Looks Like Praise, But This is NOT NORMAL

Isaiah 35:5-7
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
NIV

Thinking of the eyes of blind being opened and ears unstopped so that we might actual hear God's Word, wow, what a wonderful picture of one coming into that place of praise.
I may not venture too far from my bed, but I find praise there. A Dr.'s report may be all one may hear, but God has some things to say about it as well.
Allowing God access to speak at our situations, speak within our bedrooms and even in the garage, we find His Word alive in us doing life. We find ourselves on the most absolute beautiful adventure ever and God called it "Shelley's life". Of course, you have a different life..........at least it should be different than mine or we would be living the same life. And yet Jesus in us is the Hope we need and desire.
The report for the week or month may appear long, lonely and with out much hope, but keeping God within ear shot is evidence to me, that I know He hears, and He has never left me nor forsaken me. Yes, the moments can come when a strange report is spoken and may cause chains to drag against you and on you day after day, but God has not forgotten His promises to us. He has not forgotten the Son of His love. He will surely see you delivered from that which ails you. Understand that you are not your own, but bought with a price. 
He was walked through a city with a Cross on His shoulder, but he had to have had some help in the man who helped Him carry it to Gogatha. He was put in a tomb, but it came up empty. That which came to hold him down could not do it.
For what has haunted your life to this date is stopped now In the MIGHTY NAME OF JESUS. What has been caused by another of hurt and pain, abusive and battering words are stopped now in His Name. For truth is shining in the darkness and what was created by the enemy to keep you down and isolated is being removed. What has been a barrier of many walls like a maze around you is being dissolved instantly. For the first time in 40 years you will see and understand clearly that the Lord has been with you. All instances of generational curses is removed forever from you. You run with a focus of the fire of God that is in your bones. YOU will go in His power of the Holy Spirit and you will be forever marked the one who knew God and believed......with a trust that God is in the little things as well as the big things.
Your life could be titled: ONE BIG LIFE WITH GOD ALONE!

STANDING  as in sand, we see the wet sand that seems to expand as the water rushes, and reaches to touch all the dry places of the sand. Moving our toes within the sand, and make it move, the water takes over those low laying places in the sand. Then the water moves in. On those hot days, the cool sand is nice early on in the day, but as the heat bears down through the afternoon  hours, the sand takes on a heat to the feet that makes it unbearable. Adding cool water to the mix then one can see a mud form. But if the water is large enough and keeps adding the dry sand to the mix, wet is all one sees.
They say from the historical view of Elephants in Africa, that the mother elephant will heard her young through two nights of travel in the Hot African desert. She will move them to an area that is teeming with predators who will attack the young elephants and take them from the herd quite rapidly. But the mother urges them through. She nudges them, she speaks in low tones through her trunk and she takes them to water. Oh, it is not the water running stream, but some gently push of her hoof to sand, she arranges it deeper and deeper into the sand till water is running, yes bubbling up through the hot sand of the desert.
She has them nourished in the cool water. Shows them to wash with it. And then she leads them on to the feeding pastures. She heads for the coast.
God has the cool waters to reside in. God has the peace of His Word to surround us if we would only apply it to our lives. He has the comfort of bringing us to the place we would rest and be comforted. If you are not in that place, then run to the nearest place to find that place of comfort in God and reside in the place He will feed you His Word. Delight in Him and He will bring you the desires of your heart.
God is for you. He has never left you, and the place your reside looks like praise to me. Remember this is a journey, and we have eternity to learn it all with Him guiding us all the way home. Oh love to our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Amen.

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Notice: 

The Voice of Prayer  has a new teaching published:

POWERED BY FAITH and Governed by the Love of God

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN1oXtw7wgg

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

The Love that We Share

Psalm 90:14
O satisfy us with Your mercy and loving-kindness
in the morning [now, before we are older], that we may
rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad in proportion to the days in which
You have afflicted us and to the years in which we have
suffered evil.
16 Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to
Your servants; and Your [glorious] majesty to their children.
17 And let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord
our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands--
yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it.

