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God’s Peeps have their Privileges

Exodus 3:2
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

For the first 40 years of Moses’ life he’d lived in the luxury of the Pharaoh’s palace,he’d been educated by the Egyptian people in the finest of methods; the second 40 years of his life were spent in hiding, in the obscurity of the shepherds fields, far from luxury he’d been accustomed to and still not where he belonged. And then a burning bush appears in the middle of no where, with the means of no kindle, and a method of no approach. We serve an unexplainable God.

Why does He allow bad things to happen to good people? Moses in a means for protection was removed from his family and raised as an Egyptian to prevent him for being killed with the other Israeli infants being slaughtered to prevent the nations growth. He was preparing the chosen. Moses was trained in leadership by some of the finest. How handy to have the enemy’s play book.

Why does He allow barren times in our life when it seems that nothing is being accomplished of any greatness for the Kingdom of God? He was protecting the chosen. Once the enemy had discovered Moses’ heart was for the Hebrew they wanted him gone. So Moses fled to the Midianites where he became a shepherd. The leader of an unruly, stubborn and stupid lot. Sometimes the most trivial of tasks prepare us for the twists and turns of leadership. I would venture a guess that herding sheep had a great many resemblances of herding the millions of Israelites through the wilderness.

And last but not least why does He not allow absolute understanding of circumstances? That burning bush caught Moses’ eye and stirred his curiosity and yet when he went to approach it, God said “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5 That is His Preeminence to the Chosen. Although the elect of God receive grace and favor, the holiness of God does not always permit full understanding of why things are what they are, that is why they call it faith. But the difference between the favored and the ordinary man is His Provision to the Chosen. The last 40 years of Moses’ life were spent leading the Nation of Israel into the promised land.

If you are a child of God, He has you covered…

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The Thoroughfare of Friendship: The Forsaken, the Faithful and the Forgiven

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FRIENDSHIPS ARE RISKY!

2 Timothy 4:10-11 ~ For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry

It was somewhere between 17 and 100 years ago that I started down the pathway of salvation, having heard the gospel of Christ from a man who preached loud and long and his words pierced my soul as none I’d ever heard before. Sound melodramatic? Call it what you like, but it was a life changing event that abruptly changed my direction in life and the people in it. In one day I had acquired a new group of friends that put into question what I had believed friendship to be my entire life, although that revelation did not occur for months, if not years down the road. It’s not that my past friendships were void or unimportant, not so at all! I wanted every friend in my life on this new journey, because I knew that this journey had a promise.

I did not know as a newly converted Christian that this journey not only had promise it had problems, and how I, and my new found friends dealt with the problems of life would be entirely different. That’s why 2 Timothy 4:10-11 caught my eye this morning. Paul writes to Timothy; and you almost hear his plea for encouragement as he tells him in verse 9 “Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:” He needs him to come quickly because his friends in the faith that he’d depended upon had gone. Paul’s friends of the faith were no longer on the journey with him for entirely different reasons, and with each one Paul had lost a source of strength.

He begins with Demas, who had the previous year been a fellow laborer in Christ but had now forsaken Paul for the present world. Possibly the most painful friendships I’ve lost have been those who walked away from the body of Christ as if it had never meant anything to them. Each time it happened (yes, I’ve lost more than one friend this way) it was a realization that I too am one misguided notion away from leaving the best thing in my life, and that I need to strive to keep my eyes not on man, but on Christ who saved me.

Crescens and Titus had both been steadfast friends of the faith but were now called into their own ministries and away from Paul. Although it is certainly not a hurt like that of a friend who has returned to the world, it is still painful when friends move out of our lives, even for the godliest of reasons. When my own sister and her family became missionaries to Canada, she took a piece of my heart with her. Praise God for technology that allows us daily contact if we so desire, but Paul did not have that. At best an occasional letter would be it. He missed them. So do I…

Then Paul mentions Luke and Mark. Luke had stayed with him and he was grateful, but he needed Mark who would be profitable, although Paul had not always thought so (Acts 15:36-41). Mark had at one time refused to work in the ministry, though it is not told why, whether he were lazy or fearful; either way Paul and Barnabas had a serious disagreement over it. But there is no mention of it now; Mark is now profitable. We all let each other down in the ministry. I know for a fact I’ve let people down. Praise God! for forgiveness and restoration. Whoever coined the phrase “No pain, no gain,” knew what they were talking about. Friendships are a risk. They don’t always end well, but they are always worth it!!!!

