Give Me, Make Me

Luke 15:11-24..........................11 Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. 13 And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 14 But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 15 Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry.    NKJV

Have you ever had God speak to you about a passage that seemed to take all night? Although I remember sleeping and having a dream, I could still hear Him speak about "Give Me, Make Me".
In the passage of scripture above we see the walk of a young man from being in plenty to being in want. He had been given money to spend. He gathered all that he had, took a trip to "never land" and wasted his possessions.
It says that he lived with prodigal living......!
Prodigal: to strew about ( to scatter, to disperse) spendthrift, wasteful, driving away, one who squanders away money or something of value.

Famine hit the land and the young man joined himself to a citizen of that country. "Joined himself"......another interesting play on words.

To join: to be in union with another, to participate with, to bring together for a purpose as to unite against something or someone

Exploring a foreign land is one thing, but to go to a foreign land to spend all you have and that which you value on things that bring no life is not a good thing! What is the saying, "Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. " Unknown author. This young man went to a foreign land to spend all that he had on something he evidently thought would be fun to do. Then when the famine came, he fell further into the pit of a mess and ended up in spending time feeding swine! To me, it appears that he hit a real low place, and the lowest of the low to be dwelling in and to feed swine. But it certainly was this young man's life for awhile. Have you been in school and there was a Future Farmer's of America class for high school age boys? Was it one where they kept their hogs for market? It was those who raised them as their project for class and a grade!
Well, one our F.F.A. students had his hogs close to our cafeteria. Yes, you guessed it! If the wind blew from that direction, the smell was horrendous. So, I can imagine what this young man came to in dwelling with the hogs!

We can make our plans but somehow, there is always something going on that will affect what we are planning, either with other people, with other things and of course, with other nations or countries that we might be scheduling to see and visit. If we decide to take some time in lifting weights and gain some body strength, when do we go TO THE PLACE of just maintaining it? Or do we desire to move into folly and let the body building become more than what we need or should have?
What about playing in a band? Do we practice to bring glory to God or is to flaunt "my expertise and ability in one instrument" ?
Do we decide to take off a couple years from church to gather at the bar to minister to someone, when in reality we find ourselves moving into Folly Land?

James 4:13-17..............13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins. ..NIV

1 Corinthians 15:33-34............33 Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits." 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. NKJV

Evil company begets more evil.

For some do not have the knowledge of God! But we are to awake to righteousness!

Isaiah 52:1-3.....Awake, awake!
Put on your strength, O Zion;
Put on your beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city!
For the uncircumcised and the unclean 
Shall no longer come to you. 
2 Shake yourself from the dust, arise;
Sit down, O Jerusalem!
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion! 

3 For thus says the LORD:
"You have sold yourselves for nothing,
And you shall be redeemed without money."  NKJV

Like the young man, he gave into that which was for nothing. The fun, merriment, wine, women and song soon left when his money was all gone! He was the famished, the desolate in a land of famine. But we are to be the church, Zion, the believer in Jesus and in whom we are to put our trust and gain His strength. We do that in God's Word. We put on those royal beautiful garments and shake ourselves from the dust. We shake off the dust, and come to sit at the table set for us.

I think of the oil embargo back in the early 70's. Some cities were not hit as hard as others, but it looked something like this. Living in a large city, you had to be up by 3 am to get to gas station by 4 am , and wait in line to get gas before the pumps ran out of said gas. Yes, we had that lifestyle for a count of several months, and it was always best to get to the gas station as quick and as early as one could, so that you might be first or second in line, because if you were later, that would put you late for work at 7 am.Or, you had no gas and had to wait till the next delivery of gas in how many days?

Then while the gas thing was going on, yes, there was the union of the meat cutters who were striking, AND THEN, there was no milk (yes, even the dairymen had a problem as well). So we encountered a lot to get what we needed at the stores for the little one who should have plenty of food and milk. I remember that at least one whole year, our lives seemed chaotic!
Do you know what it is like to cross the picket line when there are "big men" picketing that store and  many other thousands of like men picketing stores around the state and country?

Just like then famine can start in one place to spread to other areas as well, so do other things like water shortages, shortages  on food supplies and sometimes even gas!

Are we squandering that which we should keep back? That mentality of "give me" is "I want all that is mine and I want it now". That "me" thing gets a lot of us into trouble at times. It also comes under the heading of "SIN"!

When being married, that union is of more than one person and can quickly add up to 5 or more people in said union. FAMILY! And being in a family, causes us to think about others more than ourselves or it should, although sometimes we do not see that actually happening in some lives, especially in young children and teens.

NOW, don't get me wrong here, we can certainly take a couple of weeks off and enjoy some time abroad. We can take a day or two here or there to take care of something at home or at a Dr.'s office, but are we taking the "me" time to a whole new level? Well, Shelley, I have worked here for 20 years and I am getting almost 3 weeks off this year, but when I get to 25 years of service to this company I will gain 5 weeks off. Sounds good right, sounds like you have worked and worked and worked to get where you are today, but what if God desires you to be somewhere else doing something new?
And that work, is it just for you....or is it for your entire family? Is it I want more money to buy more things, or I am saving for our kid's college coming in ten years.

God does not mind us having things or enjoying life, BUT DO THOSE THINGS HAVE US?

