Like a tree planted by streams of water.....

Like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and
whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. (Psalm 1:3 NIV)

The song says, "Like a tree planted by the water we shall not be moved."
The only way that "we cannot be moved" is to not walk in the counsel of
those in the world. Remember this. You may be in the world, but you are
not OF the world. You have been called to a higher place of righteousness
by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

We all have to work in the world and we all know that the world is a hard
place. But if you learn that just because your body is in the world your
spirit and soul are not. You have all the tools that you need to perform
your earthly job They are provided by your employer. Likewise, your
Heavenly Father has equipped you with all the tools your body, soul, and
spirit need to operate here on earth as well. Everything you need to have a
successful life here on earth is in the Bible. I cannot tell you how
important it is to read the Bible everyday. It is your tool kit.

Now that you have opened your tool kit there is another simple rule you must
learn. Tools do not work without your picking them up and applying them.
An auto mechanic can open the hood of a car that is not working properly and
pull his tool box up next to the car and open it and stand back and just
look at the tools and the car and nothing is going to happen. And just by
picking up a tool, the mechanic is not going to fix the car either. He has
to use each tool the way it was intended to be used to complete part of the
repair. He may only need one tool to do the job, or he may need several.
But whatever he needs, you can be sure that it is in his tool box and he
knows the value and application of every one of them. That is his job.
That is how he gets paid.

You too must work your tool kit. If you leave it laying on your nightstand
or on your coffee table, it is not going to do you any good. You not only
must open your tool kit, but you must study and learn how to apply your
tools. You must learn which tool or tools to use. This is how you will get
paid by your heavenly Father.

We were born with a purpose. All of us. It is our job to apply the gifts
and talents given to us by God for His work for us in His Kingdom which is
right here on earth. You would not dream of doing any job in the world that
you did not get training for. Your resume is full of the talents you have
to impress an employer. If we strive so hard to impress our worldly
employers, why then would we be less meticulous in our preparation to do the
work God himself has created us to do? When you get a job, you want to do a
good job so that you can stay employed and get the raises, and the bonuses,
and the insurance coverage for you and your family and to keep the income
coming in to support you and your family. You don't want to bounce from job
to job. You want stability. You want to be planted where you are and build
for retirement. Likewise you must be "planted" in the Kingdom. You will
see that your work here pays you too and insures you and your family of all
the promises of God. There will be raises and bonuses you cannot even
imagine....and no one on earth can out do God's retirement plan. You could
not have a better employer. Whatever you do will prosper! And your
employment contract with God is written in Blood.

Let's get small!

Let's get small!

Think back to when you were a kid. Most of us took part in playing make
believe and we almost always played the roll of a grown up. When you are a
child, you cannot wait to grow up. There are many reasons for wanting that
in a child's mind. But most of all it was day dreaming of freedom. Freedom
from bullies, freedom from rules and teachers and parents that always seemed
to regulate everything we did from the time we got up until we went to bed.
And remember this line? "When I grow up I am going to let my kids do
whatever they want."

Well, time passed and we did grow up just to realize how good we had it when
we were kids. Ah, to have those carefree days again. But as tough as life
is on us grown ups, we as Christians still have the opportunity to be kids.
1John 3:1 NLT states, "See how very much our heavenly Father loves us, for
he allows us to be called his children, and we really are! But the people
who belong to this world don't know God, so they don't understand that we
are his children." You can be a kid again with God. As we become adults we
think that we can only talk to God about the "big" things. We think that we
can only go to Him in deep reverent prayer and ask Him for help in making
very big and important decisions. This is just not so. Our bodies do not
communicate with God in prayer. Our spirits do and they are ageless and
timeless. They are God's precious child that He created. So the next time
that you pray to Him, do it with the mind and soul and spirit of a child.
Forget the fancy words. Forget the pomp and circumstance. Take yourself
back to a simpler time. Ask as a child for your needs and desires. You are
not some distant relative of the King. You are His sons and daughters. You
may be somebody to someone in the physical, but you are a dear and lovely
child to your heavenly Father in spirit. He is real. He created you. He
thought of you before time even began. He made you in His image. He is
your Father. When you were a kid and someone hurt you or picked on you or
you had a problem that just seemed too big to handle, you would go to your
dad. He always made things right. In your child's mind, there was nothing
that Dad could not do. No problem too big for him to handle for you. Well,
if you had all that confidence in your earthly father that was merely human
and could make mistakes, why then do you make talking to and going to your
Heavenly Father so complicated? And why is it that because we cannot see
Him, we feel that we may or may not be heard by Him. Again go back to what
you learned of God as a child. The basics. God always was and always will
be. He is everywhere all at once. He sees everything. He hears
everything. God has not changed, but you have.

God knows what our problems are before we ask. But why miss the opportunity
to be a kid again at least once a day? Let's do something that only the
children of the King can do as adults. Pack our little suitcases and run
away from the world today. Run to our Father in heaven that gave us life.
And in the suitcase pack all our troubles and worries and concerns and leave
them with God. As our Father, He will know exactly what to do with them.
And He will guide us through our trials everyday just as our earthly dads
did when we were young. So tonight, let's pack our bags of troubles and
woes and let's get small.

That's Witchcraft!?

That's Witchcraft!? Someone recently asked me that. Witchcraft is another
thing that Satan, through his use of Hollywood, has minimized in our minds.
We are told that witches are not real. It is something that kids dress up
like on Halloween. And those poor souls at the Salem witch trials, why it
was just mass hysteria at best.

