Lesson on Truth

TRUTH - John 4:24 (NIV)

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

I always like to first get a real definition of a word into my brain before I begin to contemplate why the Lord chose this word for us to dwell on it. Here are the definitions from the dictionaries:

Truth is something that has been proven by facts or sincerity.

(I question sincerity which is a feeling or emotion. All the sincerity in the world does not make it the truth. I can sincerely say I am going to lose 20 pounds but if I don’t diet and exercise it won’t happen and that’s a fact.)

TRUTH

1) the quality or state of being true.

2) that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

3) a fact or belief that is accepted as true.

(I question acceptance which is a choice that can be altered at any time. I can accept another person into my life as a friend but if they gossip about me and hurt me I can choose not to be friends with them any longer. Fact is accepted because there is proof. Belief is based on faith and many people do not believe in or have faith especially a spiritual faith.)

True is being loyal, something that is real, factually correct, accurate or provable.

TRUE -

1) being in accordance with the actual state of affairs

2) conformable to an essential reality

(I question conformance which can also be changed or manipulated. People conform to their surroundings depending on the circumstances. This doesn’t make it real or fact it just means your gave in to whatever it was that was said or taught.)

3) fully realized or fulfilled

4) being that which is the case rather than what is manifest or assumed

5) in accordance with fact or reality

6) without deviation

7) without variation from type

8) truth

9) reality

The word truth and the word true are very closely associated and many times can be used interchangeably. Dictionary definitions tend to reflect the ideals of the writer, which doesn’t make the definition the actual truth. Truth #3 shows this with the remark “accepted as true” which we all know may not be the factual truth but skewed to look like truth. I believe someone once said, “If you repeat it enough, it becomes truth” and we know this is not true. Just because you say it is does not make it a reality. I believe that if something is true it is fact. It is real. It cannot be shaken by examination. It remains the same yesterday, today and forever. This would be the actual truth about it!

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I speak from the heart of a Christian believer, who knows for a fact that Jesus of Nazareth walked on the face of the earth at one point in time. This is a documented fact, written about in many religious and secular documents, a proven fact and not based on religious beliefs only. It cannot be said that he was never here just because some person said so. This is a reality. This is something that not one single person can refute. He was here.

There are many documented stories about Jesus in both religious circles and secular circles. These are the stories that, in a court of law, an attorney would call second hand knowledge, therefore it could all be true, there could be some truth to the story, or it could all be the creation of an imagination or a lie. There is no way to prove the story because the person who wrote the story was not actually there in the midst of the story or the person who wrote the story is no longer able to substantiate the story. This is where the person reading the story has to make a decision, based upon the facts in the story, and any other research, as to whether it is an actual, true account of the story or not. The reader must make an informed decision to believe it or not, based on proof or based on their own faith.

In the scripture John 4:24 it is talking about the Spirit of God. It is talking about those believers who worship God. It is talking about the spirit of the believer and their connection to what is the truth about God as spirit and about us as a spirit being. Only a believer can understand any conversation about the Spirit of God. Many, many people on this earth have never felt the spirit of God in their lives. They have never believed that God the Creator was anything or anyone who truly existed or still exists in reality. They only believe in what they can see, what they can touch, what they can hear. They only believe in a physical world and cannot fathom a spiritual world. They will never be able to experience the spiritual side of life because they have no proof there is a spiritual side to life. To them, something is reality or real only because it can be seen, touched, and heard. Something spiritual cannot be seen, cannot be touched, and cannot be heard, at least the majority of the time. I have heard God and I honestly believe it was an audible voice. Also, there have been several times I have felt the presence of God as well as the presence of evil, which I won’t go into right now except to say it was very scary and I verbally cried out to the Lord each time and he calmed my fears.

Ephesians 6:10-12

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This is where it gets kind of tricky. Believers and non-believers are all searching for truth at one point in their lives. Why would a human being search for truth? I believe it is because they have a spirit that

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questions, “Why am I here? Why was I born? Why am I living? Where did I come from?” When searching for the truth of existence there are lots of questions that cannot be answered from a physical standpoint. The truth of our existence comes from a spiritual encounter. It’s a mystery how it all works but God always has a plan.

I Corinthians 15:51 (NKJV)

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—

When talking about truth with a believer regarding the Spirit of God, the believer actually believes, without a shadow of doubt, that God is real and exists in spiritual form. They do not require physical proof because it is a spiritual encounter. It is not of this world. Again, non-believers are spiritually unable to understand this. They still live only in physical world.

I could probably go on and on about this but I would want to talk about the liars who actually believe their lies about something. Back to the “say it enough and then you believe it” but in reality it is still a lie. Of course this kind of action is straight from the pits of hell and the master liar. God is never involved with deception or lies. That would only be from the evil one trying to manipulate the truth.

In winding this up, I only know that the real truth about Father God is that he is Spirit. He is not a human. Jesus was a human but he was also God. He was human and spirit and he was God and Spirit. When he left the earth to return to the Father all of his humanism was left behind. He then sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, the Spirit of God working in and through humans. The Holy Spirit of God is with every living person but many deny him. I believe the devil quenches anything holy and spiritual for many of these poor souls and they just go with him never looking at God for the answers. That’s a sad thought.