This young man squandered all that he had. He joined himself to another when the famine came. He fed the swine and then he started to come to his senses. Looking at verse 17......And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants." ' 20 And he arose and came to his father. 

He came to himself, he became aware he was more than a swine feeder, and he was still starving! (At least the swine were eating!) He decided to leave the "folly" behind.

Proverbs 14:24..............24 The crown of the wise is their riches,  But the foolishness of fools is folly.  NKJV
His going away from what he knew and moving far from that which was good, made him the fool!

It appears that when one is foolish, more foolishness crowns him with more folly!

Proverbs 16:22....22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it.

But the correction of fools is folly.  NKJV

He saw that in his leaving home for a foreign country brought him to lose his wealth and anything of value. He went through a famine in the land to end up with the swine and yet the swine were eating pods but at least they were eating. He was not being given anything to eat!. He certainly came to place of correction.
But being in "folly" will bring one to be crowned with more "folly" like we see with the young man.

In verse 18 he states that he will rise out of this "bad" place............that low place of defeat, of lack, .........a place called sin...........and repent. "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. And he went to the Father!

Wow! When one hits the bottom, they are willing to be called the servant and be one to come back to the home of grace and love!

Remember from Isaiah......chapter 52 and verse 3.....
Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion! 

3 For thus says the LORD:

"You have sold yourselves for nothing,
And you shall be redeemed without money."
In reading of the son, we certainly saw him desiring to loose himself from the bonds of his neck........and seeing nothing, in famine, the desolate had nothing, he returned to be redeemed without money. He came to the love of the Father!


We find another man being called folly....and Nabal was his name.
1 Samuel 25:25-31............................25 Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. 27 And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. 29 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant."  NKJV

Nabal was different. He liked being the landowner, and foolish. She, Abigail,knew his character as one who was very rude and what some call as "behaving churlishly". As she had heard of the bad thing her husband had done toward David through a servant, she was pleading her own ignorance to the whole matter or event. When Abigail went to meet David, she knew that he would be on his way to fight against Nabal for speaking to his men as he did and would make NO EFFORT to gather food for David's men. Even though David and his men had kept Nabal's flocks secure from those who would steal in the country as they did, Nabal showed no grace to them. He acted like he had never heard of David!

But Abigail in her defense takes food for David and his men. She desires them to be given what they asked for from her husband, but who was not willing to give. She speaks that David's enemies would be as Nabal, her husband. 

meaning of Nabal: dote, senseless, vile, stupid, and wicked

Abigail went on to speak prophetically that David would know that the Lord fights the battles and evil would not be found in him throughout his days. She even speaks of Saul, but does not speak his name out loud. She says, "your life (David) will be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God".  ...."the lives of your enemies he shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling".

Did God not do that to "Goliath"? Did God not show David what he needed to do in the wilderness and could ultimately perform anywhere else? She went on to prophesy......"And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, 31 that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant."
Meaning that David would come out good on this "bad deal". It would bring no grief to David, who kept his watch over his men and over the flocks of Nabal, who proved vile.

She finished with, may you remember your maidservant. Remember Abigail who stopped the vile Nabal from ruining another's life by being the good wife. Remember Abigail who thought of the needs for others when it was within her hand to give it! Remember Abigail who came and reminded you that this would bring no grief to you in later years!


Yes, we have two men, who had a mentality of being the "fool". But Nabal became the vile and the wicked. In being foolish, the fool became the stupid and the senseless in his dealing with people!
The young man went back to the Father and confessed his sins before him. He had a change of heart!  Our Father will meet us when we have gone too far in the wrong direction. We remain out of His goodness, if we continue to choose for "me, myself and I"..............or "GIVE ME, GIVE ME, GIVE ME.........!

Proverb 23:26-28............26 My son, give me your heart,
And let your eyes observe my ways. 
27 For a harlot is a deep pit,
And a seductress is a narrow well.
28 She also lies in wait as for a victim,
And increases the unfaithful among men.  NKJV

Again, as we saw the young man, who was seduced by wealth. He wanted money and to leave what he knew to experience "the world" during a time of famine. Although he did not plan on famine, it can certainly happened even when there is abundance of food, abundance of commercial items, and much produce to be transported. Like what we experienced in Colorado in the 70's, people wanting more, caused others to be without a supply of meat, milk, or gas.

It was like the Portland longshoremen going on strike. And anybody who watched that or had packages to be sent out, knew those packages were not going to make it to their destination in record time. No, those packages might have gotten loaded into one big container, but they sat on dock till they could be loaded. Well, months started going by and by that February Hanjin was leaving the Port of Portland. And others went as well. Then Hapag-Lloyd that distributes to Europe was gone as well. These two supplied about ninety percent of the business to the port. Sad but true, this occurred this year.

Proverbs 30:15..................15 "The leech has two daughters.
'Give! Give!' they cry.  NIV

More, more, more, give me more!

Greed is always ugly....if the leech is crying........greed...."Give, Give".........will not it intensify with two young ones doing the same thing?
In the case of the young man, who had a change of heart, going home was by repenting. His brother who had remained had some grievance against him. Though the young man came back and the Father ran to meet him, and placed on him the royal robe and ring, the other son, the brother had grief. He was the brother who remained in the same place, chose not to spend, and yet had everything still at hand, but grieved! (Luke 16: 25-32)
The brother who remained in the home was envious of someone, a brother, who came out of a "pit"!