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Pruning Sour Grapes for Victorious living!

Isaiah 18:5 ~ For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

In Chapter 18 God warns the arrogant Assyrian army who are plotting against Israel, that their party is about to end and destruction draweth nigh.  I don’t hear God shouting in this verse, nor do I see Him pacing back and forth in Heaven  saying “let Me at’em, let Me at’em!” I see God’s calm, all knowing demeanor, standing quietly looking out the window of Heaven as He sees His children suffering, partly because of their own rebellion; but He says in finality, ”I allowed you to serve my purpose in instruction, but now, I’m gonna cut you down where you grow.”

I’m so glad that God is Omniscient; all knowing. Because if I were standing at the window of Heaven when I seen friends and family hurting or suffering at the hands of someone else, my godliness would likely go out the window.  Sour grapes are good for nothing, on either side of an argument, somebody got to keep their attitude in check. There are people in our lives that, deed, they look like sour grapes are all they feast on! Do you have any in your life? They get on your last nerve… (draw this out for effect) with their constant tearing down of your emotional state, or negativity and lack of vision for you.

I speak in generality, nothing specific in my own life, but I see so many Christians being beat down by the circumstances of the world and allowing it to stop their own spiritual growth. Oppression is a part of our society; it’s how some climb the ladder of success, it’s how other’s keep their family in control or it’s a means of keeping everything quid pro quo, in a non changing state because change bother’s people.

We cannot move forward in our lives with dying branches on the vine. It stops our growth. God said He would cut down the branches of sour grapes, because sour grapes can do nothing but set your teeth on edge. If something or someone in our lives is keeping us from having victory it’s time to get out the pruning hooks. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they can no longer be a part of your life; it means you prune away parts of it.

  • Govern the conversation by keeping things on a positive note, talk about gumdrops and bubblegum flavors if you have too but stay away from conflict – snip!
  • Encourage them in something they’re working on. You’d be amazed how far a little sugar can go – snip!
  • Don’t spend time in their presence if all they want to do is discourage your dream, sometimes you have to walk away – snip!

God said “before the harvest.” Don’t let negative things take root in your life and bear fruit. – snip, snip!

I hope today finds you enjoying a bountiful harvest of the goodness of God! Got any sour grapes you need to get rid of?

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A thank You from all my parts and pieces… I’ll have to take oxycodone for a while

Just as the members of the church of God work together (or should) to complete the work of Christ, so do the members of my own body work for the good of the Lord. Today a few of them wanted to say “Thank You Jesus!”

I hope that you enjoy this that I have written for you. It comes from a place of love. I had to work extra hard for it because I’m a little sick right now and it’s taking its time to go away. Not that you readers should worry, I already went to the doctor and he said I have to buy oxycodone with pay pal and take it every so often. In a few days, a bit over a week he’ll see me again and we’ll take it from there. So everything should be fine, maybe I’m telling you because I’m feeling a bit down and like I need a few of those good vibes messages you know? Now onto the show!

The head said – thank You for giving me things to ponder.

Proverbs 4:26 ~ Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.

The eyes said – thank You, that as beautiful as it is here, in Heaven there is beauty I can’t  even imagine

Isaiah 64:4 ~ For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.

The nose said – thank You, that the sweet aromas of life make me think of Your goodness

Philippians 4:18 ~ But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.

The mouth said – thank You for allowing me to use Your words to encourage others and to praise You!

