Do Not Get Caught up in Busyness or Distractions... Seek First the Kingdom of God & a Passion to do His Will (10.4.18)

My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work - John 4:34

Faith Believers,
In a defining season of my life, GOD taught me how to hear Him and He immediately put me to work with doing His Will.

Before twelve months were finished I had come to know GOD as my Provider, my Deliverer, my Healer, my Father. For the first time I experienced the joy and intimacy with GOD that I had longed for as I began to do the Will of GOD. 

 

In subsequent years I would discover the waning or deepening of intimacy with GOD was connected to the rising and falling of my passion and obedience to “do His Will and finish His Work.” (Jn. 4:34). 

 

I discovered two great threats to intimacy with GOD that existed in my life:

1. A heart that cooled in its passion to serve GOD and see His Kingdom come. Too often our heart turns the leaves of its affections toward the sunshine of lesser things. Comfort and ease may beckon us. Perhaps financial security entices us, or status and prestige set up stumbling blocks in our paths.
   
   When this happens, we increasingly begin making decisions in our own favor instead of His. We reduce the amount of time and energy in seeking His Kingdom. This begins to create a wall of separation. And often times, GOD's Voice will become faint, His presence elusive, His guidance muddy.
   
2.  Busyness in doing many good things, but not the non-negotiable things required to fulfill the work given to us by GOD. Our heart may not cool off, in fact, it may be very eager because we are so desirous to serve GOD that we add on one responsibility after another. We may see good causes and try to respond; however, GOD did not call us to do everything, He want us to do only what He assigned to us.
   
   Jesus never let the needs of the people dictate His direction. He was not called to meet needs, but to do the Will of His Father. We can lose a close connection with GOD when we become so busy doing good things that fulfilling our assignment suffers.
   

Beware of a prayer life that does not seek first the Kingdom but merely asks good things for others.

Seek GOD with a heart that burns with passion
     to do His Will.
Then roll up your sleeves, get to work, and enjoy
     an intimate relationship with GOD!

 

 

~ Prayer ~
Righteous Father,

You created me for a purpose, and my heart’s desire is to fulfill what You have called me to do.

I often struggle with being pulled in many directions because of all the needs around me, and can easily be caught up in busyness or distractions!

Don’t let me be deluded by complacency or satisfied with less than Your Best! 

May I bring You honor and glory in the midst of what You have entrusted to me!
Amen

Prayer Points

Thank GOD for leading you into quiet places and restoring your soul as you meet Him daily in prayer. Confess those times when you have resisted the discipline and guidance of His Shepherd’s Crook. Commit yourself to becoming so familiar with the Lord’s Voice that you will follow Him without hesitation or fear (John 10:3-5). Ask GOD to give you a shepherd’s heart toward others.

  -  Marilyn

 

 

Blessed Assurance [from "God Calling"] - (10.3.18)

---

October 3
Blessed Assurance

And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of
righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.
Isaiah 32:17

Be still and know that I am God.  Only when the soul attains this calm can there be true work done, and mind and soul and body be strong to conquer and to bear.

  The Peace is the work of righteousness living the right living with Me.  Quietness an assurance follow.

  Assurance is the calm born of deep certainty in Me, in My Promises, in My Power to save and keep.  Gain this calm, and at all costs keep this calm.  Rest in Me.  Live in Me. Calm, quiet, assured - at Peace.

---

Daily reflections from the book "God Calling"  by A.J. Russell,
published by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Used by Permission.

When to Be Silent (10.2.18)

This is a repost from 3.24.17 and 3.14.14.
God Bless!!   