In this Psalm we are directed to prayer!
I always hear my husband pray for our meals, and over our family, home and that which God has given to us as in the job (finances), a vehicle for driving to work, a place to attend church to worship our God and especially that extra time to have with our grandchild and family. We plan to come together with our love ones at different times during the year. But it was just over the weekend, I heard my husband speak, "the love that we share".

I told my husband that is important for the love we all share for the Lord, binds us together. In thinking and praying on this for today, I was brought back to Moses who prayed this for the whole of those who would ultimately die in the wilderness. There were many who were not going into the Promised Land. And Moses prayed a prayer.
Take a look back at the entire prayer in Psalm 90 and think on the wilderness, and the surroundings. The only people were those they had known in Egypt. Moses had brought them out of bondage under the leading of the Lord. Moses had obeyed to do what the Lord showed him to do in his connecting with Pharaoh, to the plagues, and to ultimately bring them all out. Moses prayed from what we read here from Psalm 90...and verse 11-12...."Who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of you, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

In dealing with people, as to living around large volumes of people, and being in contact with many different ethnic groups ( men and women alike) we are to have a love that can only come through knowing Jesus and His love. It is having the wisdom of God.  Like Moses and his leadership ability, much was gained by hearing and obeying God and His directions. He had much to contend with and mostly was due to a people who were "slaves" to their own thinking, their lack, their depending on making bricks, and not looking for the "new" to life!
If we take note and look back for a moment we can see that which Moses probably saw for all that was recorded. Persecution was to come, and it came in the Garden of Eden. In all that was recorded and we can read here in the Holy Bible, we can see Cain kill his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8), Ham the son of Noah, mocked Noah (Genesis 8:20-23). We also see in the time of Isaac the son of Abraham being mocked by Ishmael.(Genesis 21:8-10)
8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." NIV

 Esau had wanted to kill his own brother Jacob. (Genesis 27:41-42)
41 So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob." 42 And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you.
NKJV
And we come back to that of Joseph who was the exalted in Egypt and became the deliverer to bring food to a people and a famished land. Forgiveness!

It was by harassment and bitter hate that Joseph was given over into a pit, to become a slave and become the deliverer for his family and many others in a time of severe famine. It was in that love he had for them all, the ability to forgive, that allowed him to move forward in live and see a life that was beautified by the glory of the Lord.

We see Joseph as the fourth son of Jacob. It was the not the first son or the second son of Jacob, but the fourth who played such a great role in the history. Yet, the tribes are all important in the foundation of the family of God and those who would follow.

Yes, the love that we share.

We may not understand the thinking of some we come in contact with, but surely God gives us wisdom to understand our fellow man or fellow woman!

In Matthew 25 we find this: 34 "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you blessed of My Father [you favored of God, appointed to eternal salvation], inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me [with help and ministering care]; I was in prison and you came to me [ignoring personal danger].

37 The the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?"

40 the King will answer and say to them, ' I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it for Me.' 41 "Then He will say to those on His left, 'Leave Me, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels (demons);42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me [with help and ministering care]' 44 Then they also [in their turn] will answer, ' Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?"

45 Then He will reply to them, ' I assure you and most solemnly say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these [my followers], you did not do it for Me.' 46 Then these [unbelieving people] will go away into eternal (unending) punishment, but those who are righteous and in right standing with God [ will go, by His remarkable grace] into eternal (unending) life." Amplified Bible

Now in all my years of hearing and being taught, I always heard this as for doing for those who are lacking, sick and without........anybody.. especially those you did not know.......BUT.......never heard it as verse 45 speaks..............the "followers" of Jesus. Now that takes or makes a shift in another direction.
Let's see, if we start in the "home", are we seeing after ........say not only those within our home, but what about those who live far away and maybe alone?  (you know a relative) What about those who are the saved, and in need of some help and  ministering care?
It is interesting that the whole chapter is talking about two kinds of people. In light of the teaching, we see people who are to be lights to the world. As the Gospel is presented to us, we too, look for those outlets to minister that same light to others. It begins within us and then to others. It begins in our character of that which we boast. Is our boast in the Lord or in our own goodness and  what you might do for me?