Hebrews 10:25 ~ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Psalm 109:30 ~ I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

The neck said – thank You for those have stuck their necks on the line for me

Romans 16:4Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

The heart said – thank You for filling me with comassion

1 Peter 3:8 ~ Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

The back said – thank You that You made by bone strong in Christian values

Ephesians 6:10 ~ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

The arm said – thank You that I’ve been given the opportunity to use them in Praise

1 Peter 4:11

If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

The hand said – thank You that I’ve gotten to lend myself to another in need

Acts 20:34 ~ Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me

The fingers said – thank You that I may play a song that soothes my soul

1 Samuel 16:23 ~ And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.

The stomach said – thank You, for giving me perception when things were not right

1 Corinthians 2:14 ~ But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The legs said – thank You that I may walk with You.

3 John 1:4 ~ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

The feet said – thank You, that I may carry the gospel and experience the sweetness

Ephesians 6:15  ~ And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

All I have and all I am comes for the Lord…

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When shortfalls become long falls…

Genesis 28:11-19
The story goes that Jacob, the grandson of the friend of God, Abraham is quite the deceiver. He takes advantage of his brother Esau and takes his birthright, and then later his blessing and inheritance by deceiving his father Isaac in his old age, and for his own safety is sent away to find a good woman in his mother’s homeland. But God did not allow Jacob’s deception to disrupt His destiny.
Genesis 28:15 ~ 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.
That ought to put a shout you! But, maybe you’re not as messed up as I am. Possibly you haven’t made a million wrong decisions, or failed God the way I have. But if you have, then you understand the significance of this story. God takes care of His own, in spite of their shortfalls, or in my case “long falls.”
God spoke the words to Jacob in a dream as he lay his head upon a rock for pillow. He later took his pillow and made a pillar anointing it with oil as an altar to The Lord in gratitude for the Lord’s faithfulness. Jacob knew he didn’t deserve the blessings that were about to come his way, nor do we deserve what God has in store for us, and yet it’s there.
Last night in the teen class we had a long discussion about our shortfalls for Christ and the guilt that we place upon ourselves, often to the point of detriment by allowing it to put us into a state of depression or unworthiness. There is no doubt that when Jacob left his home he was not only feeling fear for his life, but guilt for his living. He may have thought that through his actions he had destroyed the hope of Israel. But the ladder is Jacob’s vision in verses 12-13 shows God standing above it and angels ascending and descending on it. God’s ways are high above our ways, and while we are messing things up down here, God and His host of angels are taking care of business on high and our destiny will be fulfilled.
God’s got a plan for his children and although our mistakes break His heart, they don’t break His covenant with us, God is so much bigger than that.
Take heart dear friends, if you’re feeling less than deserving of the grace of God. He’s standing on the ladder that He has every intention of seeing us climb. Spiritually and positionally in life. Stay faithful! and take the time to show your gratitude throughout the day.
Be blessed! and bless me with your comment if this spoke to your soul today.

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Whoso is wise, do this…

owlPsalm 107 begins in verse 1-2 ~ O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;”

And then ends in verse 43 with Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord.”

The verse between 1 through 43 are filled with trouble and deliverance, backsliding and redemption, sorrow brought to rejoicing and again and again the psalmist reminds the reader that “men should praise the Lord.” I will not tell you that through every heartache and sorrow I have shouted the house down. I’ve shouted neither for joy, nor have I shouted for complaint… I fear God too much for that. Oh, I’ve whined; believe me! But how do you get in that attitude of praise when you’re in the midst of the storm sea?

I went to sleep last night praying God would remove a heartache, and I awoke this morning praying likewise and then I began to ponder the what if’s in my life; possibly with a little help from Satan, or the flesh I’m not sure. What if this would happen or that? What if it gets worse than this, what now? And then I had an urge to begin thanking God for the morning. I didn’t stop there, I thanked Him for family, friends, my home, right down to the coffee in my cup! …and then it happened. Whoooooooshhhhhhhhh. That ever calming breath that comes from the Lord calmed the waters of my soul. Whoso is wise…

Observe ~ look around you and see all that you have to be thankful for. Yes there is heartache, but so much greater than the troubles of the day is our Lord. In His providential ways He can speak peace into existence. The storm may be raging, but the soul of a saint of God can be stilled just as easily as the storm at sea.

