Getting into the Spirit of Things....

Well, it is my favorite time of year again. One thing after another happens
in the stores and now days the front yard, houses and home interiors all
over the country. First nature redecorates. The green leaves change into
amazing hues of red, orange, yellow and tan and shades of pink and gold and
silver. The heat and humidity for most of the country is gone and it is
replaced with cool and crisp days and nights. The heaviness of summer is
now replaced with refreshing and invigorating weather and scenery. Down
come the summer wreaths on doors with their heavy blooms and ribbons. Up go
the wreaths with colors of Autumn. And WOW, have you seen the decorations
that are now available to decorate your yard for Halloween!? The ACLU sure
doesn't mind the celebration of demons and spirits and death do they? They
don't mind the display of monsters, and corpses hanging from the trees in
our front yards. You sure cannot find Christ in that mess can you? Ah, the
world is safe from Him on this ghoulish night!! They must throw a Halloween
party of their own.

The kids look forward to Halloween and more and more these days, the
celebration of this holiday means big money to stores that sell everything
from costumes to outdoor decorations to scare and thrill the little
Trick-or-Treaters. There is an eight foot spider that is lit up and scales
the side of our neighbors house. There are tombstones dotting front yards
and open coffins lay exposing the remains of the dearly departed. A true
celebration of death and mayhem is strewn across the lawns of suburbia.

There are several lines of thinking on the subject of Halloween. As a
Christian, I think that we must be very careful. I am not against a child
dressing up as a Bible character or something "good and wholesome", or
attending a party at the local church, but I do not believe that it is
necessary. My husband and I do not hand out candy or in any other way
encourage the celebration of Halloween. There is a very important reason
for this. The world has drastically changed from when we were kids. The
worship of the satanic is everywhere. There are even Witch Covens that meet
in our schools. There are meetings of Satan worship based clubs in our
schools. The TV channels are full of Mediums and demons. Hollywood has
made "channeling" a household word. All of which have brought a very real
spirit realm into the workings of everyday America and the world at large.
Of course Hollywood has pooh-poohed the occult and led all to believe that
it is just "make believe". That none of these things are real. But the
truth is that the spirit realm is very real. Have you read the newspaper
lately? Have you listened to the news? The "harmless" games of summoning
the demonic have produced in reality what Hollywood used to only produce on
film. And unfortunately, the spirit world does not care who it attaches to.
Even children are fair game to the demonic. Halloween has been labeled by
the media as a time for extreme caution. Our children are prey for child
molesters. Those who would poison or put dangerous items in their treats
and worst yet, they are prey for the demons that are summoned by pranksters
who are totally unaware of what they are actually doing. If you are a
Christian, think again about "Getting into the spirit of things" because you
might actually be encouraging and participating in something you should not
be involved in.

Life ain't McDonalds honey....

We all need things here on earth. And things require money. So we slave
away at our jobs, groan and complain on the bad days, smile and are in a
pretty good mood on the good days, and flop down when we have fought our way
through the traffic when we get home. That gives us about 20 minutes to
recharge our batteries, and then it is off to whatever event is on the
calendar that date. For our children it might be Basketball, football,
softball, baseball, soccer. Plays, rehearsals, tryouts, movies,
dances....on and on and on. Not to mention our own agendas. Dinner out
with friends, catch a movie, make some phone calls, return emails, birthday
parties, anniversary dinners, on and on and on. We are just so on the go.
All this just to get up the next day and start the grind all over again.
Day in and day out...same old, same old. Our weekends aren't any better.
And let's not forget that the house and yard and car always need some kind
of attention too. Somehow we fit this all into our schedules. And we know
that we can't give up any time on Sunday for church because we only have so
much free time to get all these very important things done. I mean, come
on, we are just one person right? Life moves fast and we just barely have
time to keep up with it. And let's all give a big "thank you" to the Fast
Food gods, or we wouldn't even have time to catch a bite!

Then it happens. There are just too many reasons why to cover here, but you
go to work one day and find out that your job is no longer there. Or you go
to the doctor for something that has had you just a little off your game,
and after leaving the room to get your test results, he comes back into the
room with this "look" on his face that tells you in an instant that life as
you have know it is over, or worse. And again, there are just too many
other situations that can arise that can totally and for either for a short
or long term, change your life as you know it. Suddenly everything that you
do everyday, all the hustle and bustle, seem so trivial and unimportant.
You have hit one of life's many brick walls head on. Your first feeling is
one of incredible aloneness. Then a numbness settles in as you return home.
Then everything that is still going on as if nothing has happened seems
surreal. And then the reality of it sets in and that is usually followed by
incredible sorrow or panic. The news you give others creates the same
feelings in them and then the world as you have always know it is gone. The
last and most horrible feeling is of being without anywhere or anyone to
turn to for help.

