1/15/2020 0 Comments Grace Works!I have been seeking God to help me fully understand grace and works. I have felt in my heart that I totally “get it.” Yet, if I were to try to explain or teach it to someone, I have felt as though my bottom line would not be clear enough. While pondering these thoughts with God, He made it so clear to me! However, He also revealed that ALL may not “hear” or “see” even through this word. Lord, help ME to hear and help ME to see. And Lord, help OTHERS to hear and to see this picture of grace from YOUR WORD. Amen Romans 11:6 says, “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” If it’s grace, it IS grace; if it’s works, it IS works. If you belong to God, and if you have surrendered your life to Jesus you ARE saved by the GIFT of grace and as Romans says, “…it is no longer on the basis of works.” You are given the GIFT of grace THROUGH YOUR belief. This is called faith. As Ephesians says, “For by grace you have been saved THROUGH FAITH.” Once you say, “yes” to Jesus He hands you the GIFT of grace. NOW you are saved and will live in eternity with the Father. This is where many people stumble: James 2:24 says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” I have had people say to me things like this: see it’s not JUST faith, you need works or faith is dead. There is this ongoing battle with people thinking and BELIEVING that when the bible uses the term “works” that it is all about THEM when it’s really all about God. This is how God showed me how to understand grace and works. Revelation 12:10-11 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” When you belong to God, when you have surrendered your life to Jesus, you HAVE conquered the devil BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, which IS Jesus. That IS GRACE. When you are TRULY seeking God in ALL areas of your life you WILL have and will continue to have a LIVING testimony of God that blossoms in you faster than the dandelions. You see, the testimonies of GOD in your life, that IS “THE WORKS.” God is saying, YOU CAN defeat, anxiety, depression, jealously, shame, worry, anger, bitterness, forgiveness, weariness and MORE by the blood of the Lamb, GRACE and by the word of God’s testimony in your life, WORKS. 2 Timothy 1:8-9 says, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” It is not in the “working” but in the seeking of God. The seeking reveals God. If you are not actively seeking HIM, “the works” will always manifest as your own. Grace = the GIFT of Salvation by the Blood of the Lamb Works = the word of our testimony(s) – which comes from seeking God
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12/8/2019 0 Comments Every Word YOU Speak has Power!We are spiritual beings having a human experience. If we can truly understand what this means it would shed major light into areas of our lives that seem idle or where we have become stuck. Let’s start by backing up that first statement with scripture.
1 Corinthians 15:42b-44 The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. NKJV As Christians we have given up our bodies in the natural and have surrendered to the spiritual, therefore we ARE spiritual beings having a human experience. How does this pertain to the words we speak? When we speak words, not only do they come out of the natural body and affect the world around us in the natural, they also get spoken into the spiritual world because we are spiritual beings. Numbers 30:1-5 says, Then Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded: 2 If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth. 3 “Or if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth, 4 and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father holds his peace, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself shall stand. 5 But if her father overrules her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself shall stand; and the Lord will release her, because her father overruled her. …this means, YOU can bind yourself with your words … AND words can be broken. Those in the Old Testament were living under the law however, the Old Testament is a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ and it was also God establishing the foundational principles for mankind to live by. Although, these words had literal, “human” meaning in the days of Moses, they stand today and are rooted in our spiritual being. Our words do have the power to encourage or discourage IN the MOMENT but more importantly our words either become a credit in the kingdom of heaven or a credit in the kingdom of darkness. Think of it this way: remember in pre or elementary school or maybe even at home; you would have a chart with your name on it. On the chart you could earn a star or sticker of some kind IF you read a book(s) or completed a task or maybe at home, a chore. After receiving so many stars or stickers you would receive a prize etc., etc. This is a great analogy to what happens every time we speak. We are either speaking words that line up with the Word of God or we are speaking words that do not line up with the Word of God. When we speak truth and life we get a “star” on our spiritual chart in heaven. When we speak things that speak death and lies we earn a “star” on our spiritual chart in hell. That may sound cheesy BUT after continuously speaking either truth and life or death and lies what happens? We eventually BELIEVE one or the other. Proverbs 18:20 says: A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Each and everything you say is VERY important. Continue to say the same thing and guess what will happen? Your “stomach” in this Proverbs verse is translated from Hebrew meaning, from an unused root; to be hollow. As you speak words (especially repeated words) in the natural they will find a place within you that is “unused” or “hollow” and they will “get planted;” continue to speak the same words, they will grow. Eventually, these words become your belief, which, is rooted in a heart place, the spiritual place. