your path
leave your fears and shame behind.
It’s only pain if you let it last,
Let it go for the light.
As we loved to watch her sleep
so she loves just
to watch you breathe.
Be careful sweetheart
don’t pull away
In real love trust what you believe.
In our hearts we watch you grow,
Oh My Sarah Jo
Some day you’ll know who
taught your mom to
make angels in the snow.
Lyrics, Music, Vocals and Recording: Rob Hammes
Copyright: Has Breath Publishing LLC (2011)
http://robhammessongwriter.com/
http://hasbreathpublishingllc.com/