Tag: Christian Living

How Then Shall We Live?

musingsalonglifesjourneyLeave a comment
The view in our yard, the glory of God shown on an autumn day

Yes, God is on the move in a mighty way. We are called to a high standard as those who profess Jesus Christ as Lord. It’s imperative that we learn from those who go before us. Let’s look at some passages from the book of Colossians, which the Apostle Paul wrote from prison to a congregation deep in the midst of secularism.

Captivity

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

Hollow & Deceptive Philosophy

Photo by Andrii Nikolaienko on Pexels.com

Hollow and deceptive philosophy? Think of the worldly wisdom coming from all angles on social media, advertisements, TV shows… many human traditions… even legalism in churches.

Each day,  I hear another  “doctor ” who knows just which foods or supplements, exercises or sleep things you should never do… or should always do. “Just watch this video to find out this simple household trick you can do to loose pounds.” Which leads to their special formula for supplements that will cost you $49.95 for a month’s supply. It’s sourced from the best things on earth, and you’d better order multiple bottles, because supply is limited. Then you’ll see ads connected to this video in your Facebook feed, as well as your YouTube watching.

Human Tradition

2:16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.

In Paul’s time, he was talking about the Jewish leaders and idol worshippers. Today, all religions get caught up in these things.

2:17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Elemental spiritual forces

Photo by asap jpeg on Pexels.com

Elemental spiritual forces? Do you remember the earthly elements God attacked with the 20 plagues in Egypt? All the things they deified and worshipped. I’m sure by now you’ve heard of Matchu Pechu in South America.  [Spell Check didn’t even balk at this name, it’s currently so popular] What about aliens, the occult, crystals, “global warming”, Yoga, Reikei… calling in the elements to work for them, especially for healing the body and the earth.

2:20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world, why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules: 21 “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? 22 These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings.

Living in Jesus Christ

Set Your Heart On…

3:1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Questions: What things is your heart set on? What is your mind dwelling on? What kind of fruit is developing in your life from those things? How deep is your connection with Christ Jesus?

Devote Yourselves To…

4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Paul repeatedly speaks about thankfulness and gratitude in Colossians.  This is God’s will for us, to be prayerful, watchful, and thankful. Doing these things leads us away from grumbling, complaining, depressive, worldly thoughts and actions.

Be Wise…

Photo by doTERRA International, LLC on Pexels.com

5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

Pastor Josh Gmmiter reminds us to “see the one in front of me”. If we minister to that one with what the Lord has given us, we will share a supernatural encounter with them. You never know how you might bring down from heaven just what that person needs.

Your Conversation…

6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

What does this look like in our lives? Grace means not being critical or judgemental.  Seasoned with salt means sharing something that might irritate, but helps that soul thirst for the Word of Truth. Being tapped into the Holy Spirit helps you know what to say in each situation.

In Conclusion

May we all strive to make the most of each day, living in the grace and admonition of our Savior.

Grace be with you in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Battle Tactics From Nehemiah

musingsalonglifesjourneyLeave a comment

What an excellent book to be reading at this time, the book of Nehemiah! Today, I am using the NIV, reading in chapter 4. Join me as I lead you through.

The Enemy Taunts

In Nehemiah 4:1-3, Sanballat and Tobiah the Ammonite, in the presence of the army of Samaria, were taunting the Jews… “Even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

Is anyone taunting you? Despising you?

The godly pray

The Godly Pray

Nehemiah prays, “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads.” (4:4)

Note: Jesus tells us to do good to our enemies, bless and do not curse. These days, we hear testimony of how taunting captors surrender to Jesus through prayer and love.

Angry Plots

After Nehemiah prayed, the Israelites worked with all their hearts.  Sanballat, Tobias, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod heard the repairs continued. They became very angry, plotting together to fight and stir up trouble against Jerusalem.

Is anyone trying to stir up trouble, angry with you, or plotting against you?

Pray And Guard

Nehemiah tells us, “We prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.”

Oh, that we may pray to God, our help and our salvation, and do our part to guard what belongs to us as His children.

Discouragement

Meanwhile, the people of Judah were discouraged.  “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we can not rebuild the wall.”  On top of this, the Jews living near, ten times over, said, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” This hopelessness reminds me of Job’s wife telling him, “Curse God and die!”

