When We Are Weak, He Is Strong!

I have A LOT going on lately. I've had a busy load and it's the first time since 2003 that I've had this much on my plate. A lot of it has to do with my health, and I'm dealing with it, but it requires a lot of work on my part, so I have to really lean on "the Everlasting Arms," in order to make it out the other side of the hell I've been going through for nearly 12 years. It's pain caused by spinal stenosis in the lumbar spine, the thoracic spine & in the cervical spine. It's been like going through hell, but I still consider it better than the "real thing?" I continually pray that God will pull me up the mountain of healing I must go through, but I feel weak and undeserving, so I tend to drag my feet. I know that's coming from the devil, but there it is.

I know one thing: I'm definitely on the right track and I think the Lord is giving me the strength to make it through everything I'm going through. Without my faith, all of it would no doubt completely cripple me emotionally as well as physically. I've been letting everything including the actions of others, especially in my family, who call me a hypochondriac when I've been dealing with crippling pain every day in my mid back for close to 12 years, destroy my faith in God's ability to help me.

I also worry that after surgery, I'd develop another post op infection that I wouldn't be able to come back from, and I'm terrified of leaving my family if something like that happens. I'm not strong enough for surgery but I'm working on it because, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength!" Philippians 4:13

"My grace is sufficient for you," 2 Corinthians 12:9, is one of my favorite verses right now. I literally heard God in my head saying, "I got you through the first 3 infections what makes you think I can't do it a 4th time?" I now trust that no matter what, I can count on the Lord to watch over me & take care of me. In my weakness, He is showing me my own strengths, which obviously come from Him. He is amazing & I can't wait for the rapture so I can meet Him face to face! 

Right now, I'm just grateful that I heard a sermon that caused me to feel that I needed to dedicate my life to Christ. That was one long aisle! I was a Sophomore in high school when I dedicated my life to Christ. I've re-dedicated my life to Christ several times since. Now, I do it every morning! 

I may be weak right now, but I'm not going to be weak forever. God is giving me a good kick in the pants to workout and get better, stronger, etc., and I'm going to give Him all the glory when I am successful and fully well again!   

If you are going through a period of weakness, call upon the Lord! He'll save you from yourself, for the Lord's strength IS truly perfect!

Are You Dead in Your Sin or Alive Through Christ?

If you're answer to the title of this post is "I'm not sure," I have good news! You can be alive with Jesus Christ by confessing your sins and making an effort to change who you've become. It's like getting a clean slate to re-write your life on! 

"For all have sinned & fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23

For those who answered,"I am alive through Christ," good for you. Try to stay on the good side, but don't despair if you find it difficult to do so. God gives us unlimited "Mulligan's," or "do over's."

For those of us who believe, we can begin again every hour, minute, second, of every day. Lamentations 3:23 says, "For His mercies are new every morning. Blessed be the name of the Lord." God will listen to our prayers and will forgive us. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!"

If you're not a Christian, all you need to do is go to God, confess that you're a sinner and ask Him to forgive you of your sin, and make Jesus the Lord of your life. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, so that whoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." 

So get right with God! Find a church and start attending. Start reading His word daily, and try to stay on the right side of His word. You don't have to do that "read the bible in a year" thing to stay in His good graces. Reading just one verse, every day and meditating on what it means and how it relates to your life, is actually better and it will help you grow immensely!

I start the day with a prayer to ask for forgiveness for my sins, to help me remember that Jesus is my only hope for having a good day! John 15:5 says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me, you can do nothing." 

So the "Good News" is, if you don't know the Lord Jesus on a personal basis, you now know that He wants a relationship with you! The world is spinning out of control right now, which a lot of people don't realize. Prophecies have happened that Jesus told us of in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. Things in the Old Testament, prophesied by Isaiah are very close to happening and Ezekiel 38 is in full swing in the Middle East. Iran is building 10 bases in Syria as are the Russians. They are 18 miles from the Syria/Israeli border and have already launched missiles into Israel! 

The end is near folks! Don't miss the rapture of the Church of Jesus Christ out of pride or spite! Get right with the Lord before it's too late! He loves you and He died on a cross to prove it, so take Him up on His offer of salvation and do it today! The Gospel of Jesus Christ isn't just "Good News!" 