Let's look first in the home: as the spouse, do we look out after our spouse? Do we see where we might help them in their day, in their work, or around the home? Will we see after them when they are not well, see after them when they are not around.......say, like at the work place? Then do we help in the way of laundry, doing dishes, or maybe planning and preparing a meal, the wife usually prepares. How about taking the "kids" to school even though they ride the bus? What if we took some extra time to show those of the house of God, those "followers" of Jesus we care about them even when they are not around!
To that spouse, do we say........"I appreciate you". "Thanks for all you do to help me!"? Do we take time to text them that message of how important they are to us? Will we take time to mend a favorite shirt, a little girl's princess dress, or how about designing something of ribbon over a neckpiece for earbuds that you do not use, but is a help to another? What about calling someone to invite them out for dinner with your family?
Then the "follower" of Jesus you go to church with, will you invite them over for a holiday? If they are alone most of the time, what if we had them come for dinner on Sunday or maybe a barbeque on Friday evening?

There are all kinds of harassment going on right now! One surely has a view whether on the roadway, in a mall, at school or in the workplace. At some point today in a given moment someone is being bombarded by those who will hate and harass, and seek their own agenda. But ours is suppose to be that like Jesus........and to love no matter what.
I believe that the Psalm 90 that Moses prayed for those who would die in the wilderness was a prayer for any who live out their lives in knowing nothing but slavery, although God has the way through His mercy and grace. I believe he desired the children of these people to see and know of the miraculous that their God had done for them in that wilderness. Yes many died there. But many went into the Promised Land to see and know more of God. Our choice is choosing that which is or should resemble Moses that he cared for those given into his hand for keeping watch. They brought a lot of heartache and much time in prayer to Moses for them.

In our coming in and our going out, may we speak with peace to others with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May we speak grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love. It is the Lord Who gives grace to the humble!
May we respect those who work hard and who is over us in the Lord and who admonishes us. (2 Thessalonians 5:13-24)  In close encounters with family and those of the family of God, we desire to hold each in the highest regard in love because of his work.  We pray to be those that would encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone making sure nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Praying for those of the body of Christ to be joyful always (verse 16) to pray continually (verse 17) to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for us in Christ Jesus.
Today, may we, "the beloved" build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit and to keep ourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. To guard and keep ourselves in the love of God, expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) which will bring us unto life eternal. And refute [so as to] convict some who dispute with you ( or us) and on some have mercy who waiver and doubt. We strive to save others, snatching [them] out of the fire; on others take pity [but] with fear, loathing even the garment spotted by the flesh and polluted by their sensuality. [Zechariah 3:2-4) It is to the one only God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord be the glory (splendor), majesty, might and dominion and power and authority, before all time and now and forever (unto all ages of eternity). FOR IT IS THE LOVE THAT WE SHARE!  Amen. (so be it.) Amplified


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

Puddle Jumpers

Psalm 44:3......3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
Nor did their own arm save them;
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
Because You favored them. NKJV

There are giants in the land! Yes, this was probably heard throughout the camp for days when the spies returned from checking out the Promised Land. But according to this scripture above, they gained possession of the land, not by their own sword nor by their own arm! They gained the land through the right hand of God, by the light of His countenance because God favored them! Amen.

Psalm 5:11-12................11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;

Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;

Let those also who love Your name 

Be joyful in You. 

12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous;

With favor You will surround him as with a shield.  NKJV

Was listening to some teaching early this morning, and when I heard the Psalm 44, I thought also of Psalm 5 and verse 12.............and this picture like a motion picture movie came spiritually to my heart to see. It was like seeing this new vehicle, like a new pickup truck, all washed and waxed, go through this tremendous mud puddle. As I watched the truck go through this really deep, almost pond sized-body filled with mixture of watery mud with the consistency of thick, sticky, and pasty mud, the truck rolled through the muddy mess, and this thick paste splashed in slow motion over this new truck. It looked like a real muddy mess. As I looked closely, I could this impenetrable thick shield over the paint of the vehicle. Then instantly, rain came from heaven and washed the mud away. The truck was as new and shiny as before with no trace of mud anywhere to be seen on the body! The paint on the truck was not marred in anyway by the sudden insult of mud on the shiny coat.

