Showing posts with label Mary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Why Are You Weeping?

 


Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?  Whom are you seeking ?"  She supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." 16 Jesus said to her,  "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni! ( which is to say Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her,  "Do not cling to Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father, but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.  John 20:15-18  New King James Version

Jesus had been crucified on a cross. Here she views a man as the gardener! How would He been dressed? What gave her that idea to ask "the supposed gardener " where Jesus had been moved? She is in a cemetery. This is somewhat desert area used only for tombs.

A kingdom that is God ruled appeared as the Garden of Eden. Jesus came to show that we live by faith, speaking the same as God and it is seed we sow for life!

In the kingdom of God we come to live by the standards God has set for us to live by! It is not only to be alive but to stay alive for His glory, to be preserved & flourish. It is to enjoy life again by His standard of living, to recover in health and to breathe out for His glory & His praise.

It is not rights that rule, but a righteous God who leads by His voice of truth for purpose.  He asked Adam where they were at. And he responded by speaking they were naked. They took off the goodness of God and put on the world!

To flourish in God, preserved for Him and His plan is by residing in the secret place.  WE abide in His presence to hear His voice speak, to receive dreams and to listen to Him. Within that posture we meet with Him daily. We come to listen & record what He speaks to us! It is one characterized by faithfulness to God that appears as consistent in a belief with a steadfast heart to God that is true & every man is found a liar!

Life in God's Garden: Genesis 2:8 The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God  made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God made pleasant things to the sight and good for food. But in this reality of God, man would choose that of human choice for own delights! They heard the sound of God walking in the garden. And they were afraid. They had listened to the voice of the world and not to God Who created it. ( the earth)

Jesus was bullied because people said He was a mistake his mother Mary made. But Jesus is the Son of GOD. No mistake here! Joseph, the natural father on earth died early in his years. Jesus was hated by Pharisees and Sadducees and others. He sought to give people the truth of the Father. He sought to let others know what God would do when they hear Him. At one point some of His own friends would try to throw Him off the brow of a hill!

In the tomb area, Mary M. saw a man and presumed the "gardener". True the gardener came to set us on the path of planting God's word. Was Mary consumed in death and dying? WAS she tuned into the doom and gloom of a loss? People in prison are tuned into prison life. They get out and find other people who served time. They can end up back in the place of destruction.

So when Mary M. found it was Jesus and would meet them soon, she moved to tell the others and where was their thinking set? Let us keep in tune with a Jesus who is alive! He settle it all....finished what He came to do. He spoke to the demonic activity in the grottos. He delivered the love of the Father.

Maturing in Christ is Vital. It is vital to know Him, speak with Him, honor and delight to see the future with Him. Like John the apostle, our walk started by the conversion. We became those disciples that Jesus loves!. They are the humble, the submitted, who relinquished lives to appear in the fullness of Jesus Christ. The walk continues growing ever closer to Him, to know His ways in truth and life!

Here is a future listed as the "garden"! Ezekiel 34:29 I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land, nor bear the shame of the Gentiles anymore. This a return back to what God began.

A planting place is found. It is in God. It is by faith seeing the unseen. If we faint, He will revive. If we cannot walk He causes us to walk again. If we cannot see Him He causes us to see Him. If we cannot hear ....the sound will be heard.....the wind of Him walking in the garden we plant with His word. It never fails!

We heard that gentle voice, we felt the warmth of His embrace and today we are not to shake and quake at what is going on in this world. We are to remember we are in Him, where the Holy Spirit appeared to guide us in wisdom, understanding, counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord. On the other side of the Cross, we see Him as He really is!  We are the creation, and we are to praise the Creator for His goodness to US! That praise should be audible and it should be constant…to see the Goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

When He speaks, may we be aware that His voice that carries the sounds of many waters. Isaiah 43: 1 b “Fear not, for I have redeemed you. “I have called you by your name.; You are Mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you, when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. 3 For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.


                                              Teaching at: Voice of Prayer 

Uphill with Jesus Christ: The Witness that Glorifies God

 https://youtu.be/SxeBTDP4mzo

Visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching 

Teaching at: Life Giving Wells

Deceit and Deception

https://youtu.be/XeZc2Xy65jM

Visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching

Now Posting to Rumble 
Voice of Prayer
And
Life Giving Wells
    Life Giving Wells now on Spotify Podcast!

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Glory of God and the Dead

 


J
ohn 11:17-44……………...
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. 19 And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. 20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house.

 

21 Then Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." 23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." 24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."   NKJV

 

28 And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." 29 As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. 31 Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there."


 32 Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." 33 Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. 34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." 35 Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" 37 And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"

 

38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."

