PR

Please pray for me in regards to finishing the online courses that I am taking. I am really starting to feel overwhelmed with everything. :)
All of the medical terminology is more than I ever wanted to know and more.

Get the yoke off of your neck!

"...But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." Genesis 27:40b

I have just been having a MUCH needed time of worship. Morgan and I have been sitting in the living room singing praise to one of my favorite Passion cds. This weekend I just felt so beat down by life. I was reading this verse this morning and it just shouted out to me! It has been through becoming weak and worn out in life by my own sins or struggles thatI get so tired of the restlessness and the yoke that weighs me down finally gets thrown off. When I get really stressed or restless my neck kills me (that is why I thought the verse was especially applicable to me). So many times I have had to go to the hospital for severe muscle spasms in my neck (which costs about $500) and usually this is a result of me wearing a yoke around my neck. Then the Lord decides that it is time to make me lie down in green pastures (Since I wouldn't fully give the burden over to Him). He comes and breaks the yoke off of my neck. Try as I may at times to cast the anxiety on Him...there are times when I just can't seem to let go of the frustration or worry. So He takes it from me! Even this weekend I was struggling to get along with someone and I told the Lord this "how can I cast this anxiety off when the person weighs this many pounds?" I know the Lord laughed at me and I heard in my spirit...Give it to me Jenny, at my very word I can move mountains...that many pounds of human are nothing for me to handle! The word for where Esau would grow restless in the verse is: dWr ruwd It means 1) to wander restlessly, roam 1a) (Qal) to roam 1b) (Hiphil) to be restless, show restlessness. If you read the whole account of Jacob (Israel) and Esau you will see that Esau got tired of being restless (without peace..to me a state of anxiety) and had the yoke broken from his neck. If you read about Jacob stealing his blessing in Gen 27 you will see that he nursed himself with the idea of killing his brother after his father died. He probably carried around hatred and bitterness in his heart for a long time until he got tired of the weight. Let's not wait that long and have the enemy steal years from us! Whatever consumes us begins to control us. Anxiety, unforgiveness, bitterness, and etc have a huge way of controlling us! If the Lord is not controlling us we will end up with a huge weight around our neck that pushes us to the ground. So let's keep seeking the face of God until the weight has been lifted.

My new tune! Kidding!

This little tune I just came up with tonight for those people that really suck the life out of me! I am being funny…but really have you ever felt this way?!?!?

(this is sort of the Jenny version of "No one loves me like you"

No one drains me like you…

No one steals my joy the way that you do

No one gives me anxiety like you…

No one makes me feel the way that you do

No one annoys me like you…

No one repels me the way that you do

Repeat 3x :)

Wait on the Lord O my soul

Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

This verse has been very important to me over the years. Lately though I have seen a personal earthly example of one who waits in expectation. Waiting is not a state of inactivity. Waiting in my experience has been an active waiting on the Lord to act on my behalf or on the behalf of another. Morgan often sits in her crib and watches Veggie Tales. She will cry at times to let me know that she is still there (Like I could forget). I will creep down the hallway to take a peek at her and she will turn her head to the door, cry, and then look back at Bob & Larry. It cracks me up! Anyway, as soon as she sees her deliverer from the crib coming (me) she gets her cup, blankie, and passy ready because she thinks this may be her chance to get out of the crib (she is waiting, making her cry known, and having a spirit of expectancy). If I am putting up her clothes and she knows I am not going to get her then..she keeps crying out. It does remind me of how I need to be with the Lord. I need to keep focused on His word, make my cries known to Him (prayers), and wait in a spirit of expectation for Him to act in His time. As I continue to cry out to Him and spend time in His word He changes me in the "waiting period." There have been so many prayers that I have prayed that I have faith will one day come to fruition...but until then He is changing me as I continue to wait for Him to act. He is teaching me a lot lately about waiting on Him instead of trying to help Him out. His time is perfect and so are His ways. When He shows up in my situation I will know that it is Him. I have tried to change things in my life so many times on my own... It has only left me drained, exhausted, and frustrated. I pray that He will remind me to keep coming to Him instead of exhausting myself with my own efforts of trying to change people or circumstances. It has always been my experience that when I get on my face and get renewed in the word that I have more energy and His power released in my life...but if I try to go at it on my own...I am spent. Maybe you know what I am talking about. I thank God for the precious little reminder through His gift of Morgan to me.