It's the Best News EVER!

Jesus loves you and so do I, so please? Come and join us in celebration of the "Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!" (John 1:29).

In Awe and Wonder!

Our God is an AWESOME God! He wants you to be in the Family! I tend to pray a lot, like Paul said to. "Pray without ceasing." 1st Thessalonians 5:17, for the lost. It's a burden I feel every day. People are beginning to act in awful ways that we've never seen before, but the bible says that some will fall away from the faith and it sure looks like that's what's going on!

One of the prayers I prayed recently was for myself. I asked God on 2/24/19 if He could restore my gift to play the piano by ear and actually write music again. 

I have a beautiful piano that's just been sitting there collecting dust for 16 years, and giving me nothing but frustration. I couldn't seem to remember how to play! When I got started again, I wrote down the words "Book of Prayer," referring to the bible. When I was finished, it sounded like a 3rd grade praise/worship song. I hadn't written a song in 34+ years. I messed my life up with drugs, so I think that God took that gift away. After writing that tiny piece of work, I went to God and kinda complained? I heard in my brain, "Don't worry, they'll get better." Then I heard a 3 word title that really fit my hermit life. "In the Lonely." 

All of a sudden I was hearing chords in a song, and I ran out to the piano, banged it out and voila, my playing by ear was restored. This occurred in early March. 

Then I got another 3 word title. "In the Lonely," and then set it aside. One day, while watching TV, I started to hear music and lyrics in my head. I immediately stopped what I was doing, and as a vessel, allowed God to write a beautiful song about my pain and how much I need Him each and every day. Then came another 3 words, and so on, and so on, to the point I had to make a list! The list includes the name of the song, and what work needs to be completed on it. I had to write lyrics and then music for each title. 

Every time, it was like I was visited upon by angels or something. And I've now heard 16 titles in my head, completed lyrics and music for 10 of them and have 6 more left to write. I have a feeling that that list is going to get longer, so I need to get on the ball! 

In March, when all of this started, I wondered if my 7th and 8th grade choir teacher, Mrs. Anderson, who also directed me in the adult choir and the junior choir at our church after our music pastor left, had passed away. She also played the organ 2 times a month. She believed I was very talented and wanted me to put my music on a cassette because I couldn't write a note. I never did. Big mistake! 

She and I had been pen-palling throughout the last year until I didn't hear from her at Christmas. I called the church in mid March and discovered she had passed away on January 5th, 2019! Isn't that what we call "miraculous?" I actually have wondered how long she had to petition God to give me my gift back! Ha ha! My relatives including my Mother, God rest her soul, were behind her! I still can't get over this! It's flowing like milk and honey and they are all Christian songs! I never wrote Christian songs, in fact I had a hard time doing that till now! I wrote the most morose love songs because I felt so alone all the time. I was constantly harassed by other kids til 9th grade. I kept my head down and did the work, got really good grades, but our choir teacher in high school was abysmal. She left after my Sophomore year, and guess who came to run the choir after she left? That's right! It was Mrs. Barbara Anderson!  

It's amazing how people can have such a great affect on your life. I wish she was here so I could share this miracle with her, but I still think because she's in heaven, God not only restored my gift, he made it better! 

I'm waiting for the next three word title! I'm listening Lord! Let your GREATNESS flow through me! Let the MUSIC flow through me! Let me continue to be an empty vessel, ready to be refilled once poured out! I am ready for the next 3 word title!

"I stand in awe and wonder!" A gift once lost has now been found! Hallelujah! 

Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone! Today I just wanted to say "Merry Christmas" to all of my readers! 

Today is Christmas. Time for family, hugs, great food, playing flag football, etc, so please, have a terrific day, smile at everyone, and let your little light shine! 

Pray for those in your midst that you know are alone. You may want to wait to call them till after the New Year, but always pray for the lost out there, who've yet to find their way to the true meaning of Christmas. His name is Jesus and if He loves them, I think we can do the same. 

Pray for the brokenhearted when you open your gifts today and thank God for all that you have, all the blessings in your life that we all take for granted and for His grace and mercy and what He's going to do for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Do something! It'll knock your socks off how much grace you receive from God when you stick up for Jesus!

I truly hope you all have a blessed Christmas!

God Bless you all!

