#ScriptureReflection - Job 42:1-6 (5.21.21)

Job’s Confession

42 Then Job answered the Lord and said,

² “I know that You can do all things,
And that no plan is impossible for You.
³ ‘Who is this who conceals advice without knowledge?’

Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I do not know.
⁴ ‘Please listen, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.’

⁵ I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
But now my eye sees You;

⁶ Therefore I retract,
And I repent, sitting on dust and ashes.”

Source: NASB  (New American Standard Bible)

 

 

Surrender To God (5.20.21)

My Children,
Some of you have been feeling as if everything (or many things) have come to a stand still, and at times some of you struggle with becoming overwhelmed. Some of you, occasionally have moments when you believe your world is crumbling down upon you. For those who feel that way, it is often because you are fighting against My Word. Cease from striving and surrender all to Me.

Do not be afraid to release everything to Me.
I Am Alpha and Omega; the Beginning and
      the End of all things.
I Have absolute control over everything that has
     come against you.

Do not allow your frustrations to cause you to turn away from Me. the enemy wants nothing more than to put fear in your heart; so that you will not have the desire to seek My Face, increase your relationship with Me, trust in Me and pray to Me. Do not fall for his trap! Beloved, who or what can stand against Me? No one!

My Child, I AM the only solution to what
     troubles you!
I Hold all power in My Hand!

Even for those of you drift away, I Will always be here waiting for each and every one of My Children's return. I Will never stop watching over you. Not even your mistakes can keep Me from you. My Mercy and My Grace will always be with you; and My Mercy is made new for you - each day.

My Child, it is crucial that you learn to trust Me; because the enemy of your soul wants you to turn away from Me, so that you will perish with him. All that follow satan will surely perish, just like My Word said. My Child, surrender your heart, mind, body and soul to Me; and you will experience My Peace - the peace that will surpass all understanding. 

I Will send My Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you; but before that happens, you must surrender and trust in Me.

Absolute surrender is required.

Just as I Led My Children of Israel,
      I Will also lead you.
Now, surrender the reigns you've held
      so tightly.
And watch Me move in your life.

 

 

Read and Meditate on God's Word

Psalm 37:5 - Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass.

Psalm 46:10 - Be still, and know that I am GOD: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth

Proverbs 20:3 - It is an honor for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Lamentations 3:22-23 - It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

#ScriptureReflection - Jeremiah 31:35-40 (5.19.21)

Certainty of God’s Promise

³⁵     Thus says the Lord,
Who gives the sun to light the day,
    moon and stars to light the night;
Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar,
    whose name is Lord of hosts:

³⁶ If ever this fixed order gives way
    before me—oracle of the Lord—

Then would the offspring of Israel cease
    as a people before me forever.
³⁷     Thus says the Lord:
If the heavens on high could be measured,
    or the foundations below the earth be explored,
Then would I reject all the offspring of Israel
    because of all they have done—oracle of the Lord.

Jerusalem Rebuilt. ³⁸ See, days are coming—oracle of the Lord—when the city shall be rebuilt as the Lord’s, from the Tower of Hananel to the Corner Gate. ³⁹ A measuring line shall be stretched from there straight to the hill Gareb and then turn to Goah. ⁴⁰ The whole valley of corpses and ashes, all the terraced slopes toward the Wadi Kidron, as far as the corner of the Horse Gate at the east, shall be holy to the Lord.

Never again shall the city be uprooted or demolished.

Are You 'On Hold?' (5.18.21)

 

My Child,
There are those times that I Will allow a painful situation in your life to consume you.  I Know, I Know My Precious Child.  I Know that it may not feel good to you, but it is a needed step for your Spiritual Growth.  It is a seasonal hold, in which you cannot move to the left nor to the right.  All you can do is be still.  Sometimes that is the only way I Can get your UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, so that you can fulfill the destiny I Have chosen just for you.

If you remember, I Had to do the same thing with Jonah.  He had a destiny to fulfill.  There were things I Had chosen for only him to do.  But in order for him to understand the importance of that task, I Had to allow a 'seasonal hold' to come into his life.  All Jonah could do was sit in the belly of that great fish, so that I Could have his UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, and speak to him.

