- I pray that you are so sold out to God's will that your very heart beat is worship music to Him and a war drum to the enemy!
Monday, June 25, 2012
My Prayer for You
Sunday, June 17, 2012
No Missionary Dating!
This is going to sound bad, but it is so true! Please don't do any missionary dating. I actually pray that you won't date without us right by your side anyway- you are so special and important. I certainly want you to save every part of yourself for that one special man that God chooses for you. Don't ever believe that God will not guide you specifically to your mate. I know that God led me straight to your Baba. So, just keep in mind that whoever you date will probably eventually become your mate! Don't date lost people! Just stick with those guys who are living their lives for God. They will treat you the way you should be treated, and they will love you the way that God loves the church. You will be treated like the Princess you are! Find someone who treats you the way you have seen your Baba treat me all these years!
Father's Day
At church today, our pastor talked about the devastation of being Dad-lessness. He talked about Jacob and Esau, along with their problems. You know Esau was Isaac's favorite, and Jacob tricked his father into giving him Esau's blessing. So, he mentioned three important things about all of us. 1) A blessing is desired by all of us. 2) When the blessing is not received, it may become despised. 3) Then the blessing is dispensed.
You will never know what it is like to have a bad father in your life because you have an amazing father who shows his love for you everyday and who constantly tells you how much he loves you. But, everyone does not live that way. I just want you to always know that the enemy knows we desire those blessings, and sometimes when we do not get the blessing we want- we go the opposite direction. We can receive all of our blessings through Jesus- He dispenses them all to us.
Just remember that God is a fountain of favor! You are very blessed because you have a Heavenly Father who adores you and an earthly Father who feels the same way!
You will never know what it is like to have a bad father in your life because you have an amazing father who shows his love for you everyday and who constantly tells you how much he loves you. But, everyone does not live that way. I just want you to always know that the enemy knows we desire those blessings, and sometimes when we do not get the blessing we want- we go the opposite direction. We can receive all of our blessings through Jesus- He dispenses them all to us.
Just remember that God is a fountain of favor! You are very blessed because you have a Heavenly Father who adores you and an earthly Father who feels the same way!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
2 Thessalonians 3: 1-3
One more thing, friends: Pray for us. Pray that the Master's Word will simply take off and race through the country to a ground-swell of response, just as it did among you. And pray that we'll be rescued from these scoundrels who are trying to do us in.
I am finding that not all "believers" are believers. But, the Master never lets us down. He'll stick by you and protect you from evil.
I am finding that not all "believers" are believers. But, the Master never lets us down. He'll stick by you and protect you from evil.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Isaiah 58: 13-14
God says so!
"If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage, if you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing "business as usual," making money, running here and there----then you'll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all. I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." Yes! God says so!
"If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don't use my holy day for personal advantage, if you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God's holy day as a celebration, If you honor it by refusing "business as usual," making money, running here and there----then you'll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I'll make you ride high and soar above it all. I'll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob." Yes! God says so!
God's Path
Hosea 14:9
If you want to live well, make sure you understand all of this. If you know what is good for you, you'll learn this inside and out. God's paths get you where you want to go. Right-living people walk them easily; wrong living people are always tripping and stumbling.
If you want to live well, make sure you understand all of this. If you know what is good for you, you'll learn this inside and out. God's paths get you where you want to go. Right-living people walk them easily; wrong living people are always tripping and stumbling.
Mentions of your name
1 Kings 7:15-22
New Living Translation (NLT)
15 Huram cast two bronze pillars, each 27 feet tall and 18
feet in circumference. 16 For the tops of the pillars
he cast bronze capitals, each 7 1⁄2 feet tall. 17 Each capital was decorated with seven sets of
latticework and interwoven chains. 18 He also encircled the
latticework with two rows of pomegranates to decorate the capitals over the
pillars. 19 The capitals on the columns inside the entry room were
shaped like water lilies, and they were six feet tall. 20 The capitals on the two pillars had 200 pomegranates in
two rows around them, beside the rounded surface next to the latticework.
21 Huram
set the pillars at the entrance of the Temple, one toward the south and one
toward the north. He named the one on the south Jakin, and the one on the north
Boaz. 22 The capitals on the pillars
were shaped like water lilies. And so the work on the pillars was
finished.
Those who wander off...
James 5: 19-20-
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.
Honor
Believers depend on each other. Sacrifice, give, and serve. Jesus loves the church. Commit to the church. Fall in love with the church and Jesus. Stand up for the church and Jesus.
You have the power to make positive changes in the world. Grow a spiritual spine!
Speak the truth in love...
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Be blessable!
Imitate those who are faithful...
5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the believers there. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.
25 May God’s grace be with you all.
You have the power to make positive changes in the world. Grow a spiritual spine!
