Matthew 5:16 " In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see good works. And give glory to the father in heaven."
Let your light shine before others.Jesus is our light. At work it is easier to let others see Jesus in me, in my actions and words. But by the end of the day I'm done. I am tired of smiling and "being nice". The light in me goes out the minute I walk through my front door. My husband, the kids, the NEW puppy, the 19 year old cat- that I think someone switched mine for a younger one, cause this cat is too active to be soooo old., the fish, the house, etc I even pray before I get out of my car for God to create in me a new heart- a calm heart. But as soon as I see the mess in the house and all the screaming I crack. With that comes my screaming- so God help me, but when he says for my light to shine before others, I don't think he took my family into account. Ha ha.( I'm stretching the truth a bit). I had a revelation today as I begin picking up dog poop in my backyard. Our puppy is 3 months old and weighs 21lbs. Dodger was outside with me today as I begin my task. He has a lot of energy and every time I put what I had collected in a bag, he would bite the bag- well after many bites, he tore a hole in the bag. Let your imagination give you a visual of the situation. He would also grab the paper towels I was using. As I hurried, Dodger grabbed the paper towel from my hand and long story short I ended up with dog poop all over my hand. I laughed, because even when I think that I cant take it any longer I realize that I don't have it that bad. It is amazing that we allow Satan to confuse us and make us feel like we are at our breaking point. So to let my little light shine, I need to first ask God to reveal the truth about me, then repent and confess my sins and faults. And most important to read scripture and pray. As I have said before, getting through this life takes minute by minute praying and asking God for strength.When Jesus lives in our heart we act different because we are different. Lets be different today. And one more thing- when you clean up dog poop remember to leave the dog in the house.(lol) Amy
I was blown away by prayer group last Tuesday......One of the ladies in my group is an amazing woman of God.....She wanted to share with us a beautiful story that happened at her job....She answers phones for over 50 programs where people can call in and receive prayer.....She received a call from a lady who said that she had been a Catholic her whole life but had never read the bible......She was awaken one night by a vision in the middle of the night......she described the scene where there were lots of people missing from different places.....My prayer friend said it sounds like you are describing the "Rapture," and the lady said yes that is what I have been told and I was wondering if you could give me some information on the "Rapture?" My friend asked her if she had asked Jesus into her heart and the lady said "YES," I did and I asked God what He wanted me to do with this vision He had shown me and she said that He told her: "GO TELL MY PEOPLE THAT I AM COMING SOON!" I couldn't believe it, I am not sure why because all the signs are there.....even if you don't believe in a "rapture," it doesn't matter...what matters is that we get our hearts right........and be prepared.....all I could think about after hearing this was Joel 2; 28-32: I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, I WILL POUR OUT MY SPIRIT IN THOSE DAYS......I will show wonders in the heavens and on Earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will turn to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. So here I am .......living in the world; I am living in the middle and it is miserable place to be with one foot on one side of the fence and one foot in the heavenlies. What about you? What hides in your heart? Did you know we are to guard our hearts? Are you guarding your heart? Our heart is our connection with God...We have to stop neglecting our hearts!!!!This is all out war!!! Paul said we have to "fight the good fight!" I don't know about you but I don't want to slide in by the skin of my teeth.....I don't want to keep refusing God to let me be counted by Him as (Oswald Chambers) calls it: ONE WHO IS SEPARATED TO THE GOSPEL...............Jesus has to become our entire life!!! We should NEVER get tired of reading His word and learning more about him...... This world sinks its tentacles into us and seductions us to believe that it is good........ It is a sliding away....a gradual process....it is so suttle that we don't even notice it at times. We become of the world instead of living in it as an alien...........we must give up our own desires and refuse the emptiness and promises that this world has to offer.......I crave the easy because I am straddling the fence!!!! I am tired of straddling the fence.....it is a miserable existence.....I am praying on my knees tonight for God to check my heart.... I don't want to miss it.....I can't help but think that He is coming soon....the world is playing out just as His word says....and I am going to stand on His word.......Hell can be unleashed upon me....but I will stand on God's word.....even if I don't see him or feel him; I am going to BELIEVE.......how about you?????