 

40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.

 

And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  


A favorite passage of mine. It is a favorite of the power of Jesus revealing God's glory!

Seen in Mark 9:1-2: And He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.

Jesus tells them they will see the Kingdom of God present with power, and within a week they see Him transfigured. His being revealed to them in glory was a demonstration of the power of God's Kingdom.


The Kingdom of God had come upon them. Jesus was and is the central figure. Taking it a step further.....where the King abides in any person, you or me, where a person is in Christ, the Kingdom is also present.

 

John records, "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11). Jesus stood  before His own and they knew Him not.


The gospel message was not popular. It bore fruit in those who were being called (Isaiah 55:11). Others hoped that the kingdom of Judah would be restored, and they were probably content to wait and watch this Man as He went about—as curiosity-seekers rather than opponents. However, for those who had a vested interest in maintaining the political and religious status quo, the gospel was seen as a threat, and those linked with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ were the object of all manner of resistance and persecution, both before and especially after His death. It holds true through this day and hour!

In verse 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?"

The power of Jesus in the Kingdom of God found in people willing to participate there. Odd, a cemetery....yet here Jesus told them to take away the stone from the place Lazarus, the dead man was lying.

Take away the stone....remove a stony heart from those still alive but lacking faith in the truth Jesus spoke!


And then Jesus spoke this:And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go."  

He spoke in relationship to the Father. Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.  He spoke loudly so others could hear Him speaking to the Father of glory. Those who held positions of religiosity, those who held to know God but only held a world view, Jesus spoke loudly. He wanted people to hold faith in their hearts....He crying out.....with a loud voice....."Lazarus, come forth!" 
And Lazarus came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes. He came forth. He, Jesus then spoke, " Loose him and let him go."

Those angry at this event of raising the "dead" would head into Jerusalem, and tell many what had happened. Heretics would run wild with loose lips about the Lord.  Jesus stayed in Bethany. He had time with Lazarus and then ultimately would Jesus make His way to Jerusalem.
Loose him and let him go. Loose him you spirit of death. Loose him....light and power of God's word was given....and power broke the bondage of death loose. The man Lazarus walked out!

Jesus gave these words in Matthew 23:13: "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." Some were then in the process of entering the Kingdom, and the resistance and oppression of the scribes and Pharisees were obstacles to that entrance. John 9:22 records that "the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue." The scribes and Pharisees, as well as those influenced by them, persecuted those God was drawing into His Kingdom. There was such animosity that the King Himself suffered the most awful violence that has ever been perpetrated: a mob of creatures wantonly crucifying their sinless Creator.

1.   Today even nominal Christians suffer Muslim persecution in one part of the world, while others are blocked, ridiculed, and constrained by secularists and humanists in another. True Christianity is denounced as being heretical and cultic, and its adherents suffer violence in various ways. This violence does not have to be physical violence. It can be verbal. It can be passive. It can be persecution or opposition in any number of ways.

2.  College campuses are overflowing with those who choose the persecutors over the those who have chosen life in Jesus.

3.   Do we believe but are unwilling to accept His offer of life? John 5:40


Wherever the spirit of Satan is present, his children make the way difficult for those who are in Christ Jesus or those who are being drawn to Him. They reject the royal law of the Kingdom and ridicule God's sovereignty. They sneer at His inspired Word. The violence that the Kingdom suffers will vary by degrees, but it is found wherever the ruler of this world has influence. There will always be some Pharisees and Sadducess. There will be kings and leaders who bow to idols, but light is to shine in the darkness. And light shined that day outside of Bethany. Light came in with the presence of God, and the Lord spoke with glory. 
Will we speak with glory? Times are changing. Those prepared are prayed up, have worded up and stand ready. They hear the quiet voice of God and declare loudly the word of God that sets captives free. Hear and Obey, the Lord is returning ......



                                              Teaching at: Voice of Prayer 

Uphill with Jesus Christ: The Witness that Glorifies God

https://youtu.be/SxeBTDP4mzo

Visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching 

Teaching at: Life Giving Wells

Deceit and Deception

https://youtu.be/XeZc2Xy65jM

Visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching

Now Posting to Rumble 
Voice of Prayer
And
Life Giving Wells
    Life Giving Wells now on Spotify Podcast!

Monday, December 6, 2021

Bobble-head

 

This is something I thought a lot about especially in the last few days. Even in marriages, without true conversation about anything that matters in a relationship, things will go wrong. So we should not be one of those who just bobble-head our way through life!