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to
swallow up Jonah.  And Jonah was in the
belly of the fish three days and three nights.
- Jonah 1:17 

Yes, I allowed a seasonal hold just for Jonah so I Could minister to his heart.  He had no choice but to listen TO ME and be obedient TOWARD ME, MY WORD & MY INSTRUCTION.  He sat there -  all alone - for three days and three nights.  No friends to call, no one to stop by, no books to read, no food to eat, and no interruptions.  Jonah had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray and finally listen to what I Had to Say. 

Now, RIGHT NOW, My Child, I Want you to
listen very closely and very intently
to what I Have to say.

I Know that some of you are in the midst of
       very difficult situations,
 And I Know that some of you feel as though
     there is no way out.

There is a way out…
It is Me.

It is time to withdraw from everyone, so that you can hear My Still Small Voice. 

I Have been speaking to many of you, but some of you have been "so busy" that you haven’t heard anything I've Said.  I Need your attention, for the things I’ve Called My Children to do - are very important.  As soon as I Have your UNDIVIDED ATTENTION, I Will then be able to show many of you the things which still must be done. 

I Will show many of you the doors I Closed; many of which,
     you thought, were closed by man.
I Will show many of you, specific things about your life;
     that you might not otherwise see or that you've consciously
     (or subconsciously) turned a blind eye or deaf ear to. 
And I Will tell you why many of you still don’t want to let go
     of what you’ve been struggling to hold onto. 

Fighting to keep things in your life that do not serve you,
    and do not serve Me.
Fighting to hold onto those things that you know you should
     let go, long ago.
Fighting to hold onto those things which are holding you back.
Fighting to hold onto those things which are not glorifying
     My Kingdom.

---

---

Faith Believers,
When we are "deep in the belly of a difficult situation," there are no interruptions. GOD has our UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.  All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. 

We simply cannot run from GOD because there are no mountains high enough, no valleys low enough, no rooms that are dark enough, and no places that are hidden enough - from Him.  GOD knows exactly where we are.  He knows everything about us. (Psalms 139).

GOD has a reason, a purpose, and a plan behind the hold. 

His Plan is to strengthen you, to give you hope, and to see that you have a prosperous future.  So stop struggling and start praying more, start trusting more and most of all start listening a whole lot more. GOD Will keep you, right where you are, until you clearly understand what He Is saying to you. And for all the things that GOD Will Say to you, remember this very key thing: "I, GOD your Father, love you. I Am with you.  Trust Me."

Thank God for what you have,

Trust God for what you need.
 ~  Marilyn

 

READ AND MEDITATE ON GOD'S WORD

Jonah 2:1-2 - Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his GOD out of the fish's belly,  And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

Jonah 2:9-10 - But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.  And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Psalm 27:13-14 - I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. 

#ScriptureReflection from Acts of the Apostles, Psalms, Ephesians, the Gospel According to Matthew & the Gospel According to Mark (5.17.21)

Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for “the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

When they had gathered together they asked him,
“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons
that the Father has established by his own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
throughout Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.”

When he had said this, as they were looking on,
he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.
While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,
suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.

They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing there looking at the sky?
This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven
will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”

---

Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9

God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.
 
All you peoples, clap your hands,
    shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
    is the great king over all the earth.
 
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
    the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
    sing praise to our king, sing praise.
 
For king of all the earth is God;
    sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
    God sits upon his holy throne.

---

Ephesians 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:
May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
resulting in knowledge of him.

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
what are the riches of glory
in his inheritance among the holy ones,
and what is the surpassing greatness of his power
for us who believe,
in accord with the exercise of his great might,
which he worked in Christ,
raising him from the dead
and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,

far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,
and every name that is named
not only in this age but also in the one to come.

And he put all things beneath his feet
and gave him as head over all things to the church,
which is his body,
the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

---

Matthew 28:19-20

Go and teach all nations, says the Lord;
I am with you always, until the end of the world.