What or who is causing you to despair?

Our children, our children’s children, their children’s children…

Remember God/Generations

Nehemiah posted families with weapons at the most exposed places. Then, after looking things over, he said,“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

Currently, the Sprit is putting emphasis on the generations and our responsibility towards those coming after us. Discern your vulnerable places and don your Spiritual weapons. Let faith and love keep your fear away. As Pastor Josh Gmmiter said in his sermon October 18 & 19, we should fear the Lord God Almighty more than we fear anything else!

Be Aware & Prepare

Their enemies heard that they were aware of them and that God had frustrated their plot. The people returned to work, half of them building and half guarding. Those who were carrying materials worked with one hand and held a weapon with the other.

Identity In Christ

How do we go about our day? Do we realize the war that’s raging in the spiritual world as well as the natural? Daily putting on our godly armor will equip us for what’s ahead. Wisdom is discerning who we are in Christ and who He truly is to us – relationship!

Sound The Trumpet

Nehemiah kept the trumpeter at his side because “the work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

Our work is also extensive, and we are also widely separated. Let’s sound the unifying Trump of the Lord. Remember, our God still fights for us! We are to work faithfully to spread the glory, love, and salvation this world truly needs.

Here’s an interesting quote by D. L. Moody, that’s on my calendar: ‘”Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.” Lord, thanks for Praying Hyde and Father Nash, two praying saints behind previous moves of God that come to mind.

Pastor Josh Gmmiter, October 18th & 19th,
ACF Church

Transforming Society Through Faith in Jesus

musingsalonglifesjourneyLeave a comment

I just finished reading the latest issue of The  Voice of the Martyrs magazine subtitled,  “HEEDING GOD’S CALL IN COMMUNIST NATIONS”.  We are only an election away from socialists and/or communists coming to power in any country, so no one is exempt.

Our Response?

What should be our response? First, we can never trust that our help comes from those who rule. We as Christians must remember that:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

True Freedom

Second, the best way to change a society is to bring people to Jesus.

“Genuine revival among Ethiopia’s Christians led to Communism’s defeat in their country… Scripture, history, and today’s persecuted Christians bear witness that ultimately only Christ, enthroned in the hearts of our people,  can make and keep our nations free.”               VOM President, Cole Richards

A Sound, Disciplined Mind

Wednesday evenings Women’s Group at our church is beginning a book study, A Sound, Disciplined Mind by Nancy Dufresne.  As Nancy says on the back of the book, you can live free from worry, fear, doubt & depression… not matter what is going on around us.

When we accept Jesus:  your spirit is renewed, but your body and mind are not. They need to be disciplined to come into alignment with the renewed spirit within; your heart that belongs to Jesus. (P.12)

Right Thinking

“When you think wrong, believe wrong, or speak wrong, you give place to the devil… When you have right thinking, then you’ll have right believing and right speaking, and you will keep the door closed to the devil.” (P.15)

Renewing Your Mind

Start by reading God’s Word. Don’t just read Scripture, but think deeply into the Word. Mutter it to yourself. (This is true meditation) Talk to God about His Word. Thank Him for His Word.

Speaking in Tongues

Dufresne recommends speaking in tongues daily. I find doing this encourages my soul to praise the Lord and opens up my mind to connect with my soul. You can’t just try to get the devil’s suggestions out of your thoughts. You need to flood your mind with the truth of the knowledge of God’s Word and flush out the other thoughts.

Testimony

I encountered a woman manning a booth at a festival I went to this summer who practices Kripaula yoga, Reikei healing, tarrot cards… and has a group who have begun a “church,” and she’s got 30-some state certified healers. She said they believe in the Bible.

Well, I began speaking in tongues. She told me I was messing her up. She was trying to get a word for me but couldn’t.  I told her I was speaking in tongues, asking the Spirit of God who to say to her. She let me hold her hand, and I prayed that the Lord would reveal to her the true Spirit of God.

My Takeaway

First, I witnessed that the spiritual battle is real, and if we have the Holy Spirit of God, we have an effect on others. Second, the more we grow in our relationship with the LORD, the more like Jesus we become, and the more we can bring heaven down to earth. All for His glory!

