December 8th: Mark 8:35-37 -- GAIN OR LOSS?

“POINTS TO PONDER” – December 8th
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired.
If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

GAIN OR LOSS? Your choice...

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” Mark 8:35-37 NIV

Losing and gaining… what a challenge. We just finished watching the BIGGEST LOSER FINALE, and it sure is a challenge to gain weight, and then to lose it. One of the past winners has unfortunately gained a lot of his weight back, and is now working on a personal challenge to be thin again for the finale of next season’s B.L. WOW! Winning and losing, it’s one of the only times you have to lose to win. CONGRATS to DANNY this season’s Biggest Loser, we were totally cheering for you! This has all got me thinking about this above verse in the Bible, about losing & gaining. What good is it to gain the whole world, yet lose my soul? Jesus means the world to me, and He is so much better than ANYTHING that the world can offer. Knowing Jesus as my King is the best gift ever!

We need to humble our own lives, and choose to pick up the life that God has for us. His will and His ways are so much better for us, then our own. However, sometimes we let our own fleshly desires take over, and slowly that kills us. Just like on Biggest Loser, we all allow our flesh to take over, and we feed it with so much food and stress, and we gain the world’s weight, and are closer to dying than really living. BUT… through Jesus we can live again! We can lose the world and gain an eternal life with Jesus. WOW! What an opportunity, and what a choice to make. Some people make the choice easily, and choose as a young person. Others however, it takes a lot to overcome the desires that the world throws at us, and some even choose not believe, and therefore have eternal death! It seems like an easy decision to me, but I guess that’s because I was one of those who chose this decision as a young person. At the age of 5, I chose to allow Jesus to have a special part in my life. Some people think that children should not be able to fully make that decision, because they do not understand, but they do. They understand a lot more than we give them credit for. Those are the years where the mind-shaping begins, and they need to be taught the truth. I think that’s part of the reason I love being a teacher so much. I love sharing Jesus with them, and having them understand who He is, and what He has done for them, and what He can still do for them.

The world has nothing really to offer us, and we have to come to accept that. No matter if the world offered me millions of dollars, I would still choose Jesus. No matter if someone had a gun to my head, or any other of the brutal things that have happened to Christians past, I would still choose Jesus! Good or bad, I choose to lose… lose the world and gain eternal life… gain the Heavenly blessings or lose the material blessings?

Really, what is more important in the end?

His PRESENCE or the PRESENTS the world has to offer?

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.” Philippians 3:7-9

Rubbish… I consider them rubbish. That is trash, garbage, things that are not important. WOW! Considering everything loss compared to the greatness of knowing Christ! Do you know this feeling? If not, then take time now to look at your life, and give it all to Christ. Lay it at the foot of His cross. He is not on that cross anymore, He has risen, and He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. He is there petitioning for us, or in easier terms, telling the Father what we are asking for. He is the go-between, the gate for us to enter into the throne-room of our Heavenly Father. Thank you Lord!

I pray right now that as you read these words, that you are inspired to LOSE the things of this world, and to GAIN the Heavenly blessings that God wants to share with you today! Stop trying to gain the world, and what it has to offer you… your soul is much more important, and worth way more than that!

PRAYER: God in Heaven, we thank You for your unconditional love for us, that while we were still sinners You sent Your Son to die for us. Through You we can live that life of righteousness through our faith in Christ. Help us now turn to You, and to desire the things that You want for us and our families. Encourage us in times of trials where we look to our circumstances (like the recession, or job loss, or physical problems, etc…) and help us to look to you, our Saviour and Redeemer. As this Christmas season approaches, remind us of how Your Son humbled Himself and came to earth just for us. WOW! You and He want the best for us, and You have way more blessings up Your sleeve for us, if only we step out in faith. There is so much that You want to pour out on Your children, if only we converse with You in daily prayer, hear from You when we read Your Word daily, and if we seek Your face, and not the things from the world. Help us to love others like You love us, and not place conditions on our love. Guide us and direct us with Your Holy Spirit.
In Jesus’ precious name,
AMEN!

GOD BLESS YOU!

December 5th, 2009 -- The Gate to Forgiveness

“POINTS TO PONDER” – December 5th
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own blog or comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

WHICH GATE HAVE YOU CHOSEN TO ENTER??


“Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”- John 10:7, 9-10


According to WIKIPEDIA.com, a gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or an opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port. Larger gates can be used for a whole building, such as a castle or fortified town, or the actual doors that block entry through the gatehouse. Today many gate doors are opened by an automated gate operator.


The Bible tells us that the only way to get to Heaven or to God is through Jesus (God’s Son). This is why Jesus is considered the gate. We can only enter through Him because of His blood. Jesus is also our Good Shepherd, and we are safe in Him and with Him. However, when we choose to take paths that God does not want us to take, or try to go off in our own will and way, we may get roughed up a little, but Jesus is always there to save us. The road to Heaven is like the road less travelled, in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. (Words below…)


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

There is another verse in the Bible that states, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14

Which road or gate have you chosen to walk on or through??

The narrow gate and the narrow road lead to life, and life more abundantly. (As stated in another translation of the Key Verse, John 10:10 – “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” NKJV) No matter what decision you make… you are in fact in charge of that decision. God gave us the willpower to choose. He offered us two main choices… well, actually He offered one choice, and it was a sacrifice on His part. The devil offered the other one, and it is sad to see that more people are choosing that way of life. It seems to be the easier route, so people are quick to jump through the wide gate, and take the broad road. But in the end of that road is destruction. There is a BIG ‘Road Ends’ or 'Bridge Out' sign at the end and in the end is a lake of fire. But thankfully, God has placed ‘U-turn’ signs along the broad path, that allow you to u-turn and come back to the narrow path. There is no end to the narrow path, but eventually the road beneath your feet turns to gold. What a great deal that is! We have all sinned, so none of us deserve to take the narrow path, yet Christ (the gate) died for us, and removed our sins from us, as far as the East is from the West. So through the grace and mercy of God, we are all able to choose to take the narrow path that leads to abundant life. It doesn’t matter what you have done, God can love you no less. He loves us all the same, and that makes it great. God can and will still forgive you from your sins, if you choose to repent!

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9&10 NIV (Ten, Nine & Ten - this verse as seen as T.N.T. the dynamite verse of the Bible) There is so much truth in this one verse alone, that you can study it further for yourself.

Choosing to take the ‘road less travelled’ starts with a single step, make that choice today!