 

---

Mark 16:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Go into the whole world
and proclaim the gospel to every creature.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;
whoever does not believe will be condemned.

These signs will accompany those who believe:
in my name they will drive out demons,
they will speak new languages.
They will pick up serpents with their hands,
and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.
They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,
was taken up into heaven
and took his seat at the right hand of God.
But they went forth and preached everywhere,
while the Lord worked with them
and confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

---

---

When We Do NOT Pray..... (5.16.21)

 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from GOD. 
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows GOD
- 1 John 4:7

~~~~~~~

Fellow Faith Believers,
Prayer is communing, spending time with and, at it's core, communicating with GOD.

What does it say to Him when we fail to find time to talk with Him?

Do we say, by our lack of prayer, that we are not at all interested in spending time with the Lord or hearing anything from Him? When we do not pray, we move away from any possibility of intimacy with the Lord our GOD, Christ Jesus and GOD's Holy Spirit.

When prayerlessness is prevalent in our lives, it is an open gateway to many things.  Many things that GOD did not intend, nor does He Want for us.  'Prevalent prayerlessness' also means that one is guilty of failing to love one another.

There is scarcely any greater way to demonstrate love than to pray for someone. In Godly Intercession, we lift the needs of another to GOD and then watch (and wait, trustingly) as He Moves to meet the needs, heal the wounds, change the heart and provide for the one we are praying for.

Through prayer, bodies are healed, families are knit together, individuals are saved, and churches are revived. When we withhold prayer, on behalf of others, we demonstrate hardened hearts and a failure to love them enough to bring their needs before Our Loving Father.

Thank GOD for what you have,
Trust GOD for what you need.

  ~  Marilyn

~~~~~~~

~ Prayer ~
Lord GOD,
My desire is to love You deeply, and to
     spend time developing my relationship
     with You. 

Draw me to Your Heart, so that I Will
     love others the way that You Love them. 

May I be ever vigilant and extremely mindful to
     pay attention, so that I never pass up all the
     various opportunities You give me - and that
     are presented before me - to bring others
     before You, in prayer.

Amen

Prayer is a Powerful Change Agent (5.15.21)

…and since we have a great priest over the house of GOD,
let us draw near to GOD with a sincere heart and with
the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled
to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies
washed with pure water
- Hebrews 10:21-22

~~~~~~~


Fellow Faith Believers,
I believe that one of the main reasons so many Christians fail to pray; or worse yet, believe the wrong things about prayer, is the seeming “hit or miss” aspect to much of how many of us prayer. The idea that "Sometimes it (prayer) works, sometimes it doesn’t."

And so, with that theory and ideology - too many of us have developed a very bad, very dangerous theology to cover "our misses;" and in turn, too many of us treat prayer incorrectly, and turn prayer into something that prayer was never ever meant to be.

This problem happens when we look at prayer as a way of getting things from GOD.  As if GOD is a request line or an atm machine.  The idea that too many have of, "If I pray long enough, have enough faith, get enough people to join me in prayer, just maybe I’ll get what I want from GOD" is the very opposite way we should be looking at prayer.

Prayer is not “my way of getting things from GOD.” Prayer is GOD’s chosen way of accomplishing His Will on this planet!

Our job, in prayer, is to draw near to GOD and Jesus, in intimacy. And as I began to understand and receive this mindset; and as I began to understand - more and more, by and by - a bit more of the Lord’s Heart 'on a matter,' then I began to ask Him to accomplish what is already His Will.  (For this is key, discerning and asking what is God's Will should be the first prayer and the foundation of your prayers.  GOD's Will.) 

And it is at that point that prayer becomes
     a powerful change agent to achieve
     the Lord’s Purposes.

Thank GOD for what you have,
Trust GOD for what you need.

  ~  Marilyn

~~~~~~~


~ Prayer ~
I thank You Lord GOD,
That You have not left us to our own devices
     to fight this battle.

You have provided for us the Powerful Sword
     of Your Word, and Your Amazing Gift
     of prayer.

In Your Holy Names, Father GOD and Lord Jesus,
     we take up Your Word and ask You Both to make
     us, more and more, a people of Your Word.