As believers we worship our God in spirit and in truth because our spirit knows the truth. God is real.

The Consequences of Sin

Friday, July 09, 2021
7:34 AM

This morning my scripture readings are in Samuel 11 and 12 speaking about King David and his adultery with Bathsheba, murder of Uriah and death of his innocent child.  It's the sad story of what happens to us and others when we sin. I shed a tear for this tiny infant who did nothing wrong yet never was allow to have a life.  David chose to sin and the path of that sin led to the child's destruction.   

Our sins have consequences.  Those consequences can surface quickly or they can surface some time later in life.  Sin that is committed and exposed quickly can lead to repentance and forgiveness.  Sin that is committed and hidden for periods of time can surface at unexpected times and cause havoc in the lives of the sinner and the lives of the people closest to the sinner.  A sin committed, admitted, repented from, forgiven of, is the easiest way for us to learn.  The Father cannot forgive us until we come before Him and ask for that forgiveness.  How can we learn to "Go, and sin no more" if we do not admit our sin?  We cannot.  Hidden sin sits inside us to fester and boil like gangrene. Eventually, left uncared for and untreated, it will lead to death.

David knew he had sinned.  He knew he lustfully took another man's wife. He knew he was responsible for the death of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah.  He knew the mess he had made for himself and for Bathsheba.  He cried out to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy during the days while the baby was suffering from an illness after his birth.  David knew that when the baby died the Lord had said, "No, I will not and cannot spare this child."  The decision and consequences of David's sin had been decided and an innocent child paid the price.

Fast forward thousands of years, and innocent babies are still paying the price for the sins of their father's and mother's.  Today as I write this, I am reminded of the cost.  Over 62 million unborn children have died from abortion in the United States alone, since 1973 when abortion was deemed "legal" in the United States.  Each one of the lives of these millions of babies laid in the hands of their father's and mother's. The choice was made and those lives were terminated.  Just as in David's life, murder was the sin.  Just as in David's life, repentance can lead to forgiveness.  Just as in David's life, the consequences are carried throughout the rest of life.  Not one single woman can forget the aborted child regardless if she is a believer or a non-believer, she remembers.  She may not have walked with the Lord at the time of the choice but once she found a relationship with Him, the death of the child tore and tears into her heart.   She is only able to live with the choice, knowing that the forgiveness and mercy of God is there though the heartache will never go away.  The innocent child paid the ultimate price for her sin.

I can say all of this because I too had to make a choice in 1973 to have the child out of wedlock or end the life of that child to make my life easier.  I was 18 years old.  I have no idea how different my life would have been had I chosen to abort my child.  It would have been a completely different life.  Many, many people in my life would not be here today.  My heart breaks for each woman of God who made the choice to abort her child.  She lives with that choice and it never goes away.  Forgiveness is one thing but forgetting is totally different.  The face of that child will haunt every single Godly woman and I am sure that many of the father's are also haunted by the choice to end their child's life.  We learn to live with the consequences of our choices but we always remember. Those who forget are doomed to repeat the sin in one way or the other.

King David was selfish and took what he wanted without thinking of the lasting consequences.  He was a man of God and the Lord had blessed him in so many ways before this horrific sin of the murder of Uriah was committed.  After the sin and forgiveness he was still blessed by the Lord.  He made other mistakes, committed other sins but continually returned to the Lord for forgiveness, guidance, and wisdom until his death as an old man. 

Psalm 139:7-8 (NKJV)
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Job 34:21-22 (NKJV)
For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; Because of the steadfast love of the Lord, we are not cut off; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Like David, we can ask the Lord for mercy from the consequences of our sin.  We can ask that He spare others from the consequences but need to be prepared for whatever His answer may be.  We can repent, pick up the pieces of life and "Go, and sin no more".  We can more forward toward what is ahead, the prize of eternal life with Him, without spot or blemish, but only by the covering of the blood Jesus at the Cross.  We must always remember that in this life we will suffer the consequences of our actions and our choices and others in our life will also bear those burdens.

Galatians 6:1-2 (CEB)
Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

For close to 50 years now I have walked with my sisters in their choice. My heart for the unbeliever who is tormented is greater than for those who believe in repentance and the forgiveness of sin.  One is lost but the other is found.  One is saved and the other is not.  I truly want the lost to seek and find the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sin offered by Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

My road was very hard because of the choice I made in 1973.  I continued to make many more mistakes as I matured and grew into adulthood but the Lord was faithful to carry me through and now at an old age can see His plans for my life and the life of my child.  She and I are walking testimonies of the power of God and the power of choice.  We are able to witness to others that even in the darkest moments, the Lord is with us and choices always have consequences.

Did Jesus Lose His Patience?

It seems that the older I get, the less patience for others and their lack of compassion and kindness.  It's not the little children, the teenagers, or the young adults that I have lack of patience for.  They are not experienced and have many lessons to learn in the years to come.  It is the adults I have little patience with.  Those who are 40, 50, 60 years old and older.  It doesn't matter if they are believers or unbelievers.  They should know better.  They should have some maturity. Their attitudes, their opinions, their selfishness, their actions towards others, this is what bothers me and causes me to lose my patience.

