Tag Archives: Holy Spirit

by

Being the Family of God

God is our Father and we are His children. The world should be able to discern that we belong to God. Not by our “I love Jesus” t-shirt and bumper sticker, but by our actions and our words. They are watching us. God’s word says in John 13:35 AMP, “By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].” We start by loving one another. We are in the last days, time is speeding up. God promised to make the end quick, to shorten the time of suffering.

In Romans 13:12-14 NIV, Paul writes to the Church in Rome. (Notice this is written to believers.) “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

I know most of us aren’t carousing, we don’t make a habit of getting drunk and we aren’t cheating on our spouses. (And if you are STOP!). So we can move on to the next couple of things, dissension and jealousy.
Dissension means -disagreement that leads to discord. Some synonyms for dissension are, disagreement, difference of opinion, dispute, conflict, friction, strife, discord, antagonism, and infighting.
Far too many churches have been torn apart by these very things. We may not be experience these things at this moment, but I guarantee you we have in the past, and Satan doesn’t have any new strategies. He uses whatever has worked before. We have to be diligent. Preventative medicine is the best medicine. He uses the “conquer and divide” tactic quiet frequently in homes and churches, even nations. Jesus told us, “A house divided cannot stand.”

Jealousy means – the act of feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages. Some synonyms for jealous are, envious, covetous, and desirous.
Jealousy can be a cause for dissension. It rears its ugly head on the praise and worship team, on the usher and nursery teams. One wants to lead and is asked to serve. One wants recognition for serving, but is asked to serve behind the scenes. We look at those who seemingly “have it all” and want what they have without walking the path they had to walk to get it. Worse of all, we see God blessing others and think they don’t deserve it, or that we are somehow more deserving.

Instead we should be happy for blessings, no matter how, when, or to whom they come. All good gifts come from the Father, to His glory. He makes it rain on the just and the unjust. He chooses. Thank God, because we would so mess it all up. If we are supposed to pray for God to even bless those who persecute us, how much more should we be praying for one another?

Romans 13 goes on to say in verse 19, “So then let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” Mutual- when they are edified, we are edified. Why? Because we are all part of the same body.
Instead of judging one another, we need to be helping and encouraging one another. Galatians 6:2-5,” Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden.” Paul is not contradicting himself here. We are to bear one another’s burdens and we are all responsible to bear our own burden.
Let’s look at it this way. In the natural, if we saw a little child trying to carry a load that was just too big and too heavy for them to handle, any one of us would take the load, take their hand, and take them where they needed to go. But if we continue to carry their whole loads as they grow, now they’re 5, then 10, then20…what’s going to happen? They will never get strong, never mature. Spiritually speaking, Jesus is the One who came along first and took our whole load, the entire burden, took our hand, and took us to the throne of grace. Then, in His wisdom, He allows us to go through some tuff stuff. It is to strengthen our faith, to learn to trust Him.

But, thankfully, He doesn’t leave us there. He knows that sometimes the load is just too heavy to carry alone. Instead of trying to play God and taking someone’s whole load, we are to come along side and help, to ease some of the burden. We do that by building them up, encouraging them and sometimes taking one small package of the big load. We help; we don’t do it for them. Just as we can’t obtain salvation for them, we can’t carry their load. In the same way we pray for the lost to receive salvation, show them Jesus by our words and actions, and even sometimes get to lead them to Christ, we also help our brothers and sisters by doing the same things. Pray for them, show them how to be strong by our own words and deeds, and always turn them to Jesus, their true strength and help.

Romans 15:1-2 AMP “We who are strong [in our convictions and robust faith] ought to bear with the failings and the frailties and the tender scruples of the weak-we ought to help carry the doubts and the qualms of others-and not to please ourselves. Let each one of us make it a practice to pleas (make happy) his neighbor for his good and for his true welfare, to edify him-that is, to strengthen him and build him up spiritually.”

We lay hold of God’s word. Have a blessed hope in His ability to fulfill His promises and then show others how to do it. Hebrews 10:23 AMP “So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess, and our acknowledgment of it, for He who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.”
Verses 24 goes on to say, “And let us consider and give attentive, continuous care to watching over one another, studying how we may stir up (stimulate and incite) to love and helpful deeds and noble activities.” We have to be in relationship with our brothers and sisters. Keeping our eyes open to what they may be going through. Each of us also has to be humble enough to ask for help. Not expecting someone else to handle our every problem, but to come along side to pray for and shore up the week places. If there is a need we can meet, give a hand. If you are on the receiving end, don’t make it a habit of running to people. Run to God first and give Him some time to work things out, in you and in your situation. Our timing isn’t His.

When we have unity in the body, when we are joined together in bonds of love and of peace, God gets the glory. Romans 15:6-7 NAS “That with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the Glory of God.” Verse 14 AMP, “Personally I am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge and competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another also.”

