life experience
The photo I’ve used here is one I found while searching online for one that would represent Exodus 17:8-16. I found this one on a BLOG from a church in Chicago… so I’m giving them the credit for the photo, and this link is their message on that same scripture.
Hey! One of our pastors is suffering! I’ve been dealing with this ‘subject’ my whole life it seems. Here are some thoughts on that.
17-18 But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. By his own wish he made us his own sons through the Word of truth that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of his new creation
James 1:
17-18 But every good endowment that we possess and every complete gift that we have received must come from above, from the Father of all lights, with whom there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency. By his own wish he made us his own sons through the Word of truth that we might be, so to speak, the first specimens of his new creation… (JB Phillips)
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be. “Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!” Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— “Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!
What is there in that phrase “…there is no shadow of turning with thee” ?
Consistently, unchanging, faithfully, always the same… ever heard of a shadow of a doubt?
The verses below are a message on my heart today.
I suffer from anxiety, and part of that is regret… God is wants to heal this!
In Exodus beginning in chapter 5, God sends Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh! And tells him, “Let my people GO!”
If you read it over… realize that it’s YOU who has the power over your life! There’s an enemy who keeps you in bondage through the lies that he speaks! If we live and walk in the truth, we walk out of Egypt, and into the promise of the Life he has for us!
It’s a journey! It’s about making a decision! To walk in the same direction for a long time, for all time!
Make a decision, speak out his promises! His grace, his mercy! His Love! His plan!
Read these and meditate and pray, ask God to convince you, to be g the enemy down, and to wipe him off your MAP!!
18“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.
Isaiah 43:
……..
Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Genesis 4:10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
…….
Ain’t No Grave
Oh, shame is a prison as cruel as a grave
Shame is a robber and he’s come to take my name
Oh, love is my redeemer
Lifting me up from the ground
Love is the power when my freedom song is found
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
When I hear that trumpet sound
I’m gonna rise up outta the ground
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
Oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh
Oh, fear is a liar with a smooth and velvet tongue
Fear is a tyrant
He’s always telling me to run
Oh, love is a resurrection and love is a trumpet sound
Love is my weapon
I’m gonna take my giants down
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
And when I hear that trumpet sound
I’m gonna rise up outta the ground
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
Oh, there was a battle
A war between death and life
And there on a tree
The Lamb of God was crucified
And He went on down to hell
He took back every key
He rose up as a lion and He set all captives free
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
When He heard the trumpet sound
He rose up outta the ground
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
There ain’t no grave
Could hold His body down
There ain’t no grave
Could hold my body down
There ain’t no grave
Could hold my body down
Oh, if you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
Gonna sing about it, yeah
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
I’m gonna meet Jesus
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
Oh, if you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
If you walked out of the grave, I’m walking too
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
And when I hear that trumpet sound
I’m gonna rise up outta the ground
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
There ain’t no grave
Gonna hold my body down
On my iPhone now, I have realtime blood glucose reading… anytime I wanna know, it’s there.
It’s a constant reminder to choose life over death, and even quality of life is being chosen!
I’ve seen the effects and outcomes of those who have ignored this proven science.
I choose life.
For my wife, kids, and grandkids.
In the same way… I choose to pursue my spiritual life. I choose eternal life, and I choose to be effective in this life, to make a difference for Jesus… to being as many with me as I can.
Writing out my bible daily helps me in this quest. It’s a daily discipline to keep me meditating on his word.
Joseph: “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
The innocence of a child. He was only 17 years old, and his brothers were grown men.
What did they suppose? Their reaction was recorded, they said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us?” And it says, “His brothers were jealous of him…”
Why didn’t they see that God was speaking?
As I ponder this, I remember what Joseph said to them later, when the dreams came to fruition,
“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…”
As I read this story I wonder at how foolish Joseph was. But in light of his own conclusion about things in verse 20 there, didn’t God know the sons of Jacob? He knew people, and how they’d react! His purpose was accomplished because he is the one who:
…works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
So this points back to one of my favourite scriptures,
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
JB Phillips puts it this way:
They knew all the time that there is a God, yet they refused to acknowledge him as such, or to thank him for what he is or does. Thus they became fatuous in their argumentations, and plunged their silly minds still further into the dark.
So in my own life, as I look back, I acknowledge and Glorify God! He’s in control! Always has been and always will be! We are not victims! We are at the mercy of God!
John 1:12-13 NIV also says this…
That tells me about our gift of free choice!