In closing: Our hearts must observe God's ways. It will surely keep us out of the pit and away from that which can cry out........that it is good, but it is in the end......that which is bitter.....to us.......to our souls, minds and spirit.

James 3:13-18...........13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.  NKJV

Two men, seeking their own thing, their own way. One got into famine ........lack, much folly and came to his senses. The other continued his ways..MORE FOOLISHNESS........and died. 

1 Samuel 25:36-38..........36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 Then it came about, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.   NKJV

We have opportunities like Nabal did to honor the anointed king who was coming soon to his position like Abigail did. But Nabal the fool pretended to not know him at all. But yet when we look back at previous scriptures we find he even knew David's father's name and mentioned Jesse. This Nabal threw himself a party........a feast........and drank till drunk with wine. But Abigail told him what she had done. And then Nabal's heart died within him. 

Today we choose either serving self or serving God! Today we choose life or death. Will greed take us places where we meet with the untimely misfortune of death or disease? Will greed take us to those places where we rule and will not allow God any access to show us what is coming our way that MAY BE A BIG PROBLEM. for us LIKE FAMINE? Will we waste our health and wealth on that which does not bring life to us or adds anything good to us?

Father, thank You today for Jesus, the Son of Your love who died to give us life abundantly. Father, we know that covetousness or greed is idolatry.

Today, we choose to guard our hearts and we need You to show us the way. Show us by Your Holy Spirit that which is not fruitful for our benefit in our walk with You. Show us where our hearts may crave or want something that will be detrimental to us. Father You sent the best You had for us. We desire to give back to You our love and thankfulness for delivering us from death, hell and the grave. We know that chasing after other things, or people as in musical groups or sports may lead us down a path we do not want to go down. As according to Romans 1:25....we do not desire to exchange the truth of God for the lie...........and do not want to worship and serve any creature rather than YOU our Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Help us to see what we must recognize as that which brings death and not life to us. Help us to know when we start to venture too far off the right track with YOU.

We give thanks for Jesus, and we thank You for hearing our plea. We do not desire to be time wasters as we see the Day of Approaching of YOUR return. 

The Word will not return void, but will accomplish where it is sent. Today, we desire to totally lean on You and learn Your wisdom, drawing on YOUR strength and filled with Your quietness. It is in Jesus' name we pray! 

 May we bless YOU and bring beautiful music, a lovely sound to YOUR hearing Father. Amen and amen

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

SATISFIED!

Psalm 63:4-5............4 Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. ..NKJV

My soul, my mind, will and emotions shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness.
David saw that being satisfied was found within a worship toward God in seeing a healthful body, fullness of all that he needed to live, and having comforts for his life. In his worship he was delighting in what God has for him and was ready to receive them all!

No desire left unfilled.........all would be met by God! All that David aspired to, and had a passion for in God, determined that his desires, those righteous ones would be met in God!

Proverbs 10:24..........24 The fear of the wicked will come upon him,
And the desire of the righteous will be granted.
NKJV

So what is the fear of the wicked...........they are far from God, but the righteous, those who will be satisfied are those close to God. Those who lift holy hands to God in worship are satisfied in their spirit, soul and body! Being satisfied, is being up close and personal with God!

Proverbs 30:15-16................15 The leech has two daughters--

Give and Give!

There are three things that are never satisfied,

Four never say, "Enough!": 

16 The grave,

The barren womb,

The earth that is not satisfied with water--

And the fire never says, "Enough!" ..NKJV

Proverbs 19:23............23 The fear of the LORD leads to life,  And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;  He will not be visited with evil. 

NKJV

Being satisfied is more than just being fed and clothed. If it were enough, then people would stop quarreling among each other. But being satisfied means a lot more than having the need of man met. One neighbor can see another's new car, and that craving for more, of not being satisfied with all that they already have now puts them into jeopardy (danger) for more, more, more!

Ever looked at a fire on the slopes of a great hill or over a land filled with dry vegetation, and it sweeps through like a train keeping its schedule to be on time. The grave receives the body, but demands more. It makes a demand that those who have lost a loved one will pay more. That open grave speaks loudly of its intent to keep the grieving person captive to its desires for more. 
I remember this elder man dying in a community of about 1,000 people. He had been a drinking person and had no friends. When he died, one family member stepped up to see he got the proper burial. We had been invited to attend with them. There were just 5 people attending this man's funeral. There was no celebration of his afterlife in God. And I remember thinking on that poor man in all that, no man came, no person sang, no one cared, but the five who came. It seemed to me even then that the grave demands more on those who place the body, that tent, now empty into the ground. I thought many years after how the grave was demanding more of people, especially of those who attended this one funeral.

People in one part of the country are inundated by floods while another part of the country is in a great famine! The earth is not satisfied with water.....

Psalm  34:11-14 .......11 Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 

12 Who is the man who desires life,

And loves many days, that he may see good? 

13 Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit. 

14 Depart from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.  NKJV

Being satisfied is having everything we need to accomplish what God has for us to do in this lifetime. People can experience the never being satisfied like the grave or the barren womb. Nothing is more sad than a couple who cannot have a child together. Today we see that the earth requires more water for we see it in our yards and the spans of dry pastures and fields.