Our unity bears fruit. We will see the fruit of our labor, not just in the future or in heaven one day, but right now. Our churches will be full, not of people coming out of religious tradition, but because they love God. Colossians 1:10-12 NIV, “So that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” We are coming into a time when we will need the strength and power of God. We will need endurance and patience. He has already qualified us through His shed blood; it’s time for our inheritance.

A final scripture, Colossians 3:12-17.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

by

What’s Stopping You?

11949895841082690832yield.svg.med[1]

“Your eyes saw my embryo, and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed for me, before any one of them had yet happened. God, your plans are incomprehensible to me! Their total number is countless! If I tried to count them—they outnumber grains of sand! If I came to the very end—I’d still be with you.”
Psalm 139:16-18 Common English Bible

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.” Psalm 139:17-18 NKJV

God says the plans and the purposes that he has for you are more than the sand of the earth. There is no way we could ever count every greain of sand. We tend to thing, “God has a plan for me.” Plan-singular. Then we make a wrong choice somewhere along the way and thing, “I missed God’s plan!” But don’t despair, that is another of the enemies lies. God doesn’t have a plan for you, he has plans-plural, and they are limitless! If you have ever stayed at or near a beach you know what sand is like. We went to the Hateras Islands, in North Carolina one summer and I’m telling you-that sand was invasive. Just when you thought you had gotten rid of it all, it was between your teeth, sheets, in your shoes, and even clogging up the sinks. That sand was everywhere and it just kept coming. Sometimes in handfuls, and sometimes just one more grain. Stop and think about that for a minute. Those are like God’s plans for us.

“If God has so many plans for us, why aren’t I seeing them come to pass,” you ask.

There are many things that can hinder, or even stop His plans and purposed in our lives. He’s planned it all out, equipped you with gifts, talents, and His word to fulfill them, so we are clearly the issue. First of all you have to accept Him as your Lord. We call it “getting saved” or “being born again.” We have admitted our sin, have conceded our need for someone else to come in and clean us up, and then surrendered our lives to His perfect will, and those wonderful plans. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11). In salvation we become His children, dearly loved. God says if we are His children, we will do what He says. Which leads us into the second reason that those plans may be hindered. We have to be living in His will, or at least attempting to do that. Salvation is not just a prayer, one that you say once, or even over and over, without a life change. We can’t be “like dogs who return to their own vomit.” (Proverbs 26:11) Salvation is constant choice to surrender to Him, to not give into temptation, and to build a relationship with Him.

Proverbs 26:11 leads us to another reason-sin. We all mess up, but all followers of Christ, we should be quick to ask God to forgive us, and then move on. “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again : but the wicked shall fall into mischief,” Proverbs 24:16 KJV. If a married couple or a family has strife in their home, their prayers can be hindered. It goes to say the same thing can happen in our churches. We need to try and live peaceable amount each other so we don’t hinder God’s plan for our family or the Body of Christ. Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” We need unity.

Fear keeps us from seeing God’s plans come to pass. I dealt with fear for more years than I would like to remember until I was delivered. Fear paralyzes you. It keep you in confusion and constantly worrying. It drowns out the voice of God. God says that “perfect love casts out fear.” I used to struggle with that, because I bought into the lie that my love wasn’t perfect enough. Then I got the revelation that He was never talking about my love, but His. When we realize how much He loves us, we can have confidence in Him and what He says, that gets rid of fear! We hear Him loud and clear when we begin by hearing Him say how much He loves us!

There are so many things that seemingly creep in that can hinder God’s perfect will in our lives.
So we need to be able to hear His voice clearly, then do what He says. Our world is noisy! TV’s, radios, ipods, ipads, computers, and the list goes on! Sometimes it is hard to hear that “still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11-13). The last week of January our church is “fasting” noise so that we can purposely listen for that voice. Corporately, we always fast and pray together in January for the new year. This year God has laid in on the heart of our Senior Pastor, William Hohman, to lesson the distractions. For some of us that might not be too hard, I love my quiet and the TV, or the radio are hardly ever on. But for some, who have either or both running 24/7 as “background noise” this will be hard. Unfortunately we can’t control our work or our school environment, but we can control our home, or our own rooms. I encourage you to fast with us the last week of January. Shut off and shut out as much noise as you can. Then talk to God. Now here is the clincher, then shut up and listen!

God in His wisdom and perfect love, seeing the end from the beginning, seeing you righteous and accepted, has many plans for you! Not plans to harm, but to bless! So what is stopping you?

by

Who Is Sitting On The Throne?

man-on-knees-surrendering-to-god-cracked-dry-ground[1]

We’ve probably all heard the analogy of the God spaced hole in our heart that only He can fill. I even read a good little book/tract by Joan Pearce called “The Empty Spot.” But I think we should go a step further. Yes there is a place on our hearts that only God can fill, but it isn’t a hole or an empty place…it is a throne!