I needed this so much!

David Jeremiah--Turning Point

Weekend, January 27 & 28

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Peter

But Peter and John answered and said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
Acts 4:19-20

Recommended Reading Matthew 26:69-75

During periods of history such as the Reformation and the Crusades, it was not unusual for some who professed to be true Christians to take this attitude when persecuted for their faith: "Recant now, repent later!" In other words, deny Christ today in order to save yourself—then ask God's forgiveness later.

Peter denied Christ when he was accused of being one of His disciples, but he didn't do it hypocritically. Yes, he feared for his life. But there is no evidence his perspective was so crass as to casually deny Jesus and then ask His forgiveness later. No, Peter was caught in an unplanned and unprepared for moment of sheer terror—one that would haunt him forever. But Jesus forgave Peter a few days after His resurrection and commissioned him to take care of His sheep (John 21:15-19). Looking back, Peter saw fear; looking forward, He saw faith. If you have failed Christ along the way, remember that He died to forgive the past and empower the future.

Failures forgiven become a formidable foundation for future faith.

I think that if God forgives us, we must forgive ourselves.
C. S. Lewis

Read-Thru-the-Bible
Exodus 31:1 - 34:35 ; Exodus 35:1 - 37:29

The SAME- Yesterday, Today, and Forever!

God Hears Israel's Groaning

During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

The Lord still sees us in our afflictions or wanderings...He sees us when we cry ourselves to sleep...when our heart aches...when we are filled with anxiety...when we feel like we can't go on. I am so thankful that the same God who saw Israels afflictions, sees ours to. He does not change and when His child cries out...HE HEARS, and He is faithful..He stands ready to answer. I have to know that!

Hebrews 13:8
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

James 1:17
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (emphasis mine).

AnXiEtY!

Psalm 94:19
19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

1 Peter 5:7-10
7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Colossians 3:12
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Something that really gets on my nerves (and I admit I have done it) is when we look around at the people that God is using in more obvious, out-front ways and we think that we need to BE that person. Sort of the Christian American Idol version if you will. Anyway, what if we just all focused on Christ and learned from other heroes in the faith without trying to BE those people. God chose each one of us... None of our lives or life experiences will ever match each others fully. We may have a lot in common but we are not the same! What if we surrendered our past sins, hurts, achievements, losses and anything else to the Lord and allowed Him to take our lives and use them for His purpose and glory...not just who we think we need to be? I wonder how much time we have spent comparing ourselves to others and not fixing our eyes on Jesus through His word. I wonder how many people miss their calling by trying to be "great" or seek position? I wonder how many people think their life doesn't matter unless they are traveling the world, speaking to the masses, have a tv program or lots of book signings? What if we found contentment in Christ and serving Him where we are at instead of trying to be famous? Let's leave FAMOUS to Jesus...because when we seek position, and seek fame...we set ourselves up for a fall. I have been to so many Living Proof Live events (Beth Moore) and I hear more people say that they want to BE her. She will be the first to tell you that she never signed up or sought out what she is doing. God has used her in so many ways...but I don't think she sought position...she seeks to serve others and lead them to the well that doesn't run dry. Yes we should admire that and want to lead others to Jesus. We should be like Paul and follow him as he followed Christ...
I am not dismissing godly influence or leadership. We are certainly told to go and make disciples...but let's just be grateful to God for what He has done in our life and seek to minister to others and comfort others with the same comfort that we have received...and quit trying to be everyone else. God has purpose for your life and mine. Oh if only we would get our eyes on Him and not what He canmerely give to us.

Brush that breath!