Matthew 24: The Destruction of the Temple and Signs of the End Times 1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[b] 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.[d] 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[e] is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
The Day and Hour Unknown 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth...
Asking God to get my heart where it needs to be, humbly his Robbie
Success will only be measured by obedience to His call.......Have we developed our own definition of Christian success? Do we work for immediate gratification of earthly rewards rather than waiting for the greatest reward God is keeping for us in Heaven?????
What is my calling in life? What is your calling? Is it to go to church? To do good church activities? To teach a bible study? Are we simply content in being a good person?
I am constantly reading and studying the bible to get my work done for school instead of spending time with God....yes I am back on my spiritual treadmill of going nowhere! I am running in place content with being good instead of Godly........I am allowing Satan victory by filling my life with good things that I have designed for myself!!! Good things that give me satisfaction when other people seem pleased or impressed. It all makes sense to me now how I crave the stillness, the peace, and the quietness....never quiet finding it.....I am serving others instead of God!!!! We have to change our thinking , it is a mindset........We work for God not to please others....We need to be less concerned about our character and more concerned with Falling in Love with the Lord!!! Paul did not say that "he," separated himself, but "WHEN IT PLEASED GOD, WHO SEPARATED ME......." (Galatians 1:15).....Paul was not OVERLY INTERESTED in his own character!!!!!!!!! Paul was not conscious of himself.......He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose.......TO PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL OF GOD.......Romans 9:3,
There is only one word that I keep hearing whispered to me through His word......HUMBLE........HUMBLE YOURSELF..... Stand with the Father against the very things that tempt you to do what "OTHERS," see as "GOOD." Until we take our focus off us and our circumstances.....our souls will be empty.........
Satan is tempting you and me to be good because he fears that we will become one with the Father.........
If we place our faith in human goodness we will sink when the testing comes.........and it will come.....
Why is it that we place our desire to be holy above our desire to know God? I am so guilty of this, wanting to build my own character.....This statement rings truth in my ears: "YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF WHEN YOU LOSE YOURSELF." In other words; take your eyes off of your own circumstances...its time to stop playing the victim card.....it's time that we allow ourselves to fall.....We have to yield our minds and motives to God....then we can begin the fall......instead of relying on ourselves we learn to rely on the Holy Spirit.....who is God in us...then we become one with the Father........oneness=relationship!!!!
“Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the Lord. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you.
What things do I need to remove from my life?, heart? mind?......... What about you?
Me heading down into my ritual bath....It is centuries old. It would have been full of water back then. There were lots of these type of baths throughout Israel.....All of them different in size etc....
Joshua 3:5
5 Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”
How do I purify myself in this race we call life? I want so badly to immerse myself in His blood...to wash away all the dirty water of my heart.......and Jesus said it's DONE.......
Here I am coming up out of the purifying water.....
A cleansing agent was required: water, blood, or fire (Numbers 31:23). Water, the most common purifying agent, symbolized cleansing and was used in the rituals related to a waiting period. The person was to wash the clothes and bathe the body (Leviticus 15:7
Ritual Purity. To be ritually pure means to be free of some flaw or uncleanness which would bar one from contact with holy objects or places, especially from contact with the holy presence of God in worship. God is the ideal of purity, and those who are to come in contact with God's presence are also to be pure. Habakkuk 1:13 indicates that God's eyes are too pure to look upon evil.
Jesus Christ came to transform us into "His," image....to make us true sons and daughters out of us.......Jesus Christ gave "Himself," for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to PURIFY for Himself a people that are His very own........
We are to "PURIFY, ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." (2 Cor 7:1)
God sent Jesus to do the final purification for us......So how do we now purify ourselves? The bible tells us; (1 Pet 1:22), "by obeying the truth," by preparing our minds for action, and not conforming to this world and this world's belief system....and by(not allowing our flesh victory).