______________________________

WHEN TO BE SILENT

  1.  IN THE HEAT OF ANGER - PROVERBS 14:17

BE SILENT
 
  2.  WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THE FACTS - PROVERBS 18:13

BE SILENT
 
  3.  WHEN YOU HAVEN'T VERIFIED THE STORY - DEUTERONOMY 17:6

BE SILENT
 
  4.  IF YOUR WORDS WILL OFFEND ANOTHER PERSON - 1 CORINTHIANS 8:11

BE SILENT
 
  5.  WHEN IT IS TIME TO LISTEN - PROVERBS 13:1

 BE SILENT
  6.  WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO MAKE LIGHT OF HOLY THINGS - ECCLESIASTES 5:2

BE SILENT
 
  7.  WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO JOKE ABOUT SIN - PROVERBS 14:9

BE SILENT
 
  8.  IF YOU WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOUR WORDS LATER - PROVERBS 8:8

 BE SILENT
 
  9.  IF YOUR WORDS WOULD CONVEY THE WRONG IMPRESSION - PROVERBS 17:27

 BE SILENT
 
 10. IF THE ISSUE IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS - PROVERBS 14:10

 BE SILENT
 
 11. WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO TELL AN OUTRIGHT LIE - PROVERBS 4:24

BE SILENT
 
 12. IF YOUR WORDS WILL DAMAGE SOMEONE ELSE'S REPUTATION - PROVERBS 16:27

 BE SILENT
 
 13. IF YOUR WORDS WILL DAMAGE A FRIENDSHIP - PROVERBS 16:28

BE SILENT
  14. WHEN YOU ARE FEELING CRITICAL - JAMES 3:9

 BE SILENT
 
 15. IF YOU CAN'T SAY IT WITHOUT SCREAMING IT - PROVERBS 25:28

BE SILENT 16. IF YOUR WORDS WILL BE A POOR REFLECTION OF THE LORD OR YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY - PETER 2:21-23

BE SILENT
 
 17. IF YOU MAY HAVE TO EAT YOUR WORDS LATER - PROVERBS 18:21

 BE SILENT
 
 18. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SAID IT MORE THAN ONE TIME  - PROVERBS 19:13

BE SILENT
 
 19. WHEN YOU ARE TEMPTED TO FLATTER A WICKED PERSON - PROVERBS 24:24

 BE SILENT
 
 20. WHEN YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WORKING INSTEAD - PROVERBs 14:23

 BE SILENT

  "WHOEVER GUARDS HIS MOUTH & TONGUE KEEPS HIS SOUL FROM TROUBLES"
proverbs 21:23

- author unknown

#ScriptureReflection - Acts of the Apostles 18 (10.1.18)

In Corinth

18 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. ⁴ Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. ⁶ But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. ⁸ Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. ¹³ “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
¹⁴ Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. ¹⁵ But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” ¹⁶ So he drove them off. ¹⁷ Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

¹⁸ Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. ¹⁹ They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. ²¹ But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.
²³ After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor^[a] and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

October Cover Photo (2018)

Speak "Peace! Be Still!" to Your Storms. Speak it Now. (9.30.18)

My Child,

Speak now to your storms and say, "Peace! Be still!"

The winds of adversity have blown, and this tornado effect has tried to keep you in a tail spin. But now, My Child, arise and speak to the wind.

Speak to the storms that seem to prevail.
Then, quiet the storms of your own heart
     and be at peace.

Stop striving and begin to live by the strength of My Grace. Tell me, My Child, what can come against you and prevail that I have no control over? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

Why are you worrying?

Stand on My Word and rebuke the enemy! All of this is coming from him to destroy your soul and peace of mind. The only thing he will respect is My Word. When you rebuke the enemy in the name of My Son, Jesus; he will flee.  he cannot stand in the presence of GOD.

Peace speak over all that is concerning you
     right now in the matchless name of Jesus!

       

Isaiah 26:3 - You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,
because he trusts in You.

Mark 4:39 (NKJV) - Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased.

       

~ Prayer ~
I'm praying that the peace of GOD will flood your soul;
     and send any fears holding you back, running.

So that the vision the Lord has given you,
     will come to pass.

Amen

 

#ScriptureReflection - Daniel 7 (9.29.18)

Daniel’s Dream of Four Beasts

7 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.

² Daniel said: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. ³ Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea.

⁴ “The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it.