Well, there is one place. There is God. But we haven't had much time for
Him have we? Well, it used to be an occasional Sunday we would make it to
church, then just holidays, and then...well...never. So we skip over the
guilt quickly, and blurt out something warm and fuzzy like, "God if you are
really there, then you know what I am going through right now! I know that
I have not had much to do with you but you know how it is with kids and a
job and all the other things in my life...but if you can hear me, I could
really use your help here because I don't have anywhere else to turn."
"Just fix it God". Or one of my favorites..."If you will just get me out of
the mess I'm in I will never............(you fill in the blank here) ever
again, I promise!"

Well honey, God ain't McDonalds! You don't drive up to heavens window and
shout out your order and pull to the next window and get your bag of demands
and go on. You know that you would not appreciate someone that you
considered a friend treating you the way you treat God. They never have
time for your problems, they never call or come to visit. They never want
to spend any quality time with you and yet when they are in trouble, here
they come, a big smile on there sorry face, and their hand out saying, "My
best and special friend, I just know you are going to help me through this
little speed bump in my life." You would rather tell them of three ways you
could dream up to remove the smile from their face than to give them any of
your time or your money.

Ephesians 6:18 NKJV says, "Praying ALWAYS with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit". This means for all things and always. We cannot afford to
leave God out of our lives. Our lives are what we make them. We are in
control. We CAN make time to spend in prayer and fellowship with our Father
everyday. We CAN go to church on Sunday. We then can always have someone
who walks with us and will answer us in our times of crisis and need. Have
more respect for yourself and for God. Make more time for yourself and for
your Heavenly Father....cause...you have it...life ain't McDonalds honey!

Get a Grip!....

Emotional outbursts. Ever had any? We all have. When I was in the world
and away from Jesus, I had them all the time. I referred to it as "getting
things off my chest". That too is a very common saying. But when you "get
it off your chest" you usually heap it on someone else. And the world has
come to thrive on that kind of "if it feels good do it" mentality. Take
care of getting things off of your chest no matter what the toll on others
is.

But once I became a Christian, I really worked on that character flaw. I am
not saying that I don't still have them from time to time, but the Holy
Spirit deals with me instantly and I repent to Jesus immediately. I always
ponder that if Jesus, when He looked into every life He was dying for,
realized that so many would never accept His sacrifice and that if He had
smacked His forehead and said, "What am I doing here, am I nuts or what?
These people are just not worth dying over so you can just forget this! Who
needs this? I'm not giving up my life for these idiots, I'm out of here!"
where would we be today?

Your emotions are a dangerous thing. Uncontrolled emotional outbursts + the
flesh = taking wrong path, usually away from God.
Learn to control yourself. Think before you act. Remember to "Trust in the
Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your
ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
KJV.

Remember that you are no longer in the world. And if you are this is sound
advice for you as well. People are watching. People are judging. We all
are attacked from one source or another every day. But if we stop and pray
for control, and we draw from the Word of God, we will be able to
demonstrate a more Christ-like image instead of that of a raving lunatic,
with vile and hateful and hurtful words flying out of our mouths. Saying
things out of anger that can never be taken back because of emotions in
overdrive. Jesus' life, once He entered into His ministry here on earth,
was very stressful. He was rebuked by His own. He was debased on an almost
daily basis. He was mocked, hated and eventually put to death despite all
the miracles He performed and the love He showed all He came in contact
with. He used his knowledge of His Father to rebuke His attackers. We can
do this too. We have to do it. He expects us to do it. So come on
already...GET A GRIP!...Patti

God is not impressed....

God is not impressed by the positions you hold before man. Have you lost
your fear of God? Have you let Him become a jolly old St. Nick in your
life? Do you find that you can justify what you do in your life and never
give a thought to how God might look at what you are doing? Do you twist
things to suit your own purposes? Do you lie about what other's say and do
to persuade others to take up your agenda? Do you manipulate others with a
silky tongue, knowing that you are only appeasing them to get them over to
your way of thinking or to have them do what you want them to do? Do you do
things like this to find favor with someone above you? Do you allow them to
use you? Do you think that all you do, regardless of how God will look on
it, is making you look good and important to them? Are they so important
that you will risk the wrath of God to please them? Have you made a god out
of them? Is that how cheaply you would sell your soul?