I am nowhere near perfect and I am sure others hear me and lose their patience with me.  I am an outspoken person and only at certain times can I keep my opinions to myself.  This is not one of those times.  I  fast lose my patience with people who are intelligent and old  enough to handle circumstance differently or say verbalize differently. 

Romans 12:12 (ESV) 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 8:25 (ESV) 

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Ephesians 4:2 (ESV) 

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Psalm 37:7 (ESV)

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 

1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV) 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Colossians 3:12 (ESV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Over and over the scriptures speak of how we are to be patient just as God is patient with us.  I know in my spirit that to lose my patience is not good.  I know that at times people have had to be patient with me as I learned my lessons in life.  For close to 7 decades I have learned patience.  Why am now losing my patience with others?  Why do I not want to be around certain people who exacerbate my patience?  Did Jesus lose his patience with people?

We read in scripture the story of Jesus in the temple turning over the tables of the money changers.  

John 2: 13-16 (KJV)

And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

There is the story of a father whose only son was possessed by an evil spirit.  

Luke 9:40-42 (NKJV)

So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Then we have the storm at sea with the disciples crying out for help!

Mark 4:37-40 (ESV)

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

What about the story in the garden of Gethsemane?

Mark 26:37-38 (NKJV)

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Mark 26:40 (NKJV)

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

Mark 26:43-45 (NKJV)

And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

There are more stories of Jesus dealing with the faithless apostles, the hatred of the religious leaders, and the evilness of the hearts of human beings.  His patience had to be hanging by a thread many different times.  Even with all of the humanism he faced, he did not lose his temper.  

Over and over Jesus went to pray, alone.  Did he need to seek the Father to ask for patience?  Did he need to pour out his heart to the Father when the people and the apostles hammered him with questions, explanations, requests for healings and miracles?  Did he need to regroup after spending time with multitudes of people who only wanted something from him while he received nothing in return?  I believe he needed these times of solitude to regain his spiritual, emotional, mental and physical strength.

Matthew 14:23 (NKJV)

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  

Luke 6:12 (NKJV)

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Mark 1:35 (KJV)

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Luke 5:16 (NASB)

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

As I think about my lack of patience with inconsiderate people I need to think about how the Lord handled this issue.  I need to find my place of solitude and ask the Father to refresh my spirit and my mind.  I need to find compassion for those who irritate me with their opinions, aggression, and uncompassionate attitudes.  I need to find that mountain top and pray!

Proverbs 3:21-22 (NLT)

My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

Proverbs 11:25 (NLT)

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Lord Jesus, refresh my spirit and my mind so that I may speak your words into the hearts, minds and ears of those in my life or cross my path.  Amen.

My Testimony about the Power of Twelve from January 20, 2019

I’ve always thought that someone who gets up with a testimony before the congregation should give a brief bio so that you all don’t think the person is just some back row pew sitter that all of a sudden has something to say, but in many cases that is just what happens.  My thought is that more than half of you see me in that light since most of the time I do not have anything to say at the front of the church these days.  There was a time when I was on the worship team or leading worship when I did more in front of the church congregation.  That was before many of you were a part of this fellowship but there are many that do know my history with this church.  First I will give you a little bio of my life and walk with the Lord for the past 4 plus decades.

I have been in church all of my life because of my beautiful little mother’s faithfulness. I was baptized in the Methodist Church, then baptized in the Catholic Church and then baptized in the river.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior in 1975 in a bible study and then went about living my worldly life only turning to him when life fell apart time after time.

I was filled with the Holy Spirit in 1980 but have been far from walking in the Spirit many, many times since then.

Jerry and I met and married in 1983 and have been committed to this church since the beginning in 1985 when several families started meeting in Alan and Tonchita’s basement.  We raised 4 out of 6 children in this church. His 2 were our on their own when we married.  We raised my 2 children from my first marriage and his deceased sister’s 2 children.

In the mid-2000’s I began what I will call “My Walk in the Desert” period which started when:

1) in 2004 and 2005 the adult children along with the grandchildren moved a long way from this area to other parts of the state leaving no family members nearby, 

2) my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2006 and passed away a couple of years ago in 2016 from Alzheimer complications.  Her last 3 years she was in a memory care facility under total care not knowing any one or any thing.

3) my dad died unexpectedly in 2009, 

4) Jerry was involved in a head-on collision in 2007 which caused an early retirement for him,

5) I quit the insurance company I had worked at for over 20 years to find a job with medical insurance since I lost that with Jerry's retirement,

6) I began a new job with the City.  

These were a lot of new paths for me and I was very unsure where or what the Lord wanted from me.  I was not sure of anything in my middle-age life.

In 2015 I started having severe stomach trouble and doctors could not find the cause and there were numerous tests showing nothing wrong.

Then on Thursday, July 26, 2018, I awoke to a spinning room and intense nausea, was taken to the hospital (by ambulance) and a later MRI showed a mass on the left side of my brain behind my ear.  I was immediately take to OHSU (by ambulance) where a wonderful neurosurgeon removed it on July 29th. Miraculously the stomach problems were gone when the tumor was gone.  

Medically wise, prior to then, 1980 was the last time I had been in the hospital and that was to give birth to my son. My new medical chart says I am "a 64 year old female with an unremarkable medical history,” which means there is really nothing to speak of, medically. I love to say I am unremarkable because I truly am!