I just have to post this one! Last night I was laying in my bed reading and Job 19:17 CRACKED ME UP!!!! I am about to sort of take this out of context but just for fun! Job 19:17 My breath is offensive to my wife;
I ABOUT DIED!! Anyway, Rod is a big coffee drinker ( I CAN'T STAND COFFEE...or coffee breath!)..so you know where I am going with this. If we are at church and I even smell a hint of coffee on the breath I will not so subtly whip out my favorite Trident gum and hand him a piece. So, when I read this verse I was like God you are so hilarious it is not even funny!! Of course in the passage Job is going through so much and he is talking about his life (breath...in Hebrew: Wr ruwach ) being offensive to his wife. She relied so much on his own faith instead of her own and when everything came crashing down... as you know she wanted him to curse God and die. I started laughing so hard and tried to tell Rod about the new memory verse (the one he needed to memorize). He was not laughing very hard...but I sure got a good ab workout out of this one!! So just remember brush that stinky breath so it wont be offensive to anyone...and don't forget to rinse! ha ha!


7307 x;Wr ruwach {roo'-akh}
Meaning: 1) wind, breath, mind, spirit 1a) breath 1b) wind 1b1) of heaven 1b2) quarter (of wind), side 1b3) breath of air 1b4) air, gas 1b5) vain, empty thing 1c) spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation) 1c1) spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour 1c2) courage 1c3) temper,

Verses that are speaking to me today!

Ephesians 1:11-12
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
12 in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Psalm 31:5-8
5 Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth.
6 I hate those who cling to worthless idols; I trust in the LORD.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
8 You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place.

1 John 2:1-12
NIV 1 John 2:1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense-- Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
4 The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:
6 Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
7 Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard.
8 Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.
10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
11 But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.

Behold the Lamb

January 17, 2007

From Alistair Beggs website www.truthforlife.org

“THEN I LOOKED, AND BEHOLD, ON MOUNT ZION STOOD THE LAMB. ”
Revelation 14:1

The apostle John was privileged to look within the gates of heaven, and in describing what he saw, he begins by saying, "I looked, and, behold, . . . the Lamb." This teaches us that the chief object of contemplation in the heavenly state is "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"¹ Nothing else attracted the apostle's attention so much as the person of that Divine Being who has redeemed us by His blood. He is the theme of the songs of all glorified spirits and holy angels. Christian, here is joy for you; you have looked, and you have seen the Lamb. Through your tears your eyes have seen the Lamb of God taking away your sins. Rejoice then. In a little while, when your eyes shall have been wiped from tears, you will see the same Lamb exalted on His throne. It is the joy of your heart to hold daily fellowship with Jesus. You shall have the same joy to a higher degree in heaven; you shall enjoy the constant vision of His presence; you shall dwell with Him forever. "I looked, and, behold, . . . the Lamb." Why, that Lamb is heaven itself; for as good Rutherford says, "Heaven and Christ are the same thing." To be with Christ is to be in heaven, and to be in heaven is to be with Christ. That prisoner of the Lord very sweetly writes in one of his glowing letters, "O my Lord Jesus Christ, if I could be in heaven without you, it would be a hell; and if I could be in hell, and have you still, it would be a heaven to me, for you are all the heaven I want." It is true, is it not, Christian? Does not your soul say so?
Not all the harps above
Can make a heavenly place,
If God His residence remove,
Or but conceal His face.
All you need to make you blessed, supremely blessed, is to be with Christ.

Ain't to proud to Beg!

NIV Psalm 116:1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.

I have been begging the Lord to speak to me over a situation that I am facing. Before I turned in last night I did the usual which was to get in the word (I have to or I am dangerous even in my sleep). Anyway, when I ask Him to speak to me I wait to hear His voice through His word and when He tells me something (my sheep know my voice) it pops out like a waving red flag. Anyway, As I read Isa 41 last night I knew He was speaking through this passage over my situation. Then the Lord will always use repetition with me (it seems I only learn that way!)...so I usually will hear the passage again. I opened my email to this devotion this morning on Isa 41. I love the Lord because He hears my voice! What is man that You are mindful of him?