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Eventually, if you say things over and over they become rooted inside even if you never intended it. Once rooted in the heart place they become what you believe. Once they become what you believe, which IS the heart and spiritual place, it will be so! … “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” While God shared with me these truths I asked Him, what have I spoken that became rooted in me that was NOT of You, Lord? Instantly, and almost before I could finish asking the question, God spoke the word, “tomboy.” As I visited this with Him over the course of a few days I heard Him say, “I created man and woman, not tomboy.” My entire life I referred to myself as a tomboy. I asked God what was wrong with that, it’s not bad, I didn’t swear or curse anyone. He challenged me to define tomboy. So I challenged Him back (never a good thing to do because God is always right), well God I’m a girl who likes “boy things.” Before I could even name those things, He said, “who says they are ‘boy things’?” And I said, well, people, society. Then God revealed to me that since the dawn of time humankind has placed labels and assumptions on things of this world based on what humankind can see with the natural eye. If you like to play outside, get dirty, climb trees, play basketball, build and create with your hands and turn wrenches well then you can’t BE a girl even though your body was created a girl. The world says, okay, the only way to describe this is with a “manmade” term, tomboy. Out of curiosity I looked up the history of the term, tomboy. Here is what I found: According to the Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, the noun “tomboy” (formed by joining the male name Tom and the word “boy”) was coined sometime before 1553, and meant a boy who was rude or boisterous. In 1579 the word “tomboy” was applied to a bold or immodest woman. By 1592 it was applied to a girl who acted like a spirited or boisterous boy, and that’s been its meaning ever since. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” As a child I did not live in a home where a true believer in Christ was present, therefore there was no one to stand in the gap to renounce the vow that was made. This is what Numbers 30:3-4 speak of. If you have someone in your life that has spiritual authority over you, they CAN renounce or overrule words that have been spoken that do not line up with God’s Truth. What I thought I was, “tomboy,” became rooted inside me because of the SPOKEN WORDS. It placed me in a position where satan has been able to torment me in so many ways, and many of which I probably don’t even know and still need to meditate in prayer concerning them. I have renounced, “tomboy!” I renounced it more than once and to fellow believers in Christ Jesus. I’m a girl, fearfully and wonderfully made in the sight of God. Amen and AMEN. Have YOU ever said anything like… ~ I’ve always struggled with reading ~ I’m not a morning person ~ I can’t seem to get things done, I always procrastinate ~ I will NEVER be like my father ~ It runs in my family ~ I live paycheck to paycheck ~ I made my bed so I have to lay in it ~ That’s just my luck ~ I have depression ~ I seem to always choose the wrong guy ~ No one really understands me ~ My brother was mom’s favorite ~ I am a tomboy Let’s look at, “I will NEVER be like my father.” Maybe you have said this because he was abusive. I completely understand that, BUT by saying, “I will NEVER be like my father,” you are also canceling out ALL of the GOOD things God created in your father which means you cannot BE like him or access the gifts of those good things in your own life. Hmmm. Ponder that. I’m not a morning person. That doesn’t sound so bad does it? But guess what… God says: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Final thought: Destroying Power OR Activating Power ALL words establish or build something Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. This verse means you can agree with God who has creative power or you believe the enemy who has destructive power. One gives you life one gives death. 