Tuesday, May 20, 2008

God Lives Big In Me

There is a TV program with Marilyn and Sarah Hickey that I watch sometimes, and they always end with God Lives Big in Me. I never really paid much attention to the saying, until last night I was reading some scriptures, and BAM, something struck a nerve ending in my brain and I thought OH, now I get it. Some of us are just slower than others with our revelations. God understands that.

Romans 5 v 5...Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us...

Ok, here is where I am going with this.
John 1 v 1...In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.

John 1 v 14...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth...

John 14 v 19-20..a little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you....

John 14 v 23...Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him....

John 14 v 25-26..."These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.....

1 John 5 v 7...For there are three that bear witness in heaven; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one....

Ok, we have established that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all one. RIGHT!
Well, then if you are born again and have received the Holy Spirit then you have a piece of God living within you. That Great Big God, that Great Burning Fire is alive within you. Once you grab that and know that, then how can you have fear of anything coming against you? Who or what would have the boldness to go against a God that big? That is why it is so important to pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, that God Himself left in you, a piece of Him, don't let the Spirit lay there dormant and let your fire be quenched or worse put out completely because you do not feed the flames. Just imagine when you pray in the Spirit, you are fanning those flames, and the fire of God is so big in you, that people better watch out, they may walk away with singed hair on their arms from the glory of God coming through you. HALLELUJAH! Isn't that exciting? My goodness, I just want to shout, GOD LIVES BIG IN ME! WHOO, watch out enemies, watch out devil, the fire that lives in me is bigger than any flames you can throw. You think hell is hot, you better not try coming close to these flames of My God. AMEN! And that is how you need to talk to the devil or whatever is trying to come against you. God says, you better back off because you don't want to see Him get fired up when someone tries to come against one of His kids. HALLELUJAH!!

Now, get in the presence of God today, and pray out through your Spirit Man and let the flames of God get fired up in you. Let God show you just how big He can really be in your life and in your situations. Glory to God, I might just have to run around and shout some more. God's Fire in me is firing up. So the next time you feel a hot flash, just maybe that is the flames of God firing up in you, and not hormones. That is a thought maybe the devil is trying to tell us we have hormonal issues when really it is the fire of God, and the devil is getting scared. Hallelujah!!
Neta

As For Me

Well, David wasn't the only one who could write love letters to God, telling Him just how he felt about Him and what he wanted to do with his life. Here is mine. How about you, will you write a love letter to God, showing Him your true heart?

PS 17 v 15...As for me I will see Your face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness....

In other words, I will not be satisfied until I can see myself becoming more like Jesus, then I shall begin but only begin to get satisfied. I will never be just like Him, but I will strive to be a good copy of Him, by reacting as He would re-act to a situation. In my words, my actions and yes even my thoughts I want to be more like Him.

I want to always seek Him first and His righteousness, then the rest of the Lord Jesus will come into my life.
Matt 6 v 33...but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you...

I want to know His word and everything about my God. I want to have His praises on my lips at all times, so that negative and unrighteous things can not pass through my lips.
I want to share the love of Christ with every single person I come into contact with. I want the boldness of the saints to open my mouth to speak of Him and His loving kindness, His goodness, His mercy and His grace for all who will believe.

PS 146 v 2...While I live, I will praise the LORD, I will sing praises to my God while I have my being...

PS 71 v 8...Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day...

I want to be one of the laborers bringing in the harvest that Jesus is so compassionate about. Starting with my own family and friends.

Matt. 9 v 35-38....Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the LORD of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."....

Just think if everyone of us, would just take a minute with everyone we speak with in a day, and ask them, "Has anyone ever told you how much Jesus loves you?, Can I share with you what He did for me?" and if they answer you with a negative response, you can still say, I just wanted to make sure that you knew how much the Lord loves you. Be Blessed. Then go on your way and pray over that seed you just sowed. Pray the LORD will send more laborers across their path, and then one will come along when their heart is ready to receive. AMEN

I can't wait to get out there in the world today and put what I am preaching to work. I am tired of being a hearer only, I want to be a doer. AMEN!
Neta

Fill Up On God

Do you ever get a peaceful reassurance feeling when you fill your gas tank to full? A feeling, like ok now I am set I can go for awhile before having to put any more gas in my car. Everything should be good now. Maybe that is just me, from years of not having enough money and running out of gas about 2 or 3 times a week. So much so, that my daddy and little brother would cringe when I called the shop because they just knew they were going to have to come and fix my car and usually that just meant putting gas in it. It is not that they didn't love me but, it is just that they knew where I was spending my money when I should have had gas in my car to get me back and forth to work. Praise God, I have gas now, and more than enough, I don't care how high the devil tries to run the prices up, My God says I shall have more than enough. HALLELUJAH!!

Well, anyway back to my point, that feeling. I thought about something this morning when the Holy Spirit was trying to get me out of my comfortable bed and get into the word. He was telling me, that this should be my time with the LORD, before anything else of the day can come into my spirit. I should first fill up on God. While sharing this with Rob, he brought out a good point. When we go to school as children, we go first thing in the morning, so that what we learn we retain better, because we have not had time yet to get our minds focused on other things. Or when we exercise, we like to start first thing in the morning because then our muscles and our bodies remember the stretches, and the exercise we put them through and they are energized for the rest of the day. Not like if we lay in bed, or sit on the couch, then our bodies become lethargic and lazy. So maybe that is why all throughout the word of God, we see that the people of faith, arose early so that they could seek out God and spend time in His presence before doing anything else.