Show us how to effectively bring Your Word
     before You, in prayer, in such a way that
     the enemy is defeated.

Amen

#ScriptureReflections - Ephesians 2:19-22 (5.14.21)

You are strangers and aliens no longer.

No, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God. You form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.

Through him the whole structure is fitted together and takes shape as a holy temple in the Lord; in him you are being built into this temple,
to become a dwelling place for God in the Spirit.

 

In Due Season..... (5.13.21)

My Child,
I Know that some of you are experiencing hardships and trials that you’ve never encountered before.

You MUST hold on and have faith in My Word. 

Remember Who I AM.
I Am Jehovah Jireh.
Your Provider.
And I Will NOT fail you. 

Trust Me to see you through this.
Trust in The One Who delivered you
     from the hands of the enemy, time
     and time again.

Although some of you cannot yet, see a clear way out of the 'adverse circumstances' you face, I Can. I Know your ending from the beginning.  And I Say, if you trust in Me, and do not doubt; you will be victorious. Yes, I Know that for some of you, it is hard; however what you are going through is temporary, and it cannot compare to the blessings - My Blessings - that are waiting for you.

My Child, you are going to come out of this. 

Know this. 
Believe it. 
Receive it.
Dwell in this truth - My Truth.

Understand this Children, just because some of you don’t see the answers to your prayers with your natural eyes; that does not mean that I haven’t answered them.  Many of you already know this; but some of you are uncertain, struggling with unbelief or conflicted in your heart. 

To ALL My Children - those with fervent belief; those with wavering, lukewarm belief and those with absolutely no belief - to ALL of My Precious, Beautiful Children, do not stop storming My Gates of Heaven with effectual fervent prayers. Pray and pray and pray and pray.  And then pray, take action, pray, seek and speak to Me, pray, listen, discern, pray, read My Word, listen, pray, pay attention and pray - until you receive your breakthrough, in My Holy Spirit. 

Then SHOUT OUT with praises of thanksgiving that IT IS DONE.

Do it even though you may not see it. 
Do it even though you may not feel it. 
Do it when others tell you it's impossible.
Do it when you & others question and/or
     do not trust Me.   
Do it afraid. 
Do it while reading & immersing in My Word. 
Do it unsure. 
Do it afraid. 
Do it by faith.

Beloved, your prayers are not falling on empty ears.  Your prayers NEVER fall on empty ears. 

I Hear you. 
I Hear every word you say. 

And I Say to you, believe that it is done. 

My Word is true.
Trust in My Word.
Trust in My Goodness.
Trust in My Grace.
And believe, beyond any and all doubt, that
     you already have what you have prayed for.
That I have already brought it to completion.
That it is already on the way.

Dry your tearful eyes, My Beautiful, Precious, Brilliant Child.
And believe in Me again.

Do not allow the enemy to cause you to turn away from Me.
Do not let him win.

I Promise that I Will come through.
I Will NEVER fail or disappoint you. 

Nothing is impossible for Me. 
I Will deliver.
I Will.
I Will.

And it will be - I Will be -
     right on time.

 

Read and Meditate on God's Word

Leviticus 26:3-4 - If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Isaiah 40:30-41 - Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 - For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love GOD, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Galatians 6:9 - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Hebrews 4:16 - Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

1 John 5:14-15  And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 

 

#ScriptureReflection - Psalm 143 (5.12.21)

Prayer for Deliverance and Guidance

A Psalm of David

143 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!

Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness!

² And do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no man living is righteous.

³ For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead.

⁴ Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart is appalled within me.

⁵ I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your doings;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
⁶ I stretch out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You, as a parched land.        Selah.

⁷ Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails;
Do not hide Your face from me,
Or I will become like those who go down to the pit.
⁸ Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For I trust in You;
Teach me the way in which I should walk;
For to You I lift up my soul.
⁹ Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
I take refuge in You.

¹⁰ Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;

Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
¹¹ For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me.

In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble.
¹² And in Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies
And destroy all those who afflict my soul,

For I am Your servant.