All that I have mentioned above takes place all over the world in every
business and sadly in every home. Kids have watched their parents and
listened to them and now they too have accomplished the art of manipulation
and lies and deceit. Actually, the Bible calls it Witchcraft. So if you do
these things, you not only will provoke God's wrath for what you do, but for
what you teach others, especially your children. All of this is even more
despicable in God's eye if you are a Christian. And for you there is no
excuse. You know, and God knows that, you know better! It is hard to
believe that Christians would do this, but they do. It breaks my heart to
see the hypocrisy in some Christians. Our children listen and watch and
they learn from us. Are you teaching them by your actions that being
important in some person's eye, or attaining a position, is more important
than serving God, as long as you get the position you want to hold? Is your
ego that important to you? In 2 Kings 17: 35-41 NKJV says, "with whom the
Lord had made a covenant and charged them, saying: 'You shall not fear other
gods, nor bow down to them nor SERVE THEM nor sacrifice to them,' but the
Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and an
outstretched arm, HIM you shall fear, HIM you shall worship, and to HIM you
shall offer sacrifice. And the statutes, the ordinances, the law and the
commandment which He wrote for you, you shall be careful to observe forever;
you shall not FEAR OTHER GODS. But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He
will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies. However they did not
obey, but they followed their former rituals. So these nations feared the
Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their
children's children have continued doing as their FATHERS did, EVEN TO THIS
DAY.

Be very careful of how casually you sell your soul. Be even more fearful of
how you sell your children's! If you are in this place today, get on your
face before God and repent. Because if you are outside His laws, no matter
what you do to SERVE OTHER GODS, your God is not impressed....Patti

Vengeance is Mine Sayeth the Lord.....

Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord. I am asked occasionally if that is
actually in the Bible. Yes it is. It is found in Deuteronomy 32:35 NKJV,
"Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For
the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon
them". God states that He will take vengeance on those who come against His
people. Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and turned your
life over to Him, your Heavenly Father, like any good father, will come to
the aid of his child. If you are not abiding in Jesus, you can yell "Sic'em
God" from the rooftops, and He will not hear you. The only communication
with God is through His only Son, Jesus Christ.

You will notice too that the scripture says, "Their foot shall slip in DUE
time. That means that only God knows where and when and how those that came
against you will be punished. But He also assures us with the words, "And
the things to come hasten upon them" that it will be soon. That does not
mean that you can go out and behave in a way toward people that will not
reflect the Christ that dwells in you. If you are out making trouble,
gossiping and hurting others, especially other children of God, then YOU can
expect to be punished just as severely as those that would come against you.
Everyone of us needs to be about God's work for our lives. If we stick to
that, we should never have to worry about punishment for the way we treat
others.

Will you see the downfall of your enemies? We are very "result orientated"
these days. And the flesh side of us wants to see someone cut down if they
have really hurt us or our family members. God says that "Vengeance is MINE
and recompense". If God thinks that you should see the results of His
punishment, then He will allow it. I personally pray for those that come
against me because I am assured of the words of my Father and I know that He
will take care of my defense. I have even asked God at times to ignore what
just happened to me. Sometimes it is just better to be rewarded for turning
the other cheek than to see blood.

God's integrity is pure and consistent and perfect. He is the perfect
judge. If you get that into your heart, you will have less of a "revenge"
mentality in your life and you will be a better person if you become more
Christ-like in your everyday living. Remember, Jesus saw the things you
would be doing to yourself and others as He hung dying from the cross. He
did not call on His Father's vengeance, but he said to His Father, FORGIVE
THEM....Patti

You just think things are different!

You just think things are different. When you were a child, your parents
started training you from the time they could tell you not to do something,
and you looked them straight in the eye, and did it anyway. That is when
your parents knew that you knew the difference between right and wrong. You
know the drill. Sit up straight. Don't play in the street. Wipe your feet
before you come into the house. Don't talk back to your parents. Behave in
school. Eat your vegetables. Brush your teeth. Do your homework and much,
much more over the years. And when you broke the rules, there was a price
to pay. You were punished. All in all, those lessons helped you to grow up
to be a reasonably responsible adult. But while the training was going on,
you were always thinking that your parents were old fashioned. Things had
changed since they were young. So you rebelled along the way. If you were
lucky and had parents that were committed to raising you the right way, they
continued to guide you no matter how much you protested and told them you
knew more than they did. If you were raised by Christian parents they knew
that Proverbs 22:6 said, "Train up a child in the way he should go and when
he is old, he will not depart from it." (KJV) See, God knew that you would
rebel, but He also knew that in time, and the older you became, the wiser
your parents would seem.