The removal of SHAME, CONDEMNATION, SELF-CONTEMPT and SELF-LOATHING, brought about by Christ taking those things on Himself is what PURIFIES us and enables us to walk in holiness, "eager to do what is good". (Titus 2:14)
No longer do we need a purity bath to be in God's presence. The veil was torn from top to bottom.....So why is it that I am in this race we call "life" blinded by pure pride????? God continues to work with me in my messy life not giving up on me when I continue to impose what I believe to be a higher standard for myself than even what God has provided? Who do I think I am? Satan is making a fool of me,,,, How about you? Are you wallowing in self-pity, casting yourself as a tragic victim? God is showing me that I am not allowing myself to FALL........It is a flat out refusal to allow myself to FALL or COMMIT myself in love with Jesus Christ.........Why is that? Do I love sin more than I love Jesus? Is my refusal to allow myself to FALL because their is doubt that their is unconditional Grace? I stated in an earlier post how I had cried more in the last few weeks than ever before.. I know now that I was basically throwing temper tantrums! I was too scared to be angry at God so I always chose people that are close to me...the ones who I love the most......
God is the perfect love for us to enter into. Satan is playing with our minds.....if he knows he can't get us to not believe that God is real, he will lead us into a deception and help us find salvation in a pseudo-faith where there is no commitment, one that is birthed through the mind rather than the HEART....
Don't let anything keep you from God.....not your past, present or future.....Don't compromise God's promise for us to be made HOLY......
Don't let Satan fool you....Be holy in all you do...just as He who called you is Holy......
Take the time.....get in His presence........fall in love with Him...He will PURIFY the one who hungers and thirsts for His righteousness......
Hebrews 10:26-31 "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left. but only a fearful expectation of judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Hebrews 10:35 " So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."
As I read the above scriptures, I get kinda scared. I'm not a "big" sinner, but all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. Do you ever feel guilty when you are watching a movie or a TV show that you know you should not be watching? Or say something that you should not say? Do we get comfortable with sin in our lives? Almost knowing that we can just ask God for forgiveness when it is all said and done. Well I have thought that. I recently watched a movie on the demand channel. It is $3.99 per movie. There was a part in the movie where they were making fun of "Godly "people and going to church, etc. The Holy Spirit that lives in me immediately told me to turn it off and get on my knees. I justified watching the rest of the movie telling myself that I could not waste that money and I know what I believe in. You may not think that is a big sin, but little sins turn into big ones. And truthfully, a sin is a sin. We will all stand before God on the throne one day and that day will not be fun for a lot of people. Can you imagine hearing, " I can't find your name in the Lambs book of Life. SORRY I NEVER KNEW YOU". Just writing that makes me feel sick. We should be heartbroken when we sin. Life is hard, but we have got to live minute by minute in the word and praying that God gives us the strength to make it. We cannot be deceived by the devil, he wants nothing more than us sin over and over again. He doesn't want to be all by himself in the Lake of Fire. He wants to bring everyone of us down with him. The unrighteous will NOT inherit the kingdom of heaven. I pray every morning that God creates in me a new heart and searches my soul for anything unholy. I just want to draw near to him. Love in Christ, Amy
Make sure your scroll down and turn our music off first!!! Some of this was taken from my devotion today: "My UTMOST for HIS HIGHEST," by: Oswald Chambers
The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic directions for him... And Paul stated, "I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, "Your whole life is to be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to: HAVE NO END, NO AIM, AND NO PURPOSE BUT MINE." And the Lord says to us, "YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, BUT I CHOSE YOU AND APPOINTED YOU THAT YOU SHOULD GO..."(John 15:16). We must have the foundation of a personal relationship with Jesus. It is NOT enough to know that God has redeemed the world, nor even to know that the Holy Spirit can make all that Jesus did a reality in your life.... It is not our job to prove His existence. He did not die on the cross for you and I to argue with people that He is real...It is OUR JOB to "PROCLAIM," Him...... Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim, he was brought into a vivid, PERSONAL, OVERPOWERING, RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ......Acts 26:16; is tremendously compelling".........to make you a minister and a witness....." There would be NOTHING THERE without a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Jesus Christ.... Paul was DEVOTED to a PERSON (Jesus Christ), NOT to a CAUSE!!!!! He was absolutely Jesus Christ's. He saw NOTHING ELSE and he LIVED for NOTHING ELSE.... (1 Corinthians 2:2), "For I determined not to know anything among you except for JESUS CHRIST and HIM CRUCIFIED." Don't you want to know Him like that? Ask yourself today "Do I have a personal relationship with Jesus? Do I know who I belong too? What do I live for? What is my heart? Is it Jesus? Or is it things? Money? A bigger house? Nice clothes? Impressing other people? Your kids? Are you living through your children? If they are your only interest then that my friends is an IDOL.......Ask God today to reveal to you your idol's. Then have some prayer time with God... We have to place God first in our lives... Nothing else matters and I believe with all my heart that the road to heaven is narrower than we think.... Give me Jesus, Robbie
Please turn off our music first and listen to this song....truly amazing
The greatest "River," in Judeo-Cristian history.....