Friday Funnies - Christmas Edition!

I know how busy everyone is right now, trying to buy gifts for family members so close to Christmas, so I decided to do a "Friday Funnies - Christmas Edition!" 

As you finish your last minute shopping and trips to the grocery store, be safe out there and don't forget to be thoughtful of others, and when an employee in a certain store says "Happy Holidays," remember they were trained to say nothing else, so respond with a "God bless you, and a "Merry Christmas," and try to say their name if you can read their name tag! Then go home, write a prayer for that person and put it on your prayer room wall. In Matthew 6:6 Jesus said, "Go into  your inner room to pray."

On a personal note: God doesn't want you to "boycot" a store simply because the ownership doesn't want their employee's saying "Merry Christmas!" They're just following store policy, trying to keep their jobs, but it does give YOU an opportunity to bring them a blessing instead of a curse! And if anyone gives you any guff, just remember what Jesus said: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." (Matthew 5:11).

Hope you enjoy the video's this week! Be safe as you get the rest of your shopping done and please, share the love of Jesus? 

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! 

Enjoy!

Here's Tim Hawkins' tribute to Christmas! 

Here's Michael Jr., talking about what it

must've been like to be a younger sibling

 of Jesus! This one had me rollin' on the floor!

Do you like funny Church Marqi's?
Check this video out! It's the "Christmas Version!"

Since parking is associated with Christmas,
I couldn't pass this video up!
Listen as Chondra Pierce let's us know
what kind of parking women, REALLY want!

Today, we finish with a group of kids listening
intently to Mark Lowry as he tells the story of
"Piper's Night Before Christmas!" Just too sweet!

I hope you enjoyed these video's. I search far and wide to bring you the funniest shorts I can find, and today I definitely hit the jackpot! 

Merry Christmas everyone, and God Bless You with a very Happy New Year!

The Christmas Flu

My husband has been working in cold and damp conditions oustide. He's now got a monster of a cold!

I've been keeping my distance, as I haven't gotten the flu in several years, and don't want what he's got. I'm glad I got the pneumonia vacine when I did! I got a little cold around Christmas 2 years ago, and it only lasted for a week and 1/2. The time before that, I had bronchitis for a year and a half. That one started on Christmas day, so I spent two Christmas's in a row, sick!

So, if your sick and singin' the blues, don't feel bad. Everybody is a bit cranky when they don't feel well. I live that nightmare every day with the pain from the spinal stenosis, so I can commiserate. 

So, if you're a bit run down, have some hot chocolate by the fire place with your family and enjoy the coming weekend! 

Knowing a lot of people have the bug, I thought I'd share a funny song with you this post. I hope you get a chuckle out of it and that you all feel better, real soon!

I Am Who God Says I Am

"For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves." (Ephesians 1:4-6).

Knowing who you are in Christ is a pretty big deal. I'd been chasing my tail for years to obtain that information & while I've walked on mountain peaks with the Lord before, back in 2012, God pulled me back from a precipice to say, "I'm not done with you yet." This blog was started that very day.

If you're a Christian and are confused and don't know who you are in Christ Jesus, please see paragraph 1 of today's blog post. It says who you are right there. You belong to God. You are His child! We are co-heirs with Jesus Christ and He's coming back to take His Bride, the Church away with Him to Heaven and He's coming quickly! Personally, I can't wait because I'm just flat out homesick! 

I don't care what other people think about me, but I do care what God thinks of me, so I'm trying to live a life that would make Him welcome me with open arms when I arrive there. All I want to hear is "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest."

When you hear those other "voices" lying to you about you or others, just remember Jesus is right there, ready and willing to put on a cape and save you!  'Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee." (James 4:7). The devil uses these whispers to destroy us where we sit/stand, etc. Our sins are played over and over like a bad mixed tape that needs to be changed! How do you overcome it? Read the next verse! "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8).

I believe what the bible says about me, but sometimes it's hard to remember that. Every time the devil attacks me in my head, and I start hearing lies about myself, I immediately ask God's forgiveness, (submitting), I then ask God to remove the spirit that is bothering me, (the devil), and he does! The act of saying the name of "Jesus" out loud has that effect on the evil one and all of his demons! (Sometimes I imagine him being slapped and responding like a little girl, running away in tears).