I then thought of people and walking through their daily lives. They need their bills paid, their children schooled, their taxes paid, money to help out their elderly parents, a new place to live or to sell some property they no longer need. They just need some favor where they are walking that day! They desire to have a lower bill on their utilities, a lower bill on their property taxes or favor just getting to work that morning.

Some of the things we may encounter each day, may look like this grand new truck driving through a tremendous sized mud puddle. 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.

A good example of this I desire to share with you all is this, and again I think of our children, C. and K.  It was five years ago when our grand-daughter was just months old and C. and K.  were requiring a larger home. They had seen a couple of places to check out and I happened to be visiting in their home at the time. So I went with them, and we all prayed for God our Father's perfect plan for them in the process in finding a new place to live!

Well, we arrived early and had to wait for the property manager to arrive. This gave us time to continue to pray to the Father about this specific home. This was a new home and not lived in, but the owner's wanted it rented to the right people.

When we went in, and walked each room downstairs, I immediately in the spirit, saw my son-in-law donned with his chef's hat on, perfectly white apron,  and was serving food to guests in this perfect kitchen. I could see him laughing and enjoying himself as he served others!

Again, I tell you this place was new, and even the information brochures on each appliance were still taped to the inside of the oven, the microwave oven, and the refrigerator. There was still plastic coverings all over the carpets! It was awesome. It had the new home smell of fresh lumber and paint! As we walked through, I told C. and K. what I saw about seeing our son-in-law preparing food in this kitchen and they were excited.

So, they talked with the property management and found out there was already two other families ahead of them on the list for occupying this particular property. C. and K. then filled out the proper forms and waited. Together, we all thanked the Lord for His goodness to His children and they were giving thanks for their new home. One week went by and then two weeks went by and nothing. Then along about the third week a call was made. One family had been disqualified and the lady was to give it to the 2nd on list who qualified, but she said she could not do it! She said somehow she knew this property should go to C. and K. and our grand-child!

They moved in May of that year and have been there ever since! They have always had favor there with this woman and the management company, plus with the actually owner of said property!

We can go through our life's journey and know God our Father is with us. He loves us and wants to bless us. We may come across puddle jumpers sometimes, but God makes all that muddy mess to wash away and restore to us the beauty He has for His children and their children! We truly have seen this circumstance unfold in the lives of  C., K. and our grand-child!

Some things make look like obstacles, road-blocks or hindrances, but we should ask the Lord for His plan and when He gives us vision, then we must hold on and keep Him ever before our eyes knowing that He has given us a shield of favor and whatever the world may throw at us, the Lord will wash it away and cause us to win!
If you are searching out new things, like buying a new home, renting a new place, just moving across town, helping your elderly parents, or just needing lower taxes, ask the Lord to show you  how to walk through the circumstance. He may or may not give you a vision of it, but you will have this knowing within your heart that things are about to change. Seek the Lord in His guidance for your life and you will experience the favor of God as a SHIELD!

Father, thank You for the shield of favor that You have surrounded us with. May we always know that You are looking out for our best interest. The world may speak or do something against Your plan for us, but it is You Who have given us the Land of Promise.  Help us to know that we do not gain this possession by sword or our own arm, but know that it is by Your right hand, Your arm and the Light of Your Countenance because You favor us!

Father, in Jesus' name, thank You for favor upon those whose hearts follow after You.
Today, Your children diligently seek good among those they work with, with those they live with, with those they gather with to worship You and  with those Who are dedicated to serving You no matter what the circumstance! I thank You for all who have received this Word today, and know that the favor of God is flowing to them right now. It is YOU who has placed on them the spirit of favor. They are a success today! These, Your children, seekers of good, are filled today with Your fullness and rooted and grounded in love. Father, today, I ask You to give to Your children abundantly above all that they may ask or think as YOUR mighty power takes over in them. 

Father, I attest that out of the abundance of their hearts, they shall continually speak, "Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. And their tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness, and justice and [his/her reason for] Your praise all the day long. Amen.