Prayer: Father God, we thank you for giving Your Son as a WAY for us. We would die in our sins, and be lost eternally if it wasn’t for Your sacrifice of love. We thank You for Your love and mercy, and grace that allows us to enter through the narrow gate, and to travel along the narrow path that leads to abundant life. As it says in Your word, whoever enters that gate of life, through Your Son will be saved. You lead us on paths of righteousness, and we thank You for that as well. What a privilege it is to be called the ‘children of God’. We thank you as well that You accept all of us, no matter what we have done, as long as we take the time to repent. We take the time right now to ask for your forgiveness for things we have done in thought, word and deed; intentionally and unintentionally, that have gone against Your Word and Your ways. Please forgive us, and allow us to step boldly into Your throne-room, so that You will indeed hear our prayers, and that we may walk that narrow road that leads to You in Heaven one day where we will rejoice around your throne! God, we also pray for those who may be reading this, or are a part of our family and friends, who have not made this awesome decision yet. We pray for them, that You will allow Your love and forgiveness to just overflow their spirit, and that Your Spirit will convict their spirits, and reveal the truths from Your Word to them. Help them choose the narrow gate, through Your Son Jesus. Praise You Lord, and thank You for Your many benefits. We ask all these things in the powerful name of Jesus, AMEN!

November 25th - ONE MONTH UNTIL CHRISTMAS!

Christmas is one month away...

Did you know that CHRISTMAS isn't all about the PRESENTS, yet it is all about His PRESENCE? Isn't that a cool thought??

More on that thought coming soon...

Blessings,

WE HAVE THE INTERNET BACK... YAY!

Well... we have been internet-less at our home for the last 2 weeks or so... so I have not been able to put up any new devotionals... I am really hoping to be caught up soon, as I haven't even typed any new ones... not so good I know.



Just a cool quote I found... such a great reminder that we are to forgive our brothers and sisters, because God has forgiven and will keep on forgiving us! WOW! Thank you Lord for your GRACE, MERCY, LOVE & FORGIVENESS!! (and of course more!) =)

Looking forward to Christmas coming, and some new devotionals for December...

New daisies fresh for the pickin' coming soon...

Blessings,

November 2nd - SALVATION PRAYER

“POINTS TO PONDER” – November 2nd
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

Do YOU know and experience GOD for all He is?

Do YOU consider yourself a Christian?

Do YOU have that relationship with Him? Check out this prayer...

The above is a cool prayer clip art that I found on the internet... (sorry I can't cite the source) but if you haven't made Jesus your Lord and Saviour, and brother, then this is your chance!

Pray this simple prayer (or preferably one like it from your heart) and ask Him in today...

It's all about relationship, not religion!

Make the RIGHT choice today! I'm proud to be called your 'sister' if YOU made this decision!

Did you know the ANGELS in Heaven rejoice when a lost soul comes back to Jesus? YAY!!

*If YOU chose not to make this decision now, remember

"NOW is the time of God's favour, NOW is the day of salvation"

-- Don't wait until it's too late!*

November 1 - Repent!

“POINTS TO PONDER” – November 1st
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” Acts 3:19-20 NIV

According to dictionary.com
RE-PENT (VERB)
1. To feel remorse, contrition, or self-reproach for what one has done or failed to do; be contrite.
2. To feel such regret for past conduct as to change one's mind regarding it: repented of intemperate behavior.
3. To make a change for the better as a result of remorse or contrition for one's sins.
1. To feel regret or self-reproach for: repent one's sins.
2. To cause to feel remorse or regret.

Word Origin & History
repent
c.1290, "to feel regret for sins or crimes," from O.Fr. repentir (11c.), from re-, intensive prefix, + V.L. *penitire "to regret," from L. poenitire "make sorry," from poena (see pain). The distinction between regret (q.v.) and repent is made in many modern languages, but the differentiation is not present in older periods. Repentance is recorded from c.1300, from O.Fr. repentance (12c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

Repent is a verb, therefore it is an action word, something that we need to act upon, to do. Repenting is not a one-time action though we need to repent over and over, hence the use of the prefix “re”. “Re” means again, or in this case to do again. Unfortunately, most of our sins we do over and over again, which of course means we need to repent over and over again. Sometimes we do them unintentionally or subconsciously, but others we do intentionally and consciously. We need to be made aware of our SIN and then act upon the regret or remorse. We do not need to feel guilty. Jesus’ death has overcome our sin, and all we need to do is ask forgiveness. The devil however has other plans, and knows that our sin separates us from God. God cannot look upon sin, and therefore the devil wants us to hold on to our sin, so that we may not fully and boldly enter the throne-room of God when we wish to meet Him in our secret place, or in times of worship and praise in a corporate setting. The devil wants us to hold on to our sin, and feel guilty. The devil, our enemy, wants us to feel the pain over and over, instead of feeling God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness over and over. If we allow the devil to have our joy (because we give it to him, he doesn’t steal it), it gives him the feeling that he has power over us and our lives. However, if we give up our sins and guilt to God, He restores our joy, and gives us His peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7 – “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NIV)

Jesus died for our sins, once and for all, yet we still need to repent for our sins, so that God can cleanse us from our unrighteousness. We have been ‘justified’… which means ‘just as if I’d’ never done it. Thank you Lord! He removes our sins, and doesn’t dwell on them, like we do. We seem to hold grudges a lot, and lack true forgiveness. In His word, He promises that our transgressions or sins are removed from us as far as the east is from the west. (Psalm 103:12 NIV – “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”) Since we have been justified, we can have His peace as well. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2 NIV) The devil does not want us to be able to approach God, but God says in His Word that we can approach His throne of grace boldly, and obtain that mercy that we desperately need. “Let us then come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16 – In ‘The Message’, it reads, “Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers. We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

There is a difference though, between grace and mercy, grace is getting what we don’t deserve, and mercy is not getting what we do deserve. I thank God for both His grace and His mercy. He bestows it upon us freely, we just need to ask for it. He sent His Son to this world, and He lived as us, except for the sin. The only time He took on sin was on the cross, when He took it for us. ‘He paid a debt He did not owe, and we owed a debt we could not pay’. (Hymn – ‘He Paid a Debt’ by G. McSpadden) We don’t deserve at all to come into His presence, but He lets us come in, and therefore we obtain His grace. Once we are in there, He loves us and forgives us, and doesn’t make us pay the price for our sin, which is where He bestows His mercy on us. He gave His Son so that we may live eternally with them in Heaven, after our earthly lives are through. What a promise!

Mark 1:15 (NIV) states, "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" John told the people then, and his words prove true today as well. Now is the time for repentance, now is the time for salvation. Another verse says, “As God's fellow workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NIV)

We need to forgive others, just as God forgives us. This is done with love, grace and mercy - unconditional love and an unending amount of grace, and mercy. Do not repay evil with evil, choose love. I close with one block of scripture found in Romans 13:8-14 NIV, “Love, for the Day is Near- Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

Be blessed, and live the life of love that you are called to!