Conclusion

I’ve only read the introduction and first chapter in this book so far, and we haven’t had a meeting yet to discuss it. So far, I can tell you:  get into the Word, apply it to your life, and make sure you fellowship with the congregation God wants you in, that helps teach you the Word. The more you put in, the more your heart and mind align with God’s Word and the more the kingdom manifests and the devil gets put in his place.

Shalom, dear readers!

From my new publicity in progress

How Seeking God Leads to Personal Blessings

musingsalonglifesjourney1 Comment

Welcome to my latest musings dear readers! As I continue reading through the Psalms with my daily readings, I think the most repeated verse is “Praise the LORD” and its companion, “Praise the LORD, my soul.” Notice: NIV does not capitalize Lord or he, but I usually do.

Note: AI wants me to add more personal testimony to this, but I think that would make this into several posts! What would you like me to expound about in a future post? What do you think of the title AI generated?

Praise

First things first, let me praise the LORD a bit. Lord, You are faithful to me. My family is blessed beyond measure with children, finances, homes, vehicles and jobs. I have everything I need. I am growing in Christ Jesus and blessing others by His Spirit in me. What can you praise Him for?

Faithful

We serve a faithful God. He tells us to ask for what we need/want. I asked to go to Africa, He supplied all the needs I had for finances, health, provision and grace-twice! Seek and you will find. I sought the Lord and I found Him. I sought for what to write today and I found it. We learn to trust Him as a good Father, and He responds. How has He been faithful to respond to you?

Matthew 7:7a “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. NIV

ASK the Lord

What have you asked of the Lord? This is the thing David asked for:

Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple. NIV

I have a hope for heaven and look forward to an eternity to dwell with the LORD and gaze on His beauty. Do you? If you do, is that hope secure?

K.P. Yohannan

Metropolitan K.P. Yohannan went to be with the Lord one year ago. The prayers of his mother brought him to the place where God gripped him with a call he could not shake for the rest of his life. What did she ask of the Lord? That one of her six sons would serve the Lord. K.P. was the one God chose who was willing.

Memorial

Here I share part of the memorial to him and if you click on the link at the end, you can also hear K.P.’s tribute to his mother specifically, and to all mothers wherever they may be.

“K.P. Yohannan was more than just a man with a mission—he was a man consumed by the heart of God. He dreamed limitlessly because he knew that his God had no limits. He lived with reckless faith, believing that God would provide the entire way. And He did.” http://www.gfaworld.org

Every day, nearly 70,000 people die without ever hearing the name of Christ. K.P. Yohannan

His Consuming Vision

“…he lived every day with one consuming burden: the fact that millions were perishing without hearing the name of Jesus. This reality broke his heart, and he could not turn away from it. He believed that following the call of Christ meant more than just knowing Him—it meant laying down everything so that others could know Him, too. “

https://www.gfa.org/memorial/

What is a Mother?

A mother is appointed and equipped by God to bring up a child He has sent to her. Natural mothers, good or bad, show a facet of God’s design for this world. Many of us need to forgive our earthly mothers; none of us is perfect!

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

Grace to Mothers

Grace comes from mothers, grace needs to be extended to them as well. We bless Mary, the obedient mother of Jesus, we bless the faithful mother of K. P. Yohannan.

Blessing

I bless those of you who are spiritual mothers, I bless the one who is barren to rejoice as the mother of many. May your quiver be filled with souls to mother, no matter how they come into your life, no matter when.

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

I bless all women in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to prosper in the things God created them for.

Encouragement

Psalm 27:13 I remain confident of this:
 I will see the goodness of the Lord
 in the land of the living.



14 Wait for the Lord;
 be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. NIV

In conclusion: we serve a faithful God who is worthy to be praised every day. Our hope is in Him alone, the One who holds our future. Remain confident and keep your eyes open for His mighty acts to be displayed!

The End of One and Something New

musingsalonglifesjourneyLeave a comment
The final leg of the journey home

Some days, I think it’s not good using The Daily Bible for my 2025 devotional. I did  extra readings the days King David’s son, Absalom, attempted a takeover of his throne behind his back. Then came King David, setting things up for his son Solomon to succeed him, amassing the things Solomon would need to build God’s temple.

