Attending to God's Word

Proverbs 4:20-27

1.My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
Instead of ever altering God's Word to my lifestyle, I make the quality decision to always alter my lifestyle to fit the Word.

2.Do not let them depart from your eyes
I give my attention only to the Word, keeping it in front of my eyes CONSTANTLY!

3.Keep them in the midst of your heart
I keep the Word in my heart and refuse to be sidetracked, allowing His promised harvest to come (Mark 4:14-20)

4.For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.
Since the Word is vital to my health and to my very life, I gie no attention to things that would rob my peace and engender strife. I stay on the faith side of everything. I stay on the love side.

5.Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.
I know that my mouth speaks out of the abundance of my heart. I put away any disobedience or unbelief from my heart - from my mouth!

6.Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.
Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. Turn not to the right or the left: remove your foot from evil.
By attending to the Word and keeping my eyes on Jesus, I always know where I am and where I'm going. My ways are established. I will not be confused.

Father, HELP US to stay close and obedient to Your Word. HELP US to make it FIRST in our lives and mean business with all You have to say. HELP US to be established in it and live and move and have our being IN it. In Jesus' Name

God, the Ten Commandments and Us

Most of us have at least some knowledge about what God said about the Ten Commandments in the Bible. Some might think it just to be a nice story in the Bible. Some might think that those days are past and they no longer have to do with us....and SOME might not even know about them at ALL! :)

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any graven images.
3. You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. You shall not covet anything that is your neighbors.

They are listed in Exodus 20.

The Word tells us that if we look upon a woman (or man) and lust after them - we've already committed adultery in our hearts.

Who of us have never "stolen" something - maybe even from the office, a neighbors yard, or something that we thought would not be missed?

Have any of us ever LIED, or LONGED after something that SOMEONE else has and WE WANT IT, gotta have IT?

Any of us ever HATE...the Lord understands that as MURDER in our hearts.

Disrespect a parent?

Take the Name of the Lord in vain. I've heard people swear (cuss) using God's Name, but have any of us ever prayed a prayer to the Lord, in Jesus' Name, and then turn around and speak against that prayer that we prayed (in unbelief) that we don't see it happening, and wring our hands and doubt what we even prayed ourselves. Taking the Name of the Lord in vain.

Idols.....we see them all around us. There's even television program that sports the name. eh? :)

Someone mentioned recently to me that I was not worshipping on the Sabbath....I make EVERY DAY a HOLY day and worship God EVERY Day. Which ever day in the week that any of us choose to gather together, we're to make it holy unto the Lord and remember Him. We're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, particularly as we see the Day of His coming approaching.

I've heard folks say that they cannot KEEP the Commandments...then I found
Matthew 22:35-40 that tells us
35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,
36 "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37 Jesus said to him, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

There's great freedom in the Law of Love that Jesus is speaking about here.
If we are walking in the Love Jesus speaks of here, we will not desire to do ANYTHING that will disgrace the Lord, or disturb our love for those around us. We'll not steal from them, lie to them, murder any of them, commit adultery....etc etc. Get the picture?

The GREAT LAW OF LOVE frees us up to live in the Love of the Lord, and just DO what we're instructed to with great ease.

SO anytime our enemy (the devil) will aproach us and whisper his lies to our ears, to try to tempt us into something that we already KNOW not to be right....all we have to do is to remind ourselve that WE WALK IN THE LAW OF LOVE. The Love Walk.

Father, thank You for HELPING US to make use of Your Word, and be willing and obedient to Your instructions to us. HELP US to listen to the LOVE that You have placed in our hearts and respond to it all the days of our lives. In the Name of Jesus.

Valor

This is probably my favorite picture of all time. A painting done by Ron DiCianni
entitled "Victory".

VALOR: Strength of mind in regard to danger; that quality which enables a man or woman to encounter danger with firmness, personal bravery, courage, prowess, intrepidity. Brave stout-hearted, heroic, vigorous in body, strong, powerful in danger.

Psalm 108:13 tells us:
Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

Psalm 60:12 says:
Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

Psalm 118:15 says:
The voice of rejoicing and salvation Is in the tents of the righteous; The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.

Through YOU, Lord, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. What is impossible for man is POSSIBLE for YOU God. We really SHALL do VALIANTLY, through YOU, by the power of YOUR might. Thank YOU, Father, that we are made OVERCOMERS by the Blood of Jesus and through the Word of our testimony, agreeing with YOU. Thank You for HELPING US to make a difference in our lives and those around us, in Jesus' Name.

He Brought Me To It...And He'll Take Me Through It!

I attended a Ladies Prophetic Conference this weekend, one that I attend twice a year, what a powerfully encouraging time it was for everyone that was there. The title of this post was mentioned a couple of times, and I've been munching on it.

We know that there's nothing in our lives that happens without God's knowledge, or even His permission. He's got a watchful eye on everyone of us. He knew us before the foundation of the Earth. He knew us before we were in the "seed" we came from. Before ANYTHING touches our lives, He knew about it before He ever said "Light Be!".
He knew everything that the enemy would challenge us on before light dawned on this planet......and what provision that He would be making for us to come OUT OF them as OVERCOMERS.

One of the things He said to us was:
My Lovely Daughters! My Lovely Daughters!
The most beautiful thing I can hear from you are words of surrender....YES! YES! YES!
You just come into my bosom and let me sweep you away into victory.