Day 29: October 29th, 2009 - - Mark 9:35

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 29
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said, "Whoever wants to be the most important must be last of all and servant of all." Mark 9:35

Last? Who wants to be last? I work in a daycare, and the children, like these disciples always argue over who is going to be first in line. Being first is important to today’s society. That is why everything is ‘fast’ now. We have fast food, microwaves, internet banking, debit machines, express lines at stores, self-checkouts, etc… we have learned that we need to do things quickly, to get ourselves ahead of the other guy. Jesus says in this verse that we are to be last, and servant to all. That doesn’t mean every time in the grocery store you should let someone ahead of you, but yes, sometimes you should. Sometimes Holy Spirit may be telling you to pay for the groceries, or the gas, or Timmy’s, or whatever for the person ahead of you or behind you in line. Serving others is a difficult thing, because it requires a humble spirit on our part, and we need to show a little grace, and kindness. We also need to strip ourselves of our selfish fleshy desires, and put others desires first. We are not called to be ‘doormats’ though, or to be taken advantage of, and we do have the right to say ‘No’.

A servant’s heart is an important character trait to have, and it is not easily come by. It takes time to train yourself to put others first. You need God to help you see others with His eyes. Simple things like making dinner for a family who’s mom is sick, or watching the kids for a young couple who have a lot of things on their plate can truly be a blessing to those with needs. Slipping $20 to a single mom in church on Sunday, playing baseball with her son who doesn’t have a dad… taking time to care! Being like Jesus… it’s not as hard as we may think!

Rick Warren did a study on a “Servants Heart”. He found 6 main points or characteristics to know if you have a servant’s heart:

1. AVAILABILITY - Real ‘servants’ do what’s needed, even if it is inconvenient for them. It’s been said that ‘God isn’t interested in your ability He’s interested in your availability’. Are you available for your family, friends, co-workers, enemies, strangers?? What steps can you take to make yourself available?
2. PAY ATTENTION TO NEEDS – Real servants see the needs and act on them before anyone else may even notice the need. They take initiative and do what needs to be done. They see the need, and do their best to meet the need, or at least try to find someone who can. Do you have the ‘eyes of Christ’? Can you see the needs of others quickly and easily? Are you too occupied with your own needs that other’s needs fall to the wayside? What steps can you take to pay more attention to other’s needs?
3. DO THE BEST WITH WHAT YOU HAVE – It basically goes along with the last one, where they do what needs to be done, with what they have available, or who they have available. This leads us back to the first one as well. Are you available for others to use to help serve someone? Do you procrastinate, and wait for a better time to help… wait for more money to help… wait for… ? Can you use everyday items or giftings that are available to you to make things work for other’s needs to be met? Are you one who says, “Well I haven’t gone to Bible College…” or “I don’t have the training…” or use other excuses not to serve?
4. DO EVERY TASK WITH EQUAL DEDICATION… or with all your heart. Small tasks or large tasks, tasks where you get noticed and appreciated, tasks with which you remain anonymous… Do you work diligently at every task, no matter what it is or who it’s for? It says in the Bible, in Colossians 3:23, “In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for people.” Do you serve with the heart that you are working for the Lord, or do you work grudgingly or looking for a reward all the time? Do you feel yourself to be too important to be doing the ‘little jobs’?
5. BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR MINISTRY – Finish what you begin. Stay committed, and don’t quit. Commitment these days isn’t as strong as it once was. Lack of commitment in marriages today results in a really high divorce rate. People are giving up too easily on things of great importance. We need to remember that we are working for the Lord, and He has given us the gifts, talents and traits to fulfill the position we are in. Sometimes we may feel like we are insignificant compared to others in the church… but we should still work hard at what we’ve been called to do, as we are all the same in the Lord’s eyes. We need the fruit of faithfulness in our lives to grow, so that we may persevere. Can you be counted on? Can people trust your word? Are you faithful in the little things?
6. MAINTAIN A LOW PROFILE – Be humble. “Hey everyone, look at me, see what I did, I’m so humble” is not a sentence that should be in your vocabulary. No one should think they are more important than others, and you certainly should not brag about it. Doing a service or fulfilling a task in ministry should not be something that you brag about to others. Others may lift you up and thank you for a job well done, but you are not to seek praise from others. We are working for the Lord, so it is His rewards that we should seek. No one is more important than another. “If anyone thinks he is important when he really is not, he is only fooling himself.” Galatians 6:3 (NCV) WOW… do you seek the praise of men or the praise of God? Do you do tasks only when others are watching or can notice that you are doing them? Can you anonymously fulfill a task large or small, and not receive praise? Do YOU take credit for work that someone else did? Can you do the ‘little things behind the scenes’ and not receive acknowledgement or acclaim? Are you a self-promoter?

A servant’s heart is a humble heart, it requires a lot of work, yet it should be really easy to accomplish once you set your mind to it. These steps are just a start… putting others above yourself, requires putting Jesus first in your life, and spreading the JOY of being in a relationship with Him. To have real JOY, you need to have your priorities in the right order – J.O.Y. = Jesus, Others & You! Be blessed and ask the Lord to help you have a servant’s heart.
Serving… it’s not really that difficult. It’s an important part of life, one that should not be overlooked. Where would the game of volleyball be without serving?
1 Corinthians 15:58 –“So my dear brothers and sisters, stand strong. Do not let anything move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your work in the Lord is never wasted.”

Here are some ‘Christian cartoons’ regarding humility, and servant-hood… enjoy! (Clicking on the link below the cartoons will take you to the cartoonist’s website – REVERENDFUN.COM and CHURCH MICE)

http://www.reverendfun.com/

http://www.zorowski.com/churchmice/frames.htm

PRAYER: O’ Lord it’s hard to be humble… help us to have a heart for others instead of ourselves, and to walk in humility. Help us to STEP UP and SERVE! Help us to love others like you love us, so that we may put their needs ahead of our own. Let us be filled with joy when we perform both large and small tasks for your glory and not our own. Continue to guide us and direct our steps so that we may glorify You and Your Son, and it’s in His Name I pray, AMEN!

Day 30: October 30th - - Psalm 46:10 & Day 31: October 31st - - James 1:22

"POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 30 & 31
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10 NKJ

As a child, we are told many times to ‘sit still’. Usually we had to be told that, because it was time to pay attention to what was being said, & to not distract others while they were listening as well. God sometimes needs to sit us down in His presence, and tell us to be still. He is our Father, and we are His children, and He wants us to pay attention. We can get so busy with things around us, and not take time to honestly pay attention to Him. Our lives are so busy in this day and age, and sometimes we are even busy doing things for the Lord, that we don’t always take time with the Lord. In the case of when we were children, or looking at children today, we say the old saying, ‘Silence is golden’. We truly don’t realize that silence, doesn’t mean just standing motionless, and having no sound around us, it means silencing our hearts and minds as well. God speaks in a still, small voice, and if we really want to hear Him, and be able to listen to His Words, then we need to silence our entire beings, heart, soul, mind, spirit & body.

I know that when I worship & pray to God I can get excited, and I speak in tongues, and like to praise Him, but there are times when I need to ‘be quiet’. Sometimes God needs to remind me of this truth, (as He did at the “Expect a Harvest Fall Conference” last weekend – Thank you Lord!) and I need to remain in His peace. I thank the Lord for His peace that passes all understanding, and that although there may be storms around us, we can rest in His peace, and truly know He is God.

