A Look into My Past

I was fighting a spiritual battle that I can’t really explain, but I knew it was going on. The Lord gave me some good ammunition from His Word. I know as I resist the enemy, and continue to stand firm on the Promises of God, that I can do all things, THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me. As I obey the Word, I can watch the enemy back off. We fight from the victory, not for the victory.

James 4:7 Therefore submit to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

 Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.    AND 

Nehemiah 8:10 Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

As I was praying, the Lord allowed me to look into my past. I was a child learning to do things on my own, learning how to ride a bicycle. Someone was showing me how, giving me instructions  and wishing that I would learn, and learn fast. I started out with all kinds of help, and protection, training wheels, someone running along side to hold the bike up, and the Grace of God to protect me from serious injuries, we didn’t have helmets back then.  Someone was there to pick me up when I fell, and someone took care of the wounds when I crashed.

I thought about all the rules and warnings  that go along with just riding a bike. You have to push-off, make sure nobody is in your way, look both ways for cars, be careful, don’t ride in the road, don’t go too fast, go fast enough to keep your balance, remember how to use the brake, don’t take your hands off the handle bars. Growing up is not easy.

next chapter: “I know how to ride now, I have been riding for at least a week without training wheels, I’m a Pro. I know that Mom and Dad warned me about all those things because I wasn’t very good, but now, I can do all things. I am going to ride down the hill, in the road. This is going to be so much fun. I can hardly wait. It is time to push-off, WOW  this is great. I am soaring, I don’t even have to worry about the balance . Oh no, here comes a car, what should I do? I guess I will turn into the bushes. OUCH. My bike is messed up. and so am I. Actually I hurt all over, and I really don’t want to tell anyone what I did because I disobeyed my parents. BUT they are sure to find out. They will see the mess I made of the bushes, the wreck my bicycle is in, and the sores, the bleeding sores on my body. BUT, I need a tender touch, so here I go to Mom, with a humble confession. What is Mom going to say? How is she going to punish me for disobeying?”

What a surprise, when Mom seen that I was hurt, she didn’t punish me, but she did ask me one question. “Did you learn anything from this experience?” She immediately loved me better, and took care of my wounded body.

The prodigal son/daughter had returned.

I learned from this look into my past, no matter how smart you think you are, no matter what skills you think you may have, obedience is needed to make it, without getting hurt. What has your Heavenly Father taught you that you are trying to do on your own? What is it? Look around. Are you about to take a fall that you are not ready for? Listen to instructions, follow the advice of others, and maybe you won’t have to pick yourself up after a fall. Chances are, you won’t even experience a fall. But if you do, remember that the Father is waiting with open arms to doctor your wounds, comfort you, and gently ask you “Did you learn anything from this experience? “

James 4:7-9  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

a note in my bible… The Bible warns us that exalting ourselves will result in a disgraceful fall, but humbling ourselves leads to exaltation in this, and the next world.

Ouch and Amen

 

Lost Keys

God has given us the Keys to the Kingdom of God. He has given us the authority and responsibility to use the keys as His servants.

I  lost my keys somewhere.. a house key,  mailbox key,  car key, safe deposit box key, and the key to the door where I work. I have searched everywhere, with no results.  BUT, I believe the Lord is speaking to me, in and through, the loss of the keys.

The keys, that are missing, are keys to material and earthly things. These things ALSO belong to God. God has given me these keys, along with the responsibility, to take care of His things, to care for His property, here on earth.

A key is a sign of authority, of responsibility, and of ownership.

The Keys to the Kingdom of God are even more important. We need to HANG on to each and every one. Making sure the keys are in our possession all the time, and don’t casually toss them around.

Having an extra set of keys, is wise, but we really should be aware,  and be conscience, of the value behind the keys that are in our possession. It is not the key that is valuable, but what the key unlocks.

Matthew 16:19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Revelation 3:7-8  ” ……………… These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens.  I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”

Another side to the story.. Have you given God a key to every area of your life?

Ouch and Amen

 

Bottom of the Ninth

I don’t know much about baseball, but I believe the Lord gave me a word to share.

The vision, the word, the thought, or whatever, woke me up. I believe the Lord said: “It is the bottom of the ninth, time is short. You are up to bat, and the enemy is throwing all he has at you. You know the Victory belongs to your team, but you have to finish the game. Here comes a fiery dart. You are not able to hit it, but  a team-mate picks it up and throws it back. Don’t get discouraged, just step up to the line again. Here comes another one. The bat (the Sword, the Word) hits the fiery dart and it goes flying. Base Hit. Things are looking good, but the game is not over yet. Now someone else is up to bat and another fiery dart comes flying, another Base Hit. This continues until the bases are loaded and it is TIME for the last batter. He steps up to the mound and says to the enemy: You are going to go to the dugout (hell) defeated.”

baseballl is a sporting event, a sport requiring teams, a game plan, a coach and rules. At the end of the game one team wins and the other looses.