Was remembering about a time long ago that amounts to a time span of at least fifteen years up through this year, I would see people not amen God’s word but just bobbing their head up and down as if to “agree with it”. It is as if they would agree with pastor or said teacher they agree and yet they might not know the word for themselves in their heart. We must be very mindful of what we agree to especially in this day and hour!

But we are not to be bobble-heads! God’s word will break every chain. We are to know what is bound in heaven and what is loosed in heaven for that is what God expects for us on earth! But you cannot just nod your head up and down to claim it. YOU have to speak to bind something.

When Jesus was baptized and then walked into the wilderness to be tried( as to His faith) We find this in:Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “ It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it written: “He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and “In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him al the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan!” For it is written, “You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only you shall serve.”

And the devil left Him….and behold angels came and ministered to Him……

The tempter came to point out identity, and not what one thinks they deserve. I cringe every time I hear those commercial ads to signing up for Medicare so they, the man or woman can get what they deserve. If you did not work for a paycheck these many years how do you get what you really deserve? Is that not riding on another’s coattails? Many people are thinking they deserve everything in a department store and not pay for it, but do a smash and grab thing and sounds likes, looks lie and is thievery!

 Abiding in the Word : John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Jesus has spoken. He left His kingdom to expand through us. But we must speak as He spoke and not be a bobble-head. Or point to another and speak: “Yeah”…what she said or what he just said about the kingdom of God! No, we each are to speak God’s word to Him.

We are to abide in the Lord, abide in every word He spoke about His kingdom. And then we should be ready for God’s thing to be revealed to us, in us and through us.

You know with the birth of Jesus, we are reminded of a young lady, still in her teens and being marked to be the mother of our Lord.  The history of Mary though goes beyond the pages but are found in Hebrew history as coming from a family who lived within God’s word. Her father a scribe wrote daily. He would be in the temple as God’s word was given and he would take it home …the same thing and repeat it to the family. Mary was wrapped up in God and His thing! This family only lived by that word of God. So it should not surprise us that an angel came to Mary.

So when the angel appeared to Mary, she was well prepared. She knew the word of God. She knew the many generations that amounted to fourteen that spoke of the coming Messiah.

Being in His word is being prepared for what He has in store for you. So that you will be ready for that next awakening in Him! But today you must bind and loose. You must loose the Holy Spirit in your life and that of your family. You must bind the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness, and wicked spirits in heavenly places and tear down strongholds using the mighty weapons God has provided for us in the name of Jesus. You are to bind that blinding spirit of antichrist. You are to bind every spirit of the occult: astrology, every familiar spirit and witchcraft. You are to bind sexual immorality, idolatry, obscenity and profanity. You are to bind the spirits of alcohol, nicotine and drug addiction. You are to bind worldly wisdom in any form----every oppose to the truth, and to bind destructive, deceitful thieving spirits.

You and I bind and loose. We bind the enemy in any form he is in within or close to us and loose our brethren by the Holy Spirit from the snare of the devil who has held them captive.

In the book of Luke we find Christ’s birth, and the song of Mary. When Jesus is but eight days old, Mary and Joseph take him for circumcision and then He is presented in the Temple. Mary’s being bound in the word of God and following God’s instruction, her steps were ordered in the Temple with Jesus. Here a strategic word of God is given to Mary from Simeon when he sees God’s salvation.

Luke 2:25-35 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, 28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace. According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation 31 which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 “(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

 

Simeon looked at Mary and spoke words that she would not fully understand until she stood beneath the cross of her Son 33 years later. On that day she surely remembered Simeon’s words, “A sword will pierce your own soul too” (v. 35).

Jesus said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son." Then he said to the disciple: "This is your mother."  John 19:26-27

What sorrow must have filled Mary's heart! She watched nervously as He was being nailed to the Cross! What was the prophecy from Simeon in the Temple: oh yes, once more… in the Temple (Luke 2:34 Then Simeon blessed them & said to Mary His mother, “ Behold, this Child is destined for the fall & rising of many in Israel, & for a sign which will be spoken against. 35 “Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

It all amounts to that acceptance or rejection of Christ, the real thoughts of one’s heart toward himself and toward God that really becomes clear! And you find it even now, when people are choosing to play and not seek the Lord.

But what will we reject and what will we accept? Mary was found with the 120 in the upper room praying. And the Holy Spirit to fill them and send them out for purpose! What could a young Mary who just watched her Son die for man, those who would receive Him, give to another? She came to live with John, who would mark the way through history, boiled in hot oil and live to tell the word of God. Mary was there. She was no bobble-head. She was there in the moment, in each trial and tribulation that came to believers after her Son’s death and resurrection and where are we found? Are we smoozing our neighbors or relatives? Are we relaxing with an ale in hand when someone is racing toward hell and we give them a wave, a toasting of the ale and bobble-head our way to who knows where?