And those fires.......always speaking more........with an unique energy, will take on every car and truck on a major interstate highway like we just saw on I-15 near San Bernardino, California. Two weekends ago,  we saw a fire move like a snake up a hillside and over a major highway to engulf vehicles in flames and keep on moving up the hillside. And the most amazing thing was this: the people like the department of transportation could have stopped them long before they got to the place the fire raged, but let the traffic continue so........that a traffic jam stopped the traffic in the middle of nowhere and to be overtaken by a fire with bad attitude! In determining to stop people from driving through a firestorm, who makes the decision and are they qualified to make it?

So if we are not satisfied, then where lays the problem? Is it on God or on us? Well, it certainly has to be with us.

Psalm 37:18-24.........18 The LORD knows the days of the upright,
And their inheritance shall be forever. 
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time,
And in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. 
20 But the wicked shall perish;
And the enemies of the LORD,
Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish.
Into smoke they shall vanish away. 
21 The wicked borrows and does not repay,
But the righteous shows mercy and gives. 
22 For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth,
But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. 

23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way. 
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand. 
NKJV

The Lord knows the days of the upright. He knows those who follow Him, mention His name daily, and ask something in prayer. He keeps those who are His, and in the evil time they shall not be ashamed, they are satisfied in the days of famine. Yes, from Psalm 37, we find those who are blessed by God and those who are cut off from Him forever. The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in His Way. Though a righteous man may start to fall, but GOD CATCHES HIM, BREAKS THAT FALL FROM HAPPENING AND UPHOLDS THAT RIGHTEOUS MAN WITH HIS OWN HAND. PRAISE GOD!


The Greek for "satisfaction" is to the full, suffice, have plenty of, and satiate. I like that word satiate!
Satiate: one who is completely satisfied....for oneself or in a need......to the point of being overdone, so that one could not have room for any more......!
I think of a dry sponge plunged into a sink filled with water........and when I raise the sponge it is dripping with much water. It is satiated, overfilled in the water department.



Psalm 36:7-9....7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. 
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. 
9 For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light. NKJV

Satisfied, abundantly with the fullness of God's house are we to look like to the world. As we draw our life from the fountain of life in God, we see light! Our lives are to be depicted....in detail...to be the same as His in that of righteousness (Psalm 33:5) of love (1 John 4:8), and of wisdom and truth ( Colossians 2:3)
Yes, Shelley, I know that. 

In God's rivers of delight are our pleasures. Those of God are those that are spiritual, they are clear as crystal (Revelation 22:1) It is by His Holy Spirit that we become, not only acquainted, but ready to reveal this to others. But to be able to tell others, we must first make a habit of visiting with the Lord daily through the Word, through Worship and through Prayer. Our hearts must be satiated in the things of God. Our hearts should be plunged into the Rivers of delight that is of God as in Revelation 22:1.

It is in Him that we live, and move and have our being. So each of us will have fruit in our lives. We will have more than enough food, more than enough water, more than enough love and vision for a lifetime. In His light we have a Perfection of Who God is, and we gain it in having His wisdom, His knowledge, His joy and able to give it to others in a vast amount! There is no holding back! As we freely allow His waters to flow into our lives, they will freely flow into another's life. But if we cut off ourselves and drink from the world's supply of putrid waters, all we will have for another is .....a putrid puddle! That puddle is one that is corrupted by the follower going after worldly things.

Taken from "PUDDLE JUMPERS".....A BLOG I wrote from.......February 27...2015.
 Having to get from point A to point B certainly can take some effort and work when dealing with other people.  But anyone knows that some people just create mud puddles, and are known as puddle jumpers. They like making things hard, difficult, and sometimes just hard to understand. But truly having God and His favor causes us to have a shield of favor. That when God our Father favors us, He surrounds with a shield where the mud from those puddle jumpers just rolls off us. When God our Father is for us, then all other things must bow to the name of Jesus.

SATISFIED!
For me, it looks like this! When I was a young child I remember going to a Theater to see a movie. The cartoon came on at the beginning. It was in black and white..........and looked a lot like a mouse whistling down this roadway out in a country area, but as he kept walking and kept whistling and singing, the scene started to change, and the black & white became a screen filled with color. He, the mouse, then had color, and his clothes had color. (yeah, a mouse wearing clothes, can you imagine?) 
But I think about this when I see something new that God is doing, not only in my life, but in those around me. I see that black & white become the bright color of life much like the rainbow that is over the Throne of God!


Revelation 4:2-3...... 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. NKJV

Those satisfied are the radiant.....they have a glowing face that beams with a glad heart and a voice of faith in the One Who created them! Psalm 34:4-7... 4 I sought the LORD and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. 5 They looked to HIM and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed. 6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. NKJV

Radiance is that beaming with all that God is.......and it is being given to a world in much hurt and pain!

Father, thank You for Jesus. We are not ashamed of the Gospel. For it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For in it, the righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." (Rom. 1:16-17)
Father, You say that the steps of a good man are ordered by You. We pray that our steps are ordered by YOU and that we follow every direction You desire for us to walk out for YOUR glory. We desire to be those with a radiant face and a glowing heart that speaks truth in that darkness where some people reside. We desire to speak the LIGHT of YOUR Word and see the darkness dispelled.
We expect that no righteous desire will be left unfilled. We are those who have sought the face of God......to see Him in the sanctuary........Our heart said to YOU, "Your face, LORD, we will seek. (Psalm 27:8) Even though our father and mother make forsake us, then the LORD will take care of us." We believe YOU to strengthen our hearts, and see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
We give praise for YOUR goodness to us........now bless the works of our hands for YOUR kingdom in Jesus' name.(1 Cor 10:31.....31 Therefore, whether you (we) eat or drink, or whatever you (we) do, do all to the glory of God. NKJV)
 Amen.



