Draw Near to GOD....

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you...James 4:8

The daily grind of living in this fallen world has a way of dulling our spiritual senses. Instead of longing for deeper intimacy with Jesus, many find their pleasures and fulfillment in the things of this world. The result is~we move from day to day and week to week, robbed of the joy and peace that only a close relationship can give with the Lord Jesus Christ. But the truth is some Christians are satisfied with having a distant relationship with God. From their perspective, God is afar off... in heaven, and has too many others to deal with to worry about them. A prayer may be offered up once in a while but really have no idea how to reach for God and experience that type of relationship that they once thought possible.  What they don't realize is that GOD desires so much more for them! He desires more for you too!

We must maintain a daily communication line with our Saviour daily... through prayer, the Bible and of course there are those nudges, those convictions that He sends in our spirit.  Sometimes there are those unexpected encounters that God sends our way expectantly... at times they are life-changing experiences initiated by God.. we have to keep our spiritual ears open continually and be receptive, so when God speaks we are ready to listen.

We see in The Word of God accounts where he has made interactions with his people. God never changes, he is the same and so he continues to deal the same way with us today in powerful ways.  These experiences are not only for the ministry, for leadership. God wants to daily communicate intimately with all of his children, but too often, too many times we are just too busy to stop and give God an opportunity to speak or us to stop and listen to him.  If you haven't had any encounters here lately that you can recall, then maybe you've tuned him completely out with the sounds and voices of the world.  How much silence do you experience on a typical day? Is there a set time of the day that you have set apart to sit still and know that He is GOD in prayer? Or, are your days filled with commotion so loud that you don't have time to think, from morning to night? Is he Completely drowned out?

You may feel disconnected and distant from the Lord. You don't have to stay away, he is waiting, for he desires that closeness, but you have to draw near to Him, quiet your spirit and listen to His voice that speaks through His Word. Then he can come with that special message, an open line of communication and intimacy...The time to begin drawing near is now, not we you desperately need to hear from Him.  We need an encounter with God! We have to cultivate an intimate relationship with Him, He loves us you so much and wants you to be aware of His Presence.But we have to make ourselves available.  We need to spend time daily reading the scriptures that he has given unto us. Pray and stay tuned and ready to listen to His voice. Ask him to speak to you, to your heart and wait for him to show himself to you, and He will.

MERCY or JUDGEMENT?

2 Peter 2:4-6 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.

I wonder why people today think that God has changed His mind regarding mercy and judgment. As we read in the opening text, God dealt with the ungodly with judgment and the righteous with mercy. I grieve in my spirit each day as I see the multitudes who have been lured into the enemies net of deception. Why are we quick to listen to the things that tickle our ears and please our flesh and then turn around and question the word of God? The explanation is simple. We have allowed our sinful nature to rule our life
because we love pleasure more than commitment, instant gratification more than sacrifice, and we want it right now instead of waiting patiently for God. Ouch!

This is what I believe God has laid on my heart. The word of the Lord has purpose and even though it hurts to hear the truth at times, it is necessary for bringing change. For those who have been seeking and following the Lord to the best of your ability, keep going. For those who have been struggling lately, hold on to the promises of God and put your faith in His word, for victory is coming to those who refuse
to throw in the towel. Just as God sent His prophets with a word of warning to those who have allowed compromise to rule their life, He is still sending a wake up call to His people today.


God always extends His mercy before judgment comes. I believe the door of mercy is wide open today and I also believe that judgment is right around the corner. Jesus told us that the end times would be very
similar to the days of Noah. The old world was judged by a great flood because mankind was consumed by wickedness. Think about it for a minute. Every man, woman, boy, girl, grandparent, as well as newborn child were destroyed by the flood of judgement. The opening text stated that Noah was a preacher of  righteousness. I believe this is where mercy could have been applied. An anointed preacher will warn people of God’s coming judgment and instruct people to turn from their wicked ways and return to the Lord. Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith t he Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel? You see, God's desire was for people to turn around and
come back to Him. Noah preached and warned the people and yet they made light of it until it was too late. When the door of the ark closed shut, mercy was no longer available. The people sung a different tune when the skies began to open and rain started to pour forth. “Noah, please, please, open the door, we believe you now.” Noah, please take my precious child inside, don’t let him die.” Just a week before the people walked by and mocked and ridiculed the man of God and now they are pleading with him.