If you look up Witchcraft in the Bible you will find it. It is mentioned in
Galatians 5:18-21, and in Deuteronomy 18:8-14 at length. Yes, witchcraft is
referred to as "casting spells and curses", but it is so much more. You
could study at length on this subject if you got into the Greek and Hebrew
translations of the word Witchcraft, but I will just give you a brief
summary of a much simpler daily occurrence, that has happened to us or we
have done ourselves, that is considered Witchcraft.

Spirits are real. No there is no boogie man, but there things that are much
worse that we must be aware of. One of these is the "Spirit of Witchcraft"
that includes manipulation. Let me give you a scenario or two and see if
you have done this or know of someone who does this. Some of our parents or
friends will just pop right into your head after you read this. Keep in
mind that if you are doing this, and you are a Christian, you must STOP IT
right now, because you are practicing Witchcraft in the eyes of God.

The curtain opens. On stage is a person (you can fill in male or female
here) who is sitting and looking all dejected and alone. They let out a big
sigh when you approach. "I just guess nobody cares if I live or die. I do
everything for everyone and never complain, and when I need something, or
need attention, or ask that you do this one little thing for me, everyone is
just to busy for poor me. Well I have news for them. Miss (Mr.) nice guy
is gone. I am going to start treating you just like you treat me. You can
just get your own dinner and wash your own clothes or go borrow money for
what you need from a stranger because you will not use me anymore. And if
you just turn around and walk away from me and my broken heart, I will make
your life a living hell!" Gee, ever witnessed that one? Or how about this
one. "Honey, I really want some new furniture (golf clubs). I know you
will say we cannot afford it, but how about I take you out for a romantic
dinner and then later I will take your mind off the expense." Or maybe this
one. "DON'T TOUCH ME! When you can start paying attention to the way I
want things run, then maybe we can be close again. But until that happens,
you can just suffer!" That last one translates into I HAVE A HEADACHE!

All the above is Witchcraft in the eyes of God. God gave you a brain.
However it seems that many of us choose not to use it. If you have a
problem, just sit someone down and lay it on the table. Discuss what is
bothering you with your child, your husband or your friend. They have a
brain too. 99% of problems can be solved with simple and direct
communication. Manipulation and making someone feel guilty and miserable is
not the answer. Those that are not walking the Christian life may not be
aware of this form of Witchcraft. But you as a Christian should know it.
And if you didn't now you do and you need to stop immediately. It is all
around us. Mother's do it to their children. Husbands do it to their wives
and wives to their husbands. Friends do it to one another. Bosses do it to
their employees. And how do you feel when it is done to you? If you are
honest you will have to admit that you just hate when someone does that to
you. But take a deep look at yourself. I bet you will find that you have
done this yourself at some time or other. It is something that gets passed
down through families. It is so common place that we don't even recognize
it anymore.

Learn to listen to yourself when you talk to others. If you want something,
just ask for it. If you have been slighted or hurt by someone else, just
tell them. If they respond to you with Witchcraft, point it out to them.
Bringing a dark practice into the light is the only way to destroy it.

While we are on the subject, please note that other things along this topic
are in the Bible and considered an "abomination" before God. They are
anyone who practices witchcraft, soothsayer, anyone who interprets omens, or
a sorcerer, anyone who conjures spells, or a medium or a spiritist or anyone
who calls up the dead. Protect your children from the shows on Prime Time
television that glorify these abilities. The movie Harry Potter in itself
is a harmless fantasy. However, now there are books available on how to be
a sorcerer and warlock. This is where the danger lies. How about "The
Medium"? How about "Charmed"? How about "Ghost Whisperer"? If your
children are watching this on TV they are getting a message that these
practices are okay and harmless. And then they wish they could do those
things. And you leave them to the spirits of Satan who are listening to
their requests and are unwittingly inviting those spirits into their lives.
Take a look at schools today. Look at the behavior problems in society
today. Be aware......it's Witchcraft!

What I did was justified!

What I did was justified! Have you ever made that statement after you have
done something that others questioned as correct? I have known people that
have had friends, and employers in particular, that have fallen short of
what was expected of them. Let's put ourselves in their place for just a
moment and see if any of these scenarios fit those that we may have had. In
the case of a friend you might find yourself saying something like, "Just
wait until the next time they need something and then I will see to it that
I am just too busy to help them. I'll show them how it feels to be told
that someone doesn't have time for them!". Or in the case of an employer,
and I am sure we have all been here more than once, you do not get
recognition, or a bonus, or a raise that was either promised or expected.
"Well, I guess that I will just get my bonus some other way", as you fill
your brief case or purse with office supplies or small office equipment.
And then you add, "Just see if I stay late ever again and give this company
my precious time, effort and blood, sweat, and tears." "Then they will see
who was really doing all the work around here." Good heavens! In this case
you have moved from being the ideal employee in your own mind, but you have
just reduced yourself to a common thief.

Well, if we will come down to earth for just a minute and put aside our rage
and indignation, we might discover a few things. Like in the case of your
friend not being able to help you. If you are completely honest, they were
more than likely busy at the time you needed them. Others have lives too
and they are not always in sync with ours and this does not make them bad,
or non-caring or enemies. The bottom line is, they just might be busy. How
many friends have you lost because of being self centered, and flying off
the handle and saying mean "unjustified" remarks that you could not take
back? Life is just more complex than "you", and you need to learn to be a
kinder and more gentle person. You need to learn to be more Christ like in
your behavior towards others whether they are your friends or not.
(Galatians 5:22 NIV) The same is true in the workplace. The truth is that
you are only looking at the bonus, or raise, or promotion from your personal
standpoint. You are looking at it informed with only the information you
know about yourself and to be honest, some of that might be just a little
biased or inflated as is our egos sometimes. When in reality, most of the
time, our employers know who is performing up to their specific
expectations.