8/26/2019 2 Comments "Made in China"Have you ever made a purchase and when you read the package it said, “Made in China?” When you read that did you have a negative response? Well, last week God gave me a revelation; a whole new perspective on “Made in China!” I work in retail at Sight & Sound theaters. I was working in merchandise last week and when I went to mid-level to help restock, I walked into the room with the jewelry. As I walked over to the shelf to pick up the Jesus key chains we sell, my eyes focused on the box of Jesus magnets, “Made in China” … it went through my brain over and over. Then, God showed me something! He reminded me that tens of thousands of these key chains were sold in 2018, and like the magnets they two are “Made in China.” Have you ever complained or just said something like, “figures it’s made in China?” I certainly have! But God showed me the positive side to that!! China’s government, The Chinese Communist Party is officially atheist. Nearly 90 million party members are prohibited from holding religious beliefs. But guess what??...China produces Sight & Sounds Jesus key chains, our Jesus magnets and so much more! Day in and day out factories in China are “seeing” Jesus because Sight & Sound is bringing in thousands of guests who are purchasing these items. I was blown away standing there in the stock room! I stood there for just a few moments as God showed me this. Even if the workers in those Chinese factories don’t know the word “Jesus” I bet many of them have gone home and looked up “Jesus” on their computers, their phones or ipads. And I bet many lost souls have found Christ just because they wondered what the big deal is with these “Jesus” key chains. WOW, “Made in China” gave me a whole new perspective today. Sight & Sound sells many things “Made in China” including the Names of Jesus Cross. Just think of the workers in China who see this cross and the words, “I am, Emmanuel, Savior, Lamb of God, Bread of Life, The Way, The Alpha & Omega, Messiah, Advocate, Holy One, Good Shepherd, Son of God, and Light of the World. I wonder how many of them have “Googled” Bread of Life and Light of the World. There is POWER in the NAME of Jesus… even on a key chain. May God BLESS YOU today! Amen. How many of you have heard Psalm 23? In case you’re not familiar it goes like this: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: … OKAY, NOW DO YOU RECALL HEARING THIS?...he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: … Yep, you probably remember now.
If I had to guess MOST of you have heard this even if you don’t claim to be a Christian or attend church regularly. It’s that famous Psalm heard many times at funerals. Recently I started studying Psalm 23, because to be quite honest, I was never at all that fond of it. I never felt good reading, reciting or even looking at it! A fellow sister in Christ recently told me that if a verse or chapter in the Bible does NOT sit well within us (especially Psalm 23), then we should REALLY study it and ask the Lord why this is so. For the past week I have been meditating on JUST the first verse: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. For the past six days I have looked and listened and mediated on these few words. Everything that seemed to stir inside me was “junky.” This has been the feeling: there is this GREAT BIG God, and He is this MIGHTY, MEAN, UGLY man, (forget the Shepherd) high above, looking DOWN upon ME with a “death stare” and I BETTER NOT want a darn thing because he ain’t giving me nothing! Pretty lousy thought, huh? …But then today, while dealing with a difficult situation and studying this verse yet again, I was taken to Deuteronomy 2:7 which says this: The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands… Just then I “saw” my hands and not just the physical work that I have done, but also the spiritual work. For just a moment I could “see” the spiritual gifts God has placed in my hands, then I kept reading… He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. Again, for just a few moments I felt as though I could see the last 40 years like an old movie projector rewinding the film of my life… the LORD watching ME, journeying through a vast wilderness… 40 years HE HAS been there for ME… and in ALL that time I have NOT lacked anything… Yeah, it was one of those God moments where it is just you and God. You just had to be there :) But what really hit me was the 40 years; I turned 41 last year and it is so true that God HAS watched me journey through a vast wilderness (I’m talking NASTY swamps and jungles) and in ALL those years He has given me ALL that I need even though my feelings, sometimes tell me I have lacked MUCH! I’d have to say after “seeing” all this with my spiritual eyes I have to conclude, if God has blessed the work of my hands for these last 40 years then He MUST be in this journey for the long haul. My first 40 years have been less than pretty; if God stuck around for THOSE 40 years then He certainly will WANT to see me through the next 40! As for Psalm 23 verse 1, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want… well, God revealed Himself to me through Deuteronomy 2:7. I know this will help me as I move forward in this study and also in my spiritual journey. Lord, I thank you for this word. Help me to receive it! Amen and Amen. 12/22/2018 2 Comments Sparkles in His HeartIt was Monday, December 10, 2018 when Preston (my son) was asked to work for someone who needed off. He doesn’t usually work Mondays but this particular Monday he did. He has been working at a local restaurant for several months now. As the restaurant was closing I received a phone call from Preston. He wanted to know if he could bring a kitten home that was trying to get inside the restaurant. It was a small, frail kitty. It was a little dirty and its tail was matted but it was very friendly. I told Preston we could not bring a stray cat into our home because we have two indoor cats. I told him we don’t know if she is ill or contagious, etc. Preston was DETERMINED that he was not going to leave this cat outside in the cold (which was going to be the coldest night so far this winter). I called Maddie (my daughter) and she agreed we