Do you see the similarities in the day we live in? People want to go to heaven as long as they don’t have to make a commitment to get there. I truly believe there is good in most people, however, our goodness will never be good enough. God will never change His mind when it comes to His word. We will obey it or deny it, we will either turn to Him or turn away from Him, and we will either be saved or we will be lost. Jesus said it as plain as the nose on our faces. John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The new birth brings a change in our life. The Holy Spirit is alive and working in us each and every day. We
 have power to live victorious through Christ and do not need to be a servant to sin. My friend, God is going to fulfill His word and there will be no excuse good enough why you neglected the gift of eternal life. God is love and also He is just. Mercy is here today and yet there is no guarantee you will have access to it tomorrow. Have you turned from your way unto His? He waits patiently and
calls you by name. Acts 2:38 Then  Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This invitation goes forth today from the Lord.

HE HEALETH THE BROKEN...

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

Family members can hurt you worse than anyone else. When a loved one turns against you, it can cut you deeper than any other form of rejection. Although we’ve all made our parents at times, when a care-giver or close relation says you are "worthless," they can damage you emotionally and morally. Wounded people often don’t realize how deeply they are hurt. They may not even realize they are acting in response to wounds they buried long in the past. Soul damage can follow us forever, until we find freedom.

 

Scripture promises the Lord is close to those “that are of a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18), and He comes to “set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).

Bruised people have been hurt intentionally.

Bruises hurt whenever you touch them.

Bruises only happen from close up action.

 

If you’re hurting from someone who deliberately accused you, molested you, or otherwise destroyed your self-worth, you need to know that Jesus Christ offers you liberty. You don’t have to stumble through life in blind pain, grieving inside, seeing no end to your frustration.

 

When you run to Him with your tears,

when you leave behind all your demands,

when you accept the fact that He thinks you are wonderful,

when you stop believing all the lies you’ve been told, and

 

when you find the end of yourself,

 

then you will find what walking with Jesus means.

The Lord didn’t come to wave a magic wand toward problems and say “See ya’ in Heaven.” With wide-open arms, He gathered the cast-off children, the drunks, the divorce victims, and the disabled. He came to rebuild a tattered world. He came to let us know the love of God. Broken weeping draws us near to Him. Looking into His light chases away the clouds of the past. Begin the lifelong journey now, to experience this life of wholeness.

HE WHO WOULD LOVE LIFE

11/2019 
I wrote this a little while ago... and just now found it... 
I am so thankful for JESUS' Amazing love for me.  He did not leave me alone. 


I hated life.
I hated myself...
The person I had become.
I had created my own despair.
In the darkest of valleys, I would dwell,
I remember well...dreading every morning.
I dreaded life, period.
At first, I was afraid I was going to die; then I wished I had.
In my choices, I had dug myself so deep into the mire.
Every dream had been smothered.
Every plan had evaporated.
Life as I had known it, trickled like sand in my hands.
Poof! Gone.
I could not make sense of the mess I alone created, and I. wanted. out.
Ensnared in my own vices,
Tangled up in my own web,
Shame came crashing down like a vicious torment.
Regret overwhelmed my soul.
The agonizing torment that detonated my mind to explode viciously...
Ravaging my thoughts, I fought to escape! 
Oppression and fear choked me until there was no more air left.
Then suddenly, BAM! Life became a misery.