True, there are exceptions to the above scenarios. In some cases your
friend did treat you unfairly or even harmed you in some way, or your boss
is not doing his job and is hiring another over you to please a friend of
his. Or perhaps he is afraid that your really good work is a threat to his
job and therefore he will not give you a raise to minimize your worth to the
company. But in these cases those people are best left turned over to God
to deal with. Deut. 32:43 says that God will take vengeance on your
enemies. But there is a catch to this. YOU must be conformed to Christ.
YOU must be walking right with God. YOU must belong to God, born again and
living a Christian life in order for Him to consider your enemies His
enemies.

So are you justified? Yes, but only through the blood of Jesus. And your
walk with Him requires Christ like behavior. Try and picture Jesus with his
hands on his hip or with arms tightly crossed in front of him, tapping his
foot and uttering the words you do towards others. Pretty silly huh? Jesus
said that we must forgive others 70 times 7 times. (Matt. 18: 21-23) And I
assure you, as, more importantly, does the Bible, that God will see that all
balances out to your best interest in life. Our only "justification" is
through Him. You will be free from the strife and feelings of indignation
and anger that rob your life. Let go and let God. He is much better
qualified to handle your life crisis' than you are. Remember always, you
are the son or daughter of THE King. Now stop grumbling and go out and have
a "royal" good time!

If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything....

If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything. Ever heard
that before? I don't know who said it, but it is a very profound statement
and it is important that we examine just what it means today.

There was a time in my life, because of horrific abuse, and my having to sit
in church with my molester every Sunday and watch him bow his head and pray,
that I made a decision that "religion" and I had nothing in common. A kind
and loving God did not exist or He would have destroyed my molester and
spared me from the living hell I was living through. I will not go into all
this here, however, if you pick up a copy of my new book, Betrayed, Broken
and Defiled that will be available on Amazon.com in the next two weeks you
can see the final course I have taken with regards to my abuse.

What I want to address today is what the enemy (Satan and his vast army of
demons) can do to you when you open yourself to just anything. When I left
home at 19, I left my abusers, a controlling spirit, and God. I had
attended Catholic school everyday of my many school years until my Junior
year of High School. I had "religion" as a graded subject over all these
years, along with the input of personal philosophies from nuns and priests
during that time. So there was a religious seed planted in me. However,
this seed, because of the rotten soil it was planted in, never bloomed into
the flower that was intended by God. As if this was not bad enough, I
launched out into the most dangerous territory anyone can venture into. It
is the world of things not of God. It was like buying a ticket to a vast
amusement park filled with many exciting but deadly rides. I was so thirsty
for something, anything, to replace the God that I had perceived failed me,
that I opened my heart to anything. And where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21 NKJV) And I was searching, although I did
not realize it at the time, for deadly treasure. Make no mistake, ANYTHING
that separates itself from the knowledge of and the Word of God is filled
with lies and distortions from the very pits of hell. For where God is not,
the enemy is. I studied long and deep every religion, philosophy, and "ism"
the world had to offer. I sat in "reading" rooms. I meditated and opened
myself up to "spirit guides" which was the most dangerous practice I ever
participated in. These "spirit guides" will carry you off to hell if
allowed to. I gazed into crystal balls and upon Tarot cards and studied
Metaphysics. I studied Eastern philosophies hours and hours on end. In the
end two things happened. I learned that all were nothing more than a very
cheap imitation of God. All of them took from God. The words were a little
different, but they simply took the basics of God's teachings and perverted
them to suit their own needs. How often we do this when we are trying to
skirt an issue with God and to justify our behavior? And the second thing
that happened is that I had an encounter with something so frightening, that
had it not been for the teachings that had been planted in my heart by the
very God that I was trying to run from, my soul would have forever been
lost. So many of our young people are looking for what I was searching for.
And all that awaits them is the eternal death of their precious souls. If
only someone would tell the youth today of the awesome power of the living
God. He is the way, the truth and the life.(John 14:1-6 NKJV). If they
want to communicate with a spirit tell them of the Holy Spirit sent by God
to teach us all things spiritual and how to have the only true power in this
world.(John 14:26) The only book, after all my years of reading and
studying and searching that gave me what my heart was searching for is
something that I had all along, but never realized what a "treasure" it was.
The best book to curl up with is the Bible. It has all the power you will
ever need. And it will tell you just what a loser and liar the devil is.
God is still alive. God is still in charge. God is still our Creator and
Father. Without Him there never was and never will be anything. So if you
know of someone that is searching, direct them to the Bible and to God and
to the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells us in Luke 21:8 to "Take heed that you not
be deceived, for many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He, and 'the time
has drawn near'. Therefore do not go after them."

Don't fall for anything. Believe in truth. Believe in your heavenly Father
God and in His most precious redemptive gift, His one and only Son, Jesus
Christ, and in His Holy Spirit. Make this your WAY and your TRUTH and your
LIFE. If you are in the mood to fall, fall on your knees before God. You
will get up a new person that has fallen for the right thing.....Patti

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Let's take inventory together.
You see you right? You see that you are a human being of your specific
race. You have hair that is either black, gray, brown, red or blonde. Or
you may have opted for the bizarre in a bottle color. You may not have hair
at all. You see someone of a certain age. You see male or female. And
then there are the many variations of features that make us all unique.
That is all you can see by looking into a mirror. When you first meet
someone, it is like looking in a mirror in a way. All you see by looking at
them is what you see when you look at your own reflection in a mirror. Now
after looking at them you start to make assumptions about them based on your
knowledge of yourself. You know all that there is to know about you so you
instantly start to make some assumptions about that person you have just met
in order to start communication and understanding. In other words, you know
that there is more to that person than just what meets the eye. It is a
natural function of man to want to get to know people better. To know what
makes them tick. Not only to sum them up as potential friends, or
employees, or social interests, but as to whether or not they might be a
threat to us in some way. All of these mechanisms are built into our flesh
as a means of communication and a defense mechanism.

