Vine Growers

Was moving some plants last month, and my husband and I came across a flowering plant that had a "tomato plant" growing up through the middle of it. Not sure why we had not noticed it, yet there it was with some blooms on it. Our thinking was that a bird must have dropped some seed or seeds from last years plants and somehow was ready to "do something this year", but proved rather late in its growing experience. Yeah, no fruit this year for that one plant.

John 15:15-17
15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 17 These things I command you, that you love one another. NKJV

Calling us servants, we are to serve as Christ served. If He truly is our master, then we should know what He is doing. He chose us to do something specific. Now for some, they are to raise great children for His kingdom. Others, well, they are to worship and seek His voice. Still others can make it in the business scene and fill seats at the "city gates" where the city never closes.

As laborers we are to bring forth fruit so that the Father is pleased, not what we are pleased with at the time. As a child I remember my sister and I having homework. Most times I carried every book I had home so I could work well into the late hour only to carry the same books back to school. My sister sometimes carried a single book home. I use 'sometimes' loosely though. She could make wonderful report cards with all those A's on them. I always seemed more to be working for the varied A- to B+, to C- and possibly a D if I did not spend extra time with a teacher like for Math!

Also, if there was food involved, say a chocolate snickers bar, my sister was ready to eat it now, where I would wait till night time to feast on the wonderful flavors of chocolate and peanuts.

But I remember in my mother's speaking that it was the one who worked would get ahead in life. So year after year I carried books home and carried them back the next day. No, we did not have backpacks in those days. I know that working hard to be true today, and it is in that working hard that will produce progress. Working on the Word of God in our lives will produce when we continue to profess it and confess it out of our mouths. Waiters or those waiting to work do not get anything done. It would be like needing a job but never filling out an application for any specific job. No results!

John 6:26-29

 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." 28 Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."NKJV

Remaining on the vine and connected to the Lifesource is imperative for us. Remaining in Jesus, we seek the food which endures for everlasting life. In that we seek to live a life where we are productive in society, in our family homes and within communities. We are to work and be faithful with what God desires for us to have here and now, but to always keep our eyes on the "eternal".

Colossians 2:6-10

6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.   NKJV

We are to walk as when we received Christ Jesus as Lord. Walking with Him, we are the rooted, and we grow being well established in faith. As we abound, in that faith, we are the joyful and we are the strengthened. Not listening to empty deceit or through man's philosophies, but truly living in Him in all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

In Him, we should diffuse His fragrance everywhere we go. Within Him, we influence others, we are the satisfied and furnished with all we need to see His kingdom come in our lives.

NT:4137

pleroo (play-ro'-o); from NT:4134; to make replete, i.e. (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute (an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.:

We are in Him and can execute that office He planned for us to participate in. Being apart of the vine, we grow, become and last eternally. Whatever we do for the Lord let us do it with all our hearts. Let us not make it the pretense for personal gain, but only to bring glory to His Name. 

May we be found faithful, be a pattern to others, lead quiet and peaceable lives, live in integrity, have a pure heart before God, and make proper use of the gifts within us. Guard that which was committed to us by the Gospel. That good thing was committed to us by the Holy Ghost. And be not entangled in the affairs of this life, commit what you know to truthful men, and keep watching for Jesus' return. Faithful is the man or woman who will keep their watch and know the time is so short, indeed!

Notice: 

The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching published:

Speaking As To A Clear Conscience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUEiCK2djgY

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

Painting Ourselves into a Corner

I bring to you the passage of Peter walking on the water.
Well, he almost walked or did he?
Matthew 14:22-33
22 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
NKJV

Have you ever thought of the answer Jesus gave to Peter? Knowing Jesus speaks truth, Jesus told Peter to "Come."

Jesus was asked by Peter....."Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."

1. Peter asked "if" it is YOU...????

2. Peter told Jesus to COMMAND him

3. AND to come to Jesus on the water

If Jesus answered "NO" it was not Him......then no truth. Jesus told truth, but Peter the man wrapped up the whole water walking "thing" with COMMAND ME TO COME, AND TO COME TO JESUS ON THE WATER.

Problem? YES!

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."
Peter just knew Jesus as friend to friend but really had no one-to-one with Jesus. Jesus had just spoke ;"BE OF GOOD CHEER! IT IS I; DO NOT BE AFRAID."
But Peter did not recognize His voice!