If we rise early and fill up on God, then the rest of the day we should be able to walk out our faith walk, walk out our love walk, and then maybe we would not be just hearers of the word, but actually doers of the word. You see, when we do our bible studies at night like Rob and I do, then we go to sleep. We do sleep peacefully and restfully, and I think we should give God time before we go to bed also, but if we would give Him time in the morning we would have our hearts full of His word to get us through the day.

Another point that came to me, is the word says to give 10% of our first fruits. So I guess 10% of our time would be the first part of the day. Well, then we all have 24 hours in a day. So God should get 2 hours and 40 minutes of every day. Would it be right to say, that He should get the first 2 hours and 40 minutes? I mean that would be the first fruits of our time. Right? I know now, some of you people who like to sleep in are saying no that ain't right. HA! But, I think it is. I mean you could use the old way and say the day starts at 4pm the day before, so I guess you could give Him from 4-6:40pm every day. But if we want to get all technical like that, then maybe we should step back and look at why we are spending time with God in the first place. Not out of law, but out of love.

So whatever time you decide to give God, give it to God and God alone. Just you and Him having tea in the morning and discussing His word, or hot chocolate at night discussing His word and His will for your life. Just search your heart and see how much time you can spare for God. OUCH!

PS 5 v 3...My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning, I will direct it to You, and I will look up...

PS 88 v 13...But to You I have cried out, O LORD, and in the morning my prayer comes before You...

Lam 3 v 22-23...Through the LORDs' mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness....

Love ya
Neta

Friday, May 16, 2008

Are You Afraid To Get Out Of Your Boat

Today in my devotional was the story of Peter getting out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus. But we know the story, how when Peter took his eyes off the Lord, and looked at his circumstances he got afraid and started to sink. But don't let the story stop there. Jesus pulled Peter up and brought him safely back to the boat. He said why do you have so little faith Peter? Why did you take your eyes off of Me? In other words if you would have stayed focused on Me and not on the wind, you would have been fine.

We so many times when we are facing a crisis, first call out on Jesus. But then when things seem like nothing is changing, we get afraid and start looking to the world for answers. We start talking to our friends and family members about our problem sometimes just to whomever will listen. That is the worse thing we could do. You see then you are putting all your focus on the problem and not on God and what His word says about your situation.

Another scripture that brings to mind is Heb. 11 v 1....Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen....

You see when we stay focused on something, when we continue to speak about something, we are giving substance and bringing into being whatever it is we are focused on. We are creating this substance. Whether it be faith or the problem. If we stayed focused on our faith and God's word, we would be building our faith into a mighty substance that nothing can shake. But if we stay focused on the problem then we are creating, giving substance, bringing to life the problem, and it has now become bigger than our faith. WOW!
Be real careful walking on that sea. Because depending on what your problem is, you could very easily drown in it. (Hence the saying drowning in our sorrows.) I would rather be drowning in the word of God and speaking His authority over my problem, so when I have a problem, I go to the word and stay in the word, and seek God and what He has to say. I might still slip and fall but I am quick to reach for Jesus' hand when I slip and put my eyes back on Him and rebuke that problem. And when we get back to the boat, the hole in the boat is fixed and the problem is dissolved. HALLELUJAH!

You see our God is still bigger than any problem, He is still seated on the throne, no one has ever or will ever overthrow His throne. He can just pufffff out a breath of air at your problem and it dissipates just like vapor. AMEN!

Matthew 14 v 28-30...And Peter answered Him and said, "LORD if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." So He said, "COME" And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "LORD, save me!"......

Matthew 14 v 31-32....And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat the wind ceased....

Prov. 4 v 20-23...My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life....

Don't stay in your boat with your problems, focus on Jesus and keep your eyes on His word and get out of that sinking boat while you still can and let Jesus give you a new and better boat. AMEN

Neta

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Security

My word today was security, and when I looked in the back of my bible to find all the scriptures with the word security in them, there was only one. I am sure the word is in the bible more than once, but in my concordance in the back of my bible, there was only one. It was found in Job 24 v 23.
Now I wasn't sure where to go with that, so I decided to just start reading Job and really take a good look at Job, and I thought what a great book for the word security to be in. Through all of Job's trials, he was getting so desperate, and his friends came and were giving him all sorts of advice, but then in chapter 13, I noticed Job takes on a new outlook and rebukes his friends and their advice. In other words instead of praying for Job, they were giving him doom and gloom.

When I read down in the comments below, I read where it says Job rejects the imcompetent counsel of his three friends, and he compares them to worthless physicians who have made a wrong diagnosis concerning the cause of his disease and sufferings. (Now, I am not saying physicians are worthless, but I am saying they can be fed the lies of the devil just like you, and it is up to you to know what God says about your situation.) Now if we could all be like Job, and recognize the devil's lies when he tries to tell us something is wrong with us, and instead look to God for His truth and what He says about our situations. Sometimes, well meaning friends and family members are not in the right place with their faith for you to share your prayer requests with. In other words like Job's friends, they might just want to console you, and grieve with you, and this is their way of comforting you. Those are the ones you stay away from, during this time of trial. You do not need any more team members on the devil's side agreeing with what he is trying to put on you. No, this is the time that you go to your comforter that Jesus left you with. The Holy Spirit. And then you call your prayer warriors, who have faith to move mountains, and believe that God still works miracles today. These are the ones you have praying in your corner.

