The Coming Holy War: Light vs Darkness

With the bombing of Paris, France has come a flood of fear:

• fear of jihadists
• fear of refugees
• fear of the unknown

I can assure you there will be acts of terror. The terrorists are coming and are already here. The sad thing is that G-D allows catastrophes because that is the main way to get people on their knees. "The Lord Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth." (Isa 23:9) He humbled Israel and He will humble any nation that exalts itself against Him. His concern is souls; people in an intimate relationship with Him through faith in His Son, Jesus. (Mk 16:16)(Jn 10:9)

Jesus tells His followers to pray for their enemy. (Mt 5:44) Why? Because He died for them too. He did not tell us to slam the door in their face. If they reject you, 'knock the dust off your feet' (meaning let them be), but we must first go to them and tell them the 'too good to be true but it is' news about our Savior. Our faith is a faith of love. In fact we are not even to hate our enemy, because, as Jesus said, if you hate your brother (and we are all sons and daughters of Adam, created in the image of G-D), you have already murdered him in your heart. (Mt 5:21,22)(1Jn 3:15) Murder is a sin; the sixth 'Thou shall not.'

Our call as followers of Christ is to 'go and make disciples of all nations.' (Mk 16:15) How can you lead someone to Jesus if you hate them?

I understand the fear of bombing and gunfire, but we are not to fear! "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1Jn 4:18 italics mine) Jesus didn't fear. Paul didn't fear. None of our Apostles did. They radically took the message of G-D's love to a lost and dying world. What about you?

If you fear, lift it up to our Lord, ask Him to cleanse your soul of it and replace it with His love; unconditional love.

I know we are in scary times. The darkness in this world will continue to increase as the second coming of our Lord draws near. (Lk 21: 9-28) It is in this darkness that the Light of Jesus will burn the brightest. Who can hardly see a flame on a sunny day? But at night when the moon hides from the sun a small flame can be easily seen from afar. Be the moon that doesn't hide. Reflect the Light of the Son during the dark hours of the night. "See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the L-RD rises upon you and His glory appears over you" (Is 60:2). Have confidence in G-D and His plan.

If you think this doesn't apply to you, ask G-D to reveal any fear or hatred of Muslims, refugees, or immigrants for that matter. Closing our borders is not the answer. Let them come and trust G-D for whatever happens. What the enemy means for evil, G-D means for good, for the saving of many souls. (Ge 50:20) And remember, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12)

Father G-D, I lift up to You all who fear the coming war, and those who have any prejudice against others. Cleanse them, L-RD. Cleanse them from all fear and hatred. Pour out Your Spirit upon them that they may love as You love (and me too, L-RD!). Father, cause Your Light to shine within us so brightly that it permeates every cell of our body and pours out to others around us. Give us the courage of King David that we would not shrink back from telling others about Your love and Your Kingdom. Give us the wisdom of King Solomon that we will walk in Your Truth being gentle as doves but wise as serpents. And Father, place Your people in strategic positions of authority that the United States of America will take on the righteous battle of justice and peace, not just here in America but throughout the world. Father G-D, cause us to stand with Israel, Your Chosen People, until the time that You come to get Your children. Thank You Father that You have sealed us, Your children, with Your Spirit, the Spirit of Truth. Cause Your Spirit to awaken Your children. Rekindle Your fire within us. Give us boldness. Cause us to walk in the fullness of Your Grace that holiness will abound. Father, thank You that you have given us ears to hear into the spiritual realm, discerning good from evil. Thank You Father that You have given us eyes to see the schemes of the evil one, the Deceiver, and eyes to see Your plan for our lives. Thank You Father that You have given us a new heart, a soft and gentle heart full of courage and faith. Your desire will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

In Jesus' precious name, Amen! and So be it!

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2Ch 7:14 underlines mine)

Sweet Apples! It's Fall!

Sigh. Fall. Its beauty is upon us. The cool crisp air, the crunch of leaves under our feet, and pumpkins popping up everywhere are little kisses that October brings. Finally the heat of summer is over, and we can now delight in a new season!

Aren't you thankful for new seasons? Life is so much more interesting when things change. Good times and bad come upon us. Life happens. But aren't the good times so much sweeter after a difficult season passes? Tasty like a Honeycrisp apple. You know, that apple did not just appear. It had to be harvested, and before this it began as a seed lying dormant inside another apple that had to die in order for the seed to live. Buried deep within soil, the seed seems to be gone, but suddenly it breaks through the soil and grows into a beautiful flowering tree eventually bearing delicious apples. 

