Coming to Christ

As I listened today to Rob telling his cousin of his conversion to Christ and baptism in the Holy Spirit, I was once again in awe of what the Lord can do.  It's not for me to tell Rob's story here, but it is an amazing and wonderful one.  He was a hard case and the Lord changed his whole life.

As I've said before, I was brought up Christian and accepted Christ as my personal Saviour when I was 13.  That experience was one I will never forget.  I went to a Billy Graham Crusade in Los Angeles and was so moved to hear his words that I went down front with no urging from my friend's mother who had taken me there. It was a wonderful moment.  I received some study materials, sent them back and received more.  I studied this way for two years.  I thought of the Bible as my textbook for Jesus.  I loved it.

Then just being a teen and the influence of the world tempted me and though I never stopped loving the Lord, I walked away into a life of sin.  For the next 12 years, I was lost most of the time and looking for answers for my life.  I got married twice.  I had 3 children (not necessarily in that order) and drank a lot.  I never drank the Lord away though.  He was always there waiting for me, as he waits for all of us.

At age 27, I got sober and turned my life around.  I truly believed that God had saved my life.  As much as I believed, I wasn't ready to give it all back to Him as I had done in my teens.  I had too much pride.  I also had a few things I wasn't ready to let go of.  I went to church sporadically, but not too often.  But something was happening to me.  I missed that communion with the Lord that I used to have.

At 38, I was going to church more regularly and getting ready to get married for the 4th time.  I prayed often about this marriage, that God would take care of it because I certainly hadn't done well without Him.  We weren't married long when we were having a time of prayer and my husband said, "I really love the Lord."  With tears in my eyes, I said I did too.  Right then and there we got on our knees and rededicated our lives to the Lord, telling Him that whatever He chose for us, we would follow. 

That was 1987.  In 1989, we moved to Mexico, where God already hadplans for us.  We served him together until my husband's death 8 years later.  I have served Him sinceboth alone and now married.  Although not as dramatic as Rob's conversion, my own life with Christ is uniquely mine and important.

What was your conversion experience?  Are you willing to send it to me in an e-mail and have me post it here?  I love success stories. Send to firestormkids04@aol.com

May the love of Jesus surround you all,

Penny

Seek Ye First

 

Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

This phrase comes about midway in the Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5 – 7, where Jesus is speaking to his disciples. If you haven't read the whole thing, go back and read it, possibly with a commentary on the side or with your study Bible.

What's going to be added unto you if you first seek the kingdom of God? All that's needed. You will have the basics and much, much more. The Lord is generous and kind. He will see that you have food, shelter and clothing. He tells you not to worry about these things. And you probably say – that's easy for YOU to say – you're God, but I don't have enough money, etc.

This is where it gets sticky. Whose kingdom are you seeking when you are worrying about these things? Do you seek to do His will? Are you following His path? Is the world closing in on you? Who is the prince of theworld? Our enemy has control of the earth, but not of those that belong to Jesus. Our citizenship is not here onearth, but in heaven with the Lord. We are merely passing through this place on our way home.

It's not easy to keep your focus on heaven when you are cold or hungry or sick. This is when Satan has his best chance to try to steal us out of the Kingdom. Our weak point is his strong point. That's when keeping our eyes on Jesus is so important. When we earnestly seek His face, he will not fail us. We may not get well or a fancy coat or a 9-course meal, but provision will be there for us. Strength in the face of the adversary is being added each time we seek first the kingdom of God.

Does this mean it's a sin to worry? Or that if we are seeking Jesus in all we do that we won't worry? No on both counts. We are human and unlike our Saviour, we fail. But the word in scripture was seek, not have ye first. It is in the seeking that we receive the reward. For most Christians, that reward is a sense of peace in the midst of the storm. It's a knowing that no matter what, God will find a way.

Faith

 

I got this from dictionary.com

faith    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (fth)
n.

1. Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.

2. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. See Synonyms at belief. See Synonyms at trust.

3. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance: keeping faith with one's supporters.

4. often Faith Christianity. The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will.

5. The body of dogma of a religion: the Muslim faith.

6. A set of principles or beliefs.

I got this from Hebrews 11

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

In fact, Hebrews 11 is called the “Faith Chapter”. In it, we find that from Old Testament to New Testament, men and women of faith are mentioned and rewarded by God. I recommend you read the whole chapter.