To ‘know’, according to the dictionary, is;
- to perceive or understand as fact or truth; to apprehend clearly and with certainty:
- to have established or fixed in the mind or memory:
- to be cognizant or aware of
- be acquainted with, as by sight, experience or report:
- to understand from experience or attainment
- to be able to distinguish, as one from another

How does one truly ‘know’ God? This is a question in the hearts and minds of Biblical scholars, and regular people all around the world. So many authors, teachers, professors, scholars, pastors, evangelists, etc have given their take on the answer to this question, and you can read many books or articles, attend many conferences or seminars, but the answer lies in this verse… “Be still and know that I am God”. Spend time with God. It’s as simple as that. When you first begin to date, you get to know the other person, and spend time with them. As time goes by, and you spend more time with them, listening and sharing, you learn more about them. But they also learn more about you. God knows all about you, but He wants you to share your heart with Him. He wants you to know Him in an intimate way as well.

There is a worship song called, ‘In the Secret’, and in the chorus it says, “I want to know You, I want to hear Your voice, I want to know You more. I want to touch You, I want to see Your face, I want to know You more”. To truly ‘know’ something or someone, you need to use all your senses to experience it or them for all they are worth, or for all they have. I cannot say I know ‘Spanish’ for example, just from watching some Dora videos, where Dora uses a few Spanish words like ‘agua’ (water) and ‘Hola’ (hello). I actually have to experience it for myself, learn the words, listen to others speak it, and to understand it fully, and clearly. Obviously I cannot physically touch the Spanish language… but I’m sure you get my point.

To know God, is to love God. When you truly experience God for yourself, you will come to a whole new understanding of who He really is, and what He can and will do in and through you. When we come to this realization of God, to ‘know’ Him as the definition above stated, we can truly:
- perceive or understand God as fact or truth; to apprehend Him and His ways clearly and with certainty:
- to have established or fixed Him in our mind or memory:
- to be cognizant or aware of Him
- be acquainted with God, as by sight, experience or report:
- understand Him from experience or attainment
- & be able to distinguish Him, as one from another (discernment).
We will not have trouble distinguishing His voice from all the others around us, nor will we have trouble remembering that He is with us wherever we go. He will be exalted among the nations, and exalted in the earth, as the rest of the verse in Psalm 46:10.
When we ‘know’ God, we can understand Him, and what He wants for our lives. We can truly listen to His Words and not just hear them. We can then be doers of the Word, and not hearers only.

This leads us to devotional #2 – Day #31

“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22 NKJV

Hearing and listening are a great topic of discussion. In the dictionary in most cases, hearing is defined as ‘to listen’ or ‘to perceive by the ear’. Listening on the other hand is defined as;
- to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
- To pay attention; heed; obey
- To wait attentively for a sound.
In once sense, they are the same, but in another, they are not. Once you have experienced God, you can come to the realization that you can hear the voice of the Lord, but to truly listen to what He says, you need to ‘be still’ and actively listen and then obey what He has said. It’s the same again, with children and their parents. When mom says, “take out the trash” to the little boy who is watching his favourite show on TV, he can hear her talking, but is he actually listening to what she is saying, or is he listening to the TV?

Listening is acting upon what is being heard. Communication barriers come up when people just hear, and don’t truly listen. Gossip is spread, and stories are changed, because some people hear what they want to hear, and they don’t listen to what is truly being said.

Music today is a great example of this ‘hearing vs. listening’ debate. We can hear the music, and love the tune, rhythm and the beats, but are we actually listening to the words? Some songs have very questionable lyrics, yet have really cool tunes, beats, or drum solos. One example for me is the song, ‘Mambo #5’. I used to work in a retail party store, and we sold party music CD’s and videos. We would play the video to help sell the merchandise, and so we would hear it all day long, and even learn some of the cheesy dance moves along with ‘Drew’. One of the songs was ‘Mambo #5’. Don’t get me wrong, (you will be convicted in your own time regarding songs, I am just sharing one that has affected me) I still like the tune, and unfortunately we have it on one of the CDs at work that we play for the children (which I still don’t understand). But anyhow, the tune is cool and the beats are cool and somehow we can even sing along to the words… and the one part is really fun to do the actions and dance to–
‘jump up and down and move it all aroundshake your head to the sound put your hands an the groundtake one step left and one step rightone to the front and one to the sideclap your hands once and clap your hands twiceand if it looks like this then you doin' it right’
But the words in the rest of it are truly questionable. In reality, the man singing the song is proud of the fact that he can flirt with so many women in his life, and each has a different ‘spot’ in his heart. He is having different relations and flirting with each of these women, and in one case he is with one of them ‘all night long’. One woman, and one man is the way God intended. Unfortunately he also prays to the Lord in the song. Eek… and this is what we are letting our kids listen to? (This isn’t even one of the worst ones).

We need to listen to worship music, and uplifting and inspirational music, or scripture so that is what goes in our minds, to come out our mouths, and also in our actions will be of the Lord. You need to ‘GET INTO GOD’S WORD, SO THAT GOD’S WORD GETS INTO YOU’! Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only. Hear the word of the Lord, listen to what He is truly saying, and act upon His Words, not the words of the world. There is life in the Words of God, and we need to pay attention to His Words. In Proverbs 22:17-19 it says, “Listen carefully to what wise people say; pay attention to what I am teaching you. It will be good to keep these things in mind so that you are ready to repeat them. I am teaching them to you now so that you will put your trust in the Lord.” (NCV)

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we pray Lord that You will help us find that “secret place” with you, where we still our entire beings to hear and listen to what You want to tell us. Show us the ways in which You want us to walk. Teach us the things which You want us to say. Train us to discern Your voice, and the voice of Your Holy Spirit. Help us take time to be alone in Your presence, and to wait on You, and to truly come to ‘know’ You. Remind us that in the ‘storms of life’, you can still the wind and the waves, and we can rest in Your peace no matter what is going on around us. Hide us under Your wings, and let us rest in Your embrace. Draw us close to You, and never let us go. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN!

Reuben Morgan (Hillsong) wrote a beautiful peaceful song regarding the verse in Psalm 46:10. It is called “Still”. Turn up the volume a little, and play the video/song, and then quiet your soul to hear from the Lord, and be sure to listen to what He is telling you! (It takes a little bit to start playing, and there is an instrumental part at the end of the song.)


Here’s the lyrics…
(feel free to sing along, and sing it as a prayer to the Lord)
"Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hands

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You, above the storm Father,
You are king over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul,
in Christ alone
Know His power,
in quietness and trust"

Be blessed, and be a blessing!

Day 27 & 28: October 27th & October 28th, 2009 - - Hosea 4:6

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 27 & 28
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)



Teddy Bear Generator at Comments101.com

“My people will be destroyed, because they have no knowledge. You have refused to learn, so I will refuse to let you be priests to me. You have forgotten the teachings of your God, so I will forget your children.” Hosea 4:6

H1N1 – The flu virus… Recession… how many other negative things can you think of that are disturbing the natural flow of the world and its people? WOW… I will not and cannot give you any medical advice regarding the H1N1, nor can I give you any credible financial advice regarding the recession, yet I do know one thing I can tell you for sure, and I know it’s very medically safe, and very credible financially and will give you the best ‘side effects’ known to man --- FAITH in GOD (the one true God)!