I have to share a miracle that happened the other day. My daughter-in-law's grandmother was having a hip replacement, and when they went in they found a staff infection in the socket of her hip, so they could not put her new hip in, until she was on antibiotics for 6 weeks, then they would wait 3 weeks check her blood work and if all was good put in the new hip. Well, at the end of the 6 weeks, they checked the blood work and nothing had changed. The antibiotic did not phase the situation, so they told her they would have to change the antibiotic and do another 6 weeks. (Now remind you she is pretty much having to stay put in a chair, only to go to the bathroom, and back and forth to bed, during this time, as she has no hip.) This is not a lady who is accustomed to sitting, this is someone who still works everyday, and is very active. When they told her this, she was devastated, and immediately the devil tried to come in on her thoughts, and cause her to think all kinds of things were wrong with her. Well, Brandon, went to the men of his church, (some prayer warriors) and Emily called on the prayer warriors she knew, and we all started rebuking that report calling it a lie of the devil, and God's word says Nanny was healed and her blood work would come back perfect, so they had more blood work done, and HALLELUJAH, it came back perfect. You see God didn't quit performing miracles when Jesus died on the cross, No, that is when He performed the biggest miracle of all, and raised Jesus from the dead after He died for all of our sicknesses and diseases. You see Nanny had security in the Lord Jesus, because she is a born again child of God, so when those prayer warriors went to God on her behalf with their prayers and speaking the word of God over her situation, God heard and knocked that enemy right out of her. HALLELUJAH!!!

You see Job kept questioning God about his troubles, and why He would let him suffer these trials. But then, finally in the latter part of Job, He understood, that it was not God's will to punish him. And he recants the words he spoke against Him. And God, brings him through with blessings more than he had before, and Job lived one-hundred forty years and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations.

Now, I don't know about you, but that is the type of security I want in God, that no matter what the devil tries to throw at me, I will stand and praise God and thank Him, for He is faithful to bring me through with the victory. AMEN

Job 1 v 8-12...Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have you not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!" And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person."

You see God did not put those things on Job, Satan did. God knew Job's heart and knew he would not turn from Him, as you will see in the scipture below. Job tells God,

Job 42 v 2...I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You....

Job 42 v 16...After this Job lived one hundred forty years and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. So Job died, old and full of days....

You see you too, can have the security of knowing the devil can not take you out before God's purpose in your life is fullfilled, or before your days are full in God's eyes if you will look to Him for your security and deliverance instead of blaming Him. AMEN Give God the Praise! HALLELUJAH!
Neta

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Suddenly

How many times does the word tell us something was done suddenly? Well, I don't know exactly how many times, but it is used over and over in the word of God.

PS 6 v 10...Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled; Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly....

How would you like all your enemies suddenly to be ashamed and turned away from you, never to bother you again. HALLELUJAH!

Mal. 3 v 1..."Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me, and the LORD, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.....

The word tells us that Jesus will come suddenly. Are you ready? Prepare your hearts today, and get ready. Jesus is referred to as the Bride Groom and we as the church are the Bride. Have you ever seen a Bride who did not prepare for her wedding day with great anticipation? Making sure that everything is perfect for when the groom sees her that day? We should be the same way, preparing our hearts for that day, every day until it arrives. AMEN

Those of you who never got to have the big wedding, here is your chance. Go all out and prepare your heart today, put on your best for the Lord Jesus your groom.
Neta

Who Does He Say To Imitate

WOW, While reading my devotional today, something Kenneth Copeland said, jumped off those pages and just about knocked me out of my chair. He was talking about the story of the woman with the issue of blood and how she touched the garment of Jesus and was healed. He was saying how at some time or other we all wish we could have been in that crowd that day, following Jesus, or even being the woman who touched the garment. BUT!!!! He pointed out this very important point and I hope we all get it today. Jesus did not say wish you were one of them, go out and be like my disciples. NO, He said go out and imitate ME, be like ME, act like ME, do the works I do, be My witnesses, stand in MY place. WOW! Did you get that? Jesus is telling you to stand in HIS place. Instead of you being the one trying to grab the hem of the garment, you should be the one wearing the garment of Christ, you should be the one with the annointing flowing through you.

OK, now all you people full of religiosity, come on back down off the chandeliers. I am not saying we are to be Jesus, but the word says we are to clothe ourselves with Christ. We are to put on the garment of Jesus, and go about doing His works. Not just go about talking about His works, but actually doing His works. We are to put on our new man. Who is our new man, but the Holy Spirit of Christ Himself. So you will have to take your arguments to Jesus on that one. I mean really think about it. Why would He tell us to act like someone else. Even Billy Graham as great as he is, he still is not perfect nor is he God. But he would be a great example to follow. But Christ, goes one step futher, He says to act like HIM.

I truly believe if we could ever grasp what that means, and grab hold of all that annointing power, people would not be walking around sick today. Because we as Christians would be out there actually doing the work of Christ and not just preaching about it. AMEN!