But if you look at the kids that simply listened to their parents and did
what they were told and taught, they seemed to breeze through life and get
good grades, had good jobs and entered into adulthood very well adjusted and
totally prepared for whatever life threw at them. I believe the word for
those kids down through the ages was and is "Nerd". But the nerds of the
world have the good jobs and the stable relationships and very little
trouble adjusting to the world around them. They are not 35 years old,
barely making ends meet and riding down the street on a skateboard with
their pants half off and with so many tattoos that their own parents hardly
can tell what they look like anymore. They don't complain that life is hard
and unfair and that the world is just picking on them. They are not in a
world that they did not learn to be in. The bottom line is, if you don't
have an education, there will be no substantial job for you. If you don't
learn respect and honor, you will always be at odds with society. And you
will always be angry at everyone and everything because deep down you know
that you are where you are because of bad choices you made. You didn't eat
your vegetables!

As Christians in the grown up world, those of us that did listen and learn
are not home free either. As Christians we have all the temptations that
the world offers everyone else. We not only had a rearing by our parents,
but we also have learned the teachings and wisdom of our Heavenly Father.
Why is it then that we want to "play in traffic"? Why is it that we are
tempted and often go where we know better than to go? If we would just
listen to our Heavenly Father, life would be, as in His words in Isaiah
48:17-18 "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who
directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My
commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like
the waves of the sea." So even as adults we think that we have arrived and
we know everything. But if we are adults and still rebelling against the
training of God, we too are deluding ourselves by thinking that things are
different now. God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Some things,
the best things, never change. Walk in His laws and know what it is like to
have true peace.....Patti

God, I just can't take this anymore!

God, I just can't take this anymore! Just how many times have you uttered
this statement when you were going through a rough time? I know that I
have. I did until I read 1 Corinthians 10: 13 NKJV. It reads, "No
temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is
faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but
with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able
to bear it."

The world, because of man's fall has two sides to it. The most prevalent is
the world that Satan offers. This side of the world offers temptations too
numerous to count or go over in this short word. But some are right at the
top of the list, especially in today's culture of self seeking and self
gratification above anything or anyone else. These are pornography,
alcoholism, drug abuse, homosexuality, promiscuity, and violence. But you
must remember that we as Christians are in the world but not OF the world.
(1 John:3NKJV) Because of the fall of man (Adam and Eve) we must live in
the world. But because we are the blood bought redeemed of God through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can rise above the world and all
the temptations in it. God does not leave us at the mercy of the world. We
can pray and call upon Jesus for strength in the time of temptation. And we
can walk away, praying with every step. There is nothing that we cannot
accomplish through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13 KJV) When
we call upon our Savior, we open the gates of Heaven itself and enable
supernatural help and strength to come to us through Christ. Whether being
tempted or if already submerged in sin, we can call on the name of Jesus and
He will deliver us from all evil.

In another light, we sometimes are just going through a tough circumstance.
But if we focus on God, and what He may be teaching us, instead of the
circumstance itself, we will submit to our Heavenly Father and the
circumstance will be easier to get through with Him by our side. And
sometimes when we are going through a really rough trial, we pray and pray
and do not hear from God at all. That does not mean that He is not there.
I heard Paula White once say, "When the student is taking a test, the
teacher never speaks." That had such a profound impact on my prayer life.
I found that I could continue to pray to my Heavenly Father and more or less
talk my way through my circumstance by having faith and by applying the
knowledge that I had acquired from God over the years. And when I came out
of the trial, I was stronger and wiser for my ordeal. Sometimes God just
wants us to draw on wisdom that He has already instilled in us.

God does not give us anything in our life that we do not, through Him, have
the ability to overcome. THROUGH HIM. Not alone. One of the first things
you were taught about crossing the street when you were a child was to STOP,
LOOK, LISTEN, and only then, to PROCEED across the road. When life throws
you a tough situation you must STOP and pray to Jesus for calm. LOOK the
entire situation over and pray to God for wisdom and discernment. LISTEN
for God's reply which will come in the form of plans of attack and insight.
Then and only then PROCEED in faith. And after you come through, thank Him
and reflect on the wisdom you have gained through your trial.