“I AM THE ONE WHO HELPS YOU, DECLARES THE LORD. ”
Isaiah 41:14

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: "I will help you." "It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already. What! Not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. What! Not help you? I have died for you; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help you! It is the least thing I will ever do for you; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose you. I made the covenant for you. I laid aside My glory and became a man for you; I gave up My life for you; and if I did all this, I will surely help you now. In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am ready to give. It is much for you to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary asking for help, it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat; and you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. I will help you."
O my soul, is this not enough? Do you need more strength than the omnipotence of the united Trinity? Do you want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring here your empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Hurry, gather up your wants, and bring them here--your emptiness, your woes, your needs. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply; what else can you desire? Go forth, my soul, in this your might. The Eternal God is your helper!
Fear not, I am with you, oh, be not dismay'd! I, I am your God, and will still give you aid.

Life

Psalm 38:4-5
4 "Show me, O LORD, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.
5 You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man's life is but a breath. Selah

I just got off of the phone with one of my most precious friends...Carrie. Her mom went to be with Jesus very suddenly. She was not expecting this at all and her mom was only 57 years old. I am still sitting here in shock. My heart aches for Carrie. She had such peace when I was on the phone with her. She was so close to her mom and my heart just breaks at her loss. Carrie is such a strong girl. She is so precious...she said to me "Jenny, I know where my mom is. That is my hope." That doesn't take away her pain...but she is confident that she will be with her mom again.

Our time here really is so short...we aren't promised tomorrow. The one thing that matters is where we are spending eternity. We can have eternal life through believing on the Lord Jesus. THERE IS SALVATION IN NO OTHER!

Yesterday, I was thinking about the Lord's covenant with Abraham and how as a sign of His covenant with Noah He placed a rainbow in the clouds. I said Lord I really would love to see a rainbow. I looked up to the left and there was one placed in the sky just for me. He is so real!

1 Cor 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

Pizza Angel

Okay you know that you need to get out when the new song in your heart is "Pizza Angel Please Come to Me" by Larry the Cucumber from Veggie Tales!! It goes a little something like this:
Pizza Angel please come to me, pizza sauce and cheese so gooey! Somebody please pray for me! ha ha!! :)

Amy Graham

Cut and paste the link below into your browser to here some sample music from Amy:
http://myspace.com/amyegraham

I truly am so proud of her for doing this album. She was on my heart forever to write out some songs and record them. God totally provided her the words and the opportunity to do this. It is so encouraging and there is such freedom in the music. I can't wait to see how God uses this! Let me know if you want to buy one and I will see what I can do. :)

Justified

Romans 4:4-8

4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.

5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

6 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

7 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him."

I was reading this passage last night and verse 5 jumped out to me where it says “God who justifies the wicked.” I looked up the greek word used here (dikaioo) for justified and it means: just, righteous, upright. To justify, declare righteous, acquit; to demonstrate or show to be just or righteous; to exercise righteousness…the verb means to deem righteous, esteem as being just, prove or show to be righteous, to perform justice. I could go on with the definition from my lexical aids but you get the point. He took my wickedness and by me believing on Him, He imputed His righteousness to me. He made me righteous by the shed blood of Jesus. He did not repay me for my sins. He could have but He didn’t (I am not saying that sins don’t have a consequence). There have been so many times that I have looked at my life and the sins that I have committed and I have known that I have deserved death for my own wickedness yet He has shown mercy. This may not seem like a big deal to you…but when you have sinned your tail off like I have and the Lord has not treated you as your sins deserve but He has been merciful(or justified you), it is a HUGE DEAL. I just fell to my face a minute ago and cried out to God to thank him for His grace. Why has He been so good to me? Why has He not cast me off, I ask Him. God forgives us when we come and humbly repent of our sins. He removes them as far as the east is to the west. He blots them out…yet I prayed today that I would NEVER EVER forget how great a debtor I am to Him. He has taken away my reproach…but I don’t ever want to forget what He has done for me and how completely “other” He is. I have been the woman at the well…I have been the sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with the perfume in her alabaster box. I have washed His feet with my tears and dried them with my hair. No one will ever know the cost of the perfume in my alabaster box. No one but He and I will ever know the depth of forgiveness that He has shown to me. I pray that others will have the same flow of mercy and grace wash over their life as I have.

