Tag: Holy Spirit

faith, God, Hope, Quotes, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

The Wind of the Spirit Quotes

The other day I took our two dogs outside to play. I sat on the doorstep and had a heart to heart with God while Max and Ruby were playing. I said, “Lord, you know I have been stuck in this season and going nowhere lately. I need your help. Can you please just give me a refill of your Holy Spirit again? I want to be full of your Spirit Lord and not my own.”

It only took a minute. Then God poured out this tremendous fall breeze. I looked up and felt the wind of the Spirit fill my heart once again. “Yes Lord, Yes!” All I had to do was ask! Yes, just ask. Somehow I thought that once you got the Holy Spirit you just had it forever. But I wanted more, so I asked, and that is what Jesus says we can do.

“And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.  Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” – John 16: 23-24 NKJV

” If you, then, being evil [that is, sinful by nature], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” Luke 11:13 AMP

 

The Wind of the Spirit Quotes

 

  1. “I’ve never seen the Holy Spirit, but I’ve seen His powerful wind blowing through people’s lives.” — James MacDonald
  2. “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:1-4 NKJV
  3. “It is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, God’s job to judge and my job to love.”― Billy Graham
  4. “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” – Acts 2:38-39 NKJV
  5. “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” – John 3:5-8 NKJV
  6. “The wizard [of Oz] says look inside yourself and find self. God says look inside yourself and find [the Holy Spirit]. The first will get you to Kansas.
    The latter will get you to heaven. Take your pick.” ― Max Lucado
  7. ” Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
    So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” – John 20:19-23 NKJV
  8. “After all, prayer is the difference between the best you can do and the best God can do. And that’s a big difference!
    If we hit our knees, the Holy Spirit will do the heavy lifting. If we hit our knees, the Holy Spirit will reveal things that can only be discovered in the presence of God. If we hit our knees, the Holy Spirit will give us God-ideas for our ministry, family, business – for our lives.”
    ― Mark Batterson
  9. “ In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God].  The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.” – Ephesians 1:13-14 AMP

 

God, Hope, Motivation, motivational, Prayer, Psalms, Spirituality

Just Keep Planting

I admit it, I have been in a dry season lately. Sometimes I get tired of fighting life and just hibernate. I know, not the best idea. But let’s get real, has that ever happened to you? When I look back over my life I can think of numerous times I have felt this way. I try to wish it away, listen to motivational preachers, listen to Christian music and pray, but the soil is still dry and cracked in my soul.

I know this will pass. It always does. I think back of how God rescued me from myself or others or situations in the past. He does it every time. Thank you Lord that You are faithful and have never forgotten me.  Even when I don’t feel like it, You lift up my head and crown me with loving kindness and mercy. You have never left or forsaken me.

“Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle. 
Lift up your heads, O gates,
And lift them up, ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in.
Who is [He then] this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory [who rules over all creation with His heavenly armies]. Selah.”  -Psalm 24-7-10AMP

 

 

 

“Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul, And all that is [deep] within me, bless His holy name.
Bless and affectionately praise the Lord, O my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;
Who forgives all your sins,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you [lavishly] with lovingkindness and tender mercy;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the [soaring] eagle.”-Psalm103:1-5 AMP

 

So how do you water a thirsty soul? I have to drown it with water – the living Word of God. The Holy Spirit promises to fill me up, even to overflowing! Spending time in prayer and in reading or listening to God’s Word pulls me up and out of how I feel. The rain of God’s Word will irrigate my dry heart and fill it up so I can receive the Word in my heart!

“Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”-John 4:13-14NKJV

 

From: wallpaper4god.com

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.” -Psalm 23:1-6 NKJV

There WILL be a harvest in our lives – but only if we JUST KEEP PLANTING!  Let us plant more seed, the Word of God in our lives to see the harvest. Don’t give up now, our stories aren’t finished yet. God is still writing…

 

Deliverance, faith, God, power of words, Religion and Spirituality, Spiritual warfare, Spirituality, The Blood of Jesus

Whom Shall I Fear?