But then during the days recovering in the hospital and the week after, I began to hear the Holy Spirit whispering in my ear about a new women’s ministry which became the Power of Twelve women’s group.  My family thought I was nuts or at least still having issues with the steroids.  

The plans came together quickly as the Lord showed me what he wanted me to do and it all came to fruition with my daughter Dena helping me layout how the women would be gathered, how the gatherings would take place, how the words would be chosen and many other details.  The initial group of women invited to participate came from my 64 years of history with many local women.  Many of the women are those who the Lord had me planting seeds in at different times during those years through family connections, work connections, school connections, friends, and church.

He made it as easy as possible for this ministry to come together and the plan can be used by any group of women, any church, anywhere.

Power of Twelve is a women’s encouragement group for 12 women of all ages (20 to 100) committed to meet once a month, for one hour, for one year.  

The main reason the Lord called this group of women together is for reaching across the generations to “save the children, the grandchildren and the great grandchildren”.  Those are his words, not mine.

The group leader should try to find four women seeking the Lord, four women who know the Lord but earnestly desire a closer walk and four women firmly planted in Him.

So far, this first group of the Power of Twelve women have met 5 times since last September.  At the first meeting each woman brought a single word, with a single scripture using that word on a piece of paper and put them all in a jar.  Each month we pull out a new word to focus on.  We talk about the word and scripture and then go out for the month and use that word in our everyday lives to encourage our families and others. Our words have been LIGHT, COMFORT, THANKSGIVING, FORGIVENESS and HOPE. There are 7 more words in the jar waiting to be picked out one by one for the rest of the months. More than half of the women in this group do not attend any regular church but are seeking a greater knowledge of God and a closer relationship to him.  

The tag line the Lord gave me was “Twelve Women – Twelve Words – Twelve Months, which has now been copyrighted.  

There are actually 13 women total as the leader opens her home or gathering place and facilitates the meetings.  

Also, since this all started I have been writing and documenting many different things that the Lord has impressed upon me to share in writing.  So far he has not revealed just what I am to do with all of the writings. 

The business end of Power of Twelve has also been taken care of as it is a registered non-profit organization with the state and federal government.  The bylaws are written and have been submitted to the required governmental agencies. 

The mission statement is:

Twelve Women. Twelve Words. Twelve Months.

The mission statement for the Power of Twelve is to bring a connection to the generations of women across this Christian Nation, the United States of America, to save the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren by speaking the word of God into their lives and the lives of those around them. The good word, by one word can change hearts and lives of those around us. Choose. Your. Words. Wisely. 

The USA Constitution is filled with God.

The USA motto is "In God We Trust"

The National Anthem is "God Bless America"

The Pledge of Allegiance is filled with God

America is the Land of the Free. Home of the Brave.

The Declaration of Independence is filled with God.

The scriptures for the Power of Twelve group are: 

 Joshua 24:15 -  But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

 Jeremiah 29;11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

https://www.facebook.com/Power-of-Twelve-2041904122520379

The Temple of the Holy Spirit

This morning I was on Worthy Christian Forums and there was a discussion about being the temple of the Holy Spirit.  While I was preparing my thoughts regarding this topic they closed the thread for some reason.  I wanted to retain my thoughts so I am posting them here.  The following is what I would have posted:

I have tried to read through this thread this morning as best I can (there was a ton of scripture!).  I know the topic is about the Holy Spirit living in us, the temple of God, but there is no way to not talk about sin when we talk about us, human beings, who are sinners from the get-go.

My take on being a temple for the Holy Spirit to reside in is this; he knows I am a sinner, that I have accepted Jesus as my savior, and that I am cleansed by the blood of the cross.  He has watched me from the time I began on the milk of the word and continued to watch as I was weaned off the milk and turned to the meat portion.  He knows my heart.  He hears my prayers asking for forgiveness for any sin I commit in a day.  He lives in me and with me on a daily basis.  He has been with me for a long time and still loves and comforts me.  Has he ever been displeased with me?  Of course he has.  I'm an imperfect human being and he knows all about my past, my present and my future.  But again, I repeat, he knows my heart, he knows my soul, he knows my spirit, he knows ALL things about me.  I praise God for the patience, mercy and grace that is afforded to me, this pile of dirt, that I am.

Each one of us that give our hearts and lives to the Lord, give our bodies also.  We should see an improvement in the way we do things spiritually and bodily as we continue our walk with him and our learning of his ways.  We should be boldly confessing Jesus whenever and wherever we can without judgement and condemnation from the worldly eye that is continually watching our every action.  Didn't the Lord say he would use a rock if he needed too, if we did not declare him to the world? 

Luke 19:37-40 - When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,”he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.”

If a person professes Christ as their savior, they should be different than they were prior to salvation.  Those difference should be noticeable to ourselves and to the outside world.  As a temple that holds the power and light of the Holy Spirit, we should be a "shining light to a dark world" and if we are not then we need to go back to the milk and find out what the issue is.  In my walk, I have had to go back to the milk several times due to sin.  But I am a far better and cleaner temple than I was at the beginning of my journey! Praise God!! 

Thank you for letting me share my heart. 