If you believe in God, in Jesus Christ… you also believe in his word! Hebrews 11:6 says He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him!
Matthew 6:33-34 …and all these things will be given to you as well. If you seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…
At this point in my life… I am realizing my part and his part,
Where ever I am successful it is by His plan… and wherever I fail, that also… God is not limited by me, or anyone else… if God is for me, who can be against me, that’s a scripture also! Romans 8:31
More later…
Life feels peaceful… life goes on for those of us still here.
There is peace, though, because we all went to see her,
I just started listening to a book, The Deconstruction of Christianity, and am finding myself wanting to rethink books I’ve recommended and to whom.
…For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind
God preserves and keeps me by his Holy Spirit!
Oh, and that man up there? That’s Dave Hamata, who has passed away now, back in November 2011.
Glenn, Laurence and Andrew are climbing their way out of a deep cavern, a natural cave Glenn is at the head, foraging slowly feeling his way along… there’s a breeze of air that he’s detected and he’s following it’s distant blowing. Laurence is a little behind him. Andrew is following the sound of their voices, he can’t feel that breeze, nor see the occasional glint of light… but he can hear their voices, and they assure him that they are headed to the way out. He doesn’t hardly believe it’s possible after all this time, but he DOES believe his brothers… he follows their voices, and carries on… humming a YouTube tune
Remember always that you not only have the right to be an individual, you have an obligation to be one.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Betty White Quote:
“Keep the other person’s well being in mind when you feel an attack of soul- purging truth coming on.”
In regards to:
A bad workman blames his tools –
God uses us – fallen man, as his tools, he accomplishes what needs be done
…for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Hebrews 4:10
I have a few things in my heart that I rally against… and one of them is
Should
…and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Romans 14:23
I am about 60 years old. Yesterday I wrote about handwashing. Those of you who do not include God in your purview need to be examining WHERE your sense of right/wrong comes from. This means examining your soul! Personally I believe that this is where you will find God. Your preconceived notions of just WHO God is may be a torment to you… you should also know that there is no need to fear the one who created you! Talk to him! Ask him to make himself known to you! In fact, I would truly not be surprised if there have been numerous individuals in your life who have been God’s way of reaching out to you, because that’s how he does things ❤️
So, what’s with the flowers? Wild flowers by the road side can be over looked so easily… but those of us that notice them are blessed by them. So it is with Natalie!
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
John 1:9-13 NIV
Since we are to be like Christ, and we are his workmanship… why is it that we go into the world and expect to NOT suffer?
Christ suffered!
He wept.
Letting go of the need to be famous, loved by everyone… “entering into his rest” as it is described in the book of Hebrews… is letting go of ALL that stuff.
Look at this one in that respect>
A Living Sacrifice
I appeal to you therefore, brothers,by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
I wrote a little while ago about Jesus by that well in John 4…
Oh! And let’s not forget about Hebrews 12:7!
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
Hebrews 12:7
First of all it DOES NOT say, hardship comes from God. Does it?
Consider Ephesians 1:11…
Is it possible to say, rather, that whatever God allows to happen… to endure it as if it is “to teach” us…
That word “discipline” now, I looked it up using the Blue Letter Bible App on my phone here…
OK?
So Ephesians 1:11 has always assured me that God is in control of what goes on in the world. We are at HIS mercy… we feel safe because we are right where he wants us to be!
In 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (click on that to read it in context) Paul’s encouraging word for us is, “…even if you die… God raises the dead.”
If I go through life believing that Christians don’t suffer… and I hit suffering… I ask “Why me!?” I get into my head to blame others, and so hatred builds up, resentment… but that raises them above God, or rather replaces God! OR I am driven in my mind to be feeling condemned for some sin or error… and maybe I need to be healed? 1 John 1:9 it!
Confess it to God, call it sin! He forgives and leads us out! Right?
There’s such a thing as consequences for our actions or words. Sometimes we suffer and we deserve it! If I saw off my leg, I’ll need crutches! if I call that large angry man in front of me a TWIT – I may just get smacked!
Romans 1:21 shows us how we become futile in our thinking, and our hearts become darkened… click on the verse to go see what it says, I’ll wait here 🤣
Although I know God, I neither acknowledge him nor give him thanks… picture this, HE – God himself is standing there, in full view! And we’re pointing our finger at his creation! Claiming they have power over us! And by extension they have over powered God! They got to us… He’s let us down!
That is how and why we give thanks in all circumstances > 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Running Down Vimy