Water walking was accomplished in Jesus. They saw him do it. Yet what background did they have at the time to do that. Yet, we never read of them walking on water at a later date!

We read of Philip having a transportation met by being transported from one location to another to minister to a eunuch of Queen Candace. 

We can certainly see people do things for God that we would love to do. But most can not move away from the T.V., , or the demands of a hard day at work, or the demanding spouse or the demanding kids or the marketplace where all connect for some sense to life.

Jesus found His peace and kept it. It is in God! It is found no other place. Painting ourselves into a corner is a BIG PROBLEM we must try to avoid. Jumping on the bandwagon to try to display something for God must be God's doing and not ours.

Peter failed, but he did it by putting God in a box. He desired to have Jesus say "YES" to all that was on Peter's heart to do in front of the guys. It had no real foundation under him to do that.

Jesus in the midst of turmoil and blustery winds was nothing to Peter. But when Peter experienced the wet beneath his feet, then something changed. Fear took over Peter and he sank in his own plan to walk on water.

Our walk is our choosing. God will not force us. We choose each day who will serve.

In the choice of this day; let us not choose to try water walking without reading the Word, spending time in prayer and praying and reaching those who need a hand up. Touching God's heart is foremost to water walking time with Him.

Doubt is a terrible thing. It is unbelief and it will steal from you. Just like a sickness, unbelief is not believing God or that His Word is true.

And it is true for all situations, not just the hard ones', the ones we think me might handle in the flesh, NO, truly our confidence is to be in God!

Jesus said, "Be of good cheer, it is I....do not be afraid..."

We must be able to recognize His voice. We must not follow "strangers". Many are doing just that today. Many are following the voice of "compromise". They are following the voice of "violence".

Set your heart and hearing on His Word and to hear His voice. Set your heart so when the waves are above you and splashing you in the face, you will say, I know in whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is more than able to keep what I have committed to Him till that day.

2 Timothy 1:8-12

8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, 10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 12 For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. 

NKJV

Stepping out of the boat has to be done when the Lord says "GO!" It is a good thing to do. But do it when You KNOW that You KNOW that You KNOW..that YOU KNOW THAT........you are going over, and not going under. Be persuaded and be the wise, speaking words that will build and encourage not drown you or cause you to live with frogs like Pharaoh did.
It takes a personal relationship with Jesus to know the "when" time begins!

Jesus does reach out His hand to save us when we make our daily walk with Him. He shows us light into the places He is directing us by His Holy Spirit.  But painting ourselves into a corner, certainly changes the rules and then limits us to the natural. Let's stay in the supernatural of our supernatural Father and see His will and His kingdom COME, into our lives. Amen.

I HAVE A NEW WEB SITE AVAILABLE NOW WITH OTHER CURRENT BLOGS AND YOUTUBE TEACHINGS. I INVITE YOU TOO CHECK IT OUT.  THERE IS A PRAYER REQUEST SECTION ON THE SITE.

www.godsgoodnessandlove.com

Notice:

The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching published: Available 6/17/2016

The Promise of God"s Spirit In Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBWQAa5cr9U

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

Who is Watching YOU?

We are a witness of something, whether to state we like a certain football team, like green hair, wear too much make-up or wear none at all! We make a statement in the clothes we wear, the type of shows or movies we watch or even if we attend church or not!
Whether walking into a mall, a church, a hospital, or even a high school, are we making a statement and witnessing Jesus Christ or something else?

Some years ago, I had asked this young woman who I worked with what her church service was like. I asked her to explain the moving of the Holy Spirit through the service. This woman, about thirty or so had no response about any service. She just looked at me in bewilderment. She was born again and said she had her prayer language. Yet, I never saw her state anything about the Lord or His goodness to her or for her family.
Now if you spend anytime with me, I will tell you of His goodness to me in the land of the living and I will tell you what He has done for my soul! He is my Redeemer! He has brought me into life!

So who is watching us and do we magnify, the Lord? Will people know us as the saved and the redeemed or just the lady who lives down the street with the green hair thing going on?


Psalm 51:10-13.................10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.   NKJV

In the above scripture, I love the part, "do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me." In truth, David was on the other side of the Cross. He had a different covenant than we have today through Jesus. The important truth is that we are to stay as believer's in the Presence of God. He has given us Holy Spirit to abide in us. He is always here, but we can choose to not involve Him in anything concerning us or our lives. The sad truth is some choose to do their thing their way!