My darkness came because of the choices I made.
My heart was clouded with a dark haze.
I became distraught in my walk.
My heart became blurred with its fleshly mundane cravings.
My focus was blurred.
I was fixated on the pleasures of the world.
My eyes wandered to things...Things that I let overpower my fleshly desire.
I became bad. I had gone days on end basking in the mire.
So lost in my darkness. So much junk congested my heart.
Weary & tired, so worn, so exhausted... I reached out...
 I would crave to see a merciful hand come to my rescue.
But only found shattering words that battered my heart.
Judgmental eyes piercing like knives to my soul;
only to leave me deeper in my hopelessness and in my dark despair.
I would cry and complain about my circumstance,
Gripe about the problems, and criticizing others as well, for not having any compassion.
Because I let my tongue speak evil, my heart gave up on life.
I was pouring negativity into my soul... with the squabbling of my mouth.
Like the writer who only focused on vanity and meaninglessness, I could say, “I hated life”
 "So I hated life because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it." (Ecclesiastes 2:17, AMPC).

Regret and disappointment weighed my soul down until I could no longer sing.
Within my heart there was No longer a song, nor a melody;
And with every ounce of the yearning within,
In the midst of my apathy, in my spiritual battle,
And in my despair, I fought,I cried out to My God!
Only to mutter silent words.
There came a silence so deafening,
but gasping for the last breath within me,
I cried from the depths of my pain, then a scream exploded!
Out it came, like a roar from deep within!

“How do I love life again?”
"I need you, GOD!"
"How do I begin again?"
"I need You!'
"I want out of this hell!"

Even though I was blinded by all the ugly that I let in,
I could not see one thing to be happy about,
I knew exactly what I needed to do, to my knees I fell.
I fought with all that was within me. I had to dig deep, 
going to the depths of this disastrous soul.
There was a darkness that held on,
I had to chip away at the morass that I placed there.
Digging that well that was corrupted with the muck and slime of this world.
I prayed; I promised God I would stop talking negative. 
Even though my relationship with the Lord had become dry and dead,
I needed him, now more than ever.
I needed hope; I needed the strength to overcome!
I vowed to praise him in the storm that I, myself had created.
I began to thank God, And I began to praise Him.
I began to worship him in the midst of my hopelessness.
I searched for that hope that was absorbed in my disaster.
It was a struggle, but the more I prayed the stronger I became.
I searched hard to find the good in my life, 
Remembering the blessings God so graciously had given me in my past storms.
This was not my first failure, my first fall, my first wreckage.
I forced myself to look for the best in this tempest. 
At times, It seemed silly to be so positive in my dreariness.
But I continued on with that overwhelming love that only God can give...
He gave me the courage to face the monster that I had created. 
He gave me the strength to pierce my darkness with His marvelous light.
With a heart of worship to God Almighty, I returned my heart to him.
I became an OVERCOMER! 
I would Love life; I would love myself again and Love God more than ever before.

' These things I have spoken unto you,
that in me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.' John 16:33 KJV
Morning came! Joy Came! 
I jumped out of bed and suddenly caught myself—I was looking forward to the day! 
Once again, I saw the sunrise Jesus made for me, the magnificent colors that covered the skies! 
I felt that peace that only comes from Him.
He had taught me how to love life by controlling my mouth.
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth does speak.
We have to be careful of what we feed our minds, our souls, our hearts, what we set our eyes upon or what we let our ears listen to.
Being down and out and listening to some depressed drunk guy singing the blues will only get you as low as you are already!  
Get up and get out of that mire and start praising God for his Goodness, for his mercy and his great love.   
We have to make that choice of what state we want to be in! 

This was not a fake to impress anybody because only I knew what I was going through. 
I have gone through many calendar pages since that trial, but still I find every day alive with hope. When I start getting oppressed again, I know I have been talking about the bad news, bad weather, bad economy, bad administration, or whatever. 
Every day I must think and talk about whatever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.