If we are given the common sense to do these things, why do we do them so
poorly sometimes? Some have a trusting nature and will believe anything
someone tells them without any further information. I think that it is our
basic nature to be trusting and to want to see the best in everyone. Good
people are less of a threat to everyone. The world would be a better and
easier place to live in. So we tend to overlook another persons flaws and
fill in the blanks instead of looking for what is really missing. We create
a persona for another person so that they are easier to deal with in our own
minds and lives. In fact, we really don't want to know everything about
everybody. We need just enough information to eliminate them as harmful to
us from a physical sense and no threat to us on a competitive level. And of
course it isn't always this complex. Some people that we meet are just
really open and wonderful to be around. Why do we like some people more
than others? Because some people just fulfill some basic need we have in
our lives. They just make us feel good when they are around. This is not
only on a social level, but in the work place and also in our churches.

When you go to a new church and you are greeted, it is normally by people
that have been at that church for a very long time. That comes in handy as
they can tell when a new person actually walks in the door. Within a very
brief time at your new church, you will find out three basic things almost
immediately. First, you will find out who has been a part of that church
for the longest time. They are like fine old trees with very deep roots.
They are not only rooted in their faith, but a lot of time in their
"denomination" and some will leave you with the impression that their roots
extend right through the foundation of the building itself. Secondly, you
will meet the nervous and leery member. Never really greeting you, but
gives the impression of shining a little bright light into your face and
interrogating you as to whom you are and just exactly why you came to their
church. And last but not least you will meet those that you yourself have
to approach because they are just not the type to move out of their self
appointed seats. You will find them there in the same seat, stiff and stoic
every week. There are just three more basic types. They want you to know
all their business, they know everyone else's business and they want to make
sure you know it too, or those that pretend they know everyone else's
business. Well, in all fairness there are those that have simply come to
worship and honor Jesus Christ. They may be glad to see you and may go out
to lunch with you after services, but their focus while in church is on
Jesus whether you or the others or the pastor or the praise team even show
up.

Now that you know the basics of what you see and what they see, it all seems
quite routine and boring and redundant doesn't it? Have you ever wondered
what God sees when He looks at you? You see, He doesn't just look at the
physical. He created you and knows exactly what you look like. But He sees
where no other man can see. You cannot put on an act before Him. One thing
He sees immediately is whether or not you are doing what you were created to
do. Think of this the next time you go out on a date or go to work or go to
church. You have a purpose. And that purpose is to reflect your Creator in
words, thoughts and actions. And in church, especially church, you are
there to worship and honor your King. It is not a social club for the
members. It is not to be part of a herd of cattle that is to be led by a
demanding and controlling Pastor. It is not a place to see and be seen. It
is not a place to go because of the people or your pastor or the praise
team. It is a place for all of us to assemble ourselves together to
encourage each other in our Christian walk and to give honor to our King.
It is a place to praise and worship. It is not a place to gain attention or
gain importance through a ministry or to control the congregation. It is
not a place to be seen by man, but to be seen by God. How do you know if
God is in your church? Take your eyes off yourself and each other and you
will see Him. Because He has promised us that were two or more of us are
gathered, He is there with us. (Matthew 18: 19-21 KJV) Be more concerned
what God sees in the mirror of your soul than of what you see in the mirror
on your wall......Patti

Just What in Hell do you Want?!

Just what in hell do you want? Think about it. Here are some words that
refer to hell. The Pit, the place of Eternal Damnation, the Lake of Fire,
Hades, the place of Eternal Darkness, the place of the Ever Consuming Fire,
the place of Eternal Torment and the place of Eternal Separation from God.
There are many more. I don't know about you, but none of those descriptions
sound appealing to me.

We hear people very casually talking about how they and their friends are
going to "party" in hell. And while here on earth, we see bumper stickers
that state "He who dies with the most toys wins!". How sad. How misled.
How misinformed they are.

We are always laughing off punishment from God. Because we cannot see Him,
some feel that there is the outside chance that He does not exist. Or we
picture this jolly old St. Nick type figure sitting on a cloud, with a white
beard and flowing white robes who is so jolly, He is pictured in stature as
something close to an idiot in though process and He would not hurt a fly
because He is a God of Love. He is a God of love, but make no mistake...as
perfect as His love is, so is His wrath! We don't have to ever worry about
"toys" and things that we desire here on earth. After all Jesus came that
we may have life and have it more abundantly. All we have to do is to seek
God and His righteousness above all else, and everything else will be given
to us.(Matthew 6:3 KJV) But know this. The devil is not your friend. He
loathes you with a hate so deep that your human mind cannot even comprehend
this type of hatred. That is why we are always pulled into his snares. He
hates who you are, what you are, especially in Christ, and he wants you
stripped of everything you have here and in eternity. (John 10:10 NKJV)

We are all so blind when it comes to the pure evil of the enemy. If you
were being held at gun point by some lunatic who was trembling in anger and
hatred and could pull the trigger at any minute just to have the fun of
seeing you die, you would perhaps come close to the devils feelings toward
you. You also know that something like this happening to you would make you
seek God with everything you could muster in that moment. While we are here
on earth, we literally face this moment in the spiritual realm everyday of
our lives. We need to put on the full armor of God every day (Ephesians 6:
11-12 NKJV) and to stay close to our big brother, Jesus Christ. For it is
His precious shed blood that forms a hedge of protection around us every
day, keeping the enemy at bay day by day.

