Sunday, February 22, 2009

Little Orphan...



In this world we often feel alone. We may feel as though we have been abandoned and exposed to the worries, sicknesses, materials and the demons of this world. We wonder what's missing? Is this how its supposed to be? We try to find help or support in friends and family or in our achievements and goals. Still there is this void.






Remember the scene in Annie when the girls were wondering about their parents and what they would be like. They sung:

Maybe far away
Or maybe real nearby
He may be pouring her coffee
She may be straighting this tie!
Maybe in a house
All hidden by a hill
She's sitting playing piano,He's sitting paying a bill!
.......So maybe now this prayer's The last one of it's kind...Won't you please come get your "Baby"


Like these little orphans we hope to be accepted by the people around us, loved in different relationships, all the while wondering where and what our "home" is really like. Not really sure of who we are or even whose we are.


Whats so great, so beautiful and so wonderful is that we don't have to search for acceptance. We have already been accepted by God. we have been adopted by him berfore we were born and he offers his love, comfort and shelter.


"God chose us to belong to Christ before the world was created. He chose us to be holy and without blame in his eyes. He loved us. 5 So he decided long ago to adopt us as his children. He did it because of what Jesus Christ has done. It pleased God to do it. 6 All those things bring praise to his glorious grace. God freely gave us his grace because of the One he loves.
7 We have been set free because of what Christ has done. Through his blood our sins have been forgiven. We have been set free because God's grace is so rich. 8 He poured his grace on us by giving us great wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1:4-7


We are children of God and our home is with him. We are holy in him and all we have to do is behave that way. To act in our nature and remember who we belong to.

at 7:43 PM 0 comments

Monday, December 22, 2008

Cell phone vs. Bible


A young man posted this somewhere and I read it and thought it was really interesting.



I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone.


What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?

What if we flipped through it several times a day?


What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?


What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to children as a gift?


What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?


This is something to make you go....hmm... where is my Bible? Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill. Makes you stop and think, "Where are my priorities?"And no dropped calls! Thank God for His Word!

at 1:57 PM 2 comments

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Sunday, December 14, 2008

I'm trynna see more of Him!!!!

God revealed to me some truth behind the Bronze Snake story in Numbers 21:4-9. I am in love with this story and the faith that was taught through it....so here it goes....

When the Israelites were once again complaining about what they don't have and how miserable they were, the Lord sent venomous snakes among them. Many people were bitten and some died.

They begged Moses to pray for God to take the snakes away. The Lord told him to make a snake and put it on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live. So Moses did so and when anyone was bitten and looked at the bronze snake they lived.

For some this story may seem strange. But the point of this story is to illuminate and show the importance of faith.

God gave them (us too!) a way to be saved from their complaining and their sins. It shows how we should put all of our trust in Him. By simply looking up and believing we are all saved.

This story is brought up again in John 3:14-15 which reads:

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."

So Jesus' death on the cross is what we should continue to look to. We should take our focus off our situations and try not to let them determine how we live and worship. In the midst of any situation we should look to God and have faith.To be saved from sin, to be healed, to be victorious.
I'm trynna see more of Him in my life. And you should too. Lift Him up above your emotions your issues and circumstances. Make Him the head of your life and be saved. Have a faith that keeps you looking at him!



Thank You Father!

at 6:56 PM 0 comments

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

I remember.....I'm a new creature now.

So I had a conversation with some of my friends about how much fun we have had together over the past three years. we talked about the good times and then we talked about some of the bad. We joked about our "crazy nights" and laughed at each other's stories. But for me in all the laughter I was uneasy. In reflecting on the things I used to do and the choices I made I was very ashamed. I could not believe those things that I had blotted out. I started to feel discouraged and embarrassed. I asked myself, Who am I to betray God's love in this way??
However, in that moment I realized that those things are no longer a part of me now. I have been accepted by God and transformed. Recalling those days for me is no longer a confession but a testimony. Even in those days God held on to me. He continued to call my name. He protected me when I was blind and arrogant in my ways. I love God and I thank Him for his unmerited favor and new mercies every day. Since I have been in God's arms He has been teaching me to live by the spirit and love the things He loves and hate the things He hates. Psalm 51 represents my prayer to God to stay close to me and change me. I love this Psalm cause it's my prayer of repentance.
I have been made clean and renewed a steadfast spirit. I have a new position a new character and a new life.....Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things are passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17).

THANK YOU FATHER!

at 7:17 AM 0 comments

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The Portrait by Da Truth

I really like this song it's deep so here are the lyrics....