Life is like that; a journey from being a seed to bearing lots of fruit for others to enjoy. We do not come from ourselves and were not created for ourselves. Col 1:16  We come from G-D. The apple that had to die in order for us to live is Jesus. (and yet He is not dead because He arose from the grave!) The Word of G-D says that Jesus is the firstfruit of many sons. Rom 8:29  He is the One who was planted, and we who have faith in Him are the ones who break through the soil into the Light.

Daddy G-D, the Master Gardener, sends forth the rain of His Spirit watering us, causing us to grow. Is 55:10,11 Each year He prunes away not only dead branches, but crowded branches too. This pruning makes room for more fruit. Jn 15:1,2 It also causes us to become fuller, giving off shade for those seeking refuge from the hot sun.

The secret to a good harvest? Do not pick the fruit for the first three years. He gives us time to grow and become rooted in the soil where He planted us. The fourth year all the fruit is to be Holy--an offering of praise to the L-RD. Then, beginning in the fifth year, the fruit may be eaten by the people. Lev 19:23-25

What is this fruit that we bear for others? It is the fruit of our Creator: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, inner strength, Gal 5:22-23 and good works. Eph 2:10 Being consumed may not feel pleasant, but there is joy in doing what G-D created us to do. Heb 12:2 

Beware! Unforgiveness and living a life for yourself separates us from our Creator and we fall short of His grace, leading to a bitter root springing up and causing trouble. Heb 12:14-15 Some people like sour lemons and other like bitter kumquats or even crabapples! They ferment the apples turning them into cider in order to get drunk! These fruits have purpose too, but I will leave that for another time.

So, if you are in a hard season, hold onto Daddy G-D. He is pruning you. And if you are in a good season, rejoice, because you are either growing or bearing fruit for others to take delight in your sweetness.

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to let go,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace

Ecc 3:1-8

Tough As Steel

It still amazes me how everything in this earth realm can give us glimpses into the unseen world. Jesus showed us this by His teachings: ‘the Kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed into his field,’ or ‘like a mustard seed,’ or ‘like a treasure hidden in a field,’ plus many more. Today Daddy G*D is showing me how the Kingdom of heaven is like a metallurgist who finds rock that he knows contains iron ore and decides to make it into steel.

The rock must first be melted down in order to burn off impurities, leaving iron ore. The ore continues to be heated to burn off the oxygen and then carbon is added back into it. This process is called ‘smelting.’ (Hmm, kind of sounds like that hidden treasure in a field, doesn’t it?) The iron is cooled by a rapid wind blowing over it, and forms what is referred to as ‘pig iron’ which contains too much carbon to be steel. It is brittle and not flexible. So the iron is heated to soften it. This process is called 'annealing' which has three phases: recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth. (Bear with me. It’ll get better!) Now the metal must be 'quenched' or rapidly cooled in water or oil. This leaves the metal strong but brittle, because it is so strong it doesn’t give. Sometimes the metal must be strong. Other times it must be tough (not easily broken). Therefore, the steel must be 'tempered.'  This is done by heating the metal to a degree below the critical temperature for a certain period of time and then allowing it to cool in still air in a cast that later can be rolled into the final product at a finishing mill. (Thank you Wikipedia for the lesson in steel production.)

So what does this have to do with the Kingdom of heaven? Well, you see, Adam (human) was formed from the dust of the ground (Ge 2:7). We are the rock, G*D is the metallurgist who sees potential within us, the iron ore. (BTW, the human body is composed of 96% gases {most of which is water, H2O} and 4% of minerals. Yep, that’s right. We are dirty water!)

The trials that we go through in life cause the smelting process to purify us. Life happens. We mature. The rapid wind is the Holy Spirit of G*D blowing over us to reveal our G*D to us. The problem is that we become ‘pig iron’ and not much good for others. We are easily offended (brittle) and fixed in our ways (inflexible). So our Creator, the metallurgist, turns up the heat on us again. To make us strong. ‘In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed’ (1Pe 1:6,7).

In this second heating G*D brings healing to our soul (recovery), renews our mind by replacing our old beliefs with His truth (recrystallization), and the fruit of His Spirit increases (grain growth). Now we must be rapidly cooled by water (the Word of G*D) or oil (the Holy Spirit of G*D) to keep us from becoming arrogant.