Understand ~ boy, that’s tough sometimes. Understanding doesn’t always know why something is, or when it will end, sometimes its believing that God’s in control of it. I don’t understand how electricity works, but I believe when I hit the switch the lights will appear. I don’t know how God works, but I understand that He does, and He does it on my behalf. I fully believe that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28), but I still might whine about it. God’s lovingkindness is immeasurable. I fail, He forgives. I hurt, He heals. I mess up, He fixes it.

How’s your sea this morning? Feeling a little nauseous? Start praising God …whooooshhhh… Peace be still my soul. Amen. Let me know how God is working in your life.

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Moving Forward in Faith

Genesis 13:14-15

And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward and westward: for all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

Paradise seen to promises as far as the eye can see.

Lot, the atypical carnal man, nephew of the “Friend to God” Abraham, had just received the graciousness of his uncle being given half of Abraham’s inheritance. Not, was it just half, but the half he chose was paradise; well watered ground likely green and plush as far as he could see. Lot dealt with life in the flesh; he would fit in well with our “if it feels good, do it” society of today. But then there’s Abraham, who was not perfect by any stretch of the imagination but he loved God and all along the journey you see him building altars to God, taking time and the effort to praise the Lord and acknowledge what God was doing in his life. Lot’s journey took him where the flesh lead and into a heap of trouble.

As I read this text this morning it stirred my soul when I read “after that Lot was separated from him.” Not until Abraham had separated himself from the worldliness of Lot did God begin to show Abraham what the future held. How often in life are people held back because they refuse to separate themselves from others in their lives whose carnal focus continually keeps them from receiving the blessing of God. Lot had no concern over Abraham’s success but rather his own lusts when he looked at the land that was before him and chose the best. Abraham’s concern was not only that his nephew was cared for, but that their relationship was unharmed: “for we be brethren.” (13:8)

What Lot did not know was that just beyond that beautiful land he chose was heart ache and sorrow. He would be surrounded by depravity and immoral attitudes that would turn his wife away from God ending in her destruction and corrupt his children. But the land that Abraham received, though it did not appear to be the greater acreage, had an unseen beauty. It had the blessing of God in every direction; north, south, east and west… after that Lot was separated from him.

Abraham had a tender heart for his nephew and likely would not have “separated himself” from him. I fully believe that there are times in our lives when God moves people out of our lives so that he can bless us, and for our own good we need to move forward without looking back. A lesson Lot’s wife learned too little, too late(19:26). I’m not saying that we cannot be friends with the unsaved (how else will they see God unless it’s through us); but when turmoil and strife continually abound in our lives because of the people we’re around it may be time to separate ourselves and move into God’s promises. It’s time to move on in faith that God has something wonderful in our future!

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

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Wait for iiiiiitttttt…. Bring on the rain!

James 5:17-20 ~ Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

I love passionate Christian people! They not only stir my soul but things happen when you’re around them. Sometimes it happens quickly and other times you have to patiently wait for the rain. For three years and six months Elijah prayed for the rain. You can almost hear him saying “Wait for iiiiittttt….” No doubt there were people who laughed him to scorn, his friends may have stuck with him for a while but some of them likely walked away shaking their heads saying “Po ol Elijah, he just don’t get it.” Yeah, I know they didn’t speak country in Israel but I can still see it. More than that I see Elijah watching them walk away and being a little broken hearted that they didn’t have his faith. They served the same God, they’d seen and heard of His miracles, they knew God wasn’t on the clock, why couldn’t they believe? But that was okay, because Elijah had enough faith for all of them.

Passion isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is for anyone who will believe. James said Elijah was a man of “like passions.” He was just like us, he put his under-britches on the same way we do. I’ve been waiting for God to move in an area of my life and I know there are people out there who are saying “Po ol Shari, she just don’t get it.” Well I’m waiting on the rain! Have I been tempted to move to another mountain with a moister climate? Plenty of times!But the truth of the matter is, if I moved there I know in my heart that that land would be dry and barren too. God said “Wait” and I so I am…

In I Kings 18 we find Elijah still waiting in faith, God had rained down fire on the altar on Mt. Carmel and Elijah knew that the sky was about to open up. In verse 41 “Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.”  He hadn’t seen the first drop, but he could hear it! He had been faithful, He had kept his eye on the sky believing it was on its way. He was passionate about his purpose in life, to show others the power of his God.

