The Presence of God

"And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;" Matthew 27:51

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need." Hebrews 4:16

Jesus Christ gives us access to God.

When I really stop to meditate on that truth, its mind blowing.

We can approach Creator God. 

Not only can we approach Father God; He wants us to.

Prayer places us in the presence of God.

In Scripture, we are shown how to pray by Jesus Christ Himself-Matthew 6:9-15

Jesus tells us where to pray- Matthew 6:6

We are told when to pray-Psalm 55:17

We are told who to pray for-Matthew 5:44, Ephesians 6:18

We are told how to pray in the spirit, and with thanksgiving-Romans 8:26, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

We are told how not to pray-Matthew 6:7

We are told Who to pray to-Luke 11:2, and what to pray for-James 5:16

Knowing that, when we ask anything according to God's Will, He promises to answer-1 John 5:14-15

Praying in repentance from our sins and faith towards the Lord Jesus Christ, brings Salvation-Romans 10:9-13

Confessing in prayer brings forgiveness-1 John 1:9

And we are to pray about everything- Philippians 4:6

But in the midst of all the 'How To's and 'The What Not's,' have we forgotten something?

Perhaps, Someone?

Has our motivation to pray turned into what we can get, instead of being content in the Presence of God?  When did His Presence alone, stop being enough?

Barry Walsh once said, "I wasn't asking for an answer from God, I was asking for God Himself."

I think that is a beautiful place to be...

    In the presence of God Himself...

        But that's just me!

"An answered prayer might give information, but God's presence gives peace no matter what the answer is."  Sheila Walsh

Who Am I Becoming In The Waiting?

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17

In her book, Praying Women, Published by BakerBooks, Sheila Walsh introduces us to a man who had faithfully prayed for the salvation of his wife for forty years.  As a teenage girl, Sheila asks this man, "Do you ever wonder why God hasn't answered your prayers yet?" After a quiet, thoughtful moment, this man said, "He's never failed me yet, and I don't reckon He'll start now." Years later, this man died, and when his wife saw the church packed with those who loved her husband and heard the gospel message about the One who had led her husband all his days, she finally bowed her head and prayed to be saved.  (Page 100)

In a side caption, Sheila Walsh writes, 'A lifetime is not too long to pray;' and as her Heading in the next section of her book, she writes, "Who We Are Becoming in the Waiting."

This had a profound impact on me as I read this chapter of her book this morning.  So much so, I had to share it with you.

We can make a lot of excuses for our Lord, can't we?  Excuses as to why it seems like God isn't hearing our prayers, and answering them?

Here are a few I've heard, and even a few I have used myself:

-God hears us, and He will answer in His time, not ours-

-Sometimes God is silent-

-I'm not asking in faith-

-I'm not asking in enough faith-

-I'm not asking for the right thing-

-I'm being selfish-

-I'm praying, but if it never comes to pass, it's ok-

It never dawned on me that God could be waiting to answer my prayer for someone else, to perfect something in me.

Sometimes it's not just about who we are praying for, but about the who we are becoming in the waiting.

So, who am I becoming in the waiting...?

   I hope I am becoming more like my Saviour...

       But that's just me!

"We tend to measure our understanding of God's ways and will by the outcome we see, but God is far more interested in who we are becoming in the waiting."  Sheila Walsh

Praying Women, by Sheila Walsh is Published by BakerBooks, 2020

What Am I Singing?

"And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely; Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." Acts 16:23-25

I'm always amazed when I read this account of Paul and Silas, beaten and jailed in the inner prison, with their feet held in stocks; all because they freed a demon-possessed slave girl.  Her masters saw that their livelihood had just been taken away from them, so they had caught Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the rulers.  They lied about what Paul and Silas had done, and so the multitude rose up against these two innocent men, beat them, threw them in prison and bound them.  I'm sure the jailer had heard what had happened to the four quaternions of soldiers that had been put to death when Peter was rescued from prison by the Angel of the Lord, (Acts 12) so he made sure these men were placed in the inner prison with bound feet.