If faith is as Hebrews 11:1 says, “substance of things hoped for, evidence of things not seen” how do we get it? We make our commitment to the Christian life, read the Bible and feel a change coming over us. Is this faith? Yes, probably so. There is more.

Faith is unflinching. It means we believe or have faith even when things are at the worst. Or the best. It's not an easy thing to do. We have faith that the doctor will have the answer for our ills, yet our faith could also call on the Great Physician for healing. We don't have to stop relying on the medical profession, that would be foolish, but our faith in can move mountains.

Mat 17:20 And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

Have you seen a mustard seed? How big is your faith? Do you believe it works for others but not for you? Let me ask you this: why would Jesus say such a thing if it weren't true? Do you believe him? Do you believe in him? Ask yourself these questions. It's a matter of trust, actually. We have to trust the Lord more than we trust the world and place all our faith in Him.

We tend to hold on to things, thinking that we can better solve the problem. If we trust God enough, He will answer every need. He loves us unconditionally. He wants us to trust him implicitly and let it all go to Him. The journey to fully letting go is a long one, possibly a lifetime journey. The Lord doesn't look so hard at the times we fail to have faith in Him,but He is blessed by the times we come toHim and leave our desires, our problems, our lives at the foot of the cross.

Are you willing to leave it all at the feet of Jesus? Pray with me.

Lord, I am tired of the burden of carrying my cares around with me. You have said that whatever I ask in Your name shall be given. Today I lay my woes and my wants at your feet and ask You to guide me. I offer it all to You, Lord. Thank you for loving me. In it all, I will give you all the honor, all the glory and all the praise. In Jesus precious name I pray, Amen.

How many names do YOU have?

 Some of the more than 100 Biblical names for Jesus Christ:

Advocate   Author of Life    Almighty   Alpha and Omega

 Author and Finisher of our Faith   Bread of Life   Chief Cornerstone

 Christ    Counselor  Everlasting Father   I Am   King of Kings  

 Lamb of God    Light of the World   Lion of the Tribe of Judah  

             Lord of Lords  Morning Star   Man of Sorrows

             Only Begotten Son of God   Prince of Peace  

Resurrection and Life   Root of David    Savior    Son of God  

                True Vine  Wonderful Counselor  Word

Have a blessed Saturday,

I Surrender All

 

I surrender all, I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessèd Savior,
I surrender all.

Mat 4:18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Mat 4:19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Mat 4:20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Mat 4:21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

Mat 4:22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

How quickly do I follow Jesus in my daily life? Do I put down everything to do so? Or am I saying that things are different now – that it's not so easy to put aside everything for Jesus?

This is the truth: it was just as hard then for Peter, Andrew, James and John to leave their families and livelihood to follow the Master.

What is it about Jesus that makes one want to follow? For me, it's His unconditional love for me and a desire to serve Him in anyway I can. Have I dropped it all? I wish I could say yes. When I was in Mexico, it was easier for me. It seemed His direction was placed right in front of me. Here in California, there is so much distraction. The computer is a distraction. And of course, television and radio. We don't listen to worldly music in our house, but the television tends to invade sometimes.

Am I a hypocrite when I sing the hymn above? No! I want to please the Lord in every way. I pray to be able to do so. Then I begin to second guess myself. I feel that I am failing the Lord instead of following.

Lord, show me your way today. Give me strength to be your disciple. Let me respond as You would. Let my life glorify you. I want to praise you in everything I do. Thank you for loving me and giving your life for me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen

WWJD

Change my heart, O God

Make it ever true.

Change my heart, O God

May I be like You.

You are the potter, I am the clay

Mold me and make me,

This is what I pray.

Change my heart, O God,

Make it ever true.

Change my heart, O God

May I be like You.

Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Every day we must try to be more like Him in every thing we do.  Perfection isn't possible for us, but in the striving, we see His perfection being attained in us.

He formed us deep in our mother's womb and loved us even then.

Psa 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

Psa 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Psa 139:15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Psa 139:17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

Psa 139:18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

How can we not want to be more like Jesus?  What must we do?  It's not an easy task.  Jesus was perfect.  He turned the other cheek.  When I have to do that, I feel the bile rising in my throat.  I want to be in control. 