Proverbs 20:9

9 Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

Nothing But the Tail Lights

2 Timothy 4:8

8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Morgan is asleep so I have a few minutes. Since I have not been teaching I have a lot of stuff stored up…if you know me, you know that I think I need to share everything I learn whether people want to here it or not. This is one area where I am not afraid of rejection…ha ha! No, but really last night I was on the bed holding my feisty little girl. I looked to the corner of my eye and my heart began to pound, and I do mean pound, out of my chest. I got up and started walking toward the window. Rod was laying in the bed (and I will say he is used to me doing this) he saw me go to the window and he knew what I was doing. I thought Jesus was coming and the sky was beginning to light up. When I moved back the curtain I saw it was just the moon coming in the window. I was so disappointed. I thought He was coming and I was about to be out of here. Me and Morgan were “walking toward the light” ha ha! I am tired of the false alarms! Our neighbors keep really late hours so I have woken up many times and fallen on my knees thinking He was about to make His grand entrance and call us up to meet Him in the air…only to see that it was tail lights in my window. I was telling my sister about this happening to me and before I could tell her that it was the neighbors backing up she yelled “It’s the tail lights idiot!” She cracked me up! Anyway, I am just longing for His glorious appearing. He is coming and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess on the glorious day that “Jesus is Lord!” Amen! Come Lord Jesus Come!!

Titus 2:12-15

12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,

13 while we wait for the blessed hope-- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

FoRgIvEnEsS

I have been using Praying God's word for the last 6 or 7 years. When I start
to notice unforgiveness in my heart I try to get it out and pray the verses in
that chapter. There is always one ongoing person that I am trying to forgive.
As soon as I get victory over a certain situation, another one comes along and
I have to work with the Lord on that particular situation. Anyway, several
years ago I was really struggling to forgive and coupled with the unforgiveness
in my heart I had a strong feeling of rejection as well. I got the book (which
you can do the same thing with God's word) and began to insert the persons name
in the blanks. I prayed and prayed (even though I didn't feel like it....nor
did I want God to bless that person) and God changed my heart through
exercising His word. It works!! Anyway, here is a good devotional:

Beth Moore from Praying God's Word
Unexpected Weight Loss
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

Today’s Treasure: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may
have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13).

Unparalleled joy and victory come from allowing Christ to do “the hard thing”
with us. Perhaps nothing is harder than forgiveness. Let’s face it. Each of
us has been confronted by some pretty overwhelming challenges to forgive. Some
seem…well, unforgivable. We argue with God that all inflicted hurts are not
created equally. For instance, sometimes the person who hurt us isn’t sorry.
Or won’t take responsibility. Or is in the grave. Or the person might be
sorry but refuses to recompense. Perhaps the person simply doesn’t deserve our
forgiveness. After all, forgiveness would make everything OK, and we want the
record to show: we’re not OK! Then, if we let it, truth begins to eclipse our
mound of excuses: we won’t be OK until we forgive. If only we could understand
that God’s unrelenting insistence on our forgiveness is for our own sakes, not
the sake of the one who hurt us. God is faithful. He will plead our case and
take up our cause… but only when we make a deliberate decision to cease
representing ourselves in the matter.

Innumerable strongholds are connected to an unwillingness to forgive. Left
untreated, unforgiveness becomes spiritual cancer. Bitterness takes root, and
since the root feeds the rest of the tree, every branch of our lives and every
fruit on each limb ultimately become poisoned. Beloved sister or brother, the
bottom line is…unforgiveness makes us sick. Always spiritually. Often
emotionally. And, surprisingly often, physically.

Please keep in mind that forgiveness is not defined by a feeling, although it
will ultimately change our feelings. The Greek word most often translated “
forgiveness” in the New Testament Scripture is aphiemi, meaning “to send forth
or away, let go from oneself. To let go from one’s power, possession. To let
go from one’s further…attendance, occupancy.” Forgiveness is our determined
and deliberate effort to let something go. To release it from our possession.
To be willing and ready for it to no longer occupy us. God is not asking us to
let “it” go haphazardly into the black hole of non-existence. Forgiveness
means letting it go to God. Letting it go from our power to His. Forgiveness
is the ongoing act by which we agree with God over the matter, practice the
mercy He’s extended to us, and surrender the situation, the repercussions, and
the hurtful person to Him.