The Power of God

 2 Timothy 1:7 - For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Christians have discussed and studied the power of God for thousand of years.  We know that our Father in Heaven is all powerful.  We know that as a Father, when we pray to Him, He hears His child.  He responds in many different ways which is sometimes silence.  Sometimes the answers is obvious within a matter of seconds.  Sometimes He sends someone else to us with the answer.  

The power of His love for His child we can barely fathom when we look at ourselves through our human eyes.  We can barely believe the God of the Universe wants us at all when we know the depths of our depravity.  We admit we are sinners.  We know we have things in our lives that are not Godly.  We may be better than we were now that we are walking a Christian life but there is still the ugliness of humanity in each of us.  

This verse in 2 Timothy tells us that the Spirit that God has put into each of us when we came to Him with our hearts, our lives, our souls, gives us the power God wants us to have in order to speak to a lost and dying world.  He does not want us to be timid in our words and actions to others.  By the power of the Holy Spirit we have the power to speak into the lives of those around us.  If we are speaking out in the name of Jesus, sharing the gospel and the salvation He offers to those who follow Him, then we are speaking under the power given to us by God.  

As humans we have no real power.  There are those who do not believe in God or the powerfulness of God.  They believe they have the power to control others and life.  Yes, they can control and influence others through their actions but they have no understanding of the actual power of God.  He can stop them dead in their tracks if He needs to.  He can change the outcome of any human plan that is not of His design. 

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” — Matthew 19:26 

Absolutely NOTHING is out of the reach of the Father.  

Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. — Jeremiah 32:17

The power of God works inwardly and outwardly as we grow in love for Him, ourselves, and for others.  As we learn to love unconditionally, love when it's hard to love,  love when it is painful, love when there is nothing but turmoil all around us, and love ourselves despite our inadequacies, we experience the power.  We all know the saying, "I am my own worst enemy."  We have a Father who loves us and accepts us even when we don't deserve that love and acceptance.  Jesus came so we could be reconciled to the Father through the power of the blood of Jesus.  The power of the blood shed on the cross has the power to transform us into the child of God we have been called to be while we walk this earth.  We can be assured of His love and His power without being timid or fearing what others will think or say when we speak of His gift of salvation and all that He offers His followers.  We become bold when the power of God is within us!

Many times throughout scripture we learn of all the ordinary people the Father used to do His work here on earth.  Over and over He used those willing but not necessarily equipped with the best abilities.  Abraham, Moses, David, several apostles, and others were not self-disciplined and were selfish.  Poor Abraham let Sarah talk him into having a child with another woman to hush her nagging about not having her own child.  In comes Ishmael to the picture, and thousands of years later we still suffer the hostility of his descendants just as God said.

Genesis 16:11-12, KJV: The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 

Genesis 25:17-18, NIV: "Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

We have Moses who argued with God about not being the man for the job of bringing the Hebrew nation out of Egypt and leading them to the a land that God promised to His chosen people.  He also disobeyed the instructions given to Him by God.  I certainly understand his frustration with a million people whining, complaining, sinning, worshipping idols, and everything else selfish human beings do. 

Exodus 4:10-13 ISV: Then Moses told the Lord, “Please, Lord, I’m not eloquent. I never was in the past nor am I now since you spoke to your servant. In fact, I talk too slowly and I have a speech impediment.” Then God asked him, “Who gives a person a mouth? Who makes him unable to speak, or deaf, or able to see, or blind, or lame? Is it not I, the Lord? Now, go! I myself will help you with your speech, and I’ll teach you what you are to say.” Moses said, “Please, Lord, send somebody else.”

And of course we have King David who committed adultery and then had the husband of Bathsheba murdered.  

2 Samuel 11:14-15 ISV:  The next morning, David sent a message to Joab that Uriah took with him in his hand.  In the message, he wrote: “Assign Uriah to the most difficult fighting at the battle front, and then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and killed.” 

These are just a few examples of the historic and faulty people God used throughout time to get His message of love and acceptance to his people.  God wants us to be self-disciplined and obedient but He is a God who also understands our humanity.  When God the Son, Jesus, walked on the earth, He experienced all of humanism from the human perspective.  

Hebrews 4:15-16 ISV: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. Instead, we have one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet he never sinned. So let us keep on coming boldly to the throne of grace, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

The power of God is experienced in many different ways but I believe the most important part is the power of love.  When Jesus came to tell us how to live a life pleasing to the Father, He told us to love one another.  To forgive others.  To reconcile with others.  To serve one another,  When we do our best to love others on a daily basis, we are walking by the power given to us by God.  It is a strength that comes from Him when we try to love someone who is unlovable.  It is a strength that comes from Him when we are trying to make it through a day filled with trials and tribulations.  It is a strength that comes from Him when we are angry, tired, fed up, emotionally and physically depleted.  

Every breathe we breathe and every thought we think are in the hands of God and He has told us not to worry, to be strong and courageous, and to keep seeking Him and His power for every single day we are given.  When we wake up each day, our Father has given us the gift of life.  He has given us the power to look at the day and use our love and wisdom for others during each day. He is not asking us to do anything beyond our capabilities.  He always lets each of us determine our response of YES or NO to the physical and/or spiritual tasks placed before us for the day.  He is still a God of free will.  