So here we passionate people are. Is there something you in faith have been waiting for God to do?

Elijah told them to go seven times and check for the rain, Let me know if I can pray for you and at Wait for iiiiittttt…7 tonight I’ll check the posts and lift your request to the Lord.

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Stirred & Shaken

Mark 1:27-28
And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

Jesus had just called out a few of the disciples and then He heads to church. Imagine their surprise when Christ calls out the demon from the young man. The disciples had been on the job less than a day and already the excitement started. Jesus had stopped by the fishing villages and offered them the opportunity for a new direction in their lives, but I doubt they’d imagined that it would be like this. They knew He was different, else why would they have left the stable jobs they had as fisherman to follow Him. They’d surely felt their hearts stir within them He spoke, something drew them to Him; but they weren’t the only ones Jesus had stirred.

Jesus stirred the satanic forces. They knew who He was. They called Him by name in Mark 1:24 ~ “I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” Satan and his band of mayhem men know when God is moving in someone’s life. They know that their heyday is about to end and they rip and tear at everything they can get their teeth into to try and destroy the vessel that God is about to use. But it’s futile. Because when God takes over, the vessel is new! And when the religious leaders of the day seen Christ restore the young man to whole, they said… “This is new!”

Jesus stirred the sanctuary. They didn’t know who He was. They had been so used to dead religion, that they didn’t really know how to take the Live. Lively gospel bothers people, because they can’t control it. It’s easy to sit in a dead church, there’s nothing there to drive you up out of your seat. But get in a service where the Holy Spirit is moving and you’ll see people stand and testify, raise their hands and shout at unacceptable times, and glory to God… it makes people ask questions, like “Where did He get that authority?”

The new disciples had to have known life was about to change. When Jesus stirs up your life, it makes you and everyone else around you uncomfortable. Some will stand beside you and wait with anticipation to see what The Lord is going to do, and others will walk away. Possibly because they’re afraid they’ll get caught up in the moment and jump on the glory train, or because they’re satisfied with mediocrity.

I don’t want mediocre. I want heart thumping, soul stirring events in my life that leave people saying “By what authority did that happen?” And I can answer them with a grin on my chin… That’s God!

Is your soul stirring? Get up! and then let me know where you go…

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A New Year, a New Song ~ Bluegrass Style

What is it about the New Year that brings on a whole gamut of possibilities that a new day does not? I mean really, are they not one in the same. A new year is the completion of 365 individual days, followed by the beginning of 365 individual days. In the scope of eternity it’s not even a drop of water in all the oceans of the world, but it serves to remind us of that which we completed, that which we failed, and that which we now have opportunity again.  I joined with friends last night and we played bluegrass music and sang songs to celebrate the outgoing and the incoming years but out of the entire evening one moment stands out, because it was God moment.

I sat beside a fellow seeming considerably older than me; but maybe not. He was a man I barely knew. And as the groups of musicians took turns calling out songs, and some a little sillier than others it came to be my turn and I asked my new friend if he knew “Child of the King.” “Yep,” he replied,” but I don’t know it that well. You sing and I’ll play.” And so we did…

As I finished the final chorus with everyone now knowing the song and chiming in to sing along and my friend said, “That song ended all too soon.”

Hmm…. I have a feeling that’s what many may say at the end of time.  Each one of us may be 10 minutes from Eternity.  Sing loud! Make every moment of 2013 count for something and glorify God in the moment.  I know… sometimes that easier said than done when you’re in trying times. Look past the trying time! Be your own visionary, holding on to what God has promised to bring you through. We could have sang “Child of the King” over again. But I’ll bet the moment wouldn’t have been the same. We’re meant to go through the song of life only once. Make the best of it!

Psalm 144:9
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

That’s the gospel bluegrass style right there in the middle of Psalms!