 

From Luke 2:25-35 we see people. We see those following the instructions for their Son. We see a man Simeon who was the just and the devout waiting for the Consolation of Israel and the Holy Spirit was upon him. from verse 18, Simeon took up Jesus in his arms…and blessed God speaking…..not bobbing his head….but speaking…. 29 “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace. According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation 31 which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

Then marveling at those things Joseph and Mary hear this:  said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against 35 “(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

Those thoughts, a dialogue with one’s self, to reason something over in the mind, but the only thought is God’s word that we should adhere too. And He chooses to fulfill it as is to His will and way indeed! Our hearts are to be set like Simeon toward that relationship in prayer and word. We are to be set to hear the voice of the Lord and know the way in which we are to walk. When we do, then our feet are directed toward those moments of heaven meeting earth in specifics like in that of Simeon holding Jesus in his hands. Mary heard the sound of her Son’s voice and went to the home of John. 

She would be there to remind John of the ways of Jesus….to know the two loved Him greatly and would see Him again. He would be there to tell her of the love He had for many. He would tell her the adventures and the miracles seen when they went from Capernaum to Jerusalem!

No bobble-heads in that of Cana of Galilee. None are seen again in the wedding in Cana of Galilee, a miracle indeed for families to meet in the marriage of a couple where the best of wine was seen and given.  Where healings occurred like: those healed after Sabbath sunset in Luke 4:40-41, when the disciples were called to leave fishing for fish to fish for men in Luke 5. And like Mary standing at the foot of the Cross. The life of Jesus would be seen by His mother Mary. Trials and tribulations would occur. There is  always the mourning or grieving over the specific trial. But there is also the mourning or grieving for the expectancy of God’s good in it. Mourning that the past thing is over and done with. But there is the mourning looking with an expectant hope God is not done here. No one has arrived. We all have time here to make that difference and somewhere on that path of obedience we will hear “well done thou good and faithful servant!” We will know His voice and stay within His presence, knowing victory is ours, peace is the place we stand and we will hear the trumpet blast to rise to immortality!

Let’s be bound in the love of God, telling of the adventures we have had in the Lord, and let us keep loving and reaching for He comes quickly now….can you hear Him coming….for those who delight we speak as He spoke, and do as he has done and be ready to rise…to be ready for that next thing in God ……….Amen and Amen!



                                                 New teaching at: Voice of Prayer 

What is Fidelity

Visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching 

New teaching at: Life Giving Wells
Worshiping Images or Worshiping God No Blurred Lines

Visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching

Friday, November 27, 2020

About That Being Grateful

About that being grateful: Ephesians 3:12-16 NKJV Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

It is evident who lives by their past ways. But in Christ, we are born again to live anew and that also includes relationships. In that born again man, we put off the ungodly indeed. And we put on the new that is the image of Christ Jesus. From the above passage, we find it lists love but also includes that being patient, there is that being humble, merciful and the forgiving. And it will be that peace of Christ that will control our thoughts and our emotions. In Him and by that description, you and I are to be thankful.

A beginning with a grateful heart to God: Psalm 100 Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful and bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Have we gone before the LORD to worship Him? Have we gone before HIM and say “Thank you for loving me?” Have we thought on His goodness to us in the past week? We are told that we are the sheep of His pasture. Do you know how smelly sheep are? Do you know what they can lie down in? And yet, He is our Shepherd. He is to lead us. And in His court, we give praise, we bless His name for we understand that His truth endures to all generations.

There are today many spinning their false narratives, they wave their magic wands of fairy dust, and expect you to believe their false tales. They are known as false prophets, and they continue in their ways that is certainly to a place many should want to avoid. We are to remember that we are dust, but we also remember we have been saved for His glory and to His praise. Without Him, we were doomed forever! But with Him we walk into glory. Thank you Jesus for Your willing heart to step in for us even before we knew about what You had decided to do for us in this great thing!

 

Honoring God, Honoring Others.  They profess their God before men, give instruction in the way of Life that is in God. Luke 2: 13-14 & suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God & saying:14 “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” Luke 2:17-18 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning the Child. 18 and all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

We cannot give goodwill to another if we have no goodwill towards God. That is, we each must have peace with God. Many proclaim Christianity but are far from Him, know nothing about Him and yet speak of a place with Him. But their mouths speak of decay, death , lack, they speak despair, and of loneliness.