Daily Bible in its carry case

An Invite

The good thing about the extra readings is that I caught up to the actual date in the readings. That date has been off since I began this Bible after my trip to Uganda. Speaking of which:

I was invited to a luncheon at my son Alex’s church on May 10th. I will be the featured speaker, sharing about the Uganda 2025 trip. If you’re in the Malone/Helena area, contact me, and I’ll get you the details.

Devotions

In The Daily Bible, I am reading through the Psalms. Each day’s reading is up to 6 psalms long. This means I could write many pages from what the Spirit is sharing, but as I decide to, I’m on to the next day’s reading, and there’s more I want to share!

Such is my writing journey. Many times, it’s not a LACK of things to write, but deciding WHAT to write from my many thoughts! This is just as immobilizing as “writer’s block.”

A Trip

Here we are, on our last trip to the Finger Lakes area for Onsite Testing Services. [Monday/Tuesday] Long days because we’re testing mostly school bus drivers, who can only be tested between bus runs. This means breaks in the schedule of several hours.  We can only spend so much of these times finding places to eat and eating.

Although the foods we had today were good – we just had a fish fry from Mark’s Pizzaria in Geneva – where we’re spending the night – it was good to park at a ShurFine parking lot for a little nap early this afternoon. We turned in all our equipment at the office this evening when we completed our two days in the Finger Lakes area.  Another era of our life completed!

A Questiion

A common question resurfaced recently.  If God is good, why is there evil? And the companion question… If God made everything, why is there evil?

I am working on a lesson from one of my students from Crossroads Prison Ministry.  He’s working through the course “Biblical Truths In Depth”. This is Lesson 3, and I’d like to share some Scriptures that may settle these questions.  Caution, this may not fully satisfy!

Bible-study

In God’s providence and plan, “Though it is a great mystery,  even evil and human sin are somehow  included within this plan, yet God is perfectly good.” Biblical Truths In Depth  – Lesson 3, p. 29.

Job 2:9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”
10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Peter said of the crucifixion under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration:

Acts 2:23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.

Even this heinous crime carried out on God’s Son was according to the Father’s plans.

Does this help us understand this verse? Ecclesiastes chapter 11:1                                    As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.

There is one thing clear from my reading of the Psalms:  we must bow in humble adoration before the great and mighty LORD we serve. His plans are good, and He is always faithful!

An Interview

This is the Randy Kay interview I just watched. Robert shares something that makes sense to me. He said time did not begin until the fall of Adam and Eve. Before sin entered mankind, all was eternity. This is why we can’t make sense of the timeline of creation.

Thank you to those who support me by reading this blog.

David’s Kidz Uganda 2025

musingsalonglifesjourneyLeave a comment

As promised, in this post, I will share more about our team’s two weeks in Uganda. So much happened, I’m still unpacking – literally and figuratively! It may take several posts to share. At the end of this post, I will include a link to the Uganda Sharing video at Airport Christian Fellowship Church in Dexter, NY, so you can hear directly from 8 of us that are from the Watertown, NY area.

Instructions:

One of the first instructions we got during  our first breakfast at Source of The Nile Hotel in Jinja, UG, was “If you’re going to complain, you have to sing it in an operatic voice.”  I see this as good practice for “real life”.  What a mirth-inducing act!

Some other cautions while in-country were don’t use the tap water for brushing your teeth. There may be things in it that your body can’t handle. Thankfully, our hosts provided us with cases of water bottles that we could use.

Foods:

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

As the saying goes, “an army runs on its stomach” and we were blessed with good cooks, great servers and abundant food at the hotel.

We were told not to eat fresh vegetables or salads. We could only eat fruits that could be peeled due to the possibility of digestive disturbances. There was always watermelon and pineapple available; once in a while mango, and many bananas/plantains.

The hotel served cooked vegetables at each meal, including mixtures of carrots, green beans, cauliflower, onions, and sometimes green peppers.

Potatoes of some kind were usually part of the buffet, as well as rice. They offered cold  cereals, porridge, and sweet breads for breakfasts. There was a griddle where one employee made eggs to order and had sausages available.

We ate various versions of fish, goat, beef, chicken, and pork. It was not always easy communicating what exact meat or potatoes we were putting on our plates, but most of the food was excellent.

Note:

We were staying at a 4-star hotel, which sounds extravagant, especially for a mission trip. Actually, it’s part of the plan to keep the team as healthy as possible. It also frees us up to minister in the villages and not burden them or our team. As a contrast, on my trips to Ukraine, we stayed with trusted families in the villages.