We are now strong but not yet tough. Tough people know when to stand firm and when to be flexible; how to stand on the Word of G*D and to be lead by His Spirit. We need to be tempered. Life will once again heat up, but not to the point of being critical. Then we will be poured into a cast, a mold. We are all called to be molded into the image of G*D’s Son, Jesus (Ro 8:29). We will be set aside to cool in still air. The Holy Spirit is the ‘air’ of G*D. Even though He doesn’t seem to be moving, He is there. We enter into our place of resting in Him. Now we are ready to be ‘rolled’ into the final product that Daddy G*D will use for a specific purpose (Jer 29:11).

The good thing is that steel never outlives its usefulness. It can be recycled. Don't you just love the idea of going back through the fire to be recasted into something that is useful for today? I don't either, but there is purpose in the suffering. This is G*D's grace molding us into His likeness, and He is right there with us. We are never too old to begin again, and will enter into new phases of life and Kingdom purposes, if we continue in our faith in Jesus and our Daddy G*D!

See, I have refined you, though not as silver.I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I let myself be defamed? I will not yield my glory to another. (Is 48:10,11)

Birthdays and Valentine’s

Hi! I know it’s been awhile since our paths have crossed. I’m glad to have bumped into you today. My day today is a hard day on this journey to destiny. I’m sandwiched between yet another birthday and St. Valentine’s Day, both of which are emotional for me since I’m ‘still single.’ It’s not that I think being single is a bad thing. No, there are a lot of pluses to being single. My time is my own. I am responsible only for myself. To a degree. We are all responsible to each other since we share this place called ‘life.’ But as for the daily needs, I’m on my own.

 

Well, if being single isn’t the problem, what is this heaviness I feel on my heart? I miss him. Yep, that’s right. I miss him. You see, I have been praying for that special man, whoever he may be, for over 17 years now. Yes, you may think I am crazy, but I gave the selection of my husband over to my L-RD, and I trust Him to work everything out. Oh, there have been many times I have tried to work it out myself, but that just doesn’t work! And so I keep turning the desire over to my L-RD…and wait. The waiting is the hardest, because, you see, most days I know he’s real. I know the L-RD is the One who gives us, His children,   the desires of our hearts. To me this means not only that He gives us what we want, but when submitted to Him, He places desires within our hearts. I’ve definitely given this desire over to the L-RD. Several times in fact. I’ve tried killing him (the husband) off even. More than once! But my L-RD keeps resurrecting him. The desire for him. That’s why he’s become so real to me.

And so, another birthday has come and gone. I’m 44 now, and have never been married. You do know that L-RD, right? That I’m 44, and birthing babies doesn’t come easy to women my age. That’s another desire that has been place upon my heart to have children, both natural and adopted. Therefore I wait. And pray. And follow the signs that the L-RD, in His compassion, has put upon my path, pointing me in the direction that I must follow in order to intersect with that special someone. The one my heart is drawn towards.
 

So, my love, whoever you may be, I send you this Valentine, an excerpt taken from a song by Mandisa and Chris August titled ‘Praying for You’…

 

I wonder if you think of me…like I think of you.

Do you long for my touch?

Baby, I know that you’ll be the one that’s strong,

When I am weak.

I’ll love you through the good and the bad,

For rich or for poor.

May not have much, but this I’m sure:

‘til my dream comes true,

I’ll be praying for you…

Oh, I wonder what’s in store for me,

Who you’re gonna be.

Have you ever passed me by?

But for now, I’m waiting…

Anticipating

 I’ll be praying that you will fear the L-RD.

I’ll pray we’ll be on one accord,

That G-D will bless everything we do.

I pray that He will shield your heart,

That we will not be torn apart,

And side by side in Jesus’ name we’ll stand.

But for now we’re waiting…
 

Anticipating!

 

 

Tidbits of Tidbits

On our journey to that place of joy, that place of child-like dreams and an abundance of life, grace will drop nuggets of wisdom onto our path. Here are a few I’ve picked up along the way:

1 G-d wants you to succeed even more than you want to succeed yourself. He designed you for a specific purpose. His handiwork is not faulty. You are capable. Find what it is that He created you to do and do it!

2 To wait is to be bound to that which you desire;

  To doubt is to be separated from it;

  To believe is to be fully persuaded that it will come to pass;

  Therefore, believe and wait!