Don’t expect Satan to let you off the hook of unforgiveness easily. Be
prepared to recommit to forgiveness every single day until you’re free. Second
Corinthians 2:11 warns us to forgive “in order that Satan might not outwit us.
For we are not unaware of his schemes.” The King James Version says me must
forgive “lest Satan should get an advantage of us.” The Word of God clearly
teaches that Satan takes tremendous advantage of any unforgiveness in our
lives. Unforgiveness qualifies as one of the most powerfully effective forms
of bondage in any believer’s life. We cannot tolerate it. Yes, this
stronghold demands serious demolition, but the liberty you will feel when you
finally let it go is inexpressible! Forgiveness is the ultimate “weight loss”!

Lord, in the parable of the unmerciful servant, the only person in the end who
was imprisoned and tortured was the one who would not forgive. Help me to see
the monumental price of unforgiveness. It is so enslaving and torturous.
According to Matthew 18:35, You may allow me to suffer the same kind of
repercussions if I refuse to forgive from my heart someone who has sinned
against me. Please help me release the offense to You and be freed from the
weight I’ve been carrying. In the name of Jesus, who has forgiven my own sins,
Amen.

Adapted from Praying God’s Word, by Beth Moore, pages 220-223. Nashville:
Broadman & Holman, 2000, 2003. Used by permission.

When Worldviews Collide

Womens Bible Study (7 weeks)
New Bible Study starting Tuesday January 23rd, 2007 at Hunter Street Baptist, Hoover AL
Time: 6:30 pm
Ergun Caner: When Worldviews Collide - Member Book
For more info email: williams4676@bellsouth.net

Author: Ergun Caner

Perhaps more than ever before, our culture is being influenced by non-Christian belief systems. Here's a new small-group study written by a former Muslim designed to develop a Christian's theology and doctrine for the purpose of building confidence in personal evangelism and engaging their culture with absolute biblical truth. In addition, it helps adults identify ways false teachings make an impact on our society and to take actions that promote a biblical worldview. Other faiths covered include Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist.

Publisher: LifeWay Church Resources
Pub. Date: August 2005
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 1415821143

I was experiencing Jeremiah 15:16 this afternoon when I read this. I found these words and ate them (spiritually speaking). They were food for my soul today. I can say every one of these verses from personal experience with the Lord! He has heard my voice when I have cried to Him for mercy. He is so merciful. He turns His ear to hear me. Because of His mercy on me...I will call to him as long as I live! The cords of death (sin) have entangled me and He has been the one to come and cut me loose from the traps that were set for me. I have been overcome (so many times) by trouble and sorrow and He has saved me. He is gracious (and because I have been the "Chief of sinners" at times) I can't comprehend His grace and His righteousness. How could the sinless, spotless Lamb come and die for all of our sins...or yet alone...my sins. My sins were enough to put Him on the cross. His grace and mercy are so vast toward the repentant heart. These verses mean so much to me because I know I could never repay Him for what He has done for me: 12 How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
He is so good...SO GOOD!

NIV Psalm 116:1 I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save me!"
5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
6 The LORD protects the simplehearted; when I was in great need, he saved me.
7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.
8 For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
9 that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I believed; therefore I said, "I am greatly afflicted."
11 And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars."
12 How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
14 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
16 O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD-- in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.

I am up and scared from the tornado watch. As I look over at sweet Morgan sleeping...I am reminded of how Jesus wants me to have faith like a child and that me sitting here worrying about a storm is not going to control the outcome of it. He watches over me so I need to go back to sleep! I love the verse below in Psalm 121 "he who watches over you will not slumber." He continually watches over me...He doesn't sleep or need any bathroom breaks, no changes in shift for Him...He never grows tired or weary! I am so thankful.