Don't ever again cry out in desperation and frustration, "God I can't take
this anymore!", because this is just what the devil wants to hear. When you
turn from heavenly help, you put yourself in the path of the enemies
misguidance and you will fail. But if you cry out "I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me!", then you summon the very powers of
heaven to your side. Get this deep into your soul and you will walk through
life saying, "That's right, I'm bad!". And you will have victory in Jesus
and that is a very good thing!.....Patti

Grounded because of fog....

Have you ever gone to the airport and found out that your flight had been
grounded because of fog? There is just nothing worse that getting packed,
getting everything that you need to take with you in order, and making it to
the airport on time, and in these troubled days early, just to find out that
you will be sitting in the airport because of fog. And then you look
outside and discover that there is no fog at all. What's going on anyway?
So you become a little indignant and you walk up to the counter and ask the
person from the airlines, as you point out the window, just where is the
fog? The person smiles, just as they have done to every other person that
has walked up to the counter with the same question, and informs you that
the problem is not at this end of your flight, but it is the airport where
you are going that is fogged in. Now you feel a little silly for your snap
judgment. You realize that you obviously can only deal with what you can
see out of the window.

Here is another one. In fact, it happened to me just the other day. I was
driving to a store. I know the way to that store. I go there often. I
came to an intersection that could take me to many stores I go to. But, all
the other stores that I go to require a right turn, and the one that I was
going to required a left turn. I made a right turn. It wasn't until I was
quite a ways up the road that I realized my mistake. Darn it! Boy just how
stupid can you get Patti? Ever have those conversations with yourself?
Anyway, I turned around as soon as possible and returned to the intersection
just to make another mistake and turned the wrong way again! This time I
realized it almost immediately and was really upset with myself. This time I
was not able to turn around quickly because I had run into a construction
mess. This is just crazy I thought. My mind is going. That was the only
answer. I was suddenly in a very dark mood. Now I started to tell myself,
out loud, how to drive. Pay attention dummy. Here comes your turn or would
you like to continue to drive around in a circle all day? Okay, here it
comes....make the turn now....good girl. Whew, at last I was on the right
road.

Now I am a Christian woman and have been for a very long time. And it still
amazes me that I can be so dense when it comes to the workings of God. I
forget that there is a spiritual realm that is very real. And both angels
and demons operate in that realm. In Psalm 34:7 it tells us that "The angel
of the Lord encamps all round those who fear Him, and delivers them." (NKJV)
All believers have angels appointed to them to keep and protect them from
harm. I am not saying that we won't trip when we walk, or have a car
accident, but it will not be as bad as the enemy intended. Now, that does
not mean that if God calls you to come home, the angels will prevent that.
What I am saying is that our lives are the target of Satan who tries to kill
and destroy us every chance he gets. The angels intercede on our behalf.
What I forgot about the workings of God, when I got back on the right road,
came into stark clarity for me. There was a major accident on the road that
I would have traveled earlier had I not turned the wrong way. Would that
have been me being lifted into the ambulance? I will never know. All I do
know is that I was off driving in circles and far from this accident site.

So the next time you are on your way somewhere and you forget something and
have to go home to get it, or turn in the wrong direction or are grounded
because of fog...it just may have been the angels who helped you to forget,
or take the wrong turn, or blew in the fog to save you from something that
may have caused you more than a little aggravation. Don't get mad. Just
smile to yourself and say, "Thank you Father"......Patti

You only get out of it what you put into it....

You only get out of it what you put into it. We have been told this simple
rule since we were kids. This wisdom, like all other wisdom, comes from the
Bible. You would be surprised what comes out of there. You should read it
sometime if you have passed that book by.

In Matthew 25: 24-30 (NIV) Jesus says, "Then the man who had received the
one talent came. 'Master', he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man,
harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not
scattered seed, so I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the
ground. See, here it what belongs to you.' "his master replied, 'You
wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and
gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my
money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have
received it back with interest. 'Take the talent from him and give it to
the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more
and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has
will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the
darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