We have all been created with a throne in our hearts, a king-sized throne, royal and majestic. This throne was designed for the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Unfortunately most of us try to sit there themselves. We try to direct our own lives, to be in control, but we aren’t able to bear the weight of the responsibility. It’s simply to much for us. We aren’t equipped to rule our hearts alone. This throne is for a Holy, Righteous Judge. It’s to be used with divine Wisdom and Discernment. The one who sit’s on this throne needs to be able to clearly see the future and rightly discern the past.

But sit we do. We mess up our lives. Sometimes we step down and ask Jesus to rule in our hearts, (we have to step down, He will never take the throne by force), and sometimes we weasel in and try to take over again. But the throne is only built for one. It is not a “two-seeter.” That is like those “driving lessons” from Dad when we could barely see over the steering wheel, even sitting on his lap. If dad allows his little one to truly steer they weave and bob all over the road, straying from the straight and narrow path. Sometimes dad will hold on with a few fingers to maintain control, but the little one pretends he is doing it all himself. We think that picture is cute. But in the spirit it is anything but cute. When we pretend we are driving and accomplishing things in our own strength, when God is the one working things out for us, we are bound by pride. And pride comes before a fall. We cannot take the Glory meant for God.

Another natural analogy is when we see baby sitting in Daddy’s chair. We think that is so cute as well, and it is, baby is trying to be like Daddy. But we would never expect that baby to take over Daddy’s job, pay the bills, run the household, would we. The throne is so much more than a place to sit. Stepping down from the throne shows maturity, trying to do it ourselves shows immaturity. When things aren’t going the way we had planned, or they aren’t happening when we want them to, we tend to throw a toddler tantrum and demand the throne back (“if you aren’t going to do something, God, then I will”). But it is time to grow up. Examine your heart. Do you put Jesus there when you need a healing, then jump back on when it comes to your finances? Do you pick and choose when you allow Him to rule? The apostle Paul says, “When I was a child, I was speaking as a child, I was led as a child, I was thinking as a child, but when I became a man, I ceased these childish things.” (I Cor. 13:11). Do a check up, if He’s not on the throne-repent. He’s quick to forgive. He won’t hold it against you.

Let’s get practical. Giving God the throne of your heart DOES NOT mean never doing anything on our own. We do not need to ask God what color shoes to wear, what to eat for dinner, or how to style our hair. Use the wisdom God gave you for those things. Don’t let Satan deceive you as he did Adam and Eve into thinking God wants to control every little part of your life. He want to be part of your everyday life, but not control it. He is not an evil dictator. He is a wise, loving Father who happens to truly know what is best for you. You give Him control by listening to His voice. Let yourself be led by His Spirit. When He tells you to do something, do it. If He asks you to stop doing something, stop. In example: He tells us to give Him, His 10%, that it is to be given to the storehouse, the place where you are fed (your local church). So do we need to ask Him if we should be tithing? No, He already told us to do it.

Big life changing decisions should be brought before the Lord in prayer. Be patient to hear His answer. He always answers, sometimes yes, sometimes no and sometimes wait. He’ll direct you in a personal way if we need Him to. Some good examples of these things are the choice of a spouse, a church, a job change or how to use our finances. We should be asking Him about our offerings. How much does He want us to give and to where. Why wouldn’t we want to hear from the One who planned it all our perfectly? Anything short of His perfect will is a hard row to hoe. We have enough trouble living in this fallen world as it is. Why compound them?

Lord,
Forgive me for trying to do it all myself. Please come into my heart and rule and reign there. Lead me and guide me on Your path of righteousness. I want your perfect will to be done in my life. Holy Spirit show me any areas that I have not surrendered. Help me to give them over to the King.
Amen

by

Unplaned Love-My second novel

If you would like a free pdf or Kindle copy for review, please comment below. All I ask is that you give an honest review on Amazon. Thank you!

Through the marriage of Seanna’s mother and Bryce’s uncle, the two college kids have become as close as any brother and sister. Both raised as only children, they finally have the siblings they have always longed for. But, sometimes love can bloom in the most unexpected places.
Unplanned Love continues the story of the characters from Savage Love. This story of love and family reminds us of the importance of unconditional love and acceptance.

Coming soon! “Perfect Love” Book three in the “Savage Love” series.

by

Book Review for “Through the Psalms with Derek Prince”- Devotional

I so loved this book. Derek Prince is one of my favorite authors. I have read many of his books. Not one of them deserved less than 5 stars, including “Through the Psalms with Derek Prince”. This one was a devotional. I usually have trouble with those as I want to read them through like a novel. But I did so much better with this one reading only one or two entries at a time. Each one is only two pages and the book is small, so not a ton of reading, but each one is packed with spiritual truth! He takes us through several Psalms to encourage and challenge us in our walk with God. Recommended for any age. It also makes a great gift!