Someone walks up to you and says, oh I feel so bad, they just told me I have this, or that, you would just slap your hand on them and say COME OUT OF THEM IN THE NAME OF JESUS, and say it like you were Jesus Himself, and whatever it was would come out so fast our heads would be spinning with theirs. HALLELUJAH!! If you truly said it like you were Jesus Himself, it wouldn't matter if they were born again or not, you would have spoken with so much authority that even the devil himself would take off running the other way, if he was trying to sneak up on you. HA HA! LORD, I'm about to preach myself happy! I gotta calm down so I can finish typing this out. I get so excited sometimes, my fingers can't punch the right keys.

Col. 3 v 10...and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him......

Notice it didn't say according to someone else's image, it says according to the image of Him who created you.

John 14 v 12..."Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.......

John 14 v 17..the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you....

So you see, the Spirit of God is not only with you, but in you, so tap into that spirit when things try to come against you, and use it like Jesus Himself would use it, and don't only help yourself, but help others with the power you have been given in Christ Jesus. AMEN
Neta

We Are Not There Yet

We as Christians sometimes think when we hear the word, Oh I've heard that a thousand times before, or yeh, I know that story. But maybe, just maybe God is trying to give you insight to something else in that scripture passage that you may not have gotten the first time. You see, we can not quit learning and striving to be more like Jesus. This is an ongoing everyday affair for us. In other words, you may have read the bible through and through, cover to cover a hundred times but that does not mean you got it. His word needs to be fresh and new in us every day. We do not want to become stale Christians. You may have been raised in Sunday School as a child and been churched all your life, but that does not mean you have reached your goal in Christ Jesus.

Personally, I think once you have reached your goal in Christ Jesus, then it is time for you to go home and be with the LORD. I mean why else would He need to keep you on this earth, if you have reached your goal, and you are not striving to work for Him, and continuously do His works? I mean I am ready to go when the Lord is ready for me to go, but hey, I don't want to cut my time short just because I have sat down and quit working for Him. AMEN!

Our goal everyday should be to bring another person into the kingdom of God. Now, I know that is not easy for some of us. I am not the best at going out and witnessing to people but I try to do my witnessing through my tid-bits, or just through my character and behavior toward others. But, I have really been thinking about this lately. People have always said I could sell ice to an eskimo, well then why is it so hard for me to share my Jesus with others. I mean the Lord has really stepped on my toes about this. I sold Mary Kay and was a sales director for Mary Kay which is not an easy task to become, I mean out of 2 million ladies only 2% ever make it to be a sales director. But I believed in the product so strongly that I did not have a hard time selling it. But once that belief was diminished, I quit selling the product. So if I say I believe so strongly in the Lord Jesus Christ, why do I have a hard time sharing Him with others? It is I think because I need training in that area. And what better place to get training than from the word of God, and from Jesus Himself. AMEN! So for all you sales people out there who call yourselves Christians, how many people have you shared the Lord with today? Let me challenge you in the same way God is challenging me. When you are at a party or some sort of get together, instead of trying to sell your insurance, makeup, cars or whatever you might be selling, try talking about the Lord Jesus to them instead. AMEN. I think now of all the times I put makeup on young ladies faces, how many times I could have shared the Lord Jesus with them at the same time. HMMMM, maybe that is an avenue I need to re-visit. I mean a woman is not going to leave with her face half way made up, so I would kind of have them right where I needed them. HA! Just a thought. Oh well, back to my tid-bits, the scripture that led me to this today is in Philippans.

Phil. 3 v 12-14...Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus....

You see, Paul had gotten it, he knew that he had not reached his full potential, or his full purpose in Christ yet, and when he did, it would be time to go home. When Christ has a purpose for you in life, He is not going to take you out of this life until you have reached that purpose. It is not God's will for any of us to be removed from this earth before we have fulfilled our days. So there is your hint about your purpose, it is not how many cars you can buy, or how many homes you own or how many awards you are given, it will always be about His great works through you.
Neta

Whose Your Money On

God tells us when we have a problem, or when we are in a battle, we are to bring it to Him. If there is an enemy bullying you, and trying to cause you fear, as bullies do, or trying to take you out, He says bring them to Him. He will take care of them. Just like if you were a little girl or boy and a bully at school was trying to beat you up, or causing you fear, your earthly father would be ready to take them out. Well, how much more so, does your heavenly Father want to do the same for you.

He says, just let Him know when someone or something is attacking you, and He will take care of it. He will tell that enemy, look you, My Son has already paid the price for that with His blood, so you can just leave now, while you still can, because I will not let you attack my little girl. This is what God showed me just the other night, when I was being attacked by the devil. I called out on the name of Jesus, and I got the word out and read PS 91, and God says, I've got you covered, here under My wings, and your Lord and brother Jesus is sitting right here beside you, and I have got angels surrounding your entire dwelling place, so you can't even stump your toe without one of them to catch you. So you just don't fret, I will send this devil down with a thud like I've done many times before, and he will have to leave you alone, because I said so, and My word still rules over that devil today. HALLELUJAH!!! Our God is a great big GOD! AMEN! He says, there is no one that is bigger than I AM, so if I AM for you, who can be against you. AMEN AMEN

The thing is, you have to be willing to let it go, and let God have it. Because there are battles that you can not win, but Jesus has already fought that battle and He has the victory over it and He wants to share that victory with you, but He can't unless you give it to Him, and don't try to take it back, because He doesn't need your help, you need HIs. If we could just get that through our heads, that it is not for us to fight, we would live alot less worrisome lives. That is why it is so important that we stay in the word of God daily and stay under the teaching of the word, because faith comes by hearing the word of God.