Every day it is our choice on how far we want to allow the power of God to move in us and through us.

Strength For The Journey

The Power of Twelve word for the month is strength.  The scripture is Psalm 73:26, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the Rock and firm strength of my heart and my portion forever".

It's been a long week and I feel like I have zero strength. In the past 10 days we have spent 12 hours driving to Portland and visiting the Emergency Room at St. Vincent Hospital to get Jerry help with his Rheumatoid Arthritis complications.  Then we drove back the next day so he could see a Rheumatologist to try to find a new affordable treatment plan since we are on Medicare.  Also this week I had half of a tooth removed due to problems with the root canal they had done last month.  This is just one week among the 8 weeks I have been retired.  Each other week had its own trials.

Just as the scripture says, "My flesh and my heart may fail", my mind and my body are exhausted.  My spirit however is tuned in to the Lord.  I curl up in His arms and just breathe.  There is nothing I can do that will change what each day brings.  I know this and He knows this.  So I will cling to God my Rock who brings strength to my heart and to my mind and to my soul.  There will always be those trying days and trying times when we have no strength physically or mentally.  He says, "Be still and know that I am your God.  The One who will see you through this. I will never leave you or walk away from you."  He is a Father that cares about His child. 

When you think of the word 'strength' what is it you see?  I think most of us think of bulging muscles and a fine tuned human physic. We see a guy who can lift a dumbbell with hundreds of pounds attached.  We see a runner who can run for hours and hours to win the marathon.  We equate strength with the body.  But in the Word of God there are hundreds of scripture that speak of finding strength to endure.  Strength from the Lord.  Strength in weakness.  Over and over again the Word tells us to be "strong in the Lord and the power of His might", to "wait on the Lord and renew your strength", for "God is my strength and power". These scriptures are not talking about a physical strength.  It is a spiritual strength.

When I was younger my body was stronger. When I was younger I had so many responsibilities with husband, children, jobs, family, friends, commitments, chores, and everyday life that God many times took the back seat.  Now I have grown older and my faith is stronger than my body.  Today as a new retiree my desire is to spend time in the Word and in prayer. At each stage of life the Lord gives us a measure of His strength to get through each day.  But we have to be willing to take some time each day to speak with Him, to hear Him, and to allow Him to instill that strength into us.  He knows your schedule and how busy you are each day.  He knows if you only have 5 or 10 minutes for Him.  He knows if you have an hour to spend with Him.  He's not timing you but He does know the amount of strength you need for the day or days ahead.  This is the time when the "portion" of strength is measured out to you.  He strengthens your soul.  He strengthens your spirit.  He strengthens your mind.  He gives strength to your tired body by giving you that "second wind" that only He can truly breathe into you.  

God is the Rock.  He is an unbreakable Rock.  An unchangeable Rock.  A solid Rock.  There is no breaking this Rock.  He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.  He is our portion forever. He gives us a part of His strength so that we can make it through this day whatever it may hold for us.  He puts a part of Himself into us.  This is a miracle from the Creator of the Universe! He gives us supernatural strength in our minds, our spirits, and our bodies when we come to Him in defeat asking for His help.  Matthew 7:7 says "Ask, and you will receive".  He wants you to come to Him and ask for what you need.  If you need strength, ask.  If you need patience, ask.  If you need wisdom, ask.  If you need help, ask.  Even though Matthew 6:8 tells us that He knows what you need before you even ask, He still wants to hear you ask.  He wants you to come before Him and spend some time with Him.  He might want to share something else with you while you are spending time with Him.  He might just want to hold you in His arms quietly for a few minutes.  God is that parent that holds His child and tells them a story.  He is the one who loves us when we have a hurt.  He is the one who loves us no matter what we have done.  He is the one who forgives us.  He is the one who gives us the strength for the life journey we are on.  When we are weak, He is strong and He gives us a portion of His strength when we need it! Oh, what a Father we have!

💖🙏

March Thoughts - One Year of Lockdown

 

The History of a 2009 Prophetic Word

Back in 2009 our church brought in two prophetic pastors to witness to the people.  Several times before prophets has visited but until this time Jerry and I has never been asked to come forward.  Much of what was spoken over the both of us I could relate to.  We prayed for others all the time.  We stayed strong in the Lord during difficult times.  We remain optimistic and are firm believers that the Lord makes all things possible.  At the time the word of encourager, hospitality and revelation was spoken over me, I did not receive it.  It fact I told others I had ever felt a calling for many of the things spoken directly over me.  Then almost 10 years later, the year 2018 hits and after the removal of a tumor on my brain the Holy Spirit moved in me and my life.  The ladies encouragement group called Power of Twelve was born and continually since 2018 meets monthly in my home.  It is now 2021 and the ladies group is still an ongoing call from the Lord.  I am sharing the prophetic message as a reminder to me and for anyone else who needs to be reminded the Lord does not live by a calendar or by time as we know it.  He moves when He needs to move.  

Presbytery May 4, 2009 (Main Points – Not the full version)

Pastor Mark Cargill:

I hear this phrase come into my spirit, “Strength for the journey” just “Strength for the journey.”  I believe God want to put within you a fresh anointing for strength.  I speak strength to you Sir.  I speak strength to you, woman of God. 