So it is possible to move out of the plan of God............to be out of a relationship with Him..........then we move into a place with no direction, no peace, and no life...............and to be anywhere else.......... is not "expecting" to be with the Lord.

 Genesis 4:16 ..............16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.   NKJV

What happens when we are out of the Presence of the Lord? If we spend time in chapter 4 of Genesis, we see Cain take his leave from the Lord and live out his life his way!

Genesis 4:25-26..............25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, "For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." 26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD.  NKJV

 Adam spoke of another seed for him instead of Abel whom Cain killed. Adam had a son now in Seth.........and it goes on to say that men began to call on the name of the LORD!

Psalm 16:9-11..............9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will rest in hope. 

10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. 

11 You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. ...NKJV

From this Psalm, we find three things from being in the Presence of the Lord:

1. path of life

2. fullness of joy

3. pleasures forevermore at the right hand of God

Psalm 140:13............13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;

The upright shall dwell in Your presence. NKJV

Here we are told that the upright, those in right standing with God shall dwell in His presence. Again, we abide on this side of Jesus' crucifixion and the Cross. Today the Holy Spirit abides in us and direct us................are we listening and obeying?

Today, you and I have the opportunity to lift the name of Jesus. Are we taking those opportunities when they come? 

Today, will I come with a worshipful heart unto the Lord giving thanks for His goodness and magnify Him in some way as to honor Him for what He has done for my soul? Today, will I act as the world, or will today be the day, I act as the saved and the redeemed of the Lord? Do I have a testimony of faith in a God who heals and makes whole again?

Today, I can have green hair and lots of make-up and still confess how good God is for someone is watching you and me, those who are born-again unto life that is new and is to be refreshing to others when we speak of God.

"Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." Romans 10:11-15...............11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."  12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."  

14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,

Who bring glad tidings of good things!"  NKJV

You and I may be the only Gospel text a person will see and receive. You may be sent to minister life to someone about eternity with God. You may not be a pastor or even a teacher, but you have a voice!  He will not allow you to be put to shame, but give you the strength and courage to go and tell someone who has never heard the Gospel or the truth of Jesus on the Cross.

Go and be "the witness for Jesus" and see what the Lord will do for you!

Father, today we delight ourselves in the Lord. We come into Your presence with thanksgiving and praise for You have saved and delivered us from destruction and certain death. Today we call on You for the righteous desires in our hearts to go and meet those on our pathway with the life giving Word of God. We call to You today and You God answer us and will show us great and mighty things which we do not know concerning this outreach to the lost souls. (Jeremiah 33:3) We thank You today that YOU pour water on us who are thirsty and floods on the dry ground, You pour Your Spirit on our descendants and YOUR blessing God on our offspring. (Isaiah 44:3) May those floods of living water prevail and move ........so that we might be a blessing to others. I pray for all who have a heart to reach the lost today, to be a witness knowing they have the power to prosper in order to establish goodness of YOU God in the lives of people in the earth. You gave us power to be blessed in order for to be a blessing. Father we give thanks today that we are abounding in every good work for we embrace for YOUR kingdom and righteousness.

Father in Jesus' name, I pray that we each who have a heart for the lost will remain faithful and steadfast to YOU and YOUR plan. Yes we seek to stay committed to that which You planned from the foundation of the world and will give YOU all the praise and glory for that done in YOUR name. Amen.

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

Is there a Ziba in Your Life?

What do you usually think of when you think of King David or any given leader over a ministry?
As for me, I keep one question to how each keeps a committed heart, as we see with David. For the answer to David's commitment was continuing no matter the transgression, the peril, the personal loss, what he started as a young boy caring for sheep, he continued to carry a strong core belief and trust that God was with him. He ended up king over millions of people.
I bring you to David and his heart for others!
In 2 Samuel 9, we find David asking about anyone who was left of the house of Saul.



2 Samuel 9...........9:1 Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" 2 And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "At your service!" 3 Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." 4 So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."

5 Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he answered, "Here is your servant!" 7 So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually." 8 Then he bowed himself, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?"

9 And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 10 You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's son shall eat bread at my table always." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do." "As for Mephibosheth," said the king, "he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons." 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet. NKJV

aaaah.......but now we have a Ziba added to the mix! It is in the verses of 2-11 that we find Ziba. And he appears to be willing to be at David's service. But when we continue to read in 2 Samuel 16:1-4, we find some wickedness in Ziba.