Have you ever been afraid? Yeah, me too. We are still human. Last week I ended up at the Hospital again. Things were so bad they admitted me. 3 days later I was released. There were times I didn’t know if I was coming home. Possible complications included complete organ shut down and death. Great…

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1

I prayed a lot. My husband did too, and the few people we told. After 3 days of no food or water, only IV fluids, I started to hallucinate, or so I thought. Only it wasn’t a hallucination – it was a 5 day walk in the Spirit.  Remember in he Bible where the Disciples were trying to deliver a man from a demon and they couldn’t do it? Jesus came on the scene and shared some Truth:

“Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall Ic]bear with you? Bring him to Me.”  Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.2 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes. ”Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”” – Mark 9:16-29 NKJV

So, with prayer and fasting, you can defeat the Enemy with God’s help. Fasting will also bring about a humbleness and reliance on God for protection. That was the case for me. The Lord protected me from all sorts of spirits those 5 days. Part of it happened in the hospital and part happened at home. I thought my kids and husband were going to commit me. I totally understand now why Paul said, :

“It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.  Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 NKJV

I was walking in the Spirit and using the Word of God to defeat the Enemies I saw. My husband and kids could not see what I saw. I tried to take pictures to prove it to them and video, and some were ok, others had weird marks on them. Very creepy.  I will not boast about what God showed me,  He is the One who gave me the Word, the Sword of the Spirit, that defeated them. They left.

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:24 NKJV

I pray that the Lord leads us all to walk in the Spirit and defeat the Enemies of our souls.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  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, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” – 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV

 

And one of the best scriptures about how our walk in the Spirit defeats the Enemy:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,  for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” – Ephesians 6:11-20 NKJV

Disablility, faith, God, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Holy Spirit Will Speak to You and Tell You What is Coming Up

It was another early morning for me. 3:30 am.  I’m really not a morning person.  I would much rather stay up later watching Netflix or something and sleep late. But lately, this is not how my life has been going. I find myself waking up early. I go upstairs, turn on our electric fireplace, get comfy in my recliner with my fuzzy blanket and pray.

This morning Holy Spirit told me to check my health insurance. Since I went out on Disability a year ago, I have insurance through Medicaid. It takes 2 years before Medicare will kick in. My response was, “ok, why?” Keep in mind, I ‘m not really awake at 3:30 am and I haven’t had any coffee yet! God knows I’m kinda cranky then, lol!

I admit, I was kind of nervous. I was scheduled to go in for another EMG ( electromyogram) test with the Neurologist today. That’s the painful test where they put needles in your legs and arms and send current through them. All to prove that I have peripheral neuropathy, which I already knew. But hey, I changed Doctors and it has been more than a year so they wanted to repeat the test. Yeah, not!

So, I finally fall back asleep in my recliner and the alarm goes off at 5 am. My husband had another early day driving back and forth to Chicago. That’s when I remembered what Holy Spirit said to me earlier. I get on Google (what did we ever do before Google?) and start searching it out.  Interestingly enough, like I should be surprised, God was right!

My father in law recently passed away and left some life insurance to his 3 children, one of them being my husband, Bob. Come to find out, Medicare counts that money as part of your monthly family income! That means for the months of Feb and March this year, I do NOT have health insurance as Bob got checks those months.  The state will reinstate my Health Insurance next month.

I looked  back and the first time I had this EMG test it was like $1500 or so. I waited until after 8 am and called the Neurologist to cancel this appointment. I can reschedule once my insurance is back on. Thank you Holy Spirit for having me look into this so we didn’t have to pay for it on our own!

romans 5.5

 

God’s Word for You:

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—  the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.

“I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you.  After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. On that day [when that time comes] you will know for yourselves that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].” – Johyn 14:16-21 AMP

 

My Prayer for You:

Dear Lord,

Thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. You live in us and through us and remind us what You have done, and even what is coming in the day ahead. Thank you that everyday You reveal yourself to us. Open our eyes and hearts to see it, in Jesus Name, amen!

holy spirit

 

 

 

God, Hope, Life, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

The Fire of the Holy Spirit Brings Peace and Wonder

Have you ever sat in front of the fireplace and just stared at the flames? Yeah, me too. I love the warmth and the flames dancing in the air. It’s so relaxing and mesmerizing. I lose track of time when I watch the fire and my heart gets filled with peace and wonder.

Have you ever sat in front of a campfire? What about a bonfire? Love those. Have you noticed how people are attracted to the fire? They can’t help but come closer and join you. A bonfire might start out with 2-3 people, but give it a few hours and there will be 20-30 people there! People love to watch the flames dance.