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

Being Trained in Godliness is Walking with God

Do we learn from church service, that which strengthens to know the Lord and His ways? If we are instructed in the Word, do we seek to follow that path set before us?
Do we expect to come away from the church service and return home to resume the "business as usual" or actually follow God?

Do we hear the Word, but shun the obedient part of doing it? It is when we submit to God as we read in James 4:7-17......
7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

11 Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit"; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that." 16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (NKJV)

YIKES! IF WE KNOW TO DO GOOD....and do not......follow the Word to do it........it is sin.

Another question: Do we change by being a part of a wonderful worship service or do we change when we witness miracles? The worship services are wonderful. It is such joy to worship our God in song and in the lifting of our hands, but that does not bring the needed Word for change. For me, I certainly have seen miracles and know them to occur frequently, but that does not bring the needed change I need on a daily basis.

No, it it the "secret place" encounter with God that brings the needed change. It is the time of study and knowing what He has spoken and done!

From my own experiences with the Lord, the more I study and confess scripture, the more I see HIM and the more I enjoy knowing He is with me! A relationship is the give and take, but do we find ourselves more of the taking side of things than of the giving to someone else?
I have to ask myself that question a lot and remind myself, that all this is not about me. It is important for us to know the Lord and understand His purpose for our lives.
No, it should not be the "business as usual" for the Lord has the plan that brings us into knowing Him more fully and will propel us into what He planned for us to do here on earth.
Our going to a church service does not make us any more a Christian than us going to the hamburger place makes us a hamburger.
What makes you and me a "Christian" is that we know the Lord intimately, and that WE follow closely to what He has said and done. We are to set our course, much as Jesus did, and that was to follow and have THE intimate time with the Father.

I like the recent  teachings on " hearing God speak" and yet in all of these I hear nothing on PEOPLE being obedient to the Word taught. Are we discarding the truth, to walk in the worldliness and gratify our senses with the foolish things of the world?
Are we resounding brass and just making noise, or are we making a difference for the kingdom of God? Are we really practicing what we "preach and teach" others?

Time is over for  "religion and THE religious thing" and now is time for those who consistently seek God and His ways. It is not how cute and sweet, but how powerful is the Word of God that sets the captive free. Even Timothy was warned to "hold fast to the pattern of sound words which you have learned .........in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Have we set up the "secret place" to have time with God or we just building an altar that collects dust, no worship, no Word from scripture and with NO POWER!


 WE are reminded in 1 Timothy 4:6-7.....If  you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. 7 But reject profane and old wive's fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

So, if the one teaching us is nourished in the words of faith and they follow it faithfully, should we  be those who are nourished in the same words of faith to follow too?
If we ask God what He desires for us, I am certain that He would state for us to know His Son, the Son of His Love, whom He sent for our benefit.

If I spend time with my husband, I learn all his likes and dislikes. I can learn what brings him heartache and laughter. If I spend quality time with him, I can learn what he likes to do and does not like to do whether when he is puttering around the house, on a long trip, or when we just go for a long walk together. My husband is not to be a distraction to me, but my companion in this life! If I value him, then I will want to find more quality time to spend with him and know him even better than I do today.

If I run today to catch up with the Lord, it is well worth it to me that He will know that I have come to fellowship and to ask Him some questions. Not all my questions are for something, but to know something about Him. "Lord, how can I deliver the word of truth in all godliness so others will know You as I do?" "How can I touch someone's heart today with YOUR love and let them know YOU sent me to speak with them?" "Lord, how may we bear witness for You when we have no zeal in our hearts?" "Lord, how may we apply Your word to our lives today, so that we submit ourselves, to be humble before You, and how to show others that being submitted to Your plan prospers us?"

I have learned my husband loves to prepare breakfast, and he desires to have dessert more often than I do. I know he likes to mow the grass and cook steaks on the grill. But I also know, that the best part of his day of work is coming home! He has this excitement of just being at home and to relax with the wife and the little dog.