Speak the truth in love...
Ephesians 4
Unity in the Body
4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you
to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
2 Always be
humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s
faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep
yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
4 For there
is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope
for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and
Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the
heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means
that Christ also descended to our lowly world.[c] 10 And the same one who
descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might
fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now
these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to
equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of
Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in
our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord,
measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Living as Children of Light
17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as
the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of
darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their
minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame.
They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of
impurity.
20 But
that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about
Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off
your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust
and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and
attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly
righteous and holy.25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Be blessable!
Imitate those who are faithful...
Hebrews 13
New Living Translation (NLT)
Concluding Words
13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and
sisters.2 Don’t forget to show
hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels
without realizing it! 3 Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself.
Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own
bodies.
4 Give
honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will
surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.5 Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail
you.
I will never abandon you.”
I will never abandon you.”
6 So we can say with
confidence,
“The Lord is my
helper,
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”
so I will have no fear.
What can mere people do to me?”
7 Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God.
Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of
their faith.
8 Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 So do not be attracted by
strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about
food, which don’t help those who follow them.10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.
20 Now may the God of peace—
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
21 may he equip you with all you need
for doing his will.
May he produce in you,
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
21 may he equip you with all you need
for doing his will.
May he produce in you,
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
22 I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.
23 I
want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail. If he
comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you.24 Greet all your leaders and all the believers there. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.
25 May God’s grace be with you all.
Dialogue
Lily- Remember that lots of dialogue does not make a great prayer.
Matthew 6:5-13 ---New Living Translation (NLT)
Teaching about Prayer and Fasting
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the
hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues
where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they
will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself,
shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father,
who sees everything, will reward you.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions
do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again
and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows
exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:
Our Father in
heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
Speak Lord...
Samuel was afraid to tell Eli what God had spoken to him. But, in the end, he knew he had to do what God said to do.
I hope you learn to discern and hear the voice of God the way Samuel did. You need to surround yourself with Godly people. My prayer for you today is that will be able to say, "Speak Lord...for your servant is listening."
I hope you learn to discern and hear the voice of God the way Samuel did. You need to surround yourself with Godly people. My prayer for you today is that will be able to say, "Speak Lord...for your servant is listening."
Compassion
Lily Grace---
Remember that compassion is more than pity...it is participation.
Compassion is emotion with action.
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Remember that compassion is more than pity...it is participation.
Compassion is emotion with action.
Luke 10:25-37 ---- from the New Living Translation (NLT)
The Most Important Commandment
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test
Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal
life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of
Moses say? How do you read it?”27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Parable of the Good Samaritan
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish
man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by
bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead
beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when
he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed
him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other
side.33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”
Live Like Jesus is Coming Back!
Live like Jesus is Coming Back! Do not be a procrastinator! The devil will always fill you with excuses. Procrastination can cost you Heaven. Most people want to go to Heaven simply because they don't want to go hell.
If there is no change in you, there is no Christ.
Take a check up from the neck up. Spend the time we have left investing in the kingdom of God.
(Taken from a sermon by Pastor Chris on 11/13/2011)
If there is no change in you, there is no Christ.
Take a check up from the neck up. Spend the time we have left investing in the kingdom of God.
(Taken from a sermon by Pastor Chris on 11/13/2011)
This World is our Hotel Room
As a little girl, you have always loved traveling. You cannot wait to go on any kind of vacation. Your favorite part seems to be staying in the hotel room. You crave the closeness of the space, and you have always loved being with us everywhere we go.
I am writing this blog for you, Lily. I hope that I can share some important words of wisdom with you. Since you love hotels and vacations so much, I thought this would be the best way to start this blog for you...
Live on the alert that God is coming back for the second coming. Do not be spiritually lazy. Be ready and be prepared always. Are you a giver and a server? There is a lifestyle of the saved...you should be begging to serve. People who are unprepared don't know it. You should live like He is coming back TODAY.
We are just visiting here...this world is our hotel room. We aren't staying here.
Are you ready? Who are you taking with you?
(Taken from a sermon by Pastor Chris on 11/6/2011 titled Time is Fleeting.)
I am writing this blog for you, Lily. I hope that I can share some important words of wisdom with you. Since you love hotels and vacations so much, I thought this would be the best way to start this blog for you...
Live on the alert that God is coming back for the second coming. Do not be spiritually lazy. Be ready and be prepared always. Are you a giver and a server? There is a lifestyle of the saved...you should be begging to serve. People who are unprepared don't know it. You should live like He is coming back TODAY.
We are just visiting here...this world is our hotel room. We aren't staying here.
Are you ready? Who are you taking with you?
(Taken from a sermon by Pastor Chris on 11/6/2011 titled Time is Fleeting.)
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