Excursions:

Pastors John & Kristy wisely gave us time to assimilate before we dove into the intensity of 6 days of ministry in 3 villages. We had one day of shopping in a couple of shops where our leaders knew the two women who owned them. It is difficult financially and spiritually to shop in random shops that may put curses on their merchandise or try to take advantage of Americans.  Even at the approved shops, we prayed over our merchandise to cancel any curses when we got back on the bus.

One day, we went on a boat cruise on Lake Victoria and got to see where the lake met the Nile. Lake Victoria is large, second in size only to Lake Superior! It was an honor to get to see the fishing boats and the shacks by the water. Here’s a short video I took at the confluence.

https://videopress.com/v/fM8QeHGk?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

It’s nice that Pastor Kristy birthday is at the beginning of our trip. Bishop Makka said they enjoy the opportunity to have a party! We went to the village of Walukaba to meet the David’s Kidz staff and for them to meet our team. They fed us cake and sodas before taking us out to see the school and the new temporary housing. There was a fire that left some families homeless, so these units they’re building will have a couple to oversee things and several apartments for people to stay in temporarily.

After the tour, we went to their golf club for an even bigger party for Kristy. Joan had set up a balloon arch, and since Pastor Kristy had a vision of our team dressed in superhero capes, they put an actual cape on Kristy! It was a long day. Things in the restaurant began to get rowdy, so we headed back to the hotel.

David’s Kidz Uganda 25 team

Next time, I’ll share about the camps we did. Here’s the promised video link:

Where We Are Now?

musingsalonglifesjourney1 Comment

Isaiah 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Do you see it? God is not working to bring us back to “Normal.” He is clearly doing something new! I caution you, as well as myself. Do not rejoice that justice has appeared, as Jesus said in Luke 10: 20, “… but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Pray for those who have found disillusionment. Reconcile with those who have been against you. Forgive others so God can forgive you.

A new thing? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen clouds like this before!

When Pastor Cheryl Gmitter spoke at LiveMore women’s ministry’s fall meeting, she sent us home with the following passage from Romans 12. Let’s see what this section of Scripture will teach us today, on this side of the heated election season. How do we walk in love and…

Behave Like a Christian

Romans 12:9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.

For the past few mornings, I have heard, “Let love be without hypocrisy.” And could not think what came next. I’ve been listening to Kevin Zadai’s videos while I trim venison for my son. Kevin repeatedly emphasizes that we need to become secure in the Father’s love so that nothing can shake us. Have you turned off the news yet?

10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; 11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

Humanly, it is difficult to give preference to others and continue in diligence and fervency. In the Spirit, as we faithfully serve the Lord, we become fervent and diligent.  We must choose to be kind and affectionate, walking in brotherly love.

12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Are you able to rejoice in these days? Do you hope in God, have patience in the hard days?  It all comes from faithful times of prayer. [of course, time in the Word goes hand in hand with prayer]

13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

This is a time to show our love for others by sharing what we have and spending time together, rejoicing and encouraging each other.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

I hit a nerve with a Christian friend on Facebook as the election rhetoric heated up. I’ve rarely had anyone take offense at something I post, so her relentless back and forth caused me to dig in and practice this verse. It was several days before we agreed to disagree. I told her that no matter what happened with elections, I still love her as a child of God.

15. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

This verse is a difficult point, but it’s a good thing to walk out over this time of upset and division.

16. Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

Oh, the glory and joy that come when we heed this verse! When Jesus commanded us to love each other so our joy may be full, He meant it. What joy fills me when I’m communing with others who are full of the Spirit!

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.

This is a stern warning! The devil and his demons like it when we repay evil for evil; it puts them in a tizzy when we keep good things high in our beings. It’s a creative choice when we choose to truly live peaceably with others.

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

It’s a release from a heavy weight when we drop the weapon. Our Lord knows how to rightly deal with the offenders.

20 Therefore

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

In other words, many persecuted Christians have led those who persecute them to Christ! I leave you with this final directive:

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I bless you to live in Shalom and to find the open portals that bring heaven and earth together!