NIV Psalm 121:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills-- where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip-- he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you-- the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.


Job 38
34 "Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'?

NIV Psalm 29:1 A psalm of David. Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

Ephesians 4:26-27
26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

I just got home from work and I have been harboring some anger that left unchecked will turn into bitterness. I was reminded of this verse this morning: Hebrews 12:15 See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. The word for bitter (or bitterness in the KJV) is pikria {pik-ree'-ah}
Meaning: 1) bitter gall 1a) extreme wickedness 1b) a bitter root, and so producing a bitter fruit 1c) metaph. bitterness, bitter hatred
I thought about this verse and the verse from Eph. 4:26-27 Notice the wording in verse 26 "26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, (emphasis mine)." I used to think that this verse meant that I had to work out my anger issues with someone before I went to sleep and that they were to deal with their anger as well. Which we obviously can't control whether someone works on their junk or not. But what if the other person is still angry at you?. I was reminded in my heart that I needed to go home tonight and pour out my heart to God (Lamentations 2:19 Arise, cry out in the night, as the watches of the night begin; pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord. Lift up your hands to him for the lives of your children, who faint from hunger at the head of every street.) No matter what I have done, I need to try as far as it depends on me to live at peace with others...I can not control whether they reciprocate or not. Also, it is so easy to pick up the phone and talk to a friend about your anger, but I really need to go to the Lord first. I have run across so many people that think they can't get into God's presence and tell them what they are harboring in their hearts. Being a Christian doesn't mean "fake it until you make it!" God made us. He knows our every word before it is on our tongue...he knows our hearts. Who better to pour out our hearts to than Him? I am not saying that we don't need to talk to friends or have godly counsel...but we need to go to His throne first. We will never drain Him. He will never be too busy. On the backlight of my home phones I typed on the screens Jesus. I will put the phones on do not disturb while Morgan is sleeping. When they are on do not disturb the phone reads "do not disturb Jesus." As if He were ever to busy for us! But I think sometimes we limit Him and compare Him to others and adopt the attitude that Jesus has other fish to fry! Nothing could be further from the truth. Anyway, Jesus is after relationship and as long as we are on this planet we will have trials, experience anger, and etc. We need to go to Him so He can heal us of our broken heart. The situation may not change but He can change me. Verse 27 says that if we go to bed with anger that we are giving the enemy a foothold. That is so true. Bitterness and resentment build as we nurse our open wounds without bringing them to Jesus. Then we get a hard heart and allow the enemy in the back door. I KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS!!!!! What is his purpose? He is a theif, he comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. Let's quit giving him the foothold. If you are like me...you may feel at times very justified in holding onto your anger...but over time it will cause a hard heart, a bitter root will spring up and defile many. I know it first hand. Lord, help us to run to you. Like Ishmael and Hagar in the desert about to die, You were the God who "saw her." Help us to pour it all out to You. You are our comfort. Redeem us from anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness Help us to walk in truth.

I just posted a picture of the new babies!! My sister Heather had them on Dec 14th. She has a 2 year old girl named Kenley. Kenley calls the twins pink and blue. Blue cries a lot is what she says. A lady asked her at church to tell her about the new babies and she resoundingly screamed NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't you love their honesty? Sometimes I wish I could scream out what I am thinking...ha ha! Anyway, Heather is staying home with them and Christ is continuing to go to school and he is the associate pastor at a church where they live. Say a prayer for them. I know I couldn't handle all of that :). Kenley has been the only one around for 2 years so she is trying to adjust. Her parents keep telling her "in a minute" to everything...so Heather said she is walking around the house saying "In a minute"...that cracks me up!! Alright, I just wanted to show them off. Their names are Madison Brooke and James Garrett.

THE PIT!