could not leave the cat outside. I took my cat carrier to the restaurant and Preston and I took the kitten to Maddie’s place. She was not able to bring the cat inside the house because she too has pets but she said we could put the kitten in the garage. We put out water and food. We also put lots of old towels in the cat carrier and left the door open so she could snuggle up for the night. I told Maddie I would take her to the Humane League in the morning. The next morning I picked up the kitten. She meowed, tired meows as I drove to Lancaster. I recall telling her along the way that everything was going to be okay and that I was taking her to get a nice warm bed and to see the doctor. When I arrived at the Humane League I explained what happened holding back the tears as best as I could. I told them my sixteen-year-old son was very much concerned and wanted her cared for. The woman, who was presumably in charge of intakes said, “I am so sorry but we are not able to take her in at this time.” She said that she could scan her to see if she had a microchip implanted but that was about all they could do because of how full they were. She checked for a microchip but nothing. She picked up the kitten. I asked if it was male or female. Because she was a long- haired cat, she had to take her in the back to check. I wasn’t really sure myself, it was dark when I picked her up and I really wasn’t concerned much about that. When the woman came back out she said, “we are going to keep her.” I was so relieved! Again, I was trying hard to hold back the tears but I couldn’t stop my nose from running. The woman told me that this cat was very emaciated and depending on what they found, there would be a possibility that the cat would need to be euthanized. Through my tears I told her I understood. I called later that day to check on the kitten but did not reach anyone. The next morning I called in again. Surprisingly they told me that the veterinarian examined her and determined this was NOT a kitten, but a senior cat! They said, she was at least ten years old, if not older. I was shocked. They named her Sparkles. Sparkles was kept on a heating pad and given fluids. An x-ray determined nothing out of the ordinary. The following day they did some blood work. Sadly, the blood work showed that Sparkles was in organ failure and her kidneys were not working. They called me Thursday afternoon to tell me they had to put her down, yet they were so thankful that we brought her in. They also said, she would not have lived much longer on her own but they were happy to give her warmth, comfort and care her last forty-eight hours. My heart broke for Sparkles but, mainly for Preston. Why did I share this with you? It is Christmas time and if you celebrate Christmas in ANY way then you ARE celebrating the birth of Jesus. What is the significance of that? Well, it is ALL about LOVE. We love because He (God) first loved us. 1 John 4:19 It was no coincidence that Preston worked his night off. It was no coincidence that this cat just happened to come directly to Preston. And it was no coincidence that Preston LOVED and refused to accept any less of others. God knew Preston’s heart and He knows ALL of our hearts. If you love, it is only because God loved YOU FIRST. If you love your children, it is because God loved YOU first. If you love your spouse, it is because God loved YOU first. If you love your mother and your father, it is because God loved YOU first. If YOU LOVE so much to take a cat in out of the cold… it is ONLY because God loved YOU FIRST and gave YOU that same love, TO love. God knew we needed a Saviour to save us from ourselves. That Saviour, YOUR Saviour IS Christmas. This Christmas I pray that you give your heart to Christ if you haven’t. God’s love for YOU, IS the reason His son was born. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11 May you and yours have a MOST Blessed Merry Christmas! God, I thank you for Preston and for Sparkles (pictured below) and this beautiful testimony of YOUR Love for us. Amen. He Will Hold Me Fast When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast; When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast. I could never keep my hold through life’s fearful path; For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast. He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast; For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast. Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast; Precious in his holy sight, He will hold me fast. He’ll not let my soul be lost; His promises shall last; Bought by Him at such a cost, He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast; For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast. For my life He bled and died, Christ will hold me fast; Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast. Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast ‘Till our faith is turned to sight, When He comes at last! He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast; For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast. 11/23/2018 1 Comment RED LETTERSHave you ever read, “red letters?” Tonight I headed out to pick up my son from work and a song was playing on the radio. I never heard the song before. It is called, Red Letters by Crowder. I encourage you to listen to it. The lyrics are awesome! But even if you set aside the lyrics, the beat and the SOUND of the song will lighten your burden.