Are we doormats as Christians?  Trying to be like Jesus, it seems we must allow others to walk all over us.  That's not true!  Jesus called the pharisees a brood of vipers.  He knocked over the tables in the outer court of the temple.  He had righteous anger.  Does this justify our anger?  No, certainly not.  We need to see when our anger is personal, petty or unwise.  We have the power of Jesus Christ to boldly take a stand against evil and usher it out of our lives.

So when the neighbor starts calling you names, you walk away, turn the other cheek if you will, and pray for him.  If he breaks the law in his unhappiness with you or hurts you physically or steals from you, you stop trying to be his friend and call the police.  But you don't drop yourself to his level and try to get even.  It's not our job to judge him. 

You've seen all the stuff around that has WWJD on it?  What Would Jesus Do?  I recently read a book called In His Steps by Charles Sheldon.  It's set about 100 years ago, but is relevant today.  I actually now have this book on my computer through E-Sword a free electronic Bible program I use.  In the book, a group of people decide to ask that question of every decision in their lives for a period of one year and act accordingly.  It's a wonderful read and very thought provoking. 

Do youreally want to be more like Jesus?  Or are you giving lip service by wearing the WWJD bracelet you have.  I'm afraid I fail often. 

Be blessed in the Lord today

 

Pray without Ceasing

 When Rob and I married, we started every morning with personal prayer. We sat together and read Psalms 145 – 150. This was our time of praise before speaking to the Lord. When we would get to the words “Praise Him!” we would shout them with joy. This is a sweet perfume unto Him.

We would then thank the Lord for all we had: for our marriage, the ministry, the clothing on our back and food in the pantry. Were it not for His goodness and love, we wouldn't have it. We thanked Him for good health and ability to do our work. We thanked Him for the sacrifice of His son Jesus.

By the time we were finished thanking him, we saw the pettiness of some of our actions for the last few hours and began to ask forgiveness for our sin. We could have done all of this by praying the Lord's Prayer – but we wanted to be clear that we weren't just praying by rote. It's so easy to do this.

Robert's way of praying seems so much more formal than mine. I am sometimes embarrassed because the wonderful words he uses when talking to his Father don't seem to work in my mouth. He sounds great when he says them and I am in agreement, but I feel a little phony speaking like that. In fact, that's why I was always asking someone else to do the praying. I felt inadequate.

God created words for us to use to our benefit, not to hurt ourselves or others. He doesn't care whether we are literate or not, what language we speak or what church we belong to. He wants to hear from us. Our petitions to him are a sweet fragrance unto Him and he guards them with special care.

I have learned that I can just talk to God and tell him what's on my mind. The truth is, He already knows because he's omniscient and omnipresent. He's everywhere at once. But he wants me to talk with Him, to take special time to communicate with him. So I say what's in my heart and let it go at that.

Recently, a friend sent me something called God's Yellow Pages. It's a wonderful resource to use when I get ready to pray. I choose a topic and then pray the Word over the need. Then I know that I have scripture to back up the request. I've had some health issues that just don't seem to be resolving and I looked into scripture and found this:

I Corinthians 12:9-10

9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

This is Paul speaking, who complained to the Lord about a thorn in his side. He wanted it gone. He wanted to be free of it. God had certainly done greater things for him. So I pray this way:

Lord, I thank you that you can work miracles. I am praying for that miracle in my own life. I want relief from the pain and the depression that comes with illness. I know that your Word says that there are times that your grace is sufficient and so I am at peace, Lord. I want to be strong in You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

None of this “If it's Your will, God, heal me.” I tell him what I want. I ask for it. I am bold before the throne. Having praised Him, thanked Him and having asked for forgiveness, I go forward. I ask for others, knowing that He already has the answers. I have faith that He knows just what to do.

If your life is busy and you think you can't make time for God, understand that He always makes time for you. He hears every prayer, sees every tear, shares all your joy as well. Pray in the car, in the shower, where ever you can take a moment. Then take a look at trying to make a dedicated prayer time every day.

The Bible asks us to pray without ceasing. This means that we should always have an attitude of prayer, being ready at a moment's notice to slip from everyday chores into conversation with God. See what is said in 1 Thessalonians5:17-18:

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

r1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is thewill of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Even Jesus himself prayed for us. Read John 17: 1- 26 In this prayer, Jesus pleads for his disciples. We are those disciples today. His prayer is now as it was then before the Father.

Take time to speak with your Father. He loves you and wants to hear from you. Don't worry about how you speak, only that you speak.

Blessings in Christ,