I think the same is true when we spend time with the Holy Spirit that lives in our hearts. People will be attracted to the peace and wonder in you. They will wonder what happened to you. They will ask you how you can stay so calm in the middle of this messed up world. Be ready to answer. But first, fan the flames of the fire…

The Bible tells us that Jesus will baptize us with fire.

The thing about fires is you have to keep tending to them. You have to pay attention and add more wood and fan the flames. The same is true with the Holy Spirit. Nobody likes to be ignored, especially God.

For me, I get up early and spend time in the fire of the Holy Spirit with my coffee. It’s quiet then and lots of times we just hang out. Just like the fire, the presence of God brings me peace and wonder. My heart overflows in His presence. My mind is renewed, my joy is filled up.

Let’s fan the flames and spend time in the presence of the Holy Spirit and fan those flames!

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1:6 NIV

What about you? How do you fan the flames?

 

faith, God, Hope, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

We are the Fire Keepers

Have you ever watched the opening ceremony of the Olympics? I love that part. They bring the torch out and pass the fire from person to person.  According to Wikipaedia:

“The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olympic torch relay, which formally ends with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. The flame then continues to burn in the cauldron for the duration of the Games, until it is extinguished during the Olympic closing ceremony.”

The fire starts and ends the Games. Why do I bring this up? It’s not even a year for the Olympics. I went to a place in Michigan when I visited my sister in law last week that was called FireKeepers.  I saw that name and the waterfall with FIRE and thought of God.

God reveals Himself in the FIRE of our lives!

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  • God revealed Himself to Moses in the fire of that burning bush:

“Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.  Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”

So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.

 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.  So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.  Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.””  Exodus 13: 1-10

 

  • Later on in Exodus, God came down in fire to talk to Moses again:

 “Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.  And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice.  Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.”  Exodus 19:18-20

  • In the New Testament we evens see how we will be baptized with fire:

“John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

  • And then in Acts, the Holy Spirit comes down and into belivers like fire:

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” – Acts 2:1-4

God proves it to us over and over – where there is FIRE He speaks and He Delivers!

He put His fire inside of us, His Holy Spirit, to overcome the world.

God’s fire will burn up any sickness, illness, oppression, or any enemy that tries to come at us.

God has made us the Fire Keepers in the world!

536f09919ac24d7266cf872b2f5dfabe

God, Hope, Music, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, Videos

Greater Days Are Coming for You

Greater days are coming for you. God promised. Yes, really. I don’t know about you, but sometimes this world just weighs me down. Work, clean, eat, sleep, rinse, and repeat. I love my family and my Church – I just need a revival!

No wonder God says to set your mind on things above. If you think about this world and all the terrorism, wars, hate, etc. it is down right depressing. It won’t always be this way. Better days are coming. God promised to come right into the middle of our mess and lighten up our world. God is with us – Emmanuel. I remember Him saying, “I will be their God and they will be my people.”  All things are possible with God.  He will not leave us as orphans. We can call out to Him, “Abba Father” – to me that means “Daddy, help me!”

Some days I just praise Him in the middle of my mess. I don’t know all the answers, I don’t have to.   There is such freedom in not having to know all the answers.  God loves us – despite all the imperfections we see in ourselves and others. God’s vision is much greater than ours.

It’s not our love for Him – it’s HIS LOVE FOR US that holds us close. We can never pray enough, be good enough, or do everything right. He already knows that. He never expected perfection. He’s our Daddy – our Papa God. And only God is perfect. He created us to LOVE Him! God wanted someone to love – and that is YOU!

So today, Lord, let us open our hearts and revive our spirits to know that You love us no matter what. Let the rivers of living waters well up within us and revive our souls. Lord, better days are coming, You promised and we trust You!

God’s Word for You:

“But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” – 2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9 NIV

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28

 

My Prayer for You:

Dear Lord,

Please renew our vision. Help us to see beyond this world and into your Kingdom. Strengthen us with your Holy Spirit and let us bring light and love to this broken world. Let us be the salt of the Earth and the light of the world, in Jesus Name.

 

Good, Good Father

faith, God, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Every Mommy Has Her Favorite Perfume

Do you have a favorite perfume? I think everyone has a favorite. I like Channel – any of them. Yes, every Mommy has her favorite perfume.