As the verse today says, “My people will be destroyed, because they have no knowledge. You have refused to learn, so I will refuse to let you be priests to me. You have forgotten the teachings of your God, so I will forget your children.” Knowledge is something that we all would like to attain. No one in this world knows everything, except God (the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit). Many people have fought over this issue for years, (looking back to past flu/disease outbreaks) and have stressed, and argued and tried to make their point using opinions and facts. Scientists and medical researchers are on both sides of the fence, and Christian folks are as well. Just ‘Google’ the H1N1, and WOW, see what comes up. I did just that, (for some more insight tonight) and I ‘Google’d “Christian view of H1N1”… interesting reads I must say. Most people are either scared into getting the vaccine, or scared out of getting the vaccine. This seems scary all in itself, yet it should not be… for my Bible and my God says, “For I did not give you a spirit of fear, but of power, love and of a sound mind (self-discipline).” (2 Timothy 1:7)

Flues and diseases will come and go, we had them in the past, and they are certainly present, and will most likely affect our future, but they are ever-changing, and the vaccines and information regarding them are ever-changing, but the Lord our God will stay the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Our faith in God will be the best preventative measure that we can take right now, because it’s the only thing that is certain, and that will last forever, and not change! God has called us to ‘cry out to Him’ for our family and our friends. We have the POWER and authority over these flues and diseases. We need to PRAY for the people, not PREY on the people. Children and seniors, and pregnant women are among the first who are told to get the vaccine… The world thinks they are attracting the weak first, yet I believe these are really the strongest. Children are the next generation, and seniors have the wisdom that this generation needs. The Bible says, ‘a little child shall lead them.’ Pregnant women are bringing the next generation of leaders into the world, and they are the bearers of life. [I cannot say much more regarding this, and still stay basically objective, stating the facts in the Bible, but after reading both views (for and against the vaccine), and the differing views among each side, I will leave you with that truth to study more for yourself.]

God gave us the power to PRAY, as I stated above. I quoted the scripture in 2 Timothy 1:7 above regarding God giving us the power. Yet, we may overlook the verse just before that one. It is so powerful for this time… for such a time as this! “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6)

WOW! (Say it aloud) WOW! (Now say it backwards) WOW! (Now smile because God is in control). (Thanks P.G.D.!)

The people today need to take that authority over disease, pestilence, and anything else that is coming against them and their families. We have been given the spirit of power, love and a sound mind/self discipline. (Say these words of truth aloud, ‘I have not been given the spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind!’) Are we walking around in fear, thinking crazy thoughts, lining up for several hours to get a shot? Or are we walking around in peace, with a sound mind, taking authority over our thoughts and over the diseases coming against us? JUST A THOUGHT…

Am I saying ‘Don’t panic over the H1N1’? Yes! There are much worse things in the world coming against you and your family than the H1N1 (and no I’m not saying it’s the H1N1 vaccine like several other people). The enemy is out to deceive us all, and he is sitting laughing at what the world has become. He is laughing, and we need to silence that laughter, and stomp on him and his plans; he is under our feet, and we need to learn & use the authority we have, and he needs to learn his place. I am saying ‘Don’t panic over the H1N1’, but I am also saying ‘don’t ignore the H1N1’. God has given us a sound mind, which includes common sense (which I know isn’t so common). Use common sense when dealing with you and your family (especially if you have children, seniors or pregnant women in your circle of family & friends)! I believe these truths for three reasons: 1) It is in Scripture, 2) Experience, & 3) Observation.

For the most part, there are everyday steps that can help prevent the spread of germs, or the spread of the influenza bug. According to http://www.cdc.gov/flu/freeresources/ this includes:
* Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. (*My note* - Usually you are told to cough into your elbow or sleeve, which is good for the most part, but your germs stay on your clothing, and if you work with children, and pick them up, congratulations, you just spread the germ anyway.)
* Stay away from people who are sick. (*my note* - please pray for them)
* Wash hands often with soap and water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
* Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs spread this way.
* If someone in the household is sick, try to keep the sick person in a separate room from others in the household, if possible.
* Keep surfaces like bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, kitchen counters and toys for children clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant according to directions on the product label.
* Throw away tissues and other disposable items used by sick persons in your household in the trash.

I’d like to add;

* If you are really worried, take multiple vitamins, like B and D, and of course C.
* Eat a spoonful of honey… just ‘bee’cause!
* Pray over your meals, pray over your family (& friends), and seek God for protection and peace in this ‘storm’ of life. Plead the blood of Jesus over you and your family – declare the words, ‘No weapon formed against me shall prosper!’ and ‘No evil shall come nigh my dwelling place’ (dwelling place – you are the temple, this includes you, your home, your work, your children’s school or work, etc.)
* Take care of YOU… (The best vitamin for a Christian is B1)
* Pray hard to God regarding the vaccine, if He tells you to get it, then get it. If He wants you to trust in Him fully, and resist the temptation, then don’t get it, and pray all the more! Obedience brings blessings! (either way)
* Don’t let the media or others put the fear of man, fear of disease, or fear of any (non-reverent) kind into you. God is in control! (“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 NIV)

Jesus has the power over everything… humans have messed it up. Adam and Eve were a part of the first sin, and that ensured that humans will always be flawed. No human is perfect, no human has enough wisdom and understanding, or counsel or might, or knowledge. No human fears the Lord to the effect that Jesus did. The Word says, “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge…” Isaiah 11:1-4 NKJV

God will give us all that we need, (which may or may not include the vaccine) “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

“Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.” 2 Timothy 2:7 NIV

Put your faith in God, because God is in control… whether you believe it or not, this fact is true! ‘There is no power above or beside Him, we know God is in control.’ (Lyric from God is in Control, sung by Twila Paris)

Quoting the lyrics from the song, “God is in Control”, I conclude;

“This is no time for fear
This is a time for faith and determination
Don't lose the vision here
Carried away by emotion
Hold on to all that you hide in your heart
There is one thing that has always been true
It holds the world together

God is in control
We believe that His children will not be forsaken
God is in control
We will choose to remember and never be shaken
There is no power above or beside Him, we know
God is in control, oh God is in control

History marches on
There is a bottom line drawn across the ages
Culture can make its plan
Oh, but the line never changes
No matter how the deception may fly
There is one thing that has always been true
It will be true forever
He has never let you down
Why start to worry now?
He is still the Lord of all we see
And He is still the loving Father
Watching over you and me

watching over you… watching over me…watching over every things…watching over you… watching over me…every little sparrow…every little things…”

Gods Word will stand forever… “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21 NKJV

PRAYER: [My heart is breaking and my spirit is crying out for the people of this world (believers and non-believers), and I am praying for us (ALL of us) not to be deceived. I am praying that the Lord will give each of us individually the knowledge and wisdom needed regarding this and other diseases and spirits that may come against us. I plead the blood of Jesus over me and my family (and I hope that you pray the same). I will close with the best prayer known to man, the Lord’s Prayer. In a time like this, we need His words, and not our own.] “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power and the glory. Forever and ever, AMEN! (Matthew 6:9-13)

*Here's a video with the song, 'God is in Control'... play it loud, and declare it over your household or workplace today!* May God bless you and keep you, and make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.