A BEAUTIFUL PRICE

Matthew 13:45-46 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

I love the parable that Jesus spoke regarding the merchant and the pearl of great price. Of course in this story we know that Jesus is the merchant and our soul is the pearl of great wealth. A pearl is the product of pain. The process begins when the oyster gets a grain of sand or a foreign object like a piece of fish bone trapped in its mouth. This causes the oyster to cover the irritant with saliva and calcium which reduces the pain. Each time the oyster covers the grain of sand it becomes a little smoother and a little larger. The process goes on for as long as three years to produce the pearl. The finished product is not only beautiful
to the beholder, but can be quite valuable. When Jesus Christ found you in the midst of your sins, He was willing to pay the highest amount for your redemption. Our sins would cost Him the pain and suffering of Calvary and He took something that was quite useless and made it into something of great beauty and worth. My friend, Jesus loves you and paid a beautiful price for you to have a relationship with Him. He pulled us out of the pit of sin, out of the miry clay and began to mold us into something beautiful and of great wealth.

For those of you who are walking with Christ and your life appears to be spinning out of control and you feel like you are all alone, I have a word from the Lord for you. "Be patient my child, I am still covering you each day just like the oyster who continues to cover the grain of sand until completion". Let us be reminded
of this precious promise we have been given from Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! The pain we go through is part of the process of becoming the beautiful handiwork of the Lord. His anointing is covering us, His promises are covering us, His will is covering us and His favor is covering us. Layer upon layer we are becoming strengthened and being made ready for the Master's work. There is a tremendous reward for being patient as God prepares His servant to fulfill His will. Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified. What a beautiful price. 

There is something that stands out about a pearl that is different from every other gem. A pearl can not be divided like a diamond or ruby. The pearl is whole and if it was to be cut or divided it would lose its value. No wonder Satan does everything in his power to divide our Churches, our families and the word of God. He knows we will not be valuable to our community, our lost neighbors and co-workers. A pearl must be in unity in order for it to be sought after. My friend, the Lord looked at the price tag that was hanging from your soul and when He turned it over and it stated "Everything" He said He would pay the price. It cost Jesus everything to purchase our salvation and this beautiful gospel. You were worth every stripe they placed upon His back, you were worth every agonizing moment of pain when they pressed the crown of thorns upon His head and you were worth the excruciating pain from the nails they drove through His
hands and feet. Don't let the devil whisper in your ears that you are worthless. You are a pearl in the eyes of the Lord and to Him you are worth everything. Yes my friend, our salvation was paid with a beautiful price.

STARE AT ME ONE MORE TIME!

Why do people have the need to stare? Not just take a quick look or glance, but flat out stare. I see people doing this all the time when I'm out in public, particularly to me. This just happened recently… Sunday I, along with my family were out eating and as we were leaving, I turned back and saw this person staring and instantly I knew he was talking about me or us, because the others were also staring. Now you might think this is just all in my mind and that I'm imagining these things but I know that I'm being stared at. Maybe you think that I have a problem with my ego and think I’m high and mighty but It's not hard to notice when some is looking directly at you while their eyes follow as you move. Then you might say that maybe just it's the way I look or act that is attracting the attention, but this shouldn't be the reason either. I look like the average person, not too ugly but not too beautiful either. I DO have to say I don’t dress like the average person, I dress MODESTLY. I wear dresses, skirts and I Do Not reveal myself to anyone but my husband. I believe in always looking my best when in public, I represent my husband and my children and most importantly I represent My GOD! Is they why people stare? I walk like the average person, nothing to crazy or unusual that would draw attention. I am confident in myself. I do hold my head up. I am not stuck-up or conceited, or think of myself better than the next person. There is a difference between confidence and conceitedness. Oh, and I am Fluffy, I might add. =)


The other day I saw someone staring at me as if they wanted to kill me. At first I wasn't completely sure that they were looking at me, but when I took a second glance I saw that their eyes were still locked on me and the closer they got the angrier they looked. I had no idea who this person was; I had never seen them before in my life, so I was totally confused as to why they were staring at me like that. Then when the person finally walked passed me they actually turned their head to continue staring at me. At this point I busted out laughing, the look this person had on their face was just too funny. Now that kind of thing isn't normal, usually it's just 5 to 10 seconds of staring. But in the world we live in no one really smiles anymore. I like to smile, I try to smile all the time especially when I greet people and that can make a person’s day, now for some, it doesn’t faze them! They are always grumpy and that’s how they like it! LOL!