Are You Ready?

musingsalonglifesjourney1 Comment

This time we’re in isn’t what we think. Listening to Donna Rigney, our Father has heard our cries. Yes, we’ve been in the middle of a war since early 2020. He said that war is ending, contrary to what some other prophets are saying. The Lord told Donna that the prayer warriors have awoken. The earlier warnings from the Lord of calamity have been avoided.

Who… Me?

Are we ready? According to what Randy Kay heard from God, this election will come down to Christians standing up and backing God, not just a candidate. As I’ve been saying,  we need to pray, seek the truth, and get out to vote!

What Father shared with Donna Rigney is that people will come looking for Jesus in droves. Are you ready to be busier than ever, sharing Jesus and making disciples of new believers?

Are you ready to handle the riches that are coming our way? Something like the riches the Israelites got from their Egyptian neighbors on the first Passover? Remember, they used those riches to form a golden calf to worship before they brought more of the riches forth to build and equip the tabernacle.

We must stay in faith. Don’t let fear come into your realm of life. If you watch the news, pray through the whole time. Our enemy is working overtime because he knows the importance of this time in God’s plans. This is a good time to practice these Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 10: 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

I am already hearing people being found out, their sin and duplicity being exposed. Evil can run,  but it can’t hide from the light of Christ. He does not condemn, but the unrepentant are already condemned as Jesus said in John.

John 3;17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Yes, pray for their souls, but do not rejoice when they fall. Some will even lose their lives. Instead, rejoice that God is good and is saving this nation and bringing the kingdom age, which will redeem the things that evil has stolen from our people.

Here is Donna Rigney’s video with the full set of prophecies she shared titled:                       Days Of Thunder And Glory Are Coming Soon! The Son Will Shine!

https://youtu.be/p4QvYmIlHPo?si=pKyH3R3jyKlKtZm9

Here is the video link for Randy Kay’s full visions from the Lord titled:

America’s SHOCKING Top Job Choice Revealed! It’s not what you think!

https://youtu.be/1nvqlK_dJCc?si=RgDYRkxx1gxYbLYp

I’m excited to see how God parts our “Red Sea” and leads us into our promised land. Be constant in prayer and digging into the Scriptures so we won’t be excluded from the glory ahead

.

Photo by Frans Van Heerden on Pexels.com

And again, I say make sure you’re registered and exercise your right to vote! Get educated, and stay connected to the Lord. Pray in the Spirit and with understanding… get ready to dance in the streets as Miriam did after the original Red Sea crossing… when the glory is revealed!

Lessons From the Fig Tree

musingsalonglifesjourney1 Comment

Last week, Mark chapter 11 was my Thursday  devotional reading. It begins with Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem.  We realize that a couple of days later, the same people honoring Him would turn their cries from “Hosanna!” To “Crucify him!” In verse 12, the next day, Jesus was hungry.

The Fig Tree Withered

12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.”
And His disciples heard it.

POTTED LILLIES

This impacted me. I have four large pots full of canna and calla lilies, which my husband helped me pot last year and stored for me last winter. This spring, I dug out all the rhisomes, separated them, and then replanted them.

The first summer, each one of the Lilly plants had multiple blossoms. This year started well, with one plant producing several blossoms. The other plants, even the others in this pot, grew beautiful leaves, but I haven’t seen any more flowers.

CLEANSING THE TEMPLE

In the next verses, Jesus cleanses the temple and declares that His Father’s house is called a house of prayer, not a marketplace. The leaders immediately seek a way to get rid of Jesus. What happened when Jesus and his disciples left the temple and encountered that tree again.

PRAY BELIEVING

The Lesson of the Withered Fig Tree

20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.”

This is the lesson Jesus gave them from this experience:

22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

“…whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”  We must pray according to the will of God, then act as though we already have what we ask for. We must trust that He hears and responds to us or we will receive nothing.

MY TAKEAWAY

Well, I perceived another object lesson when comparing the fig tree with my Lilly plants. The leaves were beautiful, and they got as big as my mom’s diefenbacia plant used to, but the lack of flowers was disheartening.

As believers, our job is to be connected to the Vine and to bear fruit. Every branch that does not bear fruit is cut off. Every branch that bears fruit is pruned. Well, my plants bloomed well their first year, I  pruned the roots and divided them, but their performance was all show and no fruit (or a very minor percent).