Goodwill for others is cooperating with God in other people’s welfare. It is having the same kind of benevolence God has toward us as believer’s.  We are here to encourage others in His Word and by prayer. When meeting with someone either from the workplace, from church or maybe a neighbor, we are to remember that “iron sharpens iron.” And it is for that which is purposed for their life. In giving someone the word of God is for that purpose for which God has placed in them and to help them grow!

IN being grateful, we speak: for what God has done: He gave us life, He gave us parents ( a father and a mother), He gave us good health, a home, He has given us teachers to teach the word of God, he has given us opportunities to work in earning a paycheck and become responsible citizens.

We had opportunity to rise this day: not only out of bed, but to rise off the floor when kneeling to pick a hairpin off the floor! We have opportunity to rise and give voice for Him when others appear downcast and lost! We give thanks for mentors who have mentored us to be responsible adults, but also responsible to give voice to the life in God. To give voice of His majesty when others speak of sickness and death.

I am certain many of us have remember last Thanksgiving Day or what ever holiday you may have in the month of November, and much has changed dramatically in the last twelve months. But I can also say for certain that I am not where I was 20+ years ago, BY SEEKING GOD AND IN PRAYER I HAVE CHANGED….AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE CHANGED FOR HIS GLORY.  YOU will find that in being grateful to God that we have hope!

GRATEFULNESS looks back. We look back at the Cross. And we move through life now as the born-again believer, being grateful to God for all He has given to us through His Son. In that we have hope as we look forward with a desire, we look forward with a confidence that God is on the scene and the expectation that God is not done with us yet. We are to be ever encouraging ourselves in HIM with the thankful heart  looking toward the future. But if we fail to give that to another person or persons, then we would tend toward or be bent toward being without grateful hearts and without hope. In Iron ….sharpening….. Iron,…… our words spoken is of creative ability from God where rage & wrath do not exist. We are not to be the green-eyed monster.  The words we speak are of comfort, joy and much happiness. They are bold words representing a powerful God who is able.   

When the shepherds heard the angels of heaven speak, they made haste to go…Luke 2:8-20 NKJV  8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you; You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths lying in a manger.” 13 And there was suddenly with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.” 15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “ Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

17 Now when they had seen Him they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

 

Grateful were these shepherds who kept their watch over their flock by night. They were diligent doing the work they did as the responsible adult. They kept watch and were the first to know God’s plan for redemption. The “smelly lot” received the word given them. They moved quickly to see this which was made known to them. “And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.” And when they spoke what was given them concerning this Child, all marveled. And Mary kept these things of an announcement made to those who kept the flocks of sheep far from the city of pomp and circumstance, of castles and kings. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

Oh we give thanks of all that was spoken in 2020, but God’s word rings truth. It is not over to those of faith. For the faithful look toward to 2021. Our heads are raised, and our body’s submit to the strength of God…to rise at His command. To go into all the world with not the suggested command, but the Great Command and give the Gospel to those who require a Savior Who is Christ the Lord!

 

WE Trust in the LORD with all our heart, And lean not on our own understanding; In all our ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct our paths. ….concerning my life, our spouse, our children, work and home in 2021.

We are not the wise in our own eyes………………WE …Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to  our flesh, And strength to our bones. We Honor the LORD with our possessions, And with the first-fruits of all your increase; So our barns will be filled with plenty, And our vats will overflow with new wine.

We are…..the Happy man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding;  For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things we may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.  She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.

WE seek Her ways of pleasantness and her paths of peace……….we take hold of her today and will not let go! When we lie down, we will not be afraid; Yes, we will lie down and our sleep will be sweet. WE are not afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes; For the LORD will be our confidence, And will keep our foot from being caught.

We are that force on earth. We are His beloved and we please Him by our obedience. WE embrace His beauty through His word of truth.  We rest in the night and He gives us dreams to know more about Him. We live by faith and not by sight. His presence goes with us and the earth shakes. We give His truth and it thunders. We speak as the shepherds spoke and give a grateful heart of thanks and much praise! For He let us know His plan and it is a good plan for good and not evil to give us hope in the final outcome. We run with joy each day, we rise out of complacency and foolishness to give voice that the morning STAR has risen. He has risen and we rise as well….to let others know we have heard and seen this marvelous thing and to go tell others! 


 New teaching at: Voice of Prayer  

Emphasizing the Identification

Visit my You Tube channel Voice of Prayer for more teaching 

New teaching at: Life Giving Wells
REVEALING GOD TO WHOM HE CHOOSES

Visit Life Giving Wells You Tube Channel for more teaching

The Traditions of Men

  Arriving at 1 Thessalonians 5 In this the apostle Paul urges the saints to reorganize those who labored among them. Dealing with   “proble...