Day 26: October 26th, 2009 - -

Seeds are being sown... hallelujah!!

Psalm 103 (New Century Version)

Praise to the Lord of Love
Of David.
1 All that I am, praise the Lord; everything in me, praise his holy name. 2 My whole being, praise the Lord and do not forget all his kindnesses. 3 He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. 4 He saves my life from the grave and loads me with love and mercy. 5 He satisfies me with good things and makes me young again, like the eagle. 6 The Lord does what is right and fair for all who are wronged by others. 7 He showed his ways to Moses and his deeds to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord shows mercy and is kind. He does not become angry quickly, and he has great love. 9 He will not always accuse us, and he will not be angry forever. 10 He has not punished us as our sins should be punished; he has not repaid us for the evil we have done. 11 As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect him. 12 He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from west. 13 The Lord has mercy on those who respect him, as a father has mercy on his children. 14 He knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust. 15 Human life is like grass; we grow like a flower in the field. 16 After the wind blows, the flower is gone, and there is no sign of where it was. 17 But the Lord's love for those who respect him continues forever and ever, and his goodness continues to their grandchildren 18 and to those who keep his agreement and who remember to obey his orders. 19 The Lord has set his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over everything. 20 You who are his angels, praise the Lord. You are the mighty warriors who do what he says and who obey his voice. 21 You, his armies, praise the Lord; you are his servants who do what he wants. 22 Everything the Lord has made should praise him in all the places he rules. My whole being, praise the Lord.

Thank you Lord for your Word which shall not return void! PRAISE THE LORD!

Day 25: October 25th, 2009 - - Hebrews 13:14-16

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 25
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

“Here on earth we do not have a city that lasts forever, but we are looking for the city that we will have in the future. So through Jesus let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise, coming from lips that speak his name. Do not forget to do good to others, and share with them, because such sacrifices please God.” Hebrews 13:14-16 NCV

OH GOD, WE CRY OUT FOR YOUR MERCY... OH GOD, WE CRY OUT FOR YOUR GRACE... OH GOD, WE CRY OUT, SET US FREE... OH GOD, WE CRY OUT ONCE AGAIN... ONCE AGAIN!

Do we honestly cry out to the Lord, or is it more like whining? Do we honestly take the Lord at His word, and believe that when we ask, we will receive?

God wants to hear us. When we talk to or about Him, He blesses us. In the Bible, many times it speaks of people being healed by Jesus, because of their faith. How is our faith? Is it seriously smaller than a mustard seed? Or do we trust Him completely with our lives? It also says in the Bible, that these people came to Jesus, they didn't wait for Jesus to come to them. In some cases however, when they couldn't see or walk, to make it to Jesus, they CRIED OUT IN A LOUD VOICE. How many times have we cried out to Jesus in a loud voice? Do we take time to tell Him what is really on our hearts, although He already knows? He wants us to speak to Him. God is tired, and I am tired of people who just seek after Him in troubled times... and then complain that He isn't there, or He doesn't answer prayers, or they blame Him for the trouble. If we sought God everyday, and at every time of the day, we wouldn't have time to get ourselves into trouble, because there is no way we can stray away from Him, if we are completely focused on Him. Isn't that a truth and a half? WOW! Thank You Lord for Your wisdom.

We don't just cry out for ourselves either, we cry out for those around us. Even if they do not even know you are crying out for them. We want God to get the glory for their answer to prayer, not us. We don't want people worshipping us, we want them worshipping God. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." Phil. 2:3-4 NIV

At the OUTPOUR Conference, one of the pastors spoke about Bartimaeus the blind man, who cried out in a very loud voice, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me". We had a time of crying out to the Lord for mercy and grace. During the 'EXPECT a HARVEST' Conference on Sunday night, we again were taught on crying out for mercy. This time it however had a little more of an impact on me. WOW! Obedience brings rewards. I have always tried to 'dance' when the worship song says, 'I will dance'. I have always tried to 'clap' when the worship song says 'clap'... yet when the worship song says, 'I will shout', I sometimes do, and sometimes don't, and when I do, it's not all that loud all of the time. However, when I was younger, someone once (probably more) told me that if I can shout and cheer at a hockey game or a sporting event, how much more should I shout and cheer for Jesus? I have always remembered this, and thought of the verse 'to worship in Spirit and in truth'. It's not really worshipping in truth, if I'm singing, "bow to my knees" and I'm standing. It's not really truth, if it says, "I will sing, I will shout..." and I'm singing quietly. During the AM church service, we sang that song, "I Will Do the Same", and I shouted, but yeah, it wasn't really loud, and for some reason I felt silly like people would stare and wonder.

That night at conference, we had an altar call, and I didn't really feel the spirit moving for me to pray for myself, yet I had the desire to pray for others. I didn't go up to the altar, I sat quietly interceding... that was until the pastor spoke the words 'Why are you still in your pew?'... and started saying that we should be breaking for others, and crying out for them. He had spoken on the 10 lepers, and how 10 were cleansed, but only one came back to praise Jesus and give Him glory, so he was not just cleansed but healed. Jesus asked the man where the other 9 were... and as the pastor said, 'If Jesus doesn't know where they are, then they are really lost'. We are called to cry out for the lost... lost family, lost friends, lost co-workers, and lost strangers. Well we were all on our face, well as far as I saw before I lay down on my face... and we were praying and crying. We were clinging to Jesus, and crying out... yet still really quiet. The pastor spoke about clinging to Jesus, and that struck my Spirit, and so I started clutching my hands, and I hit something, I opened my eyes wondering who's leg my hand was near, and when I opened my eyes, I saw I was at the foot of our cross. WOW, what a powerful moment, and that's when my Spirit wanted to cry out and groan. But again, fear of man started to creep in, and the pastor spoke the words regarding the silence, and how the people in the Bible cried out in a LOUD voice... so overcoming the fear of man, because God is STRONGER, I cried out loudly! I shouted in a really loud voice, in obedience to the Spirit, and that helped others to cry out. Not taking any glory, because it certainly was not me, it was the Spirit in me that cried out for the lost. What a powerful time there, at the foot of the cross. 'I want to cling to you Jesus'.

We need to take quiet time alone with God, but we also need to let the Spirit groan in utterings that we do not understand. We need to cry out in a loud voice. MERCY... Have MERCY on us Lord. Do you know the difference between Mercy and Grace?? The pastor enlightened us this weekend...

