Bold as a Lion

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion (Pr. 28:1)
In Rev. 21:8 the word of God says that the fearful (which means cowardly in the Greek) will have their place in the lake which burneth with brimstone: which is the second death.I don't know about you but those scriptures speak volumes to me. I take this very seriously in my own life and I believe all who consider themselves men and women of God should take this seriously as well. God says that He did not give us a spirit of timidity but of power, love and a sound mind. He is not the author of cowardliness. We serve a mighty and courageous God who created a human race in His own image and breathed life into them and He expects us to be a people that conduct ourselves likewise just as we were created to do. We will never be as great as our God but we are to model His character. God is not in the business of creating milk toast Christians, the enemy might be, but not our Jehovah God.

I am looking forward to the day when men and women of God from all over the world begin to boldly speak-up once again and make a righteous stand against wickedness. I am not promoting activism per say as some might interpret it. I am simply saying that I would like to see men and women of God stand up for the Word of God and let their voices be heard. If the Word of God isn't being followed in us (the church), how are we going to make an impact in the world.

This message is for all who call themselves men and women of Jehovah God: "May all of us begin to make a stand against the enemy." If this fleshly vessel goes down at least we can go down in great courage and rise up in Christ Jesus who has the victory! And the gates of hell will not prevail against the church. We as the people of God need to make a bold stand and speak the Word and bring loving correction and instruction, and if necessary reproof or rebuke. We are all accountable to the Word of God, and no one is greater than our God.

When we don't make a stand for God's Word this is cowardly and this is a sin, and if we do this it is likely that we could be placing ourselves in the hands of an angry God. The fear of man must cease in Jesus name and God's people repent.

The Word says In Mt. 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. May this exhort all to make a stand and be a righteous people that are bold as lions. It is time!!! Here is a perfect example of why God's people need to start speaking up. The Word of God says to Preach the Word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Tim. 4: 2-4).

The Love Test!

May we always be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and offer that special hug or touch, it may mean the difference between life and death for some as well as a test on our part.
Back in 1992 I believe it was, there was a homeless lady who came to a church we use to attend. It was a ladies conference and I was one of the greeters at the door. We were told specifically that we were to receive the tickets at the door and that they could not come into the church without one, I thought to myself, "how rude!" what if someone comes who doesn't have a ticket for whatever reason?

When the homeless lady approached the door, of course I knew that she wouldn't have a ticket but I asked her any ways just in case someone might of gave her one. She told me that she didn't have a ticket, so being the renegade that I am I lovingly stroked her back and said, "come on in, I will find you a seat."

The conference leader approached me and asked if she had a ticket. I said, "No she doesn't, but she should be allowed to attend anyways." I usually just say what I think, sometimes it gets me in a lot of trouble though. I am still seeking some wisdom from the Lord in that area LOL! He is very patient with me. Thank you Jesus!

Well anyways, I had found out later that it was all a set up and the homeless lady was a plant.

We all had volunteered our positions and I love to greet, so I chose to greet the people coming in the door. The test was whether we were going to reach out in love and welcome others despite their appearance and not having a ticket.

Well! Praise be to God I passed the test! I think the conference leader was a little upset though, I think deep down she was hoping that the test would not be passed,
because she was wanting to bring a message as to hammer the people about not loving and accepting others, so it totally caught her off guard and I messed her message all up.

Maybe it was supposed to be a message for herself?

God is so good!

Don't Panic!

God is right there and He hears your cry. He said that He would never leave you or forsake you, so don't panic! That is easier said than done, isn't it? When we feel afraid/insecure panic can easily set in. In the panic mode we begin struggling in our own desperate attempt to survive. Which can be deadly.

When fear begins creeping into our hearts and minds this is the time that we need to be still and trust God. Do not struggle by trying to do things in your own strength and power. Cry out to God! it's okay, just don't panic. Rest, be still and trust Him. Your Heavenly Daddy hears your cry and He will come to your aid just in time, and sweep you up in His arms.