You have heard of people having near death experiences and having been
transported to heaven. It is all peace and light and joy for anyone who
dies whether they believe in God or not or have led a good life or not. I
personally think that this is a trick of the enemy as well. Stories like
this lure everyone into a false sense of security that all that awaits us
after death is peace, love and light. NOT SO!! I have also listened to
true men of God tell of how God has allowed them to visit Hell in the spirit
realm and what they reported horrified me. One minister reported that your
worse fears and phobias are realized in Hell. They will never end. I
personally am extremely claustrophobic. I was put into an MRI machine once
and totally freaked. I was almost a basket case in the time that it took
them to get me out. I dwelled on the thought of being in a tight box that
enclose me within an inch of me all over. The thought was so horrifying
that it made me physically jump to my feet. What are your worst fears? Add
to that a fire that will not be quenched in your body, and you might be able
to brush Hell with your mind. One thing is for sure, I AM NO GOING TO HELL!
There is nothing in Hell that I want! And in case you are considering
suicide because you think you can punish and get back at those who hurt you,
there is something that you must know. You might be able to cause pain for
others while they are here, but after they die, and they go to heaven, know
that they will not remember you. There will be no tears in heaven. You
however will remember them for all eternity.

SO WHAT IN HELL DO YOU WANT?!........Patti

Let's Put First Things First

Let's put first things first. Don't you find it amazing in a world that is
so complex, that there is still a natural order to things? Some people
choose to ignore the existence of God. I personally think that this is just
shear ignorance. How can so much order exist without someone in charge?
The Big Bang theory is one of their explanations as to why there is no God.
Hmmmmm. Ever really thought about that theory? To me, until those
brilliant scientists can explain where the first two atoms, those first bits
of matter came from that came hurdling through space and collided with each
other and spread the universe as we know it all over the place, I have to
take exception with their theory. When God wanted to create the universe,
He said, "Let there be light". And out of no where and nothing light was
created. Light, a good place to start. That way you can see what you are
doing. I think science needs to shed a little light on their age old
wisdom.

The best place to start anything is...you got it....at the beginning. All
of us, once we have a desire, or plan, or idea, often take things too fast.
Our minds and mouths move much faster than our common sense some times. You
have to stop and reflect in any situation as to how you are going to proceed
to accomplish your task. If you don't you are going to pay the price later.
I remember one Christmas I asked a neighbor if he would be a saint and put a
bicycle together for my son so I could have it in front of the tree on
Christmas morning. The guy told me no problem. Ah.....right. That is what
he and I thought at that point. Later I took the box over to him and he
opened the box, dumped everything out on his garage floor, opened all the
plastic bags with all the nuts and bolts and gizmos that it takes to
assemble the bike. I remember watching in amazement as he got out two lawn
chairs and rested the wheels against each one of them as they would appear
on the bike once it was assembled. He looked at me and smiled and said,
"Well, ought to be a couple of bar things that come up from the wheels.
I'll just look for those first." And he proceeded to rummage through the
pile of parts on the floor. I just happened to glance around his garage and
to my horror noticed that almost everything in his garage was in little
piles all over the place. Even his lawnmower, well, I think it was his
lawnmower, was in a neat little pile. I began to panic. I walked over and
picked up the instructions that were still in the plastic bag they came in.
I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder and told him to hold up. I was
going to sit and read the instruction manual to him and he was going to
follow along with me. He looked at me as though I had just tried to explain
Einstein's Theory of Relativity to him. He laughed that little laugh men
give women to let them know that they are the inferior race in the garage,
but sat on the floor next to the pile and followed me and in about an hour
and a half, there stood a bike as strong and safe and beautiful as the
manufacturer intended it to be. I thanked him, slipped some money into his
hand, wished him Merry Christmas and started to roll my son's new bike
home. I just couldn't resist, so I turned back and told him that if he
would go through his other piles in his garage and find the plastic bags
with the instructions, he could probably have all his piles put together in
no time. So you see, the big bang that all the parts to the bike made when
it hit the floor, never would have become a bike if not for some order. And
the instruction manual provided that order and my neighbor's task was much
easier and it wore less on my nerves too.

Just like God had order in His creating the universe, he knew that we would
need order to proceed successfully with our lives. He has given us a "How
to" manual for our lives. It is called the Bible. Don't let the Bible be
just some thing on a table or a book shelf that you dust once a week. Pick
it up and read it. It will make your life much easier. Put first things
first in your life and you will thrive. Start with prayer. Stop and think
about it. Your heavenly Father created the universe! If you need something
in your life, or if you have deep trouble or whatever your need might be,
pick up and read the number one best seller in the world today. Yes, it is
still the Bible. But people always want to lay aside the instruction
manual. Read it and see what you can build with your life. It is a common
manual for everyone, and yet no two people will build the same thing. The
miracle of the Bible, is that is was written just for you.

Why is there famine in this land?

"Why is there famine in this land?" David asked God. The Lord answered
David, "It is on account of Saul and his blood stained house, it is because
he put the Gibeonites to death." (2 Samuel 21:1 KJV)

Years earlier Joshua had been order by God to kill all His enemies when the
Israelites entered the promised land. However, when Joshua came upon the
Gibeonites, they deceived him and told them that they were just travelers in
the land and begged Joshua not to slay them. Joshua went a step further and
signed a treaty with them that protected them from everyone. That led to
intermarriage and all sorts of other problems that kept the Israelites
obedience and worship of God contaminated.

Years later, Saul made the situation worse when he ordered all the
Gibeonites killed. David, knowing that problems, strife and even famine can
have a spiritual cause, went to God and asked God to reveal what was causing
the famine. After David had received the answer from God, he entered into
intercessory prayer and repented on behalf of those who had offended God
all the way back to Joshua. He repented on behalf of a nation and God
honored his prayer and repentance and the famine was lifted.