You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

TRADING GLORY FOR SORROWS

Judges 16:1-5.............16:1 Then Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. 2 When the Gazites were told, "Samson has come here!" they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, "In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him." 3 And Samson lay low till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.

4 Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. 5 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." NKJV

When Samson took hold of that gate of the city, he pulled up the entire gate with the lintels and we are told this gate had a plating of metal throughout. (the gates were done that way so as not to burn completely away when being attacked by foreigners). It was usually a double door and was locked at night by a wooden bar across the middle. We are told that he pulled it up and put in on his shoulders and carried them (the two wooden doors of the gate that was woven throughout with metal) to the top of the hill that faces Hebron! Wow!
Please realize that this carrying of the gate is up a hill all the way and with added weight on the shoulders.

Saw this young woman on the path behind our home. (Thursday noon) as I worked on this passage of scripture. She looks like she was in training for she was jogging with a metal cylinder on her back. I think of all those firefighters who have to get to a terrain where a fire is raging and their work requires an uphill climb, not far from a roadway and yet far enough to require some foot work! And you can at times see some men or women training with those heavy backpacks on their backs.......loaded down with the essentials to rescue someone who is need of help!


Let's think and meditate on this: Samson spent the night with a prostitute. He rises at midnight, to go remove a gate from its foundation, and possibly a locked gate with the cross-bar attached to them. He gathers all this on his shoulders. And he walked or ran it up-hill for about nine miles. ( Hebron was about nine geographical miles. Some think it was to a hill called el Montar, which is 45 minutes from Gaza). Either way this was some feat! Oh, and did I mention the road was made of sand? Gaza was by the sea and Hebron was in the hills.

So if one is deep into sin like he performed with this woman, was he desiring to leave in "the dark" so no one could see him? The scripture plainly points out that those of the Gazites were watching for him and knew when he was in the city with the prostitute. It says they surrounded the place where he had gone into the prostitute.
And what about that gate.....and did he really need to pull it up .........and take it?
Again think about him not destroying the gate, but actually pulling it up together, one piece and carrying it forward away from Gaza and going up to Hebron. What was he thinking?
The city of Gaza was no longer secure. The gate into the city was now gone.

Gaza was a long way from Samson's home. Was he hoping to not be seen by those who knew him or knew of him? Yet, the watchmen knew he was in the city for they set up to ambush him when he came out of the prostitutes place.  Samson was in Gaza for no honorable reason. We read that he took the gate at midnight, so where was the "watchmen"? Was no one watching the city gates? Is it possible that those watching and waiting for Samson saw him lift the entire gate? With their weapons drawn, were they afraid to do anything to him?  
If someone did that today, no doubt, that person would be arrested! So many places today have the cameras that they record 24-hour day periods and pull them up when a death or accident or some other incident occurs.
But in that day, people believed in that Divine Power of God! So many places today have the cameras situated outside businesses to capture traffic on roadway and on the sidewalk. They record 24-hour day periods and pull them up when a death or accident or some other incident occurs. They surely keep an accurate record when placed in right area and right position in front of business or parking lot!

As the Judge over Israel and against the princes of the Philistines, this man had a lot of things going on. Was his counsel now of no effect? Those of that counsel sat at the city gates to exercise government rule.
In meditating this, I thought of how that justice is done today in America. I thought of a "county seat". Growing up in the south, I knew something of the county seat. It was in the main city or town of that county where government order as in justice prevailed. If there arose any complaints through the county area, the complaint was sent to the administrative person in charge. The papers filed were handed to the judge. He would rule either in favor of the complaint or rule against it as the law states in that county or state.
Counties, as like the one in which I lived, would carry out or administer state laws at the local level.
As in our town, the "Court House" was where the government was administered at the township or city level.

When we think of Samson heading for Hebron but never reaching it, was he moving further AWAY from God? Yet, we find in looking at the word Hebron, we see it is as a "community seat of association". Did Samson like being away from the things of God and was he choosing to stay in the polluted world of sin. He could have easily stayed connected with God the Holy Spirit, and give up the fleshly ways of the world to keep a walk of faith and prudence.

HEBRON in Hebrew is (inter alia) and comes from the word for "Friend" (haver). But because of sin, was Samson still bound to the gate he managed to remove from the earth that held it. Even in the size and weight of this major gate with two doorways included, it was still in one piece. Was he still bound to those who he became a friend or an acquaintance of?

Was he angry when finding a gate closed? And was he so proud that "no gate could hold him"?