GRACE - Getting something which we don't deserve. (eternal life)

MERCY - Not getting something that we do deserve. (eternal death)

Wow... that is so powerful! Thank you Pastor for being an obedient vessel, for God to work in and through! Thank You Lord for your Mercy!! Have mercy on us Lord we pray!!

Prayer: 'Father of life, seated on Your throne of grace. It's only by Your mercy we are saved. Lord, You have said if we call upon Your Name, we and our families will be saved. So we cry out Your Name, El Shaddai, God of grace - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. We rely on Your grace, Adonai, crowned in praise - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. Father of love, never failing to forgive. Each moment is a gift from You to live. We're only here to tell the world about Your grace, until the day You take us all away. We will cry out Your Name, El Shaddai, God of grace - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. We rely on Your grace, Adonai, crowned in praise - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. O, so we cry out Your Name, El Shaddai, God of grace - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ. We rely on Your grace, Adonai, crowned in praise - Lord Most High, Jesus Christ.' Help us cry out to You God, in a loud voice, not having the fear of man, but having the fear and reverence for You and who You are. Guide us in the paths You wish us to take, and lead us to those souls that we are to sow seeds into, water, and best of all harvest! In the precious name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, AMEN! (*Words in 'quotes' taken from the song 'We Cry Out' by Kari Jobe - Gateway Worship)

Be blessed, and be a blessing as you choose to be ‘chosen’ & speak the Words of the Lord.
check out this video... we sang this song and cried out to the Lord... maybe its time for you to cry out to Him too!

Day 24: October 24th, 2009 - - Matthew 9:36-38 EXPECT A HARVEST!

“POINTS TO PONDER” – Day 24
Written by M. Hall
Please feel free to agree or disagree with points made, and feel free to comment if so desired. If you would like, you could write your own thoughts on the verse of the day, and include that in your own comments below. Thank you and may you be blessed!! =)

“When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them because they were hurting and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus said to His followers, ‘There are many people to harvest but only a few workers to help harvest them. Pray to the Lord, who owns the harvest, that He will send more workers to gather His harvest’." Matthew 9:36-38 NCV
WOW~ God is amazing! If you have been reading these devotionals, yesterday you would have read that I have been attending a Conference called Outpour. Today was the last day of the conference, there was an AM session, an afternoon session, and a PM session. Usually you feel a little sad that a conference is coming to an end, because the speaker is leaving, and leaving at a high note in your life spiritually. However, this Conference may be complete, but we have another Conference starting tomorrow night, with the same guest speaker!! Hallelujah God! Speak, your servant is listening! =)

So, there was a delay in writing this, part due to laziness, yet also I think part to God not being done speaking into my life on this thought and action. Harvesting... to a farmer, or a gardener that means alot. It means all the hard work has paid off, and you are reaping the benefits of sowing seeds, tending the field/garden, getting rid of weeds, watering, fertilizing, etc. Harvesting to us as Christians is basically the same, we reap what we sow. These past few years have been a great time of sowing for us. We have, so we give. When we haven't financially, we give in other ways, and God gives to us financially and in other ways, and we then give more financially to the Lord. Our acts of worship, teaching, and working FOR the Lord are also ways to give back to God.

Compassion... what a word. In this verse, it says Jesus saw the crowds and felt sorry for them. This does not mean pity, it means compassion. He had a heart for the 'multitudes', whether they were male or female; Jewish or Gentile; young or old; rich or poor; etc, you get the picture. As we learned back a few devotionals ago, Jesus is our Shepherd. A Shepherd has compassion for his sheep. I am thankful that I have a heart that breaks for His people, yet I continually need to ask God to 'break my heart for what breaks Yours'. He wants to harvest people. He is sowing seeds of love from the Father, to reap the benefits of more people in the Kingdom of Heaven, instead of in the clutches of the enemy. God wants to see everyone come to know Him, believe in Him and live for Him, but because He also gave us our free-choice, not everyone will make that important decision. We know there are millions and billions, and trillions and more people in the world who don't know Jesus, and what are we doing about it? Really?

Harvest time… Yes Lord, it’s harvest time! We need to be out ‘planting seeds’ if we expect to reap a harvest! We need to do some harvesting, but we also need to pray for others, so that there will be more harvesters. Lord, send more people to gather the harvest! Your harvest, for Your glory! We have to have a heart for the people. A heart like Jesus! I have been praying for a long time, and more recently & more often with the children I work with, for God to help us love others, like He loves us. WOW! What a statement, but when prayed with faith and believing it makes all the difference! Jesus was out with the people. Jesus talked with the people, even the ones no one wanted to talk with, or even hang out with. People that others hated or despised, or ones that were basically left to die. We need to start reaching out more, in love. Not expecting something in return from them. We can certainly expect somethng from our Father in Heaven, because He promises that we will reap what we sow. If we are sowing words of judgement, and ignoring other's needs around us, why in the world would we expect to reap a life of favour? WOW... I am speaking to myself on this one too, so don't think of me as nagging on you. But really, sometimes we need to be shaken up a little. Most of us have family members and close friends who are not saved. Yes, they may have said the cute lil' sinner's prayer when they were 5, but really, how are they living now? They have to experience God for themselves, and sometimes we have to be that 'first impression'. It's been said many times that “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”. It's also been said that we are sometimes the only Bible that people will get to see/read. We are the hands and feet, and mouth and ears... etc... of Jesus! We may never get a second chance to share the gospel with some people. Others in our lives may hear it over and over. Keep pressing in, and pressing on! Persevere through... Be the best example of Christ that you can be. People need us, because people need the Lord! We need to share that JOY with everyone.

We love the advancement in our world, but have so many things in our way today, and technology is a great thing, yet also a hassle. We love things like blogs, Facebook, MySpace, IM's, and more... yet, how much time do we spend on them, and how much time do we give to the Lord? I know I am guilty of this one too. (so don't take me wrong) This one is totally for me too! Writing the words, and speaking the words will help encourage me to do the Word and the words. I can use the 'excuse' (as that is a good excuse right now in the Christian circles) that I use Facebook, and my blog to minister and spread the good news, because that is definitely true. But that's not all I use it for, I also spend time on the silly things, like too many silly quizzes, and reality-based Social games. Do you notice that they can't just have ONE social based game (ie: Yo-ville), they have to keep adding more... and we keep accepting.... pretty soon these applications bog up our system, and that's all we can do. We think, I have 6 hours before I have to come back and take the cake out of the oven in the Yoville sweets factory, which should give me lots of time to check out my fields and crops in FarmTown, and of course its counterpart FarmVille (just incase you need more than one farm); yet I also have time to serve people in my restaurant in Cafe World or the Restaurant one (whatever its called). Oh, I can't forget I have to go help my Mob boss kill somebody, before they kill me in Mob Wars or Mafia Wars... but wait, I forgot to go back and take the 'French Onion Soup' off of the stove in Cafe World, so its gone to waste. Because I was too busy getting the hit man, I missed harvesting the crop of corn in FarmTown, so it has gone to waste.... and so on and so on, and soon our time with Jesus has gone to waste too! How our mindset changes, to think that feeding people every minute in Cafe World, or harvesting fields in FarmTown or FarmVille is totally a necessity. We fret when the preacher talks too long, because we have to 'serve our homestyle chicken dinner' in Cafe World before it goes to waste. What are we thinking??? Really...?? God's Word says, "Why spend your money on something that is not real food? Why work for something that doesn't really satisfy you? Listen closely to me, and you will eat what is good; your soul will enjoy the rich food that satisfies." (Isaiah 55:2 -NCV)