I have put this post off long enough.....Not sure why I am finding it so hard to share that I had an "encounter," with God.........It is so personal and I am unsure how to put it into words!!!
It hit me when we were on our way to the Baptism site; that I had "NEVER," been baptised as a Christian..........yes I was baptised as a child without knowing who God was at all....
I started praying to God telling him that I wanted him to purify my heart and how unworthy I felt to be baptized in the Jordan River, the very river that He chose to be baptized in........wow
Dec. 3 around 4:30 pm; I will never forget...... As I was praying and changing into my bathing suit and white robe I felt this heaviness come over me like never before... I could feel God's presence all over me.....It was so strong that it caused my legs to buckle...... I felt like I had no strength to even stand...... I just kept praying and praising Him and then I heard him speak for the first time in a still small voice in my heart...
Somehow I managed to open my door to my stall and try to walk out; (the beautiful lady with her arm around Amy), heard me crying and came over to me and before I could say anything her whole look changed on her face and she started praising God and she said to me: " I see the presence of God all over you," she then took my hand to help me stand and walk with her to the river....... she continued to praise God........................God will touch you to give you strength to stand in His presence............
Both men are pastors in the water with me.... the one on my Right was our amazing Leader "Scott", who is a believing Jewish Pastor..........He asked me to state my name and the reason I was being baptized....I wish you could hear me, because I was crying so hard but on the inside I wanted to scream that I had come because my sin is the blackest form of dark with only God knowing my thoughts through the years, with only God knowing my words that I have said to my family, friends and even strangers through my life............Only God alone knew how much I desperately needed to be there..............I needed help to walk down to the river because I could only think of how much I needed to be forgiven for; as Renee was holding my hand and helping me enter into the cold dark murky water I wondered if the river could even hold all the ugly in my heart that had darkened my soul over the course of my life?
I need to be at the banks of forgiveness every single day of my life....Tears continue to fall as I look up understanding (tears of pure joy), that my life can NEVER be the same again....................................
Dark.........a river so murky that the water reflects the over grown foliage teetering over it like a black mirror.......It looks more like a swamp instead of a river....
As I was going down in the water for some reason I opened my eyes and there was this amazing bright white light....As I was being pulled up through the water it felt like I was moving in slow motion through this amazing white fluffy stuff..... When I drew my first breath I felt so free, so weightless like I could have just floated away.....It was the most amazing day in my whole trip...the most spiritual moment in history for me. Words do not do it justice.......
To the side of me is my precious new friend, "Renee," that God sent to give me strength( and I found out later that she a pastor also)........ she is standing there praising God for what she had just witnessed..........................
Jesus talked in scripture about the people who live in darkness.....but will see a great light.......they live in a place covered with shadows of death, but a "LIGHT," will shine on them......Jesus continued to preach, saying "CHANGE YOUR HEARTS AND LIVES, BECAUSE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR..............................................
Amy is going to blog about her experience as well....
The men in my life........
My husband and me in Greece...........
