More On The Love Of God :)

Galatians 4 is not a book of the Bible that we talk of often, say as we do Isaiah or John…But it is an important book.

In the beginning, Galatians 4 talks of God’s Grace. On earth, there is a concept known as, “What goes around, comes around”. But this is not so for those of us who are children of God through our Faith in Jesus Christ. We do not have to “earn” our way to Heaven. We are Saved by Grace , through Faith alone 🙂

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.”-Ephesians 2:8-9

Galatians 4 goes on to teach us that we are, through the great Sacrifice and Gift of Jesus Christ, the children of God. In Galatians 4:6, God refers to Himself as Abba. and Abba in Arabic means Daddy. So our Father God is not some far away Father who only cares about the “big” things of life. God is our Daddy, who cares about every, single, tiny thing in our lives. God cares about that which frightens or worries us and God cares about that which brings us happiness. God cares about it all.

And there is nothing too small for us to bring to our Daddy who loves us so!

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

God Loves Us :)

God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to Save us :).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

But even before that, God Loved us :). And Psalm 91 – tells us just how much:

My Refuge and My Fortress

91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
²I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

³For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
    and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴He will cover you with his pinions,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
⁵You will not fear the terror of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
    nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

⁷A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
⁸You will only look with your eyes
    and see the recompense of the wicked.

⁹Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
¹⁰no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

¹¹For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways.
¹²On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
¹³You will tread on the lion and the adder;
    the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

¹⁴“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
    I will protect him, because he knows my name.
¹⁵When he calls to me, I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble;
    I will rescue him and honor him.
¹⁶With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

The Red Horse!

“And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” – Revelation 6:3

While Praying the Rosary, I saw the Red Horse standing outside its’ stable. Ready!

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Our Hope Comes From The Lord!

Remember this verse: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”. With it becoming more difficult to find True Bibles in other countries, we must prepare for a day when they may become more difficult to find in America. And believe it or not, that day will come! That is why it is so important to hide God’s Word in your heart, where no one can ever take it 🙂

“Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.” ²And the word of the Lord came to him: ³“Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. ⁴You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” – 1 Kings 17:1-4

Although Elijah knew that there was a great drought coming and that there would be no food or water, his Hope, and indeed his Help came from the Lord. Key here: Elijah listened and obeyed God 🙂

“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”-Isaiah 40:31

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”- Romans 12:12

When life is hard, fight to hold on to hope. Let your faith in who God is and what He says to keep you firmly rooted. “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.”-Psalm 119:114

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” -Deuteronomy 31:16

“The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing”-Zephaniah

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

“Where is the hope? The hope that each of us have, is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people. And that’s where our hope is in this country. And that’s where our hope is in this life.”-Chuck Colson

There is no doubt that many in our government and media have fallen for Satan’s lies. How sad for them! Pray for them that the Holy Spirit will open their eyes to the truth-in time!

Fortunately for us, our Hope, indeed our Help, does not come from them! Our Hope and our Help come from the Lord. And our prayer for America should be that as many American’s turn back to our Lord as possible.

However, we are not citizens of any nation; we are citizens of Heaven. While life on earth may at times seem really hard, it is incredibly short compared to our eternal lives in Heaven. So please, take Jesus’s Hand and keep walking. Keep Following Christ, for our Home in Heaven awaits, and there, all suffering will end and joy and peace will begin 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Truth: Homosexuality In The Bible

A Times poll sited by Christian Concern has said that 64.5% of the Church of England pastors think the church “should abandon the biblical teachings that homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture” -WND. Many churches in the United States have split over the same issue. But what does the Bible really say?

First of all, the Bible clearly says that homosexual behavior is a sin.

“You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.”-Leviticus 18:22

“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination;” – Leviticus 20:13

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” – Romans 1:26-27

“We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine” – 1 Timothy 1:9-10

The Bible is true as it is; we don’t get to change it to match our behavior!

Can this sin be forgiven? Of course. Jesus forgives all sin, while we are still alive! But like all sin, it does require repentance. Which as we know, means both “sincere regret” for our sin, as well as a true commitment to change.

Jesus loves each one of us and wants to bring us all to Heaven. It’s up to each one of us to accept His invitation 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Dealing With Grief

A friend of mine wrote this, just had to share :).

We all suffer from grief and loss at some time in our life, God can help us to deal with it.

“Once upon a time, a son visited his parents who still lived on the farm, which they had for many years. They talked with him how they had survived so far and a lot of people they had known and loved did not. They had lost friends, best friends, acquaintances, other farmer neighbors around them, grandparents, mother, father, relatives, teachers, mentors, and a host of other folks. They had even lost a child, the son’s older sister when she was very young, before the son was born. The son’s father had also lost a sister when she was very young. The son couldn’t imagine the pain it must be to lose a child.