PS 55 v 22...Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved....

1 Cor. 15 v 57...but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ....

1 John 5 v 4....for whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world- Our Faith....

PS 91...v 1-11...He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust." Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.....

Romans 8 v 31...what then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?......

So build your faith up daily and don't wait until your crisis hits and then try to build it, you need it before it hits, so that you can have the trust in the Father to let Him take over and defeat your enemies.
Neta

Freedom

PS 146 v 7...Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry, The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners....

My word today was freedom, and this was the scripture. I thought, OK, where is this going? Then the Lord showed me, that being a prisoner doesn't necessarily mean being locked behind bars. We have all at some time in our lives been a prisoner to something or someone. We may have been a prisoner to food, when we knew we needed to lose weight. Maybe, like myself, you were a prisoner or still are to smoking or drinking. Being a prisoner is being bound to something, that you are letting control you. When you are literally locked up in prison, the prison guards have control over you. It is the same with our addictions or habits, we are letting them control us, therefore making us a prisoner to them. The devil can also hold us prisoners to thoughts that he puts in our minds. This is a dangerous type of prison and we need to steer clear.

2 Cor. 10 v 5...casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ....

But God's word says, we can bring into captivity the thoughts that try to exalt themselves above God and the Lord gives freedom to the prisoners. We can be free of whatever has us bound here on this earth. God says whatsoever you shall loose on earth will be loosed in heaven, and whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven. He says he has given you the keys. You just have to choose to use them to unlock your freedom.

Matthew 16 v 19...And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.....

Hallelujah! The freedom is in your hands. You just have to choose to accept to use the keys.
Neta

Friday, May 9, 2008

Slander

PS 50 v 20...You sit and speak against your brother, You slander your own mother's son....

We are always talking about how we are to love one another in Christ, yet sometimes, we have trouble loving our own family members. Why is this? We say, Lord, let us be like Jesus to everyone we come in contact with, but yet, then when it comes to our own siblings, sometimes we do not even give them the time of day. I know I have been guilty of this myself. God did not say to just go out and act like Jesus in public, with people you think will matter, No, He said, we are to love everyone. Call your sibling today, and tell them how much you love and appreciate them. You will feel better after you do.

Prov. 10 v 18...Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool....

The word is telling us that if we harbor hatred in our hearts toward anyone, then we can not say we are of Christ, because Christ says to be of Him is to walk in love toward everyone. If you have someone in your life, that has rubbed you the wrong way, forgive them today, and be set free of hatred, so God can work His blessings into your life.

1 John 2 v 11...But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes....

Now this does not mean just your sibling, this means all God's children.

Next time we think of the word slander, let us remember how God used it. He says they are fools who slander. I for one to not want to be a fool about anything when it comes to God's word. AMEN
Neta

Ask-Seek-Knock

What level of faith are you operating on? I heard this at church the other night during a Bible Study that Brother Eric was leading, and I guess I never looked at faith this way. The first step is to ask. Not to ask for what you want, but to ask the Lord into your heart. Then you are to seek. Seek God out in prayer, and divine understanding and wisdom in all things, so that you might know the mind of God and His purpose in your life. Then knock. When you knock the door will be opened unto you. Then you may go in and get what it is you need. You have to first ask the Lord into your heart, then you must diligently seek the Lord for all things, then and only then can you knock and the door will be answered. If you try to knock without asking or seeking first, you will find the door will not be opened unto a stranger.

Luke 13 v 25..."When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from.".......

You see we can know God without having faith in God. But in order to receive the things we need, our faith has to be IN GOD. In other words you can believe in God, but not BE IN GOD and when you seek healing or deliverance from poverty or whatever, but you are not seeking GOD for the answer then you will neither receive your healing nor GOD. You must have faith that God is who He says He is. Your Great Reward. Only then will you be able to receive what God has for you.

Matthew 7 v 7-8...."Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.".....

Hebrews 11 v 6....But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him....

Gen. 15 v 1....After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.".....

So the question today is, where are you? Are you asking, seeking, or just knocking? Some of us will find we have asked, but we try to jump straight to knocking without seeking. We are alot of times just knocking for what we can get from God. Brother Eric put it like this. Are you taking advantage of your relationship with God? In other words like when some people take advantage of others for just what they can get out of them. Do you truly get into God's word and seek Him everyday. Do you set aside time for God and no one else, turn off your phones, the tv, don't answer the door, but just diligently seek God and His will for you?

Today, I would challenge each of my readers to make a special appointment time for just God and no one else. Do this everyday and you will find your Great Reward. AMEN

Neta

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Spare

Ok, I am ready to see where God is leading us with this word.

Deut. 29 v 20.... book would settle on him, and the LORD would blot out his name from under heaven....The LORD would not spare him; for then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy would burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this

Don't turn away from God, and cause His anger to fall on you, that He would blot out your name. Our God is a jealous God, and He does not want you following other Gods or idols that you have made unto yourself. God did not make this earth and the heavens, to have you worshiping something besides Him. He is your creator, and He is your redeemer through the blood of His Son Jesus. Please, PLEASE get to know His Son, so that you too will have your name written in His book for all eternity. I do not want to get to heaven and miss seeing anyone that has crossed my path in my lifetime. My prayer is that God will spare all my friends and family members, but He can only do this if you accept His Son. AMEN!