[Verse 1:]Was Christ really buried
�is there a chance That He really married Mary and fled over to France Did they really find His bones with a fine tooth comb Or did He walk out of His tomb to His throne Was He God
�was He not Was He alive when they dropped Him in a tomb Did He swoon
�was He moved Was He removed by delusional dudes that refused to believe in the truth Were they fools Were the disciples hallucinating was the truth evaded 'Cause they wanted to boost His ratings
Did the Catholic church from the Vatican Work at keeping the bag of dirt under the rug Was he God from above If He was do you blink, do you shrug, do you hate do you love [x2]
[Hook:]Christ on the poster
Christ of the culture
Christ on the stain glass
Christ of the future
Christ on the video
Christ on the radio
The Christ of Da Vinci What does he really know
Christ on award shows Christ that Lord knows Christ that's sure to come back in His war clothes
In which Christ do you believe You gotta know before you leave
[Verse 2:]Yes he did arrive, yes He was alive
No�he wasn't married never had any wives
Yes�He did rise, days after He died What can I say�yes He is God!
From the womb to the tomb To His throne nobody in Rome could hold on to His bones
'Cause there were no bones to be held though His bones were beheld
Who would have known It was Jehov on the DL,
providing forgiveness Our lives are offensive
He died to put you and I in a friendship with himself
Pain is felt When the glorious gospel is exchanged for wealth
Forget about how the spades were dealt And think about how you measure up when weighed on the scale
One Lord One faith I plug
One Lord One Christ, one judge
[Hook]
This is the link to a video someone made...i just like it :)

at 7:09 AM 0 comments

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Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Feeling Defeated


So this is my junior year here at James Madison University. I have been feeling some pressure already. We are half way through the semester and I am starting to feel more and more discouraged. I'm taking a pretty heavy course load this semester and some of the classes are kicking my butt! Lol well I thought so...



The last straw was today for me. I said to God, enough is enough! I NEED YOU!



So here's the story: All last week (9/29-10/3) I spent 3 hours a day in the tutoring center here at school studying and seeking help to prepare myself for my test on Friday in my toughest class STATISTICS... This was my second test and after the first test being a dud, I thought I would try studying a little harder...a lot harder....TEST DAY COMES... I was nervous but pretty confident. I was praying to God to help me to remember the things I studied and to pace myself throuh it all. So, now I'm taking the test its going pretty well until I reached this one problem worth 13 pts. My teacher told the class that if we need help starting it off then its ok to come up and ask. I thought well great I will head on up there then. However there were 3 people ahead of me, so I decided to wait a bit and to keep trying on my own until the other 3 got out of the way. My class is over at 1:10...by the time those students moved and I got up to her it was about 1:17. I asked her and she even started to tell me where I went wrong until she stopped herself and said, "Well we are out of time anyway so....(shrugging shoulders)" I was lost...shocked...confused. When I left I found myself crying in anger and looking for some support or some one to say it'll be alright. Thanks to the Lord for my mother and my supportive friends who prayed with me and picked me up.


Today I got my test back. My grade read 65 which was a mere two point increase from the first. Once again I'm angry and in tears and on the phone with my mom. But all out of frustration. I studied so hard and this is it? That teacher wasn't fair! Then I started to think about my other class and how I could be doing better in them too...Just feeling so down on myself I didn't want study for any thing..I thought, For What?? But God is good for my mommy and my beautiful supportive friends for being there with me. Also with some good ol' prayer I'm feeling a bit better about it now. I'm going take care of it.
I am encouraged now because I read some of God's word and looked through some old notes and came across a teaching from my church in Richmond about THE NATURE OF A CONQUEROR. so here it goes.....

If we look at Revelation 12:11 the verse show how by the words you speak you can overcome enemies also with the blood of the Lamb

In Revelation 1:12-16 we get the full description of Jesus. If you notice in verse16 it say that from his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword....

FOLLOW ME NOW...

So basically, once we have become Christians and are reborn, we are reborn in Him (Christ Jesus) therefore we have dominion and are made conquerors through Him (the ultimate conqueror) By Nature....
Since by nature we are conquerors we must speak it! A conqueror NEVER admits defeat!


Romans 8:11 "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is Living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead, he will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Get your tongue connected to your spirit it's not about your feelings...Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth Romans 10:8
Keeping quiet is self defeating, talk about Him and how much he means to you; God's resurrection power gives you supernatural ability; Supernatural ability brings supernatural results


Lets look at Acts 14:19-20 Even after Paul was beaten almost to death and got dragged out of the city, he GOT BACK UP and WENT BACK into the city!!!
God's power will keep you going even when your not "supposed to!!"


So, I'm not discouraged because by nature I am more than a conqueror and I will not be defeated by these grades or anything else. I'm coming out on top through Christ Jesus who gives me strength!


Also remember this scripture Psalm 18:32-36 "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; My arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn."

at 4:22 PM 0 comments

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Why the Scarlet Cord??

The Scarlet Cord is not just the title of my blog. It has a whole story behind it and it can be found in Joshua 2.

The story of Rahab is very inspiring for me. In summary its like this:

Joshua sent two spies to Jericho where they met a prostitute named Rahab. When the King of Jericho found out they were there, he sent a message for them to be brought to him. Rahab hid the spies on her roof and directed the messengers away. Rahab said to the spies,

" I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you...For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death".

The men said,

"This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your family into your house.... As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him..."

Rahab number one was a prostitute and she lived in a pagan land. However, she believed and had respect for God's power and her life was spared. Her and her family. By the protection or the symbol of the scarlet cord.

It similar to life today. For most of us, (at least I can say so) we are surrounded by a fallen culture that tries to distract and influence us in many different ways. There is constant temptation and sin all around us. But God has already sent our protection or our symbol that saves us. He sent down Jesus Christ. His blood saved us so that we won't have to die in our sins. It protects us so that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. All we have to do is let the truth be seen. Make it visible to others who try to distract us from our calling. Like the scarlet cord in the window. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And I will let be seen and let it be heard.

at 11:29 AM 2 comments

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