A few months ago I began to read through Jeremiah and these verses struck a cord with me:
Jeremiah 38:6
6 So they took Jeremiah and put him into the cistern of Malkijah, the king's son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes into the cistern; it had no water in it, only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
In the Bible when some one spoke of enemies digging a pit for them or their adversary hunting them down, they were being VERY literal. I don't think (unless we are familiar with war) that when we read we understand that these were literal enemies opposing people like David and Jeremiah. We clearly have real enemies but a lot of ours are in the unseen realm since our battle is not against flesh and blood. Sometimes I wish my battle was in the seen..so that maybe it would be easier. Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT want to be on the run like David was, hiding out in caves and etc. That is not for me! My point is that in combat the enemy would literally dig our pits or cisterns for whoever they wanted to trap or kill. The Psalms speak of pits over and over...just take a look for yourself. Read the following verse and consider the word pit in the Hebrew with me:
NIV Psalm 28:1 Of David. To you I call, O LORD my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit.
The word for pit is Bor meaning: "pit, hole, cistern, well, dungeon, grave. Empty cisterns were used for prisons (Jer. 38:6; Zec. 9:11). The Hebrews conceived of death as a giant pit..."

My point is that when Jeremiah sank down into the mud in the cistern or pit that was dug FOR HIM...he would have seen this as the same this as a grave dug for him. Jeremiah is known as the "weeping prophet" and if you study him you will see that...but what stood out to me was that he was obedient to God and rejected by man over and over. There is something about the truth that cuts like a knife...people either love it or hate it. I am sure you know like me that there have been times when you wanted to close your ears to the truth and do your own thing. The truth is not popular and it is costly. My life is pathetic in comparison to Jeremiah. God told him what to do and he did it. It is my constant prayer that I would obey the Lord. Whenever I choose my way over His I end up suffering. In the words of my favorite preacher (James MacDonald) "Choose to sin, choose to suffer." Yet sometimes we will suffer and face being struck down or shipwrecked so to speak from following the Lord. If obedience gets us a cistern who wants that right!?! Be honest the second Christ starts to cost us something and we start barreling into trials we want Him to take His hand off the thermostat of our fiery furnace. That's me anyway. But I have been there with Jeremiah...only mostly I have jumped into my own pit. We are not to be unaware of our enemies schemes. He wants to trap and ensnare us in all manner of sins. The enemy really sets traps for us. He tries to lead us like a lamb to the slaughter. Of course everyone knows that Rod is a hunter...he spends a lot of time camouflaging himself, putting doe urine on his body (SICK!), and he even plants fields during the middle of the year to feed the dear and bait them in. He has cameras that detect motion and take pictures to see where the deer are feeding. My point is that he goes through great lengths to lure the deer in, camouflage himself and bait those sweet things in. All Rod can think about right now is the hunt and if you know anything about deer hunting in Alabama you will know that the rut is about to kick in. This is mating time for the deer. The bucks completely throw caution to the wind as they try to mate. They let their guard down and this is the perfect time to bag that Big Buck. I don't get it...but I like to draw the analogy. In my life that is they way satan works with me. Don't get me wrong I can get into trouble without his help. He will lure me, bait me, camouflage sin and bam he's got me in the pit. He wants to destroy our testimony and make us ineffective for the kingdom. Thankfully when we do blow it, like me so many times, we can come back to the Lover of our souls. I was thinking about David the other day and wondering if after he blew it did he hang his harp and quit playing? Maybe he did for a time but I think God restored him and put a new song in his heart. One of the things the enemy tries to get us to believe after we have taken a fall is that we are worthless and that we can no longer go to God. That is a lie from the pit. We need to get back with the Lord regardless and restore our fellowship with Him. My friend called me yesterday and she was telling me about a sermon she heard at church and she said that the pastor kept saying that if we are still here that God has a plan for us. Believe that in your own life. Don't quit getting in the word. Don't quit surrounding yourself with believers. The worst thing you can do is separate yourself...we need each other. Trust in God's ability to forgive and restore you...don't trust in how you feel. Like Peter, when you have turned back, strengthen the brethren. Warn anyone who will listen that the pit is like going down to death and that they want to stay walking on the straight and narrow. When God pulls you out of your pit, learn from it and make the enemy sorry he ever messed with you.

Hosea 6:3
3 Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

Let us press on to know Him in the new year...He will come to us like the rain.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!