3 Jesus did not just endure to the cross. He endured to the Resurrection!

4 One reason for obtaining so few of G-d’s promises? Bondage to a passive spirit. Passivity arrests our desire. We must defeat the illusion that our current condition is our permanent condition. Just as those who have gone before us and ‘who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, and obtained promises,’ we too can be more than conquerors through our Lord Jesus, Master of Legions!

5 You think that if you have enough faith then G-d will release His power, His grace. But if His power is dependent upon your faith, then it’s not grace. It becomes wages that are due to you. Cease from your ‘work of faith’ and rest in G-d’s grace. His favor is free!

Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. 

Gal 6:9

Roadmap to Desire

 

On the journey to our destination‒that place we desire‒we are given a roadmap to follow. Daddy G-D may know where we are going, but as mature drivers now, we need directions to a place we have never been. The roadmap is found within the pages of the Holy Bible. Just as we need to learn to read a regular roadmap, we need to learn how to read the roadmap found within the Bible. Daddy G-D is willing to teach us. He has recently showed me some directions to receiving His promises!

 

The first step is realizing that the desire within our hearts comes from Him. He created each of us with different likes and interests. Some desires are common, such as good health, economic well-being, and healthy relationships, but individual interests were put there by Him too. What do you desire? What do you hope to receive? Hope is the mental image within that we are looking for in the future.

 

Secondly, take this mental picture and write it down in detail. Get a clear picture of what you desire. Be specific. Maybe even collect pictures of your destination. Remember, you cannot have somebody else’s spouse, home, or stuff. Have an original image. Be creative!

 

The next step is just that‒take a step! This is the place where faith comes onto the scene. You see, you have to cross a bridge from where you are to where you are going. Faith is the underlying support columns that the road to your destiny rests upon. Faith is having confidence that since Daddy G-D directed you to this place, He will help you arrive at your destination by His grace.

 

This step forward gets you closer to your destination‒your desire‒your mental image that you are expecting to appear, but the miraculous thing about faith is that it causes acceleration! Not only are you moving closer to your desire, but your desire is also moving closer to you! Your mental image that you are expecting to see (hope), as you have confidence in the goodness of Daddy G-D (faith), runs forward calling out to your desire, “Come!” The vehicle to get you there (grace) has been provided by Daddy G-D (love). Get an image of that! We sit in grace moving forward in hope supported by faith all because Daddy G-D loves us!

 

Not only this, but Daddy G-D has sent helpers that when they hear this calling out of your destination, will provide all that is needed for you to arrive: food and lodging, road and vehicle repairs, protection. Whatever you need. ALL your needs will be met because Daddy G-D loves you and desires for you to reach your destination.

 

The final step? Be patient. This is the hardest part since, at times, the road to our desire is a long one. Your desire has a set time when you will arrive. You have an appointment. All you have to do is show up.

 

The image in your heart speaks of the end result. It is breathing, panting, longing in that direction, and will not be in vain if only you hold onto it. If you have delays on your journey, be patient. Wait for it! Be like a bulldog on a bone, never letting go, because it will come. Remember, that as you take steps of faith, your desire is also taking steps closer to you! Your vision isn’t dawdling. It isn’t lagging behind for no reason. Call to it. Breathe upon it. The two of you will meet. You will arrive at your destination by Daddy G-D’s grace!

 

The Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. Hab 2:2-3

 



The Highway Called Peace

Life’s journeys throw a lot of road blocks, detours through unknown territory, and delays onto our paths, but the highway called Peace will lead us to our destiny.

 

Sometimes we believe we are old enough to drive, and maybe we are if we have our learner’s permit, but remember, a permit requires that an adult be seated in the front seat next to you. The best teacher is Dad--Daddy G-D that is. No disrespect to Mom. She knows how to drive, but tends to let her emotions get involved. There is just something about the silent strength of a father, or even a big brother. They tend to sit back and let you find your way, occasionally giving instruction as they see fit. Whereas Mom tends to give a moment by moment tutorage.

 

It is the same in life. Daddy G-D, or big brother Jesus, is there with us, quietly sitting back, and giving instructions as needed. You can feel His strength even when He is silent. Somehow you know everything will be alright so long as He is with you.

 

There may be a roadblock up ahead, but that is okay. All we have to do is take the detour. The detour may be slow due to the narrow winding lanes and multiple stop lights, but if we keep going, we will get to our destination.

 

Sometimes that detour we take is called Wicked Lane. We don’t like it because it is twisted, dark, and scary. It wasn’t on the original road plan because Daddy G-D’s way is straight, but He knew the evil one was going to cause a road block, and that we were going to pass through Wicked Lane as a test of our driving skills.