The truth is one does not ever get used to people dying and shouldn’t. It tears a hole through you whenever somebody you love dies, no matter the circumstances. One should not ever say that it does “not matter” and be something that just passes.

Scars are a testament to the love and the relationship that you have for and with that person. And if the scar is deep, so was the love. So be it. Scars are a testament to life on earth. Scars are proof that one can love deeply and live deeply and be cut, or even gouged, and are able to heal and continue to live and continue to love.

The scar tissue is stronger than the original flesh ever was! Scars are only ugly to people who can not see. It was not very long, after the son’s visit with his parents, that God called his father to be Home with Him.

As for grief, you’ll find it comes in waves. When the ship is first wrecked, you’re drowning, with wreckage all around you. Everything floating around you reminds you of the beauty and magnificence of the ship that was, and is no more. All you can do is float.

You find some piece of the wreckage and you hang on for a while. Maybe it’s some physical thing. Maybe it’s a happy memory or a photograph. Maybe it’s a person who is also floating. For a while, all you can do is float and stay alive. In the beginning, the waves are 100 feet tall and crash over you without mercy. They come 10 seconds apart and don’t even give you time to catch your breath. All you can do is hang on and float.

After awhile, maybe weeks, maybe months, you’ll find the waves are still 100 feet tall, but they come further apart. When they come, they still crash all over you and wipe you out. But in between, you can breathe, you can function. You never know what’s going to trigger the grief. It might be a song, a picture, an intersection of paths crossed, or even a smell. It can be just about anything…and the wave comes crashing. But in between waves, there IS life.

Somewhere down the line, and it’s different for everybody, one finds that the waves are only 80 feet tall, or 50 feet tall. While they still come, they come further apart and you can see them coming. Could be an anniversary, a birthday, or Christmas, or a milestone. You see them coming, for the most part, and prepare yourself. When it washes over you, you know that somehow you will, again, come out the other side. Soaking wet, sputtering, still hanging on to some tiny piece of the wreckage, but you’ll come out.

My thoughts and prayers are that you know that the waves never stop coming, and some how you don’t really want them to. That you learn that you’ll survive them, just as your Heavenly Father survived the death and Resurrection of His Only Son, Jesus Christ, and the death of His Children, who are Home with Him now.

If you are blessed, you’ll have lots of scars from lots of loves….and lots of shipwrecks. That you trust in our Lord that He will NEVER leave you or forsake in times of grief or any other times. That you know His Joy and Peace, that only He can give, now and forever. In Jesus’ Name. Thy Will be done. Amen. Peace”

One thing I wanted to share with you as well my friends is that Life is for the Living. Never stop Living, for life is a Gift from God. Ask God to return to you The Joy of your Salvation 🙂

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.” – Psalm 51:12

It may take some time, but God Will 🙂

Courage Comes From Walking With The Lord :)

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”-Joshua 1:9

There will come a day when life is not easy. Perhaps a day that seems downright frightening. Perhaps even overwhelming! We may be angry or scared.

But remember, “Courage comes from walking with the Lord”. And our Lord WILL BE WITH US ALWAYS!

“Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”-James 5:16

Prayer is our defense. It is our anchor. It is our peace. It is a place. And it is our Home away from Home…

If life becomes difficult, go to your “Home away from Home” and pray. Be with God 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

God’s Laws

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.“

So often, there are those who claim that God’s “rule” are too restrictive. That they are not “accepting or tolerant”. But the real truth is that because God made us, He knows what behaviors will make us happy and successful in life. If He makes “rules”, it’s because He loves us 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

God Loves Us!

God LOVES us. He could have abandoned Elijah to his thirst and hunger, but He didn’t. God loved Elijah and Elijah was so obedient and willing to serve God; God loved him and took great care of him.

Just as God Loves us and will take great care of us 🙂

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

In Seasons Of Severe Trial!

A great friend of mine wrote this, just had to share 🙂

“In seasons of severe trial the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust, and so he is compelled to cast himself on God alone. When his vessel is capsizing, and no human deliverance is at hand, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God.

Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone!

Sometimes the multitude of our friends keeps us from God; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he runs into his Father’s arms, and is blessed to be there!

When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so specific that he cannot tell them to anyone but God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time.

Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives you to your Father! Now that you have only God to trust, make sure that you put your complete confidence in Him. Do not dishonor your Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God.

Show the world that your God is worth ten thousand worlds to you. Show rich men how rich you are in your poverty when the Lord God is your helper. Show the strong man how strong you are in your weakness when underneath you are the everlasting arms.

Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord your God will certainly, as surely as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in your weakness and magnify His might in the face of your distress.

The grandeur of heaven’s arches would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the physical eye. May the Holy Spirit enable you to rest in Jesus on this closing day of the month.

In Jesus’ most Magnificent Name
Amen”

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!