When I got home I pulled an old Bible off my bedroom shelf. The Bible belonged to a woman I never met, her name was Estella. When I met Estella’s daughter, she was in her 90’s. After Estella greeted her daughter (and my dear friend) in Heaven, this Bible was given to me. It is a King James Version but, I pick it up once and awhile. Tonight I opened it up to some, “red letters.” I never knew what the “red letters” meant, not until just a few years ago. Maybe you’re reading this right now and don’t know either. That’s okay. I’m going to tell you. :) In the Bible when the text is RED, this means this is Jesus’ words. Inside the front cover, this Bible reads: “…with the words of our Lord and Saviour set forth in dignified red italics.” Whenever you see or read red letters in the Bible, it is the words of Jesus. Here are some “red letters” for YOU… I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. Revelation 1:11a KJV Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 KJV Here is The Voice translation for Revelation 3:20 - Now pay attention; I am standing at the door and knocking. If any of you hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to visit with you and to share a meal at your table, and you will be with Me. You can read lots more “red letters” … prison walls will start falling… but you don’t have to take MY word for it. Thank you God for RED LETTERS! Red Letters – By Crowder - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ohrZaZfTI Red Letters Lyrics: There I was on death row Guilty in the first degree Son of God hanging on a hill Hell was my destiny The crowd was shouting crucify Could've come from these lips of mine The dirty shame was killing me It would take a miracle to wash me clean Then I read the red letters And the ground began to shake The prison walls started falling And I became a free man that day Felt like lightning hit my veins My dead heart began to beat Breath of God filled my lungs And the Holy Ghost awakened me Yeah, the Holy Ghost awakened me When I read the red letters And the ground began to shake The prison walls started falling And I became a free man that day For God so loved the whole wide world Sent His only Son to die for me Arms spread wide for the whole wide world His arms spread wide where mine should be Jesus changed my destiny Thank You, God, for red letters When the ground began to shake The grace of God started falling And I became a free man that day The prison walls started falling And I am a free man today 11/6/2018 1 Comment GHOSTBUSTERS!Who remembers the computer of the 80's, The Commodore 64? (D.J., you remember, right? :) Today, it came to my mind and I thought, hmmm, why this?? As I thought more about it throughout the day, many different things crossed my mind. First, the marshmallow man!
As you drove around the city (in the game) capturing ghosts from buildings, other ghosts were slowly headed to what the game called, "zuul" (the main, center hub). Soooo....you drive around in either a baby blue, volkswagon beetle or a white hearse, (if I remember, I think they also had a dark blue, "Brady bunch grocery getter," station wagon). On the roof of your vehicle you had ghost traps and... here it is... I'm NOT kidding... you had an upright vacuum strapped to the hood to suck up ghost in the streets! Not sure where you'd plug a Hoover into your 1970's Volkswagon, mine didn't even have defrost....but there it was! The goal was to gather as many ghosts as you could before the city (Zuul) reached a peak energy of 9,999. You would end up right at the center and you would get out of your vehicle and try to run past the Marshmallow man and into Zuul. At any point in the game a ghost could ZAP you, losing a life, you could also get trampled on by the marshmallow man and if I do recall, if you don't capture enough ghosts they could surround you and that was, "game over!" So why all this nonsense about some cheesy 80's game and upright vacuum cleaners? I wasn't sure until I started typing this but here it is... a message for YOU today: Are you equipped with all you need to defeat the enemy in THIS world? When the enemy comes to attack you, do you have your "Hoover" strapped to your "hood" to suck up the enemy's lies and cast them at the foot of the cross? How often do you head back to "Ghostbuster Headquarters" (the Bible) to restock your supplies against the enemy? Just something to ponder. I KNOW, from personal experience that the Word of God IS LIVING, it's not a nice book to display on your bedroom dresser just because. Pick it up! Open it! And when you wear out the pages from reading so much, head to any local thrift store, Goodwill, or where ever and get yourself another one! Most times they will give you a FREE one! Jesus= the real "ghostbuster!" Praise God! Revelation 1:3 The Voice - Blessings come to those who read and proclaim these words aloud; blessings come to those who listen closely and put the prophetic words recorded here into practice. The finale is approaching. ***Thank you God for YOUR bread so that I may enjoy the peanut butter and jelly! Amen and Amen! |
~ Peanut Butter, Jelly and Jesus ~Kimberly Mowery~ Author of The Crownless King |