(Spoken over Deb)

I see you Sister, you’re going to be blessed by the Lord, opportunities and things.  God is going to bring a fresh, I see the word, I hear the word, and I see the word “opportunity” written all over your life.  God is going to bless that.  I believe God want to use you to be an encourager in the House of the Lord.  There is a ministry of encouragement that He wants to do.  I see you actually welcoming people, greeting people, standing at the door and smiling and greeting people and “It’s great to see you”.  There is warmth about you that the Lord wants to release into welcoming people to not only the House of God but welcoming people into your home, into your lives.  And the ministry of hospitality and I believe there’s a grace of serving that is in your life.  Ministry of helps that is in your life.  The Lord will release in a greater way.  I see there is almost like a Deaconship upon you.  Where you just serve and you’re ministering so faithfully.  There’s a strength and stability that you bring to the House of the Lord.  I believe the Word of the Lord is going to flow out of your life Sister. I believe God is going to speak to you.  I believe He’s going to speak to you in fresh revelation.  I speak, I prophesize a spirit of Revelation to be released in new ways over your life.  God is going to speak to you, going to give you visions, even pictures in your mind.  You’re going to see them and receive them into your spirit.  I see you getting words for people.  You’ll be taking a walk, you’ll be out doing different things and the Lord will quicken somebody to your mind and your heart and God will give you a word for them.  I hear the Spirit of the Lord say to you to be bold, go to them and say and speak the word of the Lord to them.  And say this, “I was just thinking of you the other day and the Lord spoke to me about you” and then share it with them and tell them what God is doing in your heart in regards to them.

(Spoken over both)

Both of you are going to have a ministry of prayer.  You’re going to intercede and you’re going to have an agreement that will lay hold of a mountain and jerk it from its foundation and throw it into the sea.  

“I’ve put within you a seed of faith.  You’re to lay hold of those things which are impossible and pray them into possibility.  I’ve called you to stand in the gap for The House and the vision of The House.  To pray for your pastor’s and to pray for the different things that are rising up and things that are needing to be accomplished and needing to be done.  I indeed will cause you to be burdened together with them and the two of you shall pray a prayer of agreement that shall move mountains.”  

This is a good season in life for you.  Get ready for the Lord is ready to smile upon you and to work out that smile into the everyday actions and experiences of your life. 

Pastor Mark Strong:

Scripture says, “Have I not commanded you to be strong and of good courage?  Neither be thou dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”.  I believe that you’re about to embark on a new field.  I see this field that is unplowed.  It looks rocky and you’re like, “I don’t know if I’m up for this.”  But I believe the Lord is.  I don’t know if this is spiritual or natural.  I believe that God is going to put within your faith, put within your heart, a faith to step out and to buy the field.  There is a new direction.  A new way God is going to lead you.  But what you need to understand is that this thing is going to be so fruitful and so vital in terms of what all God is going to bring forth.  I don’t understand all that and I can’t explain it to you but God will make it clear to you.   You’re going to step out in faith, and as you take the risk, and as you have the courage, you’re going to find that God will give you everywhere you place the sole of your foot.  I see how the enemy would want to try to come around and cause you to shrink back.  God would put the marker out there and the enemy would want to push it back, back, back, back.  But the Spirit of God is going to break through.  There’s a great inheritance.  There’s a greater realm of influence.  There’s a greater field that God is going to open into your heart.  I even believe that tonight that as we lay hands, as we pray for you, that there is just an enlargement of faith that is coming into your heart.  I mean a spirit of Possibility and just optimism is going to begin to just fill you.  You know it’s almost like the enemy wants to kind of drizzle a little pessimism over your head and over your hearts.  But I see the Lord say,

“I’m filling you with optimism.  I’m filling you with faith and I’m filling you with a new vitality for life and open doors and opportunities.”

It’s almost like you’re going to start like this, pioneer and a fresh, with you know, “Hey there’s gold in California!  We’re going to go get it in the Name of Jesus.”  And as God moves you the strength is going to be there.  The vitality is going to be there and you will lack nothing.  Your bones are not going to ache.  Your back is not going to ache.  Your heart’s not going to hurt.  Your eyes are not going to grow weary.  You are going to experience the strength of your God.  And you’re going to experience the courage and the force of your God breathing on you.  It’s almost like the Holy Spirit is going to get behind the two of you and He’s going to push you.  You’re going to feel the Hands of God in your back heading you where God desires for you to go.  Because the Lord says,

“What I’ve called you to do is not just for you. But even, it’s for those that shall come after you and for generations.”  

 I believe, listen to this, what a wonderful promise, that your life will be blessed.  Not only will you bless people now, but what God intends to do with you, shall bless generation after generation, till Jesus comes.  God is going to cause you to put seeds in the ground.  He’s going to cause you to put seeds in the ground and long, long after you’ve gone to Glory, long after that seed, that seed that is still in the ground, long after you have gone to your eternal reward,  that seed is going to be here working and working and working.  For God said this promise, He told Abraham, 

“This promise is to your children and your children’s children. Amen!  I have purposed to bless generations through you.  It’s an ongoing blessing.”  