If you have things in your life that plague you continuously. If you always
have strife and life is hard and the blessings of God are far and few
between and you are just not receiving your harvest from God, then perhaps
you need to do what David did. Get on your face before God and ask Him to
reveal the source of your difficulty. God will allow strife and conflict in
our life to get our attention. If you seek God in prayer, He is faithful to
answer. He will allow things to come to your mind that need addressing. It
can be things that you have done personally that you have not repented for.
To many of us just say, "Well, good old Jesus died for me so anything I do
is covered." DO NOT ever presume to take Jesus for granted. Repentance is
a daily must. And it must not be done casually. Once you seek God and
repent, He can then open the gates of heaven to meet your needs. And God
may show you that it may have been an act of a family member, or someone in
your church family that has brought about this road block that is impacting
your life. Do what David did. He DID NOT throw a finger pointing party and
tell God ....well...Joshua started it! Or it was old Saul that caused it.
He got on his knees and told God that no matter who started it, he needed to
finish it. So he prayed to God with a repentant heart as if he himself had
done the offense against God. God will receive your intercession and the
famine will be lifted from your land. God is always faithful to accept
heart felt prayer and repentance. He is our Father and He loves to
fellowship with us. But we must learn to make the path clear for Him to act
on our behalf. His righteousness must always be honored.

Need your famine lifted? Pray for it!

Why do you want to hold onto what God has forgotten?

Why do you want to hold onto what God has forgotten? Think about it. All
of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3: 23 NKJV)
And yet when we go to the Father and truly regret our transgressions, and
repent of them before God, Psalms 103:12 tells us "As far as the east is
from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." (KJV)
This literally means that God casts your sins into the sea of forgetfulness.
He does not remember the sins that we have confessed. (Isaiah 43: 24-26
NKJV)

Satan loves to condemn us for everything we have ever done. You can be at
work, or at home, or at the store and something that you did just pops into
your head and you start reliving it all over again. STOP IT! That is what
you need to say (out loud if necessary) to the devil when he tries to remind
you of something that God has already forgotten. Remind Satan that he is
the one that is not forgiven. Remind him that his sin is unforgivable.
Remind him that all your sins are forgiven through the shed blood of Jesus
Christ. And tell him that if God does not remember your confessed sins any
longer, then you have no cause to worry about them either. Tell him that if
he has any argument with what you are saying he can take it to God because
you are way too busy to give him any precious time of your day. The enemy
comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He is always up to no good. SEND HIM
PACKING THE MINUTE HE SHOWS UP!! We all need to learn this and put it into
action. In Romans 3:23 it states "For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God." We all have the option of living with our shortcomings and
sins against God, or going to Him for forgiveness. Satan DOES NOT have this
option. Remind him that your future is one of growth in God and of His
mercy and forgiveness of sin through our Savior Jesus Christ. Tell him that
your future is with the Father in heaven. Remind him that his future is the
lake of fire. Then you tell him to leave you by the blood of Jesus. He
must go.

If you learn anything here, let it be that you are flesh. The flesh is
weak. But you have Jesus and His shed blood as your strength. You are
going to fall. But you can be forgiven. So get up today, dust yourself
off. As a Christian, you were purchased with a price. Your sins are
covered under the Blood of Jesus. Accept this truth. Live by it and enjoy
the life that God has given you. Your life is of great value to God or you
would not have heard His voice and come to salvation. What you have is more
valuable than silver or gold. Don't let Satan cheapen your life. Remember
this always. You are the son or daughter of THE King. Now go out and have
a nice day on God!.....Patti

Good Morning and Praise the Lord!

Good Morning and Praise the Lord!

We love life because with it comes goodness, beauty and love. So remember
while living this life, to share with others your joys of the past and your
hopes for the future. Remember to always share the "Good News" of Jesus
Christ, who is the author of our hope and joy, past, present, and future.
Give thanks to our Lord everyday. Have a blessed day! ......Sharon Herring

Ever been up against the wall?

Ever been up against the wall? That is when God can do His best work in our
lives. In Exodus 14:8 is says, The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king
of Egypt so that pursued the Israelites who were marching out boldly.

When the Israelites left Egypt they were confident that Moses had heard from
God and that they had been set free for all time. Once we come out of a
hard or trying situation we are always glad it is over and go on our way.
We enter into a state of calm and somehow believe that trouble will not pass
our way again. That is because we never want trials in our lives. We want
simple and carefree lives. How many of us actually review what has just
happened in our life and consult with the Father as to what He has taught us
as we have gone through our valley? You really should. In doing so you
will grow as a human being but more importantly in your walk with the
Father. I tell you again, and again that we are here for a purpose. And as
we grow in that purpose, God continually matures us through challenges and
strife. It is all very simple if you will take the time to review your
circumstances.