What amazes me the most, is that being unjustly accused, in the midst of physical pain, and held in stocks, they raised their voices in song and praised the Lord; so much so, that the other prisoners that were there, heard them singing and listened intently.

I've often wondered if God had allowed Paul and Silas to be beaten and imprisoned so that the praises they sang while in adversity would reach the lost prisoners?  The bible doesn't tell us if any prisoners got saved, but I believe a seed was planted in their hearts that night.  (God's Word will not return void.) I'm sure the prisoners were more familiar with curses and groanings, rather than songs to God.

What the bible does tell us is that the jailer got saved that night.  Not only him, but his whole house! Was this the only way salvation would have been brought to the jailer?  I don't know-but God will use whatever purpose He so chooses to reach even one lost soul.

I believe that in the middle of our adversities is when our testimony can either be made or broken.  When I'm in pain, going through a trial, or adversity, do I raise my voice in song and glorify God, or do I raise my voice with murmurings and complaints?

How we handle our adversities will either lead other to Christ...

    or they will lead them away from Christ...

        So, what am I singing in the night?

            But that's just me!

"Anyone can be happy in pleasant circumstances, but real joy comes only from within and is a gift available to Christians at all times.  Instead of cursing men, they blessed God." Stott

Predators and Preventive Protection

Predators come in all shapes and sizes.  Some are human, some are animal and some are spiritual.

Regardless of what they look like or who they might be, all predators hunt and stalk the victim for the sole purpose of maiming, destroying or killing.

As children we were taught about 'Stranger Danger' and as Believer's we are warned against another type of Adversary.  An Adversary that wants nothing more than to maim, destroy or kill the testimonies of those who are in Christ Jesus.

Human predators don't always have to be strangers.  Often times the wounded Christian soldier is wounded in the battle by other brethren.  Casualties caused by 'friendly fire' that maimed a brother or sister in Christ just enough to prevent them from finishing The Race.

Then there are the animal predators; the 'survival of the fittest,' or the lowest on the food chain.  The other day, the rabbit that had lived under our garden shed for years finally met its predator and did not survive.  The feral cat was faster than the rabbit.

And then there is the Spiritual, our Adversary.

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.  And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down it." Job 1:6-7

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8

I dare say, that sometimes, we to, can be our own worst enemy.  How so?

-By not praying and reading God's Word-

-By not putting our Armour on-

-By heeding false teachers-

-By placing ourselves in front of what tempts us the most-

So how can we protect ourselves from predators that seek to destroy us?

-Pray and read God's Word, daily-1 Thessalonians 5:17, Hebrews 4:12

-Put on the full Armour of God- Ephesians 6:10-18

-Heed wise counsel-Proverbs 27:9

-Abstain from worldly lusts-James 1:13-16, 1 Thessalonians 5:22

There will always be predators...

    But we have protection and victory in Christ Jesus...

          But that's just me!

"Prayer sweeps the battlefield, slays the enemy, and buries the bones."

Charles Spurgeon

Quitter's Day

Guess what today is?

Quitter's Day.  I'm not kidding.

Today is the day when most New Year Resolutions get thrown out the window until next year.

The second Friday in the month of January has literally been named 'Quitter's Day.'

I find that sad.

The world waits in anticipation for the great ball in Time's Square to drop so that the promises, goals and new resolutions they've made for themselves can begin...

only to be forgotten two weeks later.

The Christian knows that there is no strength in themselves, but that, 'I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.' Philippians 4:13

The Christian also knows that "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 3:14

And the Christian remembers that 'a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again:' Proverbs 24:16a

The world quits and will wait an entire year to try again-

The Christian will stand up, brush himself off, draw a line in the sand, claim 1 John 1:9 (If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness) and start again right where he left off.

Friend, you may be down, but you don't have to be out.  Keep going, don't quit!  There is a race to be run that has already been run by our Lord Jesus Christ.