PS 72 v 13...He will spare the poor and needy. And will save the souls of the needy...

I think sometimes when God refers to the poor and needy, it is not just poor and needy in wealth, but also in Spirit. There are so many who do not have much spirit in them, because they are not full of His word. They are down and out on their luck all the time and it seems as if nothing ever goes right for them. Well, I believe that if you would get into the word of God on a daily basis and fill your hearts with what He says, your joy will increase, your outlook will become brighter and your future will start to flourish, because you will be giving credit to Whom credit is due. We need God in our lives on an everyday basis, not just on Sunday mornings, or Wed. nights. We need Him daily. The enemy is out there waiting to steal your victory and steal the word right out from under you, and bring you down. He attacks you especially when you are down and weak, because he knows you do not have much fight in you, but if you would get into the word of God, and build your faith in Him, then He will spare your soul and bless you. HALLELUJAH!! You will then see that luck has nothing to do with your outcome, but God Himself does.

Mal 3 v 17..."They shall be Mine, says the LORD of hosts, on the day that I make them My jewels and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."

Well, here it is again. In the previous verse, 16....Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him, for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name....

God is telling us to meditate on His name, how do we do this, but to stay in the word, and keep His word on our lips and in our hearts and in our minds at all times. God tells us do not let His words depart from your eyes, or the midst of your heart. He says He will make you HIS. He will spare you when you follow His word. His word tells us that we must accept His Son as the only way to Him. He tells us in Rev. 21 v 27 that no one shall enter into His gates except for those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of Life. And who is the Lamb who has this book? Look in John 1 v 29...The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The LAMB OF GOD who takes away the sins of the world!".......

I know we are not suppose to beg for anything but I do beg each of you who read my tid-bits that you will accept the LORD JESUS as your Savior, and let His Father spare you, so that you may be in the Kingdom with me one day. PRAISE GOD!

Neta

How Is Your Body Presented

The word says we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto God. We are no good for the glorifying of the kingdom if we are dead or sick.

Keep your body healthy as it is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore we can represent God in an honorable fashion that we live by His word and stand in faith that He says we are healed by His stripes.

Therefore God wants and desires us to be in our best health. We need strength and health to go out and proclaim His Victory in our lives.

How would we look proclaiming Victory if we walked all stooped over and sick and worried all the time? How would that glorify God?

Now, I am not saying that a sick person can not glorify God. I am just saying that when we are sick, we do not need to let everybody know about it, by going around proclaiming our sickness all the time, instead of our healing and Victory in the Lord Jesus. We need to be careful to give God the glory and praise and thanksgiving in all things at all times in our lives. HALLELUJAH!!

Romans 12 v 1-2... I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mericies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God....

1 Cor. 6 v 19...Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own.....

Prov. 16 v 24....Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones....

Prov. 17 v 22...A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.....

Prov. 13 v 3...He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction....

Prov. 12 v 18....There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.....

How are you presenting your bodies to God? Can you truly say it is your best?
Neta

Overcoming the Pain of the Sins of the Past

How do we overcome the pain from the sins of our past? There is only one way, and that is to look to Jesus, and see what the word of God says about it. Now I do not know how many of you know my past, and I am only sharing this today, because I feel led by the Lord to go out and help others who have experienced the same pain.

My testimony:
I was raised in a family full of alcoholics, my mother had left when I was only 4 years old, cursing was a second language, trying to out wit the other guy to get something you didn't work for, always trying to find a get rich quick scheme. I was sexually molested as a little girl by an old man in our neighborhood. I never told anyone, until later I shared with my husband, Rob. I started smoking at the age of 9 and started drinking at the age of around 13 or 14. I can remember coming home from school and my step mother sending me and my boyfriend to the store to get a case of beer, (they knew us, so we could drive around to the back and pick up the beer) and then about 3 hours later when my father came home, they would send us for another case, because she and I and the boyfriend had already drank the first one. It is only by the grace of God, that I did not die of alcohol poisoning. I only weighed about 75 or 80 lbs. at that time. I started running around with the wrong group of people. I can even remember 2 of the boys, my friend and I hung out with, getting arrested and thrown into prison for murdering two narcotic agents and mutilating them. (You never know who you are running with, when you don't know the LORD) God had plans for me then and He sent His angels out to protect me. When I think of some of the stupid things I have done in my lifetime, like running off with a truck driver once for a week, or jumping off a bridge in a nasty lake just because everyone else did, of being in a horrible car wreck when I had snuck out of my house one night. Or then, when growing older, working in the bars and sleeping in a different bed almost every night.
Those are just a few of the things in my sin filled past, but the one that hurt me the most the one I had to struggle with to receive forgiveness for, the one that took me the longest to forgive myself for, was the murder of two innocent babies. The more appropriate term used today is ABORTION. I thought how can a God who says thou shalt not kill, how can this God forgive me for what I have done? The answer is further on in the book, so don't stop reading with the 10 commandments or no one will ever find forgiveness. Jesus came, born of a virgin, walked on this earth as a man, then walked and carried all of our sins with Him on His back in the form of stripes, flesh being torn, a heavy wooden cross, that stood for so much more than our little puny minds will ever understand. He said, Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing. I believe He wasn't just talking about the actual people who were putting the stripes on His back, or the ones who were sreaming CRUCIFY HIM, CRUCIFY HIM, no, I believe He was talking about every single one of us, that when we are living in sin, without Him, we know not what we are doing. We do not realize the magnitude of what pain we are causing God's only Son to have to endure. But then, He Rose on the third day, and He lives today, so that we may live with Him and the Father one day in Eternity. I believe that when we continue to Sin today, Jesus feels and takes those stripes for you in His heart all over again. He was Crucified once and for all, but that does not mean when He sees you sinning, His heart is not breaking for you, because of the love He has for you and He knows what you are giving up.