⁵ “And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, ‘Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’

⁶ “After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

⁷ “After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast—terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns.

⁸ “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.

⁹ “As I looked,

“thrones were set in place,
    and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
    the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
    and its wheels were all ablaze.
¹⁰ A river of fire was flowing,
    coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
    ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
    and the books were opened.

¹¹ “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. ¹² (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.)

¹³ “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

The Interpretation of the Dream

¹⁵ “I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. ¹⁶ I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this.

“So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ¹⁷ ‘The four great beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth. ¹⁸ But the holy people of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever.’

¹⁹ “Then I wanted to know the meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws—the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. ²⁰ I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. ²¹ As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, ²² until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom.

²³ “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it. ²⁴ The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. ²⁵ He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.

²⁶ “‘But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. ²⁷ Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’

²⁸ “This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself.”

Taking Your Prayers for Others to the Next Level - Learning to be the Hands & Feet of Jesus to Hurting or Lost People (9.28.18)

Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead - James 2:15-17

Faith Believers,
It happens to all of us! We see a homeless person, come upon the scene of an accident…or hear of a family in financial need. Immediately we may think to pray in each of these situations, “Lord, please help that person. Send someone to meet that need!”

What if GOD wants to use you and your family
      to be the answer to your prayer?
Are you prepared to back up your prayers
     with action if the Lord directs?

I believe that our Father wants us to learn how to be the hands and feet of His Son to hurting or lost people.

Since Jesus lives in us; we should consider, as we pray, what He would do to meet this need or help this person if He were physically present – because He is! He is physically present in the midst of every situation because He is incarnate – in us!

Could this thought and realization change
     the way you respond to the prayers
     that you pray?

Instead of thinking that you have done the right thing by praying and then moving along to the next activity of your day… do you need to take your prayer to the next level by listening to what the voice of the Spirit speaks to your heart?

How many opportunities have we missed because we have not acted in response to the impulse of the Spirit, urging us to make Jesus known in the midst of lives or situations?

I believe that many prayers we pray can be answered quickly and with amazing results if we become better listeners to the voice of the Holy Spirit. If we could learn to change our mindset as we pray, I believe we would be used by GOD in mighty ways to be His Agents of Transformation. 

 

Can you imagine how fulfilling and exciting your lives would be if your family would continually wait upon the Lord to see how He may want to use each of you to be the answer to prayers that you pray?

  -  Marilyn

~ Prayer ~
Holy Spirit,

My spiritual ears are often plugged up as You seek to guide my heart towards Your purposes!

How often do I miss Your promptings to be the answer to the prayers I pray!?!?

Please teach me to be like Jesus to the people I pray for, so that I might partner with the Father in meeting the needs of those who are seeking a touch from His Hand.

Amen

 

 

 

Stand Up, Have Faith & Trust in God (9.27.18)

My Child,
Stand up My Child and enter this race running with strength for I shall empower you in the days that are ahead so that you are not surprised or defeated by the enemy.

the enemy can not gain control over you unless you allow him to.  satan is absolutely powerless against My Children!!!!  he has been defeated and anything he brings against you, I the Lord your GOD, will destroy. Remember, no weapon formed against you shall prosper and those that rise against you, I the Lord your GOD, shall destroy.

Have faith in Me, your GOD, and know that I Am GOD all by Myself and there is no other. Regardless of what you are seeing with your eyes remember, I Am watching over you. I have sent My Angels to stand guard over you as you go about your day. I ask that you spend some time with Me today and just thank Me for all that I Have done for you and all that I Am going to do. 

Rebuke the enemy when he tries to destroy your mind with negative thoughts. Trust Me and believe that I have all power over everything that is happening in your life.

I Am only going to let so much happen to you,
     before I pull you out of the fire.

These trials are needed for Me to refine and bless your life.


Remember this:
There is nothing that you will face today
      that the Lord can't bring you through.
Thank GOD for what you have,
     Trust GOD for what you need.
  -  Marilyn