So why is that these people insist on staring, Curiosity? Could it be that they do because they are insecure about themselves or they need to know what everyone else looks like in order to make sure they look better or to make sure that they fit in. Then again maybe I'm wrong, maybe because of intimidation, they want to give that stern look and try to bring you down with a stare? I don’t really know. Maybe because they see JESUS in my life and they sit in wonder and unintentionally stare? Could be that they long for the joy, the peace, the happiness that Jesus gives me, that smile he paints on my face! Or just the Light of His Glory that lives within me~ the Holy Ghost! I don’t have the “holier than thou” attitude. That to me, just makes people RUN away from any type of religion. So, I just smile and greet people as much as I possibly can. At times I catch myself thinking to hard and I can imagine what people think when they actually see me in this mode.


Saying all of this… if it were not for JESUS in my life I probably would’ve already have gone up to these people and gouge someone's eyes out just to teach the person staring at me a lesson and permanently blind them! =) So word to the wise, if you stare, stop doing it because you never know when the next person you stare at might just finally lose it. That would be me without Jesus in my life....But if people do stare… give them a smile and greet them you never know what kind of day they might be having or what situations that they may be facing. SMILE!

Healer of the Brokenhearted

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds”



Psalm 147:3The Lord who heals the brokenhearted is also the One who counts the stars and calls them all by name (147:4). Our great and powerful God is also full of mercy. It is when we are broken for our sin that we understand God’s grace and praise Him.
 
There are many kinds of broken hearts. Hearts are broken through disappointment. Hearts are broken when loved ones die. Hearts are broken in many ways. But Christ is good at healing all kinds of broken hearts. “Come to me, all who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”



Christ heals those whose hearts are broken for sin. Some waste many years of their lives living without God. They forget the God who has blessed them. When our hearts are broken because of our sin, Jesus forgives and heals us. He shows the greatness of His power and wisdom by helping those who are in despair. He delights to set those who are burdened free.


It takes great wisdom to comfort a broken heart. We are unable to do it. Only God can heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.


Who is this One who heals the broken in heart? Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” (Luke 4:21) Jesus was sent by God to heal the brokenhearted. He left heaven to come to earth to heal the brokenhearted.



Jesus had a broken heart and so He is able to comfort us. “Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none.” (Psalm 69:20-21) Jesus cried from the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46) In all our distress He too was distressed (Isaiah 63:9). He was tempted in every way just as we are (Hebrews 4:15). “A man of suffering and familiar with pain” (Isaiah 53:3).


Jesus is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray. Jesus has been healing broken hearts for thousands of years! No one has ever come to Jesus and been turned away because their condition is too bad. Jesus never refuses anyone who comes to Him (John 6:37). He is mighty to save.

The human heart needs more than human skill to heal it. There is only one Person who can heal our hearts and He does. He is doing this work now. Jesus is still healing the brokenhearted. His power and patience never run out. He still heals. We are never too old to be saved. No one has ever come to Jesus with a broken heart that He did not heal. We go to the doctor sometimes and they tell us there is nothing they can do for us. Some sicknesses are incurable. But Jesus is able to save completely those who come to God through Him (Hebrews 7:25).



Psalm 147 begins and ends with “Praise the LORD.” God is to be praised because He heals the brokenhearted. None of the gods of the nations were ever praised for this. They cannot heal the brokenhearted. Only God, the Maker of all, can heal the brokenhearted. He delights to save those who seem hopeless.