I believe the best part of our Father God's day is when we run to catch up HIM while He walks in the cool of the day. I believe He likes the smell of roses in bloom and see dew in the early morning while the birds gather to sing their festive songs. I believe He delights to see us notice the moon He put in the sky or to see His word fulfilled in our lives when it speaks, "that himself bear our sins in His body on the tree, that we being dead to sin, might live unto righteous and by His stripes we are healed."
He is delighted when we speak what He speaks and declares what He declares about us.

 Do we value the Lord and show Him how much we want to be with Him? Do we declare how important He is in our lives and that we earnestly love Him for all that He did for us even before we knew HIM?

So if I go to church, say, Saturday evening and  truly go expecting to receive the Word that is taught at that time, then on Sunday morning will I understand and know that I am being sanctified in the Word of God?  Our walk of faith walk is in acknowledging God's nature and His heart. When receiving those teachings on Saturday evening, we should know that we are being nourished and strengthened to having a reverence and fear of God.! When the word is spoken, we are to be obedient about following that Word. Just like seeing speed limit signs on the roadway will do us no good if we fail to acknowledge that they are there are our benefit. Taking a curve with a posted sign of 25 miles an hour and taking it at 90 miles an hour will certainly bring destruction and death to the one driving the extreme speed above and beyond the speed of 25 mile an hour on that particular curve.

Today, I remember when I was a child, and when visiting the elder members of our family and seeing the "old" family Bible on the coffee table or on some shelf in their homes, the BIG BIBLE WHICH TOOK BOTH OF MY HANDS TO HOLD IT, seemed to hold all the written information for weddings, births and deaths in that particular family we were visiting.  Yet much of the time that I saw these big Bibles, they appeared more as a "show piece" and looked like they had not been opened for anyone's benefit. It just seemed to be a book to add the dates of the weddings,of the births and of the deaths of those who owned the Bible!
Does my life or your life resemble just a "showpiece" or when we open our mouths, is the Word of God coming out of it? When we speak, are we bringing a refreshing to others, giving them God's Word that will bring support and strengthen those we will speak to when they need it most? Or is it about how good we look, and is it more about that new outfit we just got to wear to the church, BUT does nothing to help the body of Christ? If we should need encouragement ourselves, would it not make a difference to encourage someone else? Would it not be important to encourage someone and plant those seeds into other people's lives? Are we put off because someone did not give us a hug or speak to us today? The possibility is great then that we lose out on the all important word given that evening that is to nourish us and strengthen us! Because of our taking on the defense of "poor me" then we are not receptive to receiving the Word of God that will bring change to our lives!

Today, we can choose what our character and conduct will be. It will either be that of the world or that which follows closely after righteousness and godliness. Our adhering to the Word of God reconciles us to His way of doing and thinking. We can clothe ourselves in His Word, and we can saturate our hearts with that same word day in and day out!
Each week, we have the choice to choose the Word or the world.

Will we choose.........

• to "be trained for godliness...1 Timothy 4:7.....7   but reject profane and old wive's fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.

• act "according to the new nature...2 Corinthians 5:17,21......17   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new 21  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

• become imitators of God.....Ephesians 5:1-2........therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 and walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

• ambassadors for Christ....2 Corinthians 5:20.....20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

Father, in Jesus' name, we make a commitment to YOU. We sing praise to You and give thanks at the remembrance of Your holy name. We worship today in the beauty of holiness. We desire to be trained in godliness. We want to walk the faith walk and acknowledge YOUR nature and heart. Today we desire our character to be like your character.
Lord, we believe and expect our bodies to be whole and healed for Jesus took and bore Himself on the tree, that we being dead unto sin might live for righteousness and by whose stripes we were healed.

Today we hold the word of truth and know our lives are sanctified by the Word of truth. We expect to have the reverence and fear of God as we adhere to the Word that sets us free. Today we choose to have YOUR character and conduct.

Father, how may we please you today in our lives? How may we bring joy and laughter to YOU? We thank You for hearing us as we pray. We also expect to have the new and adventurous life that is new everyday and not "the business as usual thing". We release You Holy Spirit into our lives this day. Expand and increase our knowledge of YOU. We want to ENCOUNTER GOD IN ALL HIS FULLNESS FIRST HAND. WE WILL BE STILL AND KNOW THAT HE IS GOD. AMEN

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