Contentment And The Simple Faith Of A Child

Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me (Mt. 18:3-5).
I just recently received this in my e-mail and I would like to share it. I know it will bless your heart as it did mine.
GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED. I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night. He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen, "Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed." I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room.
Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in. He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult. He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed and that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.
I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed. The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work. He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. "That one's goin to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.
Kevin doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple. He will never know the entanglements of wealth and power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it. He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others.
Kevin's heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue. Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances. Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.
Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion. In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions. It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care. Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God. And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed. Kevin won't be surprised at all!
May we all learn from Kevin about contentment and the simple faith of a child.

Baptized In His Love

I have been studying the scriptures lately about God's Love, and I want to thank my friend Jim at Journaling For Growth and also my friend Larry at
Night Writing in the Morning Light because they both have been writing about God's love and loving others and this has been an inspiration for me to write something of God's Love as well. So I want to say thank you Jim and Larry for being an inspiration of the Love of God and how we are to love one another.

To walk out God's plan for us in our life and to be an honorable vessel for His use and Glory we must know who we are in Christ and before we can know who we are in Christ we must know that we are loved passionately and desperately by our Creator. In John 17:26 Jesus is praying for us to the Father and He is asking the Father to bestow upon us the same love that the Father bestowed upon Him and that we might know His love in our hearts and that Jesus Christ Himself may be in us.

Listen to what the Word of God says in (Eph. 3: 16-19) about the Love of Christ,

v. 16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

v. 17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! may you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,

v. 18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

v. 19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

As I was studying these scriptures the title of this post came to me, "Baptized In His Love." Have we been immersed, saturated/permeated with the Love of God? Does His love indwell in our innermost being? His Love in us is the richest measure of His divine Presence and with this we become a body wholly FILLED and FLOODED with God Himself. WOW! I had to shout Hallelujah there. We must know that WE are loved as to be filled, flooded/baptized in Christ's Love before we can truly love Him. (1Jn. 4:19 AMP) We love Him because He first loved us. Now, we can pour out of ourselves His love unto others.

God's love is foreign to our natural man because it is a perfect love, there is no fear in this love. If we live in the flesh and not in the spirit we will resist His love. Those who live in the flesh will resist the Gospel and the teachings of Christ Jesus. They will shut their ears to his teachings because they cannot bear to listen to His message. (1 Jn. 4:6b AMP) And he who is not of God does not listen or pay attention to us. By this we know (recognize) the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of error. There is no love in them for the Word of God because they have resisted the love of God to dwell and come to make it's abode in their hearts, therefore they have no love for others. (1 Jn. 4:8 AMP) He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love.

Those who deny their flesh and the lusts thereof and live in the spirit will receive the love of God and the Words of Christ with Joy. They will welcome the cleansing waves of His Love. They will abandon themselves to the peace of His perfect love. They will have no fear because they welcome His love to come and penetrate the darkness and silence the winds and the storms of life. Stillness comes and they will rest in His perfect love as it washes and fills every crevice of their being. In this welcoming surrender is the moment that we can begin to understand the breadth, length, height and depth of His Love so as to walk in the fullness of God! (1 Jn. 4:16b AMP) God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

Baptize us with Your Love Lord!

Knowing Him Is Eternal

My Daughter bought me a book titled, "Moments of Peace for the Morning" for my birthday. I wanted to share what I read this morning. It ministered to me and I hope it will minister to you as well.

This is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. (John 17:3 ESV).
There will be times in your life when your only source of comfort will be God. It will be through worship, prayer, and Bible study that you gain the energy, wisdom, and hope to make it through the day.
This is not a trial, this is the goal-to need no earthly encouragement because God has become everything to you. Your comfort, peace, and joy all come from God. It is during these times that God replaces your earthly nature with a love and longing for the eternal.
Rejoice, God is preparing you for eternal life by changing your perspective and helping you to know him better.
Build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21 ESV).
I thank you, Father, that learning about you today is about loving you in countless tomorrows, I love you and praise your wonderful name. In Jesus name Amen!