He will give you the grace, strength and mercies you need each and every day...

    And they are new every morning...

        great is HIS faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

            But that's just me!

"Don't quit.  For if you do, you may miss the answer to your prayers."

Max Lucado

Saviour or Savior?

It was subtle at first, hardly noticeable at all.  At first, I thought it was an oversight, an over-looked typographical error; but then it began to creep in to flyers, bulletins, emails, banners and even missionary letters.  Had anyone else noticed?  Are they bothered by this change as much as I am?  Should I be bothered?

Does removing the u in Saviour change the meaning of our Lord's Name?  Does it remove the Authoritative power of the Son of God?  Time for some Research.

Websters Definition of Saviour:

1-One that saves from danger or destruction, 2- One who brings salvation, specifically, Savior: Jesus, Sense 1.  First known use, 14th Century.

Websters Definition of Savior:

1-One that saves from danger or destruction, 2-One who brings salvation, specifically, Savior: Jesus, Sense 1.  First know use, 14th Century.

According to Webster, Saviour and Savior mean the exact same thing, they are interchangeable.

But then I continued my Research:

"Savior are the new spellings of the word and like many differences in American and British English, these spelling omit the u of the word making it easier to pronounce. These spellings are widely used in North America and were given by Noah Webster."  (I find that interesting, don't you?)

Grammar.com says, "In American English, Savior is the preferred spelling of the noun referring to (1) a person who rescues from danger, or, (2) Jesus.  All other main varieties of English use Saviour.  When Savior or Saviour refers to Jesus, the word is usually capitalized in much the same way Christians tend to capitalize God."  (Very interesting!)

Is anyone else bothered by the fact that man has chosen to change to the spelling of the Son of God to make it easier to pronounce?  I'd also like to add that uppercase and lowercase letters completely change the definition of any given name.

After seeing what Noah Webster had to say, I reached for my Strongs Concordance and looked up Saviour based on Luke 2:11.  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Saviour-Greek, 4990- A Deliverer, God or Christ, Saviour.

That my friend, is my Saviour.

It's interesting to note that 'savior' could not be found in Strongs Concordance and can only be found in watered down translations of the bible.

Question: If the Authorized KJV of the bible refers to Jesus as Saviour, and God's Word is eternal, who are we to change it?

If the Translators of the 1611 KJV bible kept the original spelling of our Lord after the 14th Century, why would we want to change it?

Savior...

    or Saviour?

        The choice is yours...

            But that's just me.

Note-Some KJV Publishers have chosen to change the spelling of Saviour to Savior.  If you still prefer the original spelling, Saviour, make sure you research the Publisher.

Hangin' In There

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.  Isaiah 41:10

A friend of mine was recently asked how she was doing.  Her reply, "Hangin' in there."  She told me later that she should have answered that question differently, but this response has turned into a standard reply, whether it's true or not.

I've used this same response more times than I can count; I'm sure you have too, so I began asking myself how I could respond to this question honestly without having to delve into personal or private matters that I'm not ready to share with others?

Instead of 'hangin' in there,' could I say, 'oh, I'm still hangin' on.?'

But to what?

Or more importantly, to who?

Then I realized that I'm not required to 'hang in or hang on' at all.

In all things, I'm being kept.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says:  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

'Kept' means, 'guarded.'  I love that.

Not only am I being kept, but I am being led, and I'm being held.

"Even there shall thy hand lead, me and thy right hand shall hold me." Psalm 149:10

No matter my circumstances, I can rest in the fact that God is in control.  I don't have to hold on to Him, He's holding me, and I'm right where He wants me to be.

   

The next time someone asks me, "How are you doing?"...

    I will answer, "Never better, I'm in the hands of my Lord."...

        But that's just me!

"A broken life in the hands of God is ripe for blessing." Joni Eareckson Tada

"The strong hands of God twisted the crown of thorns into a crown of glory; and in such hands we are safe."  Charles Williams