You know a lot of times; I know in our neighborhood, there have been kids that have been caught up in all kinds of stuff.  What happens was their great grandfather was into it, their grandfather was into it and their father was into it.  It’s almost like a bad seed that had been reproduced and reproduced and reproduced.  But praise God, with you, it’s a “good thing” that God is reproducing.  Generations shall be blessed.  So I encourage you tonight, that as God moves upon your heart, step out by faith.  Be of good courage and know the Lord has purposed the two of you to be a blessing to this generation and too many generations afterwards.

What Salvation Means

What Salvation Means 

Our Power of Twelve ladies group has the word ‘salvation’ (Isaiah 12:2) for the month so this week I have been asking the Lord to give me some insight into what that word means to the believer and why salvation is a key part of being a Christ Follower, a Christian, a believer and why salvation should be on the hearts and minds of all people on earth.

 

Merriam Webster defines salvation as follows:

·        deliverance from the power and effects of sin

·        the agent or means that effects salvation

·        liberation from ignorance or illusion

·        preservation from destruction or failure

·        deliverance from danger or difficulty

I love that the number one definition of salvation is deliverance from the power and effects of sin!  But liberation and preservation are of equal value to mankind.

 

Through Jesus Christ, the sins of the world are wiped clean.  Jesus said in Mark 8:35;

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”

 

Throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, from the time of creation until the end of time, people needed, still need, and will need salvation.  Salvation from themselves.  Salvation from others.  Salvation from earthly life.  We need to be saved.  We want to be saved.  Every single person, at one time or another, during their life on earth, have cried out to be saved by someone or something.  Many look for another human being to be their savior only to find that person cannot save them, especially when death is lurking nearby.

The scriptures speak of a “strong tower”, a “refuge”, a “fortress”.   These are places where a person can go when they have fear of something or need protection from something or someone.  When a tornado, hurricane or horrific storm comes, people seek shelter from the storm in strong, reliable structures that can withstand the power of the storm.  People want to live, so people find the strongest place they can find shelter from the storm.

But where does that person go when the evilness of others comes to rob them of their lives and their possessions?  Where can one go to find peace from the troubles on earth?  Even if they hide themselves in a fortress or behind walls, the evilness is still there, waiting.  People living on earth cannot hide from the evil on earth.  They need to be saved.  They need a savior.  They need salvation.

 

The other definitions of salvation include the words; “deliverance”, “liberation”, “preservation”.What encouraging words to the person living in fear and what a blessing for those who find it!  All human beings want to be delivered from hopelessness, anger, hate, and fear.  They want to be liberated from oppression, cruelty, lies, and addiction. They want preservation from health issues, envy, jealousy, greed, and death.  All people are offered salvation from the sins and grief of this deadly world.  Jesus said all we need to do is come to Him.  He said to follow Him and His teachings while here on earth, recorded in the word of God.

 

Jesus says in Matthew 11:30; “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” We all know the weight of life and living can be overwhelmingly heavy.  Sometimes it is just too much to bear but Jesus offers to lighten the load by coming along side of us with His Spirit of peace and love.  In Matthew 11:28 He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Be sure to notice the word “all”!  The invitation to come to Him for his salvation, His protection, His deliverance, His liberation is for all human beings.  The only action required on our part is to come to Him, to seek Him, to look for Him and to look at Him. 

 

People have to admit the need and want to be saved. They have to admit they cannot find salvation, deliverance, liberation, or protection on their own.  All have to admit the messes they have made for themselves.  People have to be willing to admit the terrible things they have done to others and the hurt and grief caused by these decisions and actions.  All people have said and done things that have caused tears.  All people have put their own selfish desires before the needs of others who are suffering.  As little children we have to be taught to share, give, and love.  Without these positive characteristics we are just like animals and live a life of kill or be killed.  We live a life focused only on ourselves and what gives us pleasure and could care less about others.  We live an empty existence without hope, peace, or love.  We die and become dust.

 

Human beings are born with a desire to live and to be protected from the perils of living on earth.  Human beings have a soul and a spirit even if they do not admit it to themselves.  Human beings need a savior.  Jesus Christ, God Himself, The Great I AM, Creator of the Universe, Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lamb of God, came to walk on earth, was killed by the priests and the people because of His teachings of deliverance, protection, liberation, and salvation.  He taught love, peace, generosity, and selflessness.  He sacrificed His body, His life for everyone.  He gave all human beings salvation from the sins of this world by means of His sacrifice on the cross.  He was pure.  He never sinned.  He died for you and me so that we could have salvation from life, ourselves, and others.  He was the sacrifice needed to save the people of this world because human beings are sinful, selfish creatures. 

 

To ask for salvation is to ask to be saved.  When is the last time you asked yourself or someone if they are saved?  Saved from what?  Saved from themselves?  Saved from a miserable life?  Saved from cancer or the ravages of disease?  Saved from death?

 

Biblical prophecy in Revelation 7:10 tells us that at the end of time for this physical earth, a great multitude of human beings “from every nation, tribe, people and language”, will be standing before the throne of God  and before the Jesus the Sacrificial Lamb, and they will cry out; “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

 

John 14:6 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 

No fortress on earth will save you in the end. Jesus is the only way to salvation.  There is no other way. It is always a choice to believe or not that you can and will be saved after that last breath.