Have you ever know someone that just always struggles? They never get ahead
and often find themselves in the same circumstances again and again? It is
because they never see their worth in God's eyes. It is because they never
learn from their trials and mistakes. It is the same in school. If you did
not pay attention to the teacher when he or she was teaching, and you didn't
take notes or study, when it came time for the next test, you flunked. You
don't want to flunk with God. Unlike our schools today that will pass you
to the next grade with failing marks, God will not do this. You can waste
your entire life missing what God is trying to teach you to help you grow
and mature in Him and to complete the tasks that you were sent here to
accomplish. The Israelites were God's chosen people. They had been
enslaved for some 400 years. God set them free and He did not have them
leave Egypt empty handed. He had Moses persuade Pharaoh give them all the
gold and riches they could carry so that they could establish themselves in
the promised land. The Israelites left their captivity and all was well and
then God decided that a test was in order. They were overcome with joy at
their freedom and with their new found wealth. That is until they came to
the Red Sea and had no way to cross. Did they fall on their knees and pray
to the God of their freedom for another miracle? No. Instead they turned
on Moses in anger and fear and only thought of what they as humans could and
could not do. After all the miracles that God had performed right before
them in Egypt, they failed to see the power of God. And even when they saw
the Pharaoh's chariots coming after them and God parting the Red Sea itself
and the waters closing on Pharaoh's men after they were safe, they still did
not recognize God. The first time they ran out of water, they took to
whining again and struck out in anger at Moses. We read this and say, "Wow,
just how stupid can some people be?" Really? Take a look at your own life.
Are you trusting God one lesson at a time? Are you growing and praising God
for your new found wisdom and growth? Or is your life stuck in a rut of
complaining and anger toward God? Tomorrow when the "Pharaoh's chariots" of
your life come after you, try bending your knee instead of raising your fist
toward heaven. Seek the Father as to what lesson he is teaching you, and
ask Him for the strength to go through your trial and then praise Him for
the growth in your life. When you start doing this, you will advance both
in the world, but most importantly in the Kingdom of God.

If your presence does not go with us.....

If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. (Exodus
33: 15 NKJV)

Moses asked this of God before he and the children of Israel departed from
Egypt. God assured Moses that he would send angels to tend them and he would
supernaturally clear their way and told them that they would be safe. But
during their time in the desert, God knew that they would act foolish. God
referred to His own chosen people as "stiff-necked". He knew that they
would turn from Him in the desert. He also told Moses that in layman's
terms that it would be better for them if He did not go with them as He
would destroy them in His anger because of the things that He knew they
would do.

God was about to make a major move in the history of His chosen people. He
was about to make a major move in the lives of the Jews. Yet as much as
they loved their God, He knew that they would fight Him every step of the
way. Sound familiar? But perhaps if you are aware of how God works, it
would go easier on you. I could ask you to read the entire book of Exodus,
and you really should, and then put yourself in place of the Israelites and
it will be an eye opener!

If you keep God with you everyday and in everything that you do you will
start to notice that people treat you differently. Just by walking around
with a smile on your face, and saying God bless you to everyone you meet you
are no different than those in the world who can put on an act of knowing,
loving and serving God. If you learn to walk with God, people will know
that there is something different about you even if they cannot put their
finger on it. Jesus told his disciples not to worry about His leaving them
because He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit, who is the
"comforter", to walk with them all the days of time on earth. He is here.
And yet, how many of us truly walk with Him every day? Our own arrogance
keeps us from the only real power we have on earth and that is the power of
a daily relationship through the Holy Spirit with God the Father. If you
think people can not notice this you are wrong.

Recently I was at the grocery store. I was in the checkout line and was
unloading my groceries with one hand and talking on my cell phone with the
other. My publisher had called and it was very important that I talk with
them. I finished both unloading and talking at the same time and then
immediately apologized to the check out lady. She looked at me and asked if
I had written a book and she apologized for eaves dropping on my
conversation. I told her that was no problem and yes, I had written a book.
She suddenly closed her eyes and shuttered. When she opened her eyes, I
said to her, "you are a Christian aren't you?" and she said yes. I could
tell because we were both feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit very
strongly. She said to me, "that book is going to be a best seller". I
smiled and told her that the book had been prophesized over and others had
said the same thing. We both smiled and said, "God is so good." Just then
a little girl that was a bagger came up to the checkout stand and she
immediately said, "Wow, what is going on here?" and she shuttered. You see,
you do not have to believe in God to make Him real. He is here whether
people believe in Him or not. And this little girl FELT God's presence.
When we told her that she was just feeling God her mouth dropped open and
all she could say was "WOW".

As wonderful as these experiences are, we will all have time in the desert
when God is about to move us onward and upward in His kingdom. And during
those times in the desert you will not hear from God. And it can be a very
hard and dry place for a season as God purges the flesh so that all that
remains is our faith in Him. That is the only way that God can get our full
attention. It is very easy to believe in God when everything is going our
way. But we have our best growth spurts in the desert. So when you visit
the desert, and you will if you are walking with God, just remember how much
God loved His own son Jesus who went into the desert for 40 days too. Keep
the WORD of truth, the Bible with you, and never lose faith, because God has
sent angels to protect you from the devil who always visits the desert when
you do. And know that our very human reaction to the desert would so anger
God, that He has intentionally arranged not to be there for our own good.
But He will always meet us on the other side of that desert and He will
reveal His new direction for our life at that time. Walking with Him
everyday enables our Faith when we must walk alone for a
season.........Patti

Good and Evil

Good and Evil. We hear about these two characteristics from the time we are
very young. However, in today's society one of those characteristics has
been watered down so much that it is almost meaningless. Evil and Satan and
the demons that serve Satan have been almost eradicated from reality by the
media and Hollywood. Satan and his evil forces have been reduced to "Boogie
Man" status by the film industry. We teach our children from a very young
age that there are no such things like monsters and demons. That is just
make believe stuff in the movies and it is not real. And then we wonder why
our children are becoming plagued with the harm and evil that society offers
them today. Bringing a gun to school in my day was unheard of. And if you
were sent to the principals office, you were in trouble and you never
thought of telling off the principal let alone striking him or planning to
attack his home or family. We have to start teaching our children the
difference between right and wrong again and start holding them accountable
for their actions. We need to teach them the powers of good and evil.