This sounds pretty harsh doesn't it? But there is a very practical
application of this scripture in our everyday lives. This parable that was
told by Jesus, which is only partially written here, speaks into our lives,
not only of money, but more deeply as to our relationship with others as
Christians. You only get out of people what you invest in them. Have you
ever said to someone, "What's with that person? They are always in the
corner. Seems like they seem like they are too good for anyone." Hmm.
Have you ever even tried to approach that person? Have you ever bothered to
find out who they really are or what they really like? Or have you just
made a snap decision based on how you perceived them? We have all been
guilty of this at one time or another. How can you get anything out of that
person in the corner unless you invest some time to really get to know that
person? We, especially as Christians, throw people aside way too casually.
God has given us much. And to whom much is given much is expected! (Luke
12:48 NKJV) So when you have a ministry or a church that you serve, or you
are a Pastor, you must invest in the people in your charge. You must invest
time and love and resources in them to make them all that God wants them to
be. You must point out their potential. If all you do is create an
audience for yourself, or condemn and keep them beneath you, you are not
sharing and multiplying what God has given to you. You will never see your
ministry grow and increase. If you are a Pastor you will never see your
church or people grow. You will create a world of spiritual robots that
just let you do everything, and they will never grow in God's Kingdom. But
you will never grow either. And moreover, God will hold you responsible for
those who's spiritual growth and development was put in your charge. When
judgment day comes, you, not they, will be asked why they have not grown in
spiritual matters. Their souls are on your head.

After a time, with care and teaching and nurturing your responsibility
towards those who have grown will not be your burden. They then must move
on and share and teach what they have learned, free from any personal
agendas. That is how Christ wanted His church to grow in love and wisdom.
Can you imagine how far along the church would be today if we all dropped
our own agendas? If we shared all that the Lord had taught us? If we
nurtured and grew our fellow man in the nature and love of Jesus Christ?
And once we have taught someone or many all that we know, then it is our
responsibility to get them to someone who is more mature in spiritual
matters than us. And we too must seek those who can continue to feed us.
If we were all about our Father's business and trying to grow in Him, we
would never have to struggle. God would see to our every need because our
focus would always be on Him. Our churches and ministries would be full of
thirsty and hungry souls in search of Jesus. Some will come to see you, but
if you direct their attention toward you and not Jesus, then you will see
and end to your growth.

I encourage you and tell you that it is not too late. There is a point in
every ministry where God will let you know that there is a reason for your
problems. You can stop it. Try making this announcement. "As of today,
this ministry is no longer about me and what I want. It will be as Jesus
intended. I will teach you everything I know and then, as I keep seeking
knowledge, I will pass it on to you. And then, as Jesus did, I will
commission you to go into the world and share what I have taught you. If
you do this, we will see an explosion in our church and in our ministry."
When God told man to go forth and multiply, he meant souls too. You will
only get out of your relationship with your church as much as you put into
it.....Patti

Cursing can be hazardous to your health....

Cursing can be hazardous to your health. The bible is very clear on the
topic of cursing. The scriptures that relate to curses, and cursing and
being cursed are just too numerous to go into here. But I will try and wrap
the entire subject up for you in just a few scriptures.

The first mention of the word curse appears in the Book of Genesis in the
Old Testament. In Genesis 12:3 NKJV, God states that " I will curse those
who curse you and bless those who bless you". God loves His children. And
as any good father, he will stand behind them and defend them when they are
attacked. This applies to you whether you are a Christian or a
non-Christian. God is no respecter of persons and even if you are saved and
without any cause, other than some personal agenda, curse a fellow Christian
or non-Christian, God will send that curse back upon you. In Proverbs 26:2
NKJV the Bible says that "the curse without cause will not alight". God can
also turn the curse you sent into a blessing for the one you cursed.
Nehemiah 13:2 NKJV. And in Matthew 5: 44-46 we are actually told to pray
for those who curse us.

In other words, from the above scriptures we can gather the following.
First, both cursing and blessing is God's business. He has called curses
down upon those that have attacked His children in the past. Look at the
curses that God sent upon Pharaoh through Moses. Those curses not only
attacked the land of Egypt, but the very people of Egypt in the form of
sickness and even unto death. Secondly, cursing is basically a total waste
of time because God does not now, nor has He ever taken direction from us,
because God alone knows the hearts of all men and judgment is in his hands.
And lastly, God Himself instructs us to pray for those who curse us. That
is difficult I know, but God also points out in Matthew 5, that just praying
for the people that like us and are our friends doesn't take any effort at
all. What makes this pill a little easier to swallow is that you are
actually blessed when you pray for your enemies. But as in all things
difficult, there is a catch here also. In order to be blessed you must
sincerely pray for your enemies. You must sincerely pray that they come to
the knowledge or remember that God is the focus in their life and hatred and
jealousy and envy and anger are deadly poisons and can become cancers to the
soul.