Someone put it to me like this, and I have never forgotten it, and this is when I realized that YES, JESUS would forgive me also.
He said, Neta, do you think that Jesus' Blood is not good enough for you? Do you think that you are better than His blood that was spilt for all? Do you think that you have a higher place than the LORD JESUS? Because when you do not forgive yourself for what He already forgave you for, already took the stripes for, already spilt His blood for, then you are saying, His blood wasn't worth enough to cover your sin.
That hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to quit thinking about my poor pitiful self, and start looking to JESUS and what He said about my sin. I had to quit worrying about what everyone was going to think of me for what I had done, and start looking to Jesus for forgiveness instead of the world. There is always going to be people out there who will judge you, but God says, He has the final say, He has the final word, He is the author and finisher of your life, not the world. HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU JESUS!! For your mercy, your grace, Lord your Grace is sufficient for all! AMEN!

I am not saying that you will not hurt in your heart when you remember your abortion, or abortions, but I am here to tell you today, that JESUS loves you just the same as He loves the preacher, the apostles, and all the goody two shoe women in your church who you are worried about judging you. JESUS loves us all the same, none of us different, just like the two guys who killed the two narcotic agents, if they have repented and accepted Him as their Savior, he loves them just the same. God is no respector of men, I am here to tell you, that you can have peace in your life, and you can forgive yourself for the things of your past, if you will first turn to Jesus, and ask for His forgiveness, He is sitting there waiting with His arms outstretched to you for you to come running to Him, and fall into His arms, and say Lord Jesus Forgive me for my sins, I love you Lord, and I want to live my life for you. Please come into my heart and free me from my past. And Lord, now I forgive myself and all others who have sinned against me. I will walk in love not only toward others, but also toward myself. Now, Rejoice and know that you are forgiven, and Jesus will bring you through your valleys, and over your mountain tops and you will have peace and rest in the LORD.

I feel the Lord led me to share this with someone out there who is dealing with the pain of abortion and you have not forgiven yourself, write to me, and I will pray with you and for you so that you too may know the love of JESUS and His forgiveness for you. Jesus wants you to be set free from your condemnation of guilt and shame. Those things are from the enemy and not from the LORD.

James 5 v 15...And the prayer of the faith will save the sick, and the LORD will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed......

I Love you all, and I hope this helps someone who is dealing with the pain of the sins of their past. First you have to confess them, then you can be delivered. AMEN

Neta

Which Eternity Are You Comfortable With

The Lord was moved with compassion, because there were so many in need of healing, and the in need of the word of God. He said, they are like sheep scattered like sheep without a Shepherd.
Matthew 9 vs 36...But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered. like sheep having no shepherd.....

Matthew 9 vs 37-38...Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."....

Do you remember what is was like before you became one of Jesus' sheep? Do you remember feeling lost, and trying to find your way? Then someone told you about Jesus, and how much He loves you and how He wants to bring you into the fold of His sheep, so that you can have the assurance and the peace that no matter what life throws at you, you will come out the VICTOR, because He has already won the battle for you. HALLELUJAH!!!

1 Cor. 15 vs 57...But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.....

If you have not already made the decision to follow Jesus, then let me ask you this. Who or What are you following? Where do you get your peace? When your days are done here on earth, where will you spend eternity? Because you will spend eternity somewhere. The question is, does the answer to that question give you peace or does that cause you discomfort to think about? In other words, if the world ended today, or if you, yourself died today, do you have peace and happiness about what happens next, or are you afraid or unsure of what happens next?

John 3 v 16...God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life...

John 10 vs 27-28...My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand...

I want to share with you today what God says about it. God says, His Son is the only way to Him. God is for all eternity, so if Jesus is the only way to Him, then He is the only way to eternity with the Father who created you, where there will be no tears of mourning.

Rev. 21 v 4...And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."...

There is another eternity, that the word says is Hell, where there is gnashing of teeth, and a fire that can not be quenched where those there are crying out for mercy, but will not find it, for once in that pit, there is never a way out, you are there for eternity. You do not get to change your mind and then decide to follow Jesus.

Matthew 25 v 41...Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels....

So when making this decision, know that this one decision in your life is for eternity. Which of these do you feel the most comfortable with? I know that sounds like a stupid question, but there are people still today who choose hell over God, and then there are those who just do not know the word of God, and what He says, so let me share with you today how you can receive the promise of the Father with the assurance of peace of knowing that you will spend eternity with Him.

Pray with me,
"Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Lord, I ask that you cleanse me of my past,and come into my heart to live so that I might live through you and renew my mind with your word, so that I can put off the old man, and become a born again man or woman of Christ. So that I may live my days out serving you and the Father. Lord, send the Holy Spirit upon me to dwell in me, to give me guidance and direction and to quicken me to follow in your footsteps, and to pick me up and put me back on the path when I fall. Thank you Jesus for dying on that cross for my sins, and I receive you now as my personal savior as my Lord and King. In Jesus name. AMEN AMEN!