I was going to write a devotional before on harvesting, and on FarmTown, because the Lord was showing me things about sowing, reaping and harvesting. I was getting tired of the game, yet, I did however keep the application on, and checked in every now and then. I haven't planted any crops, and allowed my trees to grow, because for some reason crops go to waste, but trees stay fruitful. (Is there a spiritual meaning here, yes, and I'm sure God will reveal that to me more later.) You keep some games/applications on your page because your friends are playing it, and you are helping them. Pfffttphh... are we really helping them?? I can use all the excuses to why the applications were still on my Facebook, but in reality I just wasn't giving top priority to the One who deserves the top priority in my heart and life.

More about FarmTown, as that's the one that hit me first... Here are some pictures from the game, incase you don't have the application (and please, this is not a paid ad for FarmTown, so please don't go and add the application, unless you are willing to apply it to your life).








So, by these pictures, you see that there are many different 'signs' showing what's going on, so you know what you are to do. The first picture says 'plowed field', so you know that you can sow seeds, and in time they will grow into the crop that it says. The second picture says 'harvested field', so this shows that you just harvested a crop, and now can plow it and sow a seed. The third picture shows 'Apple Tree - Ready to Harvest', meaning you can now harvest the fruit from the tree, and then it will grow again and produce more fruit. The last picture shows a 'Potato Field Gone to Waste'. How sad is this picture? This means that you didn't harvest it in time, and you can not harvest it anymore, or get anything back from those seeds that were sown. You know the name of the crop, but its gone, so its no good anymore. Fortunately in the game, you can plow over the field, and start fresh, planting new seeds. The Lord is revealing a new truth to me, as I said He would in the above paragraph. The crops go to waste, yet the fruit trees remain fruitful. When we let seeds that were sown, die & not get harvested, or get choked by weeds, or eaten by birds, they go to waste. In other words, if we leave people un-harvested, they will go to waste, living a life of eternal damnation in hell. (Yes, hell is a real place.) Yet, when we harvest the fruit of love, joy, salvation in people, they in turn become more fruitful, and harvest fruit of their own. How amazing is God?? Now, wouldn't it be so much easier, if we all had 'signs', like the apple tree in the picture. Walking through the mall, and observing people, and seeing signs that say 'Ready to Harvest', would sure be a help wouldn't it? We would get excited I think, and go and speak to people more. Yet, taking the other side, what if we walked through the church, and saw signs that said 'Gone to Waste'?? Would it be too late to plow their hearts? Fortunately and unfortunately, we don't have physical signs, yet if we allow the Spirit to speak to us, He will tell us His heart for the people.

There is a book called 'The Heart Reader', and in it the man gets the spiritual gift (for lack of a better word right now) to be able to read the hearts of the people around him, and he can help them according to their desires and needs for the Lord. For the secular world, there is a movie called 'What Women Want' starring Mel Gibson. In this movie, Mel's character has an unfortunate (or fortunate in his case) accident, and he is able to hear the hearts of women and their desires and needs too. He in turn helps out many women because he can hear what they really want. However, this can happen in the real world, as I said above, if we allow ourselves to hear what the Spirit is saying.

We need to approach every day with God, expecting a harvest! Who knew when I put 'fall harvest conference' and 'expectation ministries' together, that coming up with 'Expect a Harvest' would mean sooooo much? Even if the title just ended up being special to me, and God speaking to me, that would be awesome. But I know that many others were touched at this conference, and will continue to be from Sunday night, to Tuesday night, and long after. (For those of you who couldn't make it out to Conference, or others who may be reading this, if you desire, you can contact me here to order yourself a CD set - - they are $5 a CD, and there will be 3 CD's) EXPECT A HARVEST! Pray for an OUTPOUR of His Spirit! Hallelujah Jesus!!
I'm not even going to touch on Cafe World, or the others, yet how much more important are the hungry people in this world, who need the 'bread of life', rather than a bowl of cyber soup. "Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you into the wrong way. Your hearts should be strengthened by God's grace, not by obeying rules about foods, which do not help those who obey them." (Hebrews 13:9 NCV) I am not condemning anyone, (as condemning nor convicting is my job), I'm just speaking the truth, and this is for my own benefit too. As I said, I am not condemning you if you have these applications on your Facebook, and maybe you will or will not be convicted by the Holy Spirit to change. Maybe you are okay in your spiritual walk, and can spend time on these frivolous activities. As long as you spend more time with God then you do with the Mob...
Think of the word 'applications', how do these really apply to your life? For the most part, you have to think of what you are actually playing. The innocent "killing", because its not real, and the innocent "stealing tips" because its not real, is still technically killing and stealing, and those are two of God's 10 commandments. Gets ya thinking doesn't it?? How much more fun would it be to go out and share Jesus, and get your friends sharing Jesus, and hearing the angels rejoice in Heaven over a lost soul coming home? Think of your Heavenly rewards, and our Lord saying, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant!"

Prayer: Wow, where to begin Lord. What to say Lord... I thank you above all that you do not want us to 'go to waste'. I thank You God for the truths that You have spoken and confirmed through your Word, and through your prophet. God help us to truly put You first in all we do. Lord, help ME to put YOU first in all I do. (I cannot speak for others, but because my heart breaks for them, I do). Thank you for showing me the silliness of it all, and how serious You are about Your people. They are not just crops and fruit, they are Your people, Your children, none of whom You want to see perish! Help us not want to see them perish either. As I have prayed on many occasions, help us love them like You love us. Help us see them through Your eyes. I pray for the Spiritual Words of wisdom and knowledge that I have used before, and let go to the wayside, to be refired in me. Help me to hear people's hearts, and to speak Your words into them. Words of life, and not death; words of peace, & not war; words of love & not hate; words of encouragement & not discouragement; words to build up & not tear down. Show me Lord the ones who are ready to harvest, the ones who need more seeds sown, and the ones who the world has told them they have gone to waste, but they are still alive to you. We all have to die to ourselves, to live fully in You. Praise You Lord that You made me who I am, and help me to share your love and make a good 'first impression' for You and Your gospel! To give Your love, we must be full of Your love, so let us fall more in love with You. Show us how high, how deep, how wide Your love is. In the precious name of Your Son, Jesus, AMEN!

Check out this video... we sang this song to the Lord at OUTPOUR to our consuming fire~ 'Let us fall more in love with you'!

EXPECT a HARVEST!!!!!