It can be difficult not to allow our emotions to rule our lives, but it's pretty easy to put them aside when you need to if you're aware of the devil's tricks, and you have to fight back just to have some sanity. It pays endless dividends to know your enemy and to know him well.  

This one, I now know very well. And while it was very difficult to get to where I am now, I'm just glad I've made it this far.

And tomorrow? Well that's another day! 

God Help Me

There is one scripture that I've heard over the years that didn't really help me. That is, until I heard it in a different way from a different teacher. I'm just so grateful I took that course at my church, or I never would've heard it! 

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, let your mind dwell on these things!" (Philippians 4:8).

I then heard Kay Arthur of Precept Ministrires say something that changed my life forever at that bible study. 

She said we should Philippians 4:8 everything that comes into our minds. She said If the thought doesn't meet the tenant of that scripture, that we should "DUMP IT IN THE WASTE BASKET!" We're suppossed to "take all thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ!" (2 Corinthians 10:5), anyway!

God doesn't want us to be negative, scared, worried, upset, or to feel some other emotion the devil wants to throw at us to see if he can get us lowly little fish to bite on his hook! Once we do? He's back in control, so be very wary of your thoughts and the things you say! 

I've been suffering severe back pain/spasms since August 2007. I've lived in fear of surgery ever since due to a staph infection that keeps coming back. I nearly died of infections while admitted to the hospital after my last 2 children and another surgery I had to have. Each time, I was in the hospital for at least 18 days. I was fine afterward all three times, but I never gave God any credit! 

I was praying recently about my fear of the 3 spine surgeries I need and I heard Him say, "I got you through the first 3 infections. What makes you think I couldn't do it a 4th?"

The very first thought I had after hearing God say that was this: "Oh no! I've been LIMITING GOD!"

I know I've asked God to heal me about a million times, but I'm still not getting anywhere. Probably because I'm too stubborn and full of fear to do what I know I need to do in order to get better.

God? Please help me?
                                                      

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Hi everyone. I know I've been away for over a year, but I've been having some health issues that are affecting my ability to remember things. 

I also have trouble speaking and writing, which has made things especially difficult for me since I truly enjoy writing this blog and I really miss it. 

It's kind of like having writers block but the thoughts I do have, leave my brain before I get a piece of paper and a pen to write it down. If I don't do so immediately, I lose that thought, which is extremely frustrating. I've taken to using several words that will help me remember once I have the pad and pen in my hand and can actually write it down, which is working fine. I've been having a lot of cognitive difficulties which are very upsetting. There's a lesion on my spinal cord in the neck, and my doctor thinks that it may be invading the spinal cord. 

Jesus spoke about the end times and what we could expect. He explained everything that would be happening, and now, all of the prophecies have been fulfilled. I'm excited about the prospect of going home to Heaven! (I am literally so heavenly minded, I'm no earthly good these days!). I pray every day that the Lord will find me worthy because the Lord Jesus is not going to tarry much longer! The days of Noah? Yup! They're back! Read Matthew 24 and Luke 21. 

There's a list and it's all already happened! Jesus could literally come at any second, so please don't delay in getting right with God? His precious Son, Jesus, died on a Roman cross so that we would never be separated from Him again, unless of course, we sin. Sin is what separates us from God. 

I do hope you are all well. Please say a prayer that I can get my writers hat back on and deliever some great posts for you all to read. I've been going a little bit nutty with how good things are going at the moment, except of course, for my health for which I have many questions and no answers as of yet. Please pray and ask God to do a miracle in the area of my health, which is now a minute by minute battle! 

The battle belongs to Jesus and I am "More than a Conqurer through Christ!" (Romans 8:37). I know I can make it through this with your prayers and God's help. 

Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you all!                                                                                                     

The Power of the Tongue

We've all done it, whether we know it or not, and should repent and ask God's forgiveness and ask Him to show us when we're being unkind, pushy, disrespectful, etc., with our words! It requires a Godly "attitude adjustment." We're going to be judged on every idle word we say! (Hint, hint: I think that's why we have 2 ears and only one mouth?).

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." (Proverbs 18:31). How about this one? "By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:37). 

There's just one thing we all need to remember.

Words DO matter so please?

SPEAK LIFE!