Each of us is a creation of God and we are here for a purpose. God knows
why he created you. You are not here by some fluke. God knows each of His
creations. However, we have free will and we can serve Him or walk away and
serve almost anything else we choose to serve right down to worshiping a
tree if we so desire. As for me and my house, we have chosen to serve the
Lord. (Joshua 24:15NKJV) We have two sides to each of us. One is physical
and one is spiritual. The spiritual side of us is very powerful and
contains both good and evil. The good in us wishes to serve our creator and
model our lives after His example and to accomplish what we are here on
earth for and to return to our heavenly father. The evil side is directed
by a very real Satan and his demonic forces. They try to get us to resist
the good in ourselves. They try to get us to turn from God every chance
they get. They try to control your carnal man and take it into disobedience
from God. All sin comes from the manipulation of our spirit man by Satan.
Pray that you may have spiritual ears and eyes to make you more aware of the
spirits of darkness who wish to destroy you and pull you away from God.
Learn to arm yourselves and especially your children against the forces of
evil in the heavenly realms and this dark world. Everyday before you leave
your homes you should and you should teach your children to put on the full
armor of God. (Ephesians 6: 11-19NKJV) We all must learn to not just react
to the stimulus around us, but we must learn to weigh every situation and
respond to it according to the will of God and not the carnal mind and body
of man. This takes a lot of work and prayer and self control. We will be
held accountable one day before God for every word we say and every thing we
do while here on earth. So take some time to retrain your spirit man to
truly hear God and learn when to speak to the evil that is trying at all
time to consume you. Teach this to your kids too. They need all the
ammunition they can get to meet what lies just outside your front door every
day. The ammunition of the world is guns. The ammunition of the spirit man
is the word of God. Don't leave home without it......Patti

We are what we eat....

We are what we eat. Have you ever heard that before? But let's not stop
there. Yes, we are what we eat, but we are what we read, what we wear, what
we think, and we are where we frequent and we are known by the company we
keep. These are not just empty words or something you used to hear your
mother or grandmother say. There is much truth here.

Have you ever gone to a really funny movie and come out still laughing and
smiling? You are in a very good mood and tend to smile at everyone. You
might say the same for a very sad movie. Some are still crying and no one
seems to speak unless it is to re-visit how sad the movie was and how sad it
made them feel.

Is it any wonder then that the youth of today seem so hyper and angry and
aggressive? Have you as a parent ever sat down next to your child and
watched some of the video games that he or she plays? You will be appalled
I guarantee. You must not only be responsible for the things that they
watch and participate in, but also the things that you watch and participate
in. You must set the example.

There is much on the media these days suggesting that the ills of the world
could be solved by turning off the television one night a week and everyone
in the family sitting down at the table and eating dinner together. But if
what you discuss around the table is only a response to all that you have
seen and heard from the world, you are not going to save anyone. You must
start the road to recovery by changing you and your families lifestyle. God
blessed you with children and they are your responsibility. You are the
grown-up so grow up. Take the lead. Yes, get your family around the table,
but also get them away from the world and closer to God. You can start the
trip to that goal this coming Sunday by taking your family to church. Get
them and yourself into the Word of God. Get involved at your church. (If
you don't have one, get one.) The Bible tells us not to fail to gather
ourselves together for growth and support and not to be unequally yoked with
those that do not believe in Him (NKJV 2 Corinthians 6:17) I am sure that
after the initial shock of taking your family to church, they will get
acquainted with other kids there and you will find new friends yourself.
And after a very short period of time you too will be anxious to return
every Sunday to be with people that are in God and you will see the
difference in the people that serve God as opposed to the people that serve
the world every day at your job. The kids at church and the Youth Pastors
will teach your kids how to cope with the world and with peer pressure. You
will welcome being drawn into the body of Christ. And I guarantee that when
you and your family leave church on Sunday morning you will be smiling and
laughing just as if you had seen a movie that you really enjoyed. You
can't get any better than 90 minutes with God. But don't stop there. Ask
God to sit down at your table with your family every night. You will never
have a better guest!.....Patti

Something Whimsical for You

Something whimsical for you to start your day. Nothing deep to contemplate
but just something to keep in mind when you say Good morning to someone.

G -od
O - ffers us His
O - utstanding
D - evotion to
M - ake us
O - bedient and
R - eady for a
N - ew day with Him.
I - nspire others please, and
N - ever forget
G - od loves you!

The power of agreement.....

The power of agreement is just more than a perky catch phrase. In the
spiritual realm there is true power in agreement. Even in the world you
hear people say, "you don't have to go this trial alone, just call me and I
will be there for you", or "you will never walk alone as long as I am your
friend". Well, if you find yourself in a really difficult situation,
emotionally or financially, you know from experience in the world that
those well wishing friends usually disappear quickly!

Thank God that our Heavenly Father, having perfect INTEGRITY, is true to His
commitment to stay the course with us in difficult times. In James 4:8 it
says, "draw nigh onto God, and He will draw nigh onto you.(KJV) That is why
I have told you before that your prayer and personal time with God is so
vital. This scripture doesn't mean that you should treat your Heavenly
Father as a fire alarm. You only break the class and pull the lever to set
off an alarm in case of fire. It means that you should walk and talk with
Him daily. Then when things happen, both big and small, you are in His
word, in His presence, and have access to His power. The Bible also says in
Matthew 18:19 "if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."
(KJV)
So you have God's word that if you stay in His presence and then agree on
earth with a prayer partner for anything, it will be done for you. Now
don't expect someone that has been very mean to you to burst into flames
because you agree with someone that this should happen. Your prayers and
requests should always be in line with the word of God.

So the next time you are tempted to rely just on man, or you find yourself
too busy to spend quality time with your Heavenly Father, remember what we
have discussed here. Even though we can choose to agree to disagree
sometimes, let's all agree here and now that God is the author of our lives
and we can go to him, in agreement, and accomplish anything on earth that is
pleasing and just before the Father and even the gates of hell cannot
prevail against our agreements made know to God.