We can compare a baseball game with our lives. We are on one team or another. The game plan is God’s plan. Our coach (the Holy Spirit) is experienced in playing every position. He knows exactly how, and what to do, to win the game. We should be at practice (fellowship) and listen to our coach (Holy Spirit). No matter what position we are playing, we should be in uniform (Armor of God) we should be ready to strike out the enemy with the Sword of the Spirit (Word of God). When the game is over we can be assured of victory. We fight from the Victory, not for the Victory.

We might call baseball a game, but we have to know how to play the game, to win. Same with a spiritual battle, we are not playing little league. There is an opponent, who wants to win the game any way he can. He does not play fair. He cheats, lies, and tries every way he can to win. We all know that he has already been defeated, but he is always trying to recruit new member for his team.

Ouch and Amen

Prime the Pump

I was talking to a friend about prayer, and the words ‘prime the pump’ came out of my mouth. I realized what I had said and then I started to wonder ‘how do you prime a pump?‘ I went online with the question and most of the sites were talking about the stymulis money from the government.

I finally found a site explaining about priming a water pump, and was blessed. The water pump had no pressure, and the examination of the problem, started with checking to see if the parts of the pump were rusty. After the mechanics of the pump were in order, the person was to go to neighbor, attach a hose and run water into the well until there was water pressure again. It is hard for me to understand mechanical things, so my explanation is probably weak. The jest of the explanation is, you have to add water, to get water.

BUT the Lord started to speak to me about no water pressure in our spiritual life. I began to think about rivers flowing from our bellies, about wells of living water, about dry wells, and water pressure. Do we  have enough pressure or any pressure to give water to others, to prime their pump? Or do we need hook up with another, to prime our pump?

Ouch and Amen

 

Above the Storms

The Lord didn’t say that we wouldn’t have problems, tests or trials, but He did promise victory, and a way through.

The eagle soars on the currents of air above the storms. He uses a storm to his advantage. God has given the eagle the ability to fly above, and also the ability to see through a storm. He has given the eagle supernatural sight to locate a meal through a storm and the strength and determination to go after it. The eagle doesn’t say, ‘I can’t go that far, or why me?’ The eagle trusts God to give him the ability to fly above the storm and to go through  if he has to.

God can carry us above the storms in our life, or strengthen us to go through them. Praise God, that we don’t have to fly alone, He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is always by our side. God gives us supernatural sight to see through a storm. He gives us a vision, and He will provide  for our every need. He gives us the confidence we need to deal with the storms of life. And He has also given us the assurance that the storm will soon be over. It’s ALL in His Word.

Isaiah 40:27:-31 (NLT) O Israel, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? How can you say God refused to hear your case? Have you never heard or understood? Don’t you know that the LORD if everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; He offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the  LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Don’t give up, give it to God. Let Him give you the ability and strength to soar above and /or , make it through

The eagle flies above the storm. God wants us to mount up with wings like an eagle. The eagle is also watchful, he knows when and where the storm will hit so he will be able to rise above it. God wants us to be discerning and watchful, recognizing the storm as an opportunity to rise above.

Ouch and Amen

 

Go to the Mountain

What is the mountain in you  life? Is there something in your life that you are trying to get over, get around, or get to the top of? Trust Him to help you get over it. When there is a mountain in your life, do as Jesus did. He went to the mountain and prayed. Time on the mountain with Father God is so precious.

Time to be close to Him.

Time to actually be in His presence.

Time to be at His feet

We can cry before Him

We can honor and worship Him

We have been given the opportunity to petition Him and to intercede for others. His mighty Word tells us that the fervent, heartfelt prayer of a righteous man avails much. When we are on the mountain the mountain hasn’t moved, but it is under our feet. We are on top of the problem. Praise God.

Ouch and Amen

Never Let Go

This morning I woke up singing a song.

“Oh Lord, you never let go, you never let go of me”. The words of the song were rising in my spirit and I started thinking about a story my kids shared with me about when they were little. My aunt and uncle put them on the old hood of a car, tied the hood to the back of a car, and pulled them through the snow. The instructions to the kids: “Hang on tight, and don’t let go.”

As I was thinking about the story, my knees got weak, again, and the words of the song changed.

“Oh Lord I’ll never let go, I’ll never let go of you.”

After I started writing, I didn’t know which words were the original words.

BUT the truth is: if we never let go of Him, He will never let go of us.

Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Ouch and Amen

Earthquakes and Volcanoes

The resurrection power, the power that raised Jesus from the dead, is ours, to use today. Recently we have heard about wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, and volcanoes. There is death and destruction all around us.

Jesus said in John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy.  I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

I searched the scriptures this morning for the word earthquake and was blessed by what the Word spoke to me.