Don't let any curse past your lips for any reason. This will take practice.
For if we all were as quick to prayer as we were to anger and hatred and
cursing, the world would be a much nicer place to live in. So the next time
you go to curse or call God to curse someone, remember it can be hazardous
to your physical and spiritual health! ......Patti

Pick up that penny, it will bring you luck!

Pick up that penny and it will bring you luck! I heard that one the first
time when I was a kid. Most of us have. And yet we keep the superstition
alive because we repeat it to this day if we don't know better. Well, even
when we do know better we still say it to a kid once in awhile. How about
carrying a rabbit's foot. (old joke is that it didn't bring the rabbit any
luck did it?) How about rubbing Buddha's belly. Now that sounds like sure
fire wisdom. How about a horse shoe above your door? Then there is the old
reliable lucky charm. And of course my husband's favorite one, kiss a bald
man on the head!

I asked you on Friday to read Psalm 91. For those of you that do not have a
Bible I will enter it here. This will be from the New International Version
for more clear understanding of this amazingly powerful Psalm.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God,
in whom I trust.
Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly
pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under his wings you
will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You
will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the
pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at
midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it
will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the
punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling, even the Lord, who is my refuge,
then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he
will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they
will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot
against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will
trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect
him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me; and I will answer
him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With
long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

That to me is the most beautiful and reassuring writing in the Bible.
However, if you think that you can merely rub God's tummy and make a wish
you are sadly mistaken. You must come into a fellowship with our most high
God. The last lines of this precious Psalm begins with the words, "Because
he loves me". God takes great fatherly pride in His children who love Him.
And a true father's love knows no limits.

You have to know someone to love them. And even with those who do not know
God, love leads to marriage and living and abiding with someone. It means
to speak and live with them each and every day and night. You naturally see
to their health and welfare. You see to their safety from things and people
that would harm them. It means to provide for them. How much more then
should our union with the living God be? Seek Him. Learn to love Him by
getting to know Him. How you ask? Read His word. Anything you ever wanted
to know about God is there for the reading. And once you know Him, you will
fall in love with Him. He is already in love with You. So once that
communion takes place with God and you learn to dwell in "the shelter of the
Most High" you will have all the "luck" you will ever need......Patti

Your assignment for today.....

Your assignment for today. Read Psalm 91 so you will have some insight to
Monday's message.

May our precious Lord and Savior richly bless and keep you today and always.
I pray a hedge of fire around all those who visit this site. You have not
come for a visit for no reason. I invite you to go to the archives and read
the other Daily Word postings.

I love you my brothers and sisters in the Lord......Have a blessed weekend
and remember to go to church this Sunday.....Patti

God is building a team and is now taking applications!

God is building a team and is now taking applications. In these days of
unemployment, this is very good news. In these days of immorality, this is
very good news. In these days of murder, war, and abuse, this is very good
news.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the
display of His splendor. - Isaiah 61:3 NKJV

God is always taking applications. I will give you the inside track on the
type of resume you need to submit. These are the things that will catch
God's eye.

First, you need to state that you have laid your old or current sinful self
before the cross. You need to state that you have or are now willing to
repent for your sins and accept Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God,
into your heart and accept His death for your freedom from it.

Second, you need to state that you have turned from your old ways and now
strive to serve God. You need to state that you pray to your Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ, everyday to help you achieve this goal.

Third, you need to state that you are ready to lay down your life for God.
You are ready to leave anything or anyone that would stand between you and
your service and employment by God.

Please remember that God will take all applications that will be submitted.
But please remember that many are called but few are chosen. Matthew 20:16
NKJV This means that though some that apply may think that because they
have the most Bible study hours in, or have gone to seminary, or have served
in leadership positions in their churches have a better chance for the
opening, they may be mistaken. For only God knows the heart of men and says
in Matthew 20:16 that the first will be last and the last will be first.
This is not being said to discourage you from applying now or at a later
time for a higher position or a move to the next level with God. For only
He will know when the time of your heart is right. So apply now and always
strive to go deeper and to go higher with God. If you don't get the job
this time, keep applying. It is God's wish that you "grow" where you are
planted. And remember that little acorns grow into those "mighty oaks"
spoken of in Isaiah 61:3. So turn in your application today and I will be
praying for you......Patti

If this is being a Christian, you can have it!

If this is being a Christian, you can have it! I actually said those exact
words as a new Christian! Looking back, I can see how silly I must have
sounded to God. He must have said, "Oh, look, our little baby is throwing a
snit. Isn't she being silly? But We will give her time and she will mature
in the matters of her faith, and will become a strong warrior in our army."