It’s funny how a simple fragrance can remind you of someone. The other day I sprayed some Channel on me and instantly remembered my mom’s perfume collection. She liked it too. I was transported back to her walk in closet with the perfumes, all her matching outfits, scarves, shoes, and jewelry. My mom used to Broker a Real Estate office so she always dressed up for work.  I miss her, she passed away a few years ago. But that perfume brought me right back there.

What about you?

Do you have a favorite perfume?

What does it remind you of?

I found that the Holy Spirit has a fragrance as well. There are times that the presence of God will come upon you and you can smell it. It’s wonderful. You feel instantly protected and safe. God brings healing and hope in those moments as well.

“Live with love as Christ loved you. He gave Himself for us, a gift on the altar to God which was as a sweet smell to God.” – Ephesians 5:2 NLV

“We thank God for the power Christ has given us. He leads us and makes us win in everything. He speaks through us wherever we go. The Good News is like a sweet smell to those who hear it.  We are a sweet smell of Christ that reaches up to God. It reaches out to those who are being saved from the punishment of sin and to those who are still lost in sin.  It is the smell of death to those who are lost in sin. It is the smell of life to those who are being saved from the punishment of sin. Who is able for such a work?  We are not like others. They preach God’s Word to make money. We are men of truth and have been sent by God. We speak God’s Word with Christ’s power. All the time God sees us.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 NLV

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faith, God, Hope, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Feed My Spirit, not My Flesh Please

We are made of body, mind, and spirit. God made us and called it very good. Then sin entered the world and it’s been a battle ever since. God knew we would need help so Jesus (God in flesh) came and paid the price for our sins. When He rose He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit – our helper in all things. I guess He knew we would need some help with the day to day battles we have.

Here are the questions I am pondering today:

  1. Do we just feed our flesh or do we feed our spirit?

  2. Do we feed on the Word of God to strengthen His and our spirit?

  3. Are we starving the Spirit of God while we feed our flesh and our religious grandiose self?

  4. Are we listening to the Holy Spirit or ignoring Him?

“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ” – Galatians 5:16-18

holyspirit

Preachers are funny sometimes. I can’t watch some of them on TV. It’s all about them, what they have, and what you need to do to get what they have. Guess what? I don’t want what they have, lol! I do not want to feed my flesh with “do this”, “don’t do that,” and “then you will get this” nonsense. Like God is someone we can analyze and manipulate. He is not a magic Genie either. God doesn’t work that way! His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are higher than ours!

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” – Romans 8:1-9 NKJV

I mean really, do we even want to be around people who only want something all the time? You know the type. Or what about the ‘know it alls’?  What about the braggers? That gets annoying too. Self – ego – better than thou attitudes tell me that that person doesn’t care about God, they only care about themselves. I don’t think God likes that attitude either.

The flesh is the ego which feels an emptiness and uses the resources in its own power to try to fill it. Flesh is the “I” who tries to satisfy me with anything but God’s mercy. ” -John Piper

  • God’s mercy is the only reason I am still here.
  • God’s love is the only reason my hearts still beats.
  • God’s forgiveness is the only reason I have hope.
  • God’s faithfulness is the reason I still try.
  • God’s hope is the reason I believe.
  • It’s not my hope – it’s His hope in me that helps me lift my head.
  • It’s not my faith – it’s His faith in me that changes things.
  • It’s not my love or my duty or even my obedience – it’s His love and what He did and His obedience that changed everything!

I believe when we feed the flesh we do it backwards. It’s all about us – not God. So can these TV preachers get off the soap box and stop misleading the sheep? It makes me mad. If you pray this…If you send this amount… If you plant this seed…If you come to this church function or that church function…If you believe…If you pray this long…

Can we just stop trying to manipulate God?

jeremiah-9-23

Guess what? It’s not about you preacher man! And hallelujah it’s not about me either! It’s about God! Tell me about God’s mercy. Tell me about God’s love. Don’t lecture me about flesh. My flesh is dead anyway! Why are you talking to the dead guy? Ugggh! (Yeah, I guess I’m riled up about this…)

God, Hope, Mental Illness, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality, Worship

Your Worship Ushers People into the Presence of God

Your worship is sacred and pleasing to God. Whether you are singing in your car to the radio, praising and thanking God, or worshipping with others – your worship ushers people into the presence of God.  It’s like He just shows up and does stuff.