Matthew 27:50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

While reading this scripture I realized dying men don’t cry out with a loud voice BUT Jesus did.  Earthquakes usually cause death and destruction.. BUT this earthquake opened graves and raised the dead.

Matthew 28:2-9  And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women. “Do not be afraid,  for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. come see the place there the Lord lay.  And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold I have told you.” So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

There was a great earthquake at the time of Jesus death, the veil was torn from top to bottom, rocks were split, and graves were open. And as I read the scriptures, I noticed there was another earthquake when the angel of the Lord rolled back the stone, at the resurrection.

The earthquakes that we are hearing about today are destroying lives and property. But these earthquakes in scripture caused people to be set free. Graves were opened. The guards at the tomb, feared and believed that Jesus was Lord. The torn veil gave ALL believers the opportunity to enter into the presence of God.

The LORD revealed to me that He is shaking (quaking) His church. He is saying; ‘ARISE from the grave, it is time to wake up and look up.’ He is saying; Let the WORD of God erupt from your bellies like a volcano.’

I was reminded of Acts 2, The Spirit of the Lord is poured out upon ALL flesh.. The Spirit of God is going to come with the power and strength of a tsunami. Imagine when this wave moves through the land, instead of death and destruction, there will be life and restoration. WOW.

Ouch and Amen

A Balloon Bouquet

What a blessing! One day a friend of mine sent me a balloon bouquet. It contained nine different colored balloons filled with helium. They were tied together with colorful ribbons. (it reminded me of a rainbow) I immediately tied the bouquet to my stair case railing.

Every day when I looked at the balloons, I asked the Lord to speak to me through the balloon bouquet. He would start, and I would just go on doing whatever I was doing. Ouch

Today I decided to sit and listen to the Holy Spirit speak through the balloon bouquet. Amen

The bouquet was given by a friend, and the money, was used to fund a mission trip to Mexico. The bouquet was a blessing to me, to others, and to GOD.

Have you ever wondered who thought of, and invented the balloon and figured out how to blow them up? Isn’t is amazing how a different kind of air will cause a balloon to rise?

The Lord reminded me that each balloon was special and served a purpose. Someone brought the balloon to the helium tank and the balloon was filled, it was lifted up. It was used to edify and encourage someone, through someone else.

The first balloon to wilt, wither or droop, reminded me of our physical body. As we get older, our bodies have been stretched and the shape we once had, is gone. The firmness has disappeared and wrinkles appear.

What about our spiritual body, filled with a supernatural substance called Faith. As Faith enters we are lifted up and as long as we are filled we can be a blessing to others, and to God. There are times when we become lukewarm or lose some of the power that hold us up. At that time we need to remember Who and What caused us to be exalted or lifted up in the first place. We can go to the Word of God and be filled and rise above again. Our spiritual body can be firm, and rise above the storms,  in a supernatural way.

Have you ever watched a helium balloon when it is released outside? It is awesome to see how they go higher and higher, until they are out of sight. Jesus went to heaven in that fashion, and He is going to call His church to meet Him in the air at the time of the rapture.

One morning I noticed some of the balloons were starting to droop, and they were actually pulling the others down with them. Do you have some droopy friends that are pulling you down. Maybe it is time to cut them off, to get rid of them, cut the string that binds them to you. If they don’t want to get filled with that supernatural Power, pray for them but don’t let them pull you down.

One more thing. The red balloon was the last one (reminding me of the blood of Jesus). The red balloon got free from the railing and rose to the ceiling of my house and was there (it seemed like forever). I will let you think about that one.

Ouch and Amen

Under Your Coat

As a child, we sometimes try to hide things from others. I was awakened this morning with the question: “What do you have under your coat?” I started to think about the fact that we are all born with a sinful nature, and we might take something that belongs to someone else, and then try to hide it, so we don’t get in trouble. I thought about the conversation between a child and a parent.

“What do you have under your coat?”

“Nothing!”

“Are you sure? Let me see!”

“I promise, I don’t have nothing.” (bad language, but I have heard those words, and used those words.) ‘I promise I won’t do it again.’  A friend calls and asks; ‘What are you doing?’ and I answer;  ‘nothing’.

The conversation continues until the child sheepishly, and ashamed, pulls his hand out and ‘whatever’ is revealed.

OK, now for the Ouch and Amen. I believe God revealed to me that he has given each of us a coat of many colors. He has promised us riches here on earth, as well as in heaven. BUT what do we have hidden under our coat (our mantle) our robe of righteousness? What is it that we have, that needs to be revealed? What are we trying to hide from God and others?  Father God is saying; “Give it up! Give it to me now!” Listen to me, you need to ask for forgiveness,  for the sins you have hidden under our coat.  And at the same time, I want you to share the gifts I have given to you.”

It is time to get rid of the sins we have under our coat, and to share the gifts GOD has given to us.

Ouch and Amen