I know that is true, because I have become strong in the matters of Faith.
Faith is all we have that keeps us connected with our Heavenly Father. We
are promoted in His army based on our growth in faith in Him.

When I first came to the Lord, I was so broken. I went up to the altar and
cried and cried as all the poison of my wretched life poured out of me and
the love and power of Christ flowed into me. For months I would weep at the
drop of a hat. I was so overcome with the presence of Christ in my life.
The night that I was saved, people in the church came up to me and told me
that I had just taken the most important step in my life. I was now a
daughter of the living God. I would be blessed beyond my wildest dreams and
I would no longer want for anything and that I now had an advocate in Jesus,
who would fight all my battles for me.

I rode that pony for a good three months and then the reality of the world
that I still had to live in hit me. You see, I gave my life to Jesus, but
my body was still in the physical as were all my old ways of doing things.
I still was enticed by the material things of the world. Movies that should
no longer have a place in my new walk were still on my list to "must sees".
I still went out with my unsaved friends. That in itself was no problem,
but to continue to go to bars and drink and party was not good. What I
watched on television and what I let my children watch on television did not
change. My language and my attitude toward people and how I handled them in
business did not change. I did not think that I was a bad person. But if I
had been honest with myself I would have reminded myself that while at the
altar turning my life over to Jesus, all the poison that was torturing my
soul and all that weeping I was doing was about my life as I had led it to
that point in time. So many things started to go wrong. My kids started
rebelling. I lost my job. Credit cards started piling up. My car was
breaking down twice a week it seemed. I got sick. I had a terrible fight
with a dear friend and stopped talking to her. I started being mocked for
becoming a Christian. Sitting in a bar and drinking with your friends with
your same foul mouth and laughing at dirty jokes was not being the Christian
that I was professing to be. Looking back they had more sense than me when
they were mocking me. I wasn't being a Christian, I was actually mocking my
own profession of Christ by my actions.

I had hit rock bottom. Prior to having accepted Jesus into my heart, I was
relatively successful. The bills were always paid, my kids had what they
wanted, well, except probably a really good mom, and life in general was
good. So one morning I awoke in the midst of my "new life" and looked up to
heaven and yelled, "If this is what it is like to be a Christian, you can
have it! I am through with you God!" As I look back on it, all I see is
about a 5 year old girl trying to make sense to an adult with the very
limited mind and judgment of a child. Just as we would ignore the outburst
of a child, God ignored me. And thank you God for doing so.

A couple of days later the most amazing thing happened to me that started my
transformation into the spiritually mature person that God wanted me to be.
I was driving down the street and saw a homeless person hitchhiking. I my
mind I heard this from God. He asked me if I were to take mercy on that
poor wretched soul and pick him up and take him into my house and bathe him
and give him new clothes and feed him good and healthy food for his starving
body would that change him in a day? And when I took that person home would
I leave my wallet and credit cards and the keys to the house and car out on
the table for him to see? Would I leave him alone with my children? Would
I assume that his old habits would just go away because of my having mercy
on him? I had to answer no. And God told me that He would not do the same
with me either. He told me that my soul was that homeless person. Full of
filth and bad habits and a way of life that was not healthy for my soul. I
had to be stripped down and cleaned up and made new in Him.

So the next time that God puts you through a "cleansing", don't do what I
did. Instead, pray for the wisdom to see what the circumstance you are
going through is teaching you. Know that God is always there. Remember
that no tall, strong and healthy tree can grow straight without pruning.
And a new fruit tree does not produce fruit in the first year. As pruning
shears train up a tree in the way it should grow, so does our Heavenly
Father prune us to make us grow strong and tall and healthy and to produce
the finest fruit to feed those in His Kingdom. So the next time you are
"pruned" by God, give off the sweet fragrance of a mature orange in it's
blossom and don't be a "sour apple"......Patti

Book Available!

The book is now available for purchase at Amazon.com.
Please let us know the impact the book has had on your life.

Matthew 6.....

Matthew 6.....

I have always referred to this book of the New Testament as the "Don't
worry, be happy" book of the Bible. It is full of good news and the
promises and goodness and earthly evidences of our Heavenly Father.

Today I ask you to find time to just read Matthew 6 and draw closer to the
Father. It will leave you at peace and will inspire your walk with Him.

God has all the time in the world for you. Spend a little time with Him
today......Patti