When we go on to read of Samson, he is entangled with Delilah! He, Samson, went from bad to worse. For in this passage we probably find a woman who had no sinful life, but she was promised the 1100 pieces of silver from each of the princes of the Philistines. And she did it! That made her become a prostitute by being paid a wage for it........to bring Samson down!
I wonder how many get entangled in some little something and think it harmless, when like Samson, they can remove the gate but it still be intact.......and in reality never let anyone through it.
Like this gate, and similar to where he would minister justice, but had justice gone out the way side of things? Again, would he have no power to administer justice in Israel after this?
As a Judge, Samson was to rule righteously. The Judges were to be faithful to Jehovah's righteousness. In Samson, we saw him getting deeper into sin.
Even though the book of Judges is small and lists only a few, there are those who shine like Deborah. (blog: Appointed by God, Deborah the Prophetess) But Samson is remembered as the one who gave in to sin, led by his own fleshly desires and to die while being held captive by those who hated him, the Philistines.
Are we possibly doing something like Samson and not know it? Are we holding up something we like to do, and look good doing it and want others to know how "great" we are doing this thing? It could range from the workplace to church. It could be in music, in sports, in computer work, or even in singing. It could be coming from making 20 cents a day to 2 million dollars in days!

In closing:

Acts 8:9-24.....................9 Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, 10 and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power." 11 They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.

14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money 19 and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

20 Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! 21 You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. 23 For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin."

24 Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." NIV

WOW! It says that Peter told Simon, you are full of bitterness and captive to sin. In the blog "HAPPY ARE THE PEOPLE", the people who know God are those who are not bitter, not after their own thing, but after the glory of God. It is in His glory that we have those radiant faces and the joyful heart that look at doing what God the Lord planned for us to do.

As we look at Simon from Acts 8 and verse 24, we find he asked for Simon to pray..........but Peter told him to repent of the  wickedness and pray to the Lord.....perhaps He will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart!

It does not say that Simon repented of his act toward the holy things of God and thinking he could buy the Holy Spirit. He asked Peter to pray for him. 
Was not this like Saul?  Have we not read time and again of the pride that Saul got into as he thought he could do without the Lord's leading. He was even giving sacrifice without the priest being present. That which was duly performed was given by God, but it also meant that that sacrificing was as worship and was of the inward heart. Yes, it was a heart issue!  It was not just an outward show to perform something. Obedience with a faithful trusting heart is what pleases God. 

1 Thessalonians 2:4....................4 On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. NIV
Romans 14:17-20...................17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.  NKJV

I remember this gentleman who was in the church we were attending. He loved to work out. And he did some training in the field of body builders. He had done it for awhile and after an amount of time the Lord told him to stop doing it.
He shared with the body of believer's that his doing it was for his benefit and not God's. He had come to a place where that "thing" was so important that it had become " a god" to him. So he stopped doing it. He obeyed God. We must be those who willing choose to put down that which only glorifies us and pick up that which glorifies the Father. What could possibly be in our lives, that we must put down and move away from to glorify our Father in Heaven? 

Samson did repent at the end. It cost him his life! And it was recorded............for us to read and hear! He traded glory for sorrows!

Father, we are told in Romans 8:8 that those who are in the flesh cannot please God. It is Your Holy Spirit that has come to dwell in our hearts by faith. Today we are alive because the Spirit which is life is in us. Living by YOUR Holy Spirit we put to death the deeds of the body. We have received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, " Abba, Father."
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 
Father show us where we might have something that could become a "god" to us. Help us to check our hearts daily and listen to Your rebuke.
We desire not to trade Your glory for sorrows, but we desire to bring praise to YOUR name and shout praise forever!

We pray to be those who will repent when we know we must to stay in Your Presence and YOUR glory. We desire to hear every command and obey them.

We know that You have given us Your Holy Spirit and according to John 3:34,35, "for since he Whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaims God's own message], God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!

We desire today to bask in the beauty of Who You are. We are expectant to have a life filled with adventure, but also with wisdom, truth and righteousness that keeps us in the shelter of the Almighty God in Jesus' name. Amen and Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV 

The Orphan: The One WHO CAN FINISH STRONG!

John 14:18-21................18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

19 "A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."    NKJV


Jesus mentions the orphan. in John 14, but we also see it in the Old Testament.
Lamentations 5:1-5......1 Remember, O LORD, what has happened to us; 
look, and see our disgrace. 
2 Our inheritance has been turned over to aliens, 
our homes to foreigners. 
3 We have become orphans and fatherless, 
our mothers like widows. 
4 We must buy the water we drink; 
our wood can be had only at a price. 
5 Those who pursue us are at our heels; 
we are weary and find no rest.  NIV

James 1:27..........27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. NIV

Psalm 25:16-18.............16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,

For I am desolate and afflicted. 

17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged;

Bring me out of my distresses! 

18 Look on my affliction and my pain,

And forgive all my sins. 

NKJV

Many people today are voicing loudly their life of the desolate. Many have not seen the example of a "figure" to lead them with wisdom. Many today have been led by maybe a sibling or friend and most have been taken far from the place of being nurtured in love, but brought up in neglect, or left as in abandonment, and in deprivation of anything to sustain them to life. Love never enters the arena where they reside. These are they who are usually used in some way for another's gain.

These are the "orphans"!

This has come on my heart to write in the last few days. I was never left an orphan, but I met many who had been left to their own devices. I met many who had to fend for themselves, and I saw the mistakes they made by trying to be "grown up" when there was still so much of a child inside. One young lady who had failed a couple of years in school, desired to quit school and marry. I remember watching this game being played at our school one afternoon. It was a basketball practice being held outside and I remember sitting next to this young teen. Although she was some three years older than me, I liked her gentle spirit. She loved to talk and so did I.  I was in Jr. High and liked being that age and being in school.I loved "homework"!  But this one talked how she wanted to be married and take care of a home. I wondered, "does someone really like cleaning house and cooking food"? Remember I was in Jr. High. 