PERSONAL APPLICATION

This makes me stop to look at my life from God’s perspective. Are my days just filled with a flurry of ambitious activity, like the flurry of leaves my lillies are displaying? Are my efforts producing fruit for the kingdom of God? Am I working and earning money just to buy more things to build this earthly kingdom? Or am I investing in ministries, storing up treasure in heaven?

Joy!

CONCLUSION

Colossians 3

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Are you displaying the peace of God? Is the joy of the Lord evident in your countenance, spreading to others? Is your heart singing songs of praise and joy brought on by the Holy Spirit within you?

These are signs that you are bearing fruit as you live and move and breathe in Christ. He sustains you and works within, bringing growth and maturity.

Shalom my dear readers.

Until next time, be blessed and be a blessing to others. And don’t forget to vote! Here’s a video from Randy Kay I recommend you watch before you vote… it’s not exactly what you’re thinking!

God’s SURPRISING PICK FOR AMERICA’S TOP JOB https://youtu.be/1nvqlK_dJCc?si=O9yZCZgI1fzP2VS5

This plant has had blossoms all season!

Psalm 3 & A Hymn

musingsalonglifesjourneyLeave a comment

Welcome to another Musing, this time on God’s faithfulness and awesomeness. The Psalm was my reading for the day. The first stanza of this hymn is one that lodged in my thoughts today.

My view from our vehicle on the way home a couple of weeks ago. Yes, I enhanced it to capture God’s amazing glory in the atmosphere.

Psalm 3 is titled:

The LORD Helps His Troubled People

A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son.

3 LORD, how they have increased that trouble me. Many are they who rise up against me.   2. Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” Selah

Selah… think about this. Are you troubled by the people around you? Maybe by the bad news and dire predictions swirrling around? Does anyone say that God can’t help you/us? Imagine being King David. Your son has arisen to usurp your throne. He’s gathered his cronies to be coronated before Dad can stop him. How does David handle this?

3. But You, O LORD,  are a shield for me. My glory and the One who lifts up my head.         4. I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill. Selah

Selah… think about this. Are you assured that God hears you? That He can bring glory out of even this trial? David has a track record with the LORD, his God, who has been a shield of protection. He knows God hears his cry for help.

5. I lay down and slept, I awoke for the LORD sustained me.                                                       6. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.

Do you have ten thousand people,  or more, set against you? Are you surrounded? Can you sleep? Can you trust the LORD to sustain you as you sleep, then wake you in the morning?

7. Arise, O LORD; save me, Oh my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheek bone; You have broken the teeth of the  ungodly.                                                                 8. Salvation belongs to the LORD. Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah

Selah.  Do you trust the LORD  to be your avenger?  Do you believe that His blessing is upon you? Upon those things/people you care about?

Now, let us turn to the Hymn that rested in my thoughts earlier today. I could only remember the first stanza, so I looked it up on YouTube.

Luke Powell  introduced this hymn by telling that the queen of England requested it for her 60th anniversary of her coronation. For the author, Walter C. Smith, this was the only hymn he wrote that became popular. Immortal, invisible… fhas a focus on the Light of God, as evidenced in the above photo. I’ll share the link to Luke’s video at the end.

Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise

1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise.              in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,      most blessed, most glorious,                            the Ancient of Days,                                 almighty,  victorious,                                         thy great name we praise.

2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,    no wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might; thy justice like mountains high soaring above thy clouds, which are fountains.                       of goodness and love.

3.  To all life thou givest, to both great and small;                                                                      in all life thou livest, the true life of all;        we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, and wither and perish,                                     but naught changest thee.

4. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight; all praise we would render, O help us to see, ’tis only the spendor of light hide the thee.

Words From hymnary.org

HYMN HISTORY/LYRICS ANALYSIS                 by Luke Powell

This hymn reminds me of the evening I took this photo from our deck across the yard.

Selah, I think it’s a loaded word. It’s kind of like a “pregnant pause” people talk about. In these days of wonder, waiting for God’s move, it behooves us to pause at the awe of the LORD.

Declare His will over this land, over your family, over your area. Look up, for our salvation is near. God shall defend the faithful. He is not slow as man considers it, but patient and long suffering. Awaiting the perfect timing for all to fall into place, all for His children’s good, His glory shall be revealed!

Shalom to you all, until next time.