Daddy G-D at that time encourages us to keep driving, and don’t look around at the scenery, but keep our eyes looking forward. Eventually we will get back to the highway called Peace and continue on our journey.

 

We continue to rejoice even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop perseverance in us, and how that perseverance in turn gorges the tempered steel of character, keeping us alert for whatever Daddy G-D will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary--we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything Daddy G-D generously pours into our lives through His Spirit! (Ro 5:3-5)

 

This is Daddy G-D’s grace leading us by His peace to our destination.



Today was a bumpy ride!

Wow! That was one bumpy ride! Sometimes we just have to trust that Daddy G-D knows what He's doing. The stretch of road that we were on today had a lot of pot holes and curves. Also, driving in the dark makes it harder to see where we are going, but Daddy G-D knew what was up ahead and He was totally capable of getting us to our destination safely.

 

 

All we had to do was trust in His grace and His love for us. We didn't even have to try to figure things out either, because He was the One driving the car. Oh to grow in confidence to trust Him so that we can lay our heads back and sleep for awhile...to rest in His grace and love.
Did you have trouble trusting in Daddy G-D? No? You seemed a lot more relaxed than I felt! Thankfully we didn't have to go through this alone. We had each other so that when my confidence wavered, you were there to strengthen me, and next time, if you get scared, I can help you. Eventually we'll get to our destination, but until then, there's grace to keep us on the journey!

 

How does this grace work? It doesn’t ‘work.’ Grace is totally dependant upon G-d’s love and mercy towards us. We do not deserve it. We can not earn it. That is why it is called grace. As we get to know more about our Heavenly Father by spending time with Him, we begin to know that His character is love and faithfulness. It is that simple. We stop depending on ourselves to fix problems that we do not have the ability to fix in the first place. They are totally out of our control. We depend on G-d’s love for us. He tells us in His Word that His plans for us are wholeness and not destruction. We trust in His Word. This trust grows just like in any relationship as we spend time with Him and get to know Him. Invite Daddy G-d to join you on your journey through life. Get to know Him in order that you may trust Him. His grace is already there for you.

My First Blog! pt 2

Well, that was a much needed stop. Feel better? Yeh, me too, but you know, I’m getting hungry. Do you want to find a place for lunch? How about Chick-fil-A drive thru?…

Thanks Daddy G-D for lunch! We’ll eat when we get to our 1^st stop. Hey, look. There’s another vagrant on the corner. Don’t they know that panhandling is now illegal? “My grace is sufficient for them too,” replies Daddy G-D. Hmm, and it’s a young woman. I wonder what happened to her that she’s now out on the streets. Don’t stare! ~Awkward~

Uh, now I’m just going to think about her while eating my lunch. How about you? Yeh, it won’t taste so good now. Should we give her our lunch? Her sign says she’s hungry. Let’s do it! Call her over and roll down the window.

“Thank you ma’am and G-D bless you,” she says as she lays a hand on her stomach at the sight of food. As we drive away, gratitude washes over me as I realize that Daddy G-D’s grace really is sufficient for all of us. I am thankful that I’ve never gone hungry because I simply didn’t have food. He provides us our daily food.

This really did happen to me today as I was rushing from one appointment to another. It’s true that I didn’t get my lunch today, but the joy in knowing that I played a part in G-D’s grace today for that young woman met my appetite. On today’s journey, grace manifested as love in action.

My First Blog!

Hi, and welcome to my first blog!

Grace is my passion, my middle name, and where I dwell with G-D. I want to take you along on my journey of grace...the beauty of it, the long stretches of seemingly endless road, the pot holes, the road constructions, and the detours. Don't worry, we will get to our destination, and it's going to be the best trip of our lives!

 

So what is grace? It is beauty. It is style. It is poise. It is also mercy in the midst of pain and ugliness. Grace is our Creator’s endowment upon us to walk humbly and to walk with strength.

 

Our journey of grace is long and takes determination to get to our destination, but don’t worry. Daddy G-D will be with us along the way. In fact, He’s the One driving the car. He checked to see if we’ve fastened our seat belts, He filled the tank with gas, and He doesn’t even need a map because He’s been there before. He’s a good Daddy who welcomes our friends to join us on the journey, because He knows we’ll have a great time once we get there.

 

I see a rest stop up ahead…Dad can we pull over? We'll continue on the journey in a moment...