2 Samuel 16:1-4.............16:1 When David was a little past the top of the mountain, there was Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth, who met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. 2 And the king said to Ziba, "What do you mean to do with these?" So Ziba said, "The donkeys are for the king's household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who are faint in the wilderness to drink." 3 Then the king said, "And where is your master's son?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.' " 4 So the king said to Ziba, "Here, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours." And Ziba said, "I humbly bow before you, that I may find favor in your sight, my lord, O king!" NKJV

Ziba had planned evil, and put Mephibosheth in the middle of that evil. Ziba told David that this crippled son of Jonathan had planned to see the kingdom of Saul return to him. We find in all this, first, David did not find out the truth to all of this that Ziba was speaking. And in second place, David gave all that was suppose to be Mephibosheth's is now in Ziba's family. Yes, David acted too quickly without finding the truth about what was being spoken about, and that was believing that Mephibosheth was wanting the kingdom.  With the uprising of Absalom and his men, David believed the best place for him at the time was to leave Jerusalem. It was at that time, Ziba schemed to take supplies out to David and those who were with him. But when asked where Mephibosheth was, Ziba lied about Mephibosheth and that Mephibosheth wanted the kingdom and David believed that Mephibosheth was siding with Abasalom.

After much time passing and Abasalom dead, David rides back into Jerusalem to take his reign as king again. It was then that David started to find out truth. Mephibosheth had not shaved or bathed, washed his clothes nor had taken care of his feet. Mephibosheth stayed within the home and the king's table in support of David and David only.
As David asked questions, he saw Ziba's heart. He asked why Mephibosheth had not ridden out to meet him and the other men. David found that Ziba told Mephibosheth to stay back. That his going would be of no useful help to David. Mephibosheth told David how Ziba had lied to him.

Ziba now was the slanderer, the deceiver. Ziba was going to extort to get other people's possessions. The most powerful thing in all this, was that David had given kindness to the "crippled". David had compassion on other family member's of Jonathan and it helped Mephibosheth to come into a being with others, and making a difference for others, like he had seen David do for himself! No where do we find any complaint out of Mephibosheth's mouth.
Then in  2 Samuel 19:24-30, we find the fate of Ziba! David divided the land equally. Even though David found guilty of believing the lie, he gave to both in equal terms. He, David, kept to his word to Ziba though it cost David to not know the truth in the situation. And one thing was evident, Mephibosheth, was happier and grew stronger in knowing the Lord was with him. Ziba grew more bitter and unhappy. There are Ziba's who desire much possessions and will do anything to get it. There are Ziba's who plot to do evil to gain much, either because they think more possessions will make them happier or that they will gain status if other's see their wealth.

One thing to take from this, is that David could move in and out of Jerusalem and in and out of the city with those would walk with him and believe God for justice. David was content in life and that came from knowing God and having the relationship vital for a king to have.

In my own walk with the Lord, I am happy with HIM, wherever we might be and whatever we might be doing for His kingdom. Truly the Lord knows those who are His.


2 Timothy 2:19..............19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity. NKJV

Wherever you go in this life, you will always find those jockeying for a position. They will be the "Ziba" who will easily throw out innuendos. They are those who will insinuate, hint or even suggest something evil against you. But when we stand with the Lord and do His will, we know that we can stand knowing that He will see justice done for us as well as for the Ziba.

Father, just as You sent Jesus into the world, You have sent me. You are ever with me for I always seek to that which pleases YOU!
In the name of Jesus, Father thank You that we are free from the fear of man which brings a snare. Today I pray that we all would lean on You, trust in You, and put our confidence in You for we are safe and set on high. Today, You know those that are Yours, and they ever seek to please You wherever they go. I pray that You would help us to hear both sides of a story before making a decision about anything. Help us to see those who are against us and help us to hear wisdom. Like David, may we have opportunity to bless those on our pathway. I pray that we would know that we are Your chosen people, holy and dearly loved, and we clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. We will bear with others and forgive whatever grievances we may have against anyone.
Father, You are the Supreme Authority. Today we submit our will to you that we would find protection and dwell in the secret place of the Most High God. Your will be done in our lives today as it is in heaven. Amen.

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