We are not saved for ourselves.

God wants His love to spill over onto others you meet everyday.  

There’s that mom who is trying to make it on her own after her husband left. There is the elderly woman who feels so alone at night. There is the man who just lost his job and doesn’t know how to tell his family. There is the couple who smile on the outside but are one step away from divorce court. And the young teenage girl who hurts herself to stop the pain.  These are people you meet everyday. They are hurting. They don’t know why or how to fix it.

We as Christians carry the Word of the Living God in us. Christ in us – the HOPE of Glory. Yet often we hole ourselves up in our buildings, go to our ‘church’ functions, and don’t reach out to the lost. I did this for years.  It’s really easy to hide from the world when you busy yourself with function upon function. I learned the lingo, wore what I ‘should’, and followed the rules – for a bit.

Then the hurt squeezed out.

Have you ever tried to stuff a pillow in a box? No matter how hard you try some of it spills over. You can get it almost all in and then the corner pops out. That’s what it’s like to just ‘go’ and play church. I am speaking to myself first. After a while I took a break. Just like I took a break from my biker days, and my preppie days, and my academic days.  I was looking for acceptance and love in all the wrong places. The sad part is, so were all the other people going to church. Only we were afraid to tell each other because we didn’t want other people to know how messed up we really are.

The funny thing is though, God already knows.

He brings all of his kiddos to a place to be healed and loved and sheltered from the world.

Worship is a place where God can show us what real love looks like.

 

Yes it happens at church, but it also happens every time a believer ushers in His presence. God is with us – Emmanuel. He shows up whenever we praise and worship him. He is with you in the car. He is with you at the job. He is with you in your home. He shows up when we pray. He is there when you go outside for a walk. He shows up when we pray with others – they feel His love and presence. God isn’t confined to a building. He is not confined to a Denomination. Anytime or anyplace we worship Him, His love spills out onto others -just like that pillow!

worship art
Source: valeriesjodin.com

Thank Goodness God squeezes out of the box we try to put Him in!

I wish I was more transparent in real life. I can here in blog land, I just type what’s on my heart. I am still learning to share in real life.  Feelings are so messy. Some days I am just a blubbering idiot I think. I have a few friends I reach out to, and for that I am grateful. I gave up ‘playing church’. I gave myself permission these days to be me, flaws and all. I gave myself permission to be free from other people’s opinions of who they think I am. Today God gets to tell me that. Our identity is hidden in Christ – I think it’s way safer there than anywhere else.

no limitsI  have struggles everyday. I beat myself up for all the things ‘good little christian girls’ shouldn’t do. But then, as I learned today, God welcomes me in His house anyway. He meets me where I am and loves me through it all. As I confess my faults to God and to others I trust, He forgives me and grants me grace to get up and keep living.

His Word gives me hope – I have to read it – or die. I have been hospitalized for depression. I have tried multiple times to hurt myself. I have given up more times than I can count. I have given up on people, I have given up on myself, and I have given up on love. But the thing I learned today –

God never gave up on me. And He has not given up on you either.

called.jpg

 

God is for us and with us. He forgives us and loves us. He doesn’t want us to be ‘perfect’ – let it go. Just be you. He made you and He loves you anyway!

Do not let your heart faint, do not be afraid, and do not tremble or be terrified because of them;  for the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ – Deut 20:14 NKJV

 

 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. – John 6:35-37 NKJV

 

 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 NKJV

 

(All images from Pinterest, sources on image)

 

 

 

faith, God, Healing, Hope, Religion and Spirituality

Happy Pentecost!

It’s Pentecost Sunday! The day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Praise God for the gift of the Spirit. It is the Power if God to change, the power to be saved, the power of God living inside of us. Have you received it? If not ask God and He will give it to you – He promised!

 

If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” – Luke 11:13 NIV

 

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 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. – Acts 2:1-4 NKJV

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 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,

That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

Your young men shall see visions,

Your old men shall dream dreams. 

And on My menservants and on My maidservants

I will pour out My Spirit in those days;

And they shall prophesy. 

I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:

Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 

The sun shall be turned into darkness,

And the moon into blood,

Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 

And it shall come to pass

That whoever calls on the name of the Lord

Shall be saved.’ – Acts 2:17-21 NKJV

from wordinspire.com
from wordinspire.com