Now write me with your good report that you have received the Lord today as your Savior, and I will rejoice with you that one day we will be in eternity together. HALLELUJAH!!!
Neta

The Measure Of Faith

How would you say you measure Faith? We always think of the scripture, "if ye had faith of a mustard seed" what does that mean? Does a mustard seed have faith? I believe that Jesus is saying all it takes is for you to believe. If you will just open your heart a little bit, just big enough to let a mustard seed in, just that little bit of belief, will cause you to have whatsoever you shall ask.

A mustard seed is about as big as a pin head, but when planted, out grows all other seeds, it just continuously gets bigger and bigger. Your heart is the soil, the word talks about, so if you let that mustard seed into your soil (your heart) then your faith will grow bigger and bigger in all things that you believe.

You see, this can go both ways for the good and the bad. If someone speaks one little word toward you that is not good, and you let that into your heart, then it can grow bigger and bigger also until it consumes you. When we focus on our problems, we give life to them, in other words we plant them into our hearts (our soil) and we let them grow bigger and bigger, because the more we focus on them by talking about them, it is like pouring fertilizer on the seed we planted. Why do we find it so easy to water our problems, but not our promises? In other words, why do we always focus on our problems, instead of looking up the word of God and see what He has to say about it, then water God's promise over that problem, so that the promise can grow bigger and choke out the root of the problem. AMEN!

Matthew 13 vs 31-32....Another parable He put forth to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and rest in its branches."......

I believe Jesus is saying, if you will just open a space the size of a mustard seed in your heart for Me, I will come in and if you will feed the Spirit with the word of My Father, My Spirit will grow and bring you rest, and I will give you My Father's promises and they shall outgrow your problems. And when you ask anything in My name it shall be given unto you.

The apostles asked the Lord to increase their faith, the size of faith is not the answer, the answer is to have faith to start with.

Luke 17 v 6....so the Lord said, "If you have the faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.".....

In other words, if you could just believe a little bit, you could speak the word to your problem, get out of me and it will have to go. When you speak the word of God with authority, the authority the LORD HIMSELF gave you to speak with, then with that confidence, comes faith and the enemy will run the other way. That mustard seed will explode in your heart when you feed it with the right fertilizer, Trust/Confidence/Faith and then mix with Authority when applying. HALLELUJAH!!!!

Mark 11 vs23...For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain; be removed and be cast into the sea; and does not doubt in his heart, but believe that those things which he says will be done, he shall have whatever he says.......

Wow, there you have it, every way Jesus can say it. Trust in Him, and let that mustard seed of faith get into your heart, and then feed it everyday with the word of God, and you shall have what you ask.

Neta

Cleansed

Cleansed

I have been praying that the Lord will give me a word each day to use to study His word. My word today was cleansed. Not clean, cleaning, cleansing, cleaner but just cleansed. Important point here is the word cleansed is past tense of clean. In other words, it has already been cleaned.

Lev. 14 v 8..He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp and shall stay outside his tent seven days.

Even in the old testament days, God was telling people how to use proper hygiene in keeping themselves clean and presentable. People say all the time, God loves everyone even the dirty. Yes that is true, but He also instructs the dirty how to be clean. He wasn't just wasting His breath on telling you how to wash. I mean if we are going to give God our best, that would have to include that we be cleansed. Not just of our filthy ways, but also of our filthy rags. You notice He even told them to wash their clothes. Now I know this verse is talking about a leper, but this could be for everyone. In this day and time especially, we need to pay attention to our personal hygiene. The reason this cleansing was set up this way was to keep from spreading the disease to others. I think God is saying if you would follow these simple steps, you would be in better health.

Matt. 8 v 3...Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him saying, "I am willing, be cleansed....

You see, Jesus didn't say, well, I don't know if that is My will or not for you to be cleansed. Maybe you should stay sick a little longer, I just don't know. Give me a break! Jesus, said I AM WILLING.
Jesus does not ever want you sick. Why in the earth anyone would ever think such a thing, is beyond me. Why would He have taken all those stripes for you, and said by His stripes you were healed, if He was going to later let you suffer after He had already suffered the ultimate for you. I mean think about it. When you do not accept your healing, it is the same as you saying that blood He spilt was for nothing. I for one, am going to receive my healing, because I know that it is His will for me to be healed. HALLELUJAH!!! I do not want one drop of that precious blood to be accounted for nothing because of my unbelief, or lack of trust. AMEN.

Acts. 10 v 15... and a voice spoke to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed you must not call common....

Here, we find scripture telling us that we had better not call someone or something common, that God has already cleansed. In other words, when we have prejudice against someone we are in a word calling them unclean. That is how God looks at our actions. We just think of prejudice as a difference of opinion toward a race of people that is not the same as we are, but God says, it is the same as you calling them unclean, and His Son's blood was spilled for them just the same as it was for you. So you might want to think about the next time you get ready to judge someone because of their skin color, or the way they worship, or the foods they eat, God says, what I have called clean you better back off. Of course I am paraphrasing there, but you get the point.

I am excited about this word cleansed. God showed us three different ways of using cleansed in His word today. I can't wait to see what word God gives me tomorrow.
Neta