What an invite, huh? LOL That's even better than Calgon taking any of us "away"!
I don't know, maybe that commercial was before your time, but I'm remembering it. :)

Whatever giant is standing in front of us.
Whatever mountain is staring us in our face.
Whatever lies from hell are being whispered into our ear.
Whatever accusations are blasting towards us.
Whatever seemingly "insurmountable" problem we are facing.
Whatever threat is steaming out of hell to us.
Whatever way the enemy is opposing any of us...all we have to do is to take our stand in God's Word against the devil, bind it up, cast it/them away, Plead the Blood of Jesus, RUN into Fathers arms, in His Secret Place, REMAIN there and let HIM take us THROUGH it.

There was something that God spoke to my heart quite some time ago that I'm going to share here....I think "again".

You are GOING THROUGH.!

The word for today is THROUGH.
You are GOING THROUGH..
What you are going THROUGH. is not yours.
You are not stuck WITH it.
You are not stuck IN it.
You are GOING THROUGH.!!!!

While you are listening to all the whispers from hell, all those most convincing arguments to condemn you and lie to you...I want you to remember that YOU ARE GOING THROUGH.!!!

Even in Psalm 91 - we're told that while we are dwelling in the secret place of the Most High.....
A thousand may fall at our side and 10,000 at our right side it will not come near you.

No "actual evil will befall you"....BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING THROUGH..

Your eyes are not upon where your feet are.
Your eyes are up while you are on the wings of eagles...you can look down knowing that just as you go THROUGH. a corridor and out the other side, you are GOING THROUGH. this and out the other side.

The tools of hell that would discourage you, wear at you, and bring you no hope - they lie, that's all they know how to do.

YOU ARE GOING THROUGH.

There is nothing in our lives that prevents us from being Overcomers.
We WILL mount up on wings as eagles.
We WILL speak those things that are not as though they are.
We WILL not only let God take us THROUGH whatever the enemy is trying to trip us up on, but we will run into His bosom and allow Him to sweep us away into VICTORY.

Revelation 12:11 tells us:
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Father, thank You for HELPING US to be the overcomers that you made us to be.
Thank You for TAKING US THROUGH every obsticle in our lives.
Thank You for SWEEPING US AWAY INTO VICTORY.
Thank You for Your Divine Protection, Divine Intervention, Divine Appointments all the days of our lives. Thank You for HELPING US to keep suited in our armor, keep Your Word in our mouths, and to always pray, because the effectual prayer of the righteous avails much. In Jesus' Name.

STAY IN THE HOUSE!

Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death. It's a mouthful, huh? :)

Hebrews 3:12-14 tells us:
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end

One way we keep feeding our faith is to remain faithful to the House of God.
Hebrews 10:23, 24, 25 tells us:
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works,
25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

The Greek word for assembling is:
episunagoge (ep-ee-soon-ag-o-gay')
A complete collection, a meeting for worship, assembling or gathering together.
To collect upon the same place together.

It interests me to be seeing churches closing their doors for Sunday evening and/or Wednesday evening worship/study. It's often under the guise of "family time". Many are busy pursing their own plans in their lives, so much so that Sunday a.m. is plenty for them, because they live such "busy" lives. It seems to be a landmark that speaks of those that do not make use of Matthew 6:33, because of the pressures in life and goals they've set for themselves, and the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Too much to do and too little time to do it in.

With our lives so crowded with things that put pressure on our time, it will not avail ourselve to: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering
With the bustle of our lives that would crowd out communion with the Lord, and assembling ourselves together.....
The promises of God will become a distant memory.
Healing will become a distant memory.
Deliverance will become a distant memory.
Walking in holiness will become a distant memory.
Walking in the sweetness of fellowship with the Lord, will become a distant memory.
The voice of the Lord will become a distant memory.....
Because the voice of everything around us will begin to take first place in our lives.
STAY IN THE HOUSE!!!

This is not to be taking place of our own time with the Lord each day...but it will stir us into love, good works, obedience to the Word of God, and help to remind us that we're not the "big dog" in our lives. Jesus is not only to be our Savior, He's to be our Lord.

Each member of the Body of Christ has gifts and callings in their lives, and they are suppose to fit jointly together to those around them...being the Lords hand extended to one another. We will not receive those benefits if we are not "assembling" together.

God's Word warns us that there will be a great falling away in the end times, "apostasy". None of us are immune to such a thing. We're told repetedly to GUARD OUR HEARTS, to stand fast, to hold fast to what we have, that no one may take our crown, not to draw back, to continue in the faith. He's even gone so far as to say in:
Hebrews 3:6
Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

I Corinthians 15:2
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.

Galatians 6:9
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Colossians 1:23
if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Mark 13:13
And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

....and many many more Scriptures speak of the same.

I've always thought it interesting that the Lord equates us with "sheep" in His Word. LOL Sheep are really DUMB animals. We need to understand our own fraility and inability outside of God.

I've decided to FOLLOW THE LORD, I CHOOSE to be faithful, this is something that we can and should ALL DO. Am not speaking from a holier than thou attitude, but I'm saying that it's a CHOICE to remain faithful to ALL that the Lord KNOWS will keep us strong in our faith and in our walk with Him.

I want to encourage us all to STAY IN THE HOUSE!!!!

Father, I ask You to HELP US!!!! Help us to remain faithful to that which You KNOW will keep us strong in our faith, and with our walk with You. Help us to PUT YOU FIRST in our lives. In Jesus' Name.