Today we are seeing many displaced people who desire living out on the streets and alley ways. Some got there by misfortune and others because they chose it. A friend of mine for some years, worked down in the Seattle area, and she saw this women one day with a shopping cart loaded down with all kinds of things. The Lord had told my friend to walk over and talk with her. Well, the first time, she said no to the Lord. But the next time, she went quickly with a willing heart.
I remember her take on the whole conversation. She said as she approached the woman, who was nicely dressed in Asian apparel. Her hair appeared nicely cared for and did not look like someone who lived on the street. My friend offered the lady some money and told her that "the Lord loved her". The woman told my friend that she liked living on the street as she did not want to work! My friend encouraged her in some way and walked away. She said she remembered turning back for a last look at the woman and felt sad for her.  She saw the Asian woman one more time on that street corner and then saw her no more. Today, when people get into a "fix" by either spending too much money, one spouse passes from sudden death or long illness, or a job is lost with no back-up savings, many people find there is no home to go back to as there was many decades ago. In decades past, If someone came upon hard times, the family came together and often times lived in the same house for years. It happened in the Dust Bowl era and crash of 1929. But today, there is no place to go to, and many have found they can draw a check from government and never have to work again. I wonder what will happen when the government stops sending those checks out?
Yet, there are those who need not a handout but a hand up......a lifting with encouragement and maybe rent for a month!

Many times a youth is thrown out of their home because of not obeying the rules of the house or they want something that the parent's see as detrimental to the youth's or teenagers whole being. It is important for us to be fruitful and produce a place where others will desire to come. People have no homes they were raised in to go back to, but what if there is A PLACE in God that we can be fruitful in and present to those who are wandering in the desolate area of life?

We are to value our children and grand-children and not throw them into the street to fend for themselves. But so many have been dealt a brutal blow by those that gave them life and are now these have grown into adults and are raising their own children. And that orphan mentality can certainly affect how we raise our "kids" if we are still experiencing this "orphan" image. 

God surely created us in His image and He desires good for us. He planned for us and when we would exist to accomplish His plan in the earth.

Genesis 1:26-28.........26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 

NKJV

Isaiah 40:18-20..........18 To whom then will you liken God?

Or what likeness will you compare to Him? 

19 The workman molds an image,

The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,

And the silversmith casts silver chains. 

20 Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution 

Chooses a tree that will not rot;

He seeks for himself a skillful workman 

To prepare a carved image that will not totter. NKJV

What image have people followed? What god did they create for themselves to follow? Did they follow their own lusts to find defiance and death?  Did they follow those "voices" of destruction, those who use and throw away children? How about the little 5 year old who has no name, and was found dead in a trash bag in the harbor of a great city? How did we get to be a nation who cares not for their children? There is no other way to life other than Jesus. All others lead to destruction. Everything else is but a lie, and can be beautifully ornamented as we see from the scripture above. Those things of the world are not the real life God has for us. He has placed eternity in each of us and He desires us to know Him and spend quality time with Him.
Apart from God, we can only experience death.  

Matthew 5:48............48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.  NKJV

That perfection is in that perfect love seen in  1 John 4:18. His love is spoken throughout to us in that word written as the Bible. He speaks in truth to us and we grow more in Christ......that unrelenting pursuit was seen in Jesus and accomplished on the cross.

Those who walk those crooked paths are certainly found out. As we see from Proverbs 10:9......Proverbs 10:9...........9 The man of integrity walks securely,

but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.  NIV
Those who walk out their journey through other means than love for their neighbor end up in "bad places" and with not so good people!

 They are shown to be what they are........2 Timothy 3 :2-5.......2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. NIV 

We are seeing generation after generation,those who have no influence that leads to righteousness, but those who saw a parent die, and the other be a lover of themselves. We are seeing those who have been abandoned by another's own brutal behavior, lack of love, and displaying unforgiving hearts!

Those who truly follow their own passions find heartache, loss and loneliness. And those children who are left behind to fend for themselves wonder why "the parent" left them. They wonder why "the parent" chose alcohol or drugs or just chose to desert them. 

But Jesus said He would not leave us orphans. He said that He would come to us!

Psalm 25:16-21.............16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted. 

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied;

free me from my anguish. 

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress 

and take away all my sins. 

19 See how my enemies have increased 

and how fiercely they hate me! 

20 Guard my life and rescue me;

let me not be put to shame,

for I take refuge in you. 

21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,

because my hope is in you.  NIV

Lately I have seen those who walk in integrity toward others and still seem to get the "shaft". They are sorely mistreated!  And these people feel abandoned by society themselves. They have been in "church" but not followed the true path of knowing God and what Jesus did for them.
The psalmist wrote in Psalm 25 and verse 20....that he desired God to guard his life.......rescue him for the person had sought God as His refuge. The person did not want to come to shame. (shame: an embarrassment of foolish behavior) The psalmist desired to be one of integrity and uprightness. He had directed his hope in God!

Romans 15:13..........13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.   NIV

In prayer we are to fasten upon the names, the titles and attributes of God. As we confess, and spend time with those scriptures our faith in those names, title and attributes of Who God is strengthens our faith.

As the God of hope fills us with all joy and peace as we put our trust in Him, we overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

But God!  When we turn away from the world and look into God's instruction (the Bible) we find our path!

Can we  possibly nurture others in the God of hope? 
Can we influence them, with a Godly heritage and beckon them to God's holy word of repentance and life? Just because "maw" or "paw" went to the church for many years, does not make one a Christian. Following Jesus and the commands given to us, is the Way, the Truth and the Life! It is not following what religion speaks, but what is in your heart to things of God. If we direct people into fellowship of God and the Holy Spirit, we direct them into "freedom".
Then the "orphans" leave bondage and the drudgery of the negative lifestyle or traditions. As each of us spend time in this beautiful love letter, we become aware that we were and are truly loved by God! 

He has the answer! Our diet must change to the sustenance that will sustain us We must turn from that replaying that tune or hearing those voices of yesteryear that come to remind us that we were abandoned. We must tune out those lies that destroy and turn to truth that brings life to us. Our instruction must come from God and Him alone. We must join ourselves with the flock that follows Jesus as Lord and our Defender!

I have seen this in a young pastor who just found his calling a few years back. He is giving back of his talents and the gifts God has in him and he moves easily from neighborhoods to the market place.
And to those who might have had, even some Sunday school as youths and teens, you are still called of God to fill a place. If that one place within you seems void of life, now is the time to turn toward God and call on Him to fill that void by His Holy Spirit. I know I experienced it as well. I know it exists, but do not spend your years on the fruitless and lifeless things like I did, turn now and find that life God has for you and will direct you into.

If you are still facing that "orphan" attitude, then ask God what you need to hear and learn to leave the other behind. Ask God to lead you by His Spirit into that care of His loving kindness that will replenish the spirit, soul and body. Ask Him to show what instruction you need and to please send those instructors and teachers your way. Ask HIM to help you hear the voice of life unto life. Ask Him to show you those who are allowed to speak into your life.

Remind God that He created you for a purpose in His mind and ask Him what it is. Know that He is for you and not against you! 

Romans 8:31-35...........31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died-more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?    NIV

Psalm 32:8-9.......8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will guide you with My eye. 

9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule,

Which have no understanding,

Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,

Else they will not come near you.  NKJV

When we allow God to have His way in our lives, we can "finish strong"........!

Proverbs 23:12    12 Apply your heart to instruction,

And your ears to words of knowledge.  NKJV

Proverbs 24:11   11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death,

And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.  NKJV

Proverbs 5:1-2  .......   My son, pay attention to my wisdom;

Lend your ear to my understanding,

2 That you may preserve discretion,

And your lips may keep knowledge. NKJV

Psalm 42:8 ......   8 The LORD will command His loving-kindness in the daytime,

And in the night His song shall be with me--

A prayer to the God of my life. NKJV

Jesus sent His Spirit..........and it is renewing the face of the earth. For what Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden..........Jesus took all that sin and nailed it to the cross and through His body. The Comforter, the Helper has come!

John 14:25-31.......25 "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. NKJV

Let not the orphan attitude keep you away from the plan God has for you. Move forward to confess and rehearse those scriptures to remind you that God is still on the scene. He has not forgotten you or forsaken you.

  Today, apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge. Pay attention to the wisdom of God and lend your to understanding that it may preserve discretion and your lips may keep knowledge.

Understand and know that Lord will not hear if we regard iniquity in our heart.   He desires us to forgive, forgive and forgive! He desires us to forgive others as He has forgiven us.

  For those who still sense they have that "orphan" attitude......please pray to the God of your life.

Today, I pray,................I recognize I have a Father You planned for me. I am loved. I may not know the extent of it yet, but YOU are for me! A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows are You God in Your holy dwelling. It is YOU Who has set the lonely in families and You lead forth the prisoners with singing. (Psalm 68:5-6)

Father God, make me strong and courageous.  I have read that the NAME OF THE LORD is a strong tower and the righteous run to it and are safe. (Prov. 18:10)......Help me not to be afraid or terrified because of anyone else, for You, the Lord my God, go with me; You will never leave me or forsake me. (Deut. 31:6)

Lord, how I thank YOU for the assurance that You will not reject Your people; You will never forsake Your inheritance. (Psalm 94:14)

Father, today, I bask and take comfort in Your promise that You will go before me and make the rough places smooth; You will shatter the gates of bronze and cut through their iron bars. (Psalm 107: 15-16) You will give me the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth (riches) of secret places, in order that I may know that it is You, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls me by name. (Isaiah 45:2-3)

Father God, I ask You to lead me when I am blinded by ways I have not known. Help me to walk along the unexpected and unknown paths. Guide me into Your glorious Presence so that I can hear Your voice. Please,turn the darkness into light before me and make the rough places smooth.  I know You will not forsake me. ( Isaiah 42:16) I pray these things You will certainly do.

I receive You as my Father. Lead me into that You planned for me. Thank You  for  the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in Jesus' name, He will teach me all things, and bring to my remembrance all things that has been said to me of truth, in discipline, and guidance in YOUR holy word.  I thank YOU for Peace that YOU left with me, I will not let my heart be troubled, neither will I let it be afraid. 

 Amen and Amen.

You can also visit my Youtube channel The